Patronage and corruption in Elizabethan government Essay Example

Patronage and corruption in Elizabethan government Paper The English government in the 16th century lead and promoted by Queen Elizabeth operated with a system of political patronage and grants of monopoly. These methods were used to organize the governing class as the Queen lacked a civil service, local officials and an army which would allow her to enforce her will; thus Elizabeth had to reward the governing class for her to secure the throne. However, it can be argued that the system was both corrupted and inefficient; many believe Elizabeths regime was marked with cheating, bribery and unjust practices and that it did not operate effectively. On the other hand, it was argued that the system was indeed one of high quality by standards of the historical age; especially when compared to other Western European countries at the time. We also shouldnt judge the operation of Elizabethans government by our modern standards. Source B is a letter dated back in 1595 from the Dean of Durham to Lord Burghley thanking him for his promotion to bishopric. The letter is filled with flattering and obsequious language such as descriptions of Burghley being an especial patron to see, and that he now pleased God and Her Majesty with the extraordinary furtherance. We will write a custom essay sample on Patronage and corruption in Elizabethan government specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Patronage and corruption in Elizabethan government specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Patronage and corruption in Elizabethan government specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Such a use of language suggests some degree of corruption as the Dean of Durham only got the position because of his pleasing attitude to Lord Burghley and that he isnt the best man for the job. There is also potential for inefficiency as Dean of Durham might not be a good bishop but only one which sucks up to Lord Burghley. Furthermore, the Dean of Durham said he is unworthy of the job; this shows that even he himself does not believe he will do a good job or he is trying to flatter Burghley by degrading himself. The Dean of Durham is also offering to repay his promotion by presenting your Lordship with a hundred pounds in gold. This suggests corruption as the Dean of Durham is paying to buy the position and he only got the promotion because of his wealth; not ability. It shows that the system is inefficient as it allows such actions. Surely, if the Dean of Durham felt that he deserves the position; there will be no need for the gold. On the other hand, the arguments above can be countered. Firstly, the letter is of a friendly and excited tone thus we can see that the two men share a good relationship; which means they will work well together. The Dean of Durham also looks as if he is passionate and ready for the position suggesting he will be efficient with doing his job. As for the giving of the gold; there is no evidence stating Lord Burghley ever asked for and accepted the gold; therefore it is not corruption as there has been no deal between the two prior the promotion. From my knowledge of language, formality and customs of the 16th century, the flattering language can simply be seen as a sign of appreciation and is no more than politeness. The gold giving is no more than a custom of thanking for the promotion; thus, corruption did not occur. I also understand that Lord Burghley was a honest, trusted and highly respected figure and is arguably Elizabeths favorite; thus there is no need and no reason for him to be bribed with a hundred pound of gold. Source C criticizes Elizabethans government for showing certain defects, referring to the system being faulty in that it hands too much power to too few. Wallace MacCaffrey also suggests that the system lacked adequate safeguards which shows that there is little order putting the question of efficiency into doubt. As a result, Lord Burghley had to ceaselessly supervise to stop the worst abuses. This suggests that politicians were corrupted as they lacked self discipline; more worrying, protection waned with the ageing statesmans health and strength. The fact that the system was so dependent on one man shows inefficiency; there is also potential for corruption once Lord Burghley retires. The competition was also too small again suggesting inefficiency due to the lack of participation leading to the limitation of ideas. The governing class tried to increase incomes by any means by exploiting his opportunities. This suggests that the system is inefficient in the first place in that it allows people to abuse it; it also shows that the governing class wasnt accountable or responsible for their actions therefore allowing them to be corrupted. To add to this, I also know that the system at the time was largely based on patronage, meaning if one wanted to rise up the political ladder; one had to do so through some degree of favoritism and corruption. This shows that the system was inefficient and promoted corruption. Reckless competition was also present; this may lead to inefficiency in governing. Giving an example outside the source, the rivalry between Burghley and Leicester in 1570s is a demonstration that aggressive competition was present from the very top of the government. Another example would be the power struggle between Robert Cecil and the Earl of Essex in 1590s which immensely threatened government stability and underlined the systems inefficiency. Quoting historian Keith Randall there was a never ending process of competitive jockeying for position going on. The fact that there were black markets where political influence was brought and sold shows corruptions was present. This is because the inefficient system allowed power to be distributed to the hands of the rich and therefore was not equal. I can further back this point by bringing in my knowledge on the power of politicians at the time. Politicians then had the right to prosecute those who had infringed some act of parliament and they could keep a portion of the fine. Politicians might prosecute simply for the money and that the justice system could be brought off by the wealthy; showing elements of legalized robbery as historian Randell suggests. Furthermore, the courts language was in Norman Court French making law inaccessible and obscure to the general public proving that the justice system was inefficient and unfair that the majority couldnt read the law. This lead to corruption as only the rich and the elite could understand it. Lastly, the writer of Source C states the poverty of the Crown lead to unwise concessions such as grants of monopoly. Elizabeth was inefficient as she only looked at short term benefits whilst ignoring the long term consequences. From my own knowledge, I know that the 1590s to the early 1600s was not a good time for many of the English population. They had just suffered from three consecutive bad harvests and poverty was rife. What monopolies will do is allow prices to be pushed up immensely, leading to inflation. Surely, an efficient governing body will try to lower prices instead of increasing them. At the end of Source C it states that Englishmen were turning away from their bad old habits of conspiracy and treason. However, from my knowledge I can counter the statement by brining in the Earl of Essex who was involved with conspiracies to overthrow Elizabeths regime after he lost his patent on sweet wines in 1600; he was later on executed for treason. This shows that the system of government was corrupted as men like the Earl of Essex placed personal wealth above the country. However, there are arguments that disagree with Elizabeths system of government as being both corrupted and inefficient. First of all, we can see from Source C that Burghley staved off the worst abuses. He continuously and constantly supervised the system of political patronage showing that effective methods were imposed which efficiently prevented corruption. Furthermore, the argument that the Crown made unwise concessions can be countered by stating that the she had to fix short term and immediate challenges first before looking into the long term; this is supported by the fact that Parliament made it hard for Elizabeth to have financial access therefore she did not really have a choice. Also, the idea of handing out monopolies was one which was financially efficient for Elizabeth; as Source C says it offered an increase in income for no outlay. The writer Wallace MacCaffery concludes that high praise must be given for the transformation of Englands politics and that a new political order has been established. This implies that the government was much less corrupt and much more efficient then before; highlighting the improvement and progress of the systems of government as a whole. This can be backed up with some of my own knowledge of the successes of the period. First of all, population doubled in the 16th century therefore Elizabeth entered a period of hardship to lead. Her regime successfully imposed a long lasting and effective means of poor relief which helped ease poverty. Furthermore, social stability was generally enjoyed so as religious and political steadiness. It is also worth noting that under Elizabeths government the Spanish Armada was successfully defeated. It is therefore argued that none of the above accomplishments could have been present without a corruption-free and efficient system of government. Furthermore, although there were individuals like the Earl of Essex; there were many men who served in the genuine interest of their country. The 1800 unpaid volunteers as Justices of Peace was an example; they had to do a lot of traveling and it was an effort consuming position and there was little or no financial gain. Apart from the ideas from the sources, there was a very important element which formed the systems of government. This was the position of the throne and her prerogative powers which helped secure efficiency and solidarity of the country. Elizabeth held on to the powers to call, prorogue and dissolve Parliament, declare war and make peace, appoint and dismiss ministers and judges, determining monarchs marriage and naming a successor. Elizabeth was also careful in not handing too much power away to Privy Council; she would not interfere with the daily running of it so it could run efficiently, however whenever it came to important decisions about the country the Queen would make sure she makes the final call. This made the decision making process efficient as there was only one person making the decisions and disputes were prevented. Furthermore, potential cases of corruption were dismissed as the Queen makes the final decisions so there is no use buying off politicians or advisors. Corruption and inefficiency is also relative to the peoples expectation of government. I know that in the 16th century, the government did not intervene nearly as much as governments do now with social or economical problems. The government was simply expected to keep the realm safe and secure, to help in disasters and to run the finance of the crown and country; it must be said that Elizabeths government did a reasonable job in those areas. To conclude, I cannot agree with the statement that the Elizabethan systems of government were both corrupt and inefficient for three reasons. Firstly, we must understand that 16th century Britain has a very different political structure as to the one we currently have. There were no democratic features such as elections, political parties or the media. This meant that the nature of politics was inevitable to that of favorism you had to get on someones good side if you wanted to excel and advance. Indeed, this would now be what we call corruption, however, back in the time it accepted as standard practices and was part of the social norm. Secondly, the prerogative powers of the Queen provided the system with both fairness and efficiency. Indeed, we will call Elizabeths position as a dictator nowadays but back in the time, a solid leader who held the powers to make the final calls to the most important issues was very much needed. Thirdly, the successes of the period cannot be ignored. Elizabeths regime did have its glorious days such as defeating the Spanish Armada. But most importantly it was the long term stability which citizens enjoyed under Elizabeths government. In contrast to other Western European countries at the time, Britain had excellent social, political and religious stability which is a testimony of the success of a fair, just and efficient system of government.

Kenilworth Castle Essay Example

Kenilworth Castle Essay Example Kenilworth Castle Paper Kenilworth Castle Paper From the beginning of the 11th Century Kenilworth had just a lone watchtower atop the rocky knoll where the Stone Keep sits today. In this chapter I will describe the changes made to Kenilworth Castle over time, what, why and how affected these changes and who influenced their construction. In 1120 the first major building work took place at Kenilworth, a Motte and Bailey castle was built on the rocky, gravely hill in the place of the old Watchtower, fifty two years after a Motte and Bailey structure had appeared down the road at Warwick. The first tenant of Kenilworth Castle was Geoffrey De Clinton, after being granted the royal manor of Stoneleigh, he needed to defend himself against his neighbours the earls of Warwick. Between 1174-84 a heated political feud between Henry II and his son boiled over, resulting in Kenilworth Castle and others being provisioned and garrisoned by Henry. At this time the castle was rebuilt in stone, in Kenilworths case red sandstone, a material easily come across in the area. Built with thick walls, latest state of the art defences such as Slit windows, parapets, a secure water supply and a single spiral staircase leading up the keep. The whole structure was crafted upon a sandstone plinth, heightening the keep further. The keep was an oblong shape building with square towers. It was designed this way to spread the Keeps weight; the idea was that attackers couldnt mine the wall down. Within the walls were also a chapel, stables, kitchen and hall, making the castle self-sufficient. Henrys motive for this mammoth renovation of the castle was to arm the castle in case of further rebellions and uprisings in the area. Circa 1190-99 Richard I granted Kenilworth Castle the right to hold jousting tournaments, a permanent tiltyard was constructed near the castle gatehouse. At this time, jousting and imitation warfare were popular attractions. Around 1210-15, King John further extended the castle; an additional perimeter wall was added along with towers to protect strategic points in the defence. The original ditch was filled in and replaced with a larger outer one. A small river was dammed nearby in order to flood the new ditch to create a mere, a kilometre long and wide, surrounding the castle. This was done to add defensibility to the castle and later on in the castle history, used for recreational use, such as sailing. In 1253 the De Momforts held out in the Castle for 9 months as the crown laid siege to the castle when the family turned against the King in the baronial war. 1389-94 was a period of stability. After the signing of the Magna Carta and the death of King John but Kenilworths towers suggest readiness in case if civil unrest. At this point John Of Gaunt owned the castle and aims to increase the castles prestige and opulence. Kenilworth now started to become a grand residence, as John Of Gaunt demonstrates his wealth by building the Great Hall an impressive ornamental room, built for meetings, banquets and administration. The hall was built in the latest style and contained many luxurious features new to the time. The building was equipped with kitchens, chambers and a chapel. John Of Gaunt also built three new towers all with symmetrical roof patterns to match the Great Hall. These three towers The Strong, Saint Lowe and Gaunts Tower were built to cater nobles residing at the Castle, rather as defensive features. All these new features were to show his power and wealth, and to bring nobles to his residence.

Breaking Down the Role of the School Superintendent

Breaking Down the Role of the School Superintendent The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a school district is the school superintendent. The superintendent is essentially the face of the district. They are most responsible for the successes of a district and most assuredly responsible when there are failures. The role of a school superintendent is broad. It can be rewarding, but the decisions they make can also be especially difficult and taxing. It takes an exceptional person with a unique skill set to be an effective school superintendent. Much of what a superintendent does involves working directly with others.  School superintendents must be effective leaders who work well with other people and understand the value of building relationships.  A superintendent must be adept at establishing working relationships with many interest groups inside the school and within the community itself to maximize their effectiveness. Building a strong rapport with the constituents in the district makes fulfilling the required roles of a school superintendent a little easier. Board of Education Liaison One of the primary duties of the board of education is to hire a superintendent for the district. Once the superintendent is in place, then the board of education and the superintendent should become partners. While the superintendent is the CEO of the district, the board of education provides oversight for the superintendent. The best school districts have boards of education and superintendents who work well together. The superintendent is responsible for keeping the board informed of events and happenings in the district and also making recommendations about daily operations for the district. The board of education may ask for more information, but in most cases, a good board will accept the superintendent’s recommendations. The board of education is also directly responsible for evaluating the superintendent and thus, can terminate the superintendent should they believe they are not doing their job. The superintendent is also responsible for preparing the agenda for board meetings. The superintendent does sit in on all board meetings to make recommendations but is not allowed to vote on any of the issues. If the board votes to approve a mandate, then it is the duty of the superintendent to carry out that mandate. District Leader Assistant Superintendents – Large districts have the luxury of hiring assistant superintendents who specialize in one or two specific areas such as transportation or curriculum. These assistant superintendents meet regularly with the superintendent and receive their direct instruction from them, but manage the daily operations of their area. Small districts typically do not have assistants, so all the responsibility would fall on the superintendent.Principals/Assistant Principals – The superintendent is responsible for evaluating and making recommendations to hire/maintain/terminate principals/assistant principals. The superintendent has regular meetings with principals about specifics of the daily operations of their buildings. The superintendent must have principals/assistant principals that they trust fully to do their jobs because having an ineffective principal in a school can be disastrous.Teachers/Coaches – The amount of interaction between a superintenden t and the teachers/coaches in the district typically depend upon the superintendent themselves. This is a duty that primarily falls on the principal/assistant principal, but some superintendents, especially in smaller districts, like to have one on one interaction with their teachers/coaches. The superintendent will be the one who makes a recommendation to hire, maintain, or terminate to the board of education, but most superintendents take the direct recommendation from the building principal in this matter. Support Personnel – The superintendent is almost always directly responsible for hiring, maintaining, terminating support personnel. This is a primary role a superintendent. A strong superintendent will surround themselves with good, trustworthy people. While the superintendent is the head of the district, the support personnel are the backbone of the district. The administrative professionals, custodians, maintenance, security, kitchen staff, etc. play such a large role in the daily operations that it is essential to have people in those positions that are there to do their job right and work well with others. This falls on the superintendent of the district. Manages Finance The primary role of any superintendent is to develop and maintain a healthy school budget. If you are not good with money, then you will likely fail as a school superintendent. School finance is not an exact science. It is a complicated formula that changes from year to year especially in the realm of public education. The economy almost always dictates how much money is going to be available for the school district. Some years are better than others, but a superintendent must always figure out how and where to spend their money. The toughest decisions a school superintendent will face are in those years of deficit. Cutting teachers and/or programs is never an easy decision. Superintendents ultimately have to make those tough decisions to keep their doors open. The truth is that it isn’t easy and making cuts of any kind will have an impact on the quality of education the district provides. If cuts must be made, the superintendent must examine all options thoroughly and ultimately make cuts in the areas where they believe the impact will be the least. Manages Daily Operations Building Improvements/Bond Issues – Over the years the buildings in a district go through normal wear and tear. Also during this time, the overall needs of the district will change. The superintendent must evaluate the needs of the district and make recommendations as to whether to try to build new structures through a bond issue and/or make repairs on existing structures. There is a balance between the two. If the superintendent feels like passing a bond is a necessity, they must first convince the board and then convince the community to back it.District Curriculum – The superintendent is responsible for ensuring that the approved curriculum meets district, state, and national standards. This process typically begins at the individual building site, but the superintendent will have the final say as to whether the district should adopt and use the curriculum.District Improvement – One of the main duties of a superintendent is to be a constant evaluator. Superint endents should always be looking for methods, both large and small, to improve their district. A superintendent who does not have a vision for continuous improvement is not doing their job and does not have the best interest of the district in mind. District Policies – The superintendent is responsible for writing new district policies and revising and/or reviewing old ones. This should be a yearly endeavor. New issues constantly arise, and policies should be developed detailing how these issues will be handled.District Reports – States require superintendents to submit various reports concerning teacher and student data throughout the school year. This can be a particularly tedious part of the job, but it is necessary if you want to keep your doors open. Being proactive throughout the year and keeping up with this data as you move along will make completing these reports easier in the long run.Student Transfers – A superintendent makes the decision whether to accept or deny a transfer to potentially incoming and outgoing students. In order for a student to receive a transfer, both superintendents must agree to the transfer. If the receiving superintendent agrees to the transfer, but the outgoing superintend ent does not, then the transfer is denied. Transportation – Transportation can be an enormous role for a superintendent. The superintendent is responsible for purchasing enough buses, keeping them maintained, hiring bus drivers, and creating routes that maximize efficiency. In addition, they must develop bicycle routes, walking routes, and snow routes. Lobbies for the District Builds Community Relations – A superintendent must build relationships with all members of the community. This includes parents of students, the business community, and those who live in the community without any direct ties to the school such as senior citizen groups. Creating strong ties with these groups will be invaluable when it comes time to try to pass a bond issue.Works with the Media – The superintendent is the face of the district in good times and in times of crisis. Superintendents in large markets will be in the news consistently and must advocate for their district and their students. An outstanding superintendent will seek out opportunities to partner with the media.Builds Relationships with Other Districts – Building relationships with other districts and their superintendents can be valuable. These relationships allow for an exchange of ideas and best practices. They also can be extremely beneficial in difficult times of crisis or tragedy.Builds Relationships with Politicians – A superintendent must lobby on their districts behalf on key political issues that will positively or negatively affect the district. Education has increasingly become more political, and those who neglect this aspect aren’t maximizing their effectiveness.

Contract Law. Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Contract Law. Case study - Essay Example A court of law usually enforces the contract as long the offeree proves that he posted the letter. A relevant case studied is that of:- For the case of Bella, the letter he posted on 25th September 2006, but arrived on 30th September 2006, the contract to purchase the text book became binding immediately he sent the letter of acceptance. It does not matter that the letter was delayed by the post office. On the issue that since the recommended textbook for the course has changed, and Bella does not wish to buy the textbook, this would not apply. Acceptance one made, it cannot be revoked. The moment Bella expressed his acceptance of an offer, that very moment the contract is concluded, and it does not matter whether the acceptance is by word of mouth or even by writing. Another relevant case studied is that of:- G, applied for the purchase of shares in the plaintiff's company. The offer was accepted promptly, and the company secretary made out a letter of allotment in favour of the defendant. It was held that the contract was complete on posting, and the defendant was liable for the shares. On On the case of Chu who accepted Arun's offer by telephone, his contract became complete when the acceptance was heard by Arun on 30th September 2006. According to the law of contract, there is an exception to the communication of acceptance. A contact is complete only when acceptance is actually communicated to the offeror. But a contract made by telephone is complete only when the acceptance is heard by the offeror. For this case, Chu should not revoke the acceptance on the basis that the book will not be useful since it is not recommended text book in his course. An acceptance once made, it cannot be revoked. On the case of Dilma, who accepted the offer by email sent on 27th September 2006 but read by Arun on 28th September 2006, the contract became binding immediately the email of

Erasmus and Machiavelli Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Erasmus and Machiavelli - Essay Example l prince in following the will of God: â€Å"though following Him is hard, not following Him is a sin.† Taking the Christian perspective, since God was the creator of the universe, he was then accordingly the source of all power. Since God was the source of all power, following the will of God would most assuredly brought his concept of a prince the most power. For surely, if a person were to ignore the will of God, then God would not protect that prince, or to the more extreme aspect of the situation, God would remove immoral princes from power. In the Christian view, since there was no way to avoid God or to avoid the consequences of ignoring the will of God, this would make the most appropriate way to gain power and to keep this power by merely following the will of God. According to Richard F. Hardin, â€Å"Erasmus thought it possible to dissuade kings and their subjects from the idolatry of power†1 Richard F. Hardin, â€Å"The Literary Conventions of Erasmusâ€⠄¢ Education of a Christian Prince,† Renaissance Quarterly, vol. 35, no. 2, (Summer 1982) p. 152.. They were to hold their power not for their own gains, but they were to try to improve upon the condition of mankind. Anyone in a position of power should attempt to do this, from a Christian perspective, and those who didn’t were guilty of â€Å"unmitigated tyranny.† Erasmus was not concerned with how useful this document turned out to be in the real world. What he hoped to accomplish in the end was to shape the way that the real world functioned. To many, though, this was viewed as â€Å"primitive and simplistic†2

Monetary policy Essay Example for Free

Monetary policy Essay The Federal Reserve which is commonly referred to as FED is the central authority to the US money and banking system.   It utilizes the monetary policies at its disposal with the aim of ensuring that prices, foreign exchange rates as well as long term interest rates remain stable.   Stability in these three areas is beneficial in as far as investment is concerned and they trigger economic growth.   (McConnell and Brue, 2004). Other objectives of FED include ensuring that the inflation rate is kept relatively low and the employment levels boosted.    The monetary policies adopted include the open market operations, manipulating of the reserve requirement and discount rates. The open market operations refer to the buying of US treasury as well as the federal agency securities with the aim of influencing the money supply and demand. OMO is the most applied tool due to its flexibility in influencing money demand. Fed also ensures that the financial sector remains stable while protecting the interests of the customers due to the realization of the importance of money supply in the economy. (www.federalreserve.gov). One challenge that faces FED as it tries to ensure economic growth through the various monetary policies is the fact that realizing one aim results to another problem or rather poses a different challenge.   Selling government securities with the aim of increasing the money supply in an economy may trigger increased inflation by some margin. Increasing the employment levels also triggers inflation which Fed tries to counter in the first place.   To ensure that the impact of such inflation is contained, it is imperative that Fed sets its target appropriately so that a compromise is attained.   Attaining one objective at the expense of the other should be well addressed. Timing issues which emanates from the fact that there is a time lag between when Fed realizes or rather recognizes a problem and decides to react by selecting an appropriate monetary policy and when the effect of the implemented policy is felt.   To ensure increased efficiency in the monetary policies, Fed must adopt effective tools or strategies of gathering information to ensure that immediate responses are made as demanded by the economy. (McEachern, 2005). Fed structure is quite complex thus making the implementation of its policies difficult and cumbersome. This also contributes to the delayed implementation of monetary policies which has a negative effect in as far as attaining the core objectives is concerned. The board of governors of Fed are also too powerful and can be manipulated easily especially by the political leaders who have some vested interest. The establishment of an effective independent central bank would minimize the chances of political influences which compromise on the effectiveness of Fed. (Baumol and Blinder, 2008). Identify and explain at least three ways that the Federal Reserve affects the banking system through open market operations (OMO). As earlier noted, Fed uses the OMO monetary tool where US treasury and federal agency securities are traded to regulate the money supply in the economy. Buying of federal treasury and agency security is done when the aim of Fed is to reduce the money supply in the economy while selling increases money supply thus used in recessionary times. There can be permanent as well as temporary changes to Fed reserves when outright sales or purchases are made. A system repurchase method can be adopted to impose temporary changes.   Fed purchases government bonds from the public which increases the reserves of the commercial banks after it pays for them. Purchasing such reserves sees the banks increase their reserves in an amount equal to what has been paid for the reserves.   The same case happens when reserves has been purchased from the public. Fed can also sells government securities that are not being used to the commercial banks as well as the general public hence surrendering the securities to the banks or general public who can then draw checks against the deposits made. Through this approach Fed reduces the amount of money supply that is available for the commercial banks which also translates to reduced money supply in the entire economy. (www.federalreserve.gov). Purchasing of government bonds by Fed leads to the reduction of interest rates which encourages banks and households to dispose their reserves to Fed. The selling of such bonds lowers the prices of bonds while increasing the interest rates to make the bonds attractive to the general public as well as the commercial banks. Fed also purchases or sells the treasury bonds or bills which affect their deposits by increasing or decreasing in size. This also affects the volume as well as growth of banks by allowing them to have increased reserves at their disposal thus more to lend to both commercial banks as well as households.   This leads to their increased growth as they make earnings through the interest charged.   The OMO also affects the lending processes as it affects the interest rates which are attached to the bank borrowings and loans. OMO regulates the money supply in an economy by either increasing it or decreasing it. (McConnell and Brue, 2004). Explain how changes in reserve requirements and the discount rate affect the operations of banks and other depository institutions. The discount rates are monetary policy tools that can be used by Fed to influence the money supply and demand in the economy with the aim of influencing economic growth. Discount rates or discount widow can be defined as the rates charged by Fed to commercial banks which in turn affects the amount of money such banks or financial institutions have thus their lending capacity.   The major types of the depository windows by Fed are the primary, secondary and seasonal credits which have varying interest rates. (www.federalreserve.gov). The discount rates attached to primary credit are generally higher than those attached to other short term discounts in the market.   Interest rates charged on secondary credit are also higher than the primary credit interest rate while the seasonal credit discount rates are the average of selected market rates.   When Fed increases the discounts rates it discourages commercial banks from borrowing money from it but a reverse effect is felt when the discount rates are lowered. The amount of money in an economy is increased when banks are encouraged to borrow funds from the Federal Reserve.   The reserve requirement refers to the amount of money or funds that financial institutions are expected to deposit with Fed against their securities.   The amount set as reserve requirement is determined by the board of governors of Fed as guided by the American law and it is held in terms of vault cash. Increasing the reserves requirement rates leads to increased required reserves of what the financial institutions are expected to keep with the Fed and this translates to reduced ability to lend money to both banks as well as household thus reducing the money supply in an economy.   The reserve is also true. (www.federalreserve.gov).

Narrative †My Foolish Faith :: Personal Narrative Essays

Narrative – My Foolish Faith Life without hope in a dull, frustrating world congeals the stuff of human existence...almost. To some, born-lived-died is more than the plot of too many bad novels; it dooms them, chaining their lives to a Maslowian fate. Others drown the raw truth in unrelenting labor, raucous revelry, sunlit spring breezes, cigarettes at noontime, or the bottle. Yet some find hope in this droll, frustrating world, but they will not agree and cannot be sure of that hope. Or can they? Once I could not find hope. I still can't. That's why I leaped for joy when it found me instead. Somehow, by the Grace of God, I find myself with the only, single true hope, a nonsensical faith, a belief I cannot prove with mortal things, a book that turns a hopeless, droll, frustrating world into a beautiful, hopeful, droll, frustrating world where smallest intricacies and biggest setbacks bring joy alike. Did I say my faith makes no sense? I was right. No sane person in his wrong mind would agree to a divine Creator, Revealer, Saviour, Lord, and Friend. Unfortunately, human depravity ensures sane human wrong-mindedness. Once one obtains this hope, the difficulty of Christianity shifts from the foolishness of believing myths to the stupidity of doing what they say. This is my challenge, for God has revealed His will plainly and has promised to help His adopted children understand His Word, the Bible. Once a person agrees to accept the entire Bible as God presents it in the Bible, the test of faith (or mere hope) comes. A mere hoper won't bother (or dare) to keep exactly what God says; a person with true faith will not only try but succeed when he does. Because I have faith in Christ, have escaped the corruption that is in the world, am a partaker of the Divine Nature, and have received many great and precious promises from God Himself, my goal in life is to be diligent in my service of righteousness to God. The society we live in, like any that has seen the noonday sun since the day God spoke it into existence, is utterly depraved, and I am too. It is God himself in my life who works anything in my life that may seem to be faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity. Yet there is a war in my life, a war I am very grateful for yet very weary of.

Serandib Bank

CONTENT Page 1. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 2. Executive Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 3. Problem Statement†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. .3 4. Alternatives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 5. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 6. Implementations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 Introduction This is the fourth assignment which I am forwarding as a case study for module 4 examination of Professional Qualification in Human Resource Management 75th Batch at the Institute of Personal Management Sri Lanka (IPM).The case is about the SerendiB Bank which was playing a successful monopoly game in the Bankers field where only two other local banks were held due to the Government regulations towards the implementation of foreign banks in the country. The SerendiB Bank was leading the country with a staff of 9,800 at the branches operating in each leading town island wide. Very recently; on its 50th anniversary, a new chief executive officer, Mrs. Maya Perera was appointed on her post who was just returned back to the country after serving 20 yea rs at two foreign Banks as a Top Executive.With the arrival of new CEO, many senior executives of the bank were unhappy with her new approach which is emphasized on followings. Cooperate vision and strategies/ businesses objectives for next five years Creating customer friendly process Introduction of latest technology Motivating internal staff through extrinsic motivation Promoting team work and achieving goals through team dynamics. The bank was delighting its success for next two years till the time of arriving two foreign banks and with that, suddenly it faced a narrow drop in all aspects.The bank lost its customers by 50% and the employee turnover was 22%. Finally the bank has close down its 22 branches and divest it two overseas operations. Executive Summary SerendibB Bank was practicing the seniority based promotions, non-financial rewards for individual efforts and also staff enjoyed the traditional banking activities. But, new CEO emphasized the impotency of introduction of latest technology while motivating the staff through extrinsic motivation and promoting team work and achieving goals through team dynamism.Also, CEO wanted to encourage people more towards the monetary rewards and as a result management introduced nearly a dozen of group incentives whilst statutory payments were paid in double over and above the legalized criteria. Although Bank achieved a higher growth rate in financial terms during the first two years tenure of new CEO, many senior executives were extremely unhappy with the CEO’s new approach. With launching of two new foreign banks, many senior staff members left from the SerendibB and joined with this new banks for better prospects and relieve with the newly introduce reward schemes.Within first six months, SerendibB lost over 50% of customer base and also drop in revenue. Further, SerendibB had to close down 22 branches and divested two overseas operations. This case study demonstrates the employee reward systems can h elp organizations to achieve their goals. However, Employers must first identify each objective clearly before developing tangible and intangible reward systems. Important goals such as employee retention and job satisfaction, performance improvement and employee motivation can be achieved by identifying the desired outcome of employee reward programs. . Problem Statement 1. The newly introduced reward management system does not fit to the requirements of the employees in the organization. The effectiveness of reward package is impacted by internal and external factors and it is important for employers to continually monitor, evaluate and adjust their rewards and benefits packages to ensure that they continue to meet employees' needs. Changes in the competitive landscape, in the economy, in employee needs and in demographics can all impact how effectively existing packages meet employee needs.Ongoing assessment of both internal drivers and external environmental impacts can help ens ure that companies' reward packages serve to drive retention in a positive way. But, New CEO of SerendibB Has changed the existing reward management system without doing a proper study. Therefore, change of existing reward management system is not suitable to entire organization and its requirement. 2. The newly introduced Reward Management system does not have the proper balance between the Financial and Non – Financial Rewards, individual and group rewards.Financial rewards and group incentives are one way businesses can show their appreciation to employees for hard work and dedication, but this should be just one piece of the compensation system. Non-financial rewards and individual incentives can carry just as much weight by empowering employees, as well as giving them a sense of accomplishment and of belonging. CEO of this bank always promoted the monetary rewards and the team work concept among staff. Therefore, rewarding system should be balanced among financial and no n-financial rewards as well as the Individual and the group incentives. . The Reward Management System is not consistent and sustainability. Employee reward systems can help employers achieve their organizational goals. However, employers must first identify each objective clearly before developing tangible and intangible reward systems. New CEO had taken a decision to pay in double the EPF,ETF and gratuity over and above the legalized criteria. But he hasn’t checked whether the organization can afford such a huge expensein the future. At the same time legal consultants also advised the top management not to grant excessive financial rewards.Therefore, such a reward managements system doesn’t have a sustainability, consistency and credibility 4. The Reward Management System does not catering the purpose. Employers must offer employee rewards that the company's employees find meaningful. Well-managed employee reward management system have tangible affirmative effects on the employer’s bottom line results such as Attraction, retention, motivation, engagement, return on investment. Throughout the case it doesn’t demonstrate the key values of reward management system.Further, Majority of the staff of the SerendibB bank left and joined with new foreign bank due to frustration. In that case SerendibB was failed to full fill the basic requirement of the reward management system. 5. The Reward Management System does not cater the requirements of the existing staffWithinfirst six months of opening the competitor banks, SerendiB lost over 50% of customer base and had to face huge drop in revenue. Also, many of the senior staff members joined the new foreign banks. By that moment, top management of the SerendibB bank well knew the reason behind.But, nobody take steps to change or enhance the existing rewarding system so that best fit for the existing employees and retain them with the SerendibB bank. Alternatives 1. SerendibBBank should come u p with incentive plans as follows for their employees in order to reward staffs who contribute the most to the profitability goals of the bank. This allows employees to reap the rewards to their business acquisition activities and helps to promote a sense of self-achievement and teamwork. a) Bank need to identify those products and services that it wants to concentrate upon based on product demand, pricing and risk analysis.For example, when a bank decides that too much of its assets are related to the condominium market, a shift toward other income producing real estate is made. Once the current year product and profitability goals are established, the various departments of the bank are informed of the products that the bank is going to pursue. b) It is recommended consult with staff and trade union and gets their ideas of a new incentive system. Also, management can conduct brief survey to get the ideas of staff. Provide clear choices in survey in order to get clear answers.Ask q uestions like â€Å"Would you prefer a cash reward or a personalized plaque for being employee of the month? † Employee surveys should also list a variety of monetary and non-monetary awards and ask employees to list their preferences. c) A bank profitability system takes each product that the bank offers and classifies it according to the responsible department and customer account. The various customer accounts are assigned to specific employee who manage the account and increase the business volume of the bank with the customer. The employees also acquire new customer accounts that generate profit.Therefore, a proper profitability system must be capable of tracking the progress of existing and new customer accounts by employee in order to reward the efforts of the employee through the incentive program of the bank d) Once the various income-producing goals are established for the bank, the acquisition incentive program is communicated to the departments involved. For examp le, if incentive payments are being offered for acquiring new real estate business loans, the program details what the employee needs to do in order to earn an incentive payment.The typical program involves the payment of an upfront fee to the employee of two percent for the original acquisition of new business and a five percent payment after the first year of operation from the ongoing business of the customer. This type of program tends to bring the operation of the bank together e) The continual monitoring of the profit and loss goals of the bank according to customer and assigned employee must be transparent and available to the relevant employee, as well as to the department supervisor. This allows for total follow-up and monetary remuneration.It also shows where adjustments need to be made due to problematic relationships. Furthermore, it provides the historical base for progress and motivation. f) Measure employee satisfaction of new or improved incentive plan by obtaining i deas of employees or implementing a survey and review exit interview information. In addition, analyze turnover rates before and after implementing the employee incentive program to measure the effectiveness of the new or improved rewards system. 2. Monetary incentives encourage employee compliance, rather than encouraging risk-taking, since most monetary rewards consider only employee performance.Employees may be motivated to perform in certain ways to achieve monetary rewards, rather than doing something because it is the right thing to do. This behavior can disrupt or end good working relationships among associates, since they have become competitors rather than co-workers, which ultimately disrupts the overall work environment. Non-monetary incentives have been used to reward employees for their good work by providing opportunities for training, flexible work schedules, improved work environments and sabbaticals.Therefore it is essential to take a good balance between non-moneta ry and monetary incentives as well as the group and individual incentives. Because it results in a more satisfying program to address the diverse interests and needs of employees. 3. With the lost of customer base, SerendibB bank is in a terrible finance situation. Bank is still paying the statutory payments in double to existing employees due to wrong decision taken by its CEO. Therefore, it is necessary to immediately stop such extra payment (EPF,ETF; Gratuity)done by the bank to its employees and on behalf of employees. . SerendibB Bank need effective reward systems in order to attract employees to the bank keep their existing employees and maintain a satisfied workforce. The primary employee reward is usually pay. But, SerendibB has to offer a total reward system that includes good pay and other non-monetary incentives. Designing a total reward system is important task to be done by the bank to overcome the current problem it has faced. Therefore, bank can implement following to attract external people. a) Develop a competitive pay strategy.Benchmark (two foreign banks) the market pay scale for each compensated position in the organization. Once pay scales are determined, Deputy CEO can decide which positions should be paid at, below or above the average pay rate. Critical positions in the organization are often paid at higher rates to keep valuable employees and avoid wasting resources on employee searches. b) Establish work-life rewards. These rewards include paid or unpaid sick time, paid lunch and break times, childcare assistance, variable work schedules and other benefits that don't normally include pay, but are seen as valuable by employees.Organizations that are in a position that precludes paying traditional benefits can sometimes keep employees by offering these types of rewards c) Develop meaningful employee recognition programs. Many employees respond to simple recognition for a job well done. This can be as easy and spontaneous as a simple â⠂¬Å"thank you† or more organized as a monthly or quarterly recognition lunch or dinner. It's important that people who are recognized are truly outstanding workers. Depending on the profitability of the organization employees be recognized with anything from cash to event tickets to a certificate. ) Initiate a career development program. Many employees will stay at organizations that offer fewer benefits if they can see that there is possible job advancement available in the future. Offering management training programs that truly given employee a leg up on future career advancement can be viewed as a valuable reward. This can be a very low-cost reward system that keeps employees for the long-term. It's important to only offer training to employees who truly deserve it. 5. At this crucial time, it is important to retain existing employees.Therefore it is requires to offer them a short tem rewards such as meal allowances, bonuses, transport allowances, health and life insurance , and annual vacation in order to keep employees. Conclusion Most people work mainly or even exclusively for the money they earn. No employee refuses more money, whether it is a one-time reward or a permanent pay increase, but employee rewards need not always be monetary. Raises and bonuses are among the most potent workplace rewards. The importance of rewards in the workplace extends beyond providing increased pay.Therefore, it is important to starta proper reward system in the bank with the aim of getting below results to the SerendibB bank and overcomeexisting problems which bank is experienced now. Staff Retention Staff turnover is expensive. It costs a company from 120 to 200 percent of an employee's annual salary to replace him when he leaves. New hires often require considerable time to reach peak performance. Staffs who feel that the bank recognizes their efforts are less likely to seek jobs elsewhere than those who feel that they are taken for granted. Maintaining MoraleAt this moment staffs of SerendibBsuffer from low morale. This is especially due to unhappy with CEOs new approach towards the reward system. Providing rewards can boost morale and need not be much costly. Enhancing Performance Rewarding employees often improves performance on the job. Nonmonetary rewards often produce surprisingly sustained increases in staff productivity. Raises and bonuses also increase staff productivity. â€Å"Carrot† Versus â€Å"Stick† Motivation Bank staff is consisted with educated employees. Taking a â€Å"stick† approach to bank discipline is often counterproductive in motivating staff.Punishments, in the form of negative public recognition, can quickly disintegrate into a finger-pointing exercise among employees eager to keep the spotlight away from themselves. Therefore, it is very vital to have a effective rewarding system in SerendibB bank to speed up the recruitment process and as well as to retain the existing staff . Implementatio n Implementing an employee reward program is a great way to push workers to excel. Not only does a program generate results for the people who win awards, but it also tends to increase productivity and drive staff to give their most to the SerendibB Bank.Therefore, it is recommended to consider the below given areas when implementing and employee reward program to the SerendibB Bank. Director HR should take an initiative to implement a reward policy for the Bank so that it would be clear to the bank staff. Also, bank need to initiate a grievance handling system, so that staff can come up with any problem they have and look for a solution. If such is available staff might wait and see whether they can have solution before they go for drastic actions such as leaving form the bankCreate two lists of goals, one for the bank and one for the staff. Be clear on what the staff are expected to do within the program and what bank want to achieve by creating it. Increasing customers, improving staff morale or rewarding hard staff are all acceptable goals, as long as bankis clear on them. Decide on the type of prize that will be awarded. Prizes can be symbolic (an actual certificate or medal) or they can be material and focus on money rewards, special items or long-term rewards, such as more time off or a raise. Announce the timing of the reward system.It doesn't really matter bank plan on handing out awards on a monthly or quarterly basis, but it has to plan in advance. Management of SerendibBlet the staff know what to expect and when. Once announce the program, HR department of the bank can do updates throughout the month or quarter to show where the process is going and how everybody involved is doing. Designate a leader to keep track of the system. This could be a manager, a staff who is not participating in the program. Create a schedule or a follow-up system so bank staff can track themselves and make the process easier for the leader..

Global communication Essay

The explosion of the internet has improved global communication and created a significant impact in our lives. With the advent of broadband wireless internet access in Singapore, our adolescents are spending intensive hours in cyberspace everyday and everywhere to meet their educational, entertainment, social and emotional needs. While they are going through this transitional stage of their life in seeking the ‘Who am I’ answers, this article reviews and seeks to understand what they do on the internet. It was discovered that both U.S. and Singapore adolescents enjoy interactive cyber communication with their peers and sharing common interest such as on-line games and audio/video downloading. An action research on a group of 35 adolescents in Singapore has revealed some interesting patterns in their internet engagement. This emerging engagement cannot be ignored by parents and teachers as we discuss our roles in protecting and nurturing our adolescents. Literature Review Introduction The Singapore Government is systematically and strongly promoting the use of information technology. One of its strategies is to make it compulsory that 30% of the school curriculum to have an information technology component and to be computer-based by 2002 (Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, 2000). Naturally, the advocacy of Internet use is part of this omnipresent attempt. Young Singaporeans are placed right in the midst of all these changes and soon Internet use will be commonplace given the Government’s ubiquitous promotion. As an academic staff in the Polytechnic, my objective is to study what our adolescent students do on the internet. By having a better understanding of their engagement on the internet, it would help us as facilitators to identify their interests, needs and to understand what motivates them. This literature review covers some surveys on adolescents conducted in the United States, studies on the impact of the internet on adolescents’ be haviour and a regional governmental conference on cyber endangerment. United States Adolescents’ Engagement on the Internet As the U.S. adolescent internet usage grew exponentially in the last decade, a number of correspondent expectations have emerged (Gross, 2000). Gross performed a research to identify the activities that adolescents in suburban California engaged in on the internet and why they perform them. She discovered the following: (1) that gender predicts usage, i.e., boys spend more time online, surfing the web and playing violent games, while girls chat or shop online; (2) that internet use causes social isolation and depression, especially for teens; and (3) that adolescents use the internet for anonymous identity experimentation. By means of highly detailed daily reports of adolescents’ home internet usage and peer-related adjustment, the present research sought to compare these expectations with the actual experiences of early and mid-adolescents in 2000 and 2001. For the most part, adolescent boys’ and girls’ online activities have become more similar than different. On average, boys and girls alike described their online social interaction as (1) occurring in private settings such as e-mail and instant messages, (2) with friends who are also part of their daily, offline lives, and (3) devoted to fairly ordinary yet intimate topics such as gossiping with friends (Gross, 2000). This is an interesting article that relates the conflicts faced by adolescents. According to Erikson, adolescents are experiencing a transitional stage of their life between childhood and adulthood where they need to deal with the conflict between identity attainment and identity diffusion (Berk, 2002). Gross(2000) discovered that adolescents need to explore their identity through identity play and role experimentation. Apparently, the internet serves as an ideal platform for them to play an anonymous role in their email and instant messaging (IM) communications. They tend to take on a role of an older character in attempt to explore their future self and identity (Gross, 2000). Another of their interest at this stage is to relate to their peers more than their parents or teachers. They could engage in intimate and private relationship with their peers on the internet interactively and instantly. Escober-Chaves, Tortolero, Markham, Low, Eitel and Thickstun (2005) attempted to study the effects of the internet on adolescent sexual behaviours. It was triggered by the fact that adolescents in the United States were engaging in sexual activity at early ages and with multiple partners. The mass media have been shown to affect a broad range of adolescent health-related attitudes and behaviours including violence, eating disorders, and tobacco and alcohol use. The authors wanted to explore the factors that contribute to adolescents’ sexual activity. It was found that the mass media plays a very influential role in shaping adolescents’ attitudes and behaviour towards violence, eating disorders, tobacco, alcohol and sex. Based on their survey, the internet is a significant media that the U.S. adolescents engage in (Escober-Chaves, Tortolero, Markham, Low, Eitel & Thickstun, 2005). In 2003, 60.8% of the U.S. household have at least one desktop computer at home. The adolescents spend 2 hours online each time for 4 days per week. Of the contact time on the internet, 61% of it is spent on surfing the internet. It is interesting to note that the adolescents consider 14% of what they do in the internet as activities they would not want their parents to know. The authors have summarised some pre-studies of the effects of media on adolescents. They have collected some useful statistics that describe the breakdown of adolescents’ exposure to the media, from radio, television, internet to magazines. The statistics in adolescents’ sexual behaviours have supported their linkages to adolescents’ exposure to sexuality in the media. Regardless of the measure of the correlation, one thing that is apparent is that the media does pose a significant impact on adolescents’ attitude and behaviour in various areas, including violence, eating disorder, tobacco, alcohol and sex (Escober-Chaves, Tortolero, Markham, Low, Eitel & Thickstun, 2005). How the adolescents were influenced by the media were also analysed in this article. Adolescents learn their behaviour through imitating a character they aspire to be (Bandura’s social learning theory). Other supporting theories include arousal, motivation and super-peer theory. In the latter, adolescents have a tendency to model people older than themselves. This resonates with the earlier findings by Gross (2000) that adolescents like to explore their self and future identity. Singapore Adolescents’ Engagement on the Internet The above studies have surfaced couple of gaps that I could address in my research. Firstly, we need to do a study in Singapore’s context. Secondly, I can learn from the challenges that the authors have shared. It would be an upstream task to measure the specific effects of the media on adolescents. Hence, the key objective of my research would be focusing on finding out and understanding adolescents’ usage of the internet. Moving closer to this region, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State and chairman of the Inter-Ministry Committee on Youth Crime, Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee talked about the internet and its impact on Asia (Ho, 2005). He suggested that as nations and governments become increasingly ‘wired’, its youths naturally become more in tune with the cyber world and its hosts of activities. Our youths surf the Internet for information and resources for their schoolwork. They play online games with faceless opponents for their leisure; or to enhance their social life, they may enter chat rooms and journal their thoughts in blogs and make new friends in cyberspace. These are creative and healthy online activities – if done with the right motivations and values, and in moderation. But, as our youths become increasingly cyber-savvy, they are also becoming increasingly cyber-endangered. Hence we need to be cautious of the dark side of internet (Ho, 2005). Besides cyber addiction, we need to be aware that exposure to unhealthy materials on the internet such as violence imageries may lead to increasing violence and anti-social behaviour amongst youths. Apart from preparing our youths to be cyber-savvy and protecting them from becoming victims, we should also be mindful that they are susceptible to the temptations of cyber vices and may end up committing cyber crimes themselves. Once online, a whole new cyber world greets them. Therefore, proper education and programmes need to be in place in society in order to help our youths cope with making informed online decisions, and learning to surf the internet safely and moderately. Professor Ho has started a discussion on the double-edged impact of the internet on our youths. While the internet is a valuable resource basin for their learning and development, it could also pose a threat to their safety, social, emotional and moral developments. There is a need to protect and educate our youth on how they could use the internet safely and responsibly. He shared an important statistic in our youths’ usage of internet. 68% of Singapore youths have frequent access to the internet; that is 18% higher than the regional average of 50% (Ho, 2005). Hence it is critical that we take the leadership role in understanding our youths’ engagement in the internet and taking proactive measures to promote cyber wellness. Research Question The Research Question: What do Singapore adolescents do on the internet? Purpose Why do I want to understand adolescent usage on the internet? Firstly, it is the desire of adults including parents, teachers and mentors, to improve our communication with adolescents. By understanding what they do on the internet, we would be able to identify their interest and needs. According to Ho (2005), it is important that we understand the potential threat based on the activities they engage on the internet. Besides promoting their cyber wellness, it is also our desire as adults to determine effective channels to influence them positively and to support their development. Benefits The results of this survey would be useful for me as an academic staff whose primary role is to facilitate their learning and development in the polytechnic. By understanding their interest and internet activities, it would help me to improve my communications with them and strengthen facilitator-student bonding. I believe that this would in turn increase my effectiveness in preparing them for the industry as they graduate from the polytechnic. The second group of adults that would benefit much from this research are their parents. In the same way, by understanding the paradigm that their children live in, parents could better connect with them and improve family bond. Methodology Research Paradigm Our nation has arrived at this era where youths are playing a more critical role in leading our country. That is why our Ministry of Community Development has added in Youth as an additional portfolio that deserves increased focus and attention. In the recent general election in 2006, the incumbent People’s Action Party has recruited significant number of young leaders who were born after our independence in 1965 (Balakrishnan, 2004). The key reason is to equip the party with leaders who are closer to our youths and adolescents in communication and understanding of their needs and ideology. This group of citizens plays a pivotal role in shaping our future nation as they would be exercising their voting power in future elections, getting involved in national policies and ultimately replacing our current aging population in the long term. With the emergence of information technology and the internet, the learning curve of our adolescents has risen exponentially. As far as communication and information exchange is concerned, the size of our globe has shrunk and distances between countries have become irrelevant with the click of the computer mouse. The internet has emerged to be a major channel of media, especially among the adolescents. The researches done in the U.S. as discussed above have shown that internet pose a significant impact on adolescents. Considering the higher internet penetration in Singapore compared to the U.S. per household, we would not expect the impact of the internet on our adolescent to be any lower. Scope As discussed in the review of Article, it is important that I set a realistic scope of study considering the limited time and resources. As this is the first research, I would be focusing on finding out the activities that adolescents engage in on the internet. I have designed a survey that captures what adolescents use the internet for, the activities they engage in, how much time they spend on them. There were some qualitative question to understand their preferences, interest and reasons for engaging in the internet activities. Subjects and Materials The stakeholders were adolescents. I managed to survey 35 adolescents in my network, of which most of them are polytechnic students between 18 to 19 years old. The materials required for this survey were basically printed copies of the survey questionnaires. They spent about ten minutes each to complete the survey forms. Procedures As this is my first research on the adolescents, it would be practical for me capture a broad span of their activities as a foundation for future or follow-up focused activities. The model of action research used must support continuous improvement and leverage on past findings with an interpretive approach. Hence, the model which I choose to adopt is the Zuber-Skerritt’s spiral model. The steps of Zuber-Skerritt’s spiral model are: (1) develop a plan of critically informed action to improve current practice. The plan must be flexible to allow adaptation for unforeseen effects or constraints; (2) the group members act to implement the plan which must be deliberate and controlled; (3) this action is observed to collect evidence which allows thorough evaluation. The observation must be planned and the action process and its effects within the context of the situation should be observed individually or collectively; (4) reflection of the action recorded during observation is usually aided by collaborative discussion among the group members. Group reflection can lead to a reconstruction of the meaning of the social situation and provides a basis for further planning of critically informed action, thereby continuing the cycle. I designed a survey questionnaire and printed out multiple copies to the adolescents. Participation was purely based on voluntary basis and their identities were all anonymous. I explained the objectives of my survey clearly to them through both direct verbal communication and highlighting them on the survey form in print. Results and Discussions The Survey forms were given to adolescents in my network as planned. They responded positively and completed the survey with ease. The feedback was that the questions were clear. There were total 35 adolescents who participated in the survey. The gender groups were well represented with 16 males and 19 females. There were some triangulations of the reflection stage of this research as I spent some time after the survey to talk to some of the adolescents to clarify certain information pertaining to some websites or online games which I was not familiar with. It was a meaningful session as they were very open to share with me their interest such as why the males like to play challenging online games like Dota and Warcraft. I then compiled that information gathered into a spreadsheet and studied the pattern of their engagement in the internet. Activities on the Internet It is interesting to note that the adolescents spend more than one-third (an average of 9 hours per day) of their time on the internet. This is supported by the fact that internet access is highly available both at school and at home. First of all, the Polytechnic provides the infrastructure to support the use of Information Technology (IT) in learning. Every student is required to own a notebook computer for administration, curriculum-related communication, research, performing on-line tutorials and submissions of assignments. The entire campus is enabled to provide wireless broadband access. In line with the national adoption of internet access, all the students here have internet access at home. Internet access and cost of IT equipment have become so affordable that most of them (26 out of 35) have wireless broadband access in their homes. [pic] Note: IM : Internet Messaging Games: On-line games on the internet Blog : blogging on the internet Surf : Internet search for information Music : Downloading of audio files Video : Downloading of video files and watching video on-line Chart 1 : Adolescent Internet Usage It is apparent that the adolescents spend most of their time on the internet messaging and chatting. Comparing with the adolescents in the U.S. (Gross, 2000) who spend about 40 minutes in IM per day, Singapore adolescents spend 4.75 hours per day. That is an astounding seven times more. Next in line would be surfing the internet, followed by entertainment such as video and music downloads. Why do they spend almost 5 hours per day internet messaging? Based on the survey, the adolescent revealed that IM is the most convenient and fastest way for them to communicate with their classmates and friends. Besides, it is interactive and free. This is in line with Gross’s analyses of the rationale for adolescents’ affinity to IM (Gross, 2002). Adolescents like to move fast and do not have much patience to wait for response especially when they want to relate to their peers. IM is real-time. They could instantly chat with their peers online and express their emotions immediately. Similar to adolescents in the U.S. as studied by Gross (2000), I also discovered that the adolescent here do not use their real names in their IM image. They like to use emotive roles such as â€Å"I am so scared†¦test is coming†. This also reflects Erikson’s theory on adolescent anonymous identity which teenagers enjoy relating their emotions to their peers in role exper imentation (Suler, 2005). The second most common activity the adolescents engage in is in surfing the internet for information. This is not surprising as they are required to research for information as part of the requirement in projects and assignment in class. [pic] Chart 2 : Favourite Website With reference to Chart 2, it is not difficult to explain the frequent usage of Google and Yahoo as search engines for their studies. However, it is unanimous that Friendster is the most popular website that the adolescent visit. The reasons quoted for visiting this website are to connect with their friends and to update each other of their latest profile. This is in line with Suler’s findings on peer intimacy (Suler, 2005). During adolescence, humans experiment intensely with new intimate relationships, especially opposite sex relationships. They look for comrades and new groups where they can feel a sense of belonging. All these relationships become a big part of exploring one’s own identity. Through communication website like Friendster and Livejournal, there is an almost limitless array of people and groups to interact with – all kinds of people and groups with all kinds of personalities, backgrounds, values, and interests. The adolescents here are curious in discovering both their identity and that of their peers. To reinforce adolescents’ interest, Blogspot and Blogger take up 13.4% of the total favourite websites count. Of the 35 adolescents surveyed, 7 of them have their own blog site and 10 of them are active blogger. They enjoy expressing their emotions and sharing their social life with their peers. One popular site they like to visit, especially among the females is that of a flamboyant 21-year old female XiaXue. The girls like to her blog because it is funny and she shares her social life openly. This confirms that adolescents prefer to interact with people they can identify with (Berk, 2002). Another interest that is significant is that of video watching on the Youtube website. The adolescents’ favourite videos are humorous and entertaining like those of XiaXue and Mr. Brown who is famous for his local political jokes. Gender Comparison [pic] Chart 3: Gender Comparison of Internet Usage Chart 3 above is essentially a breakdown of Chart 1 by gender. It is interesting to note that males spend more time than females in IM. This is also related to their indulgence in on-line games and video downloading. Because of these common interests among their peers, the males derive a sense of achievement as they share information of the latest on-line games and videos using IM. In fact, the more knowledgeable or competent males would co-teach their peers on how they could excel in the on-line game. This phenomenon was highlighted by Suler(2005) in his study. He suggested that adolescents love the sense of mastery and accomplishment as they engage in peer teaching. While females prefer fantasy on-line games like Maple Story and Audition, males indulge in war, strategy and shooting games like Warcraft and Dota. The key reasons are that the males enjoy challenge and like to take risk. Besides, they are also intrigued in connecting with and challenging people in other parts of the world. Males spend substantial time in downloading video over the internet. Their favourites are comedy movies. For females, their favourite are MTVs of their idols. This resonates with the study done by Gross (2000) on adolescents’ tendency in pretending to be someone else. By idolising an older person such as a superstar, they are exploring their future identity (Gross, 2000). Recommendation First of all, as part of the Zuber-Skerritt’s spiral model in action research, I would recommend a follow-up to the above research. We have achieved our objective of gaining a general understanding of what adolescent do on the internet. Of the various activities they engage on the internet, the most significant is in IM. Hence, I would propose to do a further action research on why and how they use IM. In doing so, adults could understand them better and even use IM in improving adult-adolescent relationship. Secondly, I would recommend to adults including parents and teachers of our adolescents to be aware of the above findings and take proactive actions to build strong bonding with our adolescents and to protect them from the potential cyber danger. As is true of all adolescent activities, they need at least some supervision to stay on track and avoid trouble (Suler, 2005). Getting involved doesn’t just mean supervising in order to avert trouble. The world of computers also can become an excellent way for parents and adolescents to have fun together, to get to know each other better. There will be a part of the adolescent – maybe even a part that they try to hide – that will love this. Suler suggested a few anecdotes which I think could be applied in Singapore. First, adults could get knowledgeable of the internet and join in with the adolescents. To be most effective in supervising the adolescent’s cyberspace activities, the parent needs to know something about the topic. Parents could talk to their kids about cyberspace and join them in some of their online activities. They could even communicate occasionally with their adolescents through IM to keep in touch with them. It is encouraging to note that our government is supporting the formation of cyber wellness centre such as the PlanetCRuSH which was launched by TOUCH Community Services in August 2006 (Seow, 2006). During the official launch of the centre by Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, some parents and their adolescents were playing on-line games together in the E-sports Carnival competition to promote family ties (Seow, 2006). Secondly, adults need to acknowledge the merits and threats of the internet. We should not vilify cyberspace – that will only alienate the adolescent. Instead, we could talk to them openly about both the pros and cons. We should show an acceptance of their cyber life, but discuss some of the dangers and what steps they should take if they encounter unsavoury situations or people. Thirdly, adults should advocate and encourage a balance in cyberspace time and other activities. If there’s something they really enjoy on the Internet, find a way to expand that activity into their in-person life. The idea is to integrate cyberspace into the rest of their life, and encourage them to develop non-Internet activities too. Conclusion Through the above article review and action research, I see Erikson’s psychosocial theory of adolescents’ behaviour in action. What adolescents do on the internet are manifestation of their identity experimentation and exploration, peer intimacy and belongings, separation from parents and venting frustrations. The common activities that both U.S. and Singapore adolescents engage in are IM, emails, audio/video downloads and online games. However, in terms of the length of engagement, Singapore adolescents spend 7 times more than their counterparts, especially in IM. This could be due to the higher broadband internet access rate and availability in Singapore. A further study on how adolescent use the IM is recommended to understand this intense engagement of activity. As parents and teachers, we need to be aware of the intensity of adolescent engagement in the internet and take proactive measures to protect them from cyber danger and be jointly involved in some of their internet activities such as IM and on-line games. By expressing our interest in their lives and communicating with them via their preferred platform, not only could we create a positive impact in their internet experience, we could also foster strong adult-adolescent bonding. Reference List Balakrishnan, V. (2004). Youth Mentoring Convention: Speech by Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Ag Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports. In MCYS [on-line]. Available WWW: http://app.mcys.gov.sg/web/corp_speech_story.asp?szMod=corp&szSubMod=speech&qid=863 [2006 November 15]. Berk, L. E. (2002). Infants, Children, and Adolescents (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Escobar-Chaves, S. L., Tortolero, S. R., Markham, C. M., Low, B. J., Eitel, P., & Thickstun, P. (2005). Impact of the Media on Adolescent Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors. In Pediatrics [on-line]. Available WWW: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/116/1/S1/303#F1 [2006 Sep 29]. Gross, E. F. (2000). Adolescent Internet use : what we expect, what teens report. In UCLA Digital Media Centre [on-line]. Available WWW: http://www.cdmc.ucla.edu/downloads/Adolescent%20Internet%20usepdf.pdf [2006 Sep 29]. Gross, E. F., Juvonen, J., & Gable, S. L. (2002). Internet use and well-being in adolescence. Journal of Social Issues, 58, 75–90 Ho, P. K. (2005). The Youth.Net: Developing Cyber Wellness In Conjunction With Asean + 3 Seminar On Urban Youth Work III at Orchard Hotel – Speech by Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State (Law And Home Affairs) And Chairman of the Inter-Ministry Committee on Youth Crime (IMYC), 26 July 2005. In News@Home [on-line]. Available WWW: http://www2.mha.gov.sg/mha/detailed.jsp?artid=1614&type=4&root=0&parent=0&cat=0 [2006 Sep 29]. Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (2000). Broad-based approach to make Singapore the location for infocomm manpower and savvy workforce. In IDA [on-line]. Available WWW:http://www.ida.gov.sg/Website/IDAContent.nsf/dd1521f1e79ecf3bc825682f0045a340/7f1eda7f3c633fd1c825689800580dc9?OpenDocument Seow, E. (2006, September 30). Safe Fun and Games at New Cyber Wellness Centre. Keeping in Touch, p. 5.

7 Classes and Types of Phrases

7 Classes and Types of Phrases 7 Classes and Types of Phrases 7 Classes and Types of Phrases By Mark Nichol Phrase is such a banal term for two or more words that convey an idea that it may surprise you that there are seven types of phrases, with variations. Here, with pertinent phrases in sample sentences formatted in boldface, is a rundown of the categories: 1. Absolute Phrase An absolute phrase is a modifying parenthetical or subordinate phrase of a root sentence that includes a subject but does not have an acting verb so cannot stand on its own as sentence: â€Å"Their effort to regain the lead successful, the team continued to score until they pulled ahead by a wide margin. 2. Appositive Phrase An appositive phrase is one that restates a preceding term, or expands or explains it, in a parenthetical statement. There are three variations of appositive phrases: â€Å"Her dog, a bull mastiff, looks ridiculous with a pink bow stuck to her head† features a noun phrase. â€Å"His favorite hobby, knitting, is rather unusual for a man† includes a gerund phrase. â€Å"The Tahitian’s ambition, to become an ice skater, is unexpected† has an infinitive phrase. Note that these three types of phrases are explained below; the distinction in the phrase types as applied above, as opposed to the types described below, is that each type serves as the basis for an appositive phrase; on their own, they need not be appositive, or set off. 3. Gerund Phrase A gerund phrase includes a verbal, a hybrid that functions as a noun (or adjective). There are three distinct functions: â€Å"Juggling knives is not recommended as a relaxation technique† includes a gerund phase as the subject of the sentence. â€Å"I’m going for a long walk off a short pier† features a gerund phrase as the sentence’s object. â€Å"She’s saving up for a vacation in Antarctica† has a gerund phrase as the object of a preposition. 4. Infinitive Phrase An infinitive phrase includes the word to and a verb as the basis of a modification of a root sentence: â€Å"His effort to pass the bill doomed his political ambitions† includes an infinitive phrase that functions as an adjective modifying the previous noun. â€Å"He plans to see the movie† features an infinitive phrase that functions as the sentence’s object. â€Å"To write of the experience is to dredge up unpleasant memories† has an infinitive phrase that functions as the sentence’s subject. â€Å"To say as much is to admit guilt† includes an infinitive phrase that serves as predicate nominative, or a substitute subject. â€Å"I went to the store to buy some ice cream† features an infinitive phrase that stands as an adverb (modifying the verb went). 5. Noun Phrase A noun phrase consists of a person, place, or thing and any modifiers: â€Å"This is a grammar lesson.† It may include one or more adjectives (as grammar modifies lesson here). It might include a noun and a modifying clause: â€Å"This is a lesson that explains the various types of phrases.† It might take the form of one of three other types of phrase: infinitive, participial, and prepositional. (The infinitive phrase is discussed above, and the latter two types are described below.) Many noun phrases are continuous; they consist of words in sequence. However, a noun phrase may be discontinuous, meaning that it is broken up into more than one element: â€Å"This lesson is one that explains the various types of phrases.† 6. Participial Phrase A participial phrase consists of verbals ending in -ing or -ed, or another irregular form of a verb, and serves as an adjective: The participial phrase in â€Å"Having been lied to before, I was wary† modifies the word I. The phrase may be parenthetical within a sentence, too: In â€Å"You, knowing what you now know, are in a better position to judge,† the participial phrase modifies the word you. 7. Prepositional Phrase A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition and a noun or pronoun that serves as the preposition’s object, and often one or more adjectives: â€Å"I went for a walk in the dark woods.† Prepositional phrases are often located at the head of a sentence. â€Å"When the sun went down, I hurried back.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Rhetorical Devices for Rational WritingAwoken or Awakened?20 Ways to Cry

A Discussion on Moral Issues of Cosmetic Surgery

A Discussion on Moral Issues of Cosmetic Surgery Cosmetic Surgery Cosmetic surgery is a surgical procedure that is done on body parts that are healthy, and has the purpose of improving appearance. Cosmetic surgery has become more common over the years, especially in the United States. However, many are bringing to attention ethical problems related to the increasing percentage of people who have undergone this procedure. While some critics make a few good points about moral issues of cosmetic surgery, many who bring up the ethical issues of the procedure do not make strong enough arguments. Just like any other surgery, cosmetic surgery is a procedure that comes with many risks, but it is still an important one that should continue to be taught to and performed by physicians. Stephen Coleman writes a great defensive argument for cosmetic surgery in his â€Å"A Defense of Cosmetic Surgery†, which specifically excludes reconstructive surgery. Coleman makes an accurate point by stating that cosmetic surgery can be morally justifiable for actors and actresses because the want for these surgeries are based off of their desire to sustain their jobs. (176) People on television are often critiqued on their physical appearance, and this can skew the hiring process for actresses and actors to role in movies and television shows. This especially affects women in the Hollywood industry. Women are strongly pressured to have certain physical features, and to display those features while playing their roles for media. This leads many actresses, female singers, and female models to undergo breast augmentation, breast reduction, abdominoplasty, and many other cosmetic surgeries to look appealing for the general audience and for directors to hire them for media role s. Even though it is sexist and unfair to hire women solely based on their looks, it is the reality of the world we live in today and many women in the media industry are forced to look a certain way to keep their jobs. This suggestion that is reasonable for women in Hollywood to undergo cosmetic surgery can be further expanded to any person looking for a job, seeking a job, or looking to get a better job. Several studies have come to the conclusion that attractive people are more likely to be get call backs for job interviews, get promoted, and get paid more compared to unattractive people. While attractiveness can be seen as subjective, there are certain beauty standards that people are held to such as facial symmetry, a youthful appearance, and large sexual body parts. Since having certain physical features would make a person more successful in terms of careers, it would be ethical for a person to seek to attain those features. However, not every person who wants cosmetic surgery is doing so to have a successful career. As Coleman states in his argument, many of the first plastic surgeons performed plastic surgeries to alleviate problems that other people had on a person’s appearance. He gives a great example saying that many Jewish, Black, and Asian people underwent the surgery to avoid prejudice. These minorities had cosmetic surgery done in order to fight against stereotypes and to conform to the standards of beauty at that time. (Coleman 177). However, Coleman is not seeking to defend these types of surgeries. I disagree with Coleman when he states that surgeries of these circumstances do not fit his definition of cosmetic surgery. Coleman states that surgeries that are performed to relieve serve psychological stress, decrease functional disturbances, and increase physical appearance outside a normal variation should really be considered reconstructive surgery. (173) I argue that surgeries performed to have a more successful career and to decrease stereotypical features of a certain race are definitely cosmetic. They are not medically necessary and some are only performed to fit within Caucasian physical appearance norms, which should not be the standard of attractiveness. Despite my disagreement with Coleman on these issues, I agree with his main argument, which brings the topic of autonomy into the picture. Coleman argues that since autonomy is a basic human right, then people should be allowed to get surgery solely for the purpose of increasing their physical appearance. It would be unethical to shame people into not getting cosmetic surgery or to ban cosmetic surgery. This would be a violation of patient autonomy. Even though there may be risks associated with cosmetic surgeries, just like any other surgery, it does not cause any direct harm. Therefore it could also be argued that beneficence is also a factor that could come to play, because cosmetic surgery increases physical appearance and does not inflict intentional harm. (Coleman 178-180). While Coleman makes the argument that cosmetic surgery is ethical because it respects patient autonomy, Franklin Miller suggests patient sovereignty is a topic that should as be discussed in regards to cosmetic surgery. Miller argues that some physicians and medical companies promote cosmetic surgeries by planting subliminal messages in advertisements for men and women by suggesting that they would look better if they undergo cosmetic surgery. He argues that the field of cosmetic surgery is more business than it is medical. While Miller does raise good points, I believe that these advertisements do not increase the likelihood of people undergoing cosmetic surgeries. Miller suggests that physicians are planting the idea in people’s minds that their bodies should be modified. (Miller 355) However, people are fed these ideas everyday. From actresses to models, people are constantly shown what makes someone physically attractive. People always look up to those in the media, and wa nt to look like those actresses and models. Therefore it would not be accurate in suggesting that physicians are the ones planting these new ideas that our bodies are not perfect. Many physicians are capitalizing on Hollywood’s portrayal of perfect looking people, but it is not an idea that they made themselves. I also argue that not all cosmetic surgeons are doing their jobs simply for the money. Many physicians perform cosmetic surgeries because they actually care about the well being of people and want to help patients in whatever way they can. If a patient would feel better in undergoing cosmetic surgery, then it would be ethical for a doctor to perform the surgery. Also, if one were not thinking about getting cosmetic surgery, advertisements would not suddenly make them believe that they would need the surgery. Advertisements for cosmetic surgeries simply make it more accessible for those seeking to get the surgery. Overall cosmetic surgery should not be an ethical problem. The two main ethical theories that are upheld through cosmetic surgery are nonmaleficence and autonomy. Physicians are doing no harm to the patients that they perform the surgery on, and performing the surgery would be respecting patients’ autonomy for those who want to enhance their physical appearance. Cosmetic surgeries are also beneficial because they can increase one’s self-esteem, increase likelihood of a successful career, and can help people avoid discrimination due to physical features, thereby avoiding psychological harm. In conclusion, cosmetic surgery is a procedure that should be treated like any other surgery, as it causes no direct or intentional harm, and can increase the overall mental health of a patient.

Architecture in the Arab and Islamic world Article

Architecture in the Arab and Islamic world - Article Example This is evident in the current magnificent structures dotting Abu Dhabi in UAE that symbolize ultra-modern architectural design that blend Arab and Western culture. The assertion of the author on the historic attachment of Arab architecture on religion bears significant truth. A critical assessment of most of the ancient and some modern Middle East architecture shows indisputable homogeneity in terms of architectural design. In fact, western nations and ancient civilization discusses more architectural borrowing from the Muslims as evidenced in the widespread application of arcs and domes. However, despite geopolitical factors, the pressure of globalization has promoted a paradigm shift towards a culturally tolerant architectural design in Middle East. In this article, the observed architectural techniques that deviate from the traditional Arab style that is increasingly dominating the Middle East is a reality. In regard to the captivating architectural set pieces in Abu Dhabi like The Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, obvious questions need to be answered in regard to the conservative Arab culture. This has been facilitated by increasing multicultural interaction in the wake of increased campaign for environmental care, space economy and technological explosion as noted by the