A post war poem, ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ snatches at the opportunity to put an abrupt end to political problems worldwide

A post war poem, ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est' snatches at the opportunity to put an abrupt end to political problems worldwide, and to avoid any sort of future World Wars. Poet Wilfred Owen shapes this poem around war and its consequences; this is a poem of deep, twisted, emotive imagery portrayed through intelligent poetic devices. The opening stanza draws the reader into the proverbial trench, ‘Bent double, like old beggars under sacks' – an example of accessible imagery, used through a simile. The following lines continue to create the atmosphere of war: ‘Coughing like hags, we cursed through the sludge', an unpleasant yet easily understandable occurrence. ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est' practically marches the reader to war by emphasising soldiers' hardships at war; travelling to a ‘distant rest', and ‘men march asleep', an effective metaphoric phrase, elaborated upon straight after, Owen states soldiers would be ‘drunk with fatigue', and even after they'd ‘lost their boots', they would ‘limp on, blood-shod, all blind' on this seemingly eternal and insignificant march. Wilfred Owen will have captivated any reader by now to see the poem through to it's end. This poem is of a standard much higher than Owen's other work, as well as many of its time. ‘An ecstasy of fumbling', ‘misty panes and think green light' and ‘a green sea' are all first-rate adjectival phrases portraying further visions of war. ‘And floundering like a man in fire or lime' paints a very descriptive and hideously detailed picture. This stanza's flow is excellent and the rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter really keeping a solid rhythm going. In a small break-off from the second stanza, we have stanza three, just two lines, acting as an anti climax, the predecessor to the final twelve line stanza; this couple of lines links with the previous stanza via its rhyme scheme, it ends with the emotive, meaningful line ‘He plunges at me, guttering, choking drowning' – repetition of ‘drowning' through rhyme, emphasis used to a great effect. This draws us into the ultimate chapter of ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est'. Stanza four is littered with intelligent and effective poetic devices in the way of similes and existential imagery. For instance ‘Like a devil's sick of sin', ‘obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud', two lines, and three similes manage to highlight the repulsive nature of war. Yet more simple yet informative adjectives and verbs paint pictures in the readers mind – ‘Watch the white eyes writhing in his face', sickening yet beautiful. This is followed by ‘If you could see †¦ with such high zest' – a five line cut from the stanza illuminates the poem with brilliance. ‘The blood coming from the froth-corrupted lungs', ‘obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud' and ‘vile, incurable sores' are three examples of emotive, negatively charged poetry. The poem then draws into its infamous close: ‘Dulce et decorum est †¦ Pro patria mori' – Latin, simply translated to â€Å"It's sweet and fitting to die for your country†. This is after playing down war for four convincing and vibrant stanzas. He dubs the saying an ‘old lie', a bold yet shockingly debatable declaration. This ending rounds off the poem impeccably; ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est' rhymes in alternating couplets and uses iambic pentameter in the right places, it's a near-perfect formula not to be missed out on. The poem begins with an introduction to trench warfare and goes on stating the hardships of war and life as a soldier followed by a poetic patch of high-quality description, it proceeds to finish drowning you in a sea of soldiers' sorrow. In a moment of bias, I have to input my own opinion on this piece; it is one of the more interesting pieces of poetry, not too bogged-down, the rhythm throughout the second stanza in particular is excellent. The poetic devices incorporated are done so as effectively as I've ever read, all the similes and metaphors already mentioned in this appreciation fully validate my statement. At the same time the poem doesn't overdo use of imagery and intelligent language, to the point it is so abstract it makes difficult, complicated reading. ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est' provides good balance, making it accessible and easy to relate to. Overall it's an impeccable, negatively charged protest against war, which leaves the timeless question: â€Å"Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori† – Well?

Big Data Analysis

Nowadays the volume of data has grown massively due to the evolution of technology. Smartphones, social media, and the Internet of things are the most important factors in the occurrence of big data. The most challenging part is that the data is present in a various format and at the same time it is huge in size. They have exceeded a traditional machine processing capacity and conventional competing mechanisms which led to the use of distributed processing mechanisms and need to improve Infrastructural technologies which is the core of the Big Data ecosystem.IntroductionSince the beginning of computers, the people had used landline phones but now they have smartphones. Apart from that, they are also using bulky desktops for processing data, they were using floppies, hard disk and now they can store data in the cloud. Similarly nowadays even self-driving cars have come up and it is one of the Internet of things (IOT) examples. We can notice due to this enhancement of technology we're generating a lot of data. Let's take the example of IOT, have imagined how much data is generated due to using the smart air conditioners, this device actually monitors the body temperature and the outside temperature and accordingly decides what should be the temperature of the room. So we can actually see that because of IOT we are generating a huge amount of data. Another example of smartphones, Every action even one video or image that is sent through any messenger app will generates data. List this data is not in a format that our relational database can handle and apart from that even the volume of data has also increased exponentially. We can define Big data as a collection of data sets vary large and complex that it is difficult to analyzing using conventional data processing applications or database system tools.

Ethics on Walt Disney

According to an article from The New York Times, on May 9, 2012 The Walt Disney Company’s profits had grown up to 21% at Disney’s Cable TV gains and a surge in Resorts Business. Thanks to climbing ad sales and subscription fees at ESPN, another cable channel like ABCfamily has also helped the Walt Disney Company. Its quarterly profit 21% To $1. 14 billion dollars. The article started off by stating that Disney’s financial reported a Growth on retail sales report. In addition an operating income at Walt Disney Company Park and Resorts Surged 53% to $222 million dollars.A reason for this division growth was that they had high spenders. Which meant they wasted money on Disney’s products and not only that but there attendance increased on almost all there resorts worldwide. Just like in Tokyo an increase in spending up to 5%. This is ethical, because it shows that the resorts must be doing well that means people are going and spending their money even with thi s recession. Besides this there is an issue that Disney’s studios faced after filming the movie John Carter but they had a solution. After they had lost money from that movie they also had losses from media networks.Because As the result that they were working on their interactive media. Aside from their losses, Disney reported earnings per share of 58 cents for the quarter. Up to 18% from 49 cents a year earlier. Not only had that but Analyst expected Earnings per share of 56 cents. In the other hand there was revenue 6% to $9. 6 billion. This shows that it was am improvement for Walt Disney they do there accountings in an Ethical manner. Another good ethics of Walt Disney is there television portfolio, since they have a variety of studios.They manage different channels like sports and family channels that helps them set apart from there competition. ESPN is by the largest contributor to Disney’s overall probability. â€Å"Quite well positioned to remain the pre-emin ent sports brand,† said Disney Chairman Robert I. Iger. This statement shows that ESPN is doing a good job as it should and shows that not only that. But ESPN is still growing with their subscribers and fees. Lastly in the article, it states that since the release of the movie Marvel Inc. The movie has recorded the biggest opening. â€Å"It’s a great illustration of why we like Marvel Inc. o much. † Said Mr. Iger. In my opinion I think the Walt Disney Company is very successful. They have been around the business for quite a while. Not only that but they made products and films that are worth value. Great film from back in the days and still going on now. The Walt Disney Company hires employees and trains them to their best ability which not many companies do. They require safety and have their business standards set well. Just how their profits have increased. That’s shows their doing a well ethical job. They may not be perfect but they sure have accounti ng set well in their business.Because the fact that if they didn’t Walt Disney would be as well-known. Their resorts wouldn’t be considered one of the happiest places on earth. This Article states the ethical manner that Walt Disney has done yet they had issues but still they overcome them just like how ethical companies should. The Walt Disney Company hasn’t been affected in a huge drastic way that other companies have been affected. But yet I think that is example that an ethical company leads and that is Walt Disney. REFERENCE http://query. nytimes. com/gst/fullpage. html? res=9C01EFD9133AF93AA35756C0A9649D8B63&ref=brooksbarnes

Business Environment Analysis and Research - Political Trade Arguments Essay

Business Environment Analysis and Research - Political Trade Arguments - Essay Example In the following parts of the essay, first an example of stable trade and political relations has been included in which Canada and the United States’ growing trade relations have been highlighted. It is followed by the trade relations between Iran and the United States have been mentioned, highlighting the type of political relation and its fallout on the past and existing trade relations. Before the conclusion part, Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status and current standoff between India and Pakistan have been discussed besides their arguments and justifications have also been evaluated. International trade is dominated and influenced by strong international countries, such as the United States of America. It is a clear and established fact that the international trade, which is mainly run and administered by the operational framework of the World Trade Organization, between countries, regions and international independent trading partners is considerably affected by the bi-lateral relationship between the trading partners. For example, it has been observed that stable and strong bi-lateral, cultural and political relations play a very important role between the countries. Consequently, stable political relations enable them to develop and retain trade relationships as well. For example, the trade between Canada and the United States of America is considerably higher and growing as well because both countries have stable political relations whereas unfriendly political relations between the United States and Iran clearly demonstrates limited trade between these coun tries. In addition, due to the current animosity between the United States and Iran, bilateral trade between these two countries is not growing instead the United States has imposed bilateral trade restrictions and the same attitude is also reflected when Iran enters into bilateral trade agreements with other international countries

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Rhetorical Analysis - Essay Example Summary of the Article Carr in his article offers an interesting look on the recent growth of online courses. He alleges that with the increased growth of online automation and analyzing algorithms, the MOOCs have become quite effective (36). The author meticulously describes the transitions that have taken place from the traditional means in which classes were undertaken to the new concept of the MOOCs. Additionally, he talks in length about ways in which the computers have helped in customizing the students’ learning experience. However, he points out to some of the challenges that are facing the MOOCs, alleging that, â€Å"of the 160,000 people who enrolled in Norvig and Thrun’s AI class, only about 14 percent ended up completing it† (Carr 40). In that case, the high dropout reveals the challenges that emanates from keeping online students motivated and attentive. One of the major implications that the author fails to address in regard to the increase of techn ology and MOOCs is the effect that the lack of professors would have on education and the field of research. If the technology ends up pushing the professors out of the classrooms, then it would be necessary for the author to focus on telling readers where that places the state of research. Nevertheless, he clearly explains on the reason why most people prefer online classes to classroom college education, asserting that people are dissatisfied with college education because it is time consuming and expensive. He confirms, â€Å"the average price tag for a bachelor’s degree has shot up to more than $ 100,000† (Carr, 34). Another reason behind the rise of MOOCs that is well argued out is that despite the rise in the cost of higher education, its quality has dropped. Generally, the pros and cons of MOOCs have been well argued and Carr looks as to be spot on in his scrutiny of the future of the universities. Rhetoric Analysis In Carr’s article, he uses a descriptiv e tone to appeal to readers in addressing the issue of technology and its pros and cons. Through his descriptions, he manages to paint a picture of slowly diminishing universities, owing to the rise of MOOCs. For instance, he creates imagery of a population that is slowly moving towards online classes, following the high expenses and low quality education. On the same note, he uses contrast to create a tone of disapproval among few people who still think that online classes tend to pose more challenges. For instance, he asserts, â€Å"but not everyone is enthusiastic. The online classes, some educators fear, will at best prove a distraction to college administrators†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Carr 34). Carr commences the article with historical facts, describing how technology has advanced over the years and has had an impact on higher education. This technique helps in establishing the tone of the article as one that is formal; hence, drawing the reader’s interest because of the credib ility that comes with historical facts. Additionally, the author uses comparative and contrasting techniques to give an overview on what education was like before and how it has changed with the revolution of technology. For example, the author compares correspondence courses to traditional on campus lessons, arguing that they were both beneficial to students though

Shakespeare's Othello. Othello is responsible for his own actions. His Research Paper

Shakespeare's Othello. Othello is responsible for his own actions. His actions alone determined his fate - Research Paper Example Even though, Iago’s revenge plays a vital role in leading Othello to his tragedy, one cannot ignore the reason for that revenge. The root causes of Iago’s revenge are vested in Othello’s actions, such as, Othello’s act of having pushed him secondary and appoint Casio to the post of Lieutenant, Othello’s illegal affection (as Iago suspects) with Iago’s wife Emilia and finally his assumption that he is in love with Desdemona. The story of the play is dedicated to Iago’s peaceful effort to make Othello jealous of his beautiful wife Desdemona. This single mistake or character flaw brings Othello to ruin and he suffers a dramatic fall from extreme grace. Even though, there is a character flaw and the complications of external forces working against him, Othello is responsible for his miseries and his actions alone determined his fate. The play has split in to five acts which clearly presented the traditional Elizabethan style and the crisis between Othello and Iago begins in first act. Othello ignores the words of authorities and sidelined Iago from the selection procedure of lieutenant ship. Iago’s intentions make known the depth of his revenge against Othello and others. Iago put forward three complaints against Othello. They are Othello’s act of having pushed him less important and promoted Casio to the post of lieutenant, Iago’s misgiving is that Othello has been making love to his wife Emilia, and finally Othello’s supposition that he is in love with Desdemona. Based on theses three complains Iago weaved his plot against Othello. The calamity begins with Othello’s decisions to take on Cassio as his lieutenant. Iago feels disappointment and shame and he cleverly put away the marriage between Othello and Desdemona and decides to attack Desdemona’s father Brabantio. Here reader can find Othello paved the way for Iago to clear his way for revenge. As H. S. Toshack comments; à ¢â‚¬Å"Whatever those reasons, he takes the first step towards achieving his objective when he persuades Roderigo to stir up against Othello† (Toshack 8). Othello’s decision is final in Iago’s issue regarding the position of lieutenant and Iago believes that there is a conscious effort from Othello’s end behind his expulsion. Here it is easy for a reader to comprehend the fact that Othello’s thoughts and actions alone determined his tragic end. Othello’s illegal relationship with Emilia acts as a catalyst in Iago’s increasing revenge against his General. Iago feels ashamed and his doubts about his wife’s loyalty changed him a revengeful beast. Therefore, he says, â€Å"I hate the Moor, And it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets He has done my office.† (Act 1 scene 3) It is significant for the reader to think that Iago becomes helpless and he fails to react against his General’s illegal relationship towards his w ife. It hurts him deeply and his pain gradually transformed into revenge and he chooses Desdemona for his plot against Othello. Iago cleverly motivates Othello to suspect his wife Desdemona and in a moment of extreme madness Othello strangles his wife Desdemona. Later he kills himself realizing his follies of blindly believing Iago’s words and killing his innocent wife. Here one cannot avoid the role of reason behind Iago’s revenge. Rebecca W. Bushnell underlines this view by saying; â€Å"

The main reasons why companies decide to internationalize their Essay

The main reasons why companies decide to internationalize their activities - Essay Example Porter (2011) identifies how paramount the risks are as they are associated with new entrants in a market when entry cost barriers are reduced or even when technological advancements make it easy for new entrants to replicate competitive products and infuse new competitive forces in the market. Growth in the competition after a business’ products are in the maturity stage along the product lifecycle and when markets are becoming saturated with emerging competition, it is no longer sustainable to maintain the presence in the domestic country. Instead of attempting to diversify the business’ product portfolio, which is not always achievable using existing resources and existing knowledge, firms will seek new foreign markets as an opportunity to build revenues and remove competitive risks. In this capacity, they can maintain the same operational costs associated with product manufacture and create a new demand with foreign consumers as a means of sustaining its profit marg in. Furthermore, sourcing and manufacturing are now becoming a more globalised function as industry-wide benchmarks and standards are being established (Cavusgil, Yeniyurt and Townsend 2004). This means that supply chain networks are becoming more homogenous on a global basis which makes it easier for competition in a certain industry to gain the same type of procurement advantages related to cost and distribution. As emerging markets establish the distribution networks and tangible infrastructures necessary to reach foreign markets, competitors are able to benchmark supply strategies and erode any competitive advantages once achieved by another competitor. Further, the ability of competition to achieve replicable value-added activities in procurement drives another competitor to seek new opportunities to regain competitive advantages. Internationalisation, as it is related to procurement strategies, provides new opportunities to innovate new product development.

Emulsion Technology Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Emulsion Technology - Lab Report Example   An emulsion is a setup of two immiscible liquid phases with one of them dispersed throughout the other in form of tiny and fine droplets. The phase consisting of tiny droplets is defined as the internal or dispersed phase whereas the suspension phase is classified as the external or continuous phase. Water and oil are the two major constituents of pharmaceutical emulsions. An aqueous continuous phase will render the emulsion as oil-in-water (o/w) whereas an oily continuous phase will make a water-in-oil (w/o) emulsion. The stability of an emulsion is dependent on the characteristics of the interfacial film. Addition of an emulsifying agent lowers the interfacial tension and increases the stability of the emulsion. A wide variety of these substances are available: e.g. egg yolk, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 20, 20 etc. In the past emulsions have been used to impart paraffin oil and other oily substances in a more palatable form (Aulton 1988, p. 93). Nowadays emulsions are very co mmon in foods, cosmetics, personal hygiene and especially pharmaceuticals. Creams, ointments, liniments, pastes, and films are some examples of pharmaceutical emulsions. They are classified according to the oil and water content in each of the preparation and also on their routes of administration (Troy, Remington & Beringer 2006, p. 886-887). To achieve the production of a stabilized emulsion this experimented was conducted in order to formulate a scientific method of emulsion design. MATERIALS & METHOD A condensed film consisting of an oil-soluble component (OSC) and a water-soluble component (WSC) in a ratio of 9:1 for the required o/w emulsion is needed at the interface between oil and water in order to achieve the best result. MATERIALS Liquid Paraffin, Tween 80 (polyoxyethylene 20 sorbitan mono-oleate, Span 80 (sorbitan mono-oleate) Span 80 is selected as the OSC while Tween 80 is selected as the WSC at total blend concentration of 2% w/v. Both compartments are then administer ed into screw via a burette and then labeled. The vials are agitated by inversion and then emulsified by drawing into and expelling from a syringe three times. Six different formulations were prepared with varying ratios of Span 80 and Tween 80. The HLB of each formulation was calculated from the equation given below, so as to determine the required HLB of the oil. HLB [formula] = f [OSC] . HLB [OSC] + (1-f) [WSC] .  

International finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

International finance - Assignment Example This could lead to reduced investments of the government or organizations involved in the debt, thus leading to adoption of compensatory mechanisms such as increased taxation by governments and increased product prices by organizations in order to cater for the cost. On the other hand, devaluation is likely to discourage investors from foreign countries, as governments that devalue their currency are perceived as weak. This would lead to decreased revenue and thus high rates of inflation. An increase in national income in Japan as compared to the US, with floating rates of exchange would lead to the depreciation of the rate of current exchange for Japan, and thus appreciation of the US dollar. An increase in the prices in both Japan and the US would ensure that the two countries maintain their purchasing power parity. As such, the US dollar would remain the same relative to the Japanese yen. High real interest rates in Japan would lead to appreciation in the value of their currency and subsequent depreciation in the value of the US dollar. As such, global investors would wish to hold financials in the Japanese yen. For them to buy Japanese stocks or bonds, the Japanese yen must be bought, causing it to appreciate. The fixed exchange rate system guards countries from exchange rate uncertainties by allowing countries that experience deficits in the payment balance to use their dollar reserves to finance such deficits (Arnold 891). With the decline in the number of dollars, the supply of money in the country is reduced. The interest rates thus increase in response to the reduced prices. The reduction in price results in the goods of the nation becoming more competitive at the international level, increasing capital flow into the nation. As such, the fixed exchange rate system allows different nations to establish equilibrium through balancing payments. The fixed exchange rate systems place the exchange risk

Chromosomal Instability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Chromosomal Instability - Essay Example due to the aberrations in the genomes, there is chromosomal instability leading to aneuploidy, i.e, an imbalance in the chromosomes results, so that the possibility for cancerous growths is increased.(Pollack, 2006). In a brief article, Pollack (2006) has summarized the findings of a study of aneuploidy that was taken up recently, where a gene expression was identified as a possible identifying symptom of chromosomal instability. In their study of chromosomal instability, the authors identified 25 genes that could predict the clinical outcome for six different types of cancer. Maintaining the chromosomal integrity of a cell is a complicated process because DNA regulation in the cell must be precisely regulated, while damaged DNA must be recognized and repaired quickly. Shima et al (2007) conducted earlier studies where they identified a Chaos3 mutation in mice that causes spontaneous chromosomal aberrations. In the instant study, they report that this chromosomal instability, which was isolated in a forward genetic screen, is a viable allele of Mcm4 (michromosome maintenance deficient 4 homolog). This allele is a component of the MCM2-7 complex, which is the replication licensing factor. Shima et al (2007) conducted their study on female mice and found that mutant embryonic fibroblasts in these mice were susceptible to chromosomal instability induced by inhibition of DNA replication. 80% of the subjects of the study succumbed to mammary carcinomas. The findings in this study suggest that the hyphomorphic alleles such as mcm4 of the genes that encode the subunits of the MCM2-7 complex may cause an increase in the risk of breast cancer. Another causal element identified in chromosomal instability is the mSds3 chromatin regulator, which is a key component of the mSin3 compressor complex that regulates target gene expression through chromatin modification.(David et al, 2006). In their study, David et al (2006) carried out their study using mice assessed whether the

Video game addiction Essay Example for Free

Video game addiction Essay This chapter presents the introduction, background of the study, statement of the problem, significance of the study, scope and delimitation, the conceptual framework and the definition of terms. INTRODUCTION It was not long ago when computers were very big and most people could not afford to buy one. Over the years, computers have not only gotten smaller, but also less expensive and more powerful. Today, many people can afford to buy their own computer. You can see a computer in use almost everywhere. Computer is an electronic machine used to process data. It changes data into useful information. It is controlled by commands or instructions. These commands or instructions tell it what to do. Computers come in different shapes and sizes and they serve many purposes. They range from the tiny computers built into appliances and cars the large mainframe computers used to run big business. This device or computer program provides entertainment by challenging a persons eye-hand coordination or mental abilities. Made possible by the development of the microprocessor, electronic games are marketed in various formats, such as hand-held one-player models, cartridges or compact discs that are inserted in modules attached to television sets, computer programs run on personal or network computers, and freestanding arcade versions. Most of their appeal comes from the computer program that synchronizes flashing lights and a variety of sounds with the movie like animated action portrayed on a graphic display. In modern society, it is very common in playing computer games. Even though computer games are common in our life, they have not only good effects, but also bad effect, especially to pupils. Moreover, even though parents know that pupils play computer games too much, they do not know that why pupils are widely excited at computer games, and what the bad effects of computer games are. There are two main causes that pupils play computer games too much. In addition, playing computer games too much has two main effects. The first reason that pupils play computer games too much is very simple, because computer games are very fun. Computer games relieve stress. Therefore, computer games have very splendid violent content. There has long been the believed that violent content may teach violent behaviour to the young. Moreover, Barrie Gunter asserted, Playing computer or video games with violent themes results in the heightening of perceptions of risk or danger in the real world, He declared that the power of video or computer games may also be derived from the feeling of control which they stimulate in young players. Thus, computer games drive pupils more violent. Besides, pupils could misunderstand that they are computer games character. In the municipality of Atimonan, Quezon are lots of computer shop near the school site where the computer games are open to play it and the researcher found out that most of those who frequently play computer games are the elementary grades pupils. In fact computer games have effects to the players especially to the children. This situation paved the way for the idea to become interested in her study and wanted to determine the effects of playing computer games has affect to the pupils’ academic performance. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The researcher aimed to determine the effects of computer games in Academic Performance as perceived by the Grade V pupils’ in Our Lady of the Angels Academy (OLAA) during the school year 2011-2012. Specifically, this seeks to answer the following questions: 1. What is the Profile of Grade V Pupils’ in OLAA in terms of: * Sex * Age * Family Monthly Income * Parents Educational Attainment 2. When do they usually play the computer games? 3. Where do they usually play the computer games per week? 4. How much time do they spend playing computer games per day? 5. Where do they get money for computer games? 6. What kind of computer games-machine do they usually play? 7. What are the perceived effects of computer games on the Grade V Pupils’ in terms of * Study Habits * Academic Achievement * Physical Skills * Emotional Stability 8. In what aspects do computer games have the most impact? 9. In what aspects do computer have the least impact? STATEMENT OF NULL HYPOTHESIS There is no significant effect of playing Computer Games in the pupils’ academic performance. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY In the world of technology and innovation, computer games have played an important role. There are constantly developing new strategies, techniques such that the games become increasingly appealing and exciting. It is hoped that the result of this study would be a great help to the teachers as well as to the parents for they would know the effects of playing computer games as perceived by Grade V pupils’ of Our Lady of the Angels Academy Atimonan, Quezon. To the Teachers, The findings of this study will enable the teachers to discover the positive effects of computer games and not see only the negative side. Since computer is medium of communication. To the parents, the results of this study will be a great help to them especially when they bothered about their children who spend too playing computer games. To the students, the results of this research will surely benefit the students. With this, they will start to realize that computer games can influence their academic performance in school. To the researcher, as a future teacher will also be the one who can help to encouraging and arouse the interest of the pupils’ to gain higher grades in the academic and to know the limitations of playing computer games. SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY In order to gather the academic performance of the students, the researcher asked permission from the principal and their teacher to get their scholastic performance in order to know how the respondents perform in terms of their academic performance. By means of purposive sampling, the researcher has 34 pupils, nineteen (19) male and fifteen (15) female, which composed of only one section of Grade V pupils’ in Our Lady of the Angels Academy. The researcher only considers the scholastic performance of the Grade IV Pupils’ of Our Lady of the Angels Academy during 1st to 3rd grading period to get their academic performance. The researcher gets their average grade to determine their overall academic performance. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem. Generally the effect of Computer Games Specifically the study aims to: 1. Avoid too much playing computer Games 2. Avoid low Failing Grades of Academic Performances. 3. Spend much time on studies. 4. Avoid change attitude. RESEARCH PARADIGM DEPENDENT VARIABLES DEPENDENT VARIABLES Perceived Effects of Computer Games in the Academic Performance of Grade IV Pupils’ of OLAA in terms of: * Study Habits * Academic Achievement * Physical Skills * Emotional Stability Perceived Effects of Computer Games in the Academic Performance of Grade IV. Pupils’ of OLAA in terms of: * Study Habits * Academic Achievement * Physical Skills * Emotional Stability MODERATING VARIABLES MODERATING VARIABLES Computer Games * Dota * Crazykart * Farmville * Special Force * CABAl * Ninja Saga * Cityville * Plants vs. Zombie * RAAN * Other , please specify Computer Games * Dota * Crazykart * Farmville * Special Force * CABAl * Ninja Saga * Cityville * Plants vs. Zombie * RAAN * Other , please specify INDEPENDENT VARIABLES INDEPENDENT VARIABLES Profile of Grade IV Pupils’ of OLAA in terms of: * Gender * Age * Their Computer Games Exposure Profile of Grade IV Pupils’ of OLAA in terms of: * Gender * Age * Their Computer Games Exposure Figure 1 this figure shows that the Relationship among the Independent Variables, Moderating Variables and Dependent Variables. Since, this study centered on determining the effects of computer games in the academic performance of the Grade V Pupils’, the researcher has developed a paradigm that shows the relationship of the independent variables moderating variables and the dependent variables. Hence, as shown in Figure I, Perceived effects of computer games in the academic performance of the Grade IV pupils’ (Box 2) is dependent upon their inherent ability to despondence ( Box 1). This is influenced by the dependent ( Box 2) such as the differences academic performance of the pupils’. DEFINITIONS OF TERMS To make this study more understand for the readers and to avoid confusion for this research to work. The following terms were defined. * Computer an electronic machine used to process data. It changes data into useful information. It is controlled by commands or instructions. * Academic Performance concerns about the information of study habit, academic achievement, involving scholastic rating and development of cognitive skills, improvement of motor skills, enriching affective skills. * Video Games refers to kind of muscle or mental exercise indulged into by some persons for purposes of relaxation which is necessary for maintenance of one’s health. * Computer Games pertains to the mental exercise using modern devices such as video machine, family computer, Atari, or others which attract younger pupils especially to grade school children. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES This chapter presents pertinent review of related literature and studies which is relevant to the research. RELATED LITERATURE Today almost all of us have electronic devices at home for us to be comfortable and handy at times. But it also has a negative effect on children, especially students. Parents usually buy computers for their children educational resource. But students who always seek to fun activities around them use computer to play games, chat with their friends and to catch up with the latest gossip on celebrities. And before they know it they are already addicted to computer. Computer can cause students to be physically, and mentally ill, and the more the child spends more time on the computer, the more he or she loses time to focus on academics, and to talk to their family. Computers, video games, and the internet have become entrenched features of our daily lives. Computer use has reached beyond work and is now a major source of fun and entertainment for many people. For most people, computer use and video game play integrated into their lives in a balanced healthy manner. For other time spent on the computer or video game is out of balance, and has displaced work, school, friends, and even family. According to Gentile (2004), computer games are natural teachers. Children find them highly motivating by virtue of their interactive nature. Children are actively engaged, provide repeated practice, and include rewards for skilful play. These facts make it likely that computer games could have large effects, some of which are intended by game designers, and some of which may not be intended. The data about childrens video game habits are correlated with risk factors for health and with poorer academic performance. When video game play is analyzed for violent content, additional risk factors are observed for aggressive behavior. Fisher (2006) stated that, theres also another type of computer addiction thats been identified, which has been labelled positive addiction. It may sound like a contradiction of terms, but having a positive addiction is defined as obsessive behavior in which the benefits received outweigh the cost of the addiction. There are many ways in which immersing one into the computer can actually help make a person a better, healthier, more aware human being. Not all the stuff on the Internet is bad, by any means. Theres an incredible wealth of valuable, enriching material available in an endless variety in cyberspace, as well. In addition, there are a growing number of researchers who argues that meeting someone online may actually be a more intimate and revealing experience than face to face contact, because youre communicating your thoughts, feelings, and emotions in a more real way, free of the game playing and posturing that often accompanies real world dating. You get to know the inner person in a more direct, spontaneous way without worrying about facial expressions or inflections of the other persons voice. In a very real way, couples who made their first contact online often know each other in a deeper, more intimate way than couples who meet in the outside world. Further, it is important to remember that even if a person spends a significant amount of time on the computer every day, that doesnt necessarily mean that the person is negatively addicted. Spending a considerable amount of time online doesnt always ruin a persons life or the lives of the other people. There are people who use their computers to reach out to others in a meaningful way and use the awesome power and positive aspects of the Internet to learn and grow in every area of their lives and to become better people. On the other hand, Portal (2007) stated that, compulsive gaming is already considered a psychological disorder. The growing number of students suffering from computer game addiction and video game addiction can be puzzling for many people. What the people don’t realize is that any form of addiction roots from things that used to be harmless. Just like in gambling, virtual games bring a sense of fun, thrill and excitement when played, these feelings actually make the game more appealing and engaging and addictive. The seriousness of video game addiction and computer game addiction has gone unnoticed. It managed to sneak from a good thing that turns out bad due to abuse and bad usage. Moreover, Kranz (2008) stated that the seriousness of the issues caused by computer game addiction and video game addiction was even claimed to have created a new face of addiction in modern-day societies. Since this kind of addiction roots from seemingly harmless sources, what leads to addiction is the peoples abuse to the effects or benefits that they bring. Since no one will ever prevent using computer these days, at work or in school, theorists predict that this kind of disorder will be much harder to manage. When time spent on the computer, playing computer games or cruising the internet reaches a point that is harm a child’s or adult’s family and social relationships, or disrupt school or work life, that person may be caught in a circle of addiction. Like other addiction, the computer or video game has replaced friends and family as a source of person’s emotional life. Increasingly, to feel good, the addicted person spends more time playing video games or searching the internet. Time away from the computer or game causes moodiness or withdrawal. RELATED STUDIES According to Matt cited by Walsh that the most widely used positive impact computer games are said to have on children is that they may improve a players manual dexterity and computer literacy. Ever-improving technology also provides players with better graphics that give a more realistic virtual playing experience. This quality makes the computer game industry a powerful force in many adolescent lives. However, numerous studies show that computer games, especially ones with violent content, make teens more aggressive. In another study conducted by Gentile cited by Anderson that adolescent girls played computer games for an average of 5 hours a week, whereas boys averaged 13 hours a week. According to Anderson cited by Gentile that playing computer games may increase aggressive behavior because violent acts are continually repeated throughout the computer game. This method of repetition has long been considered an effective teaching method in reinforcing learning patterns. According to Anderson cited by Bushman that games also encourage players to identify with and role plays their favourite character. This is referred to as a first-person video game because players are able to make decisions affecting the actions of the character they are imitating. After a limited amount of time playing a violent video game, a player can automatically prime aggressive thoughts. The researchers concluded that players who had prior experience playing violent video games responded with an increased level of aggression when they encountered confrontation. CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY METHOD OF RESEARCH USED This study used descriptive method of research because the descriptive method is designed for the investigator to gather information, about present existing conditions. It evolves collection of data in order to test or to answer questions concerning the current status of the subject under study which measures the existing phenomenon the students; hence the aforementioned research method was adopted. RESEARCH LOCALE The researcher has chosen Our lady of the Angels Academy as her place where the study will be conducted. Our lady of the Angels Academy was located at Quezon Street of Zone I Poblacion in Atimonan, Quezon. It has good location and conducive for the pupils to learn. The community has various resources which support and help the school. The community has a large number of population going to school. RESEARCH SAMPLE The researcher use purposive. She decided to study all Grade-IV pupils of Our lady of the Angels Academy because the total population of Grade IV pupils are twenty-two (22). These selected Grade IV pupils are composed of 22. DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE In order to gather data the needed data, the researcher made preliminary steps. The researcher asked permission from the principal of Our Lady of the Angels Academy to allow to conduct her study and to use pupils as respondents. The researcher gave Questionnaire to the pupils and the classroom adviser gave their permission. The direction of the questionnaire was fully explained by the researcher before the class to avoid misinterpretation. After answering, the questionnaire were collected and counted by the researcher. RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION The researcher uses a survey questionnaire as her main instrument in gathering the necessary data. This questionnaire is composed of the following partws|: Part I – Respondents Personal Data Part II– Computer Games Exposure Part III– Effect of Computer Game to the pupils. STATICTICAL TREATMENT In analyzing the data, the Percentage and Weighted Mean Formula as shown below was used. P=FNx100 Where: P=Percentage F=Total number of responses N=Total number of respondents WM=5n+4n+3n+2n+nN Where: WM=Weighted Mean n=Number of frequency responses N=Total number of respondents. Result was interpreted using the scale below: Point Scale| Range Interval| Description| 5| 4. 21-5. 00| SA| 4| 3. 41-4. 20| A| 3| 2. 61-3. 40| U| 2| 1. 81-2. 60| D| 1| 1. 00-1. 80| SD| Appendix B1 QUESTIONNAIRE PART I – Respondents Personal Data A. SEX [ ] Male[ ] Female B. AGE [ ] 8-10 years old[ ] 11-13 years old[ ] other, please specify C. FAMILY MONTHLY INCOME: [ ] less than P 5000[ ] Php. 8000 9000 [ ] Php. 5000 – 6000[ ] Php. 9000 10000 [ ] Php. 6000 – 7000[ ] more than P 10000 [ ] Php. 7000 – 8000 D. EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF YOUR FATHER: [ ] Elementary Graduate[ ] College Undergraduate. [ ] High school Graduate[ ] College Graduate E. EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF YOUR MOTHER [ ] Elementary Graduate[ ] College Undergraduate [ ] High school Graduate[ ] College Graduate PART II – COMPUTER GAMES EXPOSURE This part will determine your computer games exposure. Please answer honestly. 1. When do you usually play the computer games? [ ] during Saturday and Sunday [ ] before going to school [ ] before break time [ ] after class hour [ ] during my free time 2. Where do you usually play the computer games? [ ] at home [ ] at amusement center [ ] at internet cafe [ ] at computer shop [ ] other, please specify 3. How much do you spend for computer games? [ ] P5. 00-P10. 00 [ ] P16. 00-P20. 00 [ ] P25. 00-P30. 00 [ ] P45. 00 and above 4. How much time do you spend playing computer games? [ ] 1-2 hours[ ] 5-6 hours [ ] 3-4 hours[ ] More than 6 hours 5. Where do you get the money you spend for the game? [ ] Parents [ ] Allowance [ ] Savings [ ] other, please specify 6. What kind of computer games-machine do you usually play? [ ] Family computer[ ] Netbook [ ] Personal software process (PSP)[ ] Laptop [ ] Game boy[ ] Other, please specify [ ] Cellphone 7. What types of computer games do you usually play? [ ] DOTA[ ] Ninja Saga. [ ] Crazykart[ ] Cityville [ ] Farmville[ ] Plants vs. Zombies [ ] Special force[ ] RAN [ ] CABAL[ ] other, please specify Part III- EFFECT OF COMPUTER GAME TO THE PUPILS This part will determine the effect of computer games with regards to your study habit, academic achievement, physical skill, and emotional stability. Please check ( / ) the data which correspondent to your answer. Where:SA Strongly Agree= 5 A Agree= 4 UUncertain= 3 DDisagree= 2 SD Strongly Agree= 1 A. STUDY HABITS ITEMS| (SA)5| (A)4| (U)3| (D)2| (SD)1| 1. I prefer to play computer games first before I make my assignment| | | | | | 2. I love computer games more than I enjoy my school lessons. | | | | | | 3. I enjoy playing computer games than making my assignment. | | | | | | 4. I spend much time in playing this game than studying my lessons. | | | | | | 5. I skip class just to play computer games. | | | | | | 6. I prefer to play computer games than reading. | | | | | | 7. Computer games make me less interested in studying. | | | | | | 8. I want to play computer games than to learn new things related to my study. | | | | | | 9. When I have a vacant time I always think that I want to play computer games. | | | | | | 10. I am so engrossed in playing Computer games that I forget the task hand. | | | | | | B. ACADEMIC ACHIVEMENT ITEMS| (SA)5| (A)4| (U)3| (D)2| (SD)1| 1. I still get good grades in examination although I’m an avid player of computer games. | | | | | | 2. Playing computer games help me a lot to improve my analytical skills. | | | | | | 3. I have less time studying because of computer games that is why I participate less in class discussion. | | | | | | 4. I play computer games because it helps me increase my reasoning ability. | | | | | | 5. A computer game helps me improve my mathematical skills. | | | | | | 6. I play computer games because it helps me explore new word/words. | | | | | | 7. I play computer games because it helps me to be creative. | | | | | | 8. My grade in school is affected because of computer games. | | | | | | 9. I play computer games because it provides indirect opportunities to learn principles that help me in lessons. | | | | | | 10. I play computer games because it helps me to learn follow instruction. | | | | | | C. PHYSICAL SKILLS ITEMS| (SA)| (A)| (U)| (D)| (SD)| 1. Computer games improve my hand coordination. | | | | | | 2. I feel so energetic and active in group activity. | | | | | | 3. After playing computer games, I feel refreshed. | | | | | | 4. Playing computer games helps me improve my eyesight. | | | | | | 5. A computer game helps me in my sense of hearing. | | | | | | 6. It helps me to develop skills involving movement. | | | | | | 7. It helps me to enhance my own unique way. | | | | | | 8. It helps me to develop my gross motor skills. | | | | | | 9. It helps me to grow my progression of developmental milestones. | | | | | | 10. It helps me to progress my own individual skills. | | | | | | D. EMOTIONAL STABILITY ITEMS| (SA)5| (A)4| (U)3| (D)2| (SD)1| 1. I feel that computer games it lessen my emotional problems. | | | | | | 2. A computer game helps me not to feel bad whenever my friends are not around. | | | | | | 3. Computer game helps me to gain confidence. | | | | | | 4. Computer game helps me to appreciate the efforts of others. | | | | | | 5. Computer game helps me to understand the behaviours of others whenever bad or goods. | | | | | | 6. It helps me to express my feeling to others. | | | | | | 7. Computer game helps me to share my emotional problems to my parents. | | | | | | 8. Computer games help me to express my opinions and ideas. | | | | | | 9. Computer games help me to respect others. | | | | | | 10. Computer games help me to be independent. Esteban, Clifford P. 2010. â€Å"The Amazing World of Computers†. Quezon City, Philippines: PHOENIX Publishing House, Inc. Pgs. 1-. 6 [ 2 ]. http://education. yahoo. com/reference/encyclopedia/entry/electroG [ 3 ]. http://www. scribd. com/effectsofcomputergmes. ph [ 4 ]. http://www. scribd. com/effectsofcomputergmes. ph [ 5 ]. https://www. oppapers. com/join. php Article â€Å"Effects of Computer Games† [ 6 ]. . (www.mediafamily. org/facts/facts_gameaddiction. shtml) [ 7 ]. (http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m0816/is_6_21/ai_n9772319/) [ 8 ]. (http://www. clickingaddict. com/positive_computer_addiction. html) [ 9 ]. (http://hubpages. com/hub/Computer-Gaming-Addiction). [ 10 ]. (http://www. artipot. com/articles/208460/video-games-the-modern-day- addiction. htm). [ 11 ]. (www. asiafinest. com/forum/index. php? showtopic=19726) [ 12 ]. Walsh, D. (2000). Interactive violence and children: Testimony submitted to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate. (March 21, 2000.) [ 13 ]. Gentile, D. A. , Lynch, P. , Linder, J. Walsh, D. (2004). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 5-22. [ 14 ]. Gentile, D. A. Anderson, C. A. (2003). Violent video games: The newest media violence hazard. In D. A. Gentile (Ed. ), Media violence and children. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishing. [ 15 ]. B ushman, B. Anderson, C. (2002). Violent Video Games and Hostile Expectations: A Test of the General Aggression Model. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 1679-1686.

HR Issues in Google Inc Essay Example for Free

HR Issues in Google Inc Essay 26 March 2009, 200 Layoffs â€Å"So today we have informed Googlers that we plan to reduce the number of roles within our sales and marketing organizations by just under 200 globally. The recession makes the timing even more difficult for the Googlers concerned. We had to restructure our organizations in order to improve our effectiveness and efficiency as a business. We will give each person time to try and find another position at Google, as well as outplacement support, and provide severance packages for those who leave the company. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone affected for all they have contributed to Google. † * Omid Kordestani, Senior VP, Global Sales and Business Development (2009) From this article, google would cut 200 would cut about 200 employees from its sales and marketing organization. It would reduce the overlap between different groups and speed up decision making. Omid Kordestani, Senior VP, Global Sales and Business Development said, the cut meant to address the mistakes that the company had done before. In some areas we’ve created overlapping organizations which not only duplicate effort but also complicate the decision-making process,† Mr. Kordestani wrote on Google’s corporate blog. â€Å"That makes our teams less effective and efficient than they should be. In addition, we over-invested in some areas in preparation for the growth trends we were experiencing at the time. † 4 January 2009, 100 Layoffs â€Å"Given the state of the economy, we recognized that we needed fewer people focused on hiring e need to go further and reduce the overall size of our recruiting organization by approximately 100 positions. We know this change will be very difficult for the people concerned, and we hope that many of them will be able to find new roles at Google. They helped build this company, new hire by new hire, and we are enormously grateful for everything they have done. † * Laszlo Bock, Vice President, People Operations (2009 In January, google laid off 100 recruiters which is that deeper cuts were â€Å"unlikely†. In February, company cut another 40 positions when it closed its radio advertising efforts. About 100 of the eliminated positions will be in the United States and the rest overseas, said Matt Furman, a Google spokesman. Mr. Furman said the company continued to hire new workers, albeit at a slow rate. In the fourth quarter of 2008, the company grew by 99 workers, ending the year with 20,222 full-time employees. In previous years, Google had added more than 2,000 people in a single quarter. Laid-off workers will be given time to apply for other jobs within the company. How a Giant Company Aims to Remain Intimate. Google have a good track record in management. It routinely ranks first or near the top in â€Å"best places to work† reports. Google’s value proposition as an employer combines a laser focus on innovation and smart business practices with a small-company feel that includes direct access to top management. For instance, no one hesitates to pose questions directly to the founders at the weekly all-hands meetings. The HR management system plays a critical role in keeping this value proposition well tuned and relevant for each successive generation of employees by embedding Google’s mission into daily work life. As Laszlo Bock, vice president of people operations at Google, said in an interview with BCG: â€Å"If you talk to anybody at Google and ask them what the mission is, they’ll say, ‘To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. ’ It’s rare to find a place where everyone knows the mission—and then actually believes it. † Google’s benefits and compensation packages, renowned for their largess, have a threefold purpose, Bock pointed out. First, to create a community—hence the microkitchens sprinkled around the offices, where people can interact informally. Second, to drive innovation: the more people interact, the higher the likelihood of creating serendipitous sparks of innovation. And third, to promote efficiency: on-site oil changes and dry-cleaning services help hard-working employees save time in their personal lives. To keep a pulse on how â€Å"Googlers† are feeling, which informs talent-management and development programs, HR undertakes a variety of analyses, Bock said. The company monitors retention and attrition and looks for patterns. An annual employee survey plus focus groups throughout the year provide ample qualitative feedback. On the basis of this analysis, upward management feedback gets put into practice. â€Å"Every member of our executive team has goals for the year,† Bock said. â€Å"These are not amorphous goals, like ‘make the company feel more engaged,’ but very specific, like ‘there were three issues in the sales organization that we will address this year. ’† Recruitment group Randstad Chooses Google Apps for its 29,000 Employees. Randstad consist of four large Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht) and the surrounding areas. It is one of the biggest staffing companies in the world and has some 29,000 employees working from more than 4,500 branches in 40 countries around the world. They help companies and candidates connect in industries such as engineering, finance and accounting, healthcare, human resources, managed services, pharma and technology. To give an idea, they place on average well over 500,000 people per day. It have grown to become quite large since it began as a small company started in a student dorm room in 1960 and the business has changed quite a bit in that time. But at its core, it still the same. All about people. Their decision making process involved several companies, but ultimately they decided on Google for a few different reasons. They have a workforce of younger, and heard the feedback that are quite familiar with Google tools like Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive and Google+ Hangouts in user personal lives, and theyd like to use them at work too. Also, because the Google tools are all integrated, they wouldnt run into the problem of having employees across offices and countries having to work with several different pieces of technology that don’t work well together. Lastly, we wanted to provide our employees with as much training as they needed and G-company were able to provide that. Their rollout will eventually include all 29,000 Randstad employees, 5,000 of whom are located in the Netherlands. Their employees in France, Japan and India, approximately 8,000, are already on Google.

Theories of Authority and Obedience

Theories of Authority and Obedience Ioannis Sakarellos Obedience has always been ubiquitous while while at the same time was easily overlooked. According to Milgram, obedience can be defined as â€Å"the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose. It is the dispositional cement that binds men to systems of authority† (1). This paper claims that ordinary people who have a strong personal moral code tend to blindly follow orders given by an authoritarian figure when they become part of a structured organization governed by authority. This action of blindly following orders to do things that they personally know are wrong and can cause horrible results is referred by Zimbardo as â€Å"turning evil† (The Lucifer effect). What is meant by blindly following orders is that people fail to think of the consequences of the actions that they have been ordered to undertake. Many researchers have come to the conclusion that it is not the mentally ill or the ones with behavior problems who end up doing the most harmful things but rather the normal people. The key concept of the paper is that ordinary people by â€Å"simply doing their job† with a sense of obligation towards an authoritarian figure can cause immoral and unethical circumstances to arise (Milgram 6). The main source to be analyzed will be Milgram’s book Obedience to Authority, which examines his teachers and learners experiment. The end result of the experiment is that average people did â€Å"become agents in a terrible destructive process† (6). However, the process by which people become evil is of equal importance. Moreover, the second source of the paper is Zimbardo’s book, The Lucifer Effect, which further examines the main concept of the research through real-life examples. It mainly focuses on how good people can turn evil by obeying someone’s orders under certain situations. Directly connected with this outcome is the term â€Å"Banality of evil†, which comes from Arendt’s book Eichmann in Jerusalem (xiv). This term means that evil things occur when ordinary people follow orders and feel that the evil things they are doing are normal. In this paper, both experimental and real life situations are examined in order to illustrate the power that authority has on individuals who have normal codes of morality and behavior, and how they will perform ruthless acts they wouldn’t have done otherwise. Milgram states that our own nature is the root of being obedient since â€Å"we are born with the potential for obedience.† This inborn structure, along with the influences each person has from society, â€Å"produce the obedient man† (125). He states, the reason ordinary people blindly follow orders given from an authoritarian figure lies in the changes that occur in people’s behavior when from acting individually they enter a hierarchically coordinated organization. He concludes that the conscience an individual has about moral and ethical standards, and what that person thinks is right or wrong, is not further followed with the orders given from an authoritarian figure. Individuals will act blindly without thinking whether the actions they have to undertake conform with their personal values. When ordinary people enter a hierarchical structure system, they lose their personal judgment of each order given from someone who is higher in the hierarchical ladder. T herefore, the nature of the action ordered is not filtered by the person’s own belief, and as a result, heinous consequences might occur. Milgram’s teachers and learners experiment is one characteristic situation of blind obedience that occurs due to the change in people’s behavior when moving from the individual function to the organization function. â€Å"The main question is how far the participant will comply with the experimenter’s instructions before refusing to carry out the actions required of him† (Milgram 3). Before mentioning the results of the experiment and how the participants who had ordinary behavior managed to turn evil by obeying the experimenter and conducting immoral and unethical actions, I want to highlight one of the keystones in this research; Milgram’s agentic state. The agentic state, or state of agency, is â€Å"the condition a person is in when he sees himself as an agent for carrying out another person’s wishes† (Milgram 133). As individuals enter an authoritarian system which is hierarchically organized and moves away from being autonomous, they fail to follow their own beliefs and perceptions and they turn into an agent who follows blindly and uncritically the orders given from above. Most importantly, when the person is in the agentic state he â€Å"no longer views himself as responsible for his own actions but defines himself as an instrument for carrying out the wishes of others† (Milgram 134). People, by being in the agentic state, are becoming blindly obedient to the authority figure. Especially, if the actions ordered are unethical and immoral, as it is in the teachers and learners experiment, people can become evil and cause severe pain for example, by giving electric shocks to the learners. In order to examine the consequences of the agentic state on participants, the most vital factors that lead the subjects in this state and transform them into blind obedient servants, need to be mentioned first. One of the factors is the perception of authority. According to Milgram, authority can be defined as â€Å"the person who is perceived to be in a position of social control within a given situation† (138). Milgram declares that what matters is how the individual perceives authority in a social structure. Specifically, the experimenter and the set-up of the situation, which seems like a scientific laboratory, create authority’s appearance, which is what influences the participants. Two other main factors he suggests are the entry into the Authority System and the Overarching Ideology. In order for a person to fully become an agent who only follows orders, he or she has to become part of the authority system. The entry into the laboratory serves the role of enteri ng into the authority system. It is very important that the participants enter voluntarily since in that way, a sense of commitment and obligation towards authority is created. Regarding the overarching ideology, â€Å"science and its acceptance as a legitimate social enterprise provides the overarching ideological justification for the experiment† (Milgram 142). The ideological justification of the experiment’s purpose is what drives participants to obtain willing obedience, perceiving their behavior as helping a desirable end to occur. The three factors (perception of authority, entry into the Authority System, the Overarching Ideology) are necessary in shifting into the agentic state. Once the participants are in this state of altered personality, two main consequences arise which cause the former ordinary people to transform into evil servants. One of the consequences is the process of tuning, when the subject has â€Å"maximal receptivity to the emissions of the authority, whereas the learner’s signals are muted and psychologically remote† (Milgram 144). Milgram states that learners are viewed as simple obstacles rather than human beings that need to be overcome in order for the authoritarian relationship of experimenter-learner to be satisfied. In addition, authority is perceived as an impersonal force and the experimenter as a suprahuman character, having powers above and beyond a normal person. Orders given exclusively by the authoritarian figure will be followed whether they promote immoral and unethical actions and severe negative results ensue. The other main consequence is the loss of responsibility and is characterized as the most far-reaching one in the agentic state. â€Å"A man feels responsible to the authority directing him but feels no responsibility for the content of the actions that the authority prescribes† (Milgram 145). The people believe they have an obligation towards the authoritarian figure and their accountability depends on how well they have performed the actions called for by the authority. The heinous nature of the actions ordered are not taken into consideration simply because â€Å"they see them as originating in the motives of some other person† (Milgram 146). Also, because they are not in the autonomous state, the superego cannot control their actions and the inhibitory forces are not capable of examining whether the orders given compromise their moral values and principles. Hence, the people end up being blindly obedient and they adopt a different personality which forces them to do terrible actions with even more harsh results. According to Zimbardo, the experts predicted that most subjects would not give strong electric shocks when orders to do so. They forecasted that on average â€Å"less than 1 percent would go all the way to the end, that only sadists would engage in such sadistic behavior, and that most people would drop out at the tenth level of 150 volts† (271). However, the shocking truth was that â€Å"two of every three (65 percent) of the participants went all the way up to the maximum shock level of 450 volts† (271). The key factor that made the participants obey and continue even after the point where the victim-learner was not responding was the experimenter’s reassurance that he will take the responsibility of their action. A characteristic example is a teacher’s report which states the initial refusal: â€Å"I didn’t know what the hell was going on †¦ I was not taking responsibility for going further. That’s it.† (271). Although, the los s of personal responsibility is one reason for continuing, Zimbardo suggests another reason. He highlights that the participants did not know how to exit the experiment. â€Å"It is a simple matter of up and then out.† (272). The results of the experiment reveal exactly what the purpose of the paper was; to prove that it is not the sadists or the psychopaths who conduct the most unethical, immoral and cruel actions but the ordinary people. The normal people are the ones who, under specific situations and by the influence of an authoritarian figure, will blindly follow orders. A real-life example of every-day men becoming evil and being indoctrinated into extraordinary killing occurred during the 2nd world war. It was the actions of Reserve Battalion 101, a unit of the German Order Police, consisting of approximately 500 men from Hamburg, which played a crucial role in the extermination of Jews in Poland and the implementation of Hitler’s Final Solution. According to Browning, the members of the Unit were middle-aged ordinary men, neither sadists nor Nazi fanatics. However, despite the option they were given from their commander not to participate in the Unit’s actions, 90 percent of the men didn’t refuse and took part in the shootings. The Unit’s inhumane and unethical achievement was the death of at least 83,000 Jews (142). Browning’s conclusion is similar to the one given by Milgram in the teachers and learners experiment. The members of the Battalion were as normal as the participants in Milgram’s experiment, a nd the reason for the unrealistic killing lies in their blind obedience to the authoritarian figure. Browning suggests that ordinary people will tend to obey and follow orders given from above, even though the orders might come into conflict with their personal judgment and values. The explanation for this statement was given by Milgram: specifically, in both cases the people were placed in a hierarchically organized structure; therefore, people’s ethical boundaries didn’t apply to the orders given from authority. People lost their personal identity related to the orders given: their inhibitory forces were no longer able to inspect whether the orders were within their ethical limits. As a result, both participants of the experiment and members of the Battalion ended in conducting actions they wouldn’t have done otherwise. Last but not least, one of the most vital historical examples that clearly illustrates that the ones who tend to blindly follow orders given from authority are ordinary people, is the case of Adolf Eichmann. Despite Eichmann’s cruel actions of arranging the execution of millions of Jews, he was completely normal without any trace of abnormal behavior: â€Å"Half a dozen psychiatrists had certified him as â€Å"normal† –â€Å"More normal at any rate †¦ â€Å"not only normal but most desirable† (Arendt 25–26). Arendt’s concluded that â€Å"the trouble with Eichmann was precisely that so many were like him, and that many were neither perverted nor sadistic, that they were †¦ terribly and terrifyingly normal.† She states that this â€Å"new type of criminal †¦ commits his crimes under the circumstances that make it well-nigh impossible for him to know or feel that he is doing wrong† (276). â€Å"It was as though in those last minutes [of Eichman’s life] he was summing up the lesson that this long course in human wickedness had taught us–the lesson of the fearsome, word-and-thought defying banality of evil† (252) . Hannah Arendt, through her detailed analysis of the war crimes trial of Eichmann, was the first to present the fundamental phrase â€Å"Banality of evil.† She showed that â€Å"social forces can prompt normal people to perform horrific acts† (Zimbardo 289). The experimental and real-life examples that were examined in the paper suggest that the key factor for ordinary people to blindly obey an authoritarian figure is their entry into a hierarchically organized structure, and the loss of their individuality. By entering in such well-structured system, people turn evil and they conclude horrible actions they wouldn’t have done if they weren’t part of it. Therefore, it may be possible that the conclusion drawn from these examples could be applied in today’s highly coordinated world. The modern militaries, the business, political and governmental organizations are also hierarchically structured. This may indicate that nowadays people within these organizations can still be transformed into modern evil servants who will serve and obey the interests of the most powerful people. However, it might also be plausible that due to the more liberalized world we live in, people instead of obeying they could actively resist the or ders given from above or they may even act in an aggressive and violent way against authority. Obedience to authority will always be a theme available for further research and with more than one possible explanations of why people obey and follow orders.

Ability Tracking Essay -- Teaching Education

Ability Tracking Introduction If there is one general consensus among those who analyze America’s system of education, it is that we are lacking somewhere. Whether it’s in our inner-city schools, or rural districts, there is a distinct literacy dilemma that has yet to be resolved in our schools. Not only are we gravely behind other nations in our literacy rate and mathematics abilities, but there is also an increasing void within our schools. A method of segregation known as â€Å"ability grouping† has been a commonly used practice throughout the 90’s, and has changed the way in which primary and secondary school students are educated. The idea behind ability grouping, or tracking, is that â€Å"many school practitioners assume that grouping by ability promotes student’s achievement because, it is argued, all students learn best when grouped with students of similar capabilities or levels of achievement.†(Perceptions) There are many arguments for either side, thus begging the question â€Å"is ability grouping an efficient way to handle differences in student abilities?†(Education World) Contrary to today’s popular opinion, which naturally runs against the current educational structure of our schools, I believe ability tracking is an effective and worthwhile means of educating our youth, for a variety of reasons. Ability tracking promotes academic achievement, quality instruction, and is a means of student motivation. Unfortunately, those who do not participate willingly in the tracking program can easily become lost or distraught with the system. This having been said, I don’t d eny the fact that many improvements can be made to the existing system as a means of expanding and providing opportunities to all those who desire success. Academic Achievement In an essay, Anne Wheelock, a prominent education critic writes, â€Å"Tracking does not result in the equal and equitable distribution of effective schooling among all students. Instead, tracking allocates the most valuable school experiences -- including challenging and meaningful curriculum, engaging instruction, and high teacher expectations -- to students who already have the greatest academic, economic, and social advantages†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This having been said, I found my high school experiences to be much different than that. I attended a primarily middle-class school in Sacramento, CA, with students f... ...h ability grouping, contrary to the post-modern belief of many proponents of â€Å"de-tracking† our schools. Granted there are many flaws (as there would be in any education system), but once we work through those flaws, such as social and racial prejudice, ability grouping will take our society to new heights. We are on the right track. Bibliography: â€Å"Tracking†, http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/tracking.htm, Copyright 2000, Editorial Projects in Education Chen-Lin C. Kulik and James A. Kulik, "Effects of Ability Grouping on Secondary School Students: A Meta-Analysis of Evaluation Findings," American Educational Research Journal, 19 (1982) Jeannie Oakes, Kevin Welner, and Susan Yonezawa, "Mandating Equity: A Case Study of Court-Ordered Detracking in San Jose Schools." From the California Policy Seminar Brief Series, March 1998, Available online at: http://www.ucop.edu/cps/oaks.html. Tom Loveless, â€Å"The Tracking and Ability Grouping Debate†, The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. http://www.edexcellence.net/library/track.html Heidi Schweingruber â€Å"The Perception of Ability Differences in U.S. Education†, http://www.ed.gov/pups/Research5/United States/perception.html

Racism in Strange Love :: Racism Media Television TV

Racism in Strange Love Do you like having racist jokes made about you right in front of you face and have no idea what the person is saying? In an episode of the Strange Love this situation is demonstrated. Racism is wide spread through out the world and an issue that is brought to our eyes in the show. The issue of interracial dating is also a main topic in the show. Strange Love is a show that most people would watch to get a laugh out of a crazy relationship that came out of another show, but when watching the show I see another part of it and that is racism. The show also to tries to get the thought of interracial relationships more wide spread. -Strange Love was created by the same group of people that had made the show Surreal Life, during the first season a strange relationship came about between Flavor Flav and Brigitte Nielsen. One of the first episodes is showing Flavor Flav leaving the United States and goes to visit Brigitte in Italy and go to a very high class dinner and Flavor does not get the introduction that Brigitte is hoping for him to receive, most of the people are appalled to see the two in a relationship. The episode following that has Brigitte coming with Flavor Flav back to the United States and she accompanies Flavor on stage with Public Enemy. Flavor comments before they go on that his band has no idea that she will be on stage, and she will be the first white woman to ever be on stage with the band. After the band has finished there performance they are backstage and make comments to Flavor about bringing a white woman onstage with him, this leads to Flavor becoming outraged and destroying the backstage area for the band. The episode doesn’t necessarily comment on the topic of racism but just the reaction or the crown and the comments that they make about Flavor are very racist and suggest that they don’t approve of and interracial relationship. Much of the crowd did not even give the couple the time of day and eluded the couple if they were approached.

Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway Essay -- Virginia Woolf Dalloway Essays

Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway â€Å"Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality.† -Jules de Gaultier Set just after one of England’s worst tragedies, Virginia Woolf’s 1925 novel Mrs. Dalloway is a vivid picture of the effects of World War I on London’s high society, often in glaring contrast to the effects of shell shock suffered by war veteran Septimus Smith. For members of high society, the War’s impact is largely indirect, mainly affecting their conversations at posh social functions. Although the war has had little impact on these people, some strive to develop a deeper understanding of the War’s main consequence: death. For Septimus, who has endured the direct impact of the War as a soldier, however, the memories and traumas of the War are more real than the peaceful life to which he has returned. At the urgent pleas of his wife, doctors unsuccessfully attempt to help him regain the blissful ignorance of war that he once had. Woolf illuminates a perpetual clash between those who merely understand the War as a continuing news story, and Se ptimus, who knows it as a frightening reality. For Clarissa and others in her elite world of parties and politics, the treaty has been signed and the War is over, clean and simple. â€Å"Except,† Clarissa notes generously, â€Å"for some one like Mrs. Foxcroft at the Embassy last night eating her heart out because that nice boy was killed and now the old Manor House must go to a cousin; or Lady Bexborough who opened a bazaar, they said, with the telegram in her hand, John, her favourite, killed; but it was over; thank Heaven—over† (4-5). It is significant to observe that even these close connections are extremely rare for the upper-class populace. The fact that Clarissa ha... ... â€Å"cure Septimus at once† from his true ailment (81). Through an abundance of human thoughts and interactions, Woolf has created a meticulous juxtaposition of Septimus against society or human nature in order to emphasize the self-absorption and desire for conformity of London society. Londoners’ understanding of the War and its fatalities is often specifically and immediately related back to themselves, used for entertainment or to ease their own fears of death. Their â€Å"treatment† of war-related illness is unfailingly for the benefit of England’s successful, if gilded, image at large. Woolf has, therefore, illustrated England’s proud display of personal advantage for all who conform to Sir William’s â€Å"sense of proportion† by exposing the hardships that befall those who do not. Work Cited Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc., 2005.

Referring to relevant scientific literature, discuss critically

Therapists believe that this s the best approach as it directly addresses a child's thoughts and behavior and teaches them to challenge those that are unhelpful (Glared and Glared, 2008). In doing this, it allows children and adolescents to practice techniques for behavioral change in the safety of a therapy environment, which they can then transfer to other fields (Kendall, as cited by Kaplan, Thompson and Coarsen 1995). When undertaking CB with a child or adolescent their developmental stage needs to be taken Into consideration as it may have an influence on the effectiveness of the therapy (Durbar s cited by Kaplan et al. 1995) and also create limitations to what they can do. Grave and Blithest (2004) suggests that between the ages of 5 and 8 developmental immaturity occurs. Harrington (2003) states that some techniques within CB require the patient to possess certain cognitions to carry out tasks and if the patient is at a developmental stage where they cannot complete the tasks then a barrier is formed. Clark (2005) proposes that sessions need to be ‘developmentally appropriate' and engage the child; adolescents are more able to participate in more adult sessions, whereas younger children may benefit from treatment centered around play.This is demonstrated by Grave and Blithest (2004) who state that combining CB and play is an â€Å"effective way of communicating with young children† (peg. 414) The child's developmental stage may also govern how much adult involvement there will be In the therapy; Clark (2005) highlights that â€Å"the younger the child, the more likely It Is that parents may become Involved In treatment† (peg. 130), this Is due to the on-going developmental changes and the child's dependency. Kaplan et al. 1995) state that arenas should be educated in the cognitive behavioral techniques being used and when the child attempts to use something learned in therapy at home, should give positive feedback and assume the role of co-therapist. Harrington (2003) discusses how the role of an adult can enhance the therapy as they can communicate things to the therapist that the child may be reluctant to talk about. There are also ethical Issues to be taken into consideration when undertaking CB with adolescents.Kendal and Degrade et al. (As cited by Clark, 2005) highlight that it is adults, usually parents, ho accompany children and adolescents to therapy sessions and although not the patient themselves, dictate what issues they would Eke the therapy to address. Degrade et al. (As cited by Clark, 2005) continues to discuss how this may create a to the treatment for children and young people as it teaches them techniques that they can later call upon when facing similar situations in the future.

Quotes for Zorba the Greek

Journal Entry #1 Quote: â€Å"the only way to save yourself is to endeavor to save others? † Page: 5 In life there are times when people cannot only focus on themselves. In order to move on, and fulfill life’s destiny you must help those that surround you. One cannot truly understand who they are and why they were brought to earth unless they consider helping those around them. Helping others teaches you to become more understanding patient, and sympathetic toward others. You initially free yourself of any conflict between others and help them as well. Journal Entry #2 Quote: â€Å"I’d believe in God, and I’d believe in the devil, too† Page: 54 God is considered a supernatural creator and overseer of the universe, while the devil is considered a powerful entity and the epitome of all things evil. Life is never completely perfect; there will always be a glimpse of evil. In order to believe in God you have to believe there is a devil. When I first saw these words I was taken a back; how can one believe in God yet still follow the devil. I then realized that though the God and Devil are completely opposites they both combine to make on just like the yin and yang. Journal Entry #3 Quote: â€Å"I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness† Page: 80 Today in the 21st century we are easily amused by what money can buy us even if it costs a fortune. Yet when you take a break from all the money spending and spend time with friends, nature, and family it is easy to see that you can find happiness everywhere especially the smallest things. You do not have to be economically viable in order to find happiness. Journal Entry # 4 Quote: â€Å"Woe to him who wants to please others! † Page: 182 Today in the 21st century we would read this quote as ‘warning to him who wants to please others. ’ Too often does one get teased upon for helping those in need. This quote further proves that when one person tries to please everyone they get overwhelmed with despair. Another way to read this is that when you constantly try to please others you never help yourself or make yourself happy so you continuously thrust sadness upon yourself. Journal Entry # 5 Quote: â€Å"That’s the road to take; find the absolute rhythm and following it with absolute trust. † Page: 233 As teenagers we are always told that everyone has a talent, when we grow older everyone tells us to pick a job that will support you financially. Sometimes ones talent will not support you financially such as an artist, photographer, or dancer. Yet this quote tells us to find our talent find something we like to do and stick with it. In other words go with your gut feeling. Zorba the Greek Poem: Narrator’s perspective Night had fallen, The sky was pitch – black. Thinking to myself It’s over. God is no longer with us. Laying down in a bunk next to a man, Once a complete stranger is now considered family. I was afraid of finding myself alone one evening I lay down in my new bed, reflecting on my new life. I remember the books and how they comforted me, I remember my precious Friend. Never shall I forget the last moment we shared. Whenever I happened to dream of a better world I imagined myself in the hands of my friend surrounded by life. Awakened from such a beautiful lie, I tell myself don’t let your self be overcome by lies. To believe meant I was weak. Everyday I knew an adventure was waiting for me. The nights were unbearable. Every night was filled with silence. Silence that broke my heart. Night. It was my time to think, To think of my books and my friend. To think of Zorba, and our spontaneous friendship. Most of all to think of what I will become. Night had fallen The sky was pitch – black Laying in a bunk next to a man, Thinking to myself. I am no longer who I used to be. I am no longer the awkward bookworm.

The Story of Macbeth

In the story of Macbeth, there is a lot of ups and downs that go along. How everyone takes the events that are going on will determine who are the strong ones and who are the weak ones. At one point all of the characters will have a flaw which will cause them to act a certain way. Many events that go on shocked, excited, and worried most. Every action will lead to a deeper event. Although everyone seems to have their head together at the beginning, there is alot of flaws that these characters are not showing right away. Most of these characters will leave and reader at a sharp turning point. These situations that the characters are always falling into are because of the characters poor decisions that leave the character where he/she cannot change or controls certains situations. Macbeth's mind set and actions will show how he really feels about certain situations and help a reader understand why Macbeth's actions are the way they are. Not just Macbeth's actions, its Lady Macbeth's actions too. No one knows which way to turn to when events start to drop out of nowhere. In the story of Macbeth, you can see that the troubled main character, Macbeth is in situations that you can see his flaws clearly, making this story a tragedy. To start off in at 1 of The Tragedy of Macbeth, the setting is in Scotland. Lady Macbeth comes across the three witches, the Weird Sisters, she had made the witches mad so the witches knew to go after her husband. So that is exactly what they did. The witches said they will meet Macbeth â€Å"when the battle's los and won† and when â€Å"fair is foul and foul is fair†. The witches will tell the characters one thing and will think in their head another meaning to what they just said, so the characters will be confused and do or say the wrong things that will cause a huge situations that can be a life of death situation. For example, when the witches told Macbeth that he will be king, also when they told him a human cannot harm him till the trees move. Another thing that the witches did was curse Lady macbeth when she would not give the witches some of her crackers.

Insider Dealing in Hong Kong Essay

Although insider dealing has been a criminal offence under section 291 of Chapter 571, Securities and Futures Ordinance (SFO) in Hong Kong since 2003, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) was initially slow to prosecute offenders, commencing its first criminal insider dealing prosecution only in January 2008. Factors to be considered to commence criminal proceedings In deciding whether to commence criminal proceedings against an alleged insider dealer, the SFC will have regard to the guidelines in the prosecution policy of the Department of Justice, which require two basic factors to be considered: 1. Sufficiency of evidence The burden of proof is greater in criminal proceedings and the SFC will generally only recommend criminal proceedings where there is admissible, substantial and reliable evidence that an offence has been committed and there is a reasonable prospect of a conviction. Where there is a lack of sufficient evidence to meet the criminal burden of proof, the SFC is likely to initiate civil proceedings. 2. Public interest Whether, taking into account the circumstances of a particular case, it is in the public interest to bring a prosecution before the courts. First Criminal Case of Insider Dealing in Hong Kong In the case of HKSAR v Ma Hon-yeung (DCCC 229-240/2008) which involved Ma Hon-yeung, former Vice President of BNP Paribas Peregrine Capital Ltd, now known as BNP Paribas Capital (Asia Pacific) Ltd (BNP Paribas), an investment bank. The case is related to trading in the shares of Egana Jewellery & Pearls Ltd (â€Å"Egana†), a listed company in Hong Kong prior to an announcement made to the market on 11 Jul 2006 aboutprivatization of the company. Ma Hon-yeung learned of a proposed privatization of Egana and tipped off his girlfriend, Ivy Lo Yuk-wah and three other family members, Sammy Ma Hon-kit, Cordelia Tso Kin-wah and Ronald Ma Chun-ho, within days of becoming privy to the proposed deal. All of them bought shares in Egana before the company announced a privatization plan and made a profit as a result. Between 1 June 2006 and 6 July 2006, trading in Egana’s shares ranged between HK$1.35 and HK$1.61 with average daily turnover of 636,630 shares. Trading in the shares of Egana and EganaGoldpfeil were suspended on 7 July 2006 pending an announcement. On 11 July 2006, Egana and EganaGoldpfeil made a joint announcement about a proposed privatization of Egana. The proposal offered shareholders a choice of receiving HK$1.80 per share or one share of EganaGoldpfeil for every 1.5 Egana shares or a combination of both. Following the announcement on 11 July 2006 the share price closed at HK$1.84 with substantially increased turnover of 25 million shares. The privatization proposal was approved by shareholders and by the court and became effective on 23 October 2006. Egana was delisted on the following day. Ma acted as a financial consultant for Egana during the privatization move, which he knew was confidential, price sensitive information. Ma had counselled or procured Ivy and Sammy to trade in Egana shares. He was convicted of insider dealing contrary to section 291(1)(b). Ivy, bought 1.51 million shares in Egana between June 20 and July 6, 2006. She was convicted of insider dealing contrary to section 291(5)(a). Ma transferred a total HK$1.7 million into Ivy’s account before the privatization announcement. She later sold the shares and transferred the money back to Ma’s account. Sammy , Cordelia and Ronald bought Egana shares separately from July 6. Sammy, Ronald and Cordelia traded in Egana shares having information through Ma’s connection to Egana about the proposed privatisation. Owing to their close family relationship between Ma andhis three family members, who received and made profit by utilizing such information, all of them were convicted of insider dealing contrary to section 291(5)(a) and (8) of SFO. Ma and Ivy were given custodial sentences of 26 months and 12months respectively. Ma’s three family members were ordered to serve 200 hours of community service. Fines were also imposed in amounts equivalent to the profits they had made while dealing in Egana shares ahead of the privatization which are HK$230,000, HK$210,000, HK$330,000, HK$110,000 and HK$17,000 respectively. The Court also ordered them to pay the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) investigation costs totaling HK$322,742. This is the first time any person has been sentenced to jail for insider dealing in Hong Kong. The family members avoided custodial sentences because they were merely opportunistic investors making use of the relevant information divulged by the vice-president. There was no evidence that they assisted him in carrying out his plot for personal gain by using insider information. The conduct of the girlfriend, on the other hand, warranted a custodial sentence as she was the person executing the plot on behalf of the vice-president. She was fully aware of his position of trust in the financial institution and had used her trading account to perpetrate the plot. As such, the court viewed her involvement in the misconduct as being much more serious than that of an opportunistic investor; community service could not adequately reflect her culpability. However, we continue to see obvious and flagrant breaches of the insider dealing laws, such as insiders and/or their families’ members will exploited the confidential information they obtained to make a gain on disposal of shares. One of the reasons may be that the punishment for insider dealing in Hong Kong is mild for the offenders.

How to Write the Wake Forest University Essays 2017-2018

Founded in 1834, Wake Forest University is located in the suburban North Carolina town of Winston-Salem. With approximately 4,800 undergraduates enrolled in either Wake Forest College or the Wake Forest School of Business, Wake Forest is respected for its personalized attention to students and challenging liberal arts curriculum, as well as for its resources as a large research institution. With its motto of â€Å"Pro Humanitate† (for humanity), students at Wake Forest are encouraged to volunteer, whether in the local community or around the world. Students also gain international experience through the study-abroad program, with approximately 60 percent of undergraduates taking advantage of this opportunity offered in more than 70 countries. In 2017, Wake Forest admitted approximately 37% of Early Decision applicants and 25% of Regular Decision applicants. Wake Forest currently stands at #27 in the U.S. News and World Report 2017 National University Rankings . In addition to the Common App essay (which you can learn more from the blog post How to Write the Common Application Essays 2017-2018 ), Wake Forest requires 7 short essays. (To view the essay prompts for hundreds of schools, check out our Essay Prompts Database .) While these prompts may seem intimidating at first, our essay specialists team here at will help you tackle Wake Forest’s 2017-2018 application to the best of your ability! The first thing to note here is the length of the essay. With a maximum of 150 words, it’s possible (but not necessary) to have a short introductory sentence. However, since the space available for response is so limited, there is no need to summarize or include a concluding sentence. For this prompt, there are no gimmicks; take the question literally . Essentially, admissions officers are looking for a genuine academic interest sparked by a task that might have been unusual or difficult. To begin to answer this question, first brainstorm for an activity to write about. If you are a prospective mechanical engineering major who built a life-sized trebuchet in your freshman design class, feel free to write about that. Or, if you are applying as a math major and proved from scratch the derivative rules in your pre-calculus class as an interest assignment, that would be a great topic too. Admittedly, it can be pretty difficult to think of an assignment that fits these guidelines so well. So if you can’t think of a high school assignment that’s a) unique and b) related to your field of study, try thinking of any moment that you truly enjoyed in an academic setting, even if it is not an â€Å"assignment† by traditional definition or related to your major. By pinpointing a moment or time frame of interest, you can then dig deeper into that incident and potentially come up with material for your essay. Taking a previous suggestion as an example, if you were particularly intrigued by a question in a literature discussion, then was there anything you did in response to it? Did you perhaps go to find your teacher during office hours to continue the discussion, culminating in an essay you penned for the school newspaper or literary magazine? Next, once you’ve brainstormed and described the interesting assignment, it’s best to explain what you learned and how that newfound knowledge has sparked your interest. For example, a Gender Studies major may have done a poster presentation on the history of feminism and now holds an appreciation for the historic roots of the movement. Giving these details will paint a clearer picture of your interest for the admissions officers. Again, this prompt is essentially serving as a â€Å"Why Major?† substitute, so admissions officers hope to learn the backstory of your academic interests through this essay. With these guidelines, you will definitely weave a more compelling narrative! Submit your essay and we’ll get back to you with helpful edits. For this prompt, Wake Forest is asking you to prove that you have both the empathy and critical thinking skills to derive meaning from works that may not be directly related to your own life. These skills, in turn, will be of great value to any college student! To approach this prompt, first choose the book about which you want to write. (Although â€Å"work of fiction† doesn’t necessarily specify a book, it’s typically more meaningful to write about a book, as opposed to a TV show or movie, since written words leave the most room for interpretation.) You can write about a classic, but if you do, try to avoid writing about something that you’ve read from school (e.g., 1984 , The Great Gatsby , The Scarlet Letter ) because it is likely that many, many others are writing about the same. But if the only thing you’ve read (in recent memory) is a school book, choose that over something you read recreationally from long ago. Once you choose your book, your next goal is to demonstrate your interpretation of the world and how your chosen text has helped shaped this perspective. For this essay, one way to do this is by explaining how the book has made you more empathetic to unfairness of random luck that everyone is subjected to, or how the text has motivated you to assume an active role in political events. For example, The Book Thief may have cemented your understanding of the nuances of human emotions during World War II, or The Kite Runner may have introduced you to the intricacy of early 20th-century Middle Eastern conflicts. With a relatively high word limit of up to 300, you can spend time explaining your perspective before reading the book and contrast it with your perspective afterwards. Including specific details from the book would be especially convincing to admissions officers. Finally, wrap up the essay by generalizing your new viewpoint on this particular political event to your novel perspective on the world as a whole. This illustrates to Wake Forest University your ability to learn from all mediums, and your ability to reflect on other’s trauma or difficult experiences as your own. Along with Prompt #7, this essay is your chance to show something about you that is not depicted by any other part of your application. Take this essay as your chance to be quirky or satirical, or simply take a literary risk! If you are having difficulty thinking of a possible theme, think about your culture and your relationships with family and friends. In both the Common App and other supplemental essays, it is rare that students reveal information about interpersonal relationships (e.g., â€Å"Top Ten Songs to Play on Car Rides with Mom†) or cultural norms (e.g., â€Å"Top Ten Foods When You Miss Home†). You could definitely use this essay to address personal aspects of you that don’t demonstrate your academic prowess, but simply show what you value in life. This essay prompt is self-explanatory, and with only 150 words, you should be fairly straightforward. When discussing how you became interested in Wake Forest, it would be best to use a personal anecdote (as opposed to, for example, saying that you became interested in Wake Forest after seeing it on the list of top U.S. colleges)! When discussing why you are applying to Wake Forest, take a look at what the university prides itself on providing. These points of pride include the rigorous liberal arts curriculum, small class size and professor attention, undergraduate research, philanthropic culture, study-abroad programs, and an accepting community. Include some of these key factors with a personalized twist. For example, instead of writing about the renowned professors who are extraordinarily accomplished in their respective academic fields, write about one or two instructors who you are especially excited to work with on your humanitarian research concerning global immigration policy for refugees. Providing these key, personal details differentiates your essay from the sea of other applications writing about the same key characteristics of Wake Forest. If you are applying Early Decision, include a memorable moment that cemented your determination to commit to the school. Did you have an â€Å"aha† moment when you visited the campus and were given a tour by a student when she saw you poking your head into the laboratories during one of her classes? Or did you attend a class and fall in love with the sharp insight that the professor provided on the current criminal justice system in the United States? Whatever the case may be, especially if you’ve visited the campus, remember to include any personal anecdotes about Wake Forest. With a relatively low word count, this essay would best be satisfied with a short anecdote of a time when you’ve spoken with, met, or debated with someone different from you. Generally speaking, it would be better to speak about a time when you engaged with someone closer to you rather than with a stranger. This is mainly because, although there are exceptions, it is far more believable that you learned a profound lesson from someone who you’ve known for years than from someone who you’ve only known for a few minutes. Let’s also remember that â€Å"different from you† is a very vague description that could refer to ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, or simply life experiences. Even the most homogeneous of communities have some distinctions between families. Utilize these distinctions to explain how you’ve become more accepting, philanthropic, or open-minded — all qualities that Wake Forest embodies and expects. Here, Wake Forest University wants to know that you care deeply about an issue that is greater than yourself. As we mentioned in the beginning, Wake Forest’s very motto proves its commitment to philanthropy. While it is possible to write about something silly (e.g., â€Å"gif† vs. â€Å"jif,† chunky vs. smooth peanut butter), given that Wake Forest mentions American politics in the essay prompt, it would be best to write about something more serious. Here, the fairly low word count means that the best method may be to employ a personal anecdote to â€Å"argue† for an issue that directly affects you. This not only answers the question but also provides yet another dimension of your personality and personal history. If you cannot think of an issue that directly affects you, try to think of a current event or controversy that affects someone else in your life (like a friend, grandparent, etc.), to give your argument the benefit of pathos. Some topics that come to mind are travel ban, current debate surrounding immigration policy, and how proposed changes to the H-1B visa will affect the medical industry and prospective doctors. This essay serves as your final chance to make a lasting impression on Wake Forest’s admissions officers. You’ve already spoken extensively about your love for the school, the origins of your academic passions, your â€Å"top ten,† and your life’s defining moments and works. Here, Wake Forest is looking for a topic that you are passionate about, which is unrelated to academics. Take this essay as a final chance to humanize yourself and prove that you’re not a robot trying to get into college! You can do that by writing about a hobby or passion that you did purely for enjoyment and not necessarily â€Å"for the resume.† If you love freestyle rapping in your free time, entitle your podcast â€Å"The Key to an Easy Groove† or something more humorous. If you love knitting, entitle it â€Å"The Key to a Good Weave,† or something along those lines. In the same vein, I would caution you from writing about something that your extracurricular activities already prove; for example, if your application includes a slew of awards for debate, try to avoid writing more a podcast that gives tips on becoming a good lawyer.