International Oil Security: Problems and Policies Essay

Energy security was a priority of the Bush Administration in 2001. In a larger context, global oil security is a major concern of the world, the United States in particular. Oil security is not about depleting reserves and having continuous supply to cover demand, but the real issue is the oil costs. International Oil Security involves two things: (1) oil producers control the supply and price of the commodity, and (2) volatile oil price creates have disruptive effects on macroeconomic situations. In the 1970s the downtrend and the inflation of industrialized economies were the results of oil price shocks. These price shocks were mostly caused by unanticipated and drastic changes in supply, demand, and inventory which were all destabilizing. Since the late 1990s OPEC controls the global oil market because it owns 45% of oil reserves and its global output share could double in the next decade. The oil market is a volatile one. When supplies are low, prices go up to meet the demand. A shock comes when there is big shift in the supply that send prices soaring. Such big swings may bring disastrous effects on the macroeconomic equation. The oil businessmen may cushion their financial risks without considering the oil-intensive component of the economy. The case of the US shows that: (1) effects on the US depends on its consumption of oil and not on its importation of oil, (2) it would be more expensive to increase its own supply and reduce its consumption, and (3) its military presence in the Middle East has nothing to do with oil imports. The Bush Administration’s thrust is to increase domestic oil production and lessen its reliance on oil imports, develop more efficient energy utilization and seek alternative and renewable energy resources. Legislations providing tax breaks and converting ANWR for oil exploration and production were passed. Still, increasing output will reduce the magnitude of oil shocks slightly by keeping the prices down and decreasing the intense effects of oil on the economy. ANWR appears to be a bad idea, primarily because of the social and environmental impact it carries. From a macroeconomic view, decreasing the oil intensity of its economy is paramount to ensuring its energy security. Cost-effective conservation measures and regulated minimal adjustments have insignificant effect on petroleum prices. It would take stronger policies to complement conservation and efficient utilization to boost its oil security efforts: (1) better management of oil reserves, (2) protection for the low-income sector who is most sensitive to price swings, (3) exploring other alternative fuel sources, (4) providing for energy use that ride the tide of price changes, and (5) developing non-fossil based fuels. In the final count, energy security can be had depending on the high costs of oil and the critical research and development needed.

Disgrace Is an Applicable Title for Jm Coetzee’s Novel Essay

In order to argue whether â€Å"Disgrace† is an applicable title for JM Coetzee’s novel, the keyword â€Å"Disgrace† has to be defined. According to the Apple electronic dictionary disgrace is defined as a â€Å"Loss of reputation as the result of a dishonorable action†. In jm coetzees’s novel there are many characters and factors in their own right that are affected by some kind of misfortune or ignominy. However there are four characters / factors that play an important role in expressing ignominy from their actions and decisions. These characters and their actions decides if the title is appropriate for coetzee’s novel. The characters and factors are : David Lurie, The new born democratic south africa, lucy lurie and her dogs. The protagonist of this novel is a professor who was constructively dismissed by a committee of lecturers from the university of cape town. David lurie was involved in many sexual relationships with many different women. However the affair that stood out the most was with one of his students named Melanie and this lead to him losing his job at the university and also shaming melanie. This should have been an embarrassing moment at this point in his degrading life but still as edacious as he was he never got to learn his lesson, as its been said in the novel by david ,†No, I have not sought counseling nor do I intend to seek it. I am a grown man. I am not receptive to being counseled. I am beyond the reach of counseling. † When life got too embarrassing for him in cape town because of his loss of reputation he moved to the eastern cape to live with his daughter. It is there in george that he found the true meaning of what his life is worth. The situation with his daughter’s rape, the daily dealings with animals and dogs, his small sexual encounter with bev shaw, the visit to melanie’s parents, conversations with the shady petrus and the life of living in a new south Africa exhibited to him that his actions were disgraceful, his choices not thought out carefully and that whoever he came in contact with were either ashamed or disgraced. Lucy Lurie, the daughter of David lurie lived on a farm in the eastern cape. She is the total opposite of David instead of being cunning and stylish, she is rather an earthly woman who works the soil for a living and who doesn’t care about her beauty and self image. The way in which she confronts david isn’t in a fatherly and daughterly manner but rather as two adults speaking to each other. This shows that lucy is disgusted at the way david is living his life and that david isn’t a fatherly figure in lucy’s life. Lucy does not disgrace herself like david but instead she lives in disgrace after she was involved in a situation where she was a victim of rape. he doesn’t overcome the shame of being victimized, because in the novel its been said by david : â€Å"She would rather hide her face, and he knows why. Because of the disgrace. Because of the shame. That is what their visitors have achieved; that is what they have done to this confident, modern young woman. † (14. 22). Thus this quote shows she is living in ignomi ny. Lucy’s dogs also play an important role as it shows the physical suffering that plays out in the novel. The dogs change the way in which david approaches life when he has to put them down at the clinic. In the novel David is attached to the dog with the crippled leg. Its here that he sees disgrace in not his actions but rather in death and he experiences shamefulness in not lucy’s situation but rather in the way the dog is forced to live. at the end of the novel instead of letting the crippled canine suffer he saves it for living a more disgraceful life than death. â€Å"There is a heavy report; blood and brains splatter the cage. For a moment the barking ceases. The man fires twice more. One dog, shot through the chest, dies at once; another, with a gaping throat-wound, sits down heavily, flattens its ears, following with its gaze the movements of this being who does not even bother to administer a coup de grace. A hush falls. The remaining three dogs, with nowhere to hide, retreat to the back of the pen, milling about, whining softly. Taking his time between shots, the man picks them off. â€Å"(11. 91-92). The imagery of using dogs shows that everyone in the book is subjected to some kind of pain, suffering and a bit of disgrace whether its a human or an animal. In this quote it is here that the dogs are subjected to the harshness of the attackers and david has to bare with the pain of hearing the dogs die, david also feels a bit of ignominy as he can’t do anything to save the dogs. In the novel south africa had just come out apartheid and was now a democratic government, however during apartheid south africa was a disgrace to the international community and apartheid was considered a shameful act. There was still racial tension in the new south africa and this plays an important role in the novel. When david moved to he country side he was not aware of the tension, and he and many other whites couldn’t speak the native language which was a fact as it can be seen from this quote from the novel: â€Å"He is sitting in the front room, watching soccer on television. The score is nil-all; neither team seems interested in winning. The commentary alternates between Sotho and Xhosa, languages of which he understands not a word. (9. 1 -2)† His encounters with the blacks shows that the two races were not use to each other. Thus this shows that when theres segregation in a country it always leads to violence and disgraceful actions. All four of these factors reflect that disgrace is definitely an appropriate title for JM coetzee’s novel. From david’s actions to lucy’s rape and from the physical suffering of dogs to the affects of apartheid expresses the loss of reputation and the dishonorable actions which has contributed to the novel. Disgrace is the ideal word for the title because disgrace touches every character of the novel in some way, both through the ways they have affected others and also through the ways that others have affected them.

Mtv Research Paper Essay

The first song that was played on MTV was called â€Å"Video killed the Radio Star†. It was sung by a group called The Buggles. This was a very popular song all over and it was deemed a good choice for the first song broadcasted. Many people also believed that the meaning of the song was that MTV, the new music video broadcasting station was going to destroy the radio. Some people thought that the song was performed live, but it was just a video. MTV was quite a big hit by the 1990’s. It was viewed in over 50 million American homes. It became a target for all advertisers because of the number of young viewers that watched MTV. The kids would beg their parents to buy the products they saw on the advertisements and it made out to be a good investment for advertisers. The attention and money that the advertisers brought in was good for MTV because they got more offers to get commercial time which means more money for them. Some people that were on MTV when it was in its first few years were Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Cranberries, and Nirvana. They helped to kind of kick off the show and set it up for successful years to come. There are also some big-named people who probably played music from that MTV which helped to jump start their career. Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince, Peter Gabriel, U2, and Duran Duran were some of the people that were all a part of MTV at one time. In a way, these people also helped MTV to get a good start too. The more big names that they brought in the more attention they got from viewers. This was good for the singers and MTV. The target audience that MTV chose was teens age 12 to 21. With this age group, they found that they got very good viewing rates. Artists whose songs were played on MTV found that the sales of their song increased. This is what gave advertisers the idea that they could do good business if they had an ad on MTV. With this targeted audience, they also found that their viewing rates continued to rise. Today they still target the same audience and they are still very successful in the way that they draw the audience. There have been a few changes in MTV since the start. They released a new logo after 30 years. It is not much different. It is just a little bit bigger and it is one color. The last was a mix between a few colors. The old one was designed by Frank Olinsky and it was a very big hit, but it was just time for a change. In 1986, the President and CEO, Robert Pittman left. There is no exact explanation why but he did. Over time, they started to show more reality shows than anything else. Some people liked the change to more reality shows but some people like the old school music videos all the time. There were some companies and investors that made it possible for MTV to even start. Warner Communications and American Express were big investors that helped in the starting of the show. Warner Amex was basically the main establisher and owner for about five years after the start. Then, in 1986, Viacom purchased MTV from Warner Amex. Now Viacom is the owner with all rights to MTV. There are other networks that MTV and Viacom own. They own VH1 that was released in 1985 and its purpose was to play adult contemporary. Then, in 1996, MTV2 was released to allow fans to see commercial free music videos. MTV (the original) became available in Manhattan and Los Angeles. Many people called this the second launch of MTV. They also own all Nickelodeon stations, Comedy Central, and CMT. This is not all; it is just a few that you may know. Although MTV has been very popular, it has also had a few controversial shows that some fans did not agree with. â€Å"Beavis and Butthead† was very controversial because some viewers felt that it was pointless and that the language was a bad influence for some of the younger audience that watched it. â€Å"Celebrity Deathmatch† was a part of this list because it made fun of the celebrities and it had bad language and violence. â€Å"16 and Pregnant† was another show that some people did not like because it could encourage some of the younger viewers to engage in sexual intercourse which is the problem with the people on the show. It is meant to deter kids from ending up like that but it only encourages some. â€Å"Jersey Shore† was the last show that people did not agree with. They believe that the people on the show are irresponsible and kids these days may think it’s cool and try to be like them. Over the years, MTV has had an impact on our generation, but also on our parents’ generation. A lot of younger teens’ parents that are around (14) grow up watching MTV. It is not the same now as it was then because of the popularity in different kinds of music over the years and they are now showing more reality shows. MTV also has an effect on its viewers. Most people that have ever seen MTV are probably hooked on it and they like to watch it. Also, the persuasion by friends to tell other friends to watch it because it is ‘cool’; and you aren’t if you don’t watch it. MTV has been very important over its years in various ways. It has brought a whole new way to experience music. Before MTV, you could only hear music over the radio, but when MTV aired, it played music videos, which was a whole new element to music over all. They have also helped lots of artists to grow and become more popular with just a few minutes of air time. This gas truly helped many people become more popular. With music videos,many people became more persuaded into buying the song even though they may not like the song. Even if they really like the video, they would still buy it because of the video and they weren’t paying attention to the song. It is very smart on the part of the broadcasters because they could just draw in an audience with an exciting video and you would think nothing of the song, just the video.

Zeus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Zeus - Essay Example Zeus’s most ancient shrine is located at Olympia. This shrine is known for its oracles. It is the place where people celebrated the Olympic Games every four years, in his honor. The Nemean games that are held at Nemea are also dedicated to him. Hesiod does not represent Zeus as it is in the Greek mythology. According to Hesiod he is the son of Cronus. He is the sponsor of justice and the one who has crushed the titans and has successfully imposed new laws and order on the earth. While according to Aeschylus, Zeus is on the business to impose change and give the full responsibility in the hand of the men. Whereas according to Ovid Zeus he was the one who introduced seasons so that men may learn art and agriculture. Hera has been represented the goddess of feminism by many mythologists. She is the typical representation of womanhood as she represents that what exactly happens to women in the world where her powers are not being appreciated. A world where men want to be authoritative; however if women act the same way they are called greedy. She was represented in this way so that a link can be drawn between her and the suffering of the women today(HERA: Great Mother Goddess). Zeus’s rule is represented by Hesiod as both legislative and cosmic; however as long as he remains legislative his rule may be limited cosmically only for the human beings. The rule of Zeus was more of human than cosmic and therefore it failed to meet the cosmic demand. He used his power to threaten the people and other powerful beings. He was the god of the skies and had his control over the thunder. His short tempered nature has often forced him to use his power for destructive purposes. His enormous power and his control on the sky was the threat in itself for his enemies; however Zeus himself is seen breaking the conventional laws at times(Clay). Zeus is a supreme God, he mates with a number of

Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

Technology - Essay Example From just 60,000 users in the year 2007 to more than 200million users in the year 2014 what are the reasons for this immense growth? How has twitter changed how we communicate? One of the main reasons that have influenced the growth of twitter is the free media coverage that the company receives. Virtually all media outlets and various other social networking platforms mention twitter. The number of unique visitors twitter has every month has further proved this. The company also spends a lot of money marketing their brand and this has made twitter one of the biggest social platforms in the world. Twitter also has the approval of many big corporations. Twitter is the preferred social media platform for most of the fortune 500 companies. These big companies use twitter as a way of connecting with their customers. With the big companies setting the trend, smaller companies have also started using twitter as their preferred social media platform. Twitter has also been ranked as the no. 1 social brand. Twitter was ranked at position one while Facebook was ranked at number four. The company has invested a lot of money to make twitter a social brand and this has started to pay off as twitter has grown to become one of the largest social media platforms of the 21st century. Twitter has changed the way the world communicates. Today, Twitter has become more than just a social media platform as it is used to share information (Anderson 48). People get breaking news from twitter and can discuss about virtually anything using the popular hash tag. Twitter has also been able to remove the celebrity filter. It is now possible to get to know what your favorite celebrity is doing and catch up with them. Twitter has also been able to simplify the conversation. Using just 140 characters, people are able to speak their mind without having to answer to anyone (Wright 99).

Should We Cry for Argentina Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Should We Cry for Argentina - Case Study Example The peso had initially been pegged to the dollar to increase the popularity of the domestic currency following a hyperinflation that had led to demand of payments in dollars back in the 1990s. Local companies blamed their defaults on new requirements that all money sent abroad had to have the central bank’s authorization, a process that proved to be too slow. Increased taxes on exporters and cash-rich firms, and inability to obtain money to pay foreign suppliers intensified the local companies’ struggles. International companies faced rising debts and losses from their Argentine operations as the peso continued its decline. Aerolineas Argentinas, an Argentine airline company, was forced to cancel all of its international flights due to the economical crisis that saw it barely escape bankruptcy in 2002. The rising inflation resulted in a significant increase in commodity prices thus making lives of ordinary difficult. People opted to spend on much cheaper goods than before. It is however reported that the inflation prompted the Argentines to spend rather than save and see their money depreciate in value (Agren). Rates of unemployment soared and poverty ensued too and by the 2012 purchasing power was at an all time

Demand & Supply Analysis and Choice of Economic System Essay

Demand & Supply Analysis and Choice of Economic System - Essay Example This essay discusses that a free market economy is a market system where transactions between buyers and sellers are determined only by mutual consent. This excludes that one party gets the deal by duress or deception; it also excludes the intervention of a third party – like government – to force or prevent the market. A free market limits government intervention in the application property rights, contract enforcement and verification of consent. The market economy means an economic system where decisions of production, exchange and allocation of goods and services is mainly determined using information derived from the free interaction of supply and demand established by market forces. There are several limitations of market economic system to be implemented in economy. A free market can occasionally result in formation of monopoly, duopoly, oligopoly or a cartel. Such structures create dominance of suppliers in the particular market to the disadvantage of buyers. Fo r this reason, free market economy can potentially impinge on the rights of a certain segment in the economy. A fair exchange implies a relationship of equality between the persons concerned, which is absent in these scenarios. Sometimes, in a market economy the employer and the employee are not in a relationship of equality. The employer can attempt to dictate terms to the employees, therefore, a safeguarding body is required to ensure payment of minimum wages and to enforce health & safety measures. Provision of Public Goods A free market economy cannot provide provision of pubic goods whose benefits are distributed over a very large population and cannot be directly traced. For instance, roads and national defense cannot be provided by a private enterprise. Therefore, some intervention is needed in the market economic system for these provisions (Grossman, 2005). Provisions for Safety Net A free market economy cannot provide social security to the citizens of the country. A marke t economic system cannot find mechanism to transfer funds from have’s to havenot’s and to help citizens in the lower income groups to rise from the vicious cycle of lower economic strata. State invention is essential for redistribution of wealth and income for functioning of a healthy society. Mixed Economic System A  mixed economy  is an  economic system  in which many private companies and a strong public sector coexist. In other words it is a mixture of ideas of  the market economy and planned economy. The reason some form of a mixed economic system in in place in almost all countries of the world is that mixed economic system fulfills the above mentioned shortcomings of a free market economy. A  government  can promote  free enterprise  while reserving certain areas of the economy through nationalization  , or then it privatize all enterprises while creating a legal framework which limits actions which impinges on the rights of certain segment o f the economy. Most countries today have a mixed economic system to a certain level. Question 2 – Demand & Supply Changes in Metal and Automobile Markets 2.1 - Impact on the Prices of Palladium Metal following Usage of Replacement Metals it is found that the alternative metals will replace palladium in the process of production of an automobile. This implies a leftward shift in the aggregate demand curve for palladium metal because less palladium will be demanded at each price level. This shift is depicted in the graph below by the movement of demand curve from D1 to D2. Since, the supply of palladium is dependent on the rate at which the metal is extracted from the ores, there is not change in the aggregate supply of the metal (Grossman, 2005). The aggregate supply

Economic Policie for the Monetary and Fiscal Policy Coursework - 1

Economic Policie for the Monetary and Fiscal Policy - Coursework Example According to the paper losed economy is algebraically represented as Y = C(I,Y)+I(i)+G(t),while the LM curve is represented by L(i, Y) = Ms.When the Is curve is vertical the monetary policy tends to be most effective since the key parameters in this case include interest rate and income. In a closed economy, IS curve is the interest rate at which the commodity market is at equilibrium at a given income level. This can be expressed algebraically as Y = C + I + G, where Y is the equilibrium income is the level of consumption, I is the level of investment and G is the government expenditure. It is worth to note that consumption is a function of income while investment is a function of interest rate and government expenditure is a function of tax. Using the equation given above, Y = C + I + G, but C = 100 + 0.4(Y – T) and when this is substituted into the IS equation we obtain Y = 100 + 0.4(Y – T) + I + G, since I = 1000 + 0.1Y – 20i which when replaced to the equati on gives Y = 100 + 0.4(Y – T) + 1000 + 0.1Y – 20i + G,note that T= 300 finally the value of G = 100 which when replaced into the equation yield Y = 100 + 0.4(Y – 300) + 1000 + 0.1Y – 20i + 100. When this equation is simplified to give the IS curve we obtain 0.5Y = 1080-20i and the IS curve will be represented by the equation below; Y = 2160 – 40i. This stude highlights that LM curve is the interest rate at which the money market is in equilibrium at a given level of income. In this case Money demand equals money supply and this is algebraically presented as L (i, Y) = MS where L is the demand for money which is a function of income and interest rate, MS is money supply. Using the empirical figures given above, 5Y – 10i= 300 and this can be rearranged into 5Y=300+10i, this yields the LM curve of Y=60+ 2i. IS-LM curve can be attained where there is equilibrium in the commodity market and money market. Using the IS and LM equations and combining them we obtain i= 50 and Y = 160.

Review of the Literature-Sheila Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Review of the Literature-Sheila - Coursework Example These studies have included a range of methods for collecting qualitative data reflecting on the perceived benefits of electronic health records in improving efficiencies in the clinical setting (Sittig & Singh, 2011). 14 One of the important components of this proposed study is to seek knowledge from healthcare professionals with lived experiences. The study design is a survey of health professionals to gain their perception on patient errors and the capture of data through an electronic health record and paper documentation. Creating a tool to capture effective strategies for patient record keeping in the clinical setting is necessary to review data. Organizational leadership may learn ways to improve patient outcomes through the findings of the qualitative phenomenological study to determine the best approaches to change and methods to reduce errors (Goldstein et al., 2014; Schumacher & Jerch, 2012). 14 The ubiquity of information technology in the 21st century has transformed virtual industries. Today, computers are virtually institutional contexts because of relatively low cost and easy to access. There are still some industries, resistant to the adoption of information technology; healthcare is one such industry (Goldstein et al., 2014). Computers are major in the healthcare field and are frequently in the healthcare delivery system for care management (Chen & Lin, 2011). The advent of the Affordable Care Act creates new compelling incentives exist for clinics regarding implementation of an electronic health record management (Freymann, 2013). The United States healthcare systems are lacking quality healthcare and health record information (Oldfield, 2014). United States healthcare providers are apprehensive about the digital health record because challenges with system integration, education, privacy, and compliance with the federal government regulations. An electronic health

Techniques in marketing products Essay Example for Free

Techniques in marketing products Essay 1. Intro to company product or service chosen for evaluation. The company I have chosen is Tesco PLC and service provided by them which is Tesco Mobiles established in May 2003. Service mentioned above is a mobile virtual network operator. The type of the company is private and owned by Tesco Mobile Services Ltd in 45%, Tesco Mobile Communications Ltd by another 45% and O2 Communications Ltd by 10%. Products provided by the company are mobile telecommunications. Another important point I would like to consider is that Tesco’s mobile services run on the O2 network in the United Kingdom. 2. Explanation of the marketing strategy used to market the product/service. Tesco Mobiles concern based its strategy on Ansoff’s Matrix diagram attached below and the one used by them is market penetration. Strategy used currently by Tesco Mobile Company is definitely less risky than it used to be at the beginning as the diversification which is less predictable, expect more work and more time. One of the reasons why that is a market penetration is that they established the company in 2003 so currently they are already 12 years in a business environment. Market penetration is mainly defined as an activity of growing the market share of a present product. Tesco Mobiles is perfect example for a market penetration as they are providing already existing product on the existing market. It used to be diversification for Tesco at the beginning because the concern is mainly recognized by groceries not electronic accessories but currently as it already exists for so long we can define it as a market penetration. However Tesco Mobiles is currently using market penetration to measure the amount of adoption or sales of a service or product which is associated to the total theoretical market for that service or product. 3. Explanation of TWO risks of the marketing strategy. So far market penetration strategy seems like safe way to keep the sale of the product and make profit on it. However this strategy does not work for all of the products provided by the company. Market penetration focuses on the low prices at the same point to increase market share and demand for a product. When demand for the product increase then concern can save money on  production costs per unit by making a greater amount of the product. There are missed opportunities when the company provides good quality, luxury products when in a market same products with less quality are already provided as a cheap purchase. At the end of the day even when the company decrease the price of the luxury product and raise it step by step later on customer probably may go elsewhere when for them seems the same product is cheaper. Second point of the risky way of a market penetration I would like to consider is poor company image. When company focuses on the market penetration of one product it can hurt or decrease sale of the other products provided by them. If company which is providing high quality product will focus on a cheap sale in a market penetration then image and reputation of the luxury producer can without any doubt suffer. 4. Analyse of FOUR advantages of the marketing strategy. There are absolutely more advantages than disadvantages found in a market penetration. Firstly as the product will attempt to the already existing market as already existing product the result of this may be quick adoption and diffusion of the product in the market. Another point worthy to consider is discourage competitors. When for example Tesco provides existing product into existing market that Sainsbury’s got already it may interest the customers and bring them back to Tesco by the more attractive price or look of a product. Third advantage presented by the market penetration is high product turnover. In the situation when there is high product turnover in terms of fast sales retailers are forced to order more from the suppliers which at the same time give more profit to the suppliers. To conclude advantages of the market penetration the last point likely to provide is raising profitability. Market penetration is mainly know and defined as the way of selling current services and product to already existing target market which makes it profitable and least risky through all of the Ansoff’s Matrix strategies. 5. Critical analysis of two other strategies that won’t be useful for the product/service and why? Two other strategies that I would like to mention and use them as the ones I will not provide are diversification and product development. Diversification is a strategy which enter new industry or market and that is  the most risky strategy for the business. There are several disadvantages of diversification. As the diversification does not provide that much protection while investing money into something new people does not always feel confident to actually purchase the product before someone else will recommend it. However if the company will experience any loses while performing diversification during the market consolidation then in result some business units might be subsidized. Another strategy that in my own opinion will not be useful is product development which brings new product to existing market. In case of this strategy company might experience and sometimes is very likely to have product failure. As the product is ‘’first-time’’ mover in a new market and obviously people same like in case of diversification might not feel confident to purchase the product. However company must be concerned of target audience for their new product which has no experience in sale yet.

Uncertainty in Modernism: Family, Identity and Work

Uncertainty in Modernism: Family, Identity and Work Life is more uncertain now than it was in the early 1950s. Discuss this claim. Introduction This assignment will investigate the claim that life is more uncertain now than it was in the early 1950s. Beginning with a brief description of the climate of the 1950s the assignment will then look at three areas, work and welfare, the family, and identity. In doing this the assignment will draw only on material supplied for the module. Post-war Britain was quite different to what we see today. In the early 1950s there was still considerable war damage and so the Government had introduced massive building programmes to make sure that people had adequate housing. The welfare state had been introduced in the years immediately following the war. Based on the notions that the (predominantly male) workforce would enjoy full employment, and that ‘traditionl’ family life would continue, the Government claimed that it would be able to look after its citizens from the cradle to the grave. They were overly idealistic in their views and in the last fifty years Britain has witnessed massive changes in the areas of work and welfare. There have also been changes in family structures and this has had corresponding implications for peoples’ identities. Work and Welfare During the Second World War, and in the years after, people felt that they were secure in their employment. In industry particularly working class men had been conditioned to the view that if they worked hard then they would have a job for life.[1] This was not to say that ordinary people earned a lot of money, they didn’t. Normally sons and daughters would follow in father’s and mother’s footsteps once they left school, In the early 1950s Britain was a stratified society and people did not often move from one class to another. The class into which a person was born therefore was very often the one in which they stayed and this had implications for their life chances in other areas. People did not have the choices that they have nowadays few women went out to work and it was the father’s responsibility to go out and earn money to support his family.[2] There were some uncertainties of course for families who were reliant on one wage. Traditional areas of e mployment are being eroded as the number of industries has declined and more people are taking jobs in areas that were previously seen as women’s work. Nowadays both the man and his wife may be working. They might work full time, part-time, or rely on state benefits. In some households it is a mixture of things.[3] Hutton (1999)[4] maintains that the diverse sources of employment can in themselves be sources of uncertainty because in some areas (agency temping for example) people may not know whether they will have work from one week’s end to the next. This creates divisions between those families who have alternative sources of employment the ‘work rich’[5], and those whose suitability for different types of employment is limited. Such changes in employment patterns affect not only the traditional working classes but also the middle classes. In the early 1950s young middle class men could expect a secure career with a steady climb up the ladder, that is n ot the case today. Many people face redundancies, followed by the hard searching for a new job, in some cases they may find themselves dependent on state benefits for considerable periods.[6] Such changes may also have an effect on a couple’s marriage and if this ends in divorce then both people could be worse off. The wife may find herself looking for work after having been out of the labour market for some years because she was caring for children. This gets worse the further down the income scale a family is. In the past labourers and industrial workers may not have had as much job security as their middle class counterparts because some of them became unfit for work before retirement age. People did have some security however. Nowadays people can end up reliant on state benefits over a very long period and this can result in social exclusion where they are unable to fully participate in society (Mackintosh and Mooney, 2004)[7]. Changing employment patterns have, in many c ases, led to changing roles in society and this has had implications for people’s sense of identity. Identity Mercer (1990) argues that modern society is characterised by diversity and uncertainty and that this has corresponding implications for people’s identities.[8] Changing gender roles and more women in the workplace have resulted in changes in people’s sense of self. In addition to this as Mercer has highlighted Post-War immigration along with rapid social and technological change has brought with it n increasing focus on contemporary eacialised and ehtnicised identities.[9] This mixing of people’s new identities along with older ones contributes to the sense of uncertainty that many people feel is a feature of modern life.[10] Identities are relational, thus blackness is seen in its relationship to whiteness and vice versa. This has led to what have been termed hybrid identities where people draw on different cultural heritages. Social trends such s the greater exclusion of ethnic minorities from better paid jobs and decent standards of living point to the fact th at the social structure in the UK is permeated with racialisation and ethnicisation where people are seen only in terms of their skin colour and ethnicity.[11] These structures in turn, affect people’s identities because they prevent them from becoming something other than that which society has defined. On the other hand changes in society affect social structures which in turn affect people’s identities in myriad ways. Because identities are no longer fixed they are a source of continuing uncertainty. This uncertainty leads to further changes in the social structure. Contemporary people’s identities are unsettled because the changes mentioned above tend to cross ethnic boundaries. For example the changing role of women and their greater inclusion in the labour market has affected not only women’s and men’s identities, it has also led to changes in family structures. The Family Nowadays there seems to be considerable concern over what is termed the traditional family. In the papers and on television journalists are increasingly expressing concern for the death of what they call traditional family values. Critics raise the subject of cohabitation, divorce, same sex marriage, and the increasing number of lone parent households, and regularly pose the question of what is happening to British society. Mooney et al (2004) have said of this that it results in contemporary family life being viewed with a mixture of ‘fear and fascination.’[12] There is widespread concern that the changes we are witnessing in family structure will lead to wider social problems and may have troubling implications for the individuals involved.[13] This raises the question of whether such changes should be viewed with pessimism or whether they are simply a result of the different ways that people order their lives in response to changes in society. Will these changes resul t in changes in patriarchal society or will they serve to further strengthen masculine power and supremacy? Although family roles and responsibilities are changing, for example women are no longer viewed primarily in terms of their housewife role, nor men as the family breadwinner, the family is still a widely accepted concept.[14] It is becoming increasingly difficult to refer to the traditional family without making reference to the past, what some people term, ‘the golden age of the family’.[15]Numbers of people have questioned whether there was such a thing or whether it is an ideological form that served a certain period of society. Conclusion It has been claimed that life is more uncertain now than it was in the early 1950s. Certainly Britain has seen considerable changes in the last fifty years. The welfare state was presaged on notions of full employment which did not foresee the changes that would take place as the result of new technologies. Change does cause uncertainty but that does not mean that it is necessarily a bad thing. Harking back to the early 1950s as a sort of golden age is wrong. History shows that societies that do not change and are not prepared to go forward eventually die out, change may not always be easy and this can result in uncertainty, but worrying about it will not stop progress. Bibliography Block 1 (6) (3) Block 3 (3) (2) Block 1 (8) (4) Block 3(1) (2) Hutton 1999 cited in Block 3 (3) (2) Mercer 1990 cited in Block 1 (8) (4) Mackintosh and Mooney 2004 cited in Block 3 (1) (2) 1 Footnotes [1] Block 1 (6) (3) see page 153 [2] Block 3 (3) (2) see page 78 [3] Page 78 ibid [4] Cited on page 78 ibid [5] Block 3 (3) 2 page 78 [6]ibid [7] ibid [8] Cited in Block 1 (8) (4) page 130 [9] ibid [10] Ibid page 131 [11] ibid [12] Block 3(1) (2) page 46 [13] ibid [14] ibid [15] Ibid page 47

Implementing a Management Information System

Implementing a Management Information System Chapter No. 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research Aim The basic purpose of this research is to get knowledge about the implementing a management information system in an organization. Moreover, it judges the convenience of a management information system in an organization in managing the information. By implementing this management information system, the management of information becomes easier for the managers. 1.2 Scope This project is not a very complicated according to the concepts, but still it is a challenging task for the mangers to implement this system in their organizations. This research is basically depends upon the general ideas and experimentation to resolve problems and get to the faster solutions for managers. 1.3 Research Objectives Appraise critically and review the literature related to the MIS. Make systems according to the mangers requirements that help them to get the information faster and accurate. Make systems that help the managers to search the database quickly. Make the information process system faster for the managers to minimize the time. 1.4 Research Questions Which are the factors that are affecting the proper working of management information system within the company? How the management information system can help the managers to take accurate and efficient decisions? What is the role of management information system in the development and growth of the company? What are the recommendations to the company to get better use of management information system? 1.5 PURPOSE OF STUDY The use of Management Information System in the business organizations is more common. The purpose of the research is to assess the impact of implementation of Management Information System (MIS) to Habib Bank Limited. So the study was conducted to see the MIS affects on the performance of bank after its implementation. 1.6 HYPOTHESIS H0: Management Information Systems (MIS) is not an effective tool for the organization. H1: Management Information Systems (MIS) is an effective tool for the organization. 1.7 HABIB BANK LIMITED â€Å"HBL was the first commercial bank established in Pakistan in 1947. Over the years, HBL has grown its branch network and become the largest private sector bank with over 1450 branches across the country and a customer base exceeding five million relationships. The Government of Pakistan privatized HBL in 2004 through which AKFED acquired 51% of the Banks shareholding and management control. With a presence in 25 countries, subsidiaries in Hong Kong and the UK, affiliates in Nepal, Nigeria, Kenya and Kyrgyzstan and rep offices in Iran and China, HBL is also the largest domestic multinational. The Bank is expanding its presence in principal international markets including the UK, UAE, South and Central Asia, Africa and the Far East. Key areas of operations include product offerings and services in Retail and Consumer Banking. HBL has the biggest Corporate Banking portfolio in the country with a dynamic Investment Banking section. SME and Agriculture lending programs and banking services are offered in urban and rural canters.† (www.habibbankltd.com). â€Å"With a customer base of 5 million and a network of more than 1,450 branches in Pakistan, HBL is the largest private bank in the country. The network means that bank is geographically closer to its customers than any other bank. This gives the insights needed to provide a variety of products that directly reflect customer needs. Bank remains resolute in the commitment to provide products that are competitive and services that are exemplary.† (www.habibbankltd.com) Today, HBL plays a central role in Pakistans financial and economic development. It started its operations in Bombay in 1941 with a fixed capital of 25,000 rupees. Impressed by its primary performance, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah (the founder of Pakistan) asked the Bank to shift its operations to Karachi after the creation of Pakistan. HBL recognized itself in the Quaids city in 1943 and became a symbol of pride and growth for the people of Pakistan. 1.8 MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM Management Information System is a system that provides people with either data or information related to an organizations operations. MIS support the activities of employees, owners, customers and other key people in the organizations environment either by efficiently processing data to assist with the than section work load or by effectively supplying information to authorized people in a timely manner. A management information system (MIS) is the collection of system, both computerized and manual, that provides information about on going activities to an organizations decision makers. The management information system of Habib Bank Limited has following major divisions: * Transaction Processing System * Management Reporting System * Decision Support System * Office Information System. 1.9 TRANSACTION PROCESSION SYSTEM OF HABIB BANK LIMITED Transaction processing system supports the processing of Habib Bank Limited by automating the process of voluminous amounts of paperwork that must be handled daily. These systems include accurate recording of daily Transactions, controlling the procedure of issuance e.g. issuance of pay cheques invoices, customer statements, payment remainders, tuition bills and employee schedules etc. 1.10 Transaction Processing Functions There are three steps of processing a transaction. 1.10.1 Book Keeping First of all accurate record of transaction is recorded e.g. recording the deposits or withdrawals of account holders. This recording of transaction is called Book Keeping involving applications of financial accounting. 1.10.2 Issuance It refers to the production of pay cheques, invoices, periodic statements as monthly telephone bills, credit card bills and payment remainders etc. 1.10.3 Control Reporting Reports that are produced as a by product of transaction processing operation and that also serves operation control purposes are called control reports, as pay cheques are of Habib Bank are produced in batches, like wise the payroll edit report is produced to show the pay scheme of employees. 1.11 MANAGEMENT REPORTING SYSTEM Management Reporting System is an information system that provides predefined types of information to management. At Habib Bank Management Reporting System is used not only in management planning but also in managing the control system. 1.12 Properties of Management Reporting System 1.12.1 Support Management Reporting System supports structured and semi-structured decision, primarily at the middle-and lower-management levels. 1.12.2 Provision of Information Management Reporting System Provides fixed types of information, in an established format; the formation requirements of users are normally known and stable. 1.12.3 Nature of Management Reports Often implemented with voluminous, hardcopy reports, requiring each user to search specifically for key information. Frequently require a formal request to be submitted; formal systems development may be required to approve the request. 1.12.4 Data It has usually consisted of internal operational data, rather than data about the external environment. It concerned with data about the past than data relating to the future. 1.13 DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM It is a system that provides tools to managers to assist them in solving semi-structured and unstructured problems in their own somewhat personalized way. At Habib Bank decisions are only taken by Board of Directors otherwise usually predefined decisions are there for managers to follow. 1.14 Properties of Decision Support System of Habib Bank 1.14.1 Support Decision Support System supports semi-structured or unstructured decision-making. 1.14.2 Flexibility The Decision Support System of Habib Bank is flexible enough to respond to the changing needs of decisions makers. 1.14.3 Application Way Decision support system of Habib Bank is easy to use. 1.14.4 Fastness Decision Support System is fast in responding with a high degree of user control and interaction. 1.15 Types of Decisions Taken 1.15.1 Unstructured Decisions This is the decision for which information provided by computer or men is not complete but is a small portion of the total knowledge required to make a decision. 1.15.2 Semi-structured Decisions The decision made under a condition in which the information about problem to be solved is not complete is called semi-structured decision. 1.16 OFFICE INFORMATION SYSTEM OF HABIB BANK The combination of new technologies as hardware, software, facsimiles e-mails and the people availing their services makes the office information system. 1.17 Components of Office Information System of Habib Bank There are 3 major components of Office Information System, Document Management System, Message Handling System, and Office Support System. 1.18 Document Management System of Habib Bank Document Management System of Habib Bank is partly manual and partly computerized. 1.19.1 Reprographic System In each branch of Habib Bank Reprographic machines are there for making copies of required documents. 1.19.2 Word Processing System At Habib Bank the office system technology which is used is word processing involving hard ware and soft ware tools which allows computer system to operate. 1.20 Message Handling System of Habib Bank It is one of major applications of Office Information System. At Habib Bank the message handling system is of following. 1.20.1 Facsimiles Fax machines are there to receive and send faxes in other branches of Habib Bank. 1.20.2 Electronic Mail Electronic mail is used to receive and send messages to other branches. 1.21 Office Support System Many applications collectively help in working of groups, which are known as Office Support System. 1.22 Office Support System of Habib Bank 1.22.1 Group Ware Habib Bank provides group ware in following ways. 1. Word processing services. 2. Using fax mails. 3. Availability to on- line Data. 1.23 WORKING OF MIS IN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OF HABIB BANK LIMITED 1.23.1 DEPOSIT DEPARTMENT Activity of account opening and deposit department are the followings: a) Opening new accounts. b) Maintain of deposits of the account holders. c) Processing can stop payment instructions. d) To give fresh cheque books. e) To make amendments in the existing accounts. f) Closing the accounts of accounts holders (if required). Almost all the activities mentioned above are performed through computer. The computer maintains all records of each and every client. Vouchers have been prepared and send to the MIS department for daily transactions and making changes in customers accounts. 1.23.2 CASH DEALING DEPARTMENT The major functions of cash dealing departments are: a) Cash receipts. b) To cash cheques. All the regarding date, account number, tile of account, balance of account holder and the signature of customer have been verified through computer. 1.23.3 REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT The major functions performed by remittance department are: a) Pay order. b) Demand like drafts on need. c) Post transport. d) Telegraphic transfer. Fax and telephone are the major source of performing such activities. 1.23.4 IMPORT DEPARTMENT Three major functions performed by the import department: a) L/C opening. b) Lodgement of papers and documents. c) Retirement of papers and documents. Import department is considered to be one of the most important departments of the bank. It handles the import licensing and imports of merchandise. Imports can be separated into two categories: a) Industrial Imports. b) Commercial and industrial Imports. Export Promotion Bureau makes registration of imports, Document required for sole proprietor partnership concern and limited concerns are different. 1.23.5 EXPORT DEPARTMENT Export is a major source of earning foreign exchange. Every country wants to increase its exports because the foreign exchange earned through exports can help in meeting the other needs of the countries. The computer keeps the records of each and every dealing which has been made by the customer for import export purposes. The records concerning his past and present performance and balance of accounts helps to make further decisions whether to give him loan or not. 1.23.6 PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT Personal department uses computer for smooth functioning of work. The main functions performed by Personnel Department of Habib Bank are: a) Selection and recruitment. b) Training and growth. c) Job explanation and estimation. d) Periodic review e) Communication 1.23.7 MARKETING DEPARTMENT Consumer satisfaction is the first and for most priority for the bank. The marketing management makes policies for the better services of satisfaction of consumer. The process includes: a) Finding out consumer wants and needs through marketing research. b) Finding possibilities and then development of those wants and needs. c) Establishing meaningful relations with customers. d) Improving of product development for customers. It is also the function of the organization to keep in constant contact with the consumer, read their needs, developed the product that can fulfil their needs and build the aim that express organizational purpose. Bankers also try to locate their past customers for offering more facilities to them. The computer provides every past and present updated account of each customer. Chapter No. 2 LITERATURE REVIEW LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 A System for obtaining Management Information â€Å"To get the better speedy management information, management may either use the services from a computer bureau, or they store their own computerized system.†(David Freestone). 2.1 Establishment of Management Information Systems â€Å"Technology is improving the speed and reliability with which information is passed not only around the individual organization but also around the globe, and `dramatic reductions in the cost of obtaining, processing and transmitting information are changing the way we do business.† (Porter and Millar, 1991). â€Å"Technology can assist those small firms that use these new technologies not only for data storage and transmission, but also to differentiate their products or to attack new market niches. The implementation should be handled by the team who will be able to handle key tropical areas.† (Nancy and Peter 2003). 2.2 Role of Management Information System â€Å"Basically a management information system is depending upon other independent systems which are working in a combination to provide proper management information and transformed information. By recognizing the data that what information managers required to manage the organization is a starting point for making a proper information system.† (Tony Hines, 1995). 2.3 DEVELOPMENT OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM AT SOUTH BANK POLYTECHNIC â€Å"The prospect of wholly independent status for South Bank Polytechnic in the late 1980s, responsible for its own finance, property and personnel, gave considerable motivation towards improving management structures and information systems. In the Peat Marwick McLintock analysis, the overall management information wants the Polytechnic recognized the interrelationship of five information sources: staff, students (enrolment and applications), resources (finance), space and curriculum. The Management Information System under development reflects this with an additional component called Performance Indicators, which is generated within the system.†(Perry P, Payne C, Geddes T (1991). 2.4 MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS) â€Å"According to Kenneth C. Laudon and Jane Price Laudon mentioned in their book Management Information Systems: A contemporary Perspective, an information system is a set of procedures that collects (or retrieves), processes, stores, and disseminates information to support decision making and control. In most cases, information systems are formal, computer-based systems that play an integral role in organizations. Although information systems are computer based, it is important to note that any old computer or software program is not necessarily an information system.† â€Å"Electronic computers and interrelated software programs are the technical foundation, the tools and materials, of modern information systems,† Laudon and Laudon wrote. Understanding information systems, though, requires one to understand the problems they are designed to solve, the architectural and design solutions, and the organizational processes that lead to these solutions. 2.5 Systems Development â€Å"The development of effective information systems holds a number of challenges for small businesses. Despite, or perhaps because of, the quick development of computer technology, there is nothing easy or mechanical about building workable information systems, Laudon and Laudon stated.† Building, operating, and maintaining information systems are challenging for a number of reasons. For example, some information cannot be captured and put into a system. Computers frequently cannot be programmed to take into account participant responses to marketing strategy or changes in economic conditions, among other things. Adding up, the worth of information erodes over time, and rapid changes in technology can make systems become outdated very quickly. In conclusion, many companies find systems development to be problematic because the services of skilled programmers are at a premium. The momentum to develop a new information system can grow up of end-user demands, the availability of new technology, or management strategy. A range of tools exists for analyzing a companys information requirements and designing systems to support them. The fundamental process of systems development involves defining the project, creating a model of the current system, deriving a model for the new system, measuring the costs and benefits of all alternatives, selecting the best option, designing the new system, completing the specific programming functions, installing and testing the new system, and completing a post-implementation audit. The organization must develop a technique for ensuring that the most important systems are attended to first, that unnecessary systems are not built, and that end users have a full and meaningful role in determining which new systems will be built and how, according to Laudon and Laudon. (Thomson Gale, 2002) 2.6 MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN PLANNING â€Å"A management information system for planning enables the corporation to have a central facility where large amounts of information can be gathered and stored. The information can be quickly retrieved and updated to help managers in making decisions. The management information system is capable of evaluating more alternatives than manual methods, can make superior and quicker decisions and provides timely and accurate information for decision making. Possibly if more companies are able to entirely put together the finance, marketing, production and human resources functions into an incorporated corporate simulation model, they will be better able to find out the effects that changes in internal or external phenomenon will have on their organization.† (Sethi NK, 1978) 2.7 DATA BASE ORGANIZATION INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN COMPLEX MANAGEMENT Management information systems, like programming languages (e.g., ALGOL 60), which were originally regarded as quite universal, ceased to satisfy their creators at a certain stage of development. The disillusionment was due to the increase in accumulated knowledge, skills, and experience, to advances in hardware and software, and to the ever-expanding range and diversity of the relevant tasks. Although the basic requirements and the underlying design principles were universally agreed upon since the early development of MIS, both theoreticians and practitioners were satisfied with partial realization of these requirements up to a point. At the present stage, however, no one can remain satisfied with the prevailing state of affairs, either organizationally or professionally. Just complex MIS incorporating all the fundamental properties of the relevant objects, with their applications and interactions can hope to be effective. The development of such MIS requires using the latest advances in science and technology and instituting crash programs for the solution of the complex problems that arise in the design process. 2.8 ESTABLISHING A MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM â€Å"Information is a critical resource in the operation and management of organizations. Well-timed availability of appropriate information is essential for efficient performance of managerial functions such as planning, organizing, leading, and control. An information system in an organization is like the nervous system in the human body, it is the connection that links all the organizations components together and provides for better operation and survival in a competitive environment. Indeed, todays organizations run on information.† (Babu AR, Singh YP, Sachdeva RK) 2.9 Basic Concepts 2.9.1 Data versus Information Data refers to raw, unevaluated facts, s, symbols, objects, events, etc. Data possibly will be a collection of facts lying in storage, like a telephone directory or sample records. The information is data that have been set into a meaningful and helpful background and communicated to a receiver who make use of it to make decisions. The information involves communication and reception of intelligence and knowledge. This appraises and notifies surprises and stimulates, reduces ambiguity, reveals additional alternatives or helps eliminate irrelevant or poor ones, and influences individuals and stimulates them to action. An element of data may constitute information in a specific context; for example, when we want to contact our friend, his or her telephone number is a piece of information; otherwise, it is just one element of data in the telephone directory. The computers have made it easier to process functions. Huge quantities of data can be processed rapidly through computers assisting in the conversion of data to information. Raw data go into the system and is changed into the output of the system. And this information supports managers in the decision- making. 2.9.2 Characteristics of Information The characteristics of good information are relevance, timeliness, accurateness, cost-effectiveness, dependability, usability, exhaustiveness, and aggregation level. Information is related if it leads to superior decision-making. It may be relevant if it reaffirms a previous decision. If it not then it is not relevant. The timeliness represents money of information accessible to the users. The currency of data and information is time hole between the occurrences of an occasion in the field until its presentation to the user (decision maker). Accurateness is considered by comparing data to genuine procedures. The value of correct data varies with the kind of decisions that need to make. Though, a general estimation of how much personnel time was dedicated to a particular activity may be all that needed. 2.9.3 Value of Information Information has a great impact on decision-making, and hence its value is closely tied to the decisions that result from its use. The information not has a complete common value. This value is linked to that use it, when it is used, and in what situation it is used. Information is like other commodities. For illustration, value of a glass of water is different for someone who has lost his way in arctic glaciers than it is to a wanderer in the Sahara desert. The information supports decisions, decisions activate actions, and events affect the achievement or performance of the company. If it measures the difference in performance, it can be traced the impact of information, provided that the measurements are carefully performed, the relationships among variables are well defined, and possible effects of irrelevant factors are isolated. The calculated difference in performance due to informational factors is called the realistic value or revealed value of information. â€Å"For most information systems, mainly those supporting middle and top management, the consequential decisions often relate to events that are not severely defined and involve probabilities that cannot be quantified. The decision-making process often is difficult to understand and the outcome are scaled by several and incomparable dimensions. In such cases, we may either attempt to perform a multi-attribute analysis or derive an overall subjective value. The subjective value reflects peoples comprehensive impression of information and the amount they are willing to pay for specific information.† (Ahituv N, Neumann S, Riley HN, 1994) 2.9.4 Information as an Aid to Decision Making â€Å"The process of decision making as comprising four steps: intelligence, design, choice, and review. The intelligence phase encompasses collection, classification, processing, and presentation of data relating to the organization and its environment.† Simon (1977). This is essential to recognize situations calling for decision. Throughout this decision stage, the decision maker outlines substitute solutions, each of which involves a set of actions to be taken. Statistical and other models to forecast possible outcomes for each alternative now use the data collected during the intelligence stage. Every alternative can also be examined for technological, behavioral, and economic feasibility. In the choice stage, the decision maker should select one of the alternatives that will best donate to the goals of the organization. Previous choices can be subjected to review during the implementation and monitoring to enable the manager to learn from mistakes. Information plays a vit al role in all four stages of the decision process. -I indicates the information requirement at each stage, along with the functions performed at each stage and the feedback loops between stages. 2.10 Conceptual Framework Research Question Theory Questionnaire questions Which are the factors that are affecting the proper working of management information system within the company? (M-MIS, (1995), Risks Associated With MIS. Do you think that employees are needed to be sufficiently trained for new systems and subsequent enhancements? Do you agree that the company is satisfied with the development of user manuals and testing of the system? How the management information system can help the managers to take accurate and efficient decisions? Simon (1977), Information as an Aid to Decision Making Does management has any policy to monitor the new MIS? Has your management developed and maintained a current MIS policy or practice? What is the role of management information system in the development and growth of the company? Tony Hines (1995), Role of Management Information System. Do you think MIS is an effective tool for the company? Does the internal planning process consider and incorporate the importance of MIS at both the strategic and tactical level? What are the recommendations to the company to get better use of management information system? Masood SH, Pires CG (2005) SH, Management information system for better team productivity. Does management encourage communication lines to link all MIS user effectively? Does management use a project management technique to monitor MIS development schedules? Does Company update MIS regularly? Chapter No. 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Chapter No. 4 DATA ANALYSIS 4.0 DATA ANALYSIS PROCEDURE 4.1 DATA ANALYSIS 1. Has your management developed and maintained a current MIS policy or practice? Frequency Percentage (%) Yes 45 34.6 No 85 65.4 Total 130 100 Result shows that out of 130 respondent 45(34.6%) said that their management has developed and maintained a current MIS policy or practice while 85(65.4%) said that their management has not developed and maintained a current MIS policy or practice. 2. Does MIS policy or practice provide guidance to company employees to achieve their purposes? Frequency Percentage (%) Yes 75 57.7 No 55 42.3 Total 130 100 Out of 130 respondents majority 75(57.7%) said that MIS policy or practice provide guidance to company employees to achieve their purposes and 55(42.3%) said that MIS policy or practice does not provide guidance to company employees to achieve their purposes. 3. Do you believe that MIS policy or practice provide enough guidance to achieve effective two-way communication between management and employees? Frequency Percentage (%) Yes 80 61.5 No 50 38.5 Total 130 100 80(61.5%) respondents said they believe that MIS policy or practice provide enough guidance to achieve effective two-way communication between management and employees while 50(38.5%) were not agreed with it. 4. Do you believe after implementation of MIS System Companys staffs performs well in initiating, developing and completing their jobs? Frequency Percentage (%) Yes 75 57.7 No 55 42.3 Total 130 100 Result shows that out of 130 respondents 75(57.7%) said that they believe after implementation of MIS system companys staff performs well in initiating, developing and completing their jobs while 55(42.3%) said no. 5. Do you think that MIS policy or practice provide enough guidelines for installing MIS enhancements in a controlled change environment? Frequency Percentage (%) Yes 95 73.1 No 35 26.9 Total 130 100 Result depicts that out of 130 respondents 95(73.1%) said that MIS policy or practice provide enough guidelines for installing MIS enhancements in a controlled change environment while 35(26.9%) respondents were not agreed with it. 6. Do you agree that MIS policy or practice is helpful in acquiring, merging, manipulating and up-loading data to other systems? Frequency Percentage (%) Yes 85 65.4 No 45 34.6 Total 130 100 Above table shows that out of 130 respondents 85(65.4%) said that MIS policy or practice is h

Incorporation of the Ottoman Empire into the Capitalist World-Economy, 1750-1839 :: History Economics Ottoman Empire Essays

Incorporation of the Ottoman Empire into the Capitalist World-Economy, 1750-1839 In 1977, Immanuel Wallerstein proposed a research agenda to answer the question: When and by what process did the Ottoman Empire become incorporated into the capitalist world-economy? He also asked whether incorporation was a single event or a series of events for the different regions of the Empire--Rumelia, Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt. He suggested the answer be sought in Ottoman production processes and trade patterns between 1550 and 1850. By 1980, Wallerstein had answered his own question. When the European base of the capitalist world-economy began to develop its boundaries in the sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire remained outside the system. Between 1750 and 1839, the process of incorporation into the capitalist world-economy was complete and the Ottoman Empire had been peripheralized. Wallerstein did not comment whether incorporation was a single event or a series of events. In this paper, I argue that current scholarship fails to support Wallerstein's version of incorporation of the Ottoman Empire into the capitalist world-economy. I examine Wallerstein's arguments and critique his discussion based on my own interpretation of recent work by Ottoman and Balkan historians pertaining to Rumelia (Southeastern Europe). According to Wallerstein, a world-economy is a single social economy containing multiple state or political structures that operates on the basis of a capitalist mode of production and in which ceaseless accumulation of capital guides the system. Wallerstein recently added the word "ceaseless" (his italics) to his definition in order to distinguish his paradigm of the capitalist world-economy with its origins in the sixteenth century from other paradigms that trace the origins to earlier points in history. The capitalist world-economy comprises a core, a periphery, and a semiperiphery. Nation-states reach the core by successfully exploiting other geographic areas in the periphery. The semiperiphery forms a buffer zone, where geographic areas can move up into the core or down into the periphery. Geographic areas outside the world-economy are relegated to the external arena. They are eventually and inevitably incorporated into the system, however.

Free Essay on Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter - Good vs. Evil :: Scarlet Letter essays

Good vs. Evil in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter is a wonderful and not so traditional example of the good versus evil theme. What makes this a unique instance of good versus evil is that either side could be considered either one. Hester could very easily have been deduced as evil, or the "bad guy," as she was by the townspeople. That is, she was convicted of adultery, a horrible sin of the time. As for punishment, a sentence to wear a scarlet "A" upon her chest, it would hardly be considered a burden or extreme sentence in present day. Another sin that Hester committed was the fact that she never told who the father of her child, Pear, forcing her to be without a father. Hester's silence also caused Dimmesdale to live in torture every day. Chillingsworth was also hurt by Hester's act of adultery and because of her, his life was destroyed and the only thing he could do was seek revenge against the man who had been with her. Hester's child Pearl had to be raised by only one parent and that caused the child to be less disciplined and more outrageous making the townspeople more suspicious of who the child's father was. It also caused the religious leaders to wonder about the religious stability of the child, and if there might be witchcraft involved, "The little baggage have witchcraft in her"(p112). Hester also caused numerous a sleepless night for Dimmesdale. If Hester had just announced that Dimmesdale was the father he would have never have lived through all the guilt that she forced him into. Dimmesdale was a weak and frail man because of Hester's silence. Chillengsworth was pushed into a life of revenge and anguish since Hester had betrayed their marriage and Chillengsworth's trust in her. She had turned Chillengsworth into a fiend, "I have already told thee what I am, a fiend!" (P169). Hester admitts to causing Chillengsworth into becoming the fiend as well. The guilt rests solely on Hester Prynne for destroying not just her own life from this sin but also of many other people such as the minister Dimmesdale, the physician Chillengsworth, and her own daughter Pearl. Free Essay on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter - Good vs. Evil :: Scarlet Letter essays Good vs. Evil in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter is a wonderful and not so traditional example of the good versus evil theme. What makes this a unique instance of good versus evil is that either side could be considered either one. Hester could very easily have been deduced as evil, or the "bad guy," as she was by the townspeople. That is, she was convicted of adultery, a horrible sin of the time. As for punishment, a sentence to wear a scarlet "A" upon her chest, it would hardly be considered a burden or extreme sentence in present day. Another sin that Hester committed was the fact that she never told who the father of her child, Pear, forcing her to be without a father. Hester's silence also caused Dimmesdale to live in torture every day. Chillingsworth was also hurt by Hester's act of adultery and because of her, his life was destroyed and the only thing he could do was seek revenge against the man who had been with her. Hester's child Pearl had to be raised by only one parent and that caused the child to be less disciplined and more outrageous making the townspeople more suspicious of who the child's father was. It also caused the religious leaders to wonder about the religious stability of the child, and if there might be witchcraft involved, "The little baggage have witchcraft in her"(p112). Hester also caused numerous a sleepless night for Dimmesdale. If Hester had just announced that Dimmesdale was the father he would have never have lived through all the guilt that she forced him into. Dimmesdale was a weak and frail man because of Hester's silence. Chillengsworth was pushed into a life of revenge and anguish since Hester had betrayed their marriage and Chillengsworth's trust in her. She had turned Chillengsworth into a fiend, "I have already told thee what I am, a fiend!" (P169). Hester admitts to causing Chillengsworth into becoming the fiend as well. The guilt rests solely on Hester Prynne for destroying not just her own life from this sin but also of many other people such as the minister Dimmesdale, the physician Chillengsworth, and her own daughter Pearl.

Kantian Pro Euthanasia

Without a doubt, there are forces that exist within the realms of right and wrong. This understanding of what right and wrong is is the back bone of moral philosophy, and its fundamental aim to decipher whether or not our actions lie on either side of these realms. Immanuel Kant states that these are not the only facets of morality (Lee). We must also further ask ourselves â€Å"what we ought to do,† in our case, to follow the the good will. In question, I debate whether euthanasia is an act of true good will to end suffering or if it is wrong to end a life in any circumstance.To be better moral and ethical beings, and to pursue what the philosophers call â€Å"the higher good,† we must take upon ourselves to end suffering in the face of imminent death, despite our prior connections to the life or personal beliefs. First and foremost, before addressing any claims as to what a moral action is, we must first have a basic understanding of what exactly constitutes a moral a nd an immoral action. In Immanuel Kant’s groundwork in morals, it states that an action can only be deemed moral if and only if devoid of all ulterior motive (Guthrie).With this said, we can safely say, killing anyone loved or otherwise, for any sort of gain is immoral, and therefore lacks virtue and the good will. More often than not, we will also come to a conclusion that we must choose life; we care too much about the ones we love to see them leave us, or even face the inevitability of death that will come soon after the immense suffering. Though as noble as saving a life may seem, this is not moral. As Kant’s First Categorical Imperative states, never treat someone as a means to an end, rather only as a means to an end to themselves.The maxims that drive our actions, in the endeavor to sustain the life of a suffering person, though however noble our intentions may be, are still only hypothetical imperatives that cater to our own selfish need to keep the lives that we cherish. It can also be argued that ending a life to soothe the pains of seeing the ones we love suffer is also immoral. Wouldn’t putting someone down so as that we wouldn’t have to endure the pain of watching their suffering be treating them as a means to an end? This too is only for our own philanthropic need to end our own woes, therefore is also considered, by the standards of Kant: immoral.There are further quandaries in the topic of euthanasia, than just to do or not to do. We must always remember that to be ethical and moral beings as stated in the metaphysics of morality, we must ask ourselves â€Å"what we ought to do† (Guthrie). This brings us to a near moral impossibility, where we must create answers and actions that beg sui generis. In the case of euthanasia, as moral and ethical creatures we ought to act against suffering, not because we feel our love ones suffer but to act upon categorical imperatives to end suffering for the sake of ending suf fering.We must not base our actions off the possible consequences of not allowing the being to die peacefully, but by the duty we have to end suffering. In the metaphysics of morals, it is believed that the good will is ambiguous despite its intentions. Qualities of character that are considered to be good do not ensure morality, despite its intentions (Guyer). With this said we must then overlook all emotions involved and only think about the situation in terms of duty. If this is so, in the case of euthanasia, should we not then forgo all emotional ties and venture south for more moral answers?The preservation of life holds many connections to human wants, when, if morality is the aim, principals rather than wants should be our maxims. Relying on principals to drive our actions ensures that we do what we have to do not because we want to but because what we do is our duty (therefore keeping virtue and the good will â€Å"untainted†). But I digress an acknowledge that this c oncept of pure duty as an imperative is almost impossible to achieve. Every observable action can be seen as conformity for the sake of conformity and/or for some sort of personal gain (Guthrie).But, as our predecessors before us stated, pure moral maxims do exist, and believing in them is a step to morality. This is not unlike the notion of God; we have no physical basis of what God is, as we don’t have physical notions of what pure moral intentions are, but what we do have are priors to what they are. The benefit of using Kant’s groundwork is that you get the action of good will without consequential thinking of the benefit or harm that may come from it. A moral action is that of virtue, a moral duty carried out from the good will.Therefore euthanasia is moral, for our duty and motive is to end suffering for the sake of ending suffering. It is the underlying intention which decides whether our action is moral or not. The consequence only decides how beneficial our ac tion was. As moral and ethical creatures we ought to act against suffering, not because we feel the emotional connection of watching someone you know suffer but to act upon categorical imperatives to end suffering for the sake of ending suffering. We must not end someone lse’s suffering to end our own pain or discomfort, but to end their suffering when all other choice besides death no longer exist for them. Works Cited â€Å"Immanuel Kant. † (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Ed. P. Guyer and A. Wood. N. p. , 20 May 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. . Guthrie, Shandon L. â€Å"Immanuel Kant and the Categorical Imperative. † Immanuel Kant and the Categorical Imperative. N. p. , 03 Nov. 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. . Lee, Harrison. â€Å"Kant – Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. † Kant – Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. N. p. , 13 May 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. .

Prejudice and Discrimination

Prejudice: The dictionary defines prejudice as an unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge. This means that a person may form an opinion on a person or a particular group of people without having any facts or knowledge about that person or group. Prejudice is normally perceived as being bad but there are some instances where prejudice is an aid to survival for example if you see several scruffy men parked in a van in a dark alley, you will form a pre judgment that they must be up to no good so you choose to not walk down the alley. They could simply be movers, but healthy prejudice tells you not to take the chance. Discrimination Direct discrimination is defined as treating one particular group of people less favourably than others because of their race, colour, nationality, or ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation or religious beliefs. There is also positive discrimination in which an individual is allowed to advance themselves because of their gender, race, sexually orientation, age etc. Example if an Asian person is hired simply because they are Asian due to the stereotype that Asians are smart and good students that’s a positive discrimination. Indirect discrimination is defined as an apparently neutral specification, criteria or practice that would disadvantage people on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation unless the practice can be objectively justified. For example a department store prohibits its employees from wearing hats when serving customers. This rule means that people whose religious beliefs require them to cover their heads, such as Muslim women, are discriminated against and cannot carry out their job. The store is indirectly discriminating against this group of people unless it can demonstrate that there is valid reason. Stereotyping Stereotyping is a generalisation of people, which is usually negative, untrue, and unjustifiable. The term labelling is used when we take look at a person and place a label on them and then place them in a category for example we could label someone gay because they seem camp even though they may not be gay. People stereotype as it helps people to deal with individuals who are different from themselves. It makes people feel safe and in their own mind stereotypes allow them to justify their actions towards people. Stereotypes can become self-fulfilling prophecies if the stereotype is re-enforced enough. For example, girls maybe stereotyped as failing more math’s exams than boys this will lead to girls failing to try in exams, as they believe that they are expected to fail. Scapegoating Scapegoating is the practice of singling out an individual or group for unmerited negative treatment or blame. The word â€Å"scapegoat† actually originates from Leviticus 16 in the bible. A goat had all the sins of man placed upon it and it was sent into the wilderness to perish. An example of scapegoating is the Salem Witch Trials. Women were used as scapegoats when the crops were bad or there was a famine and then tried as witches. This was especially the case with midwives, as they would be accused of being in league with Satan if the baby died during birth, which happened frequently due to poor standards of hygiene etc. Part Two Case Study 1 During the first part of the 20th century, deaf people were directly discriminated against due to them being labeled as deaf and dumb. They were prevented from entering mainstream education and were not considered for any high paying jobs. Most deaf children were sent away to deaf schools and some were sent to asylums, even though they were not mentally ill. However, by sending a sane child to an asylum the stereotype of deaf children being mentally ill became a self-fulfilling prophecy as most the children within the asylum did eventually develop some sort of mental illness to help them cope with their surroundings. Children and adults were not separated in asylums and most of the children were sexually abused or witness to sexual acts from a very young age. Society was not kind to deaf children, there was no compassion or understanding and most children did not realize they were deaf because no one took the time to explain to them. Families felt embarrassed and ashamed of their deaf offspring, some families even decided not to have any more children for fear that they too would be deaf. Deaf men were also discriminated against during the First World War as they were deemed unfit for service, however, deaf soldiers would have had a distinct advantage over the soldiers who could hear as they would not get shellshock or distracted as easily by the surrounding noises. Some doctors believed that deafness was cause by a blockage in the ear and others believed it to be a brain dysfunction either way deaf people in asylums were subjected to horrific procedures such as needles being pushed into their eardrums and lobotomies. Deaf children often became strangers within their own families and were often rejected and abandoned this led to low self worth and extreme depression in some cases. As deaf children had no knowledge of language, as it was rarely taught in deaf schools, they developed their own ‘sign language’, which differed from school to school. This sign language was not universal and was normally only understood by the children at that particular school. Sexual predators also targeted many deaf people, as they were easy targets due to being sexually ignorant. Some countries saw being deaf as a disease that could be eradicated through means such as selective breeding, deaf girls were systematically sterilised and deaf marriage was not allowed. This made the deaf community feel as if they were outcasts and it denied them their rights to have a normal social or sexual relationship with another individual. However, refuge from the cruel world of the hearing was soon found in what were called ‘Deaf Clubs’. By 1930, every town had its own deaf club, which hosted regular events and outings for the deaf community. These clubs were normally overseen by powerful clergymen and were charities run by hearing people. While the deaf community saw deaf clubs as a lifeline, they also sought to reinforce the segregation of deaf people from the rest of the world. Silent movies were a place where deaf and hearing could share a common love for theatre, deaf people were made to feel like part of society. However, exclusion would soon become part of the deaf community again with the invention of telephones, radios and televisions. Today there are many acts in place to help deaf people live normal, fulfilling lives within their communities without fear of being ridiculed or committed. 1 Case Study 2 Many men are afraid to tell friends and family that they want to enter nursing as it leads to them being stereotyped as gay because nursing is seen primarily as a female profession. In June 2006, Andrew Moyhing won a landmark case against the NHS for sex discrimination. Mr Moyhing, 29 said, â€Å"I abandoned nursing because I was not allowed to do the job properly in a female-dominated profession. † 2 The NHS hospital that Mr Moyhing worked for as a student nurse refused to let him perform intimate medical procedures on women unless accompanied by a female chaperone. An article on nursingtimes. net states that currently male nurses only make up 11% of the female dominated sector and are four times more likely to be sanctioned or face discrimination by the NMC. Chaperone policies are in place in many NHS hospitals but they only relate to male nurses, a female nurse does not require a male chaperone to carry out an intimate procedure on a male patient but a male nurse requires a female chaperone. London NHS Trust did admit that the difference in treatment between male and female nurses was direct discrimination. Mr Moyhing claimed he felt he was being regarded as untrustworthy and a potential abuser of females or that the patient was likely to lie and make false accusations. Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC, said, â€Å"The Employment Appeal Tribunal was right to find that it was not acceptable to have a chaperoning policy based on lazy stereotyping about the risks to patients and assumptions that all men are sexual predators. † 4 The EOC said its research showed that one in four schoolboys were interested in caring work but only one in ten nurses were male. 5 Many organisations and websites are now appearing to offer a support system to male nurses whom maybe facing discrimination from their female work colleagues or bosses. Prejudice and Discrimination Prejudice: The dictionary defines prejudice as an unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge. This means that a person may form an opinion on a person or a particular group of people without having any facts or knowledge about that person or group. Prejudice is normally perceived as being bad but there are some instances where prejudice is an aid to survival for example if you see several scruffy men parked in a van in a dark alley, you will form a pre judgment that they must be up to no good so you choose to not walk down the alley. They could simply be movers, but healthy prejudice tells you not to take the chance. Discrimination Direct discrimination is defined as treating one particular group of people less favourably than others because of their race, colour, nationality, or ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation or religious beliefs. There is also positive discrimination in which an individual is allowed to advance themselves because of their gender, race, sexually orientation, age etc. Example if an Asian person is hired simply because they are Asian due to the stereotype that Asians are smart and good students that’s a positive discrimination. Indirect discrimination is defined as an apparently neutral specification, criteria or practice that would disadvantage people on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation unless the practice can be objectively justified. For example a department store prohibits its employees from wearing hats when serving customers. This rule means that people whose religious beliefs require them to cover their heads, such as Muslim women, are discriminated against and cannot carry out their job. The store is indirectly discriminating against this group of people unless it can demonstrate that there is valid reason. Stereotyping Stereotyping is a generalisation of people, which is usually negative, untrue, and unjustifiable. The term labelling is used when we take look at a person and place a label on them and then place them in a category for example we could label someone gay because they seem camp even though they may not be gay. People stereotype as it helps people to deal with individuals who are different from themselves. It makes people feel safe and in their own mind stereotypes allow them to justify their actions towards people. Stereotypes can become self-fulfilling prophecies if the stereotype is re-enforced enough. For example, girls maybe stereotyped as failing more math’s exams than boys this will lead to girls failing to try in exams, as they believe that they are expected to fail. Scapegoating Scapegoating is the practice of singling out an individual or group for unmerited negative treatment or blame. The word â€Å"scapegoat† actually originates from Leviticus 16 in the bible. A goat had all the sins of man placed upon it and it was sent into the wilderness to perish. An example of scapegoating is the Salem Witch Trials. Women were used as scapegoats when the crops were bad or there was a famine and then tried as witches. This was especially the case with midwives, as they would be accused of being in league with Satan if the baby died during birth, which happened frequently due to poor standards of hygiene etc. Part Two Case Study 1 During the first part of the 20th century, deaf people were directly discriminated against due to them being labeled as deaf and dumb. They were prevented from entering mainstream education and were not considered for any high paying jobs. Most deaf children were sent away to deaf schools and some were sent to asylums, even though they were not mentally ill. However, by sending a sane child to an asylum the stereotype of deaf children being mentally ill became a self-fulfilling prophecy as most the children within the asylum did eventually develop some sort of mental illness to help them cope with their surroundings. Children and adults were not separated in asylums and most of the children were sexually abused or witness to sexual acts from a very young age. Society was not kind to deaf children, there was no compassion or understanding and most children did not realize they were deaf because no one took the time to explain to them. Families felt embarrassed and ashamed of their deaf offspring, some families even decided not to have any more children for fear that they too would be deaf. Deaf men were also discriminated against during the First World War as they were deemed unfit for service, however, deaf soldiers would have had a distinct advantage over the soldiers who could hear as they would not get shellshock or distracted as easily by the surrounding noises. Some doctors believed that deafness was cause by a blockage in the ear and others believed it to be a brain dysfunction either way deaf people in asylums were subjected to horrific procedures such as needles being pushed into their eardrums and lobotomies. Deaf children often became strangers within their own families and were often rejected and abandoned this led to low self worth and extreme depression in some cases. As deaf children had no knowledge of language, as it was rarely taught in deaf schools, they developed their own ‘sign language’, which differed from school to school. This sign language was not universal and was normally only understood by the children at that particular school. Sexual predators also targeted many deaf people, as they were easy targets due to being sexually ignorant. Some countries saw being deaf as a disease that could be eradicated through means such as selective breeding, deaf girls were systematically sterilised and deaf marriage was not allowed. This made the deaf community feel as if they were outcasts and it denied them their rights to have a normal social or sexual relationship with another individual. However, refuge from the cruel world of the hearing was soon found in what were called ‘Deaf Clubs’. By 1930, every town had its own deaf club, which hosted regular events and outings for the deaf community. These clubs were normally overseen by powerful clergymen and were charities run by hearing people. While the deaf community saw deaf clubs as a lifeline, they also sought to reinforce the segregation of deaf people from the rest of the world. Silent movies were a place where deaf and hearing could share a common love for theatre, deaf people were made to feel like part of society. However, exclusion would soon become part of the deaf community again with the invention of telephones, radios and televisions. Today there are many acts in place to help deaf people live normal, fulfilling lives within their communities without fear of being ridiculed or committed. 1 Case Study 2 Many men are afraid to tell friends and family that they want to enter nursing as it leads to them being stereotyped as gay because nursing is seen primarily as a female profession. In June 2006, Andrew Moyhing won a landmark case against the NHS for sex discrimination. Mr Moyhing, 29 said, â€Å"I abandoned nursing because I was not allowed to do the job properly in a female-dominated profession. † 2 The NHS hospital that Mr Moyhing worked for as a student nurse refused to let him perform intimate medical procedures on women unless accompanied by a female chaperone. An article on nursingtimes. net states that currently male nurses only make up 11% of the female dominated sector and are four times more likely to be sanctioned or face discrimination by the NMC. Chaperone policies are in place in many NHS hospitals but they only relate to male nurses, a female nurse does not require a male chaperone to carry out an intimate procedure on a male patient but a male nurse requires a female chaperone. London NHS Trust did admit that the difference in treatment between male and female nurses was direct discrimination. Mr Moyhing claimed he felt he was being regarded as untrustworthy and a potential abuser of females or that the patient was likely to lie and make false accusations. Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC, said, â€Å"The Employment Appeal Tribunal was right to find that it was not acceptable to have a chaperoning policy based on lazy stereotyping about the risks to patients and assumptions that all men are sexual predators. † 4 The EOC said its research showed that one in four schoolboys were interested in caring work but only one in ten nurses were male. 5 Many organisations and websites are now appearing to offer a support system to male nurses whom maybe facing discrimination from their female work colleagues or bosses.