What is Art - Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What is Art - Discussion - Assignment Example It makes me guess what culture it came from, what message the artist implied when he was painting it. It is a thought-provoking object that has no practical function and is created for the sake of self-expression of the artist who had made it. It gives rise to a train of thoughts on primitive African societies when I am looking at it. It might as well have been made by an African artist, though it is not a case. It is surely a work of art, in my opinion. There is probably a toy at the third image with a metal ball inside. It might be perceived as a work of art from some subjective point of view, though in my opinion it is made strictly for the purpose of entertainment of children and is not a work of art per se. Although there is a specific and quite precise definition of what art is, this notion extends into a subjective category and it is not an easy task to circumscribe the limits of it. Thus, in my opinion, this toy is not a work of art. On the other hand, it might as well be an allegorical manifestation of the way someone who created it looks at the world and, if placed within a certain context, could be perceived as a work of art. The blue plate on the fourth image might be a work of art for some people, while others wont consider it to be as such. Although it is created with a certain practical purpose to serve, it obviously applies imaginative skills of a person who made it. The surface of it is painted inside and these elements of its design make this object of pottery a work of art, in my opinion, though it might as well be solely perceived by some as a part of dinnerware and serve practical purposes

Kevin Carter's 1993 Pulitzer Prize Winning Photograph Essay

Kevin Carter's 1993 Pulitzer Prize Winning Photograph - Essay Example The 2nd Sudanese Civil War commenced in the 1980's. This was a time of extreme turmoil and poverty in Sudan which was a former British colony. The war which is often believed to have been based on racial and religious conflicts between the warring tribes caused thousands of deaths and the destruction of the agricultural sector of the nation. Poverty was a way of life and famine was the main cause of death for these people. Just like in any war, it is the children that suffer the most from the seemingly never ending strife and turmoil within the country. It was this struggle and suffering that South African photojournalist Kevin Carter managed to capture with his camera lens back in 1993. Those familiar with the goings on of the war in Sudan know that by the time the photograph was taken, 1.3 million people in the Sudan had already died of hunger, disease or violence. Senseless deaths that were caused by the civil war between the Arab and Muslim dominated government in the north of the country and the mostly Christian animist, black rebel in the south. (Taylor, J, 1998) There were quite a number of photojournalists who were on the beat during this war. Most of them took decent and memorable photographs of the war torn country. However, none of them were able to come to par when it came to the lucky shot that Kevin Carter was lucky enough to have witnessed and captured on film the day that he came to visit Sudan in 1993. The story behind this Pulitzer winning photograph is one which shall emotionally tug on the heartstrings of any man. Carter had flown in to Sudan as part of a UN Food Distribution group. He was on the ground for 30 minutes taking various photographs of everything that was going on around him. This photograph of a vulture hovering over an emaciated and almost dead child was a one in a million shot that he managed to capture on film. (Taylor, J, 1998) The New York Times bought the photograph from Carter and published it for the world to see. It struck a cord amongst the people of the world. Most people asking why he had not stopped to help the child. Although the picture was met with mixed reactions, the reality of the photograph is what won it the Pulitzer Prize in Photography for that year. This picture was the embodiment of the struggle that the Sudanese people faced on a daily basis. The child with barely any life in her clawing and crawling her way to the food center at the United Nations camp a mere kilometer away. The child was so near to salvation and yet so far and possible, too late to be helped because vultures are known to only circle around almost dead bodies, waiting for their prey to die so they can rip away the flesh for their own food. The vulture and the child. Both represent the two sectors of starving populations in the country, the people, and the animals struggle for suvival in what literally become a dog eat dog world for them. Both were starving and in need of food. But only one was sure to gain the sustenance it required sooner rather than later. If I didn’t have any background information about this picture, I could never imagine that the vulture is waiting for the child to die so that it can eat it. It was a scary and real thought for those who saw what was going on but the child, weakened by life struggles and barely alive, had no idea as to the fate that was awaiting her if she did not make it to the food camp in time. To this very day nobody knows if the child made it to the camp or if she became a casuality of the war time food chain. Though Carter had won the highest possible accolades for his excellent composition piece, the criticism and controversy that the picture created resulted in his becoming one of the most hated men in the world because he chose to take a picture of a tragedy rather than coming to the aid of the child in the hopes of preventing an even larger tragedy from occuring. Little did everyone know that this particular picture and all of the events that he had covered in South Africa

Drinking And Smoking In Students

Drinking And Smoking In Students This chapter reviews the literature in relation to drinking and smoking behaviour. It also looks at the concurrent use of alcohol and tobacco within student life. For the purpose of this study the author had two research objectives, which were, to explore the reasons students consume alcohol and smoke tobacco and to investigate the relationship between both. Numerous studies have shown an association between cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking. The National Institute of Health (2010) found that even small amounts of alcohol boost the pleasurable effects of nicotine, inducing people to smoke more when drinking alcoholic beverages. Medical profession have highlighted that the alcohol dose dependent effect increases the urge to smoke. Data from epidemiological studies have shown that people who drink alcohol are more likely to smoke and the heavier the drinking pattern, the heavier the smoking. (King, 2005) (Page number) Findings from Kings study (2005) indicate that smoking urge is higher after consuming four alcohol drinks in comparison to the lower urges after consuming two alcohol drinks, and increases were not observed after consuming a placebo beverage In other words, The greater the alcohol consumption, the greater the urge to smoke (Page Number) Research has indicated that links to alcohol addiction may be heredity. Findings from the Granada study believe that heredity may be responsible for almost 50% of the likelihood that a person will become addicted to alcohol. Alcoholism and Drug Addiction group whom carried out the study at the University of Granada revealed that the lack of beta-endorphins, which is hereditary, marks a genetic weakness to alcoholism. The studies findings indicate that an individuals brain with low beta-endorphin levels becomes accustomed to the presence of an external surplus, diminishing its own supply and triggering dependence on the external source -in this case, alcohol. Beta-endorphin is a kind of morphine released by the brain in response to several situations, such as pain. In this way, beta-endorphins can be considered an endogenous pain reliever to numb or dull pains. According to Josà © Rico Irles (Year and page number) head of research at the university, although alcohol consumption does not affect all people in the same way, differences in beta-endorphin levels make some subjects more vulnerable to alcohol. Therefore, they are more likely to become alcohol dependent. 1.2 Alcohol Behaviour According to Alcohol Action Ireland (2010), over one in four accident and emergency cases have alcoholà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœrelated injuries. Alcohol is also a factor in one in four traumatic brain injuries. Research carried out by Alcohol Action Ireland found that alcohol related deaths increased between 1995 and 2004. Ethanol (found in beer, wine and spirits) is the most commonly used alcohol consumed by humans. (International Centre for Alcohol Policies) According to Gossop two thirds of the US population drink alcohol. The average American spends more than 5% of their annual budget on alcohol, consuming 2.6 gallons of spirits, 2.2 gallons of wine, and 26.6 gallons of beer every year. Almost half of the UKs population over the age of 16 drink alcohol. (Gossop, 2007). An Irish survey carried out by CLAN indicates high-risk alcohol use is prevalent among college students, to the extent that profound binge drinking is seen as the norm of college life. The results from this survey demonstrate that this drinking culture is promoted in college, often with heavy drinkers being praised as die-hard revellers instead of being critiqued. The CLAN goes on to state that Irish third-level students spend more money a month on alcohol than they do on food and it clarifies speculation that regular binge drinking can wreck havoc on academic performance, as well as on social relationships. Controversially although Ireland has the highest rate of non-drinkers in Europe, (20%, in comparison to Germanys 5%) it also has one of the highest rates of alcohol consumption, at present topping the poll for binge-drinking statistics. (Alcohol-statistics-in-europe.com) According to Hope, Dring and Dring (2003) there were both positive and negative reasons as to why students drink. Positive reasons such as sociability relaxation and enjoyment occupy the dominant number of reasons people drink. One in four students reported having a drink with there meals, of which more females than males reported such a practice. However one in ten students used alcohol to forget worries and one in twenty used alcohol when they were anxious or depressed. More males than females said they drank just to be polite. Hope et al (2003) 1.3 Tobacco Behaviour The World Health Organisation (2010) states that tobacco is one of the greatest causes of preventable and premature deaths in human history and that it kills up to half of its users. The annual death toll of more than five million could rise to more than eight million by 2030 unless urgent action is taken to control the tobacco epidemic. According to the WHO, smoking is estimated to be the cause of approximately 7000 deaths in Ireland each year, chiefly by illness such as lung cancer, heart disease, stroke and emphysema. Smoking can also cause gum disease, bad breath, poor skin and yellow teeth. (WHO, 2010) According to Chick Cantwell, (2001) evidence suggests that smoking is mainly initiated originally by teenagers. The onset is usually the result of one or many of the following factors; curiosity, assertion of independence, rebelliousness, stress, and perhaps more than any other factor by peer pressure (Chick Cantwell, 2001). The CLAN surveys research findings show that everyone knows smoking is bad for your health, but there seems to be many harmful effects to which many smokers all around the world are still oblivious. For example; a survey in china found that only 68 percent of current smokers in China believe that smoking leads to lung cancer and only 36 percent believe that smoking causes coronary heart disease (Hope, et al. 2003). Another survey carried out in Britain showed that a shocking 99% of woman surveyed were unaware of the direct link between smoking and cervical cancer. (Gossop, 2007) 1.4 Alcohol and tobacco go hand in hand Mckee, Hinson, Rounsaville, Petrelli (2004) state that although research has shown that many young people dabble with substances such as alcohol and tobacco from as young as 13, substance use in relation to tobacco and alcohol has been reported to peak in early adulthood. The college years appear to be a time of increased risk for smoking initiation and movement into regular patterns of use. College smokers are more likely to be non-daily smokers, also known as party smokers. Alcohol and tobacco are known to be strongly related behaviours and the association between both substances seems to get stronger with the heavier use of either substances. Recent studies have found that smoking urges increase rapidly following heavy drinking, even among light smokers (King Epstein, 2005) Nichter, Nicthter, Carkoglu and Lloyd-Richardson (2010) suggests that virtually every college event and social occasion revolves around drinking and there is a significant distinction between party time and normal time, According to Nichter, et al (2010) (page number) parties were viewed as places to kick back, relax and chill and where everyday rules for behaviour didnt apply. The majority of party smokers believed that smoking while drinking was not really smoking and was therefore socially acceptable. This research highlights the commonality of smoking cigarettes as a behaviour that goes along with drinking. They found that some party smokers described drinking and smoking as going together like peanut butter and jelly or like milk and cookies. Nitcher explains at college parties and particularly in your freshman years, focus is on creating an image, getting noticed and also trying to fit in and be cool. For college males, smoking while having a drink helped a guy look really manly and gave off a bad boy image. Among females there is a powerful focus on being liked and a need to engage in similar behaviours to ones friends (Nichter et al., 2010). There are numerous functions of smoking and drinking described by Nitcher et al. (2010). One of which is Social Facilitation. A key reason for having a cigarette with a drink at parties is because smoking is usually done outside. Having a cigarette provides a reason to go outdoors with an individual or a group, therefore, the co-consumption of alcohol and tobacco aids social interaction. Alcohol diminishes ones level of willpower giving an individual the confidence to do things they would not normally do. The best crack at parties is usually outdoors so when individuals go outside to socialise with peers, instead of doing nothing, they are faced with the opportunity to join in with the rest of the crowd. Nichter et al. (2010) observed that when males were drinking with females it was sometimes difficult to maintain a conversation, but smoking a cigarette with a female, who was also smoking, seemed to smoothen out the conversation. One male interviewee noted: Its just easier to talk when Ive been drinking and smoking. A cigarette honestly just gives you a buzz and boosts your self confidence. It also gives you a minute to get your thoughts straight. Several party smokers described how the urge to smoke just comes when drinking. Nitcher et al. (2010) found that for novice smokers, after a couple of drinks, smoking cigarettes became physically easier to do. They tended to suffer less from throat irritation and coughed less. Drinking and smoking together also washed away the cigarettes bad taste. This research also found that another useful function of the concurrent use of alcohol and tobacco is the physical sensations experienced. Alcohol and smoking together create a buzz that is unattainable when either substance is taken separately. However, having a cigarette, while drinking, can also help an individual feel calmer, relaxed and more sober. Research has shown that despite the amount of social smoking party smokers might be involved in most party smokers did not want to become regular or real smokers. In fact, they believed that they were at little risk of dependency upon alcohol and tobacco. As one woman in a focus group commented People like me and my friends dont get addicted to either substance (Nichter et al., 2010) Given this naÃÆ' ¯ve belief among students, that they were not at risk for transitioning from social smoking to more regular patterns of use, it seems critical to educate students about the possibility of addiction, even if smoking at low levels. 1.5 Conclusion The above research indicates that there is a correlation between student drinking and smoking and it would appear that alcohol consumption can often lead to students use of tobacco. This is a prevalent health concern which the proposed research aims to explore. Research availability concerning levels and concurrent use of alcohol and tobacco is limited in an Irish context. The proposed research aims to highlight this relationship and

Social Acceptance and Its Consequences :: essays research papers

There is a moment in every person’s life that defines what they will be and how they will do in the future. Although most people are unable to pinpoint the exact day and time of this moment, it is usually in early adolescence and involves that person’s peers and developing morals. It is usually caused by the metamorphosis from a completely dependent person to a social being where there is an increased pressure to fit in. The fictitious narrator in Alice Adams’ "Truth or Consequences" – itself an excerpt from her book To See You Again – was unique in that she could pinpoint this defining moment. Her experience with Carstairs Jones was a mixed blessing that she was not able to overcome and, in light of how her life turned out, was a foreshadowing of things to come. Throughout the monologue, the narrator drops hints about how her "normal" past turned out. The many lovers she’d had – three marriages and as many abortions. Each time she was seeking out to gain an upper hand in life and social status. Once, she writes, "I was raped by someone to whom I was married." These are not part of what most people would constitute as a "normal" life. The sublimation of her own values and morals to become part of the ‘in’ crowd at her elementary school started with the malicious game of Truth or Consequences where she was the victim of a trick question designed to humilate her. Car Jones happened to be the rock adjacent to the hard place she was wedged between. Her ill fate led to the use of Car to prop her into social acceptance and the toll that Car imposed on her for her use of him caused confusion that stayed with her throughout her life. In her own mind, the narrator decides that all of these events can be traced back to the incident with Car and, as indicated by the final line in the story, cause her to be traumatized and allow these things to happen. "†¦ he could be as haunted as I am by everything that ever happened in his life." The traumatization threw the narrator into the arms of the most popular kid in class and that in turn led to her descent up the ladder of popularity. She reasons that to Car, the event was of little consequence and was quickly forgotten. Just the last ‘bad’ thing he could do before his sudden advancement to high school. He just floated above all of the inconsequential things that he did and followed what he wished with nary a look back.

Lack of Motivation/ work ethic in American youth

Every one is faced with the challenge of living his life amidst the challenges that it presents to the individual. The individual must determine the way he must live his life, the way he is supposed to live his life, and how to behave or react to the situations that life presents to him. In a way, all individual carries a goal in his life in order for him to get what he wants and what he deserves. Through these situations, one may feel overwhelmed and incapable of making the right choices at the right time. there are also several times in which a person will experience failure and be wrong about the decisions in his life. To understand the cause of failure, the emotions that contributes and results to failure, entails a sense of lack of interest for the individual to pursue his dreams or aspirations in life. All these things are a contributing factor to the development of motivation in the individual. Or the absence of which defines the lack of motivation. The paper will explore the concept of motivation. In doing so, the discussion regarding how motivation is developed and the reasons for the lack of it will be evaluated. Specifically, the paper will examine why American youths lacks motivation and work ethic despite the opportunities presented to them in a first-world country like the United States. To begin, let us define the concept of motivation. Motivation is defined as a noun that gives a person a reason to act (Encarta, 2006). It can also be defined as the desire of an individual to accomplish a goal or participate in any activity that promotes his goals and aspirations in life.   Motivation is the driving force behind the actions and behaviors of an organism. It is the internal state or condition that gives direction or desire to drive the person towards a goal-oriented behavior. Motivation should also be understood as based on emotions. It is the search for positive emotional experiences. A person motivated tries not to worry about the challenges or the negative ideas when facing challenges. Motivation is essential to be part of one person’s growth and life because simply, it involves the person’s performance in all learned responses to the challenges. One good theoretical definition of motivation is used by Abraham Maslow in his developed concept, the hierarchy of needs. The hierarchy of needs explains how personality influences different fields of and within the individual. Maslow uses the hierarchy to reflect the realities of personal experiences. Maslow as a psychology theoretician is classified in one of the school of though in psychology which is the humanist approach. In the particular view, their approach is not based on mechanical forces, reinforcements or stimuli, unconscious instinctual impulses or how other psychology school of thought perceives it. Humanist believes that the individual’s potentials drive him to his success. Maslow attributed that the fullness of one’s potentials is contributed by a mentality of a fully functioning person and a person who has a healthy personality. Maslow attributed these characteristics to a self-actualized person. The contribution of Maslow in defining the character of an individual is essential for us in understanding why US teenagers lack motivation nowadays and lacks work ethics. In Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs, the basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing are instinctive needs. The basic needs are the first level in Maslow’s five levels of basic needs. The needs mentioned above the basic needs are understanding, esthetic appreciation and purely spiritual needs. It must be noted that the fist level of needs must be fulfilled first before the rest and above needs are fulfilled. The need mentioned by Maslow that is important in the development of one’s self is first the physiological needs. The physiological needs are biological needs that serve as the basic needs like oxygen, food and water. Second, the safety needs. The safety needs, after the physiological needs are satisfied, the need for security alarms the person. Take for instance an adult responding to an emergency or a child’s moments of insecurity. Third level is the need for love, affection and belongingness. After the two latter needs are satisfied, Maslow theorized that people seek to overcome feelings of loneliness and alienation. That is why this need is realized through socialization processes of the individual. The fourth level is the need for esteem. Both self-esteem and esteem from other persons becomes dominant at one point. Human needs stable self-respect and respect from other people. Without this realization, people tend to feel weak, helpless and worthless. After four below levels are satisfied, the top level emerges and becomes dominant. This is the need for self-actualization. This level is what Maslow attributed as the person in which he must be and was born to be. The self-actualization needs enable the person to feel restless, on the edge or even confused in his pursuit for his right state of mind. Maslow believes that this level makes an individual realize what he must be doing for his personal fulfillment. He also believes that the society is placing hindrances for a person to fulfill his self-actualization needs. Education is one of the hindrances that Maslow mentioned. This had caused the call for action of educators to respond to this need and focus on the potentials of the individual. After providing the basic theoretical concept for us to understand the lack of motivation and work ethics among teenagers, the concrete studies and reasons for such will be discussed and explored. Many studies had already contributed in the society’s understanding of how humans are motivated and the reasons for the lack of it. We mentioned earlier the theory conceptualized by Maslow, the Hierarchy of Needs, because the strong point in using this theory is the comprehension that the higher level of needs of the individual includes affiliation, recognition of talents and potentials, and competence. Motivation is a concept in life that that originated in the Latin word â€Å"motus† which means to move. Being motivated is an indication of a person’s strong will to overcome obstacles and challenges. It initiates action for the individual to move towards a direction beneficial for him. Motivation is regarded as a process of integrating and interaction between internal and external factors of an individual. LACK OF MOTIVATION In understanding the lack of motivation among teenagers in the United States, we must first give importance to the role of society and its means that reflects the lack of motivation among teens. Today, media and entertainment influence greatly on teenagers. Each of them is influenced through music, movies and others. These factors one way or another, without us knowing, is a contributing factor to one’s lack of motivation, the same way that these influences become a motivating factor in the formation of goals of teenagers. Some of them want to become rich and popular. Some wants to like the personalities that they admire. But in further discussion of the lack of motivation and work ethics among teenagers, several reasons can be attributed to such in a much larger perspective and theoretical framework. According to Stipek (1988), several reasons for the lack of motivation are brought by internal and external factors. Teenagers do not define goals that characterize their personal success. These goals initiate the motivation, the drive for the person to do something to fulfill them. Or even if they have goals, the goals and activities in which it is executed is the wrong method in fulfilling it. The goals may also be non-achievable goals. Another attributed reason for the lack of motivation is the negative feelings and emotions one person situates his or herself at. Teenagers also have the tendency to set goals for future endeavors, and if they fail, they lose the drive to try to achieve it once more. That is why goals must be set within bounds of achieving them in time. The prolong satisfaction of achieving goals in the distant future affects teenagers lack of motivation. The goals set by teenagers also are not reflected in their present-day activities. The activities they include themselves may be not related to the goals they have set. Stipek (1988) also mentioned that the important goals teenagers must achieve should not conflict their present-day activities. Motivation also comes with reinforcements and rewards. Lack of motivation can also be attributed to low incentives that teenagers get disappointed at. Another significant reason why teenagers lack motivation is the interference and influence of personal problems in their family, society and the activities they participate in. To address to this problem, parents and educators must share the same responsibility to increase motivation among teenagers to achieve success and realize their potentials. As we have discussed the reasons for teenagers’ lack of motivation, it is now the goal of educators, parents and the society in greater scale to act on this phenomenon. Parents and educators must encourage teenagers to become authentic, to listen to themselves and the inner voices that govern their emotions. Parents and educators must teach the teenagers to be different because the reality is, everybody is different. The media and the different personalities and figures in the society today greatly influences teens today and this brings several challenges for the development of one’s individuality. Teenagers want to be who ever they admire and see on television, which brought such problems as the reason why teenagers want to be skinny, undergo surgical procedures to look like their idols or be popular. They must teach teenagers to transcend the limitations and perception of cultural differences. They must also teach the importance of following their hearts desire, as clichà © as it may sound. Their calling, fate or destiny will be able to motivate them in achieving their goals. To this goal parents and educators must encourage teenagers to discover their potentials and develop the skills they inherently have. Also important is to instill in teenagers mind that life is worth to be experienced thus the need to do necessary actions to live life to the fullest and to their potentials. Parents and educators must also accept the teenagers for their own personality and must not give reasons for them to doubt what they want is not what they are supposed to do. Encouragement and reinforcements is very essential in overcoming the challenge with lack of motivation. from the real attitudes and perception of the teenagers, potentials are discovered and further developed into something the teenager will perceive as essential for him to achieve success and happiness. Also as the responsibility of parents, the basic needs must be satisfied. Included in which is safety, belongingness and esteem need. Parents must secure these needs before the teenager can focus on his personal development and achievement of goals. He will appreciate the things done for him to achieve success in life. As for the role of educators, they must refresh the knowledge and consciousness of teenagers for them to realize their importance in the society. In conjunction with satisfying the need for belongingness, teenagers are encouraged and motivated is they have an idea of their worth and importance of the role they play in the society. Teenagers must be taught to control the activities in their lives, to get involve in activities that are related to their goals. When an individual has control in their life, it naturally improves the condition of their life in all aspects. This means that teenagers must be taught to be aware how to grace under pressure and practice minimalism. Teenagers must also be encouraged by parent and educators to never give in to failure. They must let them understanding the failures is a natural occurrence that one has to learn and live in. parents and educators must also encourage teenagers to transcend into personal problems for their own benefits. With the growing alarm rate of divorced parents in the United States, parents must make it a priority to let teenagers understand the situation for them to realize that they are still important amidst the personal problems they encounter. Whether it may occur in the home or in school, the responsibility to overcome lack of motivation must involve the teenager to adhere to the situation and react to it in a positive manner. Although this is not an easy process as we are still govern mostly of our emotions, parents and educators must enforce teenager’s perception of a better life ahead of these problems and negative situations. Lastly, parents and educators must give teenagers the right to choose and present them with viable choices for them fulfill their potentials, goals and aspirations. Reference: Stipek, D. (1988). Motivation to learn: From theory to practice. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Mary, Rose. â€Å"Tips on how to overcome lack of motivation while working at home†. EzineArticles. November 1, 2006. December 1, 2006 Huitt, W. (2004). â€Å"Maslow’s hierarchy of needs†. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta State University. Retrieved December 1, 2006 from, http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/regsys/maslow.html. Anonymous. â€Å"Adherance to Youth Guidelines.† 1. Maslow, A. H. â€Å"A Theory of Human Motivation.† Classics in the History of Psychology Christopher D. Green, 1943. Messina, J. J., and Messina, C. M. . â€Å"Testing Motivation in Recovery.† 2006. Perera, Karl. â€Å"Self-Motivation.† 2005.   

Conversations with Children Essay

Language is a form of communication wherein children learn how to convey their emotions, thoughts and ideas verbally. Not only is language a tool of communication, it’s also an implement of thinking which is related to the way in which children acquire knowledge, their reasoning and their observations. Within this essay I shall be discussing what and how children learn in the process of conducting a conversation with an adult, by exploring children’s acquisition in terms of linguistic and communicative competence with reference to the dialogue and other supporting evidence. In relation to linguistic competence, Linguist Noam Chomsky (1990, 1986) affirms that ‘language is an innate human ability which is biologically determined and follows a predictable path’ (Mayor, 2012, pg 92) suggesting that children are familiar with language from birth. However, Chomsky in contrast also states that ‘minimal language input is required to trigger the language learn ing process’ (Mayor, 2012, pg 92) testifying that a caregiver’s contribution plays is imperative role in a child’s development. Barbara Mayor, corresponding to Chomsky’s beliefs, has observed that ‘babies are primed even within the womb to attend to the particular ‘melody’ of the language that surrounds them’ (Mayor, 2012, pg 92) such as, a mother’s voice. In comparison to both Chomsky’s and Mayor’s philosophy, Elinor Ochs (1979) argues that non-verbal communication emerges before children can verbally communicate, such as ‘touching, pointing, and eye gaze†¦reaching, holding up, waving, pushing away, head shaking, and the like’ (Ochs, 1979, pg 12, in Mayor, pg 93) designating that minors can interact with their caregivers, almost like having ‘a conversation without words’ (Wells, 1985, pg 24, in Mayor, 2012, pg 93). Gordon Well’s observation coincides with that of Mayor’s, who asserts that a baby’s first experience of language across many cultures is likely to be in dialogue with a caregiver’ (Mayo r, 2012, pg 93). But, how do children learn how to conduct a conversation? In early education, minors learn to converse by creating sounds, firstly by hearing different sounds around them which then urge and encourage children to respond. Babies particularly, learn how to manipulate their vocal sounds in order to make verbal contact with their caregiver such as a ‘cry’ which later progresses to a ‘babbling’. Mayor mentions that ‘their early experimentations of babbling soon differentiates the particular sounds which are meaningful in their linguistic community from those which are not’ (Mayor, 2012, pg 92). Elinor Ochs and Bambi Schieffelin (1979) also mention that ‘children begin by learning speech and only gradually learn the language that corresponds to these in the community around them’ (Ochs and Schieffelin, 1979, in Mayor, pg 93). In studying communicative competence, by being able to conduct a conversation, it has been observed that language mannerisms between caregiver and child, can exemplify the speech that assists the acquisition of language. During this acquisition caregivers display a unique style of speech in which linguistics has referred to as Child Directed speech (CDS), also known as ‘baby talk’ (Mayor, 2012, pg 93) which consist of several features. The first is Phonological wherein caregivers change the rate of speech, use a clearer pronunciation and a higher and more exaggerated pitch allowing children to comprehend words a little easier. The second feature is Lexical, in that adults use shorter and simples phrases whilst employing a more grammatical usage. Syntactic features are the last element where caregivers use a simplified form of speech by using shorter utterances, rather than full sentences sequentially illustrating meaning to their young. In terms of CDS and in reference to the chosen dialogue, it is evident that Anna is capable of comprehending what her mother is saying by the way she responds. It’s apparent that Anna is capable in terms of being able to use short words and long, grammatical sentences. Although she is not correct at times, Anna, in her own way can interpret and express herself through her language; an example of this can be seen in line 18. CDS therefore, permits children to distinguish linguistic patterns by firstly learning word order and then developing a profound understanding of sentence structures. Telegraphic speech is a prime example of a speech act. According to linguistics, telegraphic speech consists of a two-word stage of language acquisition used by children aged 2-3, (Anna’s age), that creates a number of joined utterances. These words then become multiple and children learn how to conduct telegraphic sentences. In the dialogue it’s clear that Anna has developed a sense of being able to build sentences and is able to use word order correctly. It is through telegraphic speech that children learn how to acquire grammatical inflections in word forms and prepositions such as ‘in’ and ‘on’, this can be seen in line 14 of the dialogue also. Discourse and context play a role in teaching children language. Discourse identifies that language has ‘a social purpose’ (North, 2012, pg 133), and allows us ‘to communicate with other people to establish and maintain relationships, to share feelings, to exchange information, or to influence their behaviour’ (North, 2012, pg 133). Barbara Mayor and Daniel Allington declare that context is significant as it ‘refers to the physical location and social circumstances in which a particular example of language use occurs’ (Mayor and Allington, 2012, pg 6). The dialogue is set in informal settin g, the sense of language between mother and daughter within the dialogue is perceived accordingly in this type of social setting in that is relaxed. In regards to grammatical development, competence generally precedes performance wherein children are taught to comprehend a language before being able to speak it. In reference to communicative competence Del Hymes states that ‘a normal child acquires knowledge of sentences, not only as grammatical, but also as appropriate. He or she acquires competence as to when to speak, when not, and as to what to talk about with whom, when, where, in what matter’ (Hymes, 1972, pg 277, In Mayor, pg 106). Holding a conversation with a child can be difficult in terms of captivating their attention, however as Hymes explores, the majority of conversations between caregivers and children are based upon the subject of their interests, such as; family members etc. In this dialogue this is evident seeing that the conversation is based upon drawing both cars and trains for her parents. Another trait in CDS is repetition in which is used to prolong an adult/child conversation by enabling the flow of speech. Repetition can be seen in lines, 3, 5, and 9 of the dialogue where the mother has repeated Anna’s previous comment. Another method used in CDS and perhaps the most essential rule of conversation is turn taking. Turn taking has a primary function that allows the infant to learn conversational structure. Taking turns seems to be a straight forward implement; however other factors need to be addressed in order for a child to fully appreciate the procedures. Within the dialogue, Anna has learnt that she has to take turns and actually appears to be rather good at it. Transition Relevance Place also known as TRP, identified and named by Sacks (1998 [1995]), is when a conversation between one person and another follows fluently. However, it is common for an overlap during conversation in which a person mistakes a TRP and takes their turn of speaking before the previous speaker is able to carry on with their turn. This overlapping of speech can sometimes be unintentional depending on whether a legitimate TRP occurs or not. Referring to the dialogue, in line 1 we can see that the mother is the first speaker in which she speaks with an utterance made up of one so-called TCU (a question). At the end of this TCU (line 1) is a TRP in which the role of the speaker and the listener swop, in line 2 Anna recognised the TRP and speaks. North (2012) has identified that sometimes listeners respond to a previous speakers at a TRP, not by trying to take a turn of speech but instead by showing an interest and by encouraging the speaker to continue talking. This can be seen in 11 in the dialogue ‘Mhm’. North mentions that in terms of taking part in a conversation ‘you cannot just say anything; you have to respond appropriately’ (North, 2012, pg 158). Harvey Sacks agrees and identifies that ‘spoken exchanges are composed of ‘single units’ or ‘composites’, which tend to function together in pairs’, in which he named these units ‘adjacency pairs’ (Schegloff and Sacks, 1973, In Mayor and Allington, pg11). Adjacency pairs are an underlying aspect of conversational-turn taking where one speaker provokes a responding utterance from the second speaker. Question and answer is a common adjacency pair and can be seen in the dialogue throughout lines 1, 3, 7, 13 and 15, which are responded too, by Anna, in a ‘preferred response’. Other adjacency pairs are ‘dispreferred’ responses (responses the listener doesn’t want to hear). References Hymes, D. H. (1972) ‘On communicative competence’ in Pride, J. B. and Holmes, J. (eds) Sociolinguistics: Selected Readings, Harmondsworth, Penguin.

Have you ever been to a country Essays

Have you ever been to a country Essays Have you ever been to a country Essay Have you ever been to a country Essay Have you ever been to a country where our past is in the present and our present is going to be in the future? Nepal is an undeveloped country and it is one of the â€Å"ten unprosperous countries† (Tessa Feller) in the world. Nepal is one of the most religious countries and is the only official Hindu state in the world. Nepal was only introduced to the world in 1951. Before that, Nepal was under the rule of the Rana’s, who did not allow any tourist to enter. Now, Nepal is once again a monarchy. Since then, Nepal is being introduced to many modern equipment and settlements. It is very depressing for Nepal, having to face this situation when it has many tourist attractions, and many people would like to visit a society completely different from their own. The poor economy of Nepal is holding its true potential from shining. By donating, the economy can grow and children can have a proper education. Since, tourists live in poor conditions when in Nepal, companies can invest to make hotels and make a large profit from it.Tourism is Nepal’s most important industry, although it has â€Å"suffered from the Maoist conflict† (Tessa Feller). Nepal’s tourists range from two-hundred thousand to four-hundred thousand every year. The main reason why people visit Nepal is because it is a completely different society than their own. Since Nepal was only introduced to the world in 1951, many people don’t know about it. It is a society under the progression of modernizing, but is still in the past. Also, Nepal has many attractions such as the Himalayas containing eight of the ten highest mountains in the world. The Himalayas are not just high mountains which are climbed to prove someone’s ability; they are mountains sacred to gods. Many people visit to catch a glimpse of the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest. These mountains bring publicity and money to Nepal.TV’s and computers give happiness and entertainment to people all across the world, but in countries like Nepal this type of entertainment cannot be afforded by the country. Nepal is one of the ten poorest countries in the world. There are no TV’s, no internet and there only â€Å"public washrooms where everyone can see you† (Tessa Feller). The â€Å"GDP per capita income for Nepal is only $1000† (CIA World Factbook). In Canada, families spend around $1000 in one month. How can people expect Nepalese to spend $1000 in a year?This is why most people in a family, including children work and this can cause many illnesses. â€Å"Nepal exports carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grains for $830million (does not include unrecorded trades with India), and they import gold, machinery equipment, petroleum products and fertilizer for $2.389billion.† Nepal’s import is three times more than there export, which is why they had a â€Å"debt of 3.07 billion in March 2006† (CIA World Factbook) and the debt, is still increasing. Until the debt is paid off, it is going to be hard for Nepal to modernize and our present can only be seen in Nepal’s future.Waking up in the morning wet and cold. In Nepal many people live in poor conditions. It is very â€Å"cool up north and subtropical in the south† (Let’s Visit Nepal). Since, the economy is poor the living conditions are also poor. Many children and adults suffer from these conditions. â€Å"There a re around seven major infectious diseases in Nepal including HIV/AIDS. There are around sixty-one thousand people living with HIV/AIDS and around three thousand one-hundred people died because of it. Around sixty-two out of one thousand babies die.† (CIA World Factbook) Also Nepal lacks in education. Only children over fifteen can read and write (48.6 % of population can read and write). The donations of people are needed to save many lives in Nepal. Remember, a baby shouldn’t be blamed for something it didn’t do.Tourism brings money and publicity, but it lacks quality. The economy is very poor causing the country to be undeveloped. Also, there are poor living conditions, which affect children in many ways. Donation and investment of companies and others can increase the economy and help develop it. Also, it can save many lives! Be a friend to those people who suffer from these poor conditions. A friend in need is a friend indeed. :

Free Essays on The Lady Of Shalott

Tennyson wrote The Lady of Shalott in 1832. An example of Arthurian literature, it tells the story of a woman who lives in isolation in a tower on an island called Shalott. In this poem, Tennyson is very much the Romantic poet he admired in Keats and Shelley. The Lady, who could not be more unattainable, perfectly embodies the Victorian image of the ideal woman, virginal, mysterious and dedicated to her womanly tasks. A curse has been put upon her meaning that she must stay in the tower and not look down to the nearby town of Camelot. The Lady of Shalott contains various different themes and ideas, which I feel that Tennyson conveys to the reader through the vivid descriptions and images that he uses. His keen interest in narrative is displayed in his poems, which tend to be romantic and provide an escape to a simpler, happier world. The Lady of Shalott and the poems within Idylls of the King take place in medieval England and capture a world of knights in shining armour and their da msels in distress. The Lady of Shalott is a 180 line narrative poem divided into four sections of nine-line stanzas. The four sections separate the important developments of the narrative making it easier to understand because it is set out more like chapters of a story. The rhyme scheme of the poem is aaaabcccb. It is almost entirely composed in iambic tetrameter, except for the last line of each stanza, which is written in iambic trimeter. The fifth and ninth lines of almost every stanza end with Camelot and Shalott respectively. This constant repetition helps to establish the monotony of the Lady's weaving. This repetition is only interrupted twice by the word Lancelot (in the fifth line of the ninth stanza and the ninth line of the twelfth stanza). I feel that this is meant to symbolise how the Lady's new-found love for him brings to an end her task and allows her to escape the tower. I will now go on to discuss the themes within the poem and how the... Free Essays on The Lady Of Shalott Free Essays on The Lady Of Shalott Tennyson wrote The Lady of Shalott in 1832. An example of Arthurian literature, it tells the story of a woman who lives in isolation in a tower on an island called Shalott. In this poem, Tennyson is very much the Romantic poet he admired in Keats and Shelley. The Lady, who could not be more unattainable, perfectly embodies the Victorian image of the ideal woman, virginal, mysterious and dedicated to her womanly tasks. A curse has been put upon her meaning that she must stay in the tower and not look down to the nearby town of Camelot. The Lady of Shalott contains various different themes and ideas, which I feel that Tennyson conveys to the reader through the vivid descriptions and images that he uses. His keen interest in narrative is displayed in his poems, which tend to be romantic and provide an escape to a simpler, happier world. The Lady of Shalott and the poems within Idylls of the King take place in medieval England and capture a world of knights in shining armour and their da msels in distress. The Lady of Shalott is a 180 line narrative poem divided into four sections of nine-line stanzas. The four sections separate the important developments of the narrative making it easier to understand because it is set out more like chapters of a story. The rhyme scheme of the poem is aaaabcccb. It is almost entirely composed in iambic tetrameter, except for the last line of each stanza, which is written in iambic trimeter. The fifth and ninth lines of almost every stanza end with Camelot and Shalott respectively. This constant repetition helps to establish the monotony of the Lady's weaving. This repetition is only interrupted twice by the word Lancelot (in the fifth line of the ninth stanza and the ninth line of the twelfth stanza). I feel that this is meant to symbolise how the Lady's new-found love for him brings to an end her task and allows her to escape the tower. I will now go on to discuss the themes within the poem and how the...

How to Get Ready to Take a Compass Writing Skills Test

How to Get Ready to Take a Compass Writing Skills Test How to Get Ready to Take a Compass Writing Skills Test The Compass test is a computerized system for evaluating students’ incoming skill levels, used mostly by postsecondary institutions. It’s used to identify the courses that any given student should be placed in as well as academic areas that need more attention. One of these areas is writing skills. Each test uses two parts: a Placement Test and a Diagnostics Test. As the name suggests, the Placement Test, in the end, shows what courses you should be taking. On the other hand, the Diagnostics Test shows your weaknesses and indicates areas that you should improve. Here are the points that will be evaluated during each part of the test for writing skills: Placement Test Diagnostics Test Knowledge of mechanics: punctuation, grammar and sentence structure; Rhetorical skills: organization, style and strategy. Spelling. Capitalization. Verb agreement. Organization. Usage. Punctuation, etc. How to Get Ready Are you one of those people who prefer to deal with situations head on? Or do you want to be carefully prepared for any occasion? To show good results on any test, you should be thorough with your preparation. If you care about further education at all, some time and effort is necessary to stay prepared. Research your test: determine what kind of questions you’ll get; how much time you’ll have to respond and see what other students think about the test. This will give you a general idea of what to expect. Practice on sample tests: there are numerous similar tests, although online tests are better, because they show you where you made mistakes. If you repeatedly make the same kind of mistakes, you should work on those areas. Study: if you know your trouble areas, its best to focus on this material before the test. You dont know exactly what you’ll need, so you have to know everything. Hire a tutor: it may be an extreme measure, but it’s also a good idea to take the results of your practice test to someone who can point out your errors and explain how you can avoid them next time. These are the basic routes you can take to prepare for the writing skills test. But there are also other tricks that will assist you in the process. What Else You Can Do When you know what to expect, the Compass Writing Skills test is fairly easy, since you only need to identify errors. So, if writing is your thing and you want to pass this test with flying colors, consider revisiting everything that involves writing skills: mechanical skills, planning (brainstorming, outlining), clear and concise reasoning, constructing an argument, synthesizing information from different sources. Most of these skills apply to custom essay writing, but even if you’re taking a multiple choice test, they’ll be helpful in identifying errors. Essentially, they’ll help you to see the problem and know how to fix it. Knowing the right answer also helps to choose the right variant. Obviously, there are many things you can do to get ready to the Compass Writing Skills Test, on your own and with somebodys help. But only your motivation, efforts and promptness will help you be truly prepared.

The Missionary Journeys of Paul the Apostle Term Paper

The Missionary Journeys of Paul the Apostle - Term Paper Example His conversion contributed considerably to the renaissance of Christ. Throughout his missionary journeys, he transformed religious beliefs and philosophy and founded churches all around the Mediterranean world. According to the Biblical background, it is viewed that there were three missionary journeys of Paul, approximately during 48-60 AD. Many Christian scholars believe that Paul walked on foot during his journeys through the city of Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Greece and Italy. Paul’s missionary journeys cover northwest and the west of Jerusalem and the Mediterranean world of the Roman Empire1. The discussion henceforth reflects the strategies and methods used by Paul in his missionary journeys. Therefore, the discussion focuses on Paul’s three missionary journeys. Furthermore, the discussion also intends to present a brief understanding of the historical, religious and social contexts of his three journeys. Paul’s Missionary Methods and Strategies Paul pr acticed various strategies to spread the Christian faith to places he visited during his missionary journeys. According to Langston, Paul implemented a plan to evangelize the Roman world of Mediterranean, confirming three most significant centers for Judaism as Palestine, Alexandria and Babylon2. Therefore, it can be observed that moving towards the western region, Paul the Apostle strategically evangelized the then less populated areas. Furthermore, for the effective completion of the establishment of early churches, Paul relied on a few number of devotees, on whom he could bestow his complete faith to accomplish the job of evangelism. This group of devotees involved Luke, Timothy, Epaphroditus, Titus and Silas3. Paul the Apostle further established churches under the supervision of ‘older and abler men’, who could conserve the spiritual belief in Christ along with expanding it. Paul’s primary objectives were to create ‘indigenous’ churches with com plete spiritual authority under his own ministry. Paul’s work always highlighted the spiritual bond of union in Jesus Christ. Being the ‘spiritual father’, Paul took the responsibility to supervise these churches, making periodic personal visits. The morality of Apostle Paul can be learnt from the various episodes of his missionary journeys. For instance, to accumulate the necessary finance required for his missionary journey, Paul employed himself during the day as a ‘tentmaker’, avoiding any assistance from his followers and devotees. In every city which Paul visited, he recognized a Jewish ‘synagogue’, which is the prayer house used for the Jews, to develop it as an early church. He also sought out particular Jews whom he identified as ‘God-fearing Gentiles’ who did not want to submit to the Jewish ritualistic requirements and bestowed on them the responsibility of following the rules of the church and spreading the teach ings of Christ which He preached during His ministry all around the region4. Paul’s Missionary Journeys First Journey (48-49 AD) From March of 48 AD to September of 49 AD, Paul initiated his journey along the route of Antioch in Pisidia, Paphos and Salamis in Cyprus, Antioch in Syria, Perga in Asia Minor, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, and back to Lystra. His first missionary journey began in Antioch of Syria, where he had to spend a considerable time for the

Assignment s Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

S - Assignment Example Thus, it would be more convenient for the defendants and plaintiffs to attend the court hearing in either Greece or Cyprus. According to Lear, the doctrine of forum non conveniens is supposed to provide convenience to the parties above all else (1147). In Piper vs Reyno the fact that most of the evidence including the plane wreckage and witnesses could be found in Scotland or near Scotland was given as one of the grounds for granting forum non conveniens. Similarly, the plane wreckage is in Athens and since the flights took off from Cyprus, further evidence could be obtained from the ground crew there. Furthermore, some of the evidence is in Greek and Greek law will be applicable in some matters. In Piper vs Reyno, it was reasoned that an American jury will have a hard time understanding foreign laws. If the case is heard in the district court, Greek law would have to apply and it is in doubt if the jury would comprehend Greek law. In Piper vs Reyno, American courts were cautioned against adjudicating foreign matters as this would place unnecessary burden on the American court system. In the case, both the defendant and plaintiffs are foreign citizens therefore meaning the US has little public interest in deciding the matter. In this case, the plaintiffs favor the district court as here they would obtain ten times as much compensation and damages for the suit. However, in Piper vs Reyno it was ruled that plaintiff’s favored forum had little bearing on granting dismissal on grounds of forum non conveniens. If courts were to take plaintiffs choice of forums as weighty consideration then dismissal would be rare. Furthermore, in Yavuz vs 61 MM LTD it was help that claims do not have to be similar to those offered by the district courts for a foreign jurisdiction to be accessed as an adequate forum In addition, the change of forum would not change either party’s case as plaintiffs could still make claims of

Pharmacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pharmacy - Essay Example Of course, there are many other formulations that I could become as a drug: powder, gel capsules, even nasal spray. But the most common types are the tablet and suspension forms. All of the equipment I come into contact with between now and when I am ingested by a patient must be clean and sterile. I must be sealed away from outside contact, so that I do not become contaminated with debris, bacteria, or other microscopic particles. Every canister, tank, mixer, pipe, hose, and bottle has to be sterilized completely. Many of the items I will come in contact with have been steam-sterilized, because using clean steam prevents me from being contaminated by the cleaning products themselves. I am pumped from a delivery vehicle into a tank to be stored at the manufacturing site. The tank I am in is only one of many in the tank farm at this pharmaceutical plant. In order to assure safety, the tanks are sterilized before I am pumped into them through an airtight transfer pump. After a period o f storage, I am then pumped from the storage tanks into a make-up and boot tank, and then from there into a reactor tank to start the manufacturing process. The plant keeps very careful track of the arrival times of all the ingredients for their products, including me, in order to ensure that nothing is stored too long. They also have to keep track of the temperature and humidity of the storage areas, because some ingredients cannot be exposed to temperatures that are too high or too low, and some cannot be exposed to humid air in case they react with the oxygen. Some chemicals must even be kept away from contact with the oxygen in the air, because they will oxidize and change form. At the start of the manufacturing process, I am weighed with great precision, as are the excipients that will make up the tablets or suspension with me. The weights of the various ingredients will depend on batch size and dosage amount, and all of the weights are recorded for quality assurance. Each of t he ingredients are all weighed individually in separate sterile canisters because having the right amounts of each ingredient is vital to the properties of the final product. The reactor mixes us together in the right proportions, according to the size of the batch and the dosage amount of the final product. Depending on my properties and the properties of the other ingredients in my mixture, the next steps will vary. If I and the other active and inactive ingredients are dry powder that can be mixed together smoothly, we can be sent on to the next step of tablet pressing without further processing. If the right mixtures cannot be obtained through simple stirring in the reactor, there are two other possibilities to create the necessary homogeneity of the mixture for the creation of tablets. These possibilities are wet granulation or dry granulation. If I can be mixed with water, the manufacturer will use an aqueous solution, as that will be safer; if, like many pharmacological chemi cals, I cannot come in contact with water without reacting to it and degrading, I will be mixed with a solvent solution. If I go through wet granulation, a liquid binder-adhesive will be added to me in the reactor, where we will be thoroughly mixed together. Using the correct amounts of the liquid binder-adhesive is vital, because if too much of the liquid is added to me, my granules will come out to be too

Drought and water supply Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Drought and water supply - Research Paper Example Although drought has several causes and is associated with numerous negative consequences, it can be properly managed using various strategies. Drought has a long history that can be traced as far back as the biblical times of Joseph. It is one of the earliest climatic events that are documented. Presently it is associated with the Epic of Gilgamesh and later the exodus of Israelites from Egypt. It has been there since the times of early man, in Africa and the rest of the world. In the modern society, it is possible for people to mitigate the impacts of drought through crop rotation and irrigation. If people fail to develop and implement mitigation strategies, drought and bad water supply they will incur grave costs. The worst droughts that have been experienced in the world are the droughts of 1980s and 1990s. The most severe and historical drought was experienced in the basin of river Simeto. Climate is what determines water supply. Temperatures of the air determine the level of water demand, while precipitation is the only source of renewing water. If people can clearly understand past climatic conditions, they can predict future conditions and hence adapt and limit the level of hardship faced during drought. It is evident that drought comes in a certain pattern that repeats itself seasonally, annually and inter-annually. Estimates by the United Nations indicate that one third of the world’s population is affected by water shortages (United Nations, 23). The UN states that about 1.1 billion people lack safe water for drinking and those without enough water for sanitation stand at 2.6 billion (United Nations, 23). Consequently, deaths and diseases have increased due to the use of contaminated water. Children from developing countries are the most affected with 3,900 of them dying everyday from diarrhea and insufficient or bad water related

Microeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Microeconomics - Essay Example 4. Features of monopoly Various features of monopoly are explained with the help of diagrams in this section. The question like how monopolistic firms attain the capability to increase the prices of their product and services is explained with the help of other economic terms. 5. Conclusion The major points discussed in this paper were summarised in this section. 6. Suggested areas of further research The question; how to protect the interests of the consumers in monopolistic market should be researched further. 7. References The references used for this research were cited in MLA style in this section. Abstract Monopoly is one of the major microeconomic terms which refer to the total domination of a firm in the market. The monopolistic firms face less competition in the market and they can control the market activities more effectively than other firms. Monopoly is beneficial to the firms whereas it is against the interest of the public. Monopolistic firms can increase the prices of their product and services far more than the actual prices because of lack of competition they may face in the market. Monopoly has different forms like natural, geographic, technological, and government. This paper briefly explains various features of monopoly according to the principles of microeconomics. ... Monopoly is a good market condition for an organization; but it is not so good for the consumers. The ability to fix prices of products and services is the main advantage of a monopolistic firm. For example, Microsoft is enjoying monopoly in the operating system market in the world at present. They are charging heavily for their Windows operating system because of the absence of any other competitive products. Types of monopoly Based on the nature, monopoly can be classified into different categories like; natural, geographic, technological, governmental etc. An industry is said to be a natural monopoly if it produce a desired output at a lower cost than two or more firms. Public utilities like railways, telecommunications, water services, electricity, and mail delivery etc are examples for natural monopoly. These public utility services are mainly controlled by the government and private competition is not allowed in these sectors. A natural monopoly and monopoly are entirely differ ent concepts since natural monopoly describes a firm's cost structure whereas a monopoly explains market share and market power. It is difficult for small firms to invest in areas with natural monopoly. For example, it is not easy for small firms to invest huge amounts needed for setting up a public transporting system like railways or public utility like water supply. Because of globalization, governments now permit private investments in natural monopolistic areas. In other words, the term natural monopoly is going to lose its significance since private companies may challenge the governments in these sectors. For example, BSNL (a public company) was the only telecommunication company in India till two decades before. At present many private companies like

Sterotypes and Diversity in American Research Paper

Sterotypes and Diversity in American - Research Paper Example Stories related by friends and families, narratives handed down from generations to generations, information from books and magazines, and depictions in movies and television allow individuals to formulate generalizations. Majority of these stereotypical generalizations are logically correct, however, in almost all cases, humanity is resorting to bigotry by assigning labels and categorizations about a person merely rooted in a stereotype, devoid of real facts. Through stereotyping, suppositions are made on a person or group with some individuality. Stereotypical biases are oftentimes derived from secondhand information (Grobman, 1990). Extensive and continuous circulation of stereotypes causes uncertainty between realism and fallacy for both the subject and doer (Prell, 2009). At the time the United States was experiencing remarkable changes in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries from enormous immigrant arrivals; modernization and industrial ascension; and the inclusion of women, races, and minorities in the labor force, American civilization developed preoccupations with inflexible and often vindictive cultural stereotypes in the fields of literature, arts, and the media (Prell, 2009). As portrayed in the movie industry, African-Americans are negatively stereotyped as intellectually incapable, idle, or violent. Consequently, with this type of pigeonholed films, injustice in opposition to African-Americans is promoted. Another example of media stereotype is how women, the physically perfect in particular, are constantly presented as weak, unintelligent and sexually immoral (Grobman, 1990). Fashion icons, sports figures, television and movie personalities are glamorously represented by the media as models of perfection. However, ethnic, gendered, and culture-rooted stereotypes are oftentimes impossibly achievable resulting in a great divide between genders boasted in the media and the â€Å"ordinary† sexes of society. Moreover, with the current trend o f humanity’s fixation for excellence, society is confronted with socio-cultural threats and loss of identity and ethnicity (McConnell, 2008). The dilemma frequently comes up once the ‘label’ twists from being a classifier into an insulting position for the subject, especially if the individual formulating the stereotype is a person of authority. At that juncture, it is not simply the human perception of stereotypes but the person who commands power, creates labels and holds egotistic interests that is at fault. When a stereotype is used for maneuvering an individual’s manner of judgment, it has to be classified if it is an instrument or an obstruction in the user’s opinion (Stewart, n.d.). This paper will provide an explanation as to why stereotypes are made. Advantages and disadvantages of negative stereotyping will be laid out to raise awareness on how it affects the social wellbeing of a stigmatized individual. A treatment plan in combating negat ive stereotypes through active participation of individuals, the media and the educational system, will likewise be presented. The Reasons behind Stereotypes Nowadays, the term 'stereotype' is perceived as a form of maltreatment and exploitation. Diverse groups, predominantly the black outcasts, inferior-to-men women and discriminated gays, are stereotyped in the mass media and in the

Microeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Microeconomics - Essay Example 4. Features of monopoly Various features of monopoly are explained with the help of diagrams in this section. The question like how monopolistic firms attain the capability to increase the prices of their product and services is explained with the help of other economic terms. 5. Conclusion The major points discussed in this paper were summarised in this section. 6. Suggested areas of further research The question; how to protect the interests of the consumers in monopolistic market should be researched further. 7. References The references used for this research were cited in MLA style in this section. Abstract Monopoly is one of the major microeconomic terms which refer to the total domination of a firm in the market. The monopolistic firms face less competition in the market and they can control the market activities more effectively than other firms. Monopoly is beneficial to the firms whereas it is against the interest of the public. Monopolistic firms can increase the prices of their product and services far more than the actual prices because of lack of competition they may face in the market. Monopoly has different forms like natural, geographic, technological, and government. This paper briefly explains various features of monopoly according to the principles of microeconomics. ... Monopoly is a good market condition for an organization; but it is not so good for the consumers. The ability to fix prices of products and services is the main advantage of a monopolistic firm. For example, Microsoft is enjoying monopoly in the operating system market in the world at present. They are charging heavily for their Windows operating system because of the absence of any other competitive products. Types of monopoly Based on the nature, monopoly can be classified into different categories like; natural, geographic, technological, governmental etc. An industry is said to be a natural monopoly if it produce a desired output at a lower cost than two or more firms. Public utilities like railways, telecommunications, water services, electricity, and mail delivery etc are examples for natural monopoly. These public utility services are mainly controlled by the government and private competition is not allowed in these sectors. A natural monopoly and monopoly are entirely differ ent concepts since natural monopoly describes a firm's cost structure whereas a monopoly explains market share and market power. It is difficult for small firms to invest in areas with natural monopoly. For example, it is not easy for small firms to invest huge amounts needed for setting up a public transporting system like railways or public utility like water supply. Because of globalization, governments now permit private investments in natural monopolistic areas. In other words, the term natural monopoly is going to lose its significance since private companies may challenge the governments in these sectors. For example, BSNL (a public company) was the only telecommunication company in India till two decades before. At present many private companies like

Training and Trust Essay Example for Free

Training and Trust Essay The training of an individual, especially in the field of profession, plays an important part in his or her ability to trust others. The demands of the profession and the degree to which it calls for individual skills, talents and prowess surely affect the ability of a person to trust others and work with them. In certain professions, working with others is a necessity and that the performance of a team is very much needed in the delivery of a product or service. This kind of training may be seen in basketball players where everyone has to depend on each other in the execution of a play. Likewise, this is very much evident in the process of surgery where the doctor has to trust his aides and nurses to heed his instructions and give him the right instruments and perform the right procedures. On the other hand, there are professions in which the individual is trained to work by himself and expect little or no help from others. Especially, if there is stiff competition in the field. Such a kind of training may develop confidence in the ability of the individual while being uncertain in the ability of others to deliver it in the same way. This kind of training may be seen in the training of lawyers where the success or failure of a case depends solely on the individual. In addition to this, there are also kinds of profession in which trusting easily is discouraged and rather, there should be a testing of truth. This may be evident in psychotherapy and counseling where the practitioners are trained to look beyond the faà §ade of what people claim. In addition, in a society where individualism is highly prized, trusting is not easily done. Nonetheless, training in various disciplines affects the individual’s propensity to trust others.

Impact of Competition on Bank Performance

Impact of Competition on Bank Performance INTRODUCTION This study focuses on a research set forth to examine the linkage of competitive obsession and/or excessive competitiveness to financial impacts (credit boom/crunch) on the banking industry. Organisations concern for the survival of business at all costs has transformed into a strong credence that they can control and dominate human, physical, natural and intangible resources, thereby direct the business world now and in future. This has induced an underestimation of some immeasurable and unfathomable trends in business. Now the business world is being battered with harsh economic and financial struggle. Hence Ezer and Demetis (2007:57) states: â€Å"Our obsession with control has become part of our validation as a species.† At this time all countries and a huge number of firms has been impinged on, by recent the credit crunch. 1.1 Background There are huge reasons for the competitive activities of countries, banks and Multinational Enterprises (MNEs). Some of these reasons are to maximise wealth and minimise cost. In the 1970s the banks were not highly driven by competitive force (Black and Strahan, 2002). Countries and Multinational Enterprises take advantage globalisation and free trade. However, the banking industry today has become quite competitive and involved in subprime lending. The increase in competition among banks led to less proficient screening aptitude and credits granted to less worthy customers (Rajan, 2008). In addition, MNEs engage in drastic activities across nations termed as an abuse of free trade. The recent economic situation emerges quite troublesome for everyone. Credit concerns are now crucial and are imperative in ensuring successes in international business. This requires the aid of banks as MNEs are in battle with an unpleasant financial crisis. Nevertheless, would these banks who are also hit by the credit struggle, save themselves, talk more of aiding the MNEs or any other business and/or customers. The financial market crisis began early in 2007 and has resulted to losses in the market and loss of confidence in financial institutions across the globe (World Economic Forum, 2008).The causes of the credit crunch are traced to a number of identified causes (Johnson and Kwak, 2009). To mention a few are subprime investments, government neglect of banking activities, and the abuse of free trade, mainly but not wholly originating from the United States. Some of these causes are still in repetition dated back to 1966 and are yet to be eradicated. Financial crisis originating in the 1960s has been re-occurring in the 70s, 80s and of present, hence, it is not a novel issue. What is yet to be known is why the credit crunch keep re-occurring from similar causes, and the possible existence of a common element among these ‘causes which is unseen or rather covered in a veil, that could make or break the achievement of a Companys objective. This common element could be termed extreme competitiveness or competitive obsession. It is unknown if competitive obsession could have contributed to the credit crunch. A study and understanding of this problem could proffer solutions and thus, possibly promote international business and financial integrity on a global scale. 1.2 Research Purpose This research is not focused on identifying and putting blames on various organisations or their activitities that might have caused the credit crunch. The aim of this study is to identify the relationship between competitiveness- its obsession and the credit crunch, and to determine whether this competitive obsession is found within the activities of the organisations that might have caused the credit crunch. 1.3 Research Questions The questions to be researched will be principally concentrated on the grounds/motivations in which business, banks and regulators take drastic decisions and engage in dangerous activities that might have led to the credit crunch. The answers to find out will thus be: What this ground/motivation is? What is the existence of this ground/motivation among different institutions? What the relationship of this ground/motivation could have to the credit crunch? 1.4 Implication of the Dissertation This study develops a new theoretical model, which incorporates two â€Å"issues† which can be found today (competitive obsession and the credit crunch) in to the notion of global economic challenges in respect to nations and MNEs. The practical significance of this study involves proffering some guiding principle/course of action for globally competitive firms in the course of competitive/strategic decisions that is accountable. How firms react to the pressures of international competition and the chances of taking comparative advantage on the macro level has been deemed importantly stressed by Herrmann (2008), describing his research as only the beginning of a broader analysis. This study tends to continue from Herrmanns research, but relating it to the credit crunch. There are obviously exclusions in the literature, but the association of competitiveness and the credit crunch are very hardly studied in some intensity. This study tries to make the association of these two is sues overt. 1.5 The Structure of the Study 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction Competitiveness and the credit crunch are two different broad issues, which however are not new in the literature. Firms aspire to have a competitive advantage/edge to survive in the global market; nevertheless, the extreme cases of this competitiveness that could be very fruitful or drastic are not put in to so much consideration. Furthermore, the extreme cases of credit facility (over or under extending), might or might not have presented a favourable business condition. 2.2 Review of Studies An attempt to review the whole issues on competitiveness and the credit crunch would be a task of great difficulty, size and strength. Both subjects have been in academic and organisational practice for a very long time. Hence, the re-evaluation of literature will highly pinpoint a survey as well as case research done. Given huge amount of data and research carried out through the years, some important studies have been omitted. Apologies are made for such omissions while, other studies which might be perceived as of less significance, are been utilised. 2.3 Sections of Review There are large amounts of literature works significant to this study, however, this chapter will focus on: Background : History, Present Future Competitiveness and the Credit Crunch Defined Competitive Obsession- Favourable or Unfavourable National and firm competitiveness [Porters Diamond] Competition in the Banking Industry Government/country competitiveness 2.4 Background: History, Present and the Future The early years of this millennium has faced corporations with credit problems connected with the boom in the stock market. As this financial catastrophe receded, came the rise and boom of the housing sector, which subsequently transformed in to the unavoidable credit crunch (Cooper, 2008). Financial crises has always come and gone. the early crisis of 1990 affecting countries like Mexico, Russia, Norway and Sweden and the Asian crisis of 1997 involving countries like South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Hong Kong (Allen and Gale; 2007, Nesvetailova, 2007). The causes of these financial crises and/or credit crunch were sought after and found (Johnson and Kwak, 2009). Some of these causes were generic to some Nations while others were particular to a Nation. It is found common among nations that blames were laid on the inconsistent macroeconomic policies of government and financial institutions (Allen and Gale; 2007, Nesvetailova, 2007; Turner, 2008; Cooper, 2008). Some particular causes found in the nations like the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) are the sub-prime lending and housing boom (Rajan, 2008), the abuse of free trade by the promoters of free trade (Turner, 2008), and corruption in nations like Indonesia (Allen and Gale; 2007). Can the misdeeds of government and financial institutions be associated to competitiveness? Porter (1998) portrays that competitive advantage of nations convey new government and business functions for the attainment of competitiveness and success. Constantly, government is ineffectual in whatever it gets to do as she constantly fall short in her industrial policies and in tackling the issues of competitive lead (OShaughnessy, 1996). Hartungi (2006), stress the competitive impacts of globalisation among nations, in the flow of labour and capital. Thus, government of nations, especially the developing ones are being threatened by competition from other nations. In consequence, these governments deregulate and hence make weak their policies for fear of alien investors relocating their businesses to another nation (Hartungi 2006; Buiter, 2007). Turner (2008) on the other hand echoes the abuse of free trade as firms utilise the benefits of free trade by carrying their dealings across var ious nations, with the aim to maximise their profit at the least cost. Thus, while (Hartungi; Buiter) accuses the government, Turner accuses the Multinational firms. Notwithstanding, both government and Firms actions are rational justified to be a move to beat competition. The future of the economy, given this recent credit crunch is still bleak and insecure. There are no quick or magic solutions to this credit troubles. Most banks still hold back on granting credit and economic endeavors are still seriously threatened and extremely bad (Lorenzen, 2009). 2.5 Competitiveness and the Credit Crunch Defined Competitiveness, which is found at the heart of business firms and nations, has always been an inevitable desire, as firms and nations struggle for survival and to outperform one another by gaining a competitive edge, comparative/absolute advantage. Given different circumstances and/or surroundings, competitiveness itself, has defined and implied differently by academic scholars/ authors. Since the theories of Adam Smith in the 1770s and Ricardo in the early 1960s, the models of Porter (1980) and Krugman (1994) prior the other current ones, accentuated by Cao (2008) and Chikà ¡n (2008) national and firm competitiveness, given the global competitive force is still obsessive. The rationale behind competitiveness stays the same; changes are found to exist on strategies engaged to accomplish it, the means of maintaining competitiveness in a rapid and constant change of business environ and processes. In the literature, competitiveness has been widely defined. The Office of Competition and Economic Analysis (OCEA) (2009) echo, â€Å"Competitiveness means different things to different people. To an economist, it may mean how well a country is performing compared to other economies, as embodied in the standard of living and changes in national productivity. To a policy maker, it may mean how a new regulation changes the ability of affected businesses to compete. To a business owner, it may mean changes in profitability as reflected in market share for its goods and services in a low-cost market place.† Hence there are no specific or clear definition of competitiveness could be generally satisfactory, rather they are given different interpretations to best match ones requirements or task (Aiginger, 2006; Ketels, 2006; Siggel, 2006; OCEA, 2009). Garelli (2006: 3), from an economic and management perspective defines competitiveness as â€Å"a field in economics that reconciles and integrates several concepts and theories from economics and management into a series of guiding principles driving the prosperity of a nation or an enterprise.† With regard to the credit crunch, which is the second concern, finance and credit availability has always been the blood of every enterprise that ensures the running of its business operations. The credit crunch or credit crises, financial squeeze, or financial crises have been termed differently by different nations, firms, scholars and institutions. Some authors further use these terms sequentially. Hence, for example, the credit crunch might have resulted from a capital crunch or the financial crises have led to a recession. However, the implied meaning remains the same. This financial instability has long existed, as well as economic theories such as the efficient market theories (EMT), Keyness and the Minskyan theories and hypothesis. Watanabe (2007:642) defines the credit crunch as â€Å"the reduction in credit supply available to borrowers, particularly bank lending supply, for some lender specific reasons.† Watanabe further describes a difference between financial crisis and the credit crunch as thus: the financial crisis involving banks breakdown, financial mismanagement and volatility, while the credit crunch involving a incidental hindrance of banks lending activities, arising from capital shortage. Similarly, Ryder (2009:76) states, â€Å"The uncertainty in the global financial markets has led to a dramatic reduction in the availability of affordable credit, or credit crunch.† 2.6 Competitive Obsession- Favourable or Unfavourable The history of excessive competition is traced to the course of economic development and evolution of industrial formation in different countries in the globe, arising from changes in demand leading to a poor economic cycle or even recessions (Cao, 2008). One of the strong criticisms of competitive obsession is that of Krugman (1994) and (Cao, 2008) on excessive competition. Krugman bases his arguments on three points- (1) that apprehensions on competitiveness, are as an empirical issue, baseless; (2) that the definition of economic setback as one of international competition is nevertheless striking to lots of people. Finally, that obsession with competitiveness is incorrect, dangerous, distorting domestic policies and a threat to the international economic system. Hence, thinking competitively will one-way or the other lead to bad policy making. Both Krugman and Cao, stress the misinformed and common thinking in economic theory that intensification of competition can improve economic and social welfare. Aiginger (2006) in his competitiveness defined stresses its non-exclusion of strategies to harm neighbouring countries. Thus, assumptions have been made about obsession being a negative term (Dance, 2003). On the other hand, excessive/obsessive competitiveness has been identified to improve welfare (productivity and social) in an economy, as well as the possibility of positive externalities and spillovers (Brahm, 1995; Aiginger, 2006). Norcia and Flener (2008) in the retail experience, suggests that a means to not just survive but excel in the recent financial crisis is to become more obsessed, with the customer experience for example. Obsession with customer experience is further identified as Mr Philip Green, the owner of Bhs, achieved a historical largest profit for the company, by being obsessed with customer value, price, quality and market (Mazur, 2002). Identifying competitive obsession as good however, is dependent on it being properly focused (Dance, 2003). This research however, neither supports nor opposes the impact or effects of competitive obsession on firms as well as on the economy, but tries to find out if competitiveness and its obsession might have resulted to the recent credit crunch. 2.7 National and Firm Competitiveness [Porters Diamond] Chikà ¡n (2008: 24-25) presents the definition of both firm and national competitiveness: â€Å"Firm competitiveness is a capability of a firm to sustainably fulfil its double purpose: meeting customer requirements at a profit. This capability is realised through offering on the market goods and services which customers value higher than those offered by competitors.† And â€Å"National competitiveness is a capability of a national economy to operate ensuring an increasing welfare of its citizens at its factor productivity sustainably growing. This capability is realised through maintaining an environment for its companies and other institutions to create, utilize and sell goods and services meeting the requirements of global competition and changing social norms.† Chikà ¡n further stresses the existence of a structural homogeneity with the two definitions, as both are described as capabilities, sharing similar root in economic and social thinking, involving strategic governance and the thought of sustainability. Thus, Garelli (2006) stipulates that firms play their main role of achieving economic benefit, while nations provide the necessary framework to maximise the economic benefit, hence their fate is entangled and cannot be managed singly. The interconnection of competitiveness at national and firm level has been presented by Porters (1990) diamond framework. As concerns gaining sustainable advantage, Porter (1998:71) throws the question himself â€Å"which firms from which nations will reap them† Porters model is useful to analyse competitiveness and its various factors (Garelli, 2006; Chikà ¡n, 2008), thus, in this literature it will be used to analyse the banking industry. The different components of the diamond theory are used to summarise the activities of banks at national and firm level: Factor conditions: these are factors of production as well as infrastructure. Innovation and efficiency via technology are inputs for banks competitiveness (Berger and Mester, 2001; Black and Strahan, 2002; Balgheim, 2007). Demand conditions: customers are increasingly becoming more demanding of banks and less loyal (Balgheim, 2007). On the micro level, mainly households and businesses take on banking dealings, such as deposits, loans and other financial services (Goddard and Wilson, 2009). On the other hand, household in some countries avoid placing their savings in financial institutions and rather buy physical goods (Barth et al, 2006). Related and supported industries: this factor takes account of cluster theory, which endorses firms concentration. The banking systems are becoming more concentrated, and the correlation of this concentration and competition is becoming vague (Carbo et al., 2009). Firms strategy, structure, and rivalry: these are managerial actions and strategy in addition to domestic rivalry. as bankers detect a rival struggle to win in the inter-bank lending competition, they assume firms to show more potential than they had reasoned (Ogura, 2006) Government: is another factor considered to determine competitiveness based on its influence on social norms and macroeconomic policy (Ketels, 2006; Chikà ¡n, 2008). However, Michael Porter disbelieves government to be a fifth determinant of competitiveness (Garelli, 2006). Davies and Ellis (2000) summarised some of the limitations of Porters model- to involve omissions of object of analysis, that productivity at national level is confused with industry level success; confusion of trade factors with respect to comparative advantage; flaws in methodology and mode of reasoning; and a refutation of the assertions of the competitive advantage of nations. 2.8 Competition in the Banking Industry Competitiveness cannot extricate itself from the conception and veracity of competition (Herciu and Ogrean, 2008). Goddard and Wilson (2009) describes banking competition as vital because a failure in the market or an anti-competitive behaviour by banks could have extreme consequences on the productive effectiveness, the welfare of the consumer and the growth of the economy. This explains further the development of competition in banking to be a highly relevant exercise paving way for good policies that could effectively regulate and supervise the banking and financial services sector (Goddard and Wilson 2009; Carbà ³ et al., 2009). At the 1970s, there were little or no competitive strains on banks, favourable government ruling and strong barriers of entry into the industry (Berger and Mester, 2001; Black and Strahan, 2002). Nonetheless, by the early 1980s, government rulings no more favoured the industry, technology and policy changes reduced the barrier entry, and competitive strains were on the increase (Berger and Mester, 2001; Black and Strahan, 2002). The increase in competition has a two effect as depicted by (Black and Strahan, 2002)-limiting the credit accessibility to new and small businesses, while also increasing its credit accessibility to big firms that are credit worthy. In recent times, competition has become highly on the increase, banks loosen their creditworthiness assessment in sub-prime lending and non-worthy customers get access to credit (Marquez 2002; Ogura, 2006; Rajan, 2008). The consequence of this is of three ways- reducing the impact of observational learning; reducing the credit risk engaged by every bank, while on the other hand; increasing the total risk engaged by the whole banking industry (Ogura, 2006). 2.9 Government/country competitiveness Competitiveness is a crosscutting issue that is influenced by the decisions of many different government agencies and is subject to a strategic goal for foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction (Ketels, 2006). Siggel (2006); Herciu and Ogrean (2008) presents a view of a country competitiveness arising from the harbouring of internationally competitive firms, industries, as well as government policies and regulations. The central or apex bank of a country is an agent of government, thus, understanding the macro/micro level competitiveness and its inter-linkages to the credit squeeze would require a study of internationally competitive banks and the central bank. 3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Macro Economic competitiveness- methods suggested by Authors National competitiveness has been measured with indicators such as business competitiveness index of the world economic forum (WEF) (Ketels, 2006; Herciu and Ogrean, 2008; Chikà ¡n, 2008). The world economic forum (WEF) which engages its competitive analysis on global competitive index (GCI), sets out 12 determinants/ and or pillars of competitiveness – Institutions, Infrastructure, Macroeconomic Stability, Health and Primary Education, Higher education and training, Goods market efficiency, Labour market efficiency, Financial market sophistication, Technological readiness, Market size, Business sophistication, and Innovation. 3.2 Firm Level – Competition in Banking- methods suggested by Authors The measure of competition in the banking industry is significantly subject to barriers on entry, internationally and at home (Barth et al, 2006). They stress- entry requirements and restrictions of foreign entry/ownership of domestic banks as two of the variables that could be used to qualitatively confine the degree to which competition in the banking sector is controlled. Nevertheless, some researchers [(Goddard and Wilson, 2007; 2009; Carbà ³ et al., 2009)] draw inference from the observations of firms behaviour derived from theoretical models. Furthermore, the measurement of competitiveness differs broadly in terms of definition, scope, drivers and geographical location (Ketels, 2006). Irrespective of the measures that are put in use, the important issue is ensuring that these different measures make similar suppositions about competitive behaviour (Carbà ³ et al., 2009). Various studies and research has been engaged to understand the credit crunch on a macroeconomic level and on the financial aspects of firm Kang and Sawada (2008). However, the researchers environment and sense of direction in identifying and resolving problems, as well as the interested organisation and society subscribing to it, determines his/her research process or methodology (Ghuari and Gronhaug, 2005). 3.3 Adopted Methods for this Study The main purpose of this present study is to examine the interrelationships of extreme competitiveness among firms and the financial impacts. This will be evaluated on a macro and micro level. The intended methodology will differ as well as emanate from the methodology utilised by the above reviewed researchers in a number of ways: On the macro level, the interrelationships of firms and financial institutions will be evaluated by drawing form secondary data (GCI published by the WEF for 2008/09). For this study, however, the interrelationships will be evaluated utilising only two (2) – Institutions and Financial market sophistication, of the twelve determinants of competitiveness, rather than the combination of all the 12 determinants of competitiveness. A collection of primary data via questionnaire: this questionnaire is intended not just to ascertain or measure competition on the bank firm level competition but going further to evaluate how this competition are driven by business factors such as changes in policy and business strategies. To support the data collected via questionnaire will engage in an interview to give room for some of the top bank personnel to justify and give opinions on the issue of competitiveness and the credit crunch. 3.4 TRIANGULATION This research will triangulate its primary and secondary data collection method qualitatively and quantitatively. This approach will be important when considering the reliability and validity of data, and in trying to find similarities and differences existent in these different sources of data. Thus, the result of one research strategy are cross checked against the result of another research strategy (Bryman and Bell, 2007; Saunders et al, 2007). Thus, the methodology utilised for this research will draw data qualitatively and quantitatively. Quantitative as it will engage in statistical measure and manipulations and qualitative as it will also engage in interviews and survey reports. 3.5 FIRMS AND FINANCIALINSTITUTIONS – A SECONDARY APPROACH The secondary approach utilised for the purpose of this research will draw data from the global competitive report of the world economic forum (WEF), as well as textbooks, articles and journals by electronic and manual means. Drawing data from secondary sources provides a channel as to the essential research work that needs to be carried out, as well as sufficient background information to ensure a direction for research (Cooper and Schindler, 2008). The GCI prepared by the WEF, derives its data from the executive opinion survey (EOS) as well as from other globally recognised data sources such as the International monetary fund (IMF), organisation for economic co-operation and development (OECD) and national sources. Institutions as described by the WEF, comprises the interaction of individuals, firms and governments to create wealth and income in the economy, thus, having a potent connection on development and competitiveness. Financial sophistication on the other hand, emphasises a thorough review of risk ensuring an appropriate creative channelling of resources use. In order to emphasise the connection and link of Institutions and Financial market sophistication, we adopt the correlation index calculation. A way of measuring the relative strength of correlation between two variables is done through a correlation coefficient (r) (Francis, 2004). Hence the product moment correlation coefficient formula: r = n∑xy- ∑x∑y √({n∑x^2 )- à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ(∑x)à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€^(2 )} {n∑y^(2 )- (∑y)^(2 )} Where r = product moment coefficient formula and is a number which lies between +1 and – 1 When r is far from zero (closer to +1 or – 1), there is a strong correlation When r is close to zero, there is a large dispersion and variables uncorrelated r= 0 signifies zero correlation r= 1 signifies strong/direct connection between variables. r= – 1 signifies strong/inverted connection between variables. Where x and y = variables to be measured, And n = number of (x, y) variables 3.6 Test of Robustness The essence of the robustness test is to check the stability of findings from secondary analysis done above, in the sense of whether smaller or larger deviations could prejudice performance of the model or data findings to a large extent. Thus, the existence of gross errors in a small fraction of observation is regarded as a small deviation, the main aim of robust measures being to preserve against errors (Huber and Ronchetti, 2009) Using a dataset of over 100 countries surveyed by the world economic forum, variables on a selected number of countries are drawn. To identify a relationship between competitiveness and the credit crunch (based on two pillars afore mentioned), this research uses the â€Å"robustness/ruggedness approach†, which has been effectual in Baxter and Kouparitsas (2004) in analysing its datasets of over 100 countries. Using this approach, a variable is identified to be a robust determinant of another vis-à  -vis the recent credit crunch, if the correlation coefficient of both variables is far from zero (0). 3.7 Secondary sample collection The systematic sampling method has been selected to take in to account a sample of 15 countries, which will be used for the measurement of connection between variables. This method of sampling has been found to create ease of use, especially where there is an inexistence of a sampling frame. The procedure of the sample systematically selected is as follows: A hundred and thirty- four (134) economies have been covered in the 2008-2009, global competitiveness report by the world economic forum (WEF). Thus sampling 15 countries will be a selection of every 134/15 (8.93th) country. If every eighth (8th) country is selected, 8 x 15= 120, so the last 14 countries will certainly not be selected. On the other hand, if every ninth (9th) country is selected, 9 x 15= 135, definitely the final country selected does not subsist(see appendix 2). One of the disadvantages of systematic sampling is that the sampling technique is not strictly random, since the selection of a random starting point would mean all subjects are pre-determined (Francis, 2004) However, for the sake of the study 8.93th will be approximated to 9th, as it is more free of bias compared to selecting every 8th country. The countries selected are shown in the table (1). Table 1 Column1 S/N Country Country Rank/no Random Starting Point 1 Japan 9 2 Australia 18 3 Saudi Arabia 27 4 Tunisia 36 5 South Africa 45 6 Latvia 54 7 Turkey 63 8 Ukraine 72 9 Egypt 81 10 Georgia 90 11 Algeria 99 12 Albania 108 13 Mali 117 14 Nepal 126 15 135 Source: reproduced from the global competitive report (2008-2009) 3.8 Primary Data Collection The purpose of the research is to identify the existence of competitive obsession or excessive competitiveness particularly on the actions and reactions of banks and the government on a macro and micro level interrelationship. To draw a wide range of data on competition among these institutions, the quantitative and qualitative approach is engaged. 3.9 Quantitative research: the questionnaire This research will use questionnaire administered on bank staffs to collect data for quantitative analysis. This aspect of research will engage its analysis univariately in frequency tables, diagrams and percentage of variables, using the Microsoft excel. Subsequent on that, the data findings will be endorsed with that of the qualitative and secondary data. The questionnaire is purposeful on the views of bank staffs relative to competitive actions that might have contributed to the credit crunch. The questions posed will therefore indirectly address the three (3) key research questions, then similarities and differences in answers triangulated with other research methods to be utilised in the