Free Essays on Social Responsibility

The issues of social responsibility have received greater attention with the advent of intense globalization of business. Though there are disadvantages to adopting social responsibility, despite the numerous advantages of the practice. The problem that arises from using corporate social responsibility is that it promotes policies that are directly welfare reducing. Applying principles of corporate responsibility raises costs and prices. Whether it also reduces profits depends on market conditions. Corporate responsibility denies the managers ability to focus on the companies goals and to make decisions that will benefit the shareholder and the company. The key to a successful business if gaining profit. Adopting social responsibility decreases profit due to the modification that a company might have to enhance to their product in order to satisfy the public. There is too much focus on social responsibility. We expect businesses to produce goods and services efficiently and cost effective, but that does not constitute social responsibility to consumers. The book brings out several key issues about the disadvantages of social responsibility. Managing societies demands and the organizations demand will create conflicts and problems. Even though an organization might implement the process of social responsibility consumers may take the ultimate hit. Price increases can occur due to the modification of the product or service. For example the cigarette industry was extremely effected by social responsibility. Cigarette prices in the last 5 years has dramatically increased due to government intervention caused by societies demands. Cigarette companies had to re-market their products. On their advertisements they had to place warnings on their products, explaining that it may be related to causes of cancer. The general public knew that the use of tobacco products may cause cancer but they needed an escape goat. Social responsibili... Free Essays on Social Responsibility Free Essays on Social Responsibility The issues of social responsibility have received greater attention with the advent of intense globalization of business. Though there are disadvantages to adopting social responsibility, despite the numerous advantages of the practice. The problem that arises from using corporate social responsibility is that it promotes policies that are directly welfare reducing. Applying principles of corporate responsibility raises costs and prices. Whether it also reduces profits depends on market conditions. Corporate responsibility denies the managers ability to focus on the companies goals and to make decisions that will benefit the shareholder and the company. The key to a successful business if gaining profit. Adopting social responsibility decreases profit due to the modification that a company might have to enhance to their product in order to satisfy the public. There is too much focus on social responsibility. We expect businesses to produce goods and services efficiently and cost effective, but that does not constitute social responsibility to consumers. The book brings out several key issues about the disadvantages of social responsibility. Managing societies demands and the organizations demand will create conflicts and problems. Even though an organization might implement the process of social responsibility consumers may take the ultimate hit. Price increases can occur due to the modification of the product or service. For example the cigarette industry was extremely effected by social responsibility. Cigarette prices in the last 5 years has dramatically increased due to government intervention caused by societies demands. Cigarette companies had to re-market their products. On their advertisements they had to place warnings on their products, explaining that it may be related to causes of cancer. The general public knew that the use of tobacco products may cause cancer but they needed an escape goat. Social responsibili...

Overview of the Medulla Oblongata

Overview of the Medulla Oblongata The medulla oblongata is a portion of the hindbrain that controls autonomic functions such as breathing, digestion, heart and blood vessel function, swallowing, and sneezing. Motor and sensory neurons from the midbrain and forebrain travel through the medulla. As a part of the brainstem, the medulla oblongata helps in the transferring of messages between various parts of the brain and the spinal cord. The medulla contains myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers. Myelinated nerves (white matter) are covered with a myelin sheath composed of lipids and proteins. This sheath insulates axons and promotes more efficient conduction of nerve impulses than unmyelinated nerve fibers (gray matter). A number of cranial nerve nuclei are located in the gray matter of the medulla oblongata. The upper region of the medulla forms the fourth cerebral ventricle. The fourth ventricle is a cavity filled with cerebrospinal fluid and is continuous with the cerebral aqueduct. The lower portion of the medulla narrows forming portions of the central canal of the spinal cord. Function The medulla oblongata is involved in several functions of the body including: Control of autonomic functionsRelay of nerve signals between the brain and spinal cordCoordination of body movementsRegulation of mood The medulla is the control center for cardiovascular and respiratory system activity. It regulates heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate. The medulla also controls involuntary reflex actions such as swallowing, sneezing, and gag reflex. Another major function of the medulla is the control and coordination of voluntary movement. A number of cranial nerve nuclei are located in the medulla. Some of these nerves are important for speech, head and shoulder movement, and food digestion. The medulla also aids in the transfer of sensory information between the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system. It relays sensory information to the thalamus and from there is sent to the cerebral cortex. Location Directionally, the medulla oblongata is inferior to the pons and anterior to the cerebellum. It is the lowest portion of the hindbrain and is continuous with the spinal cord. Features Some anatomical features of the medulla oblongata include: Median fissures - shallow groves located along the anterior and posterior portions of the medulla.Olive - paired oval structures on the medulla surface that contain nerve fibers which connect the medulla to the pons and cerebellum.Pyramid - two rounded masses located on opposite sides of the anterior median fissure. These nerve fibers connect the medulla to the spinal cord, pons, and cerebral cortex.Fasciculus gracilis - a continuation of the bundle of nerve fiber tracts that extend from the spinal cord to the medulla. Injury to the Medulla Injury to the medulla oblongata may result in a number of sensory-related problems. These include numbness, paralysis, difficulty swallowing, acid reflux, and lack of movement control. Because the medulla controls vital autonomic functions, such as breathing and heart rate, damage to this area of the brain can be fatal. Drugs and other chemical substances can impact the medullas ability to function. An opiate overdose can be deadly because these drugs inhibit medulla activity and the body becomes unable to perform vital functions. The chemicals in anesthesia work by acting on the medulla to decrease autonomic activity. This results in a lower breathing rate and heart rate, relaxation of muscles, and  loss of consciousness.​

Economics Policy Public Goods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Economics Policy Public Goods - Essay Example If education is provided by the private market alone, it would result in imbalance, and hence, the market mechanism would not be able to match demand and supply. The reason for this is the fact that private forces are not concerned with the public interest; they are concerned about their own returns and nominal benefit. Therefore, the private market forces will only produce those goods which would lead to maximum profits. The private market forces ignore social costs and benefits, and therefore, will not produce the optimal quantity of merit or price-excludable public goods. Education would be under-produced by the private sector. All merit goods are considered good for the people, and the government desires to provide them in abundance. Merit goods have more social benefit than private benefit. Therefore, the private sector would not provide them optimally. Education has large external benefits relative to private benefits, that is, social benefits are greater than private benefits. Under the price mechanism, there would be few firms willing to provide education, and they would charge high prices. High prices would reduce consumption because some or many people might not be able to afford education.

What People feel when they see Advertisements on Television and Social Essay

What People feel when they see Advertisements on Television and Social Media - Essay Example Advertising industries across the world, however, see social media advertising and television advertising as two different platforms. However, social media and television have a connection when it comes to advertising. Social media influences television into the kind of advertising they have and the time for every advertisement (Campbell et al., 2011). Consumer behavior is the primary purpose of the differences in social media advertising and television advertising. Social media is a community, in general, and the people in social media should feel the presence of any company, organization or product that surrounds them outside social media. It is the same for television as people also surround their lives on TV when they are not working. These people that use television and social media have a particular kind of feeling towards social media and television advertising (Louis, Kerr, & Drennan, 2010). The research proposal is going to focus on the feeling of these people and how they r eact to social media and television advertising. Today’s society has people on social media and television thus advertising for products and services should be on social media. Chi (2011, p.46) describes social media as an association in the middle of brands and shoppers, [while] offering an individual channel and coin for client-focused systems administration and social interactions. The tools that businesses use to communicate with customers have significantly changed, and it is easier for the companies to reach now their customers.

Psychology Notes Essay Example for Free

Psychology Notes Essay 1) Four big ideas in psychology: a. Critical thinking is smart thinking b. Behavior is a bio psychosocial event c. We operate with a two-track mind (Dual processing) d. Psychology explores human strengths as well as challenges 2) Why do psychology? e. The limits of intuition and common sense i. Enough to bring forth answers regarding human nature. ii. May aid queries, but are not free of error. iii. Hindsight Bias: the â€Å"I-knew-it-all-along† phenomenon. 1. After learning the outcome of an event, many people believe they could have predicted that very outcome. iv. Overconfidence: thinking you know more than what you actually know. f. The scientific attitude v. Composed of curiosity, skepticism, and humility. vi. Curiosity: passion for exploration. vii. Skepticism: doubting and questioning. viii. Humility: ability to accept responsibility when wrong. g. The science of psychology helps make these examined conclusions, which leads to our understanding of how people feel, think, and act as they do. 3) How do psychologists ask and answer questions? h. The scientific method ix. Construct theories that organize, summarize and simplify observations. x. Theory: an explanation that integrates principles and organizes and predicts behavior or events. (Example: low self-esteem contributes to depression). xi. Hypothesis: a testable prediction, often promoted by a theory, to enable us to accept, reject or revise the theory. (Example: people with low self-esteem are apt to feel more depressed). xii. Research: to administer tests of self-esteem and depression. (Example: people who score low on a self-esteem test and high on a depression test would confirm the hypothesis). i. Description xiii. Basic purpose: to observe and record behavior. xiv. How conducted: do case studies, surveys, or naturalistic observations. xv. Weaknesses: No control of variables; single cases may be misleading. xvi. Case Study: a technique in which one person is studied in depth to reveal underlying behavioral principles. xvii. Survey: a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes, opinions or behaviors of people usually done by questioning a representative, random sample of people. xviii. Wording can change the results of a survey xix. Random Sampling: when each member of a population has an equal chance of inclusions into a sample (unbiased). 2. If the survey sample is biased, its results are not valid. xx. Naturalistic Observation: observing and recording the behavior of animals in the wild and recording self-seating patterns in a multiracial school lunchroom constitute naturalistic observation. j. Correlation xxi. Basic purpose: to detect naturally occurring relationships; to assess how well one variable predicts another. xxii. How conducted: compute statistical association, sometimes among survey responses. xxiii. Weaknesses: does not specify cause and effect. xxiv. When one trait or behavior accompanies another. xxv. Correlation Coefficient: a statistical measure of the relationship between two variables. 3. Example: R = + 0.37 a. R is the correlation coefficient b. + is the direction of relationship (either + or ) c. 0.37 indicates the strength of relationship xxvi. Correlation DOES NOT mean causation. 4. Examples: d. Low self-esteem could cause depression e. Depression could cause low self-esteem f. Distressing events or biological predisposition could cause low self-esteem and depression. xxvii. Illusory Correlation: the perception of a relationship where no relationship actually exists. (Example: parents conceive children after adoption). xxviii. Order in Random Events: 5. Given random data, we look for order and meaningful patterns. 6. Given large numbers of random outcomes, a few are likely to express order. k. Experimentation xxix. Basic purpose: to explore cause and effect. xxx. How conducted: manipulate one or more factors; use random assignment. xxxi. What is manipulated: the independent variable(s). xxxii. Weaknesses: sometimes not feasible; results may not generalize to other contexts; not ethical to manipulate certain variables. xxxiii. The backbone of psychological research 7. Effects generated by manipulated factors isolate cause and effect relationships. xxxiv. Double-blind Procedure: in evaluating drug therapies, patients and experimenter’s assistants should remain unaware of which patients had the real treatment and which patients had the placebo treatment. xxxv. Random Assignment: assigning participants to experimental and control conditions, by random assignment, minimizes pre-existing differences between the two groups. xxxvi. Independent Variable: a factor manipulated by the experimenter. 8. The effect of the independent variable is the focus of the study 9. Example: when examining the effects of breast-feeding upon intelligence, breast-feeding is the independent variable. xxxvii. Dependent Variable: a factor that may change in response to an independent variable. 10. Usually a behavior or a mental process. 11. Example: in the study of the effect of breast-feeding upon intelligence, intelligence is the dependent variable. 4) Aristotle l. 384-322 B.C. m. Naturalist and philosopher n. Theorized about psychology’s concepts o. Suggested that the soul and body are not separate and that knowledge grows from experience. p. â€Å"The soul is not separable from the body, and the same holds good of particular parts of the soul.† -Aristotle 5) Wundt q. 1832-1920 r. Studied the â€Å"atoms of the mind† s. Experiments at Leipzig, Germany, in 1879, which is considered the birth of psychology. 6) William James t. 1842-1910 u. American philosopher v. Wrote psychology textbook in 1890 w. James’s student, Mary Calkins, became the APA’s first female president xxxviii. She was not able to attain her PhD from Harvard. 7) Sigmund Freud x. 1856-1939 y. Austrian physician z. Emphasized the importance of the unconscious mind and its effects on human behavior. 8) Psychology {. Originated in many disciplines and countries |. Defined as the science of mental life until the 1920s. }. 1920-1960: psychology was heavily oriented towards behaviorism. ~. Psychology: the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. 9) Pavlov, Watson and Skinner . Watson: 1878-1958 . Skinner: 1904-1990 . Emphasized the study of overt behavior as the subject matter of scientific psychology instead of mind or mental thoughts. . â€Å"Anything seems commonplace, once explained.† -Watson 10) Maslow and Rogers . Maslow: 1908-1970 . Rogers: 1902-1987 . Emphasized current environmental influences on our growth potential and our need for love and acceptance. 11) The American Psychological Association (APA) . The largest organization of psychology . 160,000 members world-wide . Followed by the British Psychological Society with 34,000 members. 12) Current perspectives . Neuroscience: how the body and brain enables emotions xxxix. How are messages transmitted in the body? How is blood chemistry linked with moods and motives? . Evolutionary: how the natural selection of traits promotes the perpetuation on one’s genes. xl. How does evolution influence behavior tendencies? . Behavior genetics: how much our genes and our environments influence our individual differences xli. To what extent are psychological traits such as intelligence, personality, sexual orientation, and vulnerability to depression attributable to our genes? To our environment? . Psychodynamic: how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts. xlii. How can someone’s personality traits and disorders be explained in terms of sexual and aggressive drives or as disguised effects of unfulfilled wishes and childhood traumas? . Behavioral: how we learn observable responses. xliii. How do we learn to fear particular objects or situations? What is the most effective way to alter our behavior, say to lose weight or quit smoking? . Cognitive: how we encode, process, store and retrieve information xliv. How do we use information in remembering? Reasoning? Problem solving? . Social-cultural: how behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures. xlv. How are we- as Africans, Asians, Australians or north Americans- alike as members of human family? As products of different environmental contexts, how do we differ? 13) Psychology’s subfields . Biological: explore the links between brain and mind. . Developmental: study-changing abilities from womb to tomb. . Cognitive: study how we perceive, think, and solve problems. . Personality: investigate our persistent traits. . Social: explore how we view and affect one another . Clinical: studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders. . Counseling: helps people cope with academic, vocational, and marital challenges. . Educational: studies and helps individuals in school and educational settings. . Industrial/Organizational: studies and advises on behavior in the workplace. 14) Clinical vs. Psychiatry . Clinical Psychologist: (Ph.D.) studies, assesses, and treats troubled people with psychotherapy. . Psychiatrists: (M.D.) medical professionals who use treatments like drugs and psychotherapy to treat psychologically diseased patients. 15) Three main levels of analysis

The Mathematical Theory of Communication by Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver :: Information Theory Research Report

The Mathematical Theory of Communication by Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver For my research report, I read The Mathematical Theory of Communication by Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver. This book is an in-depth description of their theory. While I will focus mostly on Weaver's translation and application of information, I will also touch on the theory's core ideas as explained by Shannon. The information theory is the extentsion of Nyquist's and Hartley's origingal ideas on the subject. However, Claude Shannon includes new factors such as "the effect of noise in the channel, and savings possible due to statistical structure of the original message and due to the nature of the final destination of information." Shannon's ideas were based on the fundamental problem in communication, which he described as the "difficulty of reproducing at one point the message selected at another point." The most significant aspect is that the actual message sent is one "selected from a set" of possible messages. A system had to be formed to work for each possible selection. Shannon also constructed the Linear Model of Communication. It is rare to see a communication text book that doesn't include this model, or a model that is based on this one. However, modifications had to be made because Shannon and Weaver both overlooked the importance of feedback. Warren Weaver helps us understand Shannon's complex theory by explaining it in layman's terms. Weaver uses the word "communication" in a broad sense to incorporate all the different ways one person's mind could affect another. Basically, it encompasses all human behavior. Weaver simplistically describes the three levels of communication problems. The first level, Level A, is the technical problem. The technical problems deal with the transfer of sets of signals from sender to sender. These sets of signals could be as simple as written speech or as complex as telephone or television transmission. The second level (Level B) is concerned with the understanding and interpretation of the meaning by the receiver when compared with the intended meaning of the sender. Level B is referred to as semantics problems. Level C, the effectiveness problems, is the final communication problem. It is concerned with how well the meaning is conveyed to the receiver. Weaver goes on to describe numerous problems within each of the previous three. One of the major problems in each of these categories was that of entropy. Entropy may be simply defined as randomness.

Children’s ASPIRIN Essay

In 1986, FDA adopted a preliminary rule requiring aspirin manufacturers to add warnings to product labels about the possible association between aspirin use and the development of Reye’s syndrome. The permanent rule became final in 1988, and the labeling reads: Children and teenagers should not use this medicine for chicken pox or flu symptoms before a doctor is consulted about Reye’s Syndrome, a rare but serious illness. Until now, some questions about the relationship between aspirin and Reye’s syndrome still remain. Although figures show that 90 to 95 percent of Reye’s syndrome patients in the United States have taken aspirin during a preceding viral illness, it is estimated that less than 0. 1 percent of children having a viral infection and treated with aspirin develop the syndrome. Are other factors involved? Apparently so. Reye’s syndrome has always been a puzzling disease and the research on possible causes has been hampered because no one can come up with a simple specific diagnostic test for the syndrome. The waters are further muddled by the existence of at least 19 viruses, including the chicken pox and flu viruses, which cause infectious illnesses that can precede Reye syndrome development. Some experts have proposed that Reye’s syndrome develops from the interaction of a viral illness, genetic susceptibility to the disease, and exposure to chemicals. Soumerai, Ross-Degnan, and Kahn (1992) tell the story of the virtual disappearance of Reye’s Syndrome over a short period. Their narrative shows how debate in the scientific community and the health policy community was played over media outlets. The attention over both professional and, particularly, public communication channels were closely associated with the decline in disease incidence. They make a convincing case that the decline was not primarily associated with the timing of declared changes in policy or particular recommendations made to physicians, or even with the warnings placed on aspirin bottles. Rather, the decline followed immediately on increased coverage on these issues in the mass media. This is sensible, because much use of aspirin was independent of visits to physicians, and thus would be most sensitive to sources of change in public knowledge. Although there are no empirical studies that determine the link of aspirin and Reye’s Syndrome, Bayer should take this controversy seriously by doing research about it in order to finally lay this issue to rest. If Bayer proves that there is indeed no link between RS and Aspirin, it will be a positive feedback for the company and it will surely gain more support from the consumers. 8. ) What is the product strategy that Bayer is using as far as the placement of aspirin globally? Would you suggest something else? Since the early 80s, Bayer’s Children’s ASPIRIN business had been continuously falling downwards spiral. This scenario occurred when the US medical community suggested that there is an associated link between the consumption of children’s aspirin and the occurrence of a dangerous condition in children known as Reye’s Syndrome. Though the link was never proven, Bayer acted responsibly to the public relations crisis by self-imposing a worldwide ban on all promotion and advertisement of Children’s ASPIRIN in 1988. In the years that followed, Bayer had not fully reconsidered its strategy for Children’s ASPIRIN, nor had it considered introducing other analgesic products for children. For years, Zander had wanted to conduct a brand audit to determine the future of ASPIRIN in the children’s segment. But the project always fell behind something more pressing; given this new wave of publicity, it seemed like the time for the audit was now or never. Incidentally, with the decline within the children’s segment, there had been new discoveries opening other business opportunities. In 1985, the medical profession revealed that aspirin is effective in the prevention of heart attacks and strokes. As the prevention market developed, Zander and other managers at Bayer realized that an increasing percentage of Children’s ASPIRIN sales went to prevention. This was due, in part, to its lower cost but also to the lower dosage recommended for prevention (81–100 mg. compared to 325–500 mg. in adult aspirin). Unfortunately, the percentage of sales of Children’s ASPIRIN accounted for by the prevention market was unclear. In the creation of awareness of a pharmaceutical that generated additional sales, transferring market from ethical drug to over-the-counter (OTC) status is a strategy to increase market share and sales over the product life cycle of the drug. This strategy is one means of prolonging—and possibly increasing—sales revenues of the drug as generic copycats arrive on the market upon patent expiration. The value of the brand to the consumer differentiates otherwise identical and competing products. In placing the product globally without the aid of advertising, it is best to market through word-of-mouth of happy consumers who had found the product as effective. Also, producing empirical studies that disprove the link of Reye’s Syndrome could also thwart the past scare and would increase the credibility of the corporation. However, the combination of direct selling to doctors and direct advertising to consumers is expected to become the predominant global strategy of pharmaceutical companies in both ethical and OTC categories in the future. References Bayer Website. Buchanan, L. & Merker, C. K. (2002). Bayer AG : Children ’ s Aspirin. In A. A. Thompson, A. J. Strickland, & J. E. Gamble. Crafting and Executing Strategy -The Quest for Competitive Advantage, 14th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin). Soumerai S. B. , Ross-Degnan D. , & Kahn J. S. (1992). â€Å"Effects of professional and media warnings about the association between aspirin use in children and Reye’s syndrome†. Milbank Quarterly, 70( 1), 155-182.

Examine sociological explanations of the difference in the educational performance of ethnic minorities in Britain Essay

The connection between ethnicity and educational accomplishment is very complicated as there is a great deal of difference between achievements between each of the ethnic groups. In previous studies, such as those carried out to compile the Swann report (1985), used very simplistic classifications of each of the ethnic groups, ‘Afro-Caribbean’, ‘Asian’ and ‘All others’ (including white). There was clear ranking between these groups with all others at the top, followed by Asians, and then Afro-Caribbean. Later on more complex classification systems were introduced and so a more detailed picture of the relationships between class and education emerged. For example, Kysel (1988) used eleven classifications to measure success at 16. This study placed Indian, African, Asian and Pakistani pupils at the top, followed by South East Asian and Greek students. Students of UK origin came in the middle of the range, followed by pupils from Turkish, Arab and Caribbean origin. At the bottom were Bangladeshi pupils. Most sociological explanations point to home back ground, educational experiences and factors to do with society. However studies don’t usually apply such sophisticated classifications, as used by Kysel, so making it difficult to explain distinctions between the categories. There are three main reasons for different ethnicities achieving differently in the cultural factors, social class and school factors. Cultural factors are thought by sociologists to have a large influence on the difference in attainment of the ethnic groups. Findings of those such as Douglas have provided support for what came to be known as ‘cultural deprivation theory’. This theory states that many of the values, attitudes and skills needed for high educational success are missing in the culture of certain ethnic groups. This was a particularly popular theory in the 1960-70’s, it was notably supported by the Swann committee (1985), however evidence can be seen as weak, even the Swann report said this argument was ‘sketchy’. Driver and Ballard adopted this explanation in their study of children with parents of South Asian origin. They found that these parents quickly developed high expectations of their children’s abilities and such attitudes may have attributed to their success. Ken Pryce rejected theory. He did a study of the Afro-Caribbean community in Bristol (1979) and although he described their way of life as ‘turbulent’ he also said that Afro-Caribbean parents have great aspirations for their children, and that they were not socially deprived because their parents are supportive, interested and provide all of the educational aid the can. Rex and Tomlinson also rejected the cultural deprivation theory in their study in Handsworth. Their rejected the theory because the data they collected points to Asians achieving highest at school and yet their parents go into school the least, indicating that they are not as interested as Afro-Caribbean parents who go into school the most. In spite of their parents frequent visits to school Afro-Caribbean are achieving the least in school. Another important theory is cultural difference theory, this about children being disadvantaged because their culture differs from the schools, the main example of this is if a child go to an English speaking school and speaks a different language at home, this means that they will not be as practiced as the children for whom English is their first language, they will be subjected to constant correction by teacher and their confidence and self esteem may suffer as a result. This theory is rejected by Driver and Ballard who found that by sixteen Asian children’s command of English is at least as good as their class mate, and in some cases, much better. The Swann report also noted that linguistic factors held back some Afro-Caribbean students but most did not have a problem. Social class is another important factor to consider. Some research suggests that much of the differential educational advantage that Afro-Caribbean’s face is due to the fact that most Afro-Caribbean’s are working class, disproportionately so. Swann said social class adds up to half of the reason behind educational achievement. Smith and Tomlinson agreed with this with their study of inner city junior schools and found a large variation due to class but a much smaller discrepancy due to ethnicity. The only problem with this is Asian pupils are primarily working class yet they achieve better that their white middle class counterparts. Many researchers have looked at the impact a range of school factors; this idea takes the stance that the difference in attainment between the ethnic groups is due to school environment. In studying school factors researches may have looked at curriculum content, teacher’s attitudes, ethnocentric resources, banding, language and many other things. Mac and Ghaill found that there was no clearly defined relationship between students who have been the victims of racism and the ones who have been predicted a fail. What he found was how well students did was influenced mainly by the schools they had come from. Pupils from suburban schools did better than pupils from inner city schools. Most studies showed that teachers were not racist to ethnic minorities. Taylor saw that many teachers were very sensitive in their handling of cultural issues and Hammersley went on to say most racist teachers did not bring this into the classroom. Wright studied primary schools and noticed how Asian pupils were largely ‘invisible’ to the teacher and was treated insensitively by both staff and peers. Coard said that institutional racism lead to ethic minority children having self-esteem problems, which developed into low achievement. This is extremely apt with Afro-Caribbean students who are seen as ‘a threat to classroom management’ and because they have been treated like this they start to conform to the labels they have been given. The DfEE found in a recent study that Afro-Caribbean pupils were four times more likely be permanently excluded from school than white children. To conclude, the area of ethnicity is a very delicate one and it is important to view it in the context of individuals and not stereotype people. More research is needed in to the experience of small, specific racial groups, not just ‘Asian’ or ‘White’. It is also important to note that it can never be seen as just one factor, it is always going to be a combination of factors and also age and gender can not be ignored, no one factor can never be measured accurately on its own.

Christopher Morleys Classic Essay on Laziness

Christopher Morleys Classic Essay on Laziness Critically and commercially popular during his lifetime while unfairly neglected today, Christopher Morley is best remembered as a novelist and essayist, though he was also a publisher, editor, and prolific writer of poems, reviews, plays, criticism, and childrens stories. Clearly, he was not afflicted by laziness. As you read Morleys short essay (originally published in 1920, shortly after the end of World War I), consider whether your definition of laziness is the same as the authors. You may also find it worthwhile to compare On Laziness with three other essays in our collection: An Apology for Idlers, by Robert Louis Stevenson; In Praise of Idleness, by Bertrand Russell; and Why Are Beggars Despised? by George Orwell. On Laziness* by Christopher Morley 1 Today we rather intended to write an essay on Laziness, but were too indolent to do so. 2 The sort of thing we had in mind to write would have been exceedingly persuasive. We intended to discourse a little in favour of a greater appreciation of Indolence as a benign factor in human affairs. 3 It is our observation that every time we get into trouble it is due to not having been lazy enough. Unhappily, we were born with a certain fund of energy. We have been hustling about for a number of years now, and it doesnt seem to get us anything but tribulation. Henceforward we are going to make a determined effort to be more languid and demure. It is the bustling man who always gets put on committees, who is asked to solve the problems of other people and neglect his own. 4 The man who is really, thoroughly, and philosophically slothful is the only thoroughly happy man. It is the happy man who benefits the world. The conclusion is inescapable. 5 We remember a saying about the meek inheriting the earth. The truly meek man is the lazy man. He is too modest to believe that any ferment and hubbub of his can ameliorate the earth or assuage the perplexities of humanity. 6 O. Henry said once that one should be careful to distinguish laziness from dignified repose. Alas, that was a mere quibble. Laziness is always dignified, it is always reposeful. Philosophical laziness, we mean. The kind of laziness that is based upon a carefully reasoned analysis of experience. Acquired laziness. We have no respect for those who were born lazy; it is like being born a millionaire: they cannot appreciate their bliss. It is the man who has hammered his laziness out of the stubborn material of life for whom we chant praise and alleluia. 7 The laziest man we know- we do not like to mention his name, as the brutal world does not yet recognize sloth at its community value- is one of the greatest poets in this country; one of the keenest satirists; one of the most rectilinear thinkers. He began life in the customary hustling way. He was always too busy to enjoy himself. He became surrounded by eager people who came to him to solve their problems. Its a queer thing, he said sadly; no one ever comes to me asking for help in solving my problems. Finally, the light broke upon him. He stopped answering letters, buying lunches for casual friends and visitors from out of town, he stopped lending money to old college pals and frittering his time away on all the useless minor matters that pester the good-natured. He sat down in a secluded cafe with his cheek against a seidel of dark beer and began to caress the universe with his intellect. 8 The most damning argument against the Germans is that they were not lazy enough. In the middle of Europe, a thoroughly disillusioned, indolent and delightful old continent, the Germans were a dangerous mass of energy and bumptious push. If the Germans had been as lazy, as indifferent, and as righteously laissez-fairish as their neighbours the world would have been spared a great deal. 9 People respect laziness. If you once get a reputation for complete, immovable, and reckless indolence the world will leave you to your own thoughts, which are generally rather interesting. 10 Doctor Johnson, who was one of the worlds great philosophers, was lazy. Only yesterday our friend the Caliph showed us an extraordinarily interesting thing. It was a little leather-bound notebook in which Boswell jotted down memoranda of his talks with the old doctor. These notes he afterward worked up into the immortal Biography. And lo and behold, what was the very first entry in this treasured little relic? Doctor Johnson told me in going to Ilam from Ashbourne, 22 September, 1777, that the way the plan of his Dictionary came to be addressed to Lord Chesterfield was this: He had neglected to write it by the time appointed. Dodsley suggested a desire to have it addressed to Lord C. Mr. J. laid hold of this as an excuse for delay, that it might be better done perhaps, and let Dodsley have his desire. Mr. Johnson said to his friend, Doctor Bathurst: Now if any good comes of my addressing to Lord Chesterfield it will be ascribed to deep policy and address, when, in fact, it was only a casual excuse for laziness. 11 Thus we see that it was sheer laziness that led to the greatest triumph of Doctor Johnsons life, the noble and memorable letter to Chesterfield in 1775. 12 Mind your business is a good counsel; but mind your idleness also. Its a tragic thing to make a business of your mind. Save your mind to amuse yourself with. 13 The lazy man does not stand in the way of progress. When he sees progress roaring down upon him he steps nimbly out of the way. The lazy man doesnt (in the vulgar phrase) pass the buck. He lets the buck pass him. We have always secretly envied our lazy friends. Now we are going to join them. We have burned our boats or our bridges or whatever it is that one burns on the eve of a momentous decision. 14 Writing on this congenial topic has roused us up to quite a pitch of enthusiasm and energy. *On Laziness by Christopher Morley was originally published in Pipefuls (Doubleday, Page and Company, 1920)

Note or Notice

Note or Notice Note or Notice Note or Notice By Maeve Maddox A reader wonders if there is a significant difference of connotation between the verbs â€Å"to note† and â€Å"to notice.† The question arose as he tried to decide between the following sentences to express the inner dialogue of a character: Rory noted that the CEO never asked for details. Rory noticed that the CEO never asked for details. Note, as both noun and verb, has been in the language since the Middle Ages. The earliest meaning of the noun was â€Å"a sign or symbol used in writing.† An early meaning of â€Å"to note† was â€Å"to put down a mark.† Eventually, the verb acquired additional meanings such as â€Å"to observe, to take notice of, to consider or study carefully.† Current usage includes these meanings as well as others, such as â€Å"to become aware of,† â€Å"to be struck by,† and â€Å"to put down in writing.† Notice in the sense of â€Å"to give notice of something† existed in the 15th century, but notice as a verb to mean â€Å"to take notice† didn’t come along until the 17th century, at which time it was rejected as an unnecessary Scotticism or Americanism for the phrase â€Å"to take notice.† The 1763 Universal Dictionary of the English Language included this caveat: â€Å"Notice should not be used as a verb.† Writing a little later (1789), another commentator observed that some English writers were using notice as a verb, but that it was â€Å"better† to avoid it. In regard to the reader’s question, I can offer only a personal reaction to the difference between the two sentences: Rory noted that the CEO never asked for details. Rory noticed that the CEO never asked for details. To me, the use of noted in the first sentence suggests that Rory is keeping track of the CEO’s behavior for some purpose, whereas noticed implies that Rory has merely observed the behavior in passing and is not trying to discern any particular significance in it. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:60 Synonyms for â€Å"Walk†Body Parts as Tools of Measurement10 Tips About How to Write a Caption

The Black Model for Interest Rate Derivatives Essay

The Black Model for Interest Rate Derivatives - Essay Example Over the last two and half decades, finance has experienced tremendous and exciting developments especially with reference to derivatives markets. One of the reasons explaining the idea of tremendous and exciting developments within financial sector is the fact that both hedger and speculators within financial markets find it attractive to trade derivate specifically assets rather than trading on the assets themselves (Gupta and Subrahmanyam. 2005). Development of derivatives is considered as one of the most successful upcoming within capital markets (Brigo and Mercurio 2001). Within derivatives, there are three main traders; hedger, speculators, and arbitrageurs. Application of derivatives within financial markets helps in eliminating or reducing risk associated with the fluctuations in the prices of assets. Overview and Development of Black Model Financial markets have experienced an increase in the interest-rate contingent claims that include amongst others caps, swaptions, bond o ptions, mortgage-backed securities, as well as captions. The main problem however that is currently experienced is the development of effective and efficient instruments for valuing such contingent claims. Different models have been developed and used in an attempt to find the best and most effective one. Nonetheless, there has been indifference amongst traders on the model effective and efficient enough to help in measuring, controlling, and supervision of interest-rate risks. Hull (234) identifies Black-Scholes Model as a major innovation is pricing of various stock options. During the early 1970s, Fischer Black, Myron Scholes, and Robert Merton developed a model that can be used effectively and efficiently in pricing stock options (Hull p234). In addition, Clewlow and Strickland (2000) confirm that Black Model has been frequently used in valuing bond options due to its effectiveness and efficiency. Black Model borrows extensively from the Black-Scholes Model (Black, 1976). Actual ly the former is an extension and modification of the latter. Black Model for pricing stock options assumes that the value of an interest rate, bond price, or other variables at a given time is future follows a lognormal distribution. One of the reasons that necessitated the extension and modification of the Black-Scholes Model to Black Model is the difficulty experienced in valuing interest rate derivatives as opposed to valuing foreign exchange derivative (Hull p508). The difficulty is experienced due to a number of reasons such as complications within the behavior of individual interest rate as compared to stock prices of exchange rates (Hull p508). In addition, there has been the need to develop a model that will help in evaluating the behavior of the entire derivate including the zero-coupon yield rate. Consequently, Black Model was developed, which derives most of its assumptions from the Black-Scholes-Merton differential equation that represents the model. For instance, the m odel assumes that there are no transactional costs of taxes involved in applying the model to value stock options (Black, 1976). What’s more, the model assumes that there are no dividends obtained during the derivatives’ life coupled with facts that arbitrate opportunities are termed as riskless. In this model, another important assumption is that the rate of risk-free interest is constant and equals