How to Invest Money

The money is not the most important thing in life, but sometimes is really necessary, how to spend it sometimes could be a difficult work, some people are great spenders, others spend the money carefully, but in life, we always have the necessity to spend it, in a lot of difference ways, in my case, i am not a big spender, I am a thrifty person, i take a lot of care in how I spend my money, because in fact, i do not work yet, it is my parents money so i have to think a lot of how i use it. I always try to save money for the future, we all never know when we would need it, in this moment of my life I spend the majority of my money in clothes, shoes, make up, food and things like that but all the time i am looking for supplies and discounts because i think i a very smart way to save money. I do not like to buy a lot of things, i prefer to use my money in traveling, going out with my friends and family, knowing new places or doing interesting things, because the material things are gonna stand with you just for a while, but memories are forever. If I win the lottery, I will do a lot of things. First of all I will put all the money in a bank account, and hire someone who helps me to manage my money, the i will discuss with my parents how to spend all that money because i know the have a lot of experience and will give me the best advice. I will by a beautiful house at the beach, with a big pool, in which i can invite all my family and friends and have fun, and another important thing, i will travel all the world!!! , know the most beautiful places in the world, France, England, Australia, etc, learn about their cultures and history, and make one of my dreams came true, go to the snow. I think that a smart way to spend money is to invest, so i will invest in properties, etc. Another thing I would do with all that money would be have my own business, buy a big house for my parents at the mountains, a study in a great University. In fact if i have more money left, i will use it all in charities, and to help people in all over the world, like orphaned children, help hospitals, poor people, etc, and of course help my best friends. I think the money is always going to be necessary but we decide how to make it important in our lives.

Philosophy 103

According to Sartre, a philosopher from the World War II and Cold War eras, people will create the world around them, thus manipulating their lives. By doing this, they create certain limitations, while also creating more possibilities. Sartre created his philosophical theory at a time in history when more people were able to afford more amenities and luxuries for themselves. More and more industries, companies, and manufacturers were popping up around the world. This created a global human interest in possessing more amenities, especially in a democratic society.People were now able to not only afford the items they needed in order to sustain a normal lifestyle, but they could own things that could entertain them and bring them happiness. This is a lifestyle that has continued on through today. Many people argue that the habit of buying unnecessary items as opposed to buying those that are vital has become worse over time. Many of us wonder why this is the case. Sartre states that p eople â€Å"may not become what they wish to be† because they are too busy focusing on their material possessions instead of focusing on improving their moral selves.It is the responsibility of the person to decide what is really important in their lives. Sartre also makes a few more important notations towards his theory. First, many people think that they will only be defined by the items in which they possess. People think they will only be accepted socially if they possess items that are considered to be attractive to others. People also think they are only defined by what they have, not by who they are as people. However, Sartre also says, in reality, the world in which we live in is not composed of all the material possessions.But we tend to feel complete when we do possess these. It is our way of â€Å"escaping responsibility†. A free market constantly manipulates us, and it is easy for us to fall into its trap. When choosing whether or not to splurge on luxury items, we tend to evaluate our lifestyles and consider what are values truly are. When we evaluate our lifestyles, we fulfill ourselves in which we think will improve our overall lifestyle. Our values become our material possessions, therefore forgetting what is morally significant in our lives.It is all up to the way in which we evaluate things and our ability in attempting to resist our negative and insignificant assumptions of ourselves and the lifestyles we choose to maintain. When doing this, we usually create standards for ourselves to abide by. We only will invest in the most expensive items because we believe it will make us appear more superior to everyone else. By doing this, we forget about what is important: our consciousness of our spending habits with our money.For example, when it comes to buying a car, we forget about the role a car is meant to play in our lives. As opposed to focusing on its ability to get us from place to place, we only focus on the way it looks, h ow fast it can go, how good the sound system is, how high we can have it lifted, etc. By doing this, people lose sight of what is morally important like shelter, food, and one’s own livelihood. We see this a lot in our everyday lives. You see this on billboards, over the radio, in magazines, in movies, and especially on television. According to dictionary. om, a â€Å"Marketer† is defined as â€Å"A person whose duties include the identification of the goods and services desired by a set of consumers, as well as the marketing of those goods and services on behalf of a company. † This means that the job of the marketer is to convince the average consumer that they need their product, and this is where more often then not people confuse Luxuries versus needs. First lets start by defining â€Å"need. † In the strictest sense of the word, a â€Å"need† is something that you have to have to get by in this world – a necessity.You need food, shelte r, clothing, medical care, which are all examples of the basics. You will probably experience physical suffering of some sort if you don't have your needs met. On the other hand, a â€Å"Luxury† is something that you desire — something you would like to have. But by no means will you suffer in any way except perhaps mental anguish, if you don't get the thing you want. â€Å"Wants† quite often fall into the category of Luxuries, nice to have, but the world won't end without them. The hard part comes when you live in a prosperous capitalistic society, like ours.The â€Å"western† standard of living is so high that even many of our poor tend to live above the level of basic needs. In 1998, 97% of â€Å"poor† Americans (as defined by the Census Bureau) owned a television — something that could definitely be considered a luxury. In many third-world countries, less than 30% of the population even has access to electricity, which most westerners wo uld consider an absolute necessity. My intention is not to make anyone feel guilty — it's simply to point out that the distinction between want and need is often relative.It depends on the area in which you live, the company you keep, the lifestyle you choose, and the expectations of the society around you. We are influenced, every day, by the popular culture around us. Television, magazines, movies, and advertising have all done a splendid job of programming us to think that we need a lot of excess consumable goods. Pretend that you are watching TV or flipping through your favorite magazine and see an ad for something awesome. Suddenly, your heart speeds up, and you get a tingly feeling in your gut. It's perfect, how had you ever lived without it before?You rush right to the store, what?! You don't have any left in stock?! Your heart sinks and you feel a rush of disappointment. You spend the rest of the day moping because you couldn't find it anywhere. Now, this might be a b it of an exaggeration, but it's not far off the mark for some people. How often have you learned of a new product and were certain that you absolutely had to have it? What if you had never seen the ad? Would your life be any worse off? It's as if the knowledge that something exists causes the need for it. Thus brings up the age-old saying of keeping up with the Joneses.With the advent of the â€Å"global society,† the Joneses are not just the people next door anymore. They include movie stars and billionaires and imaginary people on TV that don't even really exist. But we hold these folks up as the standard against which we should measure our own lives. Just because Bill Gates has a multi-million dollar house, we think ours is too small. Certainly, no one is suggesting that one gives away everything they own and become a monk, but it is important that one strikes a balance between those things that they have to have and the things that they would like to have.It is also impor tant that people be able to prioritize their spending. The goal is to focus on those things that will really improve one’s quality of life, rather than just look flashy. Here's a perfect example of prioritizing between two â€Å"wants. † Wouldn't it be nice to retire early? Not have to work, spend your time doing what you want? And let's say that while you are thinking about retiring early, you are also looking to buy a house. You could choose the $500,000 home with 10 bedrooms, or you could choose the smaller, less-expensive house that meets all of your basic needs.If you choose the expensive home, you can probably kiss retiring early goodbye. But, if you decide that retiring early would improve your quality of life more than having a huge flashy house, the choice is simple. This coincides with Sartre’s theory of self-responsibility. He defines it as â€Å"individuals are responsible for their choice, i. e. , they are the incontestable author of their act. â⠂¬  This means that whatever decision a person makes, whether it be good or bad, is their own personal responsibility.For example, when a professional athlete is caught cheating by using steroids, throwing a fight, or betting on themselves, etc. they are personally responsible for the actions that take place thereafter. This also applies to Sartre’s theory on responsibility for others. He states that, â€Å"in choosing for one's self, one is thus also choosing for others and is to that extent responsible for the others. † So by having the professional athlete cheat, he or she is also affecting others, such as fans, the team’s image, and their teammates, with their actions.Sartre’s teachings on existentialism are a perfect example for the topic of Luxuries versus necessities. His idea of personal responsibility and the responsibility of others shows that in Sartre’s eye’s every consumer is responsible for themselves and if their actions caus e a negative reaction on the rest of society they person responsible for this change be held accountable. When choosing between necessities and luxuries its up to one’s own moral judgment to decide what is considered a necessity or what is a luxury. So next time your out buying something think to yourself what kind of effect could this it have on society?

How does William Shakespeare create tension Essay

From the minute the play starts the audience are aware that the â€Å"star crossed lovers† Romeo and Juliet are going to die, this makes it clear that the play is a tragedy. A Tragedy is a traditional form of theatre where the main characters in the play die as a result of their tragic flaw, for example in the tragedy play Macbeth, Macbeth’s vaulting ambition leads him to his death. Romeo and Juliet’s flaw is the powerful love between them and it means their relationship has to be secret and this leads to Mercutio being killed by Tybalt and Romeo then killing Tybalt. The consequences of Romeo revenging Mercutios death by killing Tybalt means he is banished upon death. When the play was written ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was already a well known story but the version that William Shakespeare borrowed did not include the love theme William Shakespeare added the love theme into the story. The play Romeo and Juliet was written in 1594, and in this time women particularly were under their parents influence and there was no free choice on who you could marry. Teenage Rebellion was unthinkable because your parents would kick you out and in this time a woman was unable to get a job and with no money it would be hard to find a husband; this is why Romeo and Juliet’s marriage was secret. How a play is structured is an important way of creating tension for the audience like in Act 1 of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ it introduces the theme of love and hate between the two families Montague and Capulet. There is also a fight between the two family’s servants because they hate each other but Tybalt (Capulet) turns up and the fight becomes even bigger than before. The reason Shakespeare kills off Mercutio and Tybalt in Act 3 is that now all the action can focus on Romeo and Juliet. In the scene were Mercutio is slain, this point is often looked at as the points were the play becomes a tragedy. If Romeo hadn’t avenged Mercutios death the outcome would have been very different and Romeo and Juliet’s actions from this point are due to this scene. Having themes run throughout a play is another way of creating tension for the audience. This scene (Act3 scene 1) contains the theme of passion, when Benvolio is advising Mercutio to leave the area where the Capulet’s are  going to arrive but Mercutio is ready for a fight and is going to stay no matter what. Benvolio says ‘for now these hot-days is the mad blood stirring.’ This means that the hot weather has shortened people’s tempers including Mercutios. When Tybalt arrives and Tybalt and Mercutio start to fighting. Romeo accidentally gets in the way and Mercutio is struck by Tybalt’s sword, it is a mortal wound which kills him. As Mercutio is dying he says ‘A plague on both your houses.’ After Mercutio dies and Romeo kills Tybalt, Romeo starts crying and this is a passionate cry emphasises the way he is losing the control of his destiny and is subject to fate. This creates tension because the audience know the final outcome from the start. Shakespeare was a master of characterisation, the characters in this scene have been skilfully created previously and act exactly how the audience expect them to, based on their previous behaviour, such as at the party Mercutio is showing off, he is loud full of himself and hot tempered this shows that it is Mercutios nature to fight and not back down. Also Mercutio cannot stand Romeo’s capitulation towards the Capulet’s and this angers him even more Mercutio also says ‘O calm, dis honourable, vile, submission’ and this creates tension because Mercutio forces the fight on Tybalt. In a play which would be performed to an audience who could barely read and write, it was important for Shakespeare to include rich metaphors and poetry which would entertain and stimulate them; his language is littered with deeper meanings and puns. For example when Benvolio says for now these hot days the mad blood stirring this means that the hot weather has shortened peoples tempers and they are more likely to snap and start a fight, this line adds tension as well because there is going to be a big fight but Mercutios short snappy sentences show that he is ready to fight and it creates tension and anticipation to see Tybalt and Mercutio fight. The stage craft is a vital part of the tension in this scene where Shakespeare keeps the weather hot so it gets people irritable. Mercutio is in the mood for a fight because of the weather and he wants to cause to  cause trouble. Shakespeare makes Tybalt arrive before Romeo so he has a chance to tangle and mix with Mercutio. Shakespeare only makes the reasons why Romeo won’t fight Tybalt to make Mercutio angry about Romeo’s capitulation towards the Capulet Family. To conclude, I feel that Shakespeare created tension in this scene through Mercutios anger towards Romeo’s capitulation and his hatred for the Capulet Family. Although if Mercutio had known about Romeo and Juliet his anger would not be so great. I found the play sad because two innocent characters had to die because of their flaw which was the powerful love between them which could not be broken and I also feel that another reason Romeo and Juliet died was the feud between the two families which was ended only when there children had died.

The experiments involving women in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birth Essay

The experiments involving women in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birth Mark and Rapaccini's Daughter using as foil The Oval Por - Essay Example Hawthorne build a formidable relationship with women characters, in which case he had to inspire many who appear in his fiction, and he had a relationship with women who had some influence in his life, which includes Margaret Fuller among others. Therefore, Hawthorne plays a crucial role in having to think about women and their confronting of the American men and society. Therefore, this paper will embark on the experiments that involve women in Nathaniels Hawthorne, â€Å"the birth mark† and the â€Å"Rapaccini’s daughter† (Wright). A substance analysis of Hawthorne’s women from the many tales demonstrates the way the Hawthorne uses the women as the objects of warning about the consequences of the fear of men. Analyzing the â€Å"The Birth Mark†, Hawthorne tries to introduce the Georgina character, in which case her sole flaw is the birthmark that was on her face. Everything else is perfect, but the flaw that existed was this only birthmark. The hu sband of Aylmer likes science, and he goes on to suggest that he should try to remove the birthmark. When he was through with the experiment, he goes ahead to announce that the experiment was successful. Having done this, Georgina, in which case she had some characteristics of evil possession, dies because her husband had the insistence on trying to deform nature. Aylmer also has the evil flaw, in which case he is persistence to get rid of the birthmark (Wright). Hawthorne has had to create characters with malevolent or the evil characteristics to the reader an allegorical meaning. To some extent, he may be targeting the women without the justification. Plainly, Hawthorne has had to target the women and the men equally in his works. For instance, in his works of, â€Å"Rappaccini’s daughter†, Hawthorne uses Beatrice to be the carrier of deadly poison, in which case men is in use in transmitting the evil. Then men in use have their own flaws, in which case it contribute s to the mistakes of women in their works. II. A There is the possibility of interpreting the Georgiana’s sexuality when interpreting the birthmark because Hawthorne works seem to have sexual undercurrent. In the hallmark, Georgiana tries to consider Aylmer to be his master, which is why she is caring about Aylmer’s opinion of her. Aylmer considers the imperfection in the Georgiana’s face and has the confidence of the nature due to his likes of science he plans to remove the imperfection from her face. He persuades her to remove the imperfection in order that they feel happy together. Aylmer then guides Georgiana into the laboratory, in which case it includes beautiful rooms and Aylmer finally succeeds in removing the imperfections. However, Georgiana, in which case she has had to dream, dies. From the two characters, Georgiana and Aylmer, it is quite clear that the birthmark epitomizes natural beauty containing imperfection and explores the hubris of science an d art in an attempt to perfect what the nature offers. In addition, there is the revelation of discomfort and fascination with the power of women’s sexuality, in which case it can make a man pursue anything, including endangering a woman’s life, diminishing it (Wright). Aylmer aims at removing the birthmark in Georgiana’s face that made her imperfect. Aylmer wanted to make her to be perfect in order that they

Communication management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communication management - Case Study Example Being a cross-cultural undertaking involving a management team with widely varied backgrounds, the visiting team must be hosted in a manner that will not jeopardize the partnership before it even kicks off. This paper will design an action plan to implement the partnership whose objectives will include being aligned with corporate, community and personal values in a realistic, cost effective and socially acceptable context. A business merger or partnership can only be considered when the involved companies have a vision of benefiting from the combined business operations and consequently contributing to increased value for shareholders. It must be assumed that the idea of the partnership was hatched with the full knowledge of the rampant practice of software piracy in China. The first major task of the marketer would be to formulate an agenda for the merger to convince the market and the new partners of the commitment to alleviate such thoughts. Given the amount of revenue UR Softwar e Inc. has managed to generate within five years, it can safely be thought to be performing well and has a stable customer base. Linking up with ECVIC is advantageous because of their thorough knowledge of the Far East territory. Using their own history of success and ECVIC’s strength, the new partnership can give a guarantee of the genuine nature of their products. An effective marketing strategy targeting the Far East market would be based on websites, taking advantage of the over 550 million users of the internet in China in 2013. The marketer at UR Software Inc. needs to show the new partners how they will convert stocks from the respective individual firms to the resultant combined company. The action plan must be characterized by UR Software Inc.’s intention to reduce anxieties, eliminate fears and raise two firms’ levels of mutual trust. This requires an exhibition of the awareness of China’s adopted anti-monopoly law that was enacted in 2007, wher e competition authorities in China stepped up the enforcement of practices against competitiveness and mergers. The action plan needs to enhance the concepts of China’s Ministry of Commerce that heavily relies on behavioral remedies that underlie cases of mergers as well as those proposed by the European Commission that favor structural remedies. It is worth noting that China emphasizes on antitrust laws. In doing business in the Canadian and North American markets, the action plan will allow public interest to play roles only in clearly defined and exceptional circumstances. Since the merger is expected to affect prudential rules, media plurality, and public security, public interests must be considered in all the countries of potential operation as a long term agenda. Antitrust authorities must be allowed to follow transparent and explicit procedures. To maintain competitive levels in markets that may otherwise become too concentrated after the partnership, structural remed ies will have to de-invest in some of both the partners’ assets in favor of potential or actual competitors. The short term action plan would emphasize on behavioral remedies committed to engaging in particular conduct that will preserve conditions of competition immediately following the partnership. For instance, both partners will specify

The Meanings of peace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Meanings of peace - Essay Example issues, Barash and Webel (5-6), indicate peace is not just the nonexistence of violence, but also the existence of tolerance and harmony across different ethnicities and economic classes. Further, there is logic of forbearance in international affairs for the attainment of true harmony in global society. By indicating that Violence becomes connected to harmony at an early level, since basically; it is shaped by the nature of an authority. Harmony develops, thanks to individual modifications of power structures (Barash and Webel 6-11). The meaning of â€Å"war and peace are two ends of a continuum† (Barash and Webel 10) implies conflict is a likely result of the idea of peace that is common in the mainstream society. This implies peace as lack of violence. Further, it is a fact, long believed in peace findings and conflict issues. In view of this, satisfaction with the mere lack of â€Å"concrete† violence falls short of the beliefs of peace and serves successfully to conceal cruelty that is executed at a more profound level. The authors designated this profound conflict that is an essential part of the general order as some sort of structural hostility. The existence of a voiceless society is mistakenly interpreted as a tranquil society. Structural violence is believed in everyday existence, roughly as normal as it is in the current world. This invisible cruelty is established by an extensive arrangement of triggering factors in society that affect the generation of multiple forms of disparity (Bara sh and Webel 9). According to Barash, and Webel (7), being concerned with this hostility is a condition that may be systemically generated. By saying negative peace means the â€Å"absence of war† (Barash and Webel 7), it simply implies absolute peace. Conversely, positive peace means the concealment of the prevailing hostility (Barash and Webel 7-8). Furthermore, this is an idea of conflict linked to peace, and harmony as lack of hostility, which describes the influence

Final Term Paper GVPT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Final Term Paper GVPT - Essay Example Secondly, researchers indicate that the vice includes activities concerned with cyber war, which is centered on the deliberate destruction of information in computers with the aim of causing a situation of instability within the global social media community (Burke & Cooper, 2008). Further, cyber war is an inclusion to cyber terrorism since it involves the activities of terrorism organizations prying rival governments’ information and destroying it to bar them from achieving profound goals in anti-terrorism activities. The following discussion establishes narrow and broad descriptions of cyber terrorism. Further, the discussion establishes profound researches and analyses to intensify and reveal cyber terrorism activities with the assertion of a relevant matrix. Scholars concerned with the emergence of cyber terrorism in the global society assert that the vice is relative to actual terrorism since it includes the destruction of properties and information. Basically, researchers indicate that this type of attack threatens properties as well as people‘s lives citing on the fact that computers are used as lifesavers in hospitals’ intensive care units (Weil, 2013). Acknowledgements to the fact indicate that whenever terrorists tamper with computers in intensive care units, there are high chances of loss of lives since health practitioners will be unable to monitor their patients profusely. Similarly, arguments assert that cyber terrorism is a detrimental factor to societal wellbeing since its practices introduce unnecessary harm to the media, thus hindering the effective flow of information. It is knowledgeable that the vice can influence infrastructures negatively to the extent that they will fail to deliver the required services to the human society (Harress, 2014). At such a point, cyber terrorism will be exposing the society to unnecessary dangers bearing in mind that the criminals target those services whose course and nature is

Darwin's Dangerous Ideas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Darwin's Dangerous Ideas - Essay Example That the human mind and brain are products of evolution is tough to contest, although some noticeable persons like the renowned linguist Chomsky seemingly disagree. Dennett also has an objectively conservative but at times confusing argument of the meme impression and the inferences of human learning ability. When Dennett gets into deliberations of his positions on the strong AI theory of mind and the nature of meaning, I don't think his suggestions of evolutionary theory are very strong and several of his arguments appear based more on equivalence than anything else. The book determines with a set of chapters on ethics. Part IIThe writer focused on the general evolutionary theories and comments about the theories rather than on the content of the videos. The writer focused on the arguments posed by the crusaders of other theories, for example the Christians who are strong advocates of the creation theory.   I agree with the writer’s explanation of natural selection and evol ution. The writer gives conclusive examples on the subject and goes on to compare it with the Christian belief. The writer’s understanding of the subject matter is irrefutable as he touches on all the aspects of Darwin’s work. The writer however could have focused more on the content of the videos to make his work totally conclusive. Dennett tries to raise evolutionary theory in an exertion to support his previous claim that the human is a "strong artificial intelligence (AI)" sort of architecture, a notion that has been battled dynamically.

Literary Lenses in our Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Literary Lenses in our Media - Essay Example The themes include the quest and the fall, and contain legend and myth within the plot. â€Å"Heroes† has the basic underlying of any story having to deal with a superhero. There is the good side and the bad side, and the adventures and turmoil that they all must go through in regards to who they are. The legend and myth that can be found within the story are typical of all superheroes – these people possess powers that have only been previously heard or seen in myths and tales. Once these characters receives these powers of legend, they must wield them and use them how they see fit, to their benefit. After the powers have been discovered and the characters understand what they must do with them, the things that follow – their adventures and moments of rescue and brevity – are also tales only found in legend. This literary lens basically shows things that normally should not be possible other than in their legends, yet still prove to be possible in the modern-day tale. The characters fall into the same positions as their myth counterparts, and the themes are set up in the same way, though modernized of course. With older superhero films, such as Superman, Batman, and Spiderman, the same rules apply in which ordinary people discover that they can do extraordinary things, and they must learn to use said things for their benefit in a positive way. Though, this does not always apply to the villains. Another literary lens that can be seen in â€Å"Heroes† is that of existentialism, which involves how a person exists, lives their life, and alters it to fit their environment and their purpose. The characters of â€Å"Heroes† both shape their existence and allow themselves to be shaped by it. They take who they are and use that knowledge and power to help others, and they let the need of others decide for them what they have to do. In â€Å"Heroes,† the characters are constantly choosing between what they have to do, what they want to do, and what

Global Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global Economics - Essay Example The recent fascination appears to have been inspired by their success in dealing with hyperinflation in several countries such as Argentina and Bulgaria. Argentina did in fact abandon its currency board sometimes back in 2002 after it experienced one of it's worst recession. Lithuania and Estonia also turned to currency boards to obtain credibility for their newly established countries. The renewed appetite for fixed exchange rate regime justifies a closer look at ideal conditions for their establishment, with particular interest to the Argentina's experience. A currency board combines three aspects; one, the exchange rate is fixed to an anchor currency. Secondly, there must be automatic convertibility- it should be always possible to exchange local currency at the fixed rate and thirdly, there should be a long term dedication to this system. The fixed exchange regime that that currency board imports is usually appropriate for small economies with fragile central banks. The fixed exchange rate regime will only be effective if there are sufficient foreign exchange reserves to cover the local current issued. A fixed exchange rate system will be of no use if a country is unable to maintain a sustainable exchange rate to the anchor currency. This might cause serious balance of payment problems if the local currency is overvalued. Argentina paid scant respect for these economic principles that precipitated its financial crisis of 2002. The peso was locked at one US dollar since 1991, when then the currency board was established. Because of this overvaluation, Argentina exported too little and imported too much. The manufactured balance of payment problems rendered it difficult for the country to earn the foreign exchange it needed to repay its foreign debts. Usually, currency boards have the capacity to instill confidence in the public and financial markets because of the certainty of payment adjustment mechanism. However, experiences with Argentina and Hong Kong shows that currency board are not immune to speculative tendencies induced by fear of devaluation. Devaluation did actually take place in Argentina in 2002. Though this was meant to help resolve the countries balance of payment problems, it rendered many businessmen who had borrowed in foreign currency bankrupt. It is also essential for the fiscal policy of a country to be disciplined by the establishment of a currency board and this requires political will from the establishment. At least initially, Argentina bureaucrats played by the rules of the game. But they were perhaps emboldened and the discipline was lost in the late 90's when Argentina picked where it had left from and proceeded to ruin its economy by running persistent deficits. Argentina Convertibility Plan: Mission Impossible. The convertibility plan got its name from the currency board arrangement that was at the centre of economic program in Argentina. At first, it experienced a measure of success and was credited with the growth and stability experienced there in the first half on the 1990's. The initial success, which saw the growth rates going up to 9 percent in 1994, momentarily made Carlos Menem, the then President, and Domingo Cavallo, the then minister of finance heroes in Argentina. The latter years were far from rosy. It's hard to put a finger at what really went wrong and some things even surprised seasoned economists, like the fact that

International finanicial manager (slp 5 bus) Essay

International finanicial manager (slp 5 bus) - Essay Example transnational corporation acquire, organize and manage those assets is of critical importance, not only to the success of those corporations, but also to the development and industrial restructuring of nation states. The task of international financial manager is to make the best possible tactical decision that the market has to offer on liabilities, within the strategic funding constraints set by currency denomination, maturity, and capital structure Almost every firm, government agency, and other type of organizations have one or more financial managers. Financial managers oversee the preparation of financial reports, direct investment activities, and implement cash management strategies. Managers also develop strategies and implement the long-term goals of their organization. The role of the financial manager, particularly in business, is changing in response to technological advances that have significantly reduced the amount of time it takes to produce financial reports. Financial managers now perform more data analysis and use it to offer senior managers ideas on how to maximize profits. They often work on teams, acting as business advisors to top management. Financial managers need to keep abreast of the latest computer technology to increase the efficiency of their firm’s financial operations. Controllers direct the preparation of financial reports, such as income statements, balance sheets, and analyses of future earnings or expenses. Controllers also are in charge of preparing special reports required by regulatory authorities. Often, controllers oversee the accounting, audit, and budget departments. Treasurers and finance officers direct the organization’s budgets to meet its financial goals. They oversee the investment of funds, manage associated risks, supervise cash management activities, execute capital-raising strategies to support a firm’s expansion, and deal with mergers and acquisitions. Cash managers monitor and control the flow of

Counselling, Caring and the Ambulance Service Essay Example for Free

Counselling, Caring and the Ambulance Service Essay Introduction In order to discus counselling and its meaning both generally, and in my workplace, it is necessary to come up with a definition. The dictionary describes it in terms of advice but this interpretation is a traditional one and carries an immediate implication of inequality for those involved. It is a narrow interpretation of the concept when compared to modern attitudes, which usually include a psychological aspect. Nevertheless, the traditional view still bears three of the fundamentals of counselling. These are: * That it involves at least two people, thus constitutes a relationship. * That there is agreement about the nature of the interaction, i.e. it is cooperative. * The aim is to help those involved. According to Stephen Murgatroyd (1990, P.5) counselling is not the sole prerogative of professional counsellors. It is a process that is widely used in within a community, which can take many forms. I have found this particularly true in my own profession. As a Paramedic within the NHS for ten years I have used techniques, which I now recognise as essentials of counselling practice, but have never considered myself a counsellor. Rather a professional who can learn much from the subject. In my workplace I find frequent examples of the more traditional model of counselling, as described by Murgatroyd (1990 P.7) as prescriptive or directive but also of other the facilitative or developmental forms, which seek to encourage patient centred self-actualisation. These I will seek to analyse. I hope to draw out some of the problems involved and discuss ways in which to improve. Counselling, Caring and the Ambulance Service Once upon a time ambulance staff had a clear job specification, or at least their managers liked to believe so. Crews were told their mission was to preserve life and transport to hospital with the minimum of deterioration in the patients well-being. In reality things are not that simple and ambulance staff deal with a myriad of human responses and emotions every day. In the past many of my colleagues thought of counselling as a nebulous concept, which had no place at the cutting age of ambulance work. More attention was paid to physical trauma than emotional. With hindsight we can see that the best ambulance staff were those that used the skills that we now identify and welcome, in a natural and confident way. Usually they were also those that had plenty of experience. Just as my job covers a range of human conditions, so counselling and guidance demands a range of approaches to those being counselled. In my job these can be patients, their friends, relatives, bystanders or other professionals. Also though, it includes my colleagues. I have discussed briefly the nature of counselling, now I would like to examine it in more detail. Nelson-Jones (1983) talks of a distinction between skills and specialism or counselling relationships, whereby counselling is the primary activity, and helping relationships in which counselling skills form part of the helpers relationship with another person. Clearly the latter applies to my own job as well as many others. Our primary role is not that of counsellors but we use some of those skills so as to be effective practitioners. Davis Fallowfield examine four models of psychological theory that have had a major impact on counselling. These are: * Behavioural * Cognitive Behavioural * Person Centred * Psychodynamic Each of these allows us a better understanding of the processes of helping by affording us a different view of the human psyche. In my work I can recognise elements of all the models in patients and colleagues. Rogers, (Person Centred), gives insight into the importance of the conditions necessary to create an effective relationship. Based on humanistic philosophy he espouses the belief that all people have the capacity to achieve self-actualisation, if the basic conditions can be created. Freud, (Psychodynamic) demonstrates the importance of the relationship, the unconscious processes which arise from them and the insight into them in dealing with problems The behaviourist theories espoused by Pavlov, Skinner, Ellis and others, deal with the nature of behaviours learned and observable, and how maladaptive thought processes can be unlearned by the use of cognitive processes. A fifth model, that of Gerard Egan, integrates many of the ideas of the former to create an eclectic model that I believe has particular relevance to my workplace. In The Skilled Helper (1994) Egan incorporates some of Rogers and Maslow`s humanistic ideas in a pragmatic way, to outline some of the counselling skills that we use so much as teachers or carers. As Egans model is concerned with problems other than just psychological it provides a more relevant ethical base for those in teaching or healthcare and has been increasingly embraced by those professions in recent years.(Burnard 1990 P.27) Egan mirrors modern healthcare by treating the patient in an holistic way. He proposes a need for empathy, respect, genuiness and mutual respect. All of these are very necessary to accomplished ambulance staff. The Three-Stage Model Egan uses a three-stage model to outline the helping process. The first stage concentrates on the social skills that I find so important to my job, setting the scene and allowing a warm relationship to flourish through showing genuine empathy. Skills such as body language active listening and attention giving are prerequisites. Communication is established and advanced. Stage two moves the process forward by drawing out themes to allow the subject a new perspective. The subject is gently challenged so as to recognise themes, feelings and experiences. . Building on the previous stages, the third seeks to encourage a creative ambience. Problem solving drawing on points raised, maybe seeking solutions and encouraging the subject to establish a plan of action. The establishment of communication is common to the whole process. This is a massively important. The process may also move backwards or forwards. It is not intended to be prescriptive but rather to draw out the empathetic human qualities that can help. I can recall so many instances where Egans ideas have been used in my workplace that it is hard to select examples. We are often called upon to assess our patients well being in a very short time. Once we have established that avenues of communication are possible, i.e that the patient is able to communicate in a rational way, we embark on a dialogue that seeks to put them at ease, allow them insight and hopefully afford them a feeling that they have some measure of control over the situation. Power thus becomes an important issue. In Davis Fallowfield (P.15) the patient/practitioner relationship is discussed. They state that one of the most common problems encountered is the need for medical staff to take on the role of expert in order to reach conclusive goals. Very often this leads to neglect of the patient as a whole. Sanders (1994) identifies two qualities that he describes as non-counselling. One of them, he describes as being distant and expert. Sometimes, in a medical emergency, this is a necessary quality but creates feelings of guilt. I have often left relatives at the scene of a cardiac arrest at home whilst taking the role of expert and wondered at the emotional carnage that we have just encountered as we speed towards hospital with their loved one. Many times I know that we have not even begun to address their needs. It is certainly easier not to shoulder that sort of emotional involvement, as mentioned by Burnard (P.148), when he talks of the possibility of burnout. But sometimes assuming the role of expert can be used as an excuse to avoid emotional involvement. I believe that in my workplace this is a very common problem and have many times taken issue with colleagues who have deliberately refused to move away from the expert mode and address the patient as a whole person. In one such incident a young female patient was brought by chair into the AE department by a crew. Wheeled into the centre of the busy department she sat hunched, clearly embarrassed, and hiding her face. One of the crew held a large collection of empty pill packets, making it obvious to those who could see that the patient had overdosed. Overdoses are a very common emergency and can bring out negative attitudes from all medical workers. Whilst the patient remained on public view the ambulance man walked up to the nursing station and ritualistically poured the packets onto the desk in an obviously condescending way. The patient began to cry quietly. The behaviour of this colleague incensed me. He had ritualistically humiliated his patient presumably because of his intolerance and judgmentalism and a refusal to see the patient as anything but a manipulator. I believe that the ability to extract necessary information and perform tasks in an empathetic way is not only achievable using Egans techniques, but also vital to patient well-being. During my time in the ambulance service time I have passed through stages that have been identified by Maynard Furlong (1998) as distinct points in development, from early idealism to realism and occasional disenchantment. I have found that after several years a degree of cynicism is a common occupational hazard and is probably to be expected. Staff have to come to terms with what is achievable within the constraints of the job and workplace stress is common. Very often in my workplace I witness a range of abilities in communication. Simple techniques such as positioning, eye contact and general body language can be taught but I am convinced that without a genuine love for ones fellow man these techniques are not convincing. The humanistic approach that I have discussed is not always easy. It is easy to dismiss, especially when staff are tired and demoralised. Judgmental attitudes are commonplace and to some extent inevitable. The ability to rise above these and retain an open mind is something that can be massively affected by peer pressure in a working situation where crews work in twos. Usually one crewmember is senior and the dynamic of the relationship is affected by experience, sex, strength, (psychological and physical), age etc. This can often create an imbalance of power, between crewmates. This particularly affects less experienced younger staff in a workplace where experience is such a valuable commodity. Sometimes staff suffer because of their role as unofficial counsellors. Burnard (1990) talks of the potentially painful relationship between the parties. I believe that prolonged exposure can lead to problems and in my workplace this had lead to the formation of a structure designed to aid the problem. Five years ago the ambulance service started an in-house Staff Support Scheme network, in order to create a pathway to help to reduce the impact of psychological problems. It was thought that staff who had been trained to identify some of the symptoms of psychological or emotional problems were in an excellent position to guide the subject to help in the form of professional counselling. Whilst I wholeheartedly supported the concept and became a member, I had doubts about some of conditions attached, particularly about the principles of confidentiality and supervision. We were trained in debriefing techniques (not as counsellors) by a very experienced professional counsellor. However the trust felt bound to encourage us to disclose not only health safety and legal confidences, but also those that may contravene trust rules. This I felt was unethical and impractical. They also had no formal supervision structure in place and no mechanism for further development. All these factors left the idea profoundly flawed. I continue to serve as a staff support member but refuse to create reports on individuals or to pass on confidences. This is a position that is supported by Nelson-Jones (P.143) who maintains that breaking confidences is a serious breech of ethics. Counselling and helping work colleagues outside the classroom can be a much more intimate affair. Crews routinely spend twelve hours in each others company, often on standby or on station, alone, un-chaperoned and unsupervised. Thus if there are emotional needs and issues the workplace can become extremely intense. Staff obviously have issues themselves, quite apart from the problems they may face with patients and support can be close at hand. But the operational ambulance environment can also become a minefield of ethical limits and the process of helping can be impaired as well as enhanced. Burnard (P.139) discusses the problems of transference and countertransference. In the above-mentioned situation where an inappropriate relationship develops he suggests the transfer of the client to a more senior counsellor. Although the obvious solution, this is not always possible and it is obvious that problems will continue to occur. Development The back of an ambulance is no respecter of class and ambulance work can be a great leveller. As a developing teacher of ambulance staff I am in the privileged position of teaching those who I believe are routinely placed in a position of power and privilege that can be used or abused. I believe a major part of my teaching role is to encourage the use of the humanistic approach, and to encourage students to reflect on their own attitudes and judgements in order to allow them to better use the skills described by Egan and the key aspects required as described by Carl Rogers in Kischenbaum Henderson, (1989). The humanistic approach is already practised in my workplace and has been by the more experienced staff for years. Even though they did not attach labels to their skills they were using the humanistic approach espoused by Egan, Rogers and others. In the emergency care setting they have honed these skills to bring benefit to their patients as quickly as possible. It remains a joy to watch I see my future role as that of a champion for the humanistic approach, by my actions and my teaching methods. As more demands continue to be heaped on staff this may become more difficult. We are in danger of becoming more concerned with the product than the process. Bibliography Murgatroyd. S (1985) Counselling and Helping. Haworth Press Nelson-Jones.R (1997) Practical Counselling and Helping Skills. Cassell Davis.H and Fallowfield.L (1993) Counselling and Communication in Health Care Wiley Sons Burnard.P (1990) Counselling Skills For Health Professionals Chapman Hall Borck.L and Fawcet. S (1982) Learning Counselling and Problem Solving Skills. Haworth Press Kirchenbaum Henderson (1989) The Carl Rogers Dialogues (From Course Handout)

An overview of the Bank of Maldives

An overview of the Bank of Maldives On 23rd May 1982, Bank of Maldives was registered (Company Registry No. C-22/1982) with Ministry of Home Affairs as a company. On 10 November 1982 BML was registered at Maldives Monetary Authority and was given license to provide banking business in the Maldives. Joint venture with IFCI Bank of Maldives Plc was inaugurated on November 11, 1982 and started commercial operation as a joint venture bank with 60% shares held by the Government of the Maldives (including its Agencies and Maldivian Companies) and 40% shares owned by International Finance Investment Company Limited (later IFIC Bank Limited), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Until 31st December 1992, the Bank was managed by the professionals of IFIC Bank Limited and they were paid 10% of the Banks profit. During the tenth year of the Bank, the Government of Maldives decided to re-structure the Bank of Maldives as such requested the IFIC Bank Ltd to reduce the share holding and also the number of representation in the Board. Consequently IFIC Bank Ltd decided to dispose off its entire shares in the Bank of Maldives and terminate its relations with the Bank with the expiry of the Management Contract on December 31, 1992. Bank of Maldives Become Public Limited Company On 14 November 1992, Government of Maldives purchased 40 per cent shares held by IFIC Bank Ltd. As a result, 80 per cent of the share capital of the Bank of Maldives was owned by the Government while the remaining 20 per cent of the share capital was sold equally to the State Trading Organization and Maldives Transport and Contracting Company respectively. Company Shares In December 1992, the Government decided, to sell Banks shares to the general public, with a view to expand the Banks capital. From January 1, 1993, Bank of Maldives Plc has become, and since then remained, a bank fully owned by the people and the Government of the Maldives. The Bank of Maldives Plc issued shares during 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2007. In 2007, Memorandum and Articles of Association of the bank was revised, shares were split and bonus shares were given to the existing shareholders. As a result the authorised caiptal of the bank was increased from Rf 300 million to Rf 800 million. The face value of BML shares stand at Rf 50/-. Bank of Maldives Branches Presently the Bank of Maldives Plc has 25 branches. Three out of 25 branches are in Male, the capital, 01 in Male International Airport (Hulhule Island) and 01 each in both Villingili ward and Hulhumale. The other branches are distributed amongst the atolls of the country, each with a designated command area. Hence, the Bank of Maldives Plc is able to serve the whole nation. Strategies for businesses The main business of the Bank is retail banking in addition to handling development banking activities in all the atolls of the Republic, Bank of Maldives PLC extends a variety of modern banking services online in a fully computerized environment and is proud to be serving  the nation as the leading bank in the Maldives. A business strategy is a pattern of decision and actions that are taken by the business to achieve its objectives. Business planning involves deciding what is to be done, setting objectives and developing polices to achieve them. There is a number of stages involve in the planning process. These include Identifying the objectives Analalysing the positions of the business Deciding on suitable strategy Implementing a suitable strategy Evaluating its effectiveness Strategic Planning Process Mission We will lead the way through quality of service and dedication of our staff. We will serve all our communities to the best of our ability, strive always to listen to your needs and so build total customer confidence and satisfaction Vision To be the leader in the financial industry in Maldives, spreading its presence in all key economic geographies in Maldives To be the leader in the financial industry in Maldives, inculcating a long term saving culture in the nation and promoting a cashless society To be one of the most Efficient, Profitable and Respected financial institutions in Maldives. Values Strategic analysis This is all about the analysing the strength of businesses position and understanding the important external factors that may influence that position. The process of Strategic Analysis can be assisted by a number of tools, including: SWOT Analysis: a useful summary technique for summarising the key issues arising from an assessment of a businesses internal position and external environmental influences. PEST Analysis: a technique for understanding the environment in which a business operates Scenario Planning: a technique that builds various plausible views of possible futures for a business Five Forces Analysis: a technique for identifying the forces which affect the level of competition in an industry Market Segmentation: a technique which seeks to identify similarities and differences between groups of customers or users Directional Policy Matrix: a technique which summarises the competitive strength of a businesses operations in specific markets Competitor Analysis: a wide range of techniques and analysis that seeks to summarise a businesses overall competitive position Critical Success Factor Analysis: a technique to identify those areas in which a business must outperform the competition in order to succeed SWOT Analysis A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) is a tool used to provide a general or detailed snapshot of a Companies health. Think of your SWOT as a tune-up that every business needs periodically to diagnose and fix whats a bit worn, whats on the verge of breaking down, or whats already broken and needs replacementso that you can keep the business humming-even better than it has in the past. Strength Financial stability and bank is well capitalised and this has enabled it to perform relatively well Highest market shares Government helps since it has their share power Most effective recruitment and selection process Awarded for 3 years about their customer satisfaction methods. Easy transections for its customers Updated technology Nations most trusted company with the highest transections Oldest bank in the market and well branded in the country Weakness Less number of employees to deal with their daily transections and customers problems. Limited dollar providing Difficult to get loans compare to their competitors Opportunities Since they have got a good financial stability they can expand their business to other islands Sell more shares to the public market. It will increase their customers and also will be able to have a better capital to provide a good service To deal with their daily transections and to get experience from developed banks like Swiss bank they can ask from the government talk about it with them. Threats Recently have stopped providing any types of card to the customers Economic crises Competitors The strengths of the company can be assessed as companys resources and also the company capabilities which can be used as a root to achieve its objectives and goals and also for developing a competitive advantage. Maintain the strength and try to readuse the weakness such as Forgn currency prob PESTLE It is very important that an organization considers its environment before beginning the marketing process. In fact, environmental analysis should be continuous and feed all aspects of planning. Political In Maldives government doesnt influence most of the business. But Bank of Maldives is a government company so they take decisions according to their political decisions. Most of the business in this country are private business. Government helps to their business to carry it with the highest level they can and to expend it. However they have recently announced that they will make new rules to the tertiary sector business. Economical After the tsunami the country is developing rapidly their business and starting new business. In the market they have got so many new competitors like HSBC and Bank of Ceylon. Most of the people still trusts Bank of Maldives because of being the oldest Bank in the country and also its under the control of government. Most of the transection are done in the capital city. So economically they will face much troubles from their business. Because HSBC can be a competitor who will be able to get market share. They have the best dollar providing service. When looking in to the people perspective, most of the people have bank accounts. And all most all the people are aware about the modern world. Business cycle Social Maldives economy is based on about the social could be their spending is higher and less saving. This way happens mostly with the youngsters. Everything for them is fun and enjoying. And each every of them has their own bank account. Thats why it increase the bank transection. Technological Business operates with new technology à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Organizational hierarchy Technology is vital to gain competitive advantage, and is a major driver of globalization. Changes in technology have also become mainly weighty in the post-millennium world. This is particularly true in terms of modern communication technologies. The creation of databases and electronic communications have enabled huge quantities of information to be shared and quickly distributed in a modern company enabling vast cost reductions, and often improvements in service and product. Organizations need to be aware of the latest relevant technologies for their business and due to high competition in the market. The most important changes brought by the human in the 21st century were the Technology. The technology has brought the people together with the best, comfortable and convenient life. Also technology is one of the biggest issues in modern world. Bank of Maldives use the latest technology to serve its customers Porters Fives Forces Supplier : Having a good pricing strategy and a good customer care will enhance Bank of Maldives to catch up the marker easily and maximize the profit. BCG Matrix Directional policy Matrix GE Matrix Market force and Bank of Maldives Communication Human Resource Of the organization Hirchy of company

Qualitative Research in Geography: An Overview

Qualitative Research in Geography: An Overview Geography seems to be one of those disciplines that shifts its interest from one perspective to another without necessarily changing its central research questions. Qualitative methods have long been used within the discipline of human geography. However, it was not until recently that they have become sufficiently established that some consider them to have gone too far (Marshall, 2001), as the last decade has undoubtedly seen an expansion in qualitative work in both terms of the types of work and the topics addressed. This essay will address the fact that we have moved from a period when papers were prefaced with legitimisations of qualitative work to a time when we are seeing debates within qualitative methods over establishing orthodox approaches and standards. This will be done thorough a reflection on current re-evaluations of the most common methods – mainly interviewing and ethnography –and where they are developing. Qualitative approaches have long had a strong association with cultural, social and radical geographies, in part as a reaction to quantified social geography. For example, in terms of the geographies of gender, feminist critiques of masculinist approaches were picked up and an argument about empathy amplified the concern with qualitative methods. This also could be reversed, labelling qualitative work with a feminist `softness as opposed to hard science. This debate though, has matured, from quick over-assumptions that qualitative work was generally `soft, to considering its weaknesses and strengths in a more balanced fashion (Raju et al., 2000). Qualitative research has also had to wrestle with the argument that simply listening to, giving voice to and representing the silenced is not enough. There is now a maturity about qualitative methods in geography, but also that there comes with this a certain conventionality of approaches. In delving deeper into this discussion it is important to consider the continued debates about the framing of qualitative, and especially ethnographic, work, after the so-called ‘crisis of representation’ and work in the performative vein, as qualitative research is often torn between a constructivist approach and a longing to convey a ‘real’ sense of the field. Geography has followed anthropology through these debates on ethnography and representation, responding to the question ‘how is unruly experience transformed into an authoritive written account?’ (Besio and Butz, 2004: 433). There has been a backlash against what are described as ‘excesses’ of reflexivity in some responses to this question. For instance, Bourdieu (2003) called for a renewed ‘objectivity’ via structural reflexivity in a participant observation. He argues for a personal understanding of reflexivity, to address the academic and social structures that drive research agendas, which for geography in non-western settings would show how ‘academic research practices †¦ have relied extensively on remnant colonial discourses and structures of domination for access to research subjects, efficacy of data collection and legitmation’ (Bourdieu, 2003: 288). Katz points out that ‘in the field and in their private readings, ethnographers share a culture of evaluation which is masked by the fractious, even righteously indignant commentary that characterises rhetoric about ethnographic writing’ (2002: 64). Katz argues that ‘as ethnographers, we must do more than claim: we need to show’ (2002: 68). However, Besio and Butz (2004) offer an alternate reflexivity, taking Marie Louse Pratt’s definition of autoethnography. Where rather than being about reflecting on one’s own practice it refers to the subject or dominated people’s self-representation to colonisers’ terms while remaining faithful to their own self-understandings. This tradition is not just framing local knowledges; Gold (2002) looks to a globalised religious movement that is using its self-representations and indeed academic work in its self-constitution. This makes the important point of not separating ethnography from writing – not privileging oral research over written material but rather seeing productions of various representations as moments for situated reading and interpretations by all actors. If we thus move to models of representation as intervention rather than corresponding to prior reality, we might look for new ways of producing and judging truth. Besio and Butz (2004) provide their own critique of transcultural representation. They point out that this is not an automatic process but something that has to be worked at and may only be achieved in specific circumstances. The apocalyptic tones of this debate seem particular to anthropology with its habitual [re-] definition of fieldwork as residential participant observation – as opposed to the more plural practices of qualitative methods in geography. These reflexive studies raise questions about how the usual methods fit these new topics. Meth (2003) suggests that reflective, discursive diaries first offer a ‘discontinuous writing’, allowing people to change their minds and priorities, meaning that they are not dominated by what happened in the morning before an interview. Moreover, they offer different and possibly easier routes for respondents to express themselves, especially their emotions, and reflect upon their own world-views. Alternately, Harper (2002) provides a history of the ‘photo-elicitation’ interview where pictures push people’s normal frames of reference to form the basis for deep discussions of values. The use of pictures in presenting material raises the issue of how visual and verbal relate to each other, whether they could speak to different ways of knowing rather than just being treated as different kinds of evidence (Rose, 2003). As Basio and Butz (2004: 444) note, the ‘visual in ethnographic has generally not been used intrinsically for interpreting and representing ethnographic data and culture’ but either as just more data or subordinated to a textualising metaphor. Whatmore (2003: 89) notes ‘the spoken and written word constitute the primary form of ‘data’’, whereas the world speaks in many voices through many different types of things that ‘refuse to be reinvented as univocal witnesses’. This comes back to the heart of a new kind of programmatic writing which is ‘suggestive of nothing less than a drive towards a new methodological avant garde that will radically refigure what it is to do research’ (Latham, 2 003: 2000). It is normally at this point, as we engage artistic approaches, that policy-orientated researchers voice concerns about a turn away from commitments to engaging ordinary people and offering them a voice. This seems to me to be a false opposition of committed, ‘real world’ versus ‘inaccessible’, theoretical research. It might be a good idea to end this report by returning our attention to the rich yet ambiguous and messy world of doing qualitative research. As Thrift notes: ‘Through fieldwork is often portrayed as a classical colonial encounter in which the fieldworker lords it over her/his respondents, the fact of the matter is that it usually does not feel much like that at all. More often it is a curious mixture of humiliations and intimidations mixed with moments of insight and even enjoyment’ Thrift, 2003: 106), where knowledge is coproduced ‘by building fragile and temporary commonplaces’ (2003: 108, see also Tillman-Healy, 2003). This seems to be a good summary of the qualitative work currently being done in human geography. It remains inspired by ethical and political concerns, and practitioners are deeply concerned by the moral and political implications of their work. Some of the old taken-for-granteds about fieldwork have been replaced, but it is instructive to wonder what questions have not been asked. While researchers have struggled to populate their work with real subjects rather than research objects, there have never been fewer attempts to talk about materialities in practice if not in topic. However, it does not seem that this entails a rejection of work that has been, is being and will be done, nor a turn from engaged and practical work; but that it does raise issues about the investment in specific notions of what ‘research’ is, what evidence is and how the two relate to each other. References Basio, K. Butz, D. (2004) Autoethnography: a limited endorsement. Professional Geographer, 56, 432 – 438. Bourdieu, P. (2003) Participant observation. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, NS9, 281 – 294. Gold, L. (2002) Positionality, worldview and geographical research: a personal account of a research journey. Ethics, Place and Environment, 5, 223 – 237. Harper, D. (2002) Talking about pictures: a case for photo-elicitation. Visual Studies, 17, 13 – 26. Katz, J. (2001) From how to why: on luminous description and casual reference in ethnography (part 2). Ethnography, 3, 63 – 90. Latham, A. (2003) Research, performance, and doing human geography: some reflections on the diary-photograph, diary-interview method. Environment and Planning A, 35, 1993 – 2018. Marshall, G. (2001) Addressing a problem of capacity. Social Sciences, 47, 1 2. Meth, P. (2003) Entries and omissions: using solicited diaries in geographical research. Area, 35, 195 – 205. Raju, S., Atkins, P., Townsend, J. Kumar, N. (2000) Atlas of women and men in India, London, International Books. Rose, G. (2003) On the need to ask how, exactly, is geography visual? Antipode, 35, 212 – 221. Thrift, N. (2003) Practising ethics, in Whatmore, S. Using social theory, London, Sage, 105 – 121. Tillman-Healy, L. (2003) Friendship as method. Qualitative Inquiry, 9, 729 – 749.

Essay Comparing Hemingways A Very Short Story and Fitzgeralds This Si

Comparing Hemingway's A Very Short Story and Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise When you first read a tragic, melodramatic love scene you feel like your heart is breaking too. Sometimes you cry. It is only after the initial rush of feelings that you begin to feel cheated. Usually the kind of writing that gives you the urge to be demonstrative does not stay with you as long as something more subtle. In Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise, the reader is presented with such a love scene in the form of a play. I admit to having sobbed for a solid minute after reading about the ill-fated romance between Amory Blaine and Rosalind Connage. However, the same subject, with different characters, told in a much more concise, objective manner in Ernest Hemingway's A Very Short Story had a much deeper effect on me. It may be that the honesty of experience had much to do with the differences between the stories. This Side of Paradise is often seen as a loosely based autobiography, but there is no direct basis in reality for the Amory and Rosalind episode. Fitzgerald did have a turbulent relationship with his wife Zelda, but the tragic parting in the novel and Rosalind's later marriage to another man firmly place the story in the realm of fiction. Hemingway's account of the meeting and parting of two lovers, on the other hand, comes directly from his own life. While there is a feeling in This Side of Paradise that Fitzgerald is trying too hard to make the story realistic, Hemingway's account cannot help but convey the honesty that is generally found when a writer draws directly on his own experience. The style and structure of the Hemingway story also make it more believable and more effective. Even the... ...ing in a taxi cab through Lincoln Park," that Hemingway's protagonist tried to forget about his lost love by indulging in the more shallow gratification of easy sex. Fitzgerald's Amory Blaine turns to alcohol instead, but the concept is the same. However, after nine pages of Amory's bar exploits we have already begun to forget what the problem was in the first place. Two more disparate accounts of a short-lived love would be difficult to find. Each is successful in its own way. The Fitzgerald version elicited an immediate and powerful reaction from me, but it was the Hemingway story that made me understand the subject more deeply. While A Very Short Story, at first glance, may seem unable to convey the depth and breadth of feeling of the longer Fitzgerald passage, it actually accomplishes its aim more quickly without sacrificing meaning.

The Catastrophic Impact of Rising Oceans on the Pacific Islands Essay

The Catastrophic Impact of Rising Oceans on the Pacific Islands All over the world indigenous communities are faced with an array of new problems, though the public continues to gain insight into the lives of these people they continue to be marginalized in the global arena as well. The Pacific Islands are an entity far removed from the minds of most westerners. The primary focus of any political discourse within the United States places most emphasis on Australia and New Zealand ignoring the smaller less politically salient states. However, it is these smaller islands that will bare the brunt of one huge problem in the future, global warming. For the purpose of this paper I will ignore the polemics of global warming and not hypothesize whether or not it actually has any permanent adverse effects on the ecosystems of the world or whether or not it is cyclical. Instead, I will focus on the evidence already documented within the Pacific Island states, evidence which lends strong support to the notion that the earth is getting warmer and the oceans are rising. For the people of the lowland Pacific Islands it doesn’t matter if the current warming is a temporary trend that will reverse itself in a few centuries, they will have to deal with it on a much more short-term basis. The ocean has already begun to change and for the people of the Pacific Islands that is a major concern, it could be catastrophic if left unattended. The prospect of rising waters in the oceans has a transcendent effect on the Pacific Islands. Not only will the oceans rise and the seas become more torrent, their very cultures could be uprooted and their modes of existence forever changed. Recently a new study conducted by the National Oceanographic Data C... ...rliest Washington cherry blossom peak...Almost no one disputes the fact that a substantial rise in sea level would be a bad thing, inundating first a number of oceanic nations such as the Marshall Islands and Vanuatu in the Pacific, and the moving on to eat up places like Manhattan and the world’s other great coastal cities...The plight of Washington’s cherry blossoms pale by comparison. The National Park Service is making no promises, but barring a catastrophic petal-scattering storm, it appears there will be enough blossoms around on April 9th to avoid total embarrassment at this years parade. Bibliography: Smith, Donald National Geographic News@nattionalgeographic.com Pacific Islands Report GPI Atlantic www.gpiatlantic.org Vanishing Islands www.ourplanet.com Warming Hits Hard in Pacific www.ABCNEWS.com Environmental News Network www.ENN.com

Ernst and Young Presentation

Accounting 302 9/18/12 Ernst & Young Guest Speaker Response After looking through the Ernst & Young PowerPoint presentation, there were certain points covered that were similar to our Sky Air activity from class. One of the key points covered was the idea of purchasing a company, and how much one would pay for it. It was brought to our attention from both the PowerPoint and class lecture that buyers and sellers may have different perceptions of value. This occurs because buyers do not want to â€Å"pay up front† for uncertain earnings.From what we learned in the Sky Air activity, Thyestean, the principal, is similarly concerned about whether or not Kaplan, the agent, will be loyal enough to provide accurate data and analysis of his own company. Both the PowerPoint and Sky Air focus on information asymmetry, and how it can be reduced. We learned that having an independent Board of Directors and external auditor would improve the accuracy in the information provided to the princ ipal, which will therefore reduce information asymmetry.Another concept we went over in the Sky Air activity that was mentioned in the PowerPoint was the idea that there may be risky acquisitions. We learned from the slides that in order to reduce the risk, the principal must include a request or incentive. The example described from the slides included a Technology company was being sold for $100m. The buyer agreed to purchase it, under the circumstance that it shall have to meet certain projections. This shows that even though the shareholder is affected in the long run, he/she will not be affected (negatively) drastically since there are certain mandatory projections to uphold.Similarly, in the Sky Air case, we came to the conclusion that if the buyer purchases the company, he/she should request that Kaplan’s compensation be linked to his profits, so that there is less risk (manager cares more about short-term, shareholder cares more about long-term, this way manager will care more too). Although the PowerPoint presentation was based more on the financial aspect of the company’s acquisition, it still provided relevant information that we learned in class, and too coincided with the Sky Air activity.

Samuel Beckett Described His Waiting for Godot as a Tragicomedy. to What Extent Is This Is an Accurate Description? Would You Say There Is More Tragedy Than Comedy or a Mixture of Both?

Samuel Beckett described his Waiting for Godot as a tragicomedy. To what extent is this is an accurate description? Would you say there is more tragedy than comedy or a mixture of both? Through the use of many linguistic, structural and comic features, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot successfully places a wayfaring line between the two genres of tragedy and comedy. With the opening showing the two main characters Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo) in a barren setting with useless props such as Gogo’s boot and Didi’s hat and a leafless tree, there is an instant confusion created with a question as to whether this is truly a comedy at all.Estragon’s statement ‘Nothing to be done’ starts the production off very cleverly as it is a true concept through the play; there is actually nothing being done by any character. It all seems to be useless rambling in the wilderness. There is no control in Didi and Gogo’s lives due to the obsession w ith waiting for Godot. Because of this they never bring themselves to leave. This leads the audience to ask the question. ‘Is this really a tragicomedy or just a Tragedy? Seeing these men are obviously wasting their lives’.Undoubtedly, Godot has comical elements with classic comedic actions such as trousers falling down and the struggle to take off a boot. With events like these in the play it is seen as direct, classic, light-hearted humour but with a deeper understanding we see this light-hearted humour with dark tragedy. The two however placed together do unarguably play essential roles in completing the play. Tragedy is evident in the play but undeniably there comedy, Comedy that maybe even encourages the tragedy? ‘What about hanging ourselves? ’ ‘Hmm.It’d give us an erection! ’ here there is definite sexual comedy; the idea of getting an erection would have been uncomfortable yet comical at the time and even now. However, although t here is humour in the topic, there are too tragic concepts with the results of the hanging being getting an erection or death. There is a heavy sense of satire comedy through the play Godot; the high ridicule of social class is endless with Gogo and Didi as the unwise, dirty tramps that live in ditches and Pozzo as the foolish, stuck up rich ruler with Lucky the animal like slave.The sense of satire causes the Superiority effect which is the idea we laugh because we feel superior to those in the play. We see this where Estragon tells Vladimir he spent the night in a ditch and was beaten up. ESTRAGON: in a ditch. VLADIMIR: A ditch! Where? ESTRAGON: Over there. †¦ ESTRAGON: Beat me? Certainly they beat me Here it’s taken very lightly that Estragon was attacked while trying to sleep in a ditch. Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s version of the play shows them to act and talk about this incident in a quite jokingly way and don’t actually pay too much attention to the serio usness of him sleeping in the ditch.Here the audience laugh because they possibly feel superior to the idea of someone sleeping in a ditch while they sleep in their houses especially since the majority of the audience was wealthy enough to attend the theatre as it was a luxury in the 1950’s; They would have had the time and the money to go and watch plays after the war seeing as rationing did not end until the 60’s. This made it easier to create the feeling of Superiority Beckett has provided through the two personae of Didi and Gogo.So even though it was comical, one cannot deny that sleeping in a ditch and getting attacked is also tragic. Ian Mackean said ‘Samuel Beckett's plays contain many comic features but are not comedies in the usual sense, and it is unlikely that an audience would actually laugh at them. Often our laughter at a comedy involves a feeling of release in response to the transgression of some rule of social conduct acted out by the performer. ’ This is very true in the sense that the characters we find funny are not in funny situations.For example the character Lucky is drawn from Tragedy. Being treated as a literal animal because he is a servant, Lucky not only supports the tragic concept but contributes to the stock character of the silly old fool being played by Pozzo. The stage directions for Pozzo and Lucky’s entrance are very important in getting the idea of a slave and master across in the first appearance. Lucky is the first to appear followed by the rope around his neck and then Pozzo. ‘Enter Pozzo and Lucky.Pozzo drives Lucky by means of a rope passed round his neck, so that Lucky is the first to enter, followed by the rope which is long enough to let him reach the middle of the stage before Pozzo†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢this is where tragedy takes place the most as Lucky’s character is quickly shown to be animalistic and neglected with no human rights. He’s then spoken to in a neglectf ul, demining way and is made to tend to Pozzo’s every need. ‘On! ’ ‘Back’ with one worded instructions the audience is made to feel sorry for Lucky and sympathise with him.But for some reason, Lucky’s misfortune also brings humour to the play, the audience sympathise with his character only because they feel bad for finding his situation funny which supports Ian Mackean’s theory. We laugh at Pozzo because of his foolishness, ignorance and over-exaggeration. ‘I must be getting on†¦unless I smoke another pipe before I go. What do you say? †¦. I’m not in the habit of smoking two pipes one on top of the other, it makes my heart go [hand on heart, sighing] pit-a-pat’ the over acting of putting his hand on his heart makes the audience as said before laugh at his ignorance.It’s as if he has no idea how desperate he is to stay and talk to Didi and Gogo so unconsciously makes up and excuse of smoking a pipe t o stay longer. It can be assumed that Pozzo is lonely. Whatever it is Pozzo takes a while before leaving making up a number of reasons why he should stay. It may even be questioned ‘is this in itself tragic? ’ If he is lonely and seeks friendship from two tramps even though he is rich it makes the audience and those who study the play think what has happened to Pozzo in his past to bring him into this situation.It causes confusion as to whether Pozzo’s character is a source of comedy or tragedy. I would suggest that there is a definite source of both genres however his character is used more for the comic feel. Beckett’s use of leitmotifs in the play is another element that contributes to the idea of comedy and tragedy being paired once again. Every once in a while throughout the comedy, estragon will suggest they leave and the answer ‘we can’t’ when asked why, Vladimir replies with ‘we’re waiting for Godot’ or Estra gon will ask ‘what do we do now? and Vladimir will reply with ‘wait for Godot. ’ As an audience we laugh or see this feature as being comical because Estragon is forgetful and seems very stupid. It’s almost like it’s a pantomime; the audience knows the obvious answer but the character doesn’t. Yet looking at the use of repetition in depth brings forth the idea of Gogo’s frustration in their situation in life. Maybe the constant questioning of what to do is because unconsciously is saying he doesn’t want to wait for Godot that he in fact wants to do something else in life.Gogo’s memory is a certain source of comedy throughout the play but it’s possible his forgetting is not due to bad memory but it is motivated. He forgets that they were there yesterday because he doesn’t want to admit he spends his life on repeat waiting for Godot on and empty promise from his one and only friend Vladimir. This gain suggests the play is tragic. In the end, the men talk again about hanging themselves. This time there is no mention of an erection and the reason they don’t do it because they don’t have a rope. ‘with what? ‘you haven’t got a bit of rope? ’ this suggest a more serious thought of suicide. There is no comic language connected unlike the first time mentioned sending the idea they are truly frustrated. The audience at this point actually stop to think and realise the seriousness of the suggestion of hanging whereas before it was ignored because of the sexual language. This again fundamentally contributes to the idea the play is a tragedy. Beckett’s additional use of structure again helps identify the significant genre of the play.He used formal symmetry where each act ends the same with a slight difference, the end of act one ends in this manner: ESTRAGON: Well, Shall we go? VLADIMIR: Yes, let’s go. [They do not move] Whereas act 2 ends like this: VLADIMIR: Well? Shall we go? ESTRAGON: Yes, let’s go. [They do not move] Apart from the slight change in punctuation and who says which line, the endings are almost identical insinuating the feeling of forever waiting and frustration along with the idea of being stuck in limbo as things repeat themselves.The change in character in asking ‘shall we go? ’ can be interpreted as both men having their doubts as to if what they are waiting for is worth it and the fact that they do not moved shows they are not entirely sure as to if they will miss out if they move so they end up never leaving. The question mark that appears after well at the end of the second act could suggest that Vladimir is trying more to leave wherever they are and in his conscience is really frustrated knowing that Godot is not coming.Therefore he tries to persuade Estragon; however it was not enough for them to let go of the fear of missing Godot. This again provides the idea that Beckettâ⠂¬â„¢s play is tragic. The views throughout the play are very nihilistic. As he metaphorically rejects social conventions like religion, the play can be interpreted as the total criticism of Christian beliefs like the second coming of Christ. Godot (possibly representing Christ) never comes however they dedicate their lives to waiting for his appearance.This ridicules Christians telling them life is pointless and there is in fact no God, No eternal life, no Jesus and no meaning. Showing this in the form of a comedy Beckett almost mocks those who are still foolish enough to believe in these non-existent deities. Therefore instead of Tragedy, it’s a purely comic view of religion. This is understandable as society had witnessed and heard of traumatic events after the world war and the questioning of God was inevitably going to raise discussion. To conclude, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot has somewhat been inappropriately titled as a tragicomedy.It has combined the com ic and tragic elements together but has tragedy as a dominant aspect throughout the play as a whole has with Vladimir and Estragon’s vain wait for something that never comes. For the play, Beckett has focused his attention on the suffering of others. It’s evident that the majority of the play relies on Vladimir and Estragon waiting for something to come and alleviate them of their boredom. There is a mixture of both genres but it is an unequal one- With tragedy under toning the play throughout even within the humour. Tunrayo Sadiq Word count: 1,899

Policy Report On Dispersal Of Asylum Seekers

IntroductionThe UK has been second home to asylum seekers for a very long time, having witnessed an influx of immigrants since the seventeenth century, some of which were looking for refuge. With time, the UK residents felt bothered by increasing concentrations of ethnic minorities in the UK and especially their clustering in particular areas which led to congestion. In response to the increasing uneasiness of the public, the government opted to come up with means through which they could redistribute the ethnic minorities in other areas so as to decongest the cities and encourage assimilation.This led to the formulation of the Asylum and Immigration Act in 1999 which led to the dispersal of ethnic minorities to various corners of the United Kingdom. The dispersal policy has however come under heavy criticism with claims that it isolates the asylum seekers from the renders them vulnerable to racially charged attacks. This paper therefore seeks to analyze the dispersal policy of asylu m seekers, examining its background and development. It will also offer as critique of the policy which will largely determine whether it is a viable policy or not.Background policy reviewPrior to the 1990s, many Europeans thought of refugees as a problem of the third world which needed to be contained by the third world.   Europe would only be involved in charity but refugees needed to remain within their own borders. When it became involved, Europe only admitted a selected few refugees and settled them under controlled circumstances (Robinson et al 2003, p. 3). The attitude that many Europeans held towards refugees especially those from the third world was that they were immigrants looking for economic opportunities and as such, they did not deserve to be accorded asylum status.In the UK, the number of people seeking asylum was rapidly increasing (Robinson et al 2003, p. 4). During the post war period, Britain needed manpower for economic reconstruction and since it was not able to fill these positions, it decided to turn to the commonwealth, leading to an influx of immigrants especially from Asia. Thus Britain has been multiethnic for a long time. While some of the immigrants were coming to look for work, others also started coming to Britain in search of refuge. As early as the seventeenth century, some 50,000 French Huguenots arrived in London seeking refuge. In the 1880s, Jews also arrived in droves to look for refuge as they escaped the pogroms. Thus by the turn of the twentieth century, Britain had developed a reputation as a place of refuge (Robinson et al 2003, p.103).In 1905, an Aliens act was passed which ended this particular type of migration but the influx of both voluntary and forced immigrants continued. Jews fleeing Nazi Germany settled in the UK, so did some Italians and Chinese immigrants. Rapid immigration led to a concentration of certain ethnic communities in particular areas such as Chinatowns and dockland black quarters. Britain used this immigrant manpower for labour due to local shortages (Robinson et al 2003, p.104). This development of ethnic quarters was a cause of concern for the public who even directed hostility at the immigrants for this reason; the state saw the need for dispersal of refugees as well as ethnic minorities even before the formulation of the dispersal policy (Robinson et al 2003, p.104).It started an informal dispersal program in which the government attempted to settle people in different areas. Public opinion showed that many Britons were xenophobic and did not approve of the way some economic groups were clustering in the country; fearing that this would have an impact on the national identity of the British. Racial exclusion became an aspect of life in many regions of the UK in the 1960s to such an extent that it became a matter of popular as well as political concern. Some parents even objected to the number of black children who were being allowed to attend local schools. This led to the ‘Boyles Law’ being passed which stated that local schools should accommodate a maximum of 30% of ethnic minority children.The Department of Education and Science even suggested some policies to prevent ethnic concentrations from building up. In the 1970s, many people became increasingly supportive of the dispersal of ethnic minorities. Dispersal was aimed at reducing the hostility directed at them and facilitating their access to better chances. It was felt that living in mixed neighbourhoods would challenge the stereotypes that were associated with ethnic minorities (Robinson et al 2003, p.106-107).In 1969, the Cullingworth committee investigating public housing in the UK expressed concern over the residential concentration of ethnic minorities especially in the inner city; a factor that had led to overcrowding and which, they felt could lower the standards of education. For this reason, they proposed dispersal albeit voluntary. In the years that followed howeve r, there were increased calls for the compulsory dispersal of ethnic minorities (Robinson et al 2003, p.107).In the 1970s however, the assimilation concept began to be viewed as outdated, politically incorrect and linked to a belief of ethnic supremacy. No policy makers or those in power wanted to be associated with the assimilation concept lest they be viewed as extremists (Robinson et al 2003, p.108). The development of the dispersal policy can be linked to the changing welfare ideologies of the UK. The ideology of social democracy was evident especially in the years immediately after the Second World War.This ideology prevailed in the post war period and was associated with recognition of the needs of all people including the working class, as opposed to the bourgeois only. Thus everyone, even the immigrants who constituted the working class, benefited from a wide range of welfare benefits. The recent third way ideology seeks to promote welfare to work program and it has been lik ened to the principles of neo- liberalism. It claims to attempt to blend the principles of social democracy with neo- liberalism and involves welfare to work program whereby people must be helped by to find work by helping them overcome the dependency on passive benefits, inculcating in them a sense of responsibility.The welfare reform program consists of welfare cuts; something that greatly affects the asylum seekers. Government wishes to reallocate welfare payments to those who are working as opposed to those not working such as the asylum seekers. Their benefits have practically been abolished under this program and they have to undergo rigorous testing to be eligible if at all (â€Å"the retreat of social democracy†n.d). The evolution of such welfare ideologies determines how asylum seekers are treated since they rely mostly on welfare.Asylum seekers dispersal policyUnder the informal dispersal program prior to the 1990s, there were stories of how asylum seekers were tran sported to remote areas only to find that their destinations were neither expecting nor prepared for them. For this reason, many of them returned to London just a few days after having been dispersed.The asylum seekers were not very willing to be dispersed and some of then refused to be assisted if it involved dispersing them to areas outside the capital. In response to the failed Local Government Association dispersal program, in 1999, the government passed the use of the Asylum and Immigration Act; a new compulsory policy that radically modified the reception of asylum seekers. It is worth noting that it was not mandatory for all asylum seekers to be dispersed but those who needed financial support had to agree to it since the government would offer financial support only to those who were in agreement with the dispersal policy (Robinson et al 2003, p.123).The objectives of the dispersal act were to control the number of people who were seeking asylum in the UK, hasten the assessm ent process for asylum claims and overhaul the mechanisms of financial support for asylum seekers so that they stop coming to the UK merely for welfare benefits. Under the Act, the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) was formed. Its purpose was to choose which asylum seekers qualified for state benefits, provide them with these benefits and disperse them from London as well as the South East (Robinson et al 2003, p.123). It would provide asylum seekers with housing in some areas which came to be referred to as cluster areas under a more centralized dispersal process.This act meant that asylum seekers were not entitled to benefits and they were subject to compulsory dispersal by NASS so as to decongest the cities (Griffiths et al, n.d). Asylum seekers would apply to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate for asylum and the Directorate would decide whether their claim was true or unfounded. Meanwhile, those who had been temporarily admitted would be forwarded to NASS who would provide them with emergency accommodation if they did not have means of supporting themselves.Within a seven day period, NASS decides who qualifies for support and disperses them to cluster areas outside London and the South East. The needy asylum seekers are given free housing inclusive of utilities cost and financial support. Once settled temporarily, the asylum seekers would know the fate of their claims within a two month period and could appeal within the four months that follows. The entire procedure is expected to be completed within a span of six months maximum.The Act also proposes an integration of the relevant authorities into consortia that would be responsible for the long term integration of asylum seekers who had been granted refugee status (Robinson et al 2003, p.124). The aim of the dispersal act is to redistribute the costs of catering to the asylum seekers, diffuse social tensions and discourage would-be applicants. The dispersed asylum seekers are taken care of and integrated into their communities by NASS which offers them accommodation within the clustered areas (Griffith et al, n.d).Critique of the Asylum seekers dispersal policyFrom its inception, the asylum seekers dispersal policy was met with severe criticism due to the critical issues that it raises to concerned citizens as well as the perceived risk that it poses to the asylum seekers themselves. This section uses the â€Å"othering† theory and the critical race theory to examine how asylum seekers are received in the UK and other developed nations, especially those which have a similar policy to UK’s dispersal policy.Critical race theory helps one to understand the prevailing social situation in terms of races, racism and the subsequent game of power. The critical race theory helps in determining how the society has organised itself especially along racial lines and how relationships between the races are organised in a hierarchical manner. Furthermore, it strives f or social justice and a betterment of the situation; a betterment of the relationship between the races (Delgado and Stefancic 2001, p.3). Central to understanding why races tend to group themselves together is the concept of ‘othering’.‘Othering’ is an important part of identity formation. As Dominelli (2004, p.76) puts it, the ‘self’ is in existence due to the presence of the ‘other’ who can be used to as a measure of comparison to oneself. This dichotomy facilitates the externalization of the other to such an extent that he or she is viewed in an antagonistic manner, thus creating hierarchical relations. In the formulation of policies therefore, ‘othering’ processes generate divisions such that those who are labelled as the ‘other’ are set apart from the normal population.They generate barriers that prevent those who have been excluded from mingling with others, and distinguish them as undeserving of fa vourable treatment (Dominelli 2004, p.76). In the UK, asylum seekers as well as refugees are subjected to ‘othering’ which makes them easy prey for violence. For instance, almost all asylum seekers in Scotland are located in Glasgow; a city rife with gangs that attack them for the ethnic minorities who are ‘othered’ based on their looks, their language as well as culture. Just looking different in Glasgow can make one a victim of racial harassment on a level that has been described as shocking by a Scottish executive study.The reason given by the gangs for these often brutal attacks targeted at asylum seekers is that they are usually given the best houses in the area; a result of the dispersal policy which is responsible for settling the asylum seekers in scattered places and providing them with financial support. What the gangs cannot understand is why the ‘others’ should be accorded such favourable treatment when the ‘deserving’ inhabitants of the regions can probably not even afford the lifestyle accorded to the others (Stewart, 2007). According to Morris (2007) asylum seekers are put at risk by the dispersal policy which, in an effort to decongest the main cities procures the houses for asylum seekers in far off places which are invariably poor. That the asylum seekers are given the best housing in the area makes them targets of prejudice and violence.This main reason behind such attacks is that the residents feel that the asylum seekers are being given preferential treatment. Most of the places where the asylum seekers are settled are volatile areas that have witnessed recurrent attacks on asylum seekers. For example, both the Moston district and the Cheetham district in Manchester continue to receive many refugees even though they are considered to be very dangerous and unpleasant. Other dangerous areas which continue to receive asylum seekers are Everton, whose residents felt that the asylum seekers we re being favoured, and Toxteth which have both witnessed several cases of racial harassment that are targeted at asylum seekers as well as refugees. Furthermore, some asylum seekers are placed in areas where there is none of their kind and where they have difficulty in communication. The dispersal system thus tends to isolate foreigners, making them vulnerable to hostility.In several studies carried out in the UK and documented by the Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees (ICAR n.d), it was established that most people were very concerned about the influx of immigrants into the UK with several of them expressing concern that immigration was out of control. Of particular concern was the question of asylum seekers, with most people wondering just how genuine these ‘supposed’ asylum seekers were. The study found that many people were concerned about the increasing numbers of asylum seekers and how genuine their claims were. A number of people felt that the influx of asylum seekers was economically motivated.They felt that if such immigration was left unchecked, then it would eventually threaten the British society in terms of their values, health, ethnicity as well as religion. The British economy would also suffer due to the asylum seekers becoming burdens to the economy, increasing competition and engaging in acts of criminality since asylum seekers were often associated with deviance which could lead to acts of illegality. The study also revealed that most people felt that the asylum seekers were favoured and were in fact, better off than the average white Briton. Most of the problems that asylum seekers face are have either been created or exacerbated by the dispersal policy since it tends to put the immigrants in places where they can be easily ‘othered’ and isolates them; thereby making them susceptible to prejudice.ConclusionThe dispersal policy has been faced with severe criticism due to the perceived danger that it poses to the asylum seekers. Isolated in foreign communities and not understanding the British system, they suffer racial prejudice and violence directed at them by the locals who cannot understand why these outsiders are being treated in a more favourable manner by the government yet they are just immigrants while the locals continue to be ‘worse off’ than these immigrants.The increased cases of violence directed at immigrants should sound alarm bells for the relevant authorities and lead to a review of the dispersal policy. It is crucial for nations to grant asylum to people fleeing the countries. However if this is done in a manner that puts offends the locals and puts them at risk, then the provision of asylum defeats purpose. It does not make sense for people fleeing death from their countries to be granted asylum in another, only for them to be met with the hostility that probably drove them from their countries in the first place. Thus the government should halt the di spersal policy or modify it so that the asylum seekers are not placed at risk.