Derivative Market And The Meaning Of Derivative Market - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2730 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Marketing Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Mehraj Mattoo (1997), Structured Derivatives: New Tools for Investment Management A Handbook of Structuring, Pricing Investor Applications (Financial Times) The Derivatives Market is meant as the market where exchange of derivatives takes place. Derivatives are one type of securities whose price is derived from the underlying assets. And value of these derivatives is determined by the fluctuations in the underlying assets. These underlying assets are most commonly stocks, bonds, currencies, interest rates, commodities and market indices. As Derivatives are merely contracts between two or more parties, anything like weather data or amount of rain can be used as underlying assets. The Derivatives can be classified as Future Contracts, Forward Contracts, Options, Swaps and Credit Derivatives. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Derivative Market And The Meaning Of Derivative Market" essay for you Create order For example, a call option on the stock of Coca-Cola is a derivative security that obtains value from the shares of Coca-Cola that can be purchased with the call option. Call options, put options, convertible bonds, futures contracts, and convertible preferred stock are examples of derivatives. A derivative can be either a risky or low-risk investment. The need for a derivatives market The derivatives market performs a number of economic functions: 1. They help in transferring risks from risk averse people to risk oriented people 2. They help in the discovery of future as well as current prices 3. They catalyze entrepreneurial activity 4. They increase the volume traded in markets because of participation of risk averse people in greater numbers 5. They increase savings and investment in the long run Derivatives are used by investors to: provide leverage (or gearing), such that a small movement in the underlying value can cause a large difference in the value of the derivative; speculate and make a profit if the value of the underlying asset moves the way they expect (e.g., moves in a given direction, stays in or out of a specified range, reaches a certain level); hedge or mitigate risk in the underlying, by entering into a derivative contract whose value moves in the opposite direction to their underlying position and cancels part or all of it out; obtain exposure to the underlying where it is not possible to trade in the underlying (e.g., weather derivatives); create option ability where the value of the derivative is linked to a specific condition or event (e.g., the underlying reaching a specific price level). Derivative Market and Financial Risk Derivatives play a vital role in risk management of both financial and non-financial institutions. But, in the present world, it has become a rising concern that derivative market operations may destabilize the efficiency of financial markets. In todays world the companies the financial and non-financial firms are using forward contracts, future contracts, options, swaps and other various combinations of derivatives to manage risk and to increase returns. It is true that growth of derivatives market reveal the increasing market demand for risk managing instruments in the economy. But, the major concern is that, the main components of Over the Counter (OTC) derivatives are interest rates and currency swaps. So, the economy will suffer surely if the derivative instruments are misused and if a major fault takes place in derivatives market. Types of Derivative Market The Derivative Market can be classified as Exchange Traded Derivatives Market and Over the Counter Derivative Market. Exchange Traded Derivatives are those derivatives which are traded through specialized derivative exchanges whereas Over the Counter Derivatives are those which are privately traded between two parties and involves no exchange or intermediary. Swaps, Options and Forward Contracts are traded in Over the Counter Derivatives Market or OTC market. The main participants of OTC market are the Investment Banks, Commercial Banks, Govt. Sponsored Enterprises and Hedge Funds. The investment banks markets the derivatives through traders to the clients like hedge funds and the rest. In the Exchange Traded Derivatives Market or Future Market, exchange acts as the main party and by trading of derivatives actually risk is traded between two parties. One party who purchases future contract is said to go long and the person who sells the future contract is said to go short. The holder of the long position owns the future contract and earns profit from it if the price of the underlying security goes up in the future. On the contrary, holder of the short position is in a profitable position if the price of the underlying security goes down, as he has already sold the future contract. So, when a new future contract is introduced, the total position in the contract is zero as no one is holding that for short or long. The trading of foreign exchange traded derivatives or the future contracts has emerged as very important financial activity all over the world just like trading of equity-linked contracts or commodity contracts. The derivatives whose underlying assets are credit, energy or metal, have shown a steady growth rate over the years around the world. Interest rate is the parameter which influences the global trading of derivatives, the most. Types of derivatives OTC and exchange-traded In broad terms, there are two groups of derivative contracts, which are distinguished by the way they are traded in the market: Over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives are contracts that are traded (and privately negotiated) directly between two parties, without going through an exchange or other intermediary. Products such as swaps, forward rate agreements, and exotic options are almost always traded in this way. The OTC derivative market is the largest market for derivatives, and is largely unregulated with respect to disclosure of information between the parties, since the OTC market is made up of banks and other highly sophisticated parties, such as hedge funds. Reporting of OTC amounts are difficult because trades can occur in private, without activity being visible on any exchange. According to the Bank for International Settlements, the total outstanding notional amount is US$684 trillion (as of June 2008). Of this total notional amount, 67% are interest rate contracts, 8% are credit default swaps (CDS), 9% are foreign exchange contracts, 2% are commodity contracts, 1% are equity contracts, and 12% are othe r. Because OTC derivatives are not traded on an exchange, there is no central counter-party. Therefore, they are subject to counter-party risk, like an ordinary contract, since each counter-party relies on the other to perform. Exchange-traded derivative contracts (ETD) are those derivatives instruments that are traded via specialized derivatives exchanges or other exchanges. A derivatives exchange is a market where individuals trade standardized contracts that have been defined by the exchange. A derivatives exchange acts as an intermediary to all related transactions, and takes Initial margin from both sides of the trade to act as a guarantee. The worlds largest derivatives exchanges (by number of transactions) are the Korea Exchange (which lists KOSPI Index Futures Options), Eurex (which lists a wide range of European products such as interest rate index products), and CME Group (made up of the 2007 merger of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade and the 2008 acquisition of the New York Mercantile Exchange). According to BIS, the combined turnover in the worlds derivatives exchanges totaled USD 344 trillion during Q4 2005. Some types of derivative instruments also may trade on traditional exchanges. For instance, hybrid instruments such as convertible bonds and/or convertible preferred may be listed on stock or bond exchanges. Also, warrants (or rights) may be listed on equity exchanges. Performance Rights, Cash xPRTs and various other instruments that essentially consist of a complex set of options bundled into a simple package are routinely listed on equity exchanges. Like other derivatives, these publicly traded derivatives provide investors access to risk/reward and volatility characteristics that, while related to an underlying commodity, nonetheless are distinctive Common types of derivatives Derivatives are a tool used by investors to manage risk. It is a complex area and one that requires a great deal of study and application to master. In brief, a derivative gets its value from another financial product. There are two primary types of derivative contracts: over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives and exchange-traded derivatives. They differ from each other in the ways they are traded on the market. There are also three major classes of derivatives: some types of warrants, futures and exchange-traded options. Futures. (Also sometimes called forwards) are contracts that say an asset block will be sold or bought on an agreed future date Futures are contracts to buy or sell an asset on or before a future date at a price specified today. A futures contract differs from a forward contract in that the futures contract is a standardized contract written by a clearing house that operates an exchange where the contract can be bought and sold, whereas a forward contract is a non-standardized contract written by the parties themselves. Options. An option gives the contract holder the right to buy or sell on a specified date in the future but they are under no obligation to take up this option. Options are contracts that give the owner the right, but not the obligation, to buy (in the case of a call option) or sell (in the case of a put option) an asset. The price at which the sale takes place is known as the strike price, and is specified at the time the parties enter into the option. The option contract also specifies a maturity date. In the case of a European option, the owner has the right to require the sale to take place on (but not before) the maturity date; in the case of an American option, the owner can require the sale to take place at any time up to the maturity date. If the owner of the contract exercises this right, the counter-party has the obligation to carry out the transaction. Swaps are contracts to exchange cash (flows) on or before a specified future date based on the underlying value of currencies/exchange rates, bonds/interest rates, commodities, stocks or other assets. Swaps: Swaps are private agreements between two parties to exchange cash flows in the future according to a prearranged formula. They can be regarded as portfolios of forward contracts. The two commonly used swaps are: ÂÂ · Interest rate swaps: These entail swapping only the interest related cash flows between the parties in the same currency. ÂÂ · Currency swaps: These entail swapping both principal and interest between the parties, with the cash flows in one direction being in adifferent currency than those in the opposite direction. Warrants. A tool used for trading on the stock exchange. They can be held over shares, currency, an index or commodity. Warrants (and options) allow the holder to earn additional income from their shares or to protect value of their existing assets. Types of options In Australia the different kinds of options available to investors include: Flex options Long term options Low exercise price options (LEPOs) Index options Index LEPOs Types of warrants There are also a range of different kinds of warrants commonly in use. They are: Equity call and put warrants Installment warrants Endowment warrants Low exercise price warrants Options are traded electronically by brokers on a computerised market called the Derivatives Trading Facility (DTF). Using this system the first order placed is the first order processed and at the end of the day any unexercised orders lapse. Warrants are traded using the ASX share trading system. The Australian Stock Exchange is a fantastic resource for further information about derivatives and also runs education classes for new investors. Alternatively, have look through the Investor Buddy Learning Centre or Derivatives section or email us. Benefits The use of derivatives also has its benefits: Derivatives facilitate the buying and selling of risk, and many people.consider this to have a positive impact on the economic system. Although someone loses money while someone else gains money with a derivative, under normal circumstances, trading in derivatives should not adversely affect the economic system because it is not zero sum in utility. Former federal reserver board chairman Alan Greenspan commented in 2003 that he believed that the use of derivatives has softened the impact of the economic downturn at the beginning of the 21st century. Government regulation In the context of a 2010 examination of the ICE Trust, an industry self-regulatory body, the chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission which regulates most derivatives, was quoted saying that the derivatives marketplace as it functions now adds up to higher costs to all Americans. More oversight of the banks in this market is needed, he also said. Additionally, the report said, the Department of Justice is looking into derivatives, too. The departments antitrust unit is actively investigating the possibility of anticompetitive practices in the credit derivatives clearing, trading and information services industries, according to a department spokeswoman. Definitions Bilateral netting: A legally enforceable arrangement between a bank and a counter-party that creates a single legal obligation covering all included individual contracts. This means that a banks obligation, in the event of the default or insolvency of one of the parties, would be the net sum of all positive and negative fair values of contracts included in the bilateral netting arrangement. Credit derivative: A contract that transfers credit risk from a protection buyer to a credit production seller. Credit derivative products can take many forms, such as credit default swaps, credit linked notes and total return swaps. Derivative: A financial contract whose value is derived from the performance of assets, interest rates, currency exchange rates, or indexes. Derivative transactions include a wide assortment of financial contracts including structured debt obligations and deposits, swaps, futures, options, caps, floors, collars, forwards and various combinations thereof. Exchange-traded derivative contract: Standardized derivative contracts that are transacted on an organized futures exchange. Gross negative fair value: The sum of the fair values of contracts where the bank owes money to its counter-parties, without taking into account netting. This represents the maximum losses the banks counter-parties would incur if the bank defaults and there is no netting of contracts, and no bank collateral was held by the counter-parties. Gross positive fair value Gross: The sum total of the fair values of contracts where the bank is owed money by its counter-parties, without taking into account netting. This represents the maximum losses a bank could incur if all its counter-parties default and there is no netting of contracts, and the bank holds no counter-party collateral. High-risk motgage securities: Securities where the price or expected average life is highly sensitive to interest rate changes, as determined by the FFIEC policy statement on high-risk mortgage securities. Notional amount: The nominal or face amount that is used to calculate payments made on swaps and other risk management products. This amount generally does not change hands and is thus referred to as notional. Over-the-counter (OTC) derivative contracts: Privately negotiated derivative contracts that are transacted off organized futures exchanges. structured notes: Non-mortgage-backed debt securities, whose cash flow characteristics depend on one or more indices and / or have embedded forwards or options. Conclusions In terms of the growth of derivatives markets, and the variety of derivatives users, the Indian market has equalled or exceeded many other regional markets. While the growth is being spearheaded mainly by retail investors, private sector institutions and large corporations, smaller companies and state-owned institutions are gradually getting into the act. Foreign brokers such as JP Morgan Chase are boosting their presence in India in reaction to the growth in derivatives. The variety of derivatives instruments available for trading is also expanding. There remain major areas of concern for Indian derivatives users. Large gaps exist in the range of derivatives products that are traded actively. In equity derivatives, NSE figures show that almost 90% of activity is due to stock futures or index futures, whereas trading in options is limited to a few stocks, partly because they are settled in cash and not the underlying stocks. Exchange-traded derivatives based on interest rates and currencies are virtually absent. Liquidity and transparency are important properties of any developed market. Liquid markets require market makers who are willing to buy and sell, and be patient while doing so. In India, market making is primarily the province of Indian private and foreign banks, with public sector banks lagging in this area (FitchRatings, 2004). A lack of market liquidity may be responsible for inadequate trading in some markets. Transparency is achieved partly through financial disclosure. Financial statements

Is Water A Safe Drinking Water - 1747 Words

About seventy percent of the world is composed of water, yet only two percent is safe enough to drink. Water, simply two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen, is the most essential element for life function (Importance of Water Web). Water enables life for all organisms, makes up two thirds of the human body, and is important in maintaining homeostasis, a balanced body system. Without water the human body would deteriorate within a few days and cease to function. Without water, plants, animals and our thriving ecosystem would fail. Like oxygen, water is a life necessity. Yet, many go without safe drinking water because water is not easily accessible. Multiple communities within the United States have been unable to source drinkable water and lack the resources to make improvements. Thus, business minded individuals have found the perfect scenario for profit: high demand. Casting aside any moral sense of obligation to help the less fortunate, large corporation have taken taken this reso urce and turned it into a commodity. Not all people have access to clean water, yet through corporate finagling and strategic marketing large companies have been able to create a profitable business off of what could and should be a freely accessible resource. According to data from BMC, the Beverage Marketing Corp, bottled water sales have seen approximately a thirteen percent increase within the last few years (Posnick Web). This data confirms, as said in the article Take Back the Tap, thatShow MoreRelatedSafe Water Drinking And Pollution1933 Words   |  8 Pagessemester, there have been several different instances that have shown the importance of truly understanding what these issues are and how some of these issues can be fixed. 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B2B and International Exercise Free Essays

In the conduct of this study, the question that must always be put in our mind is if there is a possibility for the city of Scottsdale and Marrakesh to have a business transaction to improve their economy as a whole. After reading all the necessary materials regarding the economic condition of the two cities, I have learned that Marrakesh has a 55. 5 % rate of share of services in the totality of the city’s GDP. We will write a custom essay sample on B2B and International Exercise or any similar topic only for you Order Now Moreover, Morocco is also known for its industry in mining, food processing, leather goods, textiles and tourism. In terms of their educational attainment level, only 52% of the total population is literate. Its export commodities are mostly clothing, fish, crude minerals, fertilizer, transistors and inorganic chemicals. On the other hand, one of the â€Å"booming† industries in Scottsdale is the business and professional industry that enables them to have an impressive economic growth for the past years. They are also known for their best resorts destinations and high technologies and bio-technology. Feasibility Study Based from the above facts that I gathered, I could say that there is a great possibility of having business with Marrakesh. In the industry of tourism, since Marrakesh is known for their tourism, Scottsdale could develop resorts in Marrakesh. The high rate of tourists that goes to Marrakesh would serve as an opportunity for the Scottsdale to put up resorts. If this would go to happen, tourists in Marrakesh will continue to increase. At the same time, while benefiting the Scottsdale, the resort that will be established would surely cut the unemployment rate of Marrakesh since jobs will be provided to their citizens and, in the later years, could uplift the poverty rate of Marrakesh (Shagazatova). On the other hand, since there is a high illiteracy rate in Marrakesh, and there are a lot of professionals in Scottsdale like teachers, Scottsdale could invest in establishing schools in the Marrakesh in order to uplift their rate of literacy. The schools that I am referring here are only vocational schools, will also provide basic knowledge regarding literacy, that might be a good help in the booming industry of Marrakesh (Ranis). With this, Scottsdale could also get workers from the schools that they had established. With the median age of 24 years, there would be no doubt that Marrakesh industry is concentrated on the service sector. Most of the companies here must be labor intensive in order to take advantage of the large pool of laborers in the market. Wage rate is expected to be low compared to other countries (Phelps). This is also one of the reasons why it is advantageous to put up a business in Marrakesh aside from its economic opportunities in the current days. Since Scottsdale is well known for its business services, it would be a good decision to establish a service oriented company in Marrakesh. It could be in line with the transistor’s industry or textile industry that can be provided by Scottsdale to the workers of Marrakesh. Data Gathering and Recommendations Through the suggested strategies above would definitely benefit both of the cities. Marrakesh could take advantage of the job opportunity that Scottsdale’s investors bring with them and the latter could take advantage of the tremendous amount of laborers in Marrakesh as well as the low operational costs in terms of the wage rate. After presenting this paper to the Scottsdale’s officials, data gathering in Marrakesh economic standing should be implemented right away in order to validate the theories that we have cited in this paper. The data’s were then studied by the economic analysts of Scottsdale in order to have an in depth understanding of the current status of Marrakesh and in order for us to be guided in the actions that we are going to undertake. REFERENCES Phelps, Edmund S. â€Å"Low-Wage Employment Subsidies Versus the Welfare State. † 2007. Ranis, Gustav. â€Å"Human Development and Economic Growth. † 2004. Shagazatova, Batir Mirbabayev and Malika. â€Å"The Economic and Social Impact of Tourism. † 2005. How to cite B2B and International Exercise, Papers

Missio Dei Seeing Inside Insider Missiology

Question: Describe about a Article for Missio Dei gives the essence of human life enrichment by practicing Christianity? Answer: Introduction Missio Dei gives the essence of human life enrichment by practicing Christianity, which can be increased by enhancing the amount of churches globally. Missio Dei means, sending of God, which indicates the preachers need to follow the definition of missional church. In this essay, the significance of churches for practicing Christianity and the idea of Missio Dei will be explained. The ideas of incarnational practice, soteriology, christiology and doctrine of Trinity and incarnational mission will be explained. The ideas will relate with the blessings of communities and cross-cultural benefits so that more individuals get the essence of divine nature of God. Significance of Missio Dei for Church Missio Dei is the theological term that has originated from Latin Christianity, which in English is known as mission of God or the sending of God. From the second half of 20th Century, the concept of missiology has come into dominance. Hartenstein was the first person who introduced the term Missio Dei. The term was initially not included into the doctrine of Trinity. According to Gill (2014), Trinity defines God in three different perspectives, which are Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the past half of 20th Century, the mission of God was not so much decisive, but with the extension of time, more amount of Churches were established with which Christianity started to expand all over the world. The message of God was not restricted to the responsibility of the Church, but with the persons who restored faith within themselves. The church was considered to be only the area or the medium through which message could be conveyed. The persons who are responsible for spreading Christianity a re Bishop, Priest, Nun and Archbishiop. These people are considered to be the agent of God and restore the responsibility of spreading Christianity. Spreading of Christianity is not an actual activity of Church, but the activities are restored within such people who have faith within themselves. The people who have faith within themselves are the sole person who has the essence of life and existence of humanity. According to Vanhoozer (2013), God never acts as the motive of spreading Christianity, but the disciples bestow faith within themselves who carry out Christianity all over the world. On the other hand, Kang (2015) pointed out that Christianity could be spread to such individuals who have faith within themselves. Individuals who love themselves retains the message of God within them and therefore they act is spreading more concepts of Christianity in the communities. Therefore, it can be said that Christianity concept can be only spread within such area where the essence of humanity is restored. People, who love the acceptance of divinity, are the sole person who can spread more concepts of Christianity. According to Oborji (2016), Christianity is the purest form of religion, which does not force any individual to be converted. The amount of conflict and disrespect is the lowest in Christianity. Therefore, it can be said that the amount of Christianity conversion will be highest in Christian religion. If individuals are forced to be converted then differences in communities will raise conflict. Reimer (2013) pointed out that Christianity religion devotes peace within its disciples. God does not preach disrespect among its disciples, but encourages hearing the problems in their lives. Thus, it can be said that Christianity will not let any individual to be deviated with false rituals. According to Okesson (2015), the agent of God with respect to Missio Dei, must have the in-depth knowledge of Christianity. Missiological Criteria denotes that individuals have the opportunity to change their religion into Christianity without changing their culture. Cultural context does not hinder the individuals to be converted into Christian. Tan (2012) pointed out that mission of God is to bestow faith within individuals, which can be delivered by the Missiological Criteria. The Bishops and Pastors deliver this criterion to the individuals at every Friday. This can be said that the individuals who deliver Christianity theory do not have the required knowledge, as The Bible has a huge amount of concepts. Skreslet (2012) pointed out that the amount of churches are increasing globally, which defines that the amount of individual conversion into Christianity are increasing. This is only happening because individuals do not have to change their culture with the change in religion. On the other hand, Bartlotti (2013) pointed out that Missio Dei though relates to the concepts of Christian Theology, but the conveyer in churches does not have the required knowledge of Christianity. As a result, many individuals are not getting the essence of divine power. Furthermore, Gallagher (2014) pointed out that members of Church conveys the message of God by using several lectures, seminars, meetings and by delivering leaflets around the society. Thus, it can be said that the amount of Christianity conversion has increased a lot where they has got the actual essence of life, faith and peace. According to Loades (2013), the mission of God is divided into variety of ways, among which soteriological terms, cultural terms and ecclesiastical terms are the main pillars of theology. The soteriological terms refer to saving the individuals from external damnation. Individuals who are converted into Christianity are getting the assistance from divine sources so that they are protected from any harm and for this, they do not need to change their culture and customs. According to ecclesiastical category, expansion of church helps in the formation of new communities who are having the best knowledge of Christianity (Gill 2014). Finally, according to cultural terms, individuals are to be included from South and East to get the blessings and privileges from Christian West. According to Vanhoozer (2013), the mission of God is not the stallion activity of Church but it is actually the result of initiative taken by God so the individuals are healed and their purpose is restored. The word mission means sending, which denotes the description of Gods purpose so that individuals carry out the mission of faith restoration within the divine nature of human history. On the other hand, Kang (2015) pointed out that The Biblical message is rather more radical and inclusive so that individuals get more interest in Christianity. The picture of Jesus Christ is not the actual nature of the goal of the Gospel, but it acts as the instrument or witness to influence human concept on Christianity. The missionary churches in the communities influence the motivation of getting more identify about the divine nature of God. Missio Dei has a great significance for the church. This is because Church is the only location through which the voice of God can be reached to individuals (Oborji 2016). The translators try to inculcate the knowledge of Christianity by speaking more about the contribution of God. The preachers do not describe the complex nature of The Bible in the most efficient way as they lack in knowledge. Therefore, the true essence of Missio Dei needs to be learnt by the preachers. This can be increased with the increase in number of Churches. According to Reimer (2013), A working definition of missional church is a community of Gods people that defines itself, and organizes its life around, its real purpose of being an agent of Gods mission to the world. Therefore, it can be said that missional churches creates the obligated destiny of faith among the individuals. The mission of God flows though believer of community that adheres to the faith of Jesus. With the extension of community and inte rcultural differences, Christianity will act as the string of bonding among different peoples (Sanou 2013). The integrated relationship between soteriology, christiology and doctrine of Trinity will displace the versions of doctrine of grace among the individuals, which can be entertained by the increase in number of Churches. The argument of incarnational mission is justified by the increase in Churches. The following and imitating of Jesus will help in devoting peace within oneself and thus the quality of existence will be enriched through the broad scope of centrifugal missional practices (Verster 2015). As described earlier, the missiological criteria can be figured out in the following Father-son-spirit. Three main pillars, which are father, son and spirit, have described the concept God and these are to be restored with the individuals who transform their religion into Christianity. This structure will be described according to Appendix 1, where it can be found that missional God sends ideas to missional church and then finally to global orientation where individuals are transformed through the Gods spirit. The mission is the incarnational practice of church where individuals get motivated about the essence of purity. According to Sanou (2015), church and missions are not separate entities. Only through the emergence of churches, individuals get in contact with God. Often it is found that individuals try to escalate their lifestyle issues in the churches to seek help from the prophets. At the time of addressing the issues, the preachers convey the essence of Christianity and the s everal theories of missional criteria. If the preachers of Christianity are able to deliver the best idea of God, then surely the individuals will be satisfied as God tries to save individuals from eternal damnation (Yong 2014). Historical salvation, amenity and faith enhances the lifestyle of individuals. According to Kim (2016), People who have lost the essence of life, who have failed to gain faith and significance of religion, will be satisfied by the helping hand of God. Missio Dei communities enriches existence of life by preaching the biblical story. According to this story, the individuals act as a family, where God is the father. God cares his children and protects them from damnation. Individuals in the communities act as brothers and sisters, which acts as the opportunity of being the part of each others lives (Kim 2013). In this way, hatred and frustration among each other lives will be reduced. Through the Missionaries, Jesus sends out blessing to the churches to engage and bless the communities all over the world. The churches act as the locations, where individuals get the idea of Christianity and communion with the almighty. The gospel is to be affirmed and established in substantial, understandable customs by individuals who are following Jesus (Ross 2014). God has entitled individuals to be energetically occupied in His enduring toil in this planet and will cuddle this realism as a put into practice on the lives of individuals. This aspect of mission is not thought to be the exemption to being, but the innate reaction to who God is and what He has done or is doing for the individuals (Stewart 2013). Thus, it can be said that emergence of churches will help in relating the essence of Christianity among the different classes of people, which will increase the possession of faith and love among individuals. Conclusion While concluding it can be said that Missio Dei or the mission of God can be only enhanced by increase in churches. A church will act as the medium of giving message of God within several communities. It has been also found that churches will consist of several preachers of Christianity who will poses the believes of Gods. Missio Dei gave the idea of Missiological Criteria, which indicated that individuals can change their religion into Christianity without changing their own traditional culture. It can be said that with the increase in number of churches, more individuals will get to know about the divine nature of God. When individuals will get to know about the fact that own culture need not be changed for getting converted into Christian, then surely more amount of individuals will get the essence of divine nature of God. On the other hand, it can be said that when communities find that there is different culture for same religion, and then conflict may arise in the society in fu ture. It is sure that with extension of churches, Missiological Criteria will be enlarged in different parts of the nation. Thus, the significance of church regarding Missio Dei is justified as it has been found that only by the extension of churches more individuals can be converted into Christianity. Bibliography Bartlotti, L., 2013. Seeing Inside Insider Missiology: Exploring our Theological Lenses and Presuppositions. Gallagher, S.D., 2014.Abrahamic Blessing: A Missiological Narrative of Revival in Papua New Guinea(Vol. 21). Wipf and Stock Publishers. Gill, B., 2014. Global Cooperation and the Dynamic of Frontier Missiology.Stewarding Legacies in Mission, p.89. Kang, A., 2015. Ecumenical Hermeneutics through a Study of Missiological Typologies.International Review of Mission,104(2), pp.345-360. Kim, C.C.S., 2013. A Missiological Review of African Christianity since Independence and Her Missional Tasks.,31, pp.121-170. Kim, L.J.O., 2016.Doing Diaspora Missiology Toward" Diaspora Mission Church": The Rediscovery of Diaspora for the Renewal of Church and Mission in a Secular Era. Wipf and Stock Publishers. Loades, A., 2013. Christian Theology in Practice: Discovering a Discipline. By Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore.The Journal of Theological Studies, p.flt105. Oborji, F.A., 2016. Missiology in its Relation to Intercultural Theology and Religious Studies.SEDOS Bulletin,47(6). Okesson, G., 2015. Christian witness to institutions: Public missiology and power.Missiology: An International Review, p.0091829615617495. Reimer, J., 2013. Recovering the Missionary Memory: Russian Evangelicals in Search of an Appropriate Missiology.European Journal of Theology,22(2). Ross, S.A., 2014. Global Justice, Christology and Christian Ethics. New Studies in Christian Ethics.Theology Today,71(3), pp.355-356. Sanou, B., 2013. Missiological Perspectives on the Communal Significance of Rites of Passages in African Traditional Religions.Journal of Adventist Mission Studies,9(2), pp.039-052. Sanou, B., 2015. A Biblical and Missiological Framework for Cross-Cultural Mission: A Case Study of the Lobi Funeral Rites in Burkina Faso. Skreslet, S.H., 2012.Comprehending mission: The questions, methods, themes, problems, and prospects of missiology(Vol. 49). Orbis Books. Stewart, J.R., 2013. The Influence of Newbigin's Missiology on Selected Innovators and Early Adopters of the Emerging Church Paradigm. Tan, J.Y., 2012. Migration in Asia and Its Missiological Implications: Insights from the Migration Theology of the Federation of Asians Bishops Conferences (FABC).Mission Studies,29(1), pp.45-61. Tizon, A., 2013. Cultivating Scholar-Activism in Missiological Eduation. Social Engagement, p.299. Vanhoozer, K.J., 2013. Ontology, Missiology, and the Travail of Christian Doctrine: A Conversation with Kevin Hectors Theology without Metaphysics. Journal of Analytic Theology,1(1), pp.108-119. Verster, P., 2015. Missiology: Rise, demise and future at the university.NGTT| Nederduitse Gereformeerde Teologiese Tydskrif,55(34). Yong, A., 2014.The Missiological Spirit: Christian Mission Theology in the Third Millennium Global Context. Wipf and Stock Publishers.

Concise Writing Cheat Sheet - The Writers For Hire

CONCISE WRITING CHEAT SHEET Vigorous writing is concise. -William Strunk Jr. The writing tips resource section covers an abundant amount of information on clear and concise writing, but this cheat sheet proves useful when you need an answer quickly. The following guidelines serve as a concise-writing overview. Print out our printer friendly version to keep on your desk or carry in your briefcase as a quick reference tool. Only repeat a word if it is necessary for clarity or emphasis. Original: My brother Chris, who is my only brother, graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in English.Edited: Chris, my only brother, earned an English Degree from the University of Houston. Avoid redundancy using two or more words or phrases that mean essentially the same thing. Original: When I was a child, Mom made me completely finish all of my brussel sprouts.Edited: When I was a child, Mom made me finish all of my brussel sprouts. Avoid beginning sentences with There is, There are, There were or There was. Original:Â   There are over 12.7 billion people living in Zimbabwe.Edited:Â   Over 12.7 billion people live in Zimbabwe. Avoid using too many nouns in one sentence. Original: The cause of the plane crash hasnt been determined by the government nor by the employees who work at the airline.Edited: Neither the government nor the airline employees have determined why the plane crashed. Remov e adjective clauses, such as who are, which was, that were and that was, whenever possible. Original: Two movies have been made based on the book Little Women, which was written by Louisa May Alcott.Edited: Louisa May Alcotts book Little Women is the basis of two movies. Use single adjectives or adverbs instead of prepositional phrases. Original: Most of the stores we visited were overpriced and snooty.Edited: We visited mostly overpriced, snooty stores. Replace to be, and all of its tenses, with active verbs. Original: Barry Manilow isnt considered to be a musical genius by the majority of people.Edited: Most people dont consider Barry Manilow a musical genius. Avoid using the phrase the fact that. Original: The fact that a dog scratches himself does not always mean he has fleas.Edited: A dog scratching himself doesnt always mean the has fleas. Dont get sidetracked with verbs. Original:It is important that there be no discussing the test in the room designated for quiet s tudying.Edited: Dont talk about the test in the quiet study room.

A Piece On Wanting to Take Credit

A Piece On Wanting to Take Credit Publishing is hard. No doubt about it. But sometimes authors get so caught up in the publishing aspect of the profession that we forget the reader doesnt give a darn how the book was made, researched, written, published, or promoted. The point is for a reader to find a good story and feel that it is theirs. Theyve allowed this story into their life, committed hours and days to reading it, in hope that its memorable enough to improve their quality of existence. As a minimum, provide a wonderful experience to remember . . . hopefully a book to recommend to others. While this may sound weird to you, after infusing so much time and effort into the story, the end game is not to get credit for the book. Its to give the world a great story experience. â€Å"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.†Ã‚  ~Harry Truman For instance, books that Ill usually pass up, are  promoted  as: 1) free 2) cheap 3) self-published 4) five years in the making (or other number) 5) an authors greatest achievement 6) a great first book Books Ill give a second glance at, are promoted as: 1) a great story about 2) an award-winning story about 3) a poignant story about 4) recommended 5) a wonderful beach read, I want the author to care that I have a great time reading. I want the author to promise me a treat for investing my time. I want the author to make my life better. This is why we write. To fulfill a promise to the reader. To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.   Ralph Waldo Emerson

American Gods By Neil Gaiman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

American Gods By Neil Gaiman - Essay Example A myth refers to a traditional story accepted as history: it is designed to explain how people observe the world .Mythology therefore refers to the study of these stories and myth which explains the beliefs and practices of a people. American gods by Neil Gaiman is classified as a novel based on myths which formulates a number of concerns of the modern day society in a place whereby the world opinion is that the connection with the gods has been lost and most of what used to be strong spiritual beliefs that guided the society to most individuals has lost their hold on people and meaning. Gaiman gives the readers a combination of present day mythologies whereby the technology, a major characteristic of the modern day society is an important element in the deduction and analysis between the ancient and the modern (Gaiman). STATEMENT OF THESIS The research paper looks at Neil Gaiman novel American Gods and analyses Gaiman’s purpose in American Gods. The main focus of the essay is for the interpretation of Neil Gaiman’s purpose in American gods.The essay invites readers into the center of the book inorder for them to experience it from an insider’s perspective.... The modern gods want to wipe out the ancient gods whom they are of the view that they have lost touch with what the modern society holds true.They do not relate with the modern day individuals and as such cannot help them since they do not have the understanding of what the modern day individuals faces and what he requires.In the novel Shadow is described as strong,large and well built.Shadow was released a few days before his actual release day after the death of his wife,Laura who dies in a car accident.At the funeral he finds that the car crashed because his wife Laura was involved with his friend Robbie who was on the wheel and at the moment of the incident was performing oral sex on him.He accepts the job given to him by Mr. Wednesday who have been offering him a job way before his wife died in an accident. Shadow after the funeral and the realization of his wife’s death circumstances is very frustrated and accepts Mr. Wednesday job offer. While travelling with Mr. Wednes day,Shadow was in his dreams seduced by the Egyptian goddess who is associated with fertility.At the beginning of the novel,Shadow is very much in love with his wife: Shadow kept he fits and learnt how to use tricks on coins and kept reminiscing of his love to his lovely wife Laura. (p.3). Another proof of the love hehad for his wife was the sacrifice to go to prison to protect Laura through this sacrifice as for now is not complete as it does not have his full passivity. Laura displays her husband as a man lacking life and characters,her reason for falling out of love with him; 'I love you,' she said without much passion. She also continues to say that when you are dead you see things in a wider perspective. Shesays that when you go home it’s like she is on her own

What are the benefits and drawbacks to using medications in treating Research Proposal

What are the benefits and drawbacks to using medications in treating psychological disorders - Research Proposal Example t of very superior inroads into the ‘psyche’ of human beings with the aid of modern diagnostic techniques & equipment, and the understanding of the physiological functioning of the brain, attempts to influence any aberration in normal behavior by medical and other means have been made, both successfully and otherwise. Psychological disorders can have a biological origin where the imbalance of hormones and other biochemicals in the body can precipitate them. In other cases they could be purely the result of any emotional event or incidence which influences a person to react in an abnormal way. Such disorders are also dependant on and peculiar for different ages, sexes and cultures. Certain psychological disorders are secondary to purely infectious or immunological disorders such as diseases involving the brain [Examples: Brain tumors, Epilepsy, cerebral malaria, neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinsonism and some liver diseases causing hepatic en cephalopathy (pathological changes in brain)]. Such disorders definitely require medical interventions. Other disorders which are purely emotional can be treated by a trained psycho therapist, with or without the aid of drugs. The benefits and drawbacks of treating psychological disorders with drugs has always been the subject of debate where proponents of both methods of therapy (pharmacotherapy & counseling) have supported their views in the long history of psychotherapy. Plain psychotherapy without drugs has been classified by the Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.com) on the basis of either ‘ changing the current behavior patterns’ of a patient or by ‘ understanding past issue’ in the patients’ history. The website lists the different approaches in psychotherapy as â€Å"Art Therapy, Behavior Therapy, Cognitive therapy, Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Dialectical behavior Therapy, Exposure Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Play Therapy, Psychoanalysis, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and

Measuring Intangible Assets - Apple, Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Measuring Intangible Assets - Apple, Inc - Essay Example Tangible assets are fixed assets, which have physical substance and are held for use in the production or supply of goods and services such as lands, buildings, plants, and equipment. An intangible asset is an identifiable non-monitory asset without physical substance (Weetman 2010). Examples of intangible assets are trademarks. This essay will examine patients and brand names more thoroughly. One of the most challenging principles of accounting is the recognition of intangible assets, such as trademarks and patents, and a company’s reputation in its financial statements and balance sheet. In addition, these assets are considered â€Å"non-mentionable† or in another sense â€Å"unrecognized† in the balance sheet due to the failure of the rule of recognition in measuring the cost of the asset. The conventional argument is that the company gains nothing from the intangible asset, such as reputation etc. However. intangible assets can some of the largest assets a company’ acquires. They are also one of the major factors in generating future profits. This essay investigates the value and the importance of intangible assets for Apple Inc. After conducting research and examining its annual report Apple Inc. held considerable interest for me. Apple Inc is considered the most valuable company in the world with a market capitalization of $346 billion (James 2011). One considers whether the world’s number one company has recognized their reputation in the balance sheet and whether the confidence of their consumers over the years has been recognized in the company’s financial division. After examining the company’s annual report I could locate this asset on the company’s balance sheet. Apple’s brand is valued at $153 Billion ("Trademark a name:" 2011); this is almost half of its market capitalization size and is recognized as â€Å"unmeasurable† intangible asset of its trademark, which includes its reputation.

What Really Is Actor Network Theory Philosophy Essay

What Really Is Actor Network Theory Philosophy Essay In the 1990s there was a war going on in science, or maybe a few wars the so called Science Wars. From one side there were the postmodernists (better known as post-structuralists), on the other side there were the natural scientists. The war started, or better, culminated with an article, that was really a hoax, published in the journal Social Text, one of the most notorious postmodernist journals. The article/hoax entitled Transgressing the boundaries: Towards a transformative hermeneutics of quantum gravity was written by the physicist Alan Sokal (1996), and its purpose was to show to the world how stupid and meaningless was/is the postmodernist endeavor in the studies of science. The whole article was made up just by meaningless phrases that sounded postmodern (see Sokal 2008 the entire Part I). After the revelation of the hoax Alan Sokal and Jean Bricmont wrote a book entitled Fashionable Nonsense. Postmodern Intellectuals Abuse of Science  [1]   (1998) in which they bombed the whole French post-structuralist scene, and a little bit more. In a nutshell, they showed that most of the French post-structuralists and other close-to-post-structuralism philosophers hadnt had really a clue about science, and that most of their theories come out of ignorance of the fields they were/ are writing about. One of the fashionable guys attacked in Fashionable Nonsense was Bruno Latour (92-99, 124-133  [2]  ), the major representative of Actor-Network Theory (from now on: ANT). He was attacked mainly for pushing extreme social constructivism in social sciences and sciences all together. Basically, Latour supported the thesis that there arent scientific facts but just the social construction of scientific facts as was a fashion of the strong program in the sociology of science  [3]  . Hor instance, he used, no more no less, Einsteins theory of relativity to explain how scientific knowledge is socially constructed, but it seems he didnt really understand Einsteins theory. Latour has lately (2004) changed a little bit his mind about the extreme constructivist positions, maybe because he has seen that his positions really helped not sociology but the political and religious conservative and far right in pushing their ideas about creationism, global warming and similar issues. He even asked himself [w]as [he] wrong to participate in the invention of this field known as science studies? Is it enough to say that we did not really mean what we said? Why does it burn my tongue to say that global warming is a fact whether you like it or not? Why cant I simply say that the argument is closed of for good? (2004:227). This retreat isnt that new. As Gross and Levitt  [4]  noted (1998:59), Latour is aways ready to recast and, in effect, retract what he previously said. In other contexts he will, with an apparently straight face, admit that there is a natural universe out there and that scientific theories are shaped by it in important ways. Simultaneously, he will censure rigorously the dogmatics of strict cultural constructivism. Just as he pictures (literally) the mind-set of science as a Janus-faced dualist, he too is constantly springing from one side of a dichotomy to the other. Bruno Latour, even though he, as we have seen, did repent for the consequences that his and other strong program theorists work provoked, in 2005 wrote an introductory book on ANT: Reassembling the Social. An Introduction to Actor-Network Theory. In that book he tried to explain again the whole ANT story, but not that well, in my opinion  [5]  . In the following lines Ill try to explain, more or less, what ANT is or should be, not just based on the mentioned book, but also on various articles on ANT that can be retrieved on the Internet and other books and journals. ANT seems to be a particular or distinctive approach to social theory and research which has its origins in the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS), mostly developed by Michel Callon, Bruno Latour and John Law. In the last twenty years ANT has been used as a tool for research in fields such as organizational analysis (for ex. Cochoy 2009), informatics (for ex. McInerney 2009), health studies (for ex. Dent 2003), geography (for ex. Smith 2003), sociology, anthropology, feminist studies and economics (for ex. Jones 2008). Already the title of the theory is very problematic. Bruno Latour states in his book (2005:9) that [] the historical name is actor-network-theory, a name that is so awkward, so confusing, so meaningless that it deserves to be kept. Every part of the ANT is questionable. Its not really about actors in a classic sociological sense, the network part is misleading (see Latour 1998) because it doesnt refer to the concept of network as in Social Network Analysis or electronic networks  [6]  , and it is not really a theory in the classic sense, it can be reckoned as a set of theories which have similar characteristics. As a matter of fact, he admits that he was ready to drop this label for more elaborate ones like sociology of translation, actant-rhyzome ontology, sociology of innovation, and so on []. (2005:9). How then we can recognize a theory that belongs to the ANT family? Latour puts forward three tests in order to do that (2005:10-11): One of them is the precise role granted to nonhumans. They have to be actors [] and not simply the hapless bearers of symbolic projection. [] [A]ny study that gives non-humans a type of agency that is more open than the traditional natural causality but more efficient than the symbolic one can be part of [ANT] corpus, even though some authors would not wish to be associated in any way with this approach.(10). Another test is to check which direction the explanation is going in. [] If the social remains stable and is used to explain a state of affairs, its not ANT. (10) A third and more difficult test would be to check whether a study aims at reassembling the social or still insists on dispersion and deconstruction. [] Dispersion, destruction, and reconstruction are not the goals to be achieved [as in postmodern theories,] but what needs to be overcome. Its much more important to check what are the new institutions, procedures, and concepts able to collect and reconnect the social []. (11). We can see that Latour is very vague, and it seems he wants to be like that. In short we can say that in ANT humans, nonhumans and language are all on the same level. They all together form a network of actors that form the world. He uses and criticizes very often the concept social, many times as opposed to the concept associations. Social is for him a concept that many sociologists use as a name for a material the society is made of (2005:1), or some glue of society. But thats wrong, because there isnt something social, there are associations between heterogeneous elements (2005:5). Thus, social, for ANT, is the name of a type of momentary association which is characterized by the way it gathers together into new shapes. (2005:65). In my opinion this is not that groundbreaking. Well, the association of humans and nonhumans might be a little bit strange (or Im too positivist and backwarded), but the idea of not using concepts as social forces and similar black magic (or as Latour wo uld call, as we shell see, black boxes) terms is present in sociology much longer than ANT. For example we can check Howard S. Becker (2007) where he explains the errors of using vague concepts as social forces, etc So, interactionists (try to) explain already very well what people do and how they create everyday life, without going into exotic theories that are not that clear even to their main representatives. ANT is considered sometimes a method and sometimes a theory. [A]nti-essentialism informs both the conceptual frame used for interpretation and guides the processes through which networks are examined. (Ritzer 2004:2). There are three methodological principles in ANT: agnosticism. We should abandon any a priori assumptions of the nature of networks, causal conditions, or the accuracy of actants accounts (Ritzer 2004:2). There should be impartiality from our side. This principle reminds us about Grounded Theory methodology with the added value of impartiality towards objects that are not humans. generalized symmetry. Everybody in a network is the same: computers and programmers, clerks and computer networks Basically we should dissect everything free association. there shouldnt be any distinction between natural and social phenomena. The ANT methodology is usually ethnographic. To be precise they often use the case study method. They use to spend time like anthropologists, but not in forests, and other places typical for anthropological research, but in laboratories with scientists. ANT scholars also study inscriptions, a phrase which refers to all texts and communications in all media (Garson 2008). Let us see which are the central concepts of ANT. I will use secondary analyses of ANT by Felix Stalder and David Garson. Here are the main concepts: Actors: entities that do things (Latour, 1992a, p. 241, as cited in Stalder 1998), no matter whether they are humans or any kind of nonhumans. Some authors use actors for humans and actants for other parts/ system elements of the network (Garson 2008)  [7]  . The distinction between humans and non-humans, embodied or disembodied skills, impersonation or machination, are less interesting than the complete chain along which competences and actions are distributed. (Latour, 1992a, p.243, as cited in Stalder 1998) [] An actor is an actant endowed with a character. (Akrich, Latour, 1992, p.259 as cited by Stalder). In Ritzer (2004:1) we can find that [t]he volitional actor for ANT, termed actant, is any agent, collective or individual, that can associate or disassociate with other agents. Actants enter into networked associations, which in turn define them, name them, and provide them with substance, action, intention, and subjectivity. In other words, actants are considered foundationally indeterminate, with no a priori substance or essence, and it is via the networks in which they associate that actants derive their nature. Network: the network is defined as a group of unspecified relationships among entities of which the nature itself is undetermined. (Callon, 1993, p.263 as cited in Stalder 1998). The inclusive character of this definition becomes more evident when contrasted with one of the conventional sociological definitions of network where a social network consists of a finite set or sets of actors and the relation or relations defined on them (Wasserman, Faust, 1994, p.20 as cited in Stalder). An actor-network is not restricted to social actors, not even to actors in the theorys broader sense. There is no structural difference between large and small actors, between a major institution or a single individual or even a thing as mundane as a door opener (Latour, 1992 as cited by Stalder 1998). Black Box: simply put, a black box contains a sealed network of people and things. But lets see what ANTers say: A black box contains that which no longer needs to be considered, those things whose contents have become a matter of indifference. (Callon, Latour, 1981 p.285 as cited in Stalder 1998). A black box, therefore, is any setting that, no matter how complex it is or how contested its history has been, is now so stable and certain that it can be treated as a fact where only the input and output counts. (Stalder 1998). For example, all the concepts in sociology as social forces, etc are black boxes. Cars are black boxes because we can drive them even though we dont know how are they built. The more it costs to reopen a black box, the more it will be stable. Its not just a matter of the black box, but also of the environment in which it is settled (well, everything is in the network). At the end of the day it seems that ANT became a black box too, because it became a fixed center or obligatory point of passage by the mid-1990s (Ritzer 2004:3). Other important concepts are: Punctualisation: a concept that means that the whole actor-network is greater than the sum of its constituent parts. As networks build, synergistic capabilities are enabled; as networks fall apart, de-punctualisation refers to the collapse of networked capabilities as individual components struggle to pursue their individual goals separately. (Garson 2008). Tokens: are the quasi-objects created through the synergy of network punctualisation. (Garson 2008). The constant creation of tokens reifies a network, when they stop being reproduced the network breaks down, or, there is de-punctualization. Translation: is the process of forming a network. This process occurs in the four following moments or steps (Garson 2008): Problematisation: defines the problem and the set of relevant actors who become indispensable Interessement: primary actor(s) recruit other actors to assume roles in the network, roles which recognize the centrality of the primary actors own role Enrolment: roles are defined and actors formally accept and take on these roles Mobilisation: primary actors assume a spokesperson role for passive network actors (agents) and seek to mobilize them to action. Translation is really a negotiation among human actors and representatives of material actants. Stories: The complex process of translation which forms a network also occasions some actors to emerge as spokespersons, articulating the views and wishes of other silent actors in the network. Negotiation in the translation process is marked by: Obligatory points of passage (OPP): they are critical network channels often designed by the primary actor to ensure that communication must pass through his or her domain. In this way the actor becomes functionally indispensable to the network Cooptation: it is a subprocess by which actants seek to have their individual objectives become agreed to by other actants as part of defining network objectives. Actors advance favored goals and solutions, then recruit other actors to be allies in the process of forming commitments to emerging networks. (Garson 2008). Translation model of power: it is a term for viewing power as a relation emerging bottom-up rather than imposed top-down. Those who hold power in principle may not hold power in practice as the latter requires the ability to define, create, and stabilize networks of actors motivated to work in conjunction to accomplish a task. That is, power is seen as a consequence of convincing, enrolling, and other network-building activities. (Garson 2008). This concept reminds a lot the foucaultian concept of microphysics of power. Black-boxing: it is a subprocess by which the network becomes more simple by treating subnetworks as single elements in an actor-network Irreversibility: is achieved by an actor-network when it is no longer possible to return to an earlier network state or to alternatives present prior to the network Network instability. Actor-networks are in a continual state of becoming, including possible dissolution. Networks demand continual maintenance or order In my opinion all the concepts are vague, probably intentionally. I really wonder if the whole theory and its concepts could have been explained in a more simple way, and I wonder why is it always like that in post-structuralism (I know, this is an ad hominem mistake)? ANT was often criticized for being managerialist, for emphasizing Nietzschean mastery, as Machiavellian, for colonizing the other, for being antihumanist, and for representing the powerful. (Ritzer 2004:3). I would add that the founders of ANT write pretty much in an elitist and unclear way. It sounds more like poetry or showing off with strange PoMo-style phrases difficult to understand. I got used to that with Baudrillard, Lyotard, etc But what can we do with it in everyday life? We cannot stop natural scientists to laugh about ANT mumbojumbo for sure. I would say that ANT as a research methodology brings nothing new, or nothing newer than the good old methodology of case study, the grounded theory methodology (Glaser/Strauss 2008) or ethnomethodology on which ANT is partially based. As an explanation for what is really going on it is still a safe bet to stick with interactionist theories from one side, and on the other side, we should use more explanatory theories based on strict field research and model building. For that is handy the analytical sociology approach developed, among others, by Peter Hedstroem (see Hedstroem 2005). With the analytical sociology approach we could finally develop more core knowledge which is feeble in sociology (see Cole 1994) but nevertheless it exists (see Collins 1989) and leave the research frontier to a few artists. Analytical sociology seeks to explain complex social processes by carefuly dissecting them and then bringing into focus their most important costituent components. [] It is an approach that seeks precise, abstract, realistic and action-based explanations for various social phenomena. (Hedstroem 2005:1). So, in the analytical approach we have to explain social phenomena, not just describe it as most grand social theories do. We have to dissect the social phenomena to its smallest parts and then abstract the most important parts and build a model. In doing that we must be precise and clear. If it is not perfectly clear what a given theory or theorist is trying to say, how can we then possibly understand and assess the potential merits of the theory being proposed ? (Hedstroem 2005:3-4), asks Peter Hedstroem, and as an example of unclear theory he takes a French (who else could he take?!) sociologist Pierre Bourdieu and his definition of habitus (2005:4). I agree with Hedstrom that social theories should be based on the construction of models, or explaining social mechanisms, and a social mechanism is a constellation of entities and activities that are linked to one another in such a way that they regularly bring about a particular type of outcome (Hedstroem 2005:10). To conclude, I think that ANT is maybe an approach that could have a major success in the future when there will come the time people will understand French philosophy much better  [8]  , until then I propose to stick with more positivist approaches that can actually really explain why things happen.

The Day Elvis Almost Died :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

The Day Elvis Almost Died I was riding in the backseat of my parents' red Cutlass on a warm fall day in 1984. My only entertainment was listening to the sucking sound the back of my thigh made when I lifted it off the sticky vinyl seat. I remember seeing patchwork fields of rainbow-colored leaves resting on the yellow grass, wishing that I could rake them into big piles, so I could run through them, scattering them across the field again. I rolled the dusty window down to get a better look at the pastures as the hard wind rushed in over my face and through my hair. I stuck my head through the window and opened my mouth, so my cheeks would puff out like Dizzy Gillespie's when he played his trumpet. Slowly, my cheeks began to deflate, and the wind softened as my dad braked the car to turn into the driveway of my grandparents' home, the location of our annual May family picnic. My whole family had already arrived when we showed up. All my uncles immediately bombarded the car, playfully snickering with my dad about always being late so he would not have to help them cook. My Papa Joe, with his Afro of white hair, and my Grandma Lee Lee, who limped like a peg-legged pirate because one leg was shorter than the other, were sitting in lounge chairs talking about how much I had grown. My Uncle Kelly, whose left arm was shot off by his ex-wife during an argument, was walking around, complaining about how he was going to starve if he didn't eat soon. My Aunt Rosie, who always wore a tiny pair of rose earrings and kept a wad of chewing tobacco in her mouth, talked with my mom between spits of brown, runny liquid directed into her plastic cup. Including my cousins and a few distant relatives, approximately twenty-five people were there talking, laughing, and mingling. And there I was, all alone in the land of giants with only my cowgirl Barbie to protect me. I felt like a guppy trying to swim upstream with a school of trout. Even though we had only been there for five minutes, finding my dad and leaving were my priorities.

Pride and Prejudice: Elizabeth and Darcy Essay

In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy and Elizabeth first encounter at the ball in Meryton. Not such of a good impression they had on each other. Darcy’s first opinion is well understood as he says, â€Å"She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me.†(Page 8) As Elizabeth overhears his critical comment, she dislikes Darcy in that very moment for being so proud and full of himself. As Darcy is being convinced to dance with Elizabeth he accepts while she refuses. That is when Darcy gets his first insight of Elizabeth’s attitude. It came shocking to Darcy that Elizabeth refuses to dance with him; a fine young man who has such fortune and reputation. Through conversation with Elizabeth, Darcy notices she is not like other women. At the time women settled for what was given to them for beneficial pretenses such as marrying a man of good reputation with a fortune. Eliza does not give herself out to Darcy, instead she speaks her mind not giving much importance to the disagreements others including Darcy, will have on her comments or opinions. Darcy likes that she is not like other women, so in need of a husband. Unknowingly Darcy is being drawn in by her inner and outer beauty. Darcy is a clever, proud, and demanding man as Elizabeth describes him. (Page 33) He considers himself superior to others who according to him were not brought up well and have such low connections. It comes naturally for Elizabeth to laugh at Mr. Darcy for being so bitter and dull. Little by little he begins to show his emotions for Eliza as he becomes weak against her. Miss Bingley is one of the first to ever notice this weakness he has for her and tries to feed to his negative opinions of her and her family only letting him reveal that he had never met such a beautiful acquaintance as Eliza. So it was, Darcy had completely fallen in love with Elizabeth and reveals his emotions to her thus at the same time insulting her and her family for being of such low class in comparison to him. Elizabeth becomes very insulted and refuses his proposal of marriage. Eliza says to Darcy, â€Å"Why  with so evident a design of offending and insulting me you chose to tell me you liked me against your will, against your reason, and even against your character?† (Page 163) From this moment on, Eliza began to fall in love with Darcy as well. It is evident that they are both completely in love with each other. Their relationship is most convenient to the Bennets while they have a daughter who will marry a man of great fortune that will as a result make them look good to society. Most importantly, Eliza is going to marry out of love rather than to settle for less as Charlotte did by marrying Mr. Collins whom she did not love but instead married for her own convenience. As for Darcy, not everyone is in such agreement that he marries such a woman as Eliza but yet their marriage is most likely to succeed knowing that the most important factor, love, is in place. At the end, Lady de Bourgh has no choice but to be in agreement of their marriage.

Hatred by Wislawa Szymborska Essay

In the poem â€Å"Hatred,† Wislawa Szymborska gives a very raw and realist perspective on one of the most powerful emotions in the human psyche. She describes how of all of the different emotions perceivable by humans in the emotion spectrum, hatred is the most powerful and the most capable of impacting our lives. This poem is full of ironies that can be very surprisingly powerful and true and real at the same time. Perhaps the most obvious irony in the poem is simply the way hatred is described as being beautiful and almost skillful in what it does. One line describes hatred as â€Å"Gifted, diligent, hard working.† The irony in this is very clear- hatred is obviously a very negative emotion, and it is described with positive adjectives, ones that you generally would not associate with hatred. Normally, you would see hatred portrayed as a terrible, destructive emotion that brings death and misery everywhere it goes. While Szymborska does not deny that hatred can be described in this way, she brings another perspective to hatred, which is that the power of hatred is unavoidably impressive and ultimately trumps that of other emotions such as peace and happiness. This creates a strange situation with the reader, as we are put in the position of admiring something that destroys the lives of millions every single day and yet we are unable to deny its beauty. Irony is something that has the potential of making people incredibly uncomfortable when it is presented in certain contexts. This poem is no different- the reader is forced to praise an idea that they have come to recognize as a negative poisonous connotation, almost as if we were convinced to admire a fearsome dictator who was responsible for the death of many, such as Hitler or Mussolini, for their incredibly effective leadership skills. We know it’s wrong, but it’s impossible to deny. Certain lines in the poems are ironic by themselves for this very purpose. For example, the first two lines of the poem are â€Å"See how efficient it still is, how it keeps itself in shape.† It is almost comical how Szymborska describes hatred as â€Å"keeping itself in shape,† while on the other hand it keeps the entire world bent out of shape. The entire sixth stanza employs this idea, in lines such as â€Å"It knows how to make beauty. Magnificent bursting bombs in rosy dawns† This is an especially dark, but interesting type of irony- turning a horrific situation, such as the explosion of bombs described as magnificent, into a beautiful one. Yet, although the irony of the poem is dark, unsettling, and almost shocking, it is one of great truth. The fact of the matter is that no other emotion creates such excitement, such energy, motivation, and impact, as hatred. It is a sad truth that hatred has accomplished more than peace and love could ever dream of accomplishing, even if its achievements have a dramatically negative impact. In some ways, it can even be thought of as ironic that hatred is portrayed so negatively and love and peace so positively, considering the sheer power and motivation that hatred is able to provide people with in comparison to that of love and peace. If anything, we should think that forces that are as effective, compelling, and intoxicating as hatred would be embraced by society and praised for their forcefulness and incredible ability. The irony of this poem, and of the world, is that the most negative forces that drive human behavior and judgment are in the end the strongest and most potent ones in the spectrum of human thought.

New health care laws Essay Example

New health care laws Essay Example New health care laws Paper New health care laws Paper The purpose of law lies in the preservation of freedom and moral right in the society. The state which makes the laws and governs the people can be judged on the basis how it is giving protection to all the sections of the society including the those least able to help themselves such as the disabled, children and the elderly. It should lift the people who are in need. If the state is able to deliver these thing that one is regarded as a state with basic rules of law and governance. The constitution is said to be efficient and effective when it allows government to protect the liberties of citizens and their lives. One of the major problem faced by the people in the developed countries is about their health insurance, lack of information about price and quality. The President of America believes that the people need reliable health care, reasonable price and high quality services. President Bush has proposed an agenda to make the healthcare services more efficient and portable. The people of America should be able to choose healthcare based upon their individual needs so that they can understand the information about the quality and price of the healthcare. As far as the insurance is concerned, it should be affordable and portable. The agenda includes some important principles, they are escalating health savings accounts, making health insurance more effective and portable, to make healthcare more transparent by providing much information on quality and price, to pass reforms about the medical liability, to assist Americans more efficiently. Healthcare plays a very vital role in day to day life. Among healthcare, health savings account is the one which is very important and helps public in many ways. It allows Americans to save tax free dollars which can be used for the purpose of healthcare of the individual and the companies. More than 3 million people in America has enrolled in HAS. It provides flexibility for the individuals and companies to spend their dollars on healthcare. With the help of the Agenda made by the president on healthcare, the self-employed, workers for companies those who do not offer healthcare policies and the unemployed are benefited and they get access to employer healthcare plans, for these kind of people the government has reduced the tax on paying the premiums for HSA insurance policies. For the people who are not working especially the retirees, the government provided tax free for an HSA account. The American Government enabled portable insurance Policies. By this the employees can control, own and be able to shift the policy where ever they want. Usually, the health insurance is not valid if the person shifts from one company to the other. But by this agenda, the president has permitted that the health insurance is valid across the states. The President in his Agenda has introduced Association health plans (AHPs). To purchase health coverage, AHPs combine the small businesses; by this the association members can pay premiums at a lower rate. Establishing community Health Centers in poorer communities has been proposed to make health care available. Community health center or rural clinic in every high-poverty country has set out to be established. They are many benefits with the implication of healthcare but if the law is not followed, there may be misuse of the benefits. In the medicare bill, the impact of the prescription drug is different for different types of beneficiaries. Most seniors are disappointed with the medicare prescription drug benefit. Though prescription drug benefit would allow affording the drugs they need but the companies that administer may limit to less brand name and low cost medicines. In this, the companies are benefited but the public is affected. The federal government with the help of private companies is going to provide prescription drug discount cards, but according to the survey of Mercer Human Resource Consulting, the senior citizens are not going to be benefited. According to the survey, Medicare premiums would rise sharply as Medicare is going to compete with the private insurers. For the traditional Medicare, the current premium is $58. 70 a month . Medical beneficiaries concern about the retirees whether the employers are going to offer them drug coverage. For the pharmaceutical company, the medicare bill is the big victory but for some private health plans which are cost-effective, they would like to receive subsidies from Medicare which they cannot receive up to their expectations. By the medicare bill, doctors will be benefited because the compensation rates to the doctors who treat the medicare patients will be increased for doing high technology tests and Medicare pays too little for talking and examining with patients . Medicare could use some fixing at the margins. It pays doctors too much for doing high-technology tests and procedures and too little for examining and talking with patients. Rural hospitals also will get benefited by this because rural hospitals get $25 billion to compensate for a low number of patients. For most senior citizens, who spend moderate to high, will be benefited by the medicare bill. But for the citizen who is spending low on the health care would not be benefited. Almost the tax payers are the losers. By the medicare bill, some of the organizations and individuals get benefited but some may not. If every thing happens according to the law, and if the private companies, public and government go hand in hand, then everyone will be benefited. If not, some sections of the society in one or the other form may suffer. Reference: 1. Edward W. Younkins, (2000, September 2), Capitalism and commerce: The purpose of law and constitutions, Montreal, No: 66, Retrieved 2007 December 25. quebecoislibre. org/000902-11. htm 2. Shannon Jones and Barry Grey, (2003, November26) A windfall for drug companies, private health insurers, Retrieved 2007 December 25. wsws. org/articles/2003/nov2003/medi-n26. shtml 3. Angell, Marcia, (2003, Feb 01), Dr. First to the Rescue: How not to fix Medicare. (Bill First),The American Prospect. Retrieved 2007 December 25. http://goliath. ecnext. com/coms2/gi_0199-2521596/Dr-Frist-to-the-rescue. html

Balance of Payments and Exchange Rates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Balance of Payments and Exchange Rates - Essay Example The balance of payments comprises all of the economic transactions between members of one country and members of all other countries. This includes any trade of goods and services, investments, payments and loans. The balance of payments is made up of several accounts. The current account includes goods trade, services trade, income and transfers of ownership. The capital account includes transfers of assets and acquisitions. The financial account is made up of direct investments into the country, portfolio investments, and various investments. In order to balance out the current and financial accounts should offset each other (Moffett, Stonehill, Eiteman 2006, 73). When there is more money coming in than going out balance of payments will be in surplus, and when more money has gone out than come in there will be a deficit. This is what can affect exchange rates as we will see below. Exchange rates are the value of one country's currency in relation to that of another country's currency. In other words how much is your unit of currency worth in another country's unit of currency. Exchange rates reflect the supply and demand for a country's currency in the world market. However some governments, depending on their monetary policy, may seek to ensure their currency has a certain value in the market. A country with a fixed exchange rate policy maintains a set level for their currency by using reserves to either buy up excess currency so flood the market with currency when there is a demand. Floating exchange rate countries let the market determine their exchange rate; this is normally done by a country with a strong economy. A country operating on a managed float uses factors such as interest rates in order to influence the price or their currency in the market and keep it around a certain level. A government's monetary policy can influence the effect that balance of payments has on exchange rates. Linkages There are significant links between a country's balance of payments and exchange rates. As Layton, Robinson and Tucker (2005, 56) point out "Each transaction recorded in the balance of payments requires an exchange of one country's currency for that of another." The level of a country's exchange rate has an impact on the balance of payments and vice versa. Surplus in the balance of payments usually means that the demand for a country's currency is greater than supply; on the other hand a deficit in balance of payments indicates there is too much of a country's currency in the market. How significant an impact depends on a country's exchange rate regime (Moffett, Stonehill, Eiteman 2006,

To Be Determined Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

To Be Determined - Essay Example Though on the surface, the poem seems to suggest a practical validation of the male superiority in the relationship under consideration, yet the underlying currents in the poem reveal a woman’s inherent superiority and finesse in the handling of love relationships. The woman in the poem is approaching the relationship with a sense of pragmatism and is well aware of the necessity of letting her male counterpart feel superior in this battle of the sexes. The monologue begins with the woman’s request for a cessation of the ongoing contention. She is intuitively aware of the fact that their quarrel has reached a precarious situation where sharp words could jeopardize the entire relationship. Ant further perusal of the logical arguments will only do an irreparable damage to the relationship. Her instinct nudges her to revert back to the agreed upon status quo so as to give the relationship a chance. Thus she yearns to drop reasoning in the favor of more fundamental and basic sensual and physical modes of communication. She in fact encourages her husband to subside to his conventional role. In this very instance of submission lies the astuteness of the woman in the sense that by succumbing to her conventional role as a woman, she is tacitly provoking her husband to do the same. As the dramatic action gets more intense and as her tone gets more submissive, superficially pointing to her unquestioning allegiance to her role, the sense of power that she commands in the relationship gets more discernable and apparent. Hence it gets really difficult to detect who is exercising the real control in the relationship. Therefore the title of the poem ‘A Woman’s Last Word’ presents a situation of ambiguity. Perhaps the woman in the poem has given up before the overpowering stature of her partner, or perhaps it is she who had the last word in the confrontation, considering the way she way she