American politics questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American politics questions - Essay Example Moreover, the mighty state government can ask the central government to remain close to the people in state governments and to be more concerned with the needs and aspirations of the people especially relevant to small and isolated places. On the other hand, there are a number of demerits attributed to the states having a strong political role in America. As the state government is in warm relation with the central government, it is forced to obey even the one-sided decisions of the central government. It leads to duplication of government and inefficient, over-lapping or contradictory policies in such states. The unilateral policy making and decisions of the central government may lead to inequality between the states and thereby unhealthy competition and rivalry between them. The double ruling of the central as well as state government in the constituents may pave way for corruption. The phrase tyranny of majority means a situation in democracy where the party that gets majority of votes has the sole role in formulating policies and making decisions completely snubbing the interests and role of the minority. The term also indicates that the interests of the ruling party will be prevailed and this ignores individual interests; and such a situation can be regarded as the rule of a dictator or tyrant. Even if the decision taken by the ruling party has some evil effects, it will remain in force. Suppose the majority is 51% and the minority is 49%, a huge number of 49% people will have to suffer for the tyranny of a simple majority. To overcome the deficiencies of such a government Madison proposed the establishment of a new Constitutional republic government in which the scheme of representation takes place. According to him, it can avoid the tendency of â€Å"tyranny of majorities† that occurs in pure democracy through two basic means (Bardes, Shelley, and Schmidt, 45-47). In the first place, the representative

Outline the arguments about the reliability Essay Example for Free

Outline the arguments about the reliability Essay Outline the arguments about the reliability of documentaries as ways of representing reality. Illustrate with reference to a range of documentary material. Documentaries aim to show information in a way that is most believable to a viewer. Realism is extremely important to a documentary and is often shown by; an authoritative presenter, the use of voice-over commentaries, recorded interviews, visual evidence via location shots or archive film, hand-held cameras and limited used of special effects. It is argued that documentaries are like plays, novels and poems the are fictional in form and have no measurable social ability whereas others argue that documentaries are the only type of genre that can really capture the spontaneity and immediacy of real life. As most viewers see a documentary as a serious programme, normally tackling a serious issue, they assume the programme will be factual and informative and this gives it certain credibility. Documentaries can appeal to a range of different audiences, as most of them are about certain topics. For example wildlife programmes would appeal to anyone with an interest in animals yet other under-cover documentaries such as The Whistle Blower can appeal to anyone who would watch documentaries. Most documentaries would require both an active and passive audience, this is because programmes such as The Whistle Blower would interest people who want to help sort out the security problems at the airport, yet other people would also watch it and not be able to do anything about it, although I think it would make them re-think about making a journey from that airport. With documentaries there are some limitations to assuming that what we see is actually real life this is because when documentaries are using like video diaries or surveillance cameras the participants can sometimes be aware of this and can act differently to how they would normally act if they didnt know the cameras were there, they could also show some biased opinions or exaggerate their actions, subconsciously or not. This suggests that documentaries with hidden/secret cameras may have more credibility as being real. This technique is shown in The Secret Policeman when they are trying to expose the way in which racism is dealt with in the police force. This document can be seen as biased as they are only really concentration on one side of the argument, they are telling viewers right from the start about police officers being suspended for racism and they are setting out to catch officers being racist, this gives the viewers a ready-made conclusion in their heads that they police force definitely are racist. This documentary does, however, represent reality to some extent because they use secret footage of the police officers and have filmed them talking in real-life locations such as pubs, clubs, in the street and whilst travelling in a car, which shows a normal world. Although many documentaries do portray certain features that question their representation of reality, other documentaries are clearly focused on showing things as close to the truth as possible. Feature documentaries such as one on animals and wildlife for example are well researched and their main aim is to simply inform the audiences rather that try to influence them in any way. Even though most documentaries try to portray as close to the truth as possible other motives behind the documentaries could suggest that they arent, in fact as reliable or close to reality as they could be.

Defining Organisational Behaviour Essay examples -- Business Managemen

â€Å"The study of the structure, functioning and performance of organisations, and the behaviour of groups and individuals within them† Derek Pugh’s (1971) This influential definition of organisational behaviour was by Derek Pugh in 1971. Human behaviour is the way people act and react to situations and circumstances, each individual is different, therefore it is essential for an organisation to study human behaviour in order to understand the workforce. By observing and understanding each individual the organisation would improve performance; organisational behaviour can be considered as the key area of management. Organisations study organisational behaviour within by; investigating individuals, social perception, attitudes and emotions. By doing so they are able to determine whether motivation is existent and if so, is it successful. How individuals work in groups and teams is important for unity within organisations therefore it is crucial to know how people communicate amongst their group/teams and how well is the outcome when they do. Employees can become stressed which would affect them a great deal because an employee stressed would not be able to work to his/her potential. However this would be the least of the organisations worry because stress affects an employee’s psychological well-being a great deal, this is dire for both the organisation and the individual. We know how these factors fit into the reason behind studying organisational behaviour however its relevance in today’s organisations is still a question, I’m going to discuss two of the factors in more det ail and relate to whether they are relevant or not in today’s organisations. Human Behaviour in an organisation needs to be assessed in order for the bus... ...torian. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/motivation. Available: http://dictionary.reference.com. Accessed: December 08, 2010. Integrated Publishing . (2009). Human Behaviour. Available: http://www.tpub.com/content/advancement/14504/css/14504_16.htm. Last accessed 11 Dec 2010. Love2reward. (2010). Motivation. Available: http://www.love2reward.co.uk/rewards/info-centre/motivation.jsp. Last accessed 11th Dec 2010. Seldon, B. (2010). Money, happiness and motivation. Available: http://www.management-issues.com/display_page.asp?section=opinion&id=6100. Last accessed 11 Dec Tutor2u. (2007). motivation in theory - introduction. Available: http://tutor2u.net/business/people/motivation_theory_introduction.asp. Last accessed 11 Dec 2010. Image vintechsystems. (2010). Hierarchy of Needs. Available: http://vintechnology.com/journal/?p=47. Last accessed 11 Dec 2010.

Human Genome Essay

Human cloning involves the creation of a copy of a human cell or tissue that is genetically identical. The major types of human cloning include reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning (National Human Genome Research Institute, 2009). Therapeutic cloning involves the use of cells from an adult to be used in medicine while reproductive cloning involves making cloned human beings. Cloning has been done on both animals and plants. When done on plants it has been used to raise genetically modified crops. Gene therapy can occur in two forms somatic gene therapy and germline gene therapy. Somatic gene therapy involves removing cells from the patient and adding cloned genes to cells using a viral vector. The cells are amplified and those that have taken up the cloned gene are taken up. The transformed cells are then taken back into the patient (see figure 1). Some of the problems associated with this procedure include transgene integration and immune response killing the viral vector which may be marked as an intruder by the body’s immune system. The procedure has been used in many clinical trials, mainly for treating cancer. The Adeno associated virus is commonly used in this case as it does not cause an immune response, it has the ability to enter non-dividing cells and it integrates into a particular location in the genome of its host (National Human Genome Research Institute, 2009). Germline gene therapy is different from somatic therapy in that the newly introduced gene is incorporated into all of the cells in the animal’s body. This includes the germline that gives rise to gametes. The change that has occurred in the process is passed on to the next generation. To produce a transgenic animal, the embryo stem cells could be modified which is done by isolating stem cells and culturing them, adding DNA to cultured cells and selecting the transformed cells (National Human Genome Research Institute, 2009). Once selected, the transformed cells are injected into an early embryo and the embryo is implanted into the female. This produces mosaics in which some cells have different genotypes. Heterozygotes are mated to produce homozygous individuals which are in turn mated to produce a transgenic strain (National Human Genome Research Institute, 2009). A transgenic animal could also be produced by direct DNA injection where the transgene is injected directly into the male pronucleus before the male and female have fused (National Human Genome Research Institute, 2009). The injected DNA integrates into a chromosome and the injected zygote is then implanted into a foster mother (see figure 2). In the figure the baby mouse has the transgene in every cell in its body. Its expression depends on where the chromosome is integrated. Nowadays, however it is possible to have targeted gene insertion in some cases. Some of the medical applications of transgenic animals and plants include the production of model systems for the study of human disease for example where a certain gene product is lacking or where a certain gene has been over expressed or where there is a gene variant. An example of this the use of transplanted human stem cells by NIH scientists to improve the repair of bone injuries in rats (Guldberg, 2010). Standardization of such a treatment it offers a possible alternative to bone grafting operations. One of the successes of stem cell transplants has been seen in the successful attempts of new hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) in reversing sickle cell anemia in children (Rodgers et al, 2009). Other applications include the production of medically important proteins, the production of vaccines and production of tissues and organs for transplantation. Transgenic plants are also used to improve crops. In spite of these advantages, the issue of cloning still remains controversial.

Milestone Assignment Chemistry Essay

Milestone Assignment Chemistry BY 2233 In Method 1. You start by watching the building from afar, seeing how it is used and what Its general structure Is. You then begin to get closer and more particular, examining systems such as the electrical system and sprinkler system, walls and floors. Your last step is to examine the nails, screws and other elements of the building. Which method do you think is closest to your study of chemistry thus far? What are the pros and cons to proceeding one way rather than another? Write 3-5 arcographs and submit the short essay to your teacher. Have fun’ Method one is most similar to Chemistry. This is because the table of elements is like the building and we began by looking at it as a whole and then learned the individual parts of It. First we learned the anions and canons and where they are located. Also we learned specific elements with their symbols. Second chemistry Is like method 1 because as we learned the symbols we also started to put everything together and began making compounds. We did this by lancing the charges and making sure everything was stable like a building. The periodic table Is the foundation of chemistry as a blueprint Is to a building. A pro about this method Is that we begin to see trends and patterns within the table itself. Which help us identity and put together compounds. A con is that you can become overwhelmed when you first look at the periodic table and see how many parts there are. With out the periodic table there would be no chemistry and without the walls and floors and other elements of a building, It would not exists.

Genetically Engineered Foods Essays - Biology, Genetic Engineering

Genetically Engineered Foods Essays - Biology, Genetic Engineering Genetically Engineered Foods Introduction The use of genetically engineering in agriculture and food production has an impact, not only on the environment and biodiversity, but also on human health. Therefore, thorough biosafety assessment requires, not only an evaluation of environmental impacts of genetically engineered organisms, but also an assessment of the risks that genetically engineered food pose for the health of consumers. Let us take deeper look at some of the aspects related to genetically engineered foods. What is Genetic Engineering? Genetic engineering is a laboratory technique used by scientists to change the DNA of living organisms. DNA is the blueprint for the individuality of an organism. The organism relies upon the information stored in tits DNA for the management of every biochemical process. The life, growth and unique features of the organism depend on its DNA. The segments of DNA, which have been associated with specific features or functions of an organism, are called genes. Molecular biologists have discovered many enzymes, which change the structure of DNA in living organisms. Some of these enzymes can cut and join strands of DNA. Using such enzymes, scientists learned to cut specific genes from DNA and to build customized DNA using these genes. They also learned about vectors, strands of DNA like viruses, which can infect a cell and insert themselves into its DNA. Scientists started to build vectors, which incorporated genes of their choosing and used vectors to insert these genes into the DNA of living organisms. Genetic engineers believe that they can improve the foods we eat by doing this. At first glance, this might look exciting to some people. Deeper consideration reveals some advantages and serious dangers. What are the advantages of Genetically Engineered Food? Genetic engineering gives todays researchers considerable advantages in plant breeding programs. Predictability Scientist can identify the specific gene for a given trait, make a copy of that gene for insertion into a plant, and be certain that only the new gene is added to the plant. This eliminates the backcrossing, traditional plant breeders must do to eliminate extraneous undesired genes that are frequently introduced when using cross-hybridization. Significant acceleration of the development timetable. New technique takes about 5 years to remove the undesirable traits compared to 12 years of process with the traditional techniques. Plant breeders do not use recombinant DNA techniques exclusively. Instead they use a combination of new and traditional methods to provide a plant with quality, yield, weather and pest resistance and other desirable traits. Improved quality with more choices for the customers. Genetically engineered food especially fruits and vegetables allow to have plenty of time for shipping and sale and it helps to keep the them stay ripe without getting rotten. Some of the fruits and vegetables need warm climates to grow, so most off-season store them must travel a long way after they are picked. One example is the Flavr Savr tomatoes. To survive their journey intact, tomatoes are picked while they are green, which is a food which is a good way to avoid bruising, but which results in a tomato that is often described as having the consistency and mouth-feel of a tennis ball. In the case of Flavr Savr tomatoes, the company solved the rotting problem by inserting a reversed copy- an antisense gene of the gene that encodes the enzyme that results in tomato spoilage. This suppresses the enzyme that results in rotting, allowing the tomato to stay ripe, but not rot, up to 10 daysplenty of time for shipping and sale. Refrigeration is not necessary. What are the dangers of Genetically Engineered Food? Is it safe to eat? There has been no adequate testing to ensure that extracting genes that perform an apparently useful function as part of that plant or animal is going to have the same effects if inserted into a totally unrelated species. To consumers, most genetically engineered foods are essentially foods with added substances, usually proteins. This is because genes are translated into proteins by cells. Therefore, when a genetic engineer adds, say, a bacterial gene to a tomato, he or she is essentially adding a bacterial protein to that tomato. In most cases these added proteins would likely prove safe for human consumption. Nevertheless, just as with conventional food additives,

music in the 80s essays

music in the 80's essays The 80s were very important years in music history. Known as the decade of excess, the 80s brought a more visual experience to music. From fireworks at concerts to MTV, the 80s made sitting next to the radio a thing of the past. Musicians became more into their image then ever before. The 60s were the natural, feel good music era. The 70s were the dance crazed disco era. By the time the 80s rolled around, people needed something new and crazy. Peoples hair was outrageous, and the 80s got the name, the big hair decade from this. Bright colors and flashy clothes were also the craze. Hair and clothes were a direct reflection of the music people listened to. I WANT MY MTV!! was the cry from thousands of teens during the 80s. MTV, otherwise known as music television, brought videos along with music to TV. MTV brought the artist closer to their fans by being in their homes and showing how they look, along with how they sound. The term VJ also came about when MTV needed host or, video jockeys instead of DJs. MTV became a place where unknown artists could become huge. Some of these artists are still known today like Madonna, Duran Duran, Devo, The Police, Prince, Michael Jackson, R.E.M., Public Enemy, and many more. The music video brought a new style of life to peoples homes. Hair and clothing were very much effected but also cars, sports, and other subjects were effected. After seeing rock stars drive American muscle cars in their videos, people went and bought Mustangs, Novas, T-birds, and Corvettes. Even sports stars wanted a part of music. Many athletes would be in videos to show their support to their favorite artist. The post-disco decade brought more wild music, and dancing to America. Rock and Roll was the biggest form of music at the beginning of the decade. Rock and Rolls fans were most ...

Frankenstein Quotes Explained

Frankenstein Quotes Explained The following Frankenstein quotes address the novels key themes, including the pursuit of knowledge, the power of nature, and human nature. Discover the meaning of these important passages, as well as how each quote connects to the novels broader themes. Quotes About Knowledge It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied me, still my inquiries were directed to the metaphysical, or in it highest sense, the physical secrets of the world. (Chapter 2) This statement is made by Victor Frankenstein at the start of the novel as he recounts his childhood to Captain Walton. The passage is significant for outlining the main obsession Frankensteins life: achieving intellectual enlightenment. This ambition, combined with a desire for glory, is Frankensteins driving force, motivating him to excel in his studies at university and later to create the monster. Yet, we later learn, the fruits of this labor are rotten. Frankenstein is horrified by his creation, and in turn the monster kills everyone that Frankenstein loves. Thus, Shelley seems to be asking whether such an ambition is a worthwhile goal, and whether such knowledge is truly enlightening. The â€Å"secrets† mentioned in this passage continue to appear throughout the novel. In fact, much of Frankenstein revolves around the secrets of life- things that are hard or impossible to understand. While Frankenstein discovers the physical and metaphysical secrets, his creation is obsessed with more philosophical secrets of life: what is the meaning of life? What is the purpose? Who are we? The answers to these questions are left unsolved. So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein - more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation. (Chapter 3) In this quote, Frankenstein describes his experience at university. He personifies his soul- â€Å"the soul of Frankenstein†- and claims that his soul told him he would discover the secrets of the world. This quote plainly lays out Frankensteins ambition, his hubris, and his ultimate downfall. Frankenstein seems to suggest that his desire to be the greatest pioneer of science is an innate characteristic and a predetermined fate, thus removing any responsibility over his actions. Frankensteins desire to push beyond the limits of humanity is a flawed goal that sets him on a path of misery. As soon as the creature is completed, Frankensteins beautiful dream turns into a deformed, hideous reality. Frankensteins achievement is so disturbing that he runs away from it immediately. The die is cast; I have consented to return if we are not destroyed. Thus are my hopes blasted by cowardice and indecision; I come back ignorant and disappointed. It requires more philosophy than I possess to bear this injustice with patience. (Chapter 24) Captain Walton writes these lines in a letter to his sister at the close of the novel. After listening to Frankenstein’s tale, and faced with an unrelenting storm, he decides to return home from his expedition. This conclusion demonstrates that Walton has learned from Frankensteins story. Walton was once an ambitious man in search of glory like Frankenstein. Yet through Frankenstein’s tale, Walton realizes the sacrifices that come with discovery, and he decides to prioritize his own life and the lives of his crew members over his mission. Although he says that he is filled with â€Å"cowardice† and that he comes back â€Å"disappointed† and â€Å"ignorant,† this ignorance is what saves his life. This passage returns to the theme of enlightenment, reiterating that the singleminded search for enlightenment makes a peaceful life impossible. Quotes About Nature I remembered the effect that the view of the tremendous and ever-moving glacier had produced upon my mind when I first saw it. It had then filled me with a sublime ecstasy, that gave wings to the soul, and allowed it to soar from the obscure world to light and joy. The sight of the awful and majestic in nature had indeed always the effect of solemnizing my mind and causing me to forget the passing cares of life. I determined to go without a guide, for I was well acquainted with the path, and the presence of another would destroy the solitary grandeur of the scene. (Chapter 10) In this quote, Frankenstein details his solitary trip to Montanvert to grieve the death of his brother William. The â€Å"sublime† experience of being alone in the harsh beauty of the glaciers calms Frankenstein. His love for nature and the perspective it provides is invoked throughout the novel. Nature reminds him that he is just a man, and therefore powerless to the great forces of the world. This â€Å"sublime ecstasy† gives Frankenstein a kind of enlightenment wholly different from the scientific knowledge he sought through chemistry and philosophy. HIs experiences in nature are not intellectual, but rather emotional and even religions, allowing his soul to â€Å"soar from the obscure world to light and joy.† He is reminded here of nature’s ultimate power. The â€Å"tremendous and ever-moving glacier† is more permanent than humankind will ever be; this reminder calms Frankensteins anxiety and grief. Nature allows him to experience the transcendence he hoped he would find in his search for true knowledge. Quotes About Humanity These thoughts exhilarated me and led me to apply with fresh ardour to the acquiring the art of language. My organs were indeed harsh, but supple; and although my voice was very unlike the soft music of their tones, yet I pronounced such words as I understood with tolerable ease. It was as the ass and the lap-dog; yet surely the gentle ass whose intentions were affectionate, although his manners were rude, deserved better treatment than blows and execration. (Chapter 12) In this quote, the creature relays part of his story to Frankenstein. The creature compares his experience in the De Lacey cottage to the fable of the ass and the lap-dog, in which the ass pretends to be a lap dog and gets beaten for his behavior. While living in the De Lacey cottage, strove to gain acceptance from the family despite his harsh appearance. However, the De Lacey family did not treat him with acceptance; instead, they attacked him. The creature sympathizes with the affectionate intentions of the ass and argues that the violent treatment of the gentle ass is reprehensible. The creature clearly sees a parallel to his own story. He understands that he is different from others, but his intentions are good, and he desires acceptance and approval. Tragically, he never receives the approval he yearns for, and his alienation turns him into a violent monster. This passage points to one of the novels essential points: the idea that judgment based on external appearances is unjust, but is nevertheless a tendency of human nature. The quote also raises the question of ultimate responsibility for the murders committed by the creature. Should we blame only the creature, or do those who were cruel to give him a chance to prove his humanity deserve some of the blame? I was dependent on none and related to none. The path of my departure was free, and there was none to lament my annihilation. My person was hideous and my stature gigantic. What did this mean? Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come? What was my destination? These questions continually recurred, but I was unable to solve them. (Chapter 15) In this quote, the creature asks the fundamental questions of life, death, and identity. At this point in the novel, the creature has only recently come to life, but by reading Paradise Lost and other works of literature, he has found a way to question and reflect on his life and its meaning. Unlike Frankenstein, who searches for the scientific secrets of human life, the creature asks philosophical questions about human nature. By bringing the creature to life, Frankenstein succeeds in his inquiry, but that form of scientific â€Å"enlightenment† cannot answer the creatures existential questions. This passage suggests that science can only go so far in helping us understand the world, as it cannot answer our existential and moral questions. Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow devils, to admire and encourage him, but I am solitary and abhorred. (Chapter 15) In this quote, the creature compares himself to Adam and Frankenstein to God. According to the creature, Adam is â€Å"beautiful† and â€Å"alluring in the image of the almighty, but Frankenstein’s creation is â€Å"filthy† and â€Å"horrid.† This contrast demonstrates the stark difference between the abilities of God and the abilities of Frankenstein. Frankensteins work has been a crude attempt to wield the power of creation, and according to the creature, his hubris is rewarded with wretchedness, ugliness, and loneliness. Furthermore, Frankenstein will not take responsibility for his creation by taking the creature under his wing; thus, the creature considers himself even more solitary and abhorred than Satan. By pointing out Frankensteins folly, the creature again points out the dangers of attempting to go beyond ones own humanity by seeking God-like glory.

Was Jimmy John Liautaud just lucky or his business style enough to Essay

Was Jimmy John Liautaud just lucky or his business style enough to guarantee success in today's corporate world - Essay Example One of the major contributions to John success was low level of competition. In those days, people had not ventured in business. John therefore, took Cultural Revolution that was taking place at that time to conquer the market. People were moving away from gender segregation that was characterized by division of gender roles to an economy that all genders participated in the development of the economy. People were therefore starting to use fast foods as a result of changing family roles. Therefore, his quick response in taking up the new opportunity that arose made him to prosper in business (Corbus & Guertin, 2007) The success of any business depends on the owner’s ability to take risks and work towards overcoming these risks. This is to be supported by personal interest and commitment towards achieving the set goals. John was dedicated to prosper in his business as he spent much of his time strategizing on the best opportunity to undertake in order to prosper in the future (Corbus & Guertin, 2007, 20). Business attitude is the key to success of the business and this is the one that made John take the loan that was given by his father rather than joining the military John success was mainly spearheaded by his originality. Currently, many entrepreneurs are concerned at photocopying other people ideas and try to modify these ideas to suit their interest. As a result, high competition has increased as entrepreneurs are trying to outdo each other. This was not the case with John. Despite lack of specialization in business related sector, he knew that the only way to enter and segment his own market is coming up with a new product. This helped him to position the product in the market and get financial strength before other competitors entered the market (Corbus & Guertin, 2007, 22). In the current days, business transaction has recorded tremendous changes as a result of increased risks and uncertainties that face the sector. This has

See intrusctions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

See intrusctions - Research Paper Example It will develop learning objectives based on the training requirements; describe additional training modules that could be developed based on the training objectives; represent an evaluation of evaluation instruments used in the Fabrics, Inc. case. Fabrics, Inc. is a fast growing company which within the two years has increased the number of its employees from forty to two hundred. However, there occurred problems within the organizational environment connected with the retention of employees and the incorrect work of supervisors which do not treat staff well. Besides, there were obtained complaints from customers about the inappropriate behavior of supervisors. Such behavior could be partially explained by the absence of any formal training that was provided to those nine supervisors promoted from within. Despite knowing the work of employees and how to solve daily problems, supervisors do not help them and what is more important they get into arguments which are not helping in the working situations. The owner considers that despite the size of an organization, there is no need to yell at employees, hence, supervisors need to be trained in effective ways to deal with the staff. The assessment of needs is the primary step in designing and development of training program in the organization. However, to understand what training is required, a need assessment should be conducted. According to Dahiya and Jha (2011), the undertaking needs assessment will enable organization to determine the nature of performance issues and thus to identify the reason for training. Milner and Osinski (2002) consider that need assessment is utilized to help with the performance of work teams, solve problems and productivity issues within an organization and to prepare for the future changes in job execution and duties. According to Chang, Chiang and Kun yi (2012), there is a need to conduct a training need analysis prior the

World Trade Organisation Capability to Meet the Challenges Essay

World Trade Organisation Capability to Meet the Challenges - Essay Example WTO as an international welfare organization is entrusted with the responsibility of mitigating issues relating to multilateral trade policies. WTO during the year 2009 had planned to develop an effective governance structure on a global basis, as decided in the Public Forum, which was held in Geneva. The governance system is based on the concept of ‘Global Problems, Global Solutions: Towards Better Global Governance’. WTO has planned to enhance governance structure by the involvement of different sectors in the discussion that include government organizations, non-government organizations, the business community, trade unions, academic organizations, lawyers and journalist among others. The discussion in relation to the global problem of trade policies implied that multilateral trade policies based on rules might facilitate in recovering from the global economic crisis situation (WTO, 2009).        WTO, in order to mitigate the challenges in relation to global tra de, has developed ‘multilateral trade rule book’. The trade rulebook provided different trade aspects that include ‘Global Value Chain’ (VGC), ‘Spaghetti Bowl Effect’, Protectionism and Development Goals. WTO with the provision of VGC has planned to improve trade operations by simplifying global trade rules for better alignment with the present trade developments. Additionally, WTO has planned to impose better cross-border policies with the aim of ensuring that trade operations are conducted.

Urban education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Urban education - Essay Example Moreover, Ladson-Billings (2001, p.23) explained that urban areas are characterized by higher economic activities and the housing is dense. Consequently, due to high economic activities, urban areas have a culturally diverse population since masses from different cultural backgrounds move to these areas in search for employment opportunities. In UK, Ladson-Billings (2001, p.23) observes that early industrialization was characterised by segregation of people in different social classes, though this diminished with increased need for the working masses to be housed together. When different people congregate in urban areas, they lead to a new society through the process of urbanisation. Given the diverse nature of the lives of people in urban areas, there emerges difference in the way people become integrated into this society. The poor feel disadvantaged and they withdraw to living in the margins of the society while the well-off group feel well a sense of belonging in the group they live in. In response to the diverse socio-economic characterisation of the urban society, there are different issues that require to be addressed. These issues range from provision housing, waste management, poverty and provision of water and security. In addition, it is critical that the issues of provision of quality education for the young people in the urban centres are addressed. Brown (2004, p. 266) explains that urban schools are evidenced by inequalities and tension, given the high population and the various communities that they are entrusted to teach. Gay (2000, p. 12) notes that urban schools are currently located both in the inner cities and in some rural environments have varied issues they need to address. Brown (2002, p.23) argues that research in urban schools have been for a long time inclined to the problems but they fail to focus on the contributions that these schools can make to the wider society. Brown (2002, p.23) describes that

Math Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Math Education - Essay Example First, have the students place each M&M into a line of 15. As they place each M&M down, have them count, â€Å"1†¦ 2†¦ 3†¦Ã¢â‚¬  etc. Once they have counted to 15 and placed down each of the 15 M&M’s have them count the M&M’s again while pointing to each one to reiterate the notion that each one M&M they point to corresponds with one number they count. The order irrelevance rule can be introduced by having children count the M&M’s from 1 to 15, going backwards from right to left instead of the usual left to right. Although they are counting the M&M’s in a different order than before, they count the same way: â€Å"1†¦ 2†¦ 3†¦Ã¢â‚¬  etc. To reiterate this rule, have students group the M&M’s by color. Have them start counting with the reds one time, have them start counting with blue’s the next time, and so forth. No matter what order they count the M&M’s, it’s always the same. In order to understand the cardinality rule, students need to learn that by counting properly in order, the last number they count to represents the total number of things they just counted. This can be accomplished by having students count the 15 M&M’s: â€Å"1†¦ 2†¦ 3†¦Ã¢â‚¬  etc. and after the reach the final, 15th M&M, ask them how many M&M’s there are on their desk. The answer is the same as the last number they counted: 15. This process can be repeated by taking an M&M away each time so that there are totals of 14, 13, 12 and 11. To assess students’ ability to count rationally, ask students to count with you to 15. Count slowly, so that everybody can stay at the same pace. Every couple of numbers, don’t say the next number; instead cue the students to say the appropriate number. Repeat this process several times, leaving numbers out each time. Next, have students sit on the floor in a straight line, and stand up when pointed at. As you point to each kid they should say one number each, starting at 1 and

Urban education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Urban education - Essay Example Moreover, Ladson-Billings (2001, p.23) explained that urban areas are characterized by higher economic activities and the housing is dense. Consequently, due to high economic activities, urban areas have a culturally diverse population since masses from different cultural backgrounds move to these areas in search for employment opportunities. In UK, Ladson-Billings (2001, p.23) observes that early industrialization was characterised by segregation of people in different social classes, though this diminished with increased need for the working masses to be housed together. When different people congregate in urban areas, they lead to a new society through the process of urbanisation. Given the diverse nature of the lives of people in urban areas, there emerges difference in the way people become integrated into this society. The poor feel disadvantaged and they withdraw to living in the margins of the society while the well-off group feel well a sense of belonging in the group they live in. In response to the diverse socio-economic characterisation of the urban society, there are different issues that require to be addressed. These issues range from provision housing, waste management, poverty and provision of water and security. In addition, it is critical that the issues of provision of quality education for the young people in the urban centres are addressed. Brown (2004, p. 266) explains that urban schools are evidenced by inequalities and tension, given the high population and the various communities that they are entrusted to teach. Gay (2000, p. 12) notes that urban schools are currently located both in the inner cities and in some rural environments have varied issues they need to address. Brown (2002, p.23) argues that research in urban schools have been for a long time inclined to the problems but they fail to focus on the contributions that these schools can make to the wider society. Brown (2002, p.23) describes that

An investigatin into the brand identity of fashion concessions in UK Essay

An investigatin into the brand identity of fashion concessions in UK department store - Essay Example This research, using primary and secondary data analysis shall use extensive research on fashion, retailing, host and concessionaire relations, branding design, and factors that inter-relate in all these aspects. The data to be gathered shall try to answer brand identification of fashion concessions in UK department store. Other related data shall also be presented. This study shall unravel the making of an association of quality service and products in a prestigious London department store with the stores design aspects, consumer behaviour as well as the concessionaire and host relationship built. Branded products are in demand. The brand-consciousness of consumers is continually growing within the fashion industry. (Gretz, 2000) Many fashion brands have been considering setting up department store concessions to fulfill the brand demand of their customers. Concessions are a way of allowing a retailer to extend the product range offered within the outlet without experiencing some of the risks associated with buying merchandise. The basis of a concession, which may be referred to as a ‘shop-in-shop’, is that a retailer allows a supplier of a particular brand of merchandise a designated amount of space within an outlet from which those goods are sold. (Varley, 2001, p112) With this study, researcher was able to gain in-depth knowledge on the relations between fashion branding and host-concessionaire as may be both perceived in visual store and product design or display. Among other things, the research also found out these attributes are not surprisingly absent in the chosen department store or retail outlet for this study. In fact, the department store have presented more than what is necessary or has been studied about the subject matter, or that, it exceeded expectation to a certain degree, it being a premier and prestigious

College Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example for Free

College Rhetorical Analysis Essay In this lengthy article â€Å"Guns Don’t Kill People, the Mentally Ill Do,† that was published in the Townhall Daily, the author, Ann Coulter, argues about a major prevailing issue today, gun control. She believes the problem isn’t the guns themselves, but the mentally disturbed people. Coulter credits the declining mental health system as the main setback. She supports her argument by providing tragic examples from mass shootings that took place in the past. One example was the 2011 shooting that took place in Tucson, Arizona where the shopping mall shooter, Jared Loughner was so obviously disturbed that he stated â€Å"If I stay long enough to make the yearbook, I will be voted the Most Likely to Commit Murder. † She also explains the most recent shooting that happened at Sandy Hook Elementary. The shooter, Adam Lanza, first shot his mother on the morning of December 14, 2012 because she supposedly was trying to have him committed to a mental institution, which is what triggered his rage. After he cold-bloodedly killed his mother, Lanza progressed on to Sandy Hook Elementary and proceeded to murder twenty children and six administrators. Coulter is a conservative columnist and political commentator who has mostly written about government and legal issues. A number of her articles are targeting a particular audience. For example, liberals, Barack Obama, the National Rifle Association, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) just to name a few. Seven of Coulter’s best works are on the New York Times bestsellers list. Similar to this article, some of her previous works are written about gun control issues and targeted toward Obama and the Senate Democrats. Obviously, this is not the first time the issue has come up that Coulter has written about it. Some of her best works on gun control include â€Å"Ending Gun Violence Requires Commitment, Not All of it Voluntary,† â€Å"Negro’s with Guns,† and her most current article â€Å"Guns Don’t Kill People, the Mentally Ill Do.† What motivated Coulter to write this article were the many cases of mentally disturbed people carrying out mass shootings and the world glorifying the murderers with press, while the NRA was taking the blame. She states, â€Å"Innumerable studies have found a correlation between severe mental illness and violent behavior.† She provides evidence from these studies with statistics. For example, â€Å"Thirty one to sixty one percent of all homicides committed by disturbed individuals occur during their first psychotic episode.† She adds, â€Å"Which is why mass murderers often have no criminal record. There is no time to wait with the mentally ill.† Coulters purpose for writing this argument is to persuade her audience that closer tabs need to be kept on people who are suspected as being the least bit mentally disturbed. She believes if it is made easier to emit people into mental institutions, there would be less violence. Coulter also argues that if one is suspected as being mentally disturbed, it should be simple for them to be evaluated by a psychologist. Coulter’s intended audience is the general population, Barack Obama, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Throughout various parts of her argument she pleads to individuals working in the mental health field to put more effort in separating mentally disturbed people from civil society. During a time like today, where mass shootings have happened within the last few months, are people more prone to pay attention to gun control issues. Especially on the forum that this article is published on. Most people that comment on â€Å"Guns Don’t Kill People, the Mentally Ill Do† are supporting Coulter’s argument. This argument first appeared on January 16, 2013 after Coulter did some researching about mass shootings i n the past. It responds to the most recent shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. Coulter states, â€Å"Enough is enough, the public needs to know and understand the danger behind mentally ill individuals.† Her main claim is that there aren’t enough precautions being taken when it comes to suspecting someone of being mentally disturbed. There are several reasons given in support for her claim. Seung-Hui Cho, who committed the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, had been diagnosed with severe anxiety disorder as a child and placed under consistent treatment but the college was prohibited from being told about Cho’s mental health problems because of federal privacy laws such as HIPPA laws (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). Another example is when one of Loughner’s (Tucson, Arizona shooting) teachers, Ben McCahee, filed numerous complaints to the school against him, hoping to have him removed from class. McCahee stated, â€Å"When I turned my back to write o n the board, I would always turn back around quickly to see if he had a gun.† Coulter goes on to say, â€Å"Committing Loughner to a mental institution would have required a court order stating that he was a danger to himself and society.† Ann Coulter adds to the examples when she informs the audience of James Holmes, the Aurora, Colorado shooter. He was under psychiatric care at the University of Colorado long before he shot up a movie theater. After Holmes made threats against a professor, he was asked to leave the campus, but he wasn’t committed. Coulter claims â€Å"People knew he was deeply troubled and just pushed him into society to cause havoc elsewhere.† Finally, when talking about Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook shooter, she states â€Å"Connecticut’s laws are so restrictive in terms of the proof required to get someone committed that Lanza’s mother would probably not have been able to get him help even if she had tried.† The article, â€Å"Guns Don’t Kill, the Mentally Ill Do† was found on a website as an essay. It is a lengthy article that includes an intro, a thesis, support paragraphs, and a closing paragraph reproving the thesis. Coulter represents herself as a respected columnist who is very educated on laws, especially regarding civil rights. â€Å"A Connecticut native, Coulter graduated with honors from Cornell University School of Arts Sciences, and received her J.D. from University of Michigan Law School, where she was an editor of The Michigan Law Review. She is the legal correspondent for Human Events and writes a popular syndicated column for Universal Press Syndicate. In 2001, Coulter was named one of the top 100 Public Intellectuals by federal judge Richard Posner. After practicing law in private practice in New York City, Coulter worked for the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she handled crime and immigration issues for Senator Spencer Abraham of Michigan. From there, she became a litigator with the Center For Individual Rights in Washington, DC, a public interest law firm dedicated to the defense of individual rights with particular emphasis on freedom of speech, civil rights, and the free exercise of religion.† Ann Coulter is a very trusted columnist. She uses facts based on mass shootings in the past and provides evidence by using statistics and quotations from insiders. Although Coulter doesn’t invoke an emotional response, she bases much of her article on morality. â€Å"Guns Don’t Kill, Mentally Ill Do† is a satirical piece due to her ridicule to the ACLU throughout her argument. In conclusion, Coulter argues that there is much more precautionary steps that can be taken when someone is suspected of being mentally ill. She closes the argument by stating â€Å"It is nearly impossible to have mentally disturbed people separated from society because the ACLU has decided that being psychotic is a civil right.† She adds, â€Å"Consequently, whenever a psychopath with a million gigantic warning signs commits a shocking murder, the knee jerk reaction is to place yet more control on guns. By now, guns are the most heavily regulated product in America. It hasn’t worked. There are still subway tracks, machetes, fists and bombs.† For example, the most deadly massacre at a school in United States history was at an elementary school in Michigan in 1927. It was committed with a bomb, by a mentally disturbed man.

Life And Health Insurance In Malaysia Economics Essay

Life And Health Insurance In Malaysia Economics Essay INTRODUCTION Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) took over the supervision of the insurance industry in 1988. The primary reason for the move was to enable an integrated approach in the regulation and supervision of major financial institutions, in view of the growing convergence of crossholdings and integration of interests between banks and insurance companies. The economic environment may have a profound effect on the growth of the insurance industry. In Malaysia, the performance of the insurance industry in 1998 was affected by an economic downturn. The total and non-life premium income declined by 2.1% and 9.7% respectively whereas the life premium income experienced a lower positive growth rate of 4.6% in 1998 (1997: 13.5%) (BNM, 1999-2000). In line with the sustained economic recovery, the life insurance industry rebounded strongly to register an impressive double-digit premium growth in 1999, soaring well above pre-crisis levels. The performance of the insurance industry showed an improvement in 1999 following the recovery of the Malaysian economy. The combined premium income of the insurance industry recorded a growth of 8.5% (1998: -2.1%) to reach RM11,829.9 million (1998: RM10,902.9 million). The life sector has been the major contributor accounting for RM7,152.7 million (1998: RM6,217.2 million) or 60.5% of the premium income, while the remaining balance of RM4,677.2 million (1998: RM4,685.7 million) represented premium income generated from the general sector. Premium income of the industry as a proportion of nominal gross national product (GNP) increased to 4.2% in 1999, compared with 4.1% in 1998. BACKGROUND OF RESEARCH In Malaysia, BNM Annual Report that been issued yearly regularly indicate policies and development of insurance market in Malaysia. to implement policies and measures to prepare the industry for the challenges posed by the new requirements of the new economy and the increasingly more liberalised market environment. Several measures were initiated directed at improving market penetration through the promotion of new life insurance products and in order to do that the process of formulating and identifying strategies need to be done to enhance the marketing channel for life insurance business so that it can achieve the desired penetration level and raking in all the advantages given by positive economic environment. In order to do that, first step that need to be taken is to identify which macroeconomic variables that really positively significant to the demand of life and health insurance market and from there on best formulation and strategies can be initiated to create accurate resu lt on the demand of life and health insurance market. Efforts were also made by Bank Negara Malaysia to enhance the discipline and standards of conduct amongst life insurer in Malaysia. Problem Statement Statistical data from BNM has shown that due to economic downturn in 1998, the performance of insurance industry in Malaysia reportedly experienced negative growth of -2.1%. Generally, it shows that economic environment may possibly have direct influence on the performance of insurance industry in Malaysia as a whole. The combined premium income of the insurance industry recorded a growth of 8.5% in 1999 following the economic recovery situation. The life and health sector has been the major contributor accounting for RM7,152.7 million or 60.5% of the premium income, while the remaining balance of RM4,677.2 million represented premium income generated from the general sector. However, despite the vast potential for growth given the relatively low market penetration in Malaysia, domestic premium income to GNP was comparatively lower than that observed in more saturated markets. This research need to done so that it can specifically identified which macroeconomic variables that really effect the growth of life and health sector in Malaysia in order to ensure that it can contribute clearly to developing pricing strategies to achieve a specific sales target for life and health business. Macroeconomics is the study of the behavior of the overall economy and economic models normally consist of variables such as real GDP, inflation, price and population density. This study attempts to examine the relationship between macroeconomic variable to performance and demand of life and health insurance industry in Malaysia by using the LS analysis to prove that certain key macroeconomic environment may have a profound and significant effect on the growth of the life and health insurance market. As in the context of Malaysia, few studies has been carried out to seek evidence of the relationship between macroeconomic variables and performance of life insurance industry from Malaysia perspective but various studies comes out with various results as they are using different period of data and did not include health insurance data like this research and also holds different and various macroeconomic variable. Study by Lim and Haberman (2002) indicate major findings of this study that the savings deposits rate and price change in insurance are two important macroeconomic variables associated with the demand for life insurance in Malaysia. Study conducted by Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) indicate that income has a positive relationship with life insurance demand. Life insurance becomes more affordable when income increases. They examine two types of income variable in their study, namely GDP and income per capita. Income per capita is defined as the GDP divided by the size of the popul ation but on the other hand, their finding also show an insignificant positive relationship between inflation rates and the performance of life insurance. Economists use these type of data and variables to measure the performance of an economy and the focus on macroeconomic variables in this paper are, price of the life and health insurance product, inflation rates, income per capita and population density. This study is to further examined the direct linkage between these economic environments and whether each one of key variables (price of the life and health insurance product, inflation rates, income per capita and population density) has direct influence on the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. Research objective The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of various macroeconomic variables towards performance of life and health insurance market in Malaysia.. The specific aims of this study are: To determine which various macroeconomic variables that might have influence on the performance of life and health insurance market in Malaysia To examine the relationship of each macroeconomic variables ie price of the product, income per capita, inflation rates and population density with the performance of life and health insurance market in Malaysia To identify which macroeconomic variables that influence the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia the most. To suggest the most suitable and appropriate strategies that can be used to improve the performance of life and health insurance market in Malaysia by using all the advantages given by positive economic environment Research Question How to determine which macroeconomic variables that influence the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia? Is there any relationship between each macroeconomic variables ie price of the product, income per capita, inflation rates and population density with the performance of life and health insurance market in Malaysia Which macroeconomic variables that influence the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia the most? What are the most suitable strategies that can be suggested to improve the performance of life and health insurance market in Malaysia by using all the advantages given by positive economic environment? Significance of Research/ Contribution to the body of knowledge There is no unique and integrated theory for life insurance demand. Research on the impact of macroeconomic variables towards performance of life and health insurance industry in Malaysia very scanty at best. Very little (if at all) is understood about the. urgent need for research focusing on the Malaysian industry and the Malaysian economic environment, which is unfamiliar to most readers. Hence, important impetuses for this research are established. 1. The Government This research is important for the government to formulate policies, acts and regulations for the improvement on the best strategies available in a suitable economic environment in order to develop and guide healthy demand on the insurance industry as a whole. 2. The University/ Academician This study will be used for reference and information for the students and academician who learn on insurance area, risk management or other related fields. Students and lecturers can have an extra knowledge on information provided by the researcher. 3. Management team of Life insurer in Malaysia This research is important for the management team Life Office especially if changes or corrective actions are required due to the changes in various economic environments occur in Malaysia or globally. Hopefully, this research can help the management team of Life insurer in Malaysia able to implement and generate new strategies with regard to the suitable current economic environment. 4. General Public Public must know the factors that influence their purchase decision of life and health policy offered in the market. Besides, they also need to be alert and aware on the coverage offered by Life insurer in Malaysia. This research will help them to really identify the needs to buy life and health product and there is also a growing awareness among Malaysians of individual responsibility in financial planning hence it directly will affect the demand of the said industry. 5. The Researcher By completing this research, the researcher has experienced and being exposed to view the economics side on the insurance industry as a whole and specifically on life and health sector which the researcher have never attempt before. It is a researcher attempt to view as a macroeconomists attempt in order to explain the economic side of this sector and to devise policies to improve its performance as economists use different models to examine different issues. Thus, other researcher might need the information to make their research in the future. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW The performance for insurance is influenced by many factors and economic factors might be one of them. For example, inflation rate, income per capita and price of the product may affect the performance for insurance in a country. A number of studies have examined the effects of macroeconomic factors on the performance for life and health insurance. Among them are the studies conducted by Cargill and Troxel (1979), Babbel (1985), Browne and Kim (1993), Outreville (1996) and Rubayah and Zaidi (2000). The macroeconomic factors investigated in these studies are highlighted and discussed in brief below. Financial Development. The findings of Outreville (1996) indicate that the level of financial development directly affects the development of life insurance sector. However, the findings are not statistically significant. Two different proxies have been used as a measurement for financial development. The first one is the ratio of quasi-money (M2-M1) to broad money (M2). This is an indicator for the complexity of financial structure. The second one is the broad definition of money (M2). It is an average value over four years. M2 is regarded as an adequate measure for the financial development in developing countries because banking is the predominant sector in the financial market of developing countries. Income. Lewis (1989), Hakansson (1969), Fischer (1973), Fortune (1973), and Campbell (1980) have shown that the demand for life insurance is positively correlated with income. As income increases, life insurance becomes more affordable. In addition, the need for life insurance increases with income as it protects dependents against the loss of expected future income due to premature death of the wage earner. According to prior research (Beenstock, Dickinson, and Khajuria (1986), Browne and Kim (1993), Outreville (1996) the ability to pay insurance premium has been argued to be related to the level of income. This is because, when there is an increase of income levels, there follows a need for a financial instrument to absorb the individualà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s surplus funds and to enable them to accumulate wealth. This shows the income level significantly affects the demand for life insurance. Two different measures have been used for disposable personal income in the study of Babbel (1985). The single-year income is used as a proxy for human capital and the three-year moving average income is used as a proxy for permanent income. The income variables are the real amounts of aggregate disposable personal income. The nominal income values are deflated by the yearly average indices of personal consumption expenditure deflator to render the nominal values in constant dollar terms. . The conclusion from Cargill and Troxel (1979), Babbel (1985), Browne and Kim (1993), Outreville (1996) and Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) verified that life insurance demand has a positive relationship with income. It shows when income increase, it can create more opportunity the life insurance becomes more affordable for people. In the study of Browne and Kim (1993), disposable personal income refers to the national income. It is defined as when the depreciation (capital consumption) and indirect business taxes have been taken away from GNP. National income is a more accurate measurement of disposable personal income for a country than GNP or GDP because national income is the income earned by the various production factors; it is refer to Browne and Kim (1993). Meanwhile, Outreville (1996) relates the income variable in his study as the real disposable income per capita. GDP is used as the basis for the disposable personal income. The income variable is expressed in linear form and in logarithmic form. On the other hand, Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) identified GDP and income per capita have been the two types of income variable in their study. Income per capita is defined as the GDP divided by the size of the population. In the initial stage, both the GDP and income per capita are found to have a positive relationship with the demand for life insurance but are not significant. It is only when stepwise regression analysis is applied in the later stage that GDP appears to have a significant positive relationship with the demand for life insurance but income per capita has been aborted. This is because income per capita contains the element of GDP and therefore multicollinearity exists because the two income variables are highly correlated. Inflation. If income has a positive relationship with demand for life insurance, it is different when Browne and Kim (1993) and Outreville (1996) did their research to find relationship for inflation. From their research, it shows that inflation has a significant negative relationship with life insurance demand. Inflation gives a diminishing effect on the amount of insurance purchased in a country. Consequently, it makes the value of life insurance eroded. As the result, it leads to the situation where insurance become less desirable good. High inflation tends to cause the purchasing of life insurance to be less attractive because of the rising cost of living. Meanwhile, Cargill and Troxel (1979) and Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) have revealed different result. Their findings are not in line with the findings of Browne and Kim (1993) and Outreville (1996). Measured up to between these two research, it has found Cargill and Troxel (1979) comparatively defined savings model (i.e. the model that takes into account the changes in policy loans besides the changes in life insurance reserves/savings and dividend accumulations) produce a significant result with the expected negative sign for this variable. It shows a week relationship between life insurance savings and price expectation. Meanwhile different with the findings of Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) it shows between inflation rates and the demand for life insurance has a significant positive relationship An average inflation rate for the last eight years, Browne and Kim (1993) has used an average inflation to represent the expected inflation rate. Meanwhile, Outreville (1996) uses a weighted average of realised price changes over the last five years as a measure of anticipated price change. Therefore, in Cargill and Troxel (1979) the price expectation in the study refers to the percentage changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over a period of 14 months. Moreover, Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) used in the same way apply the CPI as a basis for the anticipated rate of inflation in their study. A part from the research, in Cargill and Troxel (1979) the price expectation in the study refers to the percentage changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over a period of 14 months based on the data contained in the Livingston Survey that have been revised by Carlson. Similarly, Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) use the CPI as a basis for the anticipated rate of inflation in their study. Interest Rate. The findings on the relationship between interest rates and the demand for life insurance are questionable. Cargill and Troxel (1979) examine two kinds of interest rates in their study: the competing yield on other savings products and the return earned by life insurers. The findings on the competing yield are inconsistent. However, the competing yield tends to be negatively related to life insurance savings. A higher interest rate on alternative savings products tends to cause insurance products to become less attractive as a savings instrument. The yield on newly issued AAA utility bonds is used to represent all the competing rates of return on alternative savings products. Cargill and Troxel (1979) include the current and twelve-quarter distributed lag variables of competing yields in their study. The lag variables are included to reflect the delayed reactions of savers towards new information regarding interest rates on savings because changes in interest rates are assumed to produce a lagged response. Likewise, the findings on the return earned by life insurers are mixed. However, the return earned by life insurers is frequently positively related to life insurance savings. Life insurers earning a higher rate of return tend to attract individuals to purchase insurance from them. The yield on industrial bonds placed privately with a representative group of life insurance companies is used as a proxy for the return earned by life insurers. It is the new money rate of return earned by the life insurers, not the average rate of return on the invested funds. Similar to the competing yield, the current and twelve-quarter distributed lags of the return earned by life insurers are included in the models to investigate the immediate and lagged responses of changes in interest rates on life insurance demand. Outreville (1996) has shown that the demand for life insurance has not determined by the interest rate such as the real interest rate and the lending rate. The real interest rate is obtained by subtracting the anticipated inflation from the current bank discount rate. For the meantime, there are three types of interest rated, which are the personal savings rate, short-term interest and current interest rate has been identified by Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) The personal savings rate and short-term interest rate are found to influence significantly and negatively the demand for life insurance, despite the fact that the current interest rate is found to have no significant effect on life insurance demand. The personal savings rate refers to the interest rate offered by banks on normal savings, the short-term interest rate refers to the interest rate on three-month Treasury Bills, and the current interest rate refers to the base lending rate on bank borrowings. Price of Insurance. From Babble (1985) and Browne and Kim (1993), the findings reported with respect to the effect of price on the demand for life insurance are consistent in the both studies. The price of insurance is significantly and inversely related to the demand for life insurance. A high insurance cost tends to discourage the purchasing of life insurance. The various insurance price indices in the study of Babbel (1985) are the net present cost per 1000 present-valued unit of insurance expected to be in force over any arbitrary time horizon selected based on the published policy values for a male of age 35. Specifically, the price index refers to the ratio of the present value of expected premium cost, net of dividends and accumulations of cash values, per 1000 present-valued unit of indemnification benefits expected to be received, in excess of the actuarially fair cost. Two different discount rates, namely the yields of 10-year prime grade municipal bonds and double-A-rated corporate bonds, are used to discount the expected future cash flows from the policies. Browne and Kim (1993) use the policy loading charge as the price measure. It is the ratio of the life insurance premiums to the amount of insurance in force. In fact, it is the cost per dollar of life insurance coverage. Theoretical Framework INDEPENDENT VIARABLES (IV) Income per Capita Performance of Life and Health Insurance in Malaysia Price of the Product DEPENDENT VARIABLE (DV) Inflation Rates Population Density Figure 1.6.1: Theoretical Framework Sources: Adapted from Shimp, T.A (2003); Pitta, et. Al. (2006); Rowley, (1998); Ndubisi, N.O., and Chew, (2006) Hypotheses Ho : Income per Capita is not significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. H1 : Income per Capita is significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. Ho : Price of the Product is not significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. H1 : Price of the Product is significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. Ho : Inflation rates is not significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. H1 : Inflation rates is significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. Ho : Population density is not significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. H1 : Population density is significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY All data in this study are secondary in nature. Secondary data is used in finding the resources for this study. Secondary data are statistic not gathered for the immediate study at hand, but for some other purpose. The data related to the demand for life insurance are obtained from the following annual reports: the Annual Report of the Insurance Commissioner and the Annual Report of the Director General of Insurance. The researcher has gathered the external information from various types of annual reports: Monthly Statistical Bulletin, Economic Report, Annual Insurance Report of the Bank Negara Malaysia. Materials obtained online are gathered from the official websites of BNM and Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE). Besides, the sources like books, newspapers, journals and internet that were relevant to the research topic were used. All the sources have been referred throughout the findings and analysis of the research. Researcher will analyze the data gathered to proof the evidence that various macroeconomic factors influenced the growth and performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. Scope of the study Basically the scope of this study focuses on the macroeconomic variables ie income per capita, inflation rates, price of the product and population density that effect the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. There are lots of other macroeconomic variables that can be contributed to the economic growth of Malaysia but this research shall only involved four key factor as for the remaining balance of variables can be included in the future studies as an extension from this research.The research area for this study is from Malaysia perspective only and the time frame shall be from 1998 to 2008 only. Data Analysis E Views version 6.0 applications were used by the researcher to analyze the data that have been gathered throughout the research process. The data need to be analyzed in order to obtain accurate answer for the question. The Multiple Regression Model will be used to predict the relationships in the construct. The Regression assumptions with respect to autocorrelation (independent of residual), normality (residual is normally distributed), homoscedasticity of error terms, multicollinearity of independent variables will be verified before making any interpretation of the statistical results.

The Structure of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay -- Young Goodma

â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† – the Structure  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Q. D. Leavis in â€Å"Hawthorne as Poet† mentions Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† as â€Å"essentially dramatic† : â€Å"The first batch of works I specified [including â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†] is essentially dramatic, its use of language is poetic, and it is symbolic, and richly so, as is the dramatic poet’s. . . â€Å" (27) This essay will examine this and other features of the structure of Hawthorne’s short story.    Leavis’ evaluation of the story’s structure as â€Å"essentially dramatic† is consistent with the view expressed by Clarice Swisher in â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography.† She states: â€Å"Biographers and critics of Nathaniel Hawthorne must deal with opposites – determination and self-doubt, imagery of light and dark, flowers and weeds – paradoxes† (13). Swisher’s â€Å"opposites† and Leavis’ â€Å"essentially dramatic† are the same concept, in the estimation of this reader. Let’s examine the text to see evidence of this; notice how the â€Å"opposites† say their lines in the fashion of a drama:    "Dearest heart," whispered she, softly and rather sadly, when her lips were close to his ear, "pr'ythee, put off your journey until sunrise, and sleep in your own bed tonight. A lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts, that she's afeard of herself, sometimes. Pray, tarry with me this night, dear husband, of all nights in the year!"    "My love and my Faith," replied young Goodman Brown, "of all nights in the year, this one night must I tarry away from thee. My journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again, must needs be done 'twixt now and sunrise. What, my sweet, pretty wife, dost thou doubt me already, and we but three months married!"    ... ...n Brown,† including the time-frame, the use of foreshadowing, suspenseful incidents, the â€Å"dramatic† aspect, the climax and denouement.    WORKS CITED    Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.    Hawthorne, Nathaniel. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown.† 1835. http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~daniel/amlit/goodman/goodmantext.html    Kaul, A.N. â€Å"Introduction.† In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Leavis, Q.D. â€Å"Hawthorne as Poet.† In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Swisher, Clarice. â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography.† In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.

Media Portrayal of Women in Sports Essay

The mass media and all its components have always played an essential role in shaping the way society views and thinks about certain issues and events. The type influence, which television shows, radio shows and other mediums of mass media have on their audiences, go widely unchecked by the professionals involved in that field and by society in general. The effects could be damaging and entirely maladaptive and yet only a few organizations and individuals take on the role of serving as the counterchecking department of the products of this industry. One of the many fields into which mass media have dipped their fingers into is the field of sports. What little attention is given to the effects of mass media on society is focused on children’s shows, violence-related topics and religion-based issues. The field of sports has been relatively untouched by those who monitor the mass media. The public has mainly stood by and accepted the information and manner of presentation that mass media has taken with regards to sports. This type of attitude has proven to be increasingly damaging to women in particular. Sports has become a highly gender-based field. Despite efforts to assimilate women into the various games and competitions, it has become increasingly evident, despite the lack of monitoring organizations, that mass media has not gone beyond the days of bias towards women in sports. There are still many issues that need to be addressed in terms of how television, radio, magazines, newspapers, and other such media have come to portray women professionals in the field of sports. How does mass media affect the way their audiences perceive women athletes and other female sports professionals? What steps can be taken to correct wrong practices in this field? This paper aims to answer these questions as well as to specifically understand the way mass media has shown females involved in various sports activities and whether there truly is reason for these women to be concerned. Television Coverage of Women in Sports   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of all the instruments of mass media available today, the television set is perhaps the most successful and most popular. It has invaded the living spaces of almost all homes worldwide and is able to communicate to its audience in much more modalities than that offered by other instruments of mass media. It also allows for coverage of events at the exact moment the said event occurs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Research regarding how women have been portrayed through the medium of television has been much more numerous as opposed to research on portrayal via other mediums. The literature regarding this research has shown that women in sports have been greatly marginalized and stereotyped. The following section will delve deeper into this aspect of mass media coverage in sports.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most encompassing research done on television coverage of women in sports may be that of Higgs & Weiller (1994). They conducted a research to assess gender bias in the television coverage of the 1992 Olympic games. The two researchers found much to disappoint the many women athletes involved in the said games as well as all other women who were just as concerned about women’s rights, equality of the sexes, and politically correct representation of males and females in different fields.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Commentators of the different events in the Olympic games were noted to most commonly use terms such as â€Å"girl† â€Å"babe† and â€Å"sweetheart† to refer to the women competitors whereas none of the male competitors were referred to as â€Å"boy† even when the contestant was obviously of a very young age. Also, strength and weakness descriptions and allusions were clearly gender-biased. Men in swimming were lauded for their strokes whereas female swimmers would receive comments such as â€Å"a powerhouse of a stroke from a 16-year old girl†. There were clearly ways by which the commentators were able to inject their own prejudiced views of the genders of the competitors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There were also findings pointing to the fact that events wherein males competed were aired for longer times than those where females competed. Time differentials were noted for each event and there was a noted significant difference for each. This was applicable for such sports as basketball, volleyball, and the likes. Although individual events such as gymnastics were prone to have more airtime dedicated to women athletes, these were highly edited and sometimes even spliced together.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Each broadcast was also done with use of narratives. This was to draw the audience deeper into the mood of the game. However, researchers found that games with men contestants were broadcast with narratives of competition and strength. Women contestants, on the other hand, were often accompanied by emotional narratives pertaining to the athletes aspirations and the achievement of these with their success in the particular event they were entered in. If emotional narratives were not used by the television broadcasters, none at all were provided. It was either emotional or not at all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is therefore, a well-known fact that ambivalence in reporting of women’s sports on television exists. There is   a denial of power for women in this particular type of mass media. Although women athletes are equally as capable and equally as competent as their male counterparts, this is not credited by professionals reporting their games. Where women have been noted for their involvement in sports, negative allegations and prejudiced reporting have served to undermine the efforts of these athletes. Radio Coverage of Women in Sports   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Radio coverage of women in sports has also been one of the more devastating instruments of undermining women’s efforts and women participation in various sports activities. The radio set, however, is less of a weapon of the mass media at present than the television set. The radio set does not cater to the visual modality of its audiences and as such may prove less of a weapon. However, it is also advantageous because reporting of the sporting event can occur at the same time that the actual event occurs. This means that up-to-the-minute, live coverage is possible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, airing time on the radio set is significantly less for sports events than that on television sets. The large percentage of non-recognition that goes on in television broadcasting of women participation in sports is thus multiplied by great factors on the radio set. Only limited numbers of sports are chosen to be reported and reviewed over the radio and most, if not all, of these are male-dominated sports. Sporting events that are not action-packed, that do not provide the reporter with a message full of strength, adrenaline, and passion are not marketable on the radio waves. And because of the trend and well-established fad of reporting male events and male athletes with narratives involving competition, strength, and passion, these are the events that radio broadcasters and radio networks focus on. Women-dominated sports and women athletes prove to be less of a popular choice of broadcasting for professionals in the radio industry as these gives them, to their perception, with a softer story that is not full of the characteristics they look for in reportable stories and which audiences will not much favor or listen to. Thus the perception that male athletes and male-dominated sporting events will have more popularity than their counterparts. Publication Coverage of Women in Sports   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another instrument used in mass media are magazines and other similar published sources. These cater only to the audiences visual modalities and are not able to give audio feedback. Also, publications such as newspapers and magazines are only able to give a reporting of the event after a period of time has elapsed. It cannot be given during the time the actual event occurs. A processing time for writers, photographers, layout artists, editors, publishers and other personnel involved in the production process is required. Thus newspapers come one day after the events have occurred and magazines are released at particular time intervals within the year – monthly, quarterly, annually, and the like.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A study by Hardin et al (2005) showed that women were often portrayed as sexually different even in sports magazines. Sexually different in sports can mean the portrayal of women as dissimilar. This can be shown through the presentation of sport type in the said magazine or given publication. This could be shown in a manner such that women, who participate in sporting events wherein women are not usually included as competitors, are either excluded or represented as masculine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, it has been seen that certain sporting magazines have been very generous to the female component of sporting activities. However, this balance is only present in magazines that have been produce through the efforts of staff that were consciously aware of the disparity in gender reporting of sports events. These magazines are, more commonly, actively fighting for women’s equality in this field. As such, they are few and not representative in the publishing industry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It should be acknowledged, however, that such magazines were launched and that these were successful in their goals. Perhaps this will provide the much needed gender-equality into the field of sports and mass media. Although these types of magazines form the minority in published mass media, they offer hope and raise out a cry of challenge to their colleagues, a cry for gender-equality and female liberation from the marginalization and disempowerment occurring in their field. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The large discrepancies in sports portrayals of women athletes has been seen to be significant in all mediums of mass media specifically that of the television set, the radio set, and published sources. Women have been marginalized, stereotyped, and stripped of power through the way these mass media instruments have been used to represent their participation in sports activities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, no matter how anyone looks at it, this type of portrayal is unwarranted and unnecessary. Women have just as much talent, skill and capability as their male counterparts. The efforts they exert in order to actively and competently engage in their given sporting event is equally similar to that which males exert. The strain and stress they undergo during training and during the actual competition are just as nerve-wracking and exhausting as that which male athletes experience. In all respects, female athletes should be considered and hailed as equal to male athletes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, this has not been the case. Mass media, whether through television, radio, or magazines, has proven to be unforgiving and thoughtless in bringing justice to the efforts of women athletes. There is a great need for change and renewal in the way mass media portrays females.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the best first steps towards a better and more fair portrayal of women in sports is by actively disseminating information about the marginalization and disempowerment that is occurring. Most audiences and most reporters are perhaps so tied down to the hegemony of sports and mass media that they are no longer aware when stereotypical remarks are made on air. Knowledge of the fact that sports is for both females and males and that both sexes are equally capable of succeeding in this field must be spread. Without awareness, there is no chance for gender issues to be resolved in this field.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It would, perhaps, also be constructive for organizations and bodies to be set up that would monitor the violations to women’s rights that occur during broadcasting of sporting events. This would help to check the prejudiced actions and comments of those involved in the mass media industry. This would also make other individuals aware that what is currently going on is not acceptable and that there is a growing need for better treatment and appreciation of women athletes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is still much improvement that can be done to the way mass media portray women. Mass media has come to influence the way society thinks in that women themselves have congregated around socially acceptable sports. Only the few who are not afraid of being dubbed masculine are able to compete in the sports where the male sex has dominated. There should be adequate measures taken to ensure that future biased and stereotyped thoughts will no longer exist. Women portrayal in sports still has hope to become much more fair and with this hope comes the assurance thaw women participation in sports will also become less prejudiced and stereotyped. Reference Higgs, C., & Weiller, K. (1994). Gender bias and the 1992 summer Olympic games: an analysis of television coverage. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 18,   234-246 Hardin, M., Lynn, S., Walsdorf, K. (2005). Challenge and conformity on â€Å"contested terrain†: images of women in four women’s sport/fitness magazines. Sex Roles, 53(1), 105-117

Multiplier and Accelerator Theory Essay

Multiplier and accelerator theory The Keynesians, have offered a demand side explanation of the business cycle. According to them, the fluctuations in output and employment in the country are caused by fluctuations in aggregate demand. The ups and downs in aggregate demand are caused by changes in the volume of investment. The volume of investment is directly related to the marginal efficiency of capital. The investment increases in response to higher marginal efficiency of capital and decreases with the fall in the profit expectations of the entrepreneurs. The Keynesians further put forward the theory of multiplier which shows how the increase or decrease in investment causes multiplied changes in income and employment and thus heightens a boom or deepens a depression. The Keynesians failed as they did not explain the cyclical nature of the ups and downs in business cycle. J. R. Hicks and Professor Samuelson put forward a new theory of business cycle named as Multiplier and Accelerator Theory of business cycle.†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Multiplier and Accelerator Theory†¨According to J. R. Hicks and Samuelson, the multiplier alone cannot explain the cyclical nature of the business cycle. It is the interaction between the multiplier and accelerator that explains the emergence of different phases of business cycle. The multiplier tells us that a change in the level of autonomous investment brings about a relatively greater change in the level of national income. The accelerator theory states that the current investment spending depends positively on the expected future growth of real GDP. When real GDP growth is expected to be high, firms anticipate that their investment in plants and equipment will be profitable. They, therefore, increase their total investment spending.†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨The concept of accelerator is not rival to the concept of multiplier. They are parallel concepts. The multiplier shows the effect of changes in autonomous investment to changes in income’ and employment. The accelerator shows the effect of changes in income to changes in induced investment. Professor Samuelson and J. R. Hicks model of multiplier accelerator offers quite satisfactory explanation of explaining turning points to business cycle.†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Interactive role of multiplier and accelerator.†¨The multiplier-accelerator interaction theory of business cycle is explained now in brief. Let us assume a certain amount of autonomous investment is injected into the economy. This would generate an expansion of income many  times greater than itself on account of the operation of the multiplier mechanism. The increase in income would lead to rise in demand for consumer goods. The increase in demand for consumer goods induces more investment in the capital goods industries. The increase in investment would be much more than the increase in demand for consumer goods owing to the operation of the accelerator. The interaction of the multiplier and accelerator sets in the upswing of the trade cycle.†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨The rise in income and employment does not continue for a long time. The rise in income and employment progressively slows down. The reason is that the marginal propensity to consume starts declining with the rise in income in the upward swing of the business cycle. A decrease in consumption would result into a greater decrease in investment on account of reverse working of the accelerator A decrease in investment would lead to a greater decrease in income on account of the reverse working of the multiplier In short the combination of reverse working of the accelerator and multiplier sets in downward swing in the business cycle.†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Interactive role of multiplier and accelerator†¨ †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Ala = Increase in autonomous – investment†¨Ala = Increase in autonomous investment†¨Ay = Increase in income†¨Aid = Increase in induced investment †¨v = Size of the accelerator

Night World : The Chosen Chapter 17

Hunter's yacht was bigger than the powerboat Quinn had brought to the island. There was a salon down in the cabin and two separate staterooms. Right now, Timmy was in one of them. Nyala was in another. Quinn had put them both to sleep. Quinn and Rashel were in the cockpit. â€Å"Do you think any of the vampires got out?† Rashel said softly. â€Å"I don't know. Probably.† His voice was as quiet as hers. He was filthy, covered with sand and soot, burned here and there, and wildly disheveled. He had never looked more beautiful to Rashel. â€Å"You saved Nyala,† she whispered. â€Å"And I know you did it for me.† He looked at her and some of the tense focus went out of his eyes. The hardness in his face softened. Rashel took his hand. She didn't know how to say the rest of what she meant. That she knew he had changed, that he was changing every minute. She could almost feel the new parts of his mind opening and growing-or rather, the old parts, the parts he'd deliberately left behind when he stopped being human. â€Å"Thank you, John Quinn,† she whispered. He laughed. It wasn't a savage laugh, or a bitter laugh, or even the charming Mad Hatter laugh. It was just a real laugh. Tired and shaky, but happy. â€Å"What else could I do?† Then he reached for her and they were holding each other. They might look like two refugees from a disaster movie, but all Rashel felt was the singing joy of their closeness. It was such comfort to be able to hold on to Quinn, and such wonder to feel him holding her back. A feeling of peace stole over her. There were still problems ahead. She knew that. Her mind was already clicking through them, forming a dim checklist of things to worry about when she regained the ability to worry. Hunter and the other vampires. They might still be alive. They might come looking for revenge. But even if they did†¦ Rashel had spent her whole life fighting the Night World alone. Now she had Quinn beside her, and together they could take on anything. Daphne and the girls. Rashel felt sure they were safe; she trusted Annelise and Keiko. But once they got home, they'd be traumatized. They would need help. And someone would need to figure out what they should tell the rest of the world. Not that anyone would believe it was real vampires who had kidnapped them if they said so, Rashel thought. The police would pass it off as a cult or something. Still, the girls know the truth. They may be fresh recruits for the fight†¦. Against what? How could she be a vampire hunter now? How could she try to destroy the Night World? Where could a reformed vampire and a burned-out vampire hunter go when they fell in love? The answer, of course, was obvious. Rashel knew even as she formed the question, and she laughed silently into Quinn's shoulder. Circle Daybreak. They'd become damned Daybreakers. Granted, they weren't the type to dance in circles with flowers in their hair, singing about love and harmony and all that. But if Circle Daybreak was going to make any headway, it needed something besides love and harmony. It needed a fighting arm. Somebody to deal with the vampires who were hopelessly evil and bent on destruction. Somebody to save people like Nyala's sister. Somebody to protect kids like Timmy. Come to think of it, Circle Daybreak was where Nyala and Timmy belonged, too. Right now they need peace and healing, and people who would understand what they'd been through. I don't know, Rashel thought, maybe witches can help. She hoped so. She thought Nyala would be all right-there was a kind of inner strength to the girl that kept her fighting. She wasn't so sure about Timmy. Trapped in a four-year-old body, his mind twisted by whatever lies Hunter had told him†¦ what kind of normal life could he ever have? But he was alive, and there was a chance. And maybe there were parts of his mind that were bright and warm and aching to grow. Elliot and Vicky and the other vampire hunters. Rashel would have to talk to them, try to explain what she'd learned. She didn't know if they'd listen. But she would have to try. â€Å"All anybody can do is try,† she said softly. Quinn stirred. He leaned back to look into her face. â€Å"You're right,† he said, and she realized that he'd been thinking about the same things. Our minds work alike, she thought. She had found her partner, her equal, the one to work and live and love with her. Her soulmate. â€Å"I love you, John Quinn,† she said. And then they were kissing each other and she was finding in him a tenderness that even she hadn't suspected. But it made sense. After all, the opposite of absolute ruthlessness is absolute tenderness-and when you ripped the one away, you were left with the other. I wonder what else I'll find out about him? She thought, dizzy with discovery. Whatever it is, it's sure to be interesting. â€Å"I love you, Rashel Jordan,† he said against her lips. Not Rashel the Cat. The Cat was dead, and all the old anger and the hate had burned away. It was Rashel Jordan who was starting a new future. She kissed Quinn again and felt the beauty and the mystery of his thoughts. â€Å"Hold me tighter,† she whispered. â€Å"I'm a little cold.† â€Å"You are? I feel so warm. It's spring tomorrow, you know.† And then they both were quiet, lost in each other. The boat sped on through the sparkling ocean and into the promise of the moonlit night.. [The End]