Saturday, August 31, 2019

What is it to be Homeless?

Homelessness, it carries strong connotations of poverty, abandonment, and despair, yet it is still a major problem in American society with no end in sight for the people who find themselves in its midst. In 2004, over 7% of Americans found were defined as homeless, a number which continues to grow in connection with job losses and housing unavailability (Donohoe, 2004). Growing up in an upper middle class family, homelessness is something I’ve never had to experience firsthand but have witnessed time and again in people pandering for money in parking lots and on street corners. I have seen men, women, and children huddled together as they brace themselves for a night on the streets but until this point had largely kept myself separate. Through my field work and research for this project, I have come to a better understanding of the causes and effects of homelessness not only on the individual but on the family and society as a whole. Defined as sleeping in shelters, on the street, in cars, abandoned buildings, train or bus stations, homelessness is a constant reminder of the inequalities of society (Donohoe, 2004). In Kentucky, where the homeless rate has climbed steadily, it is a growing problem. In 2005, the number of homeless persons seeking assistance in Kentucky was 19,908 – a noticeable jump from the previous year when the number was 15,226 (Kentucky Statistics). The question is posed in viewing these statistics, as to what happened to cause such a high increase in individuals and families finding themselves without a home during a time when the economy was in an upturn. Now, in recent light of the recession and overall jobless problem in the United States, the outlook does not seem promising. The primary causes of homelessness range from domestic abuse, lack of housing, poverty, low wages, post-traumatic stress disorders, etc (â€Å"Factors Contributing to Homelessness†). The causes are as varied as the people who find themselves in this situation. Annually there are anywhere from 2. 3 million to 3. 5 million people nationwide who are homeless, 39% of which are children (â€Å"How Many are Homeless,† 2006). Their day to day lives center around finding food and shelter for themselves, of which are becoming scarcer as public assistance continues to decrease. As part of my research I conducted several interrelated field studies, each meant to give me a better understanding of the homeless in Kentucky and to better ascertain the reasons behind their homelessness. The best way to understand this, I reasoned, was to place myself in their shoes. My experiments involved viewing the public’s response to homelessness. Dressing down in jeans, a t-shirt/sweatshirt combination, and a pair of old gym shoes with an old baseball cap borrowed from a friend, I set out to downtown Lexington to try and pander for loose change. As this had been my most common experience with the homeless, I sought to dispel my own stereotypes as well as experience through action what it means to be reduced to these circumstances. Standing on the corner of S. Broadway and Main streets, I scanned the area and saw a man farther down the street dressed in rags and holding a cardboard sign. I momentarily regretted my decision to forego the sign myself as it would be helpful in drawing people to me. However, I reasoned that as this was meant as a means of interacting with the public as a homeless person I had a better chance at verbal communication without the sign. Having chosen both a high traffic area and a busy afternoon, I was soon watching people pass me without so much as a backward glance. Unsure of myself, I tried to remember my own experiences with being asked for money. It had seemed almost an effortless endeavor, lending to the stereotype I have heard most commonly thrown about that people begged no out of necessity but laziness. I soon discovered that pandering was no easy task. Seeing an elderly woman, who reminded me of my grandmother, I called to her, asking the standard question, â€Å"can you spare some change? Maybe I called it too loud in my nervousness or possibly the dirt I had purposely smeared and worked into the fabric of my clothes and my general appearance of disarray but she moved away from me seeming to hold her breath. I smiled, trying to dispel her unease but it was too late. Surprising me with her speed and agility, she quickly made her way past darting between other ongoing pedestrians. Trying not to lose my ner ve, I quickly turned my attention to the other people crossing in front of me. A man in a business suit, out of place himself on a Saturday afternoon, stopped in front of me as I called to him trying this time to temper my voice and not appear over enthused or worse disingenuous. â€Å"Why don’t you get a job? † he asked. â€Å"I work 50 hours a week to support my family, and you can’t go to McDonald’s and flip burgers for some cash? No! You expect me and all of these other hardworking people to give you theirs! † and with that he dug in his pocket, tossing a handful of pennies and pocket lint on the sidewalk in front of me. This was not easy. Pandering required that you have not only a tough skin but also that you set aside your pride. I found myself struggling with tears, wanting to call out to the man as he plowed his way down the street that I wasn’t really homeless. I wanted to call, but I’m a college student, I have a job, I have a home but this would only stunt any further work I wished to accomplish in this area. I needed to blend. A young woman, not much older than myself, stopped in front of me as I struggled with my own ego trying to reconcile the humiliation of the research with understanding I knew I would gain. I looked up and she appeared the very opposite of the man in the business suit. Dressed similarly to me, though clean with freshly washed hair and fashionably distressed jeans and a bright green sweater, she held a cup of coffee in one hand and a few dollar bills in the other and on her face was a sympathetic smile. â€Å"Don’t let him bother you,† she said handing me the coffee and forcing the bills into my hand. â€Å"I know where you are coming from. I lost my job two years ago and was in the exact same spot as you. I was evicted from my apartment and lived in my car and the shelter for 2 months before I was able to get back on my feet. Just be happy you don’t have kids, I still feel guilty that my daughter had to go through all of that with me. † With this, she smiled and waved to me before crossing to the other side of the S. Broadway. Within minutes of each other, I had experienced the two extremes of the human interaction side of pandering. Though the man in the business suit had almost discouraged me to the point of blowing my cover, the kind young woman’s kindness made me feel a new kind of guilt. She did not seem a financially well off woman but she had still tried to help. Even more than the embarrassment and loss of pride at the man in the business suit judging me all from a simple request, â€Å"can you spare some change† I felt guilt at having taken money from this woman and her daughter. I made a mental note to try and ask the homeless people I encountered how they felt at asking for money from strangers. First, I had the day to worry about. I had purposely set off on my research without money or other means of procuring food and drink. For the moment, if I wanted to eat, I would have to continue to pander for a little more cash. As it went from morning to afternoon, I had no repeat encounters with the anger of the businessman but also did not experience any more of the kindness of the young woman. Many people either ignored my call for spare change or reach into their pockets without looking in my direction. One man asked why I needed the money. I tried to reply that I just needed enough to get a meal or two, at which he laughed before tossing some loose change my way, â€Å"Sure. Last time I checked, crack wasn’t a meal. The audacity of the man completely surprised me. Did I look like a drug addict? Did he think people only became homeless because of personal mistakes? I realized I was taken aback because he had asked a question aloud that I had only thought in my own head as I gave spare change to people in the past. Though drug addiction is a major problem for the homeless community, it is not the root o f the problem. Given the discrepancies in statistics though it is understandable that this would be associated with and even blamed for the continually growing rate of homelessness. In information published by the National Coalition for the Homeless in 2005, it is noted that early statistics for substance abuse and addiction among the homeless were incorrectly calculated leading to an assumption that over 60% of the homeless suffer from one form of substance addiction of another. However, recent statistics from US Conference of Mayors in 2005 puts the number as being closer to 30% (â€Å"Who is Homeless† 2005). The question is though, did their drug addiction lead to their homelessness or is it a result? After collecting almost $15 dollars, I set off to find a homeless person or people who would talk to me about the circumstances that led to their current state. Walking toward the man with the cardboard sign, I thought at first to speak with him as I had grown to feel a certain kinship with the man having worked the same street this morning. As I approached him, I saw a group of teenage boys stopped in front of him. They were laughing as one of them tore the man’s sign from his hands and proceeded to tear it in half. The man, obviously angered, kept his head down to the verbal abuse that rained from the teens mouths. No one it seemed was in the least concern. Pedestrians kept a wide breadth of the scene and kept their eyes to the ground. Finished with their fun, the boys threw the sign at the man’s feet and continued walking, still laughing at the humiliation of the man. Seeing the anger of the man, I decided that now would not be a good time to speak with him. Instead, I continued walking past him knowing that while his pride may be hurt, he had been spared any actual physical violence. I knew that this man had been one of the lucky ones. From 1999-2005 there were 472 acts of violence committed against homeless individuals (â€Å"Hate Crimes. † 2006), targeted specifically because of their homeless status. Of that number, 169 were murders. Shelter workers and advocates have heard increasing stories of harassment, beatings, being set on fire, and even decapitation (National Coalition for the Homeless. â€Å"Hate Crimes. † 2006) as the years have gone by. After walking for several blocks, I stopped in a corner store to buy myself some water. Walking to the back of the store where the refrigerators were, I could feel the clerk’s eyes follow me. I guess, making sure I was not shoplifting. With this, I understood yet one more stereotype and misconception of homelessness – namely the role of criminal. Though I had the money to buy the water, though I had spent a day being verbally abused and ignored in order to scrounge together the change for this very water, the clerk assumed I would steal it. I walked to the counter, feeling his eyes on me, I assume checking my body’s silhouette for bulges of pilfered food. 1. 47† he said, simply, still not taking his eyes off of me, his nose curling at the smell he assumed must be wafting off of me. Counting the change onto the counter, I saw my hands with the fingernails lightly ingrained with dirt and the grime of the street. Reaching forward to hand him the change, I saw him recoil slightly and I instead placed the change on the counter where it was carefull y counted. Expecting the â€Å"have a nice day† I had come to rely on as part of the retail experience, I was surprised when after processing my order, I received no more than a nod. Later that afternoon, I found myself sitting on a park bench beside a young homeless man, trying to find his life story in the sometimes incoherent ramblings. John was an Iraq War veteran who after returning from his stint in the Army, found himself increasingly anxious and unable to forget the bloodshed. Now a methamphetamine addict, he is thin to the point of starvation. Under his beard, I could see sores where the meth was surfacing and his front teeth were rotted to nothing. John is just one of many veterans who make up the homeless population. With approximately 11% of the total homeless population veterans, comprising 40% of the total male population of homeless persons (National Coalition for the Homeless, â€Å"Who is Homeless,† 2005), John is the embodiment of the what happens to veterans when resources become limited and their problems too big to be handled effectively by the system. â€Å"A lot of the guys you see out here who are veterans were in ‘nam, they’ve been back and forth between the veterans hospital, group homes, and the street. When I first came back, I went back to working in my uncle’s garage fixing engines and changing oil. I hadn’t really had many plans before I signed up following 9/11. When I came back, my mom and girlfriend were pushing me to go back to school. Use the G. I. bill, you know. But I just couldn’t concentrate. I couldn’t sleep at night. When I did sleep, I had bad nightmares, bodies piled to the ceiling, blood everywhere. I started drinking, so I could sleep but it just made things worse. I slept but when I was awake nobody wanted to be around me. I went to the V. A. and they diagnosed me with post traumatic stress, gave me a couple prescriptions and a list of counselors and sent me on my way. For a little while the pills helped, but I was still drinking and had started to smoke meth. It kept me awake a lot but I thought I was getting things done. But then I lost my job, my girlfriend left me and I was stuck living in my parents’ basement. I started snorting meth and then shooting up,† with this, John pulls up his sleeves to show me the track marks running along his forearms. â€Å"Eventually, even my parents had enough. I wrecked their car, stole $4,000 worth of jewelry and computer equipment that I pawned for half that to buy more meth and booze. This is where I ended up. I told John about my earlier experience pandering and asked him if he ever felt bad for asking strangers for money. To this he shrugged and smiled, showing blackened gums above where his two front teeth once were, â€Å"You must be new. When I first started asking, sure I felt bad. I never thought I’d be asking for handouts. I wasn’t raised that way. Shit, if my dad saw me o n a street corner begging he’d probably kick my ass. But you gotta do what you gotta do. I mean, come on, who is going to hire me? I stink, I’m paranoid, I have a meth addiction and no teeth. If I want to eat or get more drugs, I have to beg or steal. I’d rather beg than steal any day. I still have some scruples,† he laughingly explained. Had he ever tried rehab or contacting on the programs that helps the homeless? â€Å"Sure. I’ve gone down to the shelter and filled out the paperwork but they don’t have a whole lot of money either so I couldn’t stay forever and the rehab program they tried to get me into was full. I tell myself everyday that this will be the last. Once I’ve shot up the last of my bag, I just won’t buy anymore but it never works out that way. I start jonesing and the nightmares come back. I sat over in there one night,† he said, pointing to a pavilion on the other side of the park, â€Å"and cried because I thought I was back in Iraq. I could hear the mortars exploding around my head and the screams of children in my ears. My friend found me after a couple of hours and offered me his needle and it all melted away. Of course, I found out a couple months later that he had hepatitis and had passed it onto me but he was just trying to help, I guess I can’t blame him too much. I’ll die sooner than later anyway. † When I asked him what he meant, he shrugged again. â€Å"Look at how I live. I’m lucky to eat every other day. I’ve shot up so much meth that it’s coming out my pores and am lucky to find a vein anymore. I’ve been beaten up, pushed in front of cars, spit on. I had pneumonia last winter, almost died from that. And I want to die. I should have died in Iraq, I think of that every day. If I knew then what my life would become, I would have shot myself when I still had a gun. The day I don’t wake up, will be the best day of my life. † Shaken, I thanked John for talking to me and tried to make sense of what he had told me. Before talking, he had taken a quick dose of meth to loosen his tongue but what he let loose was more than just his own story. Between John’s veteran status, gender, drug addiction, and mental illness he is unfortunately a prime example of homelessness in America. Approximately 22% of the homeless population suffers from one form of mental illness or another (â€Å"Why Are People Homeless,† 2006). Though it has been said that the increase in mentally ill homeless people is due to the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill, this is false. Most of this was done between the 1950s and 1960s but homeless rates did not begin to reach their current rates until the 1980s. According to a 2003 report from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, many of the mentally ill homeless could and can live within the community and receive treatment from outpatient facilities. Many however, are unable to receive treatment or housing because of the lack of availability (â€Å"Why Are People Homeless,† 2006). As John noted, with waiting lists and the unpredictability of street life, finding ones next meal is hard enough. Finding help with housing and medicine is even more of a challenge. Having been shaken by my experiences at pandering, moving through regular daily activities like making a small purchase at a convenience store, and John’s own tales I knew I was neither prepared nor willing to spend my night as a homeless person. Before going home, I ventured to the bus station, where I had originally planned to spend the night. Walking towards the entrance, I saw a man holding a cardboard sign. Thinking he was the man from earlier, I hurried forward to try and see how he had fared after his run in with the teenagers. I was wrong. Though similar in dress and situation, this was a new man. Much older, appearing to be in his sixties or seventies. I braced myself for a request for spare change, forgetting my own appearance, but he ignored me. I knelt down to ask him some questions, figuring that this would be my last chance as I was now determined after my brief experience before returning to my normal life. No one, I now knew would knowingly choose homelessness. Asking his name, he eyed me warily, â€Å"you ain’t a cop are you? † Deciding to blow my cover, such as it was, I explained that I was a college student trying to understand what it means to be homeless. â€Å"Why would you do that? You think this is a game? Just go home, at least you have one. I been sleeping on park benches and in bus stations for 5 years, count your blessings. † With this he turned away from me, his eyes fixed on a couple walking along the sidewalk. Speechless, I left him to his pandering. Regardless of my experiments, I had still only had an outsider’s experience of his daily life. I could, as he put so bluntly, go home. I had a home. Even as I begged on the street, I knew that I had a bank account across town with more money in it than this man would see in a week. I would finish my education and get a job, buy a home and build a family. For this man, that kind of life must seem a dream. I now knew, however, that the future I have so long imagined and planned for can just as easily be taken from me. It can start with something as seemingly changeable as losing a job and spiral into a hopelessness that left some dead, others wishing for death. For John the tipping point had been a combination of factors: mainly his drug use and trying to cope with post-traumatic stress. The causes, I now realized were encompassing of us all in one form or another. I now was able to understand through my experience that just like the woman from that morning find myself living in a car one day and begging on a street corner for real next time.

Friday, August 30, 2019

About being a Police Officer Essay

If you are interested in becoming a police officer, you must be aware of how tough it is to get the job. You have to go through hard mental and physical screening and training, and for good reason. Police work is a noble career, but it can also be a difficult life. I choose this topic because I know much about it already but I want to learn more because I might end up being in Law Enforcement. Being a Police Officer is not as hard as it looks you having to be fit. To become a police officer, you must pass a fitness test, and you will be required to accomplish various fitness challenges at the police academy. It’s not all action all the time. You will need to write reports of what happened, and those reports must be accurate and detailed because they can be used as evidence in court. See more: Old Age Problem essay Crime won’t stop when you’re off duty. You may be called upon to assist with a situation at any time. However, these extra hours often come with overtime pay. The community’s safety is in your hands, and your work will not always be respected. You have to be able to tolerate people not trusting you because of the actions of other police officers, and you may find yourself rebuilding trust on a regular basis. Not only will you work on a daily basis with your partner, but you must also represent the police to the community. Your every action will be under scrutiny, either by your supervisor, your peers or the public at large. This is what I know before I start learning more about being a Police Officer.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Can Computer Replace Human Beings Essay

Many of us think that computers are many times faster, more powerful and more capable when compared to humans simply because they can perform calculations thousands of time faster, workout logical computations without error and store memory at incredible speeds with flawless accuracy. Human Brain: We can only estimate the processing power of the average human brain as there is no way to measure it quantitatively as of yet. If the theory of taking nerve volume to be proportional to processing power is true we then, may have a correct estimate of the human brain’s processing power. * by simple calculation, we can estimate the processing power of a average brain to be about 100 million MIPS (Million computer Instructions Per Second ). In case you’re wondering how much speed that is, let us give you an idea. * 1999’s fastest PC processor chip on the market was a 700 MHz pentium that did 4200 MIPS. By simple calculation, we can see that we would need at least 24,000 of these processors in a system to match up to the total speed of the brain !! Computers have brought a revolution in human life. To begin with, computers took over different human activities. Now even thinking and problem-solving are being done by computer The situation makes many of us believe that computers are likely to replace human beings in every walk of life. But every coin has two sides. However useful they may be, computers cannot replace human beings. Human life is not a mechanical affair. A pearl like tear silently rolls down the cheek at the memory of the loved one. A compliment by an elderly person restores the confidence of a depressed person. Computers have intelligence and think like human beings? Will computer be superior to us and replace us in the future? On hearing the questions, many people may think that it’s impossible that computer will be superior to human. Computer is made by us; it’s only a machine, a tool. It cannot have feelings But a lot of facts make us surprised. Let us see what is going on in detail. A chess-playing computer can defeat the world chess champion in 1997. Nowadays, artificial intelligence has got a significant development. Computer can understand our language and accept the oral command. Computer can already do a lot of tasks and they are learning to do other new tasks one by one. In some fields, computer works more efficient than human indeed. However, I think, we should catch the key point: computer is always doing the things that we told them how to do. We admit that if we tell computer how to do the work, it can do it and sometimes it can do better than us because computer has greater ability to deal with some special kind of problems and it will not be tired. Computer cannot solve the new problems that it has never met The human’s development process is always raising problems and solving them again and again, these attributes cannot be possessed by the computer. , though computer can act like human, it is still a computer; it doesn’t have feelings or free will. We have feelings, we will be happy or unhappy, we will be ashamed when we do something wrong. We have soul and we are alive. We have free will to decide what to do. Can computer have feelings? It can’t. It has no will, what it is doing is only executing the programs made by human. I don’t think a computer can ever be replaced with a human, because it doesn’t have the same physical needs that we have. But I want a computer to interface with me almost like a human. At least on the interface side to be polite like a human, to understand my human needs. I want it to serve me and understand me as a human. However, I expect a computer to be better than a human in many ways, such as keeping track of time. I expect a computer to know what five minutes is. I expect a computer to be reliable. I expect a computer’s memory to be perfect. I expect a computer to do all the things that computers do well. Record video information – humans can’t do that – record audio information, do text-to-speech, keep an accurate and perfect record of time and what happens in time. All the things that a computer is flawless at and can do well. I want the computer to help me. Help me augment my memory, so that when I go to the doctor and they say â€Å"What did you have for breakfast?† it could show me, â€Å"This is what you had for breakfast, I took a picture of it.† Because that’s what a computer can do for you. But I want it to understand that that’s what I need, that’s what I want. In order for the computer to understand what I need and what I want, it has to understand my emotional reactions to things, so that it can learn what it is that I need and want. A simple touch of mother silences a crying baby. Can a computer perform these and many such other miracles? Nowadays, teaching is being done by computers. Computer-lovers claim that the can learn with the help of a computer. Computers also administer tests, declare results and award certificates. But imagine the difference between the two situations, i.e., sitting before a computer and sitting in a class room with dozens of students around us and in the presence of a teacher. The pains and pleasures of companionship, the repudiating as well as encouraging expressions on the teachers face, the direct interaction, eye contact, spontaneous smiles and abundant sharing and understanding set this living situation a world apart from the lonely, computer-controlled suffocating room.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Workplace Issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Workplace Issues - Assignment Example However, whether such belongingness affects the reputation of the nursing profession positively or negatively really depends upon the performance of a union as different unions vary in their response, activities, and proceedings. One disadvantage is that many nurses tend to make negative use of the protection that comes with association with these unions. They are lazy and yet cannot be fired. The day-shift and night-shift nurses are involved in a constant blame game where they hold each other responsible for the faults and mistakes. Another disadvantage for nurses is that they have to depend upon the union for everything. While an independent nurse may switch days with a coworker, the one associated with a union has to get the holidays preapproved from the union which may be an inconvenient process. Taking everything into consideration, the overall effect of association with a collective bargaining association on the nursing practice is generally more negative than positive particul arly because it comes in between the patient and the nurse, and has the ability to erode the status and freedom of a

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

American heritage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American heritage - Essay Example Listing of the rights makes the Bill of Rights more ineffective and dangerous for the reason that most Governments often abuse rights that are not documented. In addition, the congress is given certain powers by the Constitution, yet the Bill of Rights lists the same rights that the Congress cannot violate; it has no power to do so. Originally, anyone who violated the rights of citizens could be simply thrown out of office. In this sense therefore, a Bill of Rights was needless in a nation where citizens have the right to do away with officials from office. A senior official who demoralized his constituents was to face the music (McNeese, 2001). The original constitution specifically listed the powers of the Federal Government and it thus had no right to interfere with anything that was not specifically listed. Through listing rights in the initial amendments, it seems to be granting rights to citizens, even those who were for the Bill of Rights put it their to simply state what was not within the control of the Federal Government. However, by doing this, it was perceived that rights that were given to the Americans by the constitution were essential rights that citizens thought were natural or God-given but exceed government. The concept of separation of power entails the distribution of powers among three branches of government. Article I, II, and III of the U.S constitution provides for the separation among the executive, judicial, and legislative branches. It was not meant to take away power from the government, but rather to spread power evenly in all divisions of the government and to prevent one arm from possessing too much power. The system of sharing power or checks and balances is what limits the power of each branch. The Legislative branch is made up of the Senate and the House; the President, his vice, and the Departments make up the Executives, while the Supreme

Monday, August 26, 2019

Rafaella Sartis Europe at Home Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rafaella Sartis Europe at Home - Essay Example Furthermore, Sarti not only studied material objects from their "economic point of view, but also in their symbolic and cultural cointexts" (Schuurman). More truly, Sarti exhibited less interest in general economics, and more in the diversity of gender, religion and wealth instead of in explaining the formulation or dynamics of those differences. As a matter of fact, Schuurman stated that there was "no direct relationship between the choice of research area and the research questions asked of it," when social history should have been more about the "choice of theme or social group" and not about the "choice of region." the three functions of a household, namely, reproduction, consumption, and production, with much emphasis on consumption. However, she paid no attention to the production sphere although she has included this as one of the functions. And even with the consumption sphere, Sarti unfairly left out the objects that played a large role in the diversity which she centrally addressed, those related to tea and coffee. The first chapter was about th

Ideology of Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ideology of Advertising - Essay Example We live in the age of conspicuous consumption. We are proud of having an opportunity to buy more and more goods and products. We do not realize why do we really need all this stuff, but we DO realize that we really want it! A greedy worm lives inside of our minds and hearts and it eats out our moral principles, while filling the gaps in our minds and hearts with the ideas of greediness. It is better to talk about these related phenomena, i.e. advertising and ideology and explain the way they are related and what this relation means to us. Ideals in Ads "Advertising, as the mouthpiece for capitalism, presents values and assumptions that color consumers" perceptions of reality (Cunnigham 2003, p. 229). It is true, as we have already mentioned, because the pace of our world's development determines the principles of our performance in the real world though we look at reality through a prism of artificially created world of ads. Cunnigham (2003) develops the following argument: "Advertisers’ common defense – if you don’t like the advertising, don’t watch it or don’t buy the products it promotes. But do we have a choice?" We can talk about a specific nature of advertising ideology. Very often not the interests of an individual, which lead to positive results, are taken into account, but a promotion of bad habits is usually adopted by the audience after consuming ads. The advertisement on TV promotes the images of slim women. Vice versa, ads promoting tobacco and alcohol are focused on the audience, which can easily consume these harmful goods. If we talk about ideology of advertising, we should pay attention to the very notion of the concept 'ideology'. This word is derived from the world 'ideal'. Still, this ideal is created by advertising campaigns of different companies. It is evident that attractive butts, appealing eyes, tempting lips and rosy cheeks with high cheekbones are ideal in the modern context for women. They want men to want them†¦ This happened in a different way many years ago. We can see that the modern society is changing and the ideals it promotes are changing too. Unfortunate ly, every individual can hardly differentiate his idealistic allusions from hard realities of the factual world. There is no fire without smoke. Therefore, women appeal for clinical surgery, they are easily driven into temptation while having a strong desire to be slimmer and become anorectic women. The global limits of the world are spreading by means of products, goods and services. We live in the world of colors and dynamism, so we have to get used to rapid changes and paths of current developments. In previous years the companies were interested in the brand's name development, improvement and support. Currently we can see different paths of development. The strategies of advertising are usually reflected in different means of printed media, TV or radio. Nowadays we are absorbed into a picturesque world of billboards, Tweet and Facebook and instant ads have totally grasped our attention! Different means of interactivity and transparency, as well as strategies of innovations impl ementation and creative performance updates are high on the agenda. This fact can be described in the following way: the main idea of the modern ad is focused at the

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Approaches to management and leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Approaches to management and leadership - Essay Example Western notions of leadership and management are distinct as to say that these compel tasks to be done by hook or by crook. For that, Western approaches to management have always been strictly based upon certain principles. The primary objective that includes all those principles is the objective of economic gain. Financial stability or the policy called Laisez Faire has always been on the forefront of promoting business by any means. In achieving this purpose, the workers or the employees are considered to be a means towards an end. In the Marxist point of view, the employees are next to commodities that are extensively used to generate revenue (Kumar & Ghosh, pp. 2-4, 2003). Whether we talk about the 19th Century when agricultural society was transforming into an industrial society or we talk about the contemporary world, the Western approaches have always been alike. Earlier, in the Western society, employees were treated a little less than human and were merely considered as mean s. Western philosophers and theorists like Plato, Machiavelli, Karl Marx, John Adair and many others have proposed certain theories that are applied to the Western management approaches and concepts. The theories like situational, trait and contingency theories are inculcated in the leadership concepts and these advocate that leaders have the mandate to use power and control over the manipulation of circumstances or adapt certain traits that they think are required in the present situation and that enhance their skills. Experts suggest that the approach towards leadership in the Western parameter revolves around certain traits that are utterly distinctive and differentiate the Western writers from the Eastern concepts. These characteristics are goal orientation, at first. Western leadership approach tend to direct itself to a certain prescribed goal while having multiples of these, however, Eastern theorists do not tend to think that having one single goal in mind can work in the lo ng run but a leader is one who has to manage multiple tasks together. Secondly, the concept of leadership in the West also stresses upon the characteristic of one-on-one relations. As mentioned earlier, the leader has more than merely a cursory view of the work that the subordinates assume. Moreover, the individual concerns get individual and formal time rather than incorporating them in a socialized gathering. Thirdly, Western approach bases there results on a short-term level; they are indeed goal oriented but they tend to achieve a single goal at a certain point in time and attain there short-term prospective before moving forward. Rationalism and a logical attitude is the final characteristic that defines the Western arena of leadership. The Western leadership concept tries to base all its step, methods and procedures on appropriate reasoning rather than on emotional grounds. Marx argues that the people in the managerial position are in control of the means of production of the organization and thus are not liable to any one. He analyzed that they have the power and thus, they exploit the subordinates in order to make a task done and meet the goals of the organization. Moreover, the theorist also cites that these are the people who are in close contact with the owners who gratuitously rely upon them as making and breaking of policies for the organization since they are considered as the best skilled people for this job. Thus, the overall control comes in handy to the managers who try to perpetuate the school of thought, which they have already learned from their learning institutes (Kumar & Ghosh, pp. 73-74, 2003). One major thing that separates the Eastern concepts of management and leadership from those of the Western

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Quantitative Techniques Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quantitative Techniques - Essay Example The social and economic scenario is in the constant process of undergoing change and is influenced by a number of external factors. As such, there are numerous controllable and uncontrollable parameters that today’s decision makers need to take care of in order to prepare a careful course that can navigate through all idenfied obstacles. If adopted, qualititative, well-structured and a well-planned business forecasting effort can yield the desired results. As such, apart from feeling the need to forecast, it is also very important to plan the forecasting process with great precision (John E. Hanke, Arthur G. Reitsch, 1989). The rise in the growth and use of computing power to perform calculations has gained immense popularity among users. As such, with a good forecasting plan, one can easily perform the required analysis in a short time. Forecasting is used to identify a number of patterns that are deemed important to a company’s interests. It could include attributes such as the performance of stocks over a time period, pattern of sales, prices of essential raw materials, employee satisfaction surveys etc. a company can immensely benefit from business forecasting as these enable it to analyze its performance across various domains and also helps it compare itself amongst other competitors in the market. It enables the company to identify the segments that are not performing according to expectations and paves the way for adopting suitable solutions to overcome them. As the economy is dynamic in nature, there is an ncreasing need to prepare the future map in advance, which emphasizes the need fo r business forecasting. In the recent years, business forecasting has adopted an extensive scientific flavor that includes the fusion of various business theories and techniques to forecast specific types of data. It can involve procedures as simple as spreadsheets to massive database networks that are performing trillions of

Friday, August 23, 2019

Homeless Teens in Dallas Texas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Homeless Teens in Dallas Texas - Essay Example Secondly, it is important that the hypothetical community health advocacy project enters into partnership with well wishers who may want to invest in the organization. Jordan (2002) advises that these investors are to serve as shareholders and decision makers of the organization, so that these investors can be easily incorporated into the organization’s lifelong operation. Conversely, the hypothetical community health advocacy project must have adequate pool of healthcare equipment. It is at this juncture that donations from well wishers are to be greatly factored. The appropriateness of this approach as a tenable is confirmed by the fact that when Mayo Clinic was opened in 1889, most of its equipment were donated by well wishers. The same also confirms the need for the previously mentioned partnership, since Mayo Clinic started under the partnership of William W. Mayo, Charles H. Mayo, William J. Mayo, Christopher Graham, Henry S. Plummer, Star Judd, Melvin Millet and Donald Balfour (Mayo Clinic, 2012). During this community health advocacy organization’s formative stages, it will be important to stem high employee turnover and cost of operations. This may best be done by having the medical staff and the administrative staff working on volunteership. Nevertheless, although volunteership makes it possible to have volunteers working without payment, yet it may be important to have these volunteers extended some pay, to keep them motivated. Above all, this community health advocacy project is to enter into agreement with the government and the schooling system so that volunteers can be extended rewards that are binding and significant to the learning curricula and the accreditation system. For instance, volunteers who have... In this essay homeless teenagers from Dallas, Texas and the ways to help them and improve their lifestyle through healthcare facilities are described. This reality is further underscored by the need to provide Dallas teenagers with community health services being more of an ethical drive than a profiteering venture. Even Ensign observes that the ultimate goal behind the formation of this hypothetical community health advocacy project is not to accrue profit, but to help Dallas’ homeless teenagers to access community health services. This essay focuses on the targeted group and firstly tries to organize it. To do so the community health advocacy project should put in place, counseling services and department. The importance of having counseling services and department in place is to nurture a positive attitude towards treatment and to conscientize the street adolescents on the need to public health. Likewise, street children who have successfully undergone treatment at the comm unity health advocacy project are to have programs that can incorporate them into the work schedule and improve their lifes. However, it is important to heed Schimmel’s warning at this juncture that this is to be done on voluntary basis so that the former street teenagers do not serve under compulsion. This can be succeded through getting incorporated companies into public health policy since the government is currently shouldering the burden of providing healthcare services, hope and purpose-driven life to street children.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Ethics in the Workplace Essay Example for Free

Ethics in the Workplace Essay In 1995 Douglas Durand went to work for Tap Pharmaceuticals as vice- president of sales. Several months after starting at Tap Pharmaceuticals, Durand was in disbelief to find out that the company was bribing urologists to purchase the new Lupron drug for prostate cancer. Durand found the culture at Tap Pharmaceuticals to be in misalignment. In order for Durand to protect his good name, he began to document all his findings over a 6 year period and submitting the information to federal prosecutors. The documentation that Durand submitted to the federal prosecutors was so overwhelming that it caused Tap Pharmaceuticals to plead guilty to conspiring with doctors and cheating the government. As result of the guilty plead, Tap Pharmaceuticals paid a staggering $875 million dollar fine, which Durand received 14% of the settlement for his efforts to remedy the situation. The symptoms found in the Tap Pharmaceuticals case are primarily driven by numbers and monetary rewards. The more the top sales reps could sale or distribute the bigger the monetary reward. Durand tried to institute a more structured environment to help remedy some of the illegal practices he encountered. Many of the sales reps at Tap Pharmaceuticals did not accurately track the samples of Lupron given out to doctors. Durand offered a year salary to sales reps to help the company keep accurate records of distribution of the drugs offered. It worked until upper management shut down the bonus program, furthermore; the reps settled back into their old ways. Symptoms of dishonesty, unethical behavior, inadequate record keeping, crooked doctors, and a complete disregard for laws and regulations set forth by the government are derived from the root cause of poor upper management found at Tap Pharmaceuticals. The root cause and unresolved issues that Durand encountered at Tap Pharmaceuticals are a direct result of the monetary driven culture created by then president Yasu Hasegawa and senior management. Durand found that when he tried to implement new policies or practices that Hasegawa and the sales reps were not interested, or he was undermined by senior management. Tap pharmaceuticals primary sales niche was to bribe and payoff the people who prescribed the drugs offered by purchasing televisions, vacations, and  office equipment. The unethical practices are a direct result of a lack of unethical leadership and ethical standards and practices not being in place. Tap Pharmaceuticals did not have a hose counsel to help keep practices ethical and meet government requirements because it was thought to be a sales-prevention department. Durand eventually found himself excluded from marketing and sales meetings and told that he just did not understand the culture. The lack of ethical leadership in the company is the root of the problem found at Tap Pharmaceuticals and left all the issues that Durand found unresolved. Analyze and evaluate alternatives. Decide on the most valid alternative, and make recommendations. When thinking of alternatives, people think of other options that may apply in order to have a different outcome than the current outcome. When Durand was offered the position as Vice President of Sales with Tap Pharmaceuticals, he had no idea what he was getting involved with. All he saw was a potential for a promotion in an industry where he had already served his time and made a name for himself. Durand has a couple alternatives in this ethical situation. He could have kept his mouth shut and adhered to Tap Pharmaceuticals policies and procedures and unethical practices. The outcome to this alternative could have proven to be very poor for Durand. If Durand continued to allow Tap Pharmaceuticals to conduct business in the sales department as they always had in the past, eventually, the federal government would have caught on to the unethical practices and levied fines against Tap Pharmaceuticals and Mr. Durand. He could have even been prosecuted for the practices he witnessed at Tap Pharmaceuticals. When employees are directed to blatantly break the law in order to keep sales up and to give out medicine samples without charging for them, there is a huge ethical problem. Tap Pharmaceuticals instructed the doctors to charge Medicare for the samples even though they never paid for them in the first place. It seemed as if Tap Pharmaceuticals planned to break every law of the trade in order to make the most money in the least amount of time. This alternative would not work for Mr. Durand. He had a steady head on his  shoulders and would not stand for the unethical practices he had witnessed. But what would he do about the problem? This question would later come into play when Mr. Durand was faced with a tough decision. A second alternative Mr. Durand had was to leave Tap Pharmaceuticals with a resignation. But a resignation would land him and his family out on the streets. He did not want to jeopardize his familys lifestyle and affect the way his children would grow up. After all, Mr. Durand did leave a well paying job with a huge medical pharmaceutical company. This alternative would be even worse than staying with Tap Pharmaceuticals and pretending nothing wrong was going on. He had to support his family and to Mr. Durand this was the most important issue to handle. If Mr. Durand resigned from Tap Pharmaceuticals, he would have to start all over again and work his way back up the corporate ladder as he did 20 years before with Merck Co. Mr. Durand had very few options or avenues to take in his ethical dilemma. He was virtually stuck between a rock and a hard place. He truly made the perfect decision when he decided to file suit against Tap Pharmaceuticals. This was the best possible option he could have used. First, Tap Pharmaceuticals was breaking the law and if they continued to practice unethical business, they could have hurt someone or continued to defraud the United States government and Medicare. Since Mr. Durand was familiar with the practices of the pharmaceutical industry, he had no other choice but to blow the whistle on Tap Pharmaceuticals. TAP Pharmaceuticals, a physician, and 7 employees of TAP Pharmaceuticals were charged and indicted for bribing physicians with kickbacks to use the drug Lupron. The federal grand jury also found them guilty of Medicare fraud, and violation of the Prescription Drug Marketing Act. PSA-Rising (2001) states,The seven individuals charged in the indictment unsealed today are:Alan Mackenzie age 49, of 27068 Wellington Court, Barrington, Illinois, andformerly Vice President of Sales for TAP, Janice Swirski, age 40, of 6 BellinghamDrive, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and formerly a National Account Manager with TAP,Henry Van Mourick, age 43, of 23 Golfwood Court, Roseville, California, andcurrently a District Manager employed by TAP,  Donna Tom, age 37, of 141 East 56thStreet, New York, New York, and formerly a District Manager employed by TAP,Kimberlee Chase, age 35, of 108 Dedham Street, Dover, Massachusetts, and formerly aDistrict Manager employed by TAP, David Guido, age 30, of 131 New London Road,Colchester, Connecticut, and currently a Hospital Account Executive employed by TAP, DR. John Romano, age 48, of 110 Long Pond Road, Plymouth, Massachusetts, an urologistwith a practice in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Four other physicians were indicted before the above indictment. TAP Pharmaceuticals bribed urologists to use the drug Lupron by giving them big screen televisions, golf vacations, and free sample of Lupron. The sales representatives also gave the physicians free samples of Lupron and told the physicians to bill Medicare for full price. Durand tried to change different aspects of how Tap Pharmaceuticals was run, but all to no avail. Whenever he implemented a new structural change, the employees would try it for a short while and return to the way they had done things in the past. Accurate bookkeeping was a logical idea to put into action. This would tell exactly how much each rep gave out to doctors and pharmacies as samples for them to try out. The old way never showed how much they were paid for each sample given because there was no way to know how many had been given out. Whenever new ideas are put into effect, it still takes people to uphold these new rules and regulations. When Yasu Hasegawa failed to show any sort of business ethics, why would any of his employees? A good leader will lead by example. When people follow someone he/she want to emulate his/her actions, not just his/her words. By having a person with little moral fiber lead the company, it allowed some that might have been on the fence about the situation to fall to the same side. Durands cultural change effort failed because senior management and older sales reps refused to change the company for the better. They had been doing things their way for too long and the payoff incentive was too great. The shady business practices were much easier than trying to keep records of exactly how many samples were given out and who all had been bought. When  the president of the company would not even change his ways on how he dealt with his business, how could his employees be expected to change as well? In a business that deals with healthcare, the most important aspect should always be the patients. Since nobody truly cared about them and all the employees concerns were with lining their own pockets, the business ended up being sued for quite a large amount of money. The only way for Durands changes to succeed, would be if there were a total overhaul of management. The company would need to basically start over in order to weed out all the bad eggs. That would take a great deal of time, not to mention a great deal of money. Even though Durand became a whistle-blower on Tap Pharmaceuticals and the company was fined, there are sure to be employees who were guilty but not indicted. In TAP Pharmaceuticals there was an attitude of a misalignment of culture. The profit driven only environment provided no ethical leadership. Upper management including the CEO, who set the tone of weak unethical leadership, held no interest in change. TAP had no formal cultural system. The bottom line was the only factor and how profits were obtained was of little concern. When Durand attempted to make positive changes to the system through a Reward System, upper management put a stop to it even tough it was working and labeled him a trouble maker. TAP was not interested in positive ethical change. The gifts to urologists and doctors TAP pharmaceuticals participated in set an unethical culture. ConclusionIn the end Tap received one of the largest fines in the pharmaceutical industry and the job of rebuilding its image and reorganizing its business practices. Seven of its senior management team received heavy financial and judicial penalties for their part in the Lupron scandal. Douglas Durand in the end had to start over in a new less lucrative position, furthermore; he did receive a large settlement from the federal government under the Whistle-Blowers Act and currently retired and living in Florida. References: Barrett, A. (2002, June 24). A Whistle-Blower Rocks an Industry. Business Week. RetrievedJune 19, 2007, from http://www.fairness.com/resources/relation?relation_id=9650Nelson, K., Trevino, L. (2004). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do itright (3rd ed.) . New York: Wiley. PSA Rising (October 3, 2001). TAP Pharmaceuticals Products Inc. and Seven Others ChargedWith Health Care Crimes; Company Agrees to Pay $875 Million to Settle Charges. RetrievedJune 22, 2007 from http://www.psa-rising.com/wiredbird/tap102001.php

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Factors Affecting Women Shoppers Essay Example for Free

Factors Affecting Women Shoppers Essay Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development 3. 3 2013 Budget Presentation Speech by Malaysia Prime Minister. 3. 4 The Household Use of Internet Survey,2005 by Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commisions. | | | | | CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1. 1Background of the Study The usage of Internet has grown rapidly over the past years and it has become a common means for delivering and trading information, services and goods. Nowadays, internet is not only a networking media, but it is also used as a means of transaction for consumers at global market. Women contribute the large number of Malaysia’s population. Major contribution of women to the nation always been recognized. With the increasing number of career women in Malaysia contribute further enhance of the purchasing power among women buyers. The existence of telecommunications equipment such as smart phones and tablets are not limiting time and place for them to be online. The roles of a shopper’s personal attitudes have been widely acknowledged in consumer decision-making and behavioral intentions (Wu, 2003). In particular, attitude serves as the bridge between consumers’ characteristics and the consumption that satisfies their needs (Armstrong amp; Kotler, 2003). Moreover, consumers’ characteristics, such as personality, as well as demographic and perception on online shopping benefits, have also been found to influence their online shopping behavior (Cheung amp; Lee, 2003). Thus, identifying the relative importance of each determinant of choice towards a given action could be a useful step in understanding such behavior occurs. The main aim of this study is to investigate purchasing intention of women shopper at Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), with a particular emphasis on understanding and evaluating the factors which directly or indirectly influence their purchasing intentions by measuring the attitude towards online shopping. 1. 2Problem Statement Online shopping in Malaysia is a new technology breakthrough since it has just begun to assault the Malaysia retailing sector with the online shopping services (Haque et al. 2006). In order to increase online shopping in Malaysia, understanding consumer online shopping behavior and factors affecting this behavior when shopping online should be given priority. With the expansion of career women in Malaysia, women shoppers become one of the important market segments or two reasons; first, this group has money and shopping interest. According to Statistics on Women, Family and Community 2011, shows that number of female employed increased from 2000 until 2010. It shows that women in Malaysia have purchasing power (See Appendix 3. ). Second, this segment of the population has the potential of earning a greater income than other segments of the population. It will be great significance to find out the factors which influence women shoppers’ intention to shop online if we want to expand group of online buyers and the volume of e-commerce. According to to Statistics on Women, Family and Community 2011, Number of female enrollment in University is higher than ma le and the number keep increasing. In 2001, number of male enrollment student in University is 103,747 and female 142,242. In 2010, Number of male enrollment in University is 184,457 and female 278,323 (See Appendix 3. 2). The differences of student become bigger each year. The higher of education background can contribute to higher income in the future. Third, growth of online business keeps increasing. Recently, during the 2013 budget presentation by our Prime Minister has stated that; the Malaysia Government aware women not only important in a family, but also contribute to the development to the national economy. The government allocated 50 million to support women’s role. One of them is, Get Malaysia Business Online Program (GMBO) introduced to help 50 thousand small entrepreneurs, especially women to increase their online sales. Grants of thousand Ringgit Malaysia through the provision of 50 million Ringgit Malaysia by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) (See Appendix 3. 3). A mid-2005 survey by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Corporation (MCMC), only 9. 3% of Internet users had purchased products or services through the Internet during the preceding three months. Among those who did so, airline tickets were the most popular items (43. %) followed by books (15. 6%) and music (6. 8%). Amounts spent on these items were small, however, with 57. 7% of transactions worth less than M$500. Moreover, it is expected Malaysian online sales will increase every year at a high growth (See Appendix 3. 4). Opportunities of online shopping can be restricted by internal and external constraints on behavior. It is important in expl aining human behavior since an individual who has the intention of accomplishing a certain action may be unable to do so because her environment prevents the act from being performed. Moreover, there are some barriers which have contributed to the unwillingness of Malaysians to shop online because they afraid their personal information will be stole or misused by others. Despite the high potential of online shopping in Malaysia, there is still lack of understanding concerning the online shopping and its impact on marketing. Consequently a framework is needed to structure the complex system of effects of these different factors, and develop an in-depth understanding of consumers’ attitudes toward internet shopping and their intentions to shop online. 1. Objectives of the Research The objectives of this study are; 1. To determine women shoppers’ shopping attitudes towards website design. 2. To determine women shoppers’ shopping attitudes towards reliability of online retailer. 3. To determine women shoppers’ shopping attitudes towards online shopping customer service. 4. To determine women shoppers’ shopping attitudes towards trust on online retailer. 1. 4Scope of Study Literature Review Factors influencing online shopping intention toward online shopping have been researched and documented in the context of traditional consumer literature. A review of empirical studies in this area shows that the theories of Reasoned Action (Ajzen amp; Fishbein, 1975) and Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989) are among the most popular theories used to explain online shopping behavior. Therefore the theoretical framework f this study is based in these theories. Online Shopping Perceived Benefit Perceived benefits are advantageous results derived from attributes. The benefit can be physiological, psychological, sociological, or material in nature. Within the online shopping context, the consumers’ perceived benefits are the sum of online shopping advantages or satisfactions that meet their needs or wants. There are many differences between a physical store and its electronic counterpart. Most of the previous online shopping research has focused on identifying the attributes of online stores that promote success (Davis, 1989; Liu amp; Arnett, 2000). Previous studies of online shopping have established two categories of benefits; intrinsic and extrinsic. Both are important in customers’ selections to patronize the online stores. Extrinsic benefits include features such as wide selection of products, competitive pricing, easy access to information and low search costs. Intrinsic benefits include features such as design and color. Research Framework The key components of the research framework for consumer attitude towards online shopping can be seen in Figure 1. Website Design| | Online Shopping| Reliability| | | Customer Service| | | Trust| | | Hypotheses: A series of testable hypotheses were developed from the proposed research model, as shown below: Hypothesis 1: There is a significant relationship between web site design and online shopping. Hypothesis 2: There is a significant relationship between reliability of online retailer and online shopping. Hypothesis 3: There is a significant relationship between customer service and online shopping. Hypothesis 4: There is a significant relationship between trust on online retailer and online shopping. In general, base on the hypotheses, the research framework will be focusing on four factors as independent variables and propensity to shop online will be the dependent variable. . e. for the hypothesis 1, 2, 3 and 4 which are focusing on Web Site Design, Reliability, Customer Service, and Trust, it is hypothesize that there should be a positive relationship that would likely to influence the online shopping. Research Methodology To undertake this project, two types of data will be gathered. i. Secondary data This type of data will be used extensively in literature review to provide the framework of this study. Textbook, journals and internet shopping reports will be the sources of this desk research. ii. Primary data This type of data will be the main instrument used in evaluating the factors affecting women shoppers’ online shopping attitude and purchase intention. The process of gaining this input is discussed next. In doing so, the rest of this section organized into four main areas; the research design, the target population and the sample size, methods for data collection, and data analysis and interpretation. The research design In getting the shoppers data, I choose to employ descriptive research over exploratory or causal research. This type of research is suitable when a study intends to produce accurate description of variables relent to the decision being faced, without demonstrating that some relationship exists between variables. This description fits well with the objectives of this study. In addition, a cross sectional studies is elected over longitudinal studies. The former allow the researchers to assess to a larger number of customers, thus enabling them to produce a more representative data. Through this method, data is typically cross tabulated against each other to answer specific issues. This kind of data is meaningful to companies that appeal to many segments of the markets such as internet shopping. The target population and the sample size In line with the scope of the project, the population refers to the female employee of Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP). To further define the population, this study will only examine the behavior of women shoppers in the age bracket 20 to 55 years old. The sample elements will be chosen using systematic sampling. Within this pool of shoppers, a sample of 200 shoppers will be selected. This sample size is considered appropriate. Roscoe (1975) for instance stated ‘samples sizes larger than 30 and less than 500 samples are the appropriate for most research. Likewise, Sekaran (1994) agrees that 500 samples are the appropriate upper limit for the sample size. Methods for data collection Since cross sectional study has been chosen for this study, data will be collected through questioning. Using this method, the respondents will be identified systematically and to aid questioning the shoppers, a set of questionnaire will be designed. The questionnaires will be distributed through online and respondents will be invites through UMP Portal.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Power Of Healing Through Forgiveness Philosophy Essay

The Power Of Healing Through Forgiveness Philosophy Essay Mahatma Gandhi once said, The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. (APA, pg. 1). She slumped against the wall clutching her knees and tried to concentrate on the pain of the old burn that had never healed, (Piercy, pg.54) When we harbor negative emotions toward others or toward ourselves, or when we intentionally create pain for others; we poison our own physical and spiritual systems. By far the strongest poison to the human spirit is the inability to forgive oneself or another person. It disables a persons emotional resources. The challenge is to refine our capacity to love others as well as ourselves and to develop the power of forgiveness. (Myss (mp3) 2004). Donna Fancourt argues that In addition to the radical destabilization of the categories of dream and reality, the novel also represents further examples of altered states of consciousness. (Francourt, pg.103). Although Boyd submits I dont have a clue about consciousness. It seems utterly mysteri ous to me. But it must be physical, as materialism must be true. (Boyd, pg.15). Mahatma Gandhi once said, The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. (APA, pg. 1). In Woman on the Edge of Time, Marge Piercy introduces us to Connie (Consuelo Ramos), a thirty-six year old, who is abused, misdiagnosed, tortured and appears to be a sociopath to her doctors. Connies been in a mental hospital for child abuse and, as a result, her daughter Angelina has been taken from her. When you get hurt by someone you care about a lot, normally brings about thoughts of anger and revenge and one can hold on to that anger for a very long time, and if anger and revenge is held onto then that individual is giving their power away. In Woman on the Edge of Time, Marge Piercy uses a perfect illustration of Connie to portray this, power, or more specifically, the lack thereof. Being powerless, Connie had to make herself believe to be ill, accepting Anglo definitions of success, relationships, and sanity. She slumped against the wall clutching her knees and tried to concentrate on the pain of the old burn that had never healed, (Piercy, pg.54) Connie has to accept this reality and wont be able to bloat out her memory, as she has plenty of regrets and anger. She is not sick nor is she suffering from any mental illness, Connie will have to gather up all her courage and will power to cooperate with the doctors to achieve a better reality elsewhere, and this could be through her subconscious mind. This internal power derived from a created reality is what Connie is attempting to achieve a chance at regaining power. Marge Piercy talks about how the Mattapoisett are at war and learn that the residents have to volunteer to go and fight. Sound wave making weapons are used to knock out the enemy. Although, before firing each sound wave, Luciente prays, Forgive me, if you are living and I kill you. (Piercy, pg. 62) even though Luciente does not know if the enemies are robots or if they are controlled by human beings, he feels obligated to ask for forgiveness. In 3 Levels of Power, Caroline Myss discusses the tribal, the individual, and the symbolic levels of power. Myss explains that the brain has the ability to create a distinct reality, one that you want to choose, 3rd is your mental level, the kind of power to see reality clearly. [] You have to have an incredible sense of internal power to withdraw your power from the tribal limits on your reality. (Myss (pdf) pg. 2). Caroline Myss goes on to explain why forgiveness is so powerful and pissing it away is so negative, as she explains When we harbor negative emotions toward others or toward ourselves, or when we intentionally create pain for others, we poison our own physical and spiritual systems. By far the strongest poison to the human spirit is the inability to forgive oneself or another person. It disables a persons emotional resources. The challenge is to refine our capacity to love others as well as ourselves and to develop the power of forgiveness.(Myss (mp3) 2004). Myss, states that forgiveness is what helps us disconnect from the tribe, maneuvering us into individual power, and getting us into the present time. Myss compares this level to the strength of cologne, Its stronger than eau d toilette, and will last longer (Myss (mp3) 2004). Although Myss is very resolute to say that, The act of forgiveness is the act of returning to present time. And thats why when one has become a forgiving person, and has managed to let go of the past, what theyve really done is theyve shifted their relationship with time.(Myss (mp3) 2004). When someone is content with ones life, the negative energy is hard to affect someone, especially one who is ill, as that person who is sick is primarily focused on dealing with what is ahead of you, instead of complaining and arguing (Myss (mp3) 2004), Myss goes on to explain that if one learns how to love oneself, by appreciating life, the healing process within happens faster and better because of the inner belief that, one can fight this illness and not give away power. Donna Fancourt argues that In addition to the radical destabilization of the categories of dream and reality, also represents further examples of altered states of consciousness (Francourt, pg.103), furthermore she said, that the drugs given to Connie may have facilitated her hallucinations. (Fancourt, pg. 108). Achieving the 3rd level of power is not something everyone can do, unless you have trained yourself to go-to that state through meditation, and now you are an expert in doing so. Myss and Piercy, both show that it is achieved through the aide of illness to tap into that power. The tribe says this illness you have cant be healed quickly but someone with a strong sense of eye, can look at the other side and say, it may be true for you but not for me, you can choose a different path of healing, youre using other thought processes (Myss (mp3) 2004). Very similar to Piercy, as Luciente comments, We can only know what we can truly imagine [because] what we see comes from ourselves (Piercy, pg. 328). If making connections with one another and nature, both mental and physical, then these connections can only be aided by altering states of consciousness. Connie enters Mattapoisett through her ability to reach different states of consciousness; her first alertness of an alternative reality is of hazy memories of dreams with the mysterious Luciente, and she awakens one morning with the sense [] that there was more she had not remembered, a sensation of return, blurred but convincing (Piercy, pg. 33). In Accessing Utopia through Altered States of Consciousness, Fancourt tries to show how Piercy tries to blur the states of consciousness, These cloudy memories and dreams soon overlap into daydreams and increasingly longer states of unconsciousness: by the end of the novel, Connie is spending up to twelve hours at a time in Mattapoisett. (Fancourt, pg. 105). In Accessing Utopia through Altered States of Consciousness, Fancourt discusses, how one may access this power , à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦accessing utopia takes place through a specific process of altering states of consciousness. These altered states range widely from dreaming and meditation to psychic healing, (Fancourt, pg. 95). Although being able to switch from dream to reality in Connies case, was something she could achieve very easily and that is one of the main reasons Luciente chose Connie as the experimental contact. Although Boyd submits I dont have a clue about consciousness. It seems utterly mysterious to me. But it must be physical, as materialism must be true. (Boyd, pg.15). Worthington idea In Forgiveness: A Sampling of Research Results, can be used to understand how Lucientes act of prayer gives him a chance to regain power, Forgiveness is fostered by acknowledgment from harm doers of their actions, empathy with those they have harmed, expressions of regret and apology (APA, pg. 31). The states of consciousness, In Woman on the Edge of Time by Piercy points to the Mattapoisett people who turn to violence are advised to consult a healer. A second offence, however, causes execution since the community arent willing to live with people who choose to use violence (Piercy, pg. 209). The people of Mattapoisett, recognize that the people who turn to violence are giving away their power and should seek forgiveness by visiting a healer to begin their healing process and to remove any illness within . Asking for forgiveness and giving forgiveness, is the greatest ways of showing love, and in doing so will not only heal your relationship with the other person but also bring bliss and inner peace. Power and forgiveness, is the main themes of Myss stories, The act of forgiveness is the act of returning to present time. And thats why when one has become a forgiving person, and has managed to let go of the past, what theyve really done is theyve shifted their relationship with time. (Myss (mp3) 2004) and in the story of Connie (Woman on the Edge of Time) by Piercy, gives an example of how [t]hanksgiving in the Mattapoisett traditional religious conformism is replaced with a new set of rituals intended to promote individuality, with [t]hanksmaking (Piercy, pg. 174) where they would fast for the whole day (twenty four hours) before they go around asking forgiveness from everyone [they] have offended in the year (Piercy, pg. 174). Whether it is in your sub conscious or couscous state of mind, Boyd uses the example of what David Chalmers, said in The Conscious Mind, I dont have a clue about consciousness. It seems utterly mysterious to me. But it must be physical, as materialism must be true.(Boyd, pg.15). In Forgiveness: A Sampling of Research Results, Mullet et al, discovered that, Most (58%) of participants agreed that forgiveness could be an intergroup process, 28% were neutral, and only 14% thought that it was not possible for a group of people to ask another group for forgiveness. (APA, pg. 35). What does this mean to us you may ask? Well, Every individual has a reaction to the illness that they are encompassed by and the energy released from that illness, gives ones mind the power and ability of forgiveness, Every illness is a power responsewhen your body mind or spirit is going through any kind of reshaping it automatically presumes that a rebalancing of power is taking place (Myss (mp3) 2004) to leave the physical world and enter into a world where the transcendent mind is present, We can only know what we can truly imagine. Finally what we see comes from ourselves. (Piercy, pg. 332).

Antony and Cleopatra :: William Shakespeare Plays Literature Essays

Antony and Cleopatra The legend of Cleopatra has percolated in the world consciousness for the past 2000 years. By the time Shakespeare wrote the tragedy Antony and Cleopatra the alluring reputation of the queen had existed primarily as a biased representation of a foreign female who insinuated herself into the Roman power structure. Shakespeare’s role in perpetuating the allure of the last of the Ptolemaic rulers was the result of synthesizing the existing biases and distilling the dichotomy between the woman and the queen. Consequently, Shakespeare portrayed her not only as an alluring woman who was thought of as a wanton corrupter of Roman ideals, but as a queen who tried to do what was best for her country, and a woman who tried to do what was best for herself. Shakespeare brought all of these aspects together and molded a character that Joseph Summers describes as the â€Å"transcendent image of beauty and nobility† (135), and firmly entrenched Cleopatra into the collect ive consciousness. As suggested in the introduction to Norton’s Antony and Cleopatra, the play â€Å"presupposes familiarity not only with events dramatized in that play [Julius Caesar] but also with earlier Roman conflicts† (Cohen 847) and, I would add, the reputation of various characters. Interestingly, there is no mention of Cleopatra in Julius Caesar even though she is the mother of Caesar’s son.[1] This relationship obviously infuriated the Roman leaders and as a consequence her role with Caesar is effectively diminished and her reputation is vilified. Cicero, the great Roman orator, described Cleopatra as â€Å"unacceptably regal and arrogant† (Higgs 229), while Octavian refers to her as â€Å"the wanton daughter of the Ptolomies† (Hamer 311). Northrop Frye contends that propaganda was necessary because â€Å"she was one person the Romans were really afraid of† (Frye 123). The propaganda, as Christopher Pelling alludes, was a result of â €Å"Octavian work[ing] seduously on Italian misogyny and xenophobia† (Pelling 294). Octavian’s promulgations evoked suspicion and hostility towards Cleopatra, and their main intent was to mitigate the idea that â€Å"Cleopatra [was becoming] a legend for Romans too† (Pelling 294). There is no way they would have described her as a woman who grieved the loss of Antony so passionately that â€Å"she beat her

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Mayor Of Casterbridge Essay -- essays research papers

Literature: The Mayor of Casterbridge   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Can it be said that Henchard's downfall is all due to 'some great error?' Some may believe that it is a penance for selling Susan, but this would be to take Newson out of the equation, who, it must be said, is just as guilty of this act as Henchard. I believe that Henchard is totally blameless for his downfall, to use a bad pun that will become apparent later, it is in his nature. It is my belief that Henchard is a personification of nature. It is obvious that his life has completed a revolution but when you look closely, you can see that Henchard's life resembles the seasons.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Our first image of Henchard is one of winter, his clothing is described as '…a short jacket of brown corduroy…white horn buttons…and a straw hat overlaid with black glazed canvas.'; Black, brown and white conjure images of the countryside in the heart of winter for me. Hechard's life is in a rather bad point but things start looking up when he sells Susan, it is at this point that he moves into spring. We are told little of what happens between Susan's sale and when she comes looking for him but I would say that during this period Henchard passes through spring as he gives up liquor and moves into summer when he becomes mayor. When we next see Henchard he is on the brink of autumn, his progression down through the social strata is very autumnal as his creeps, inch by inch, t...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Data Mining and Privacy-an ethical look Essay -- Data Mining Technolog

Data Mining and Privacy-an ethical look I. Introduction In 2001, the MIT Technology Review listed data mining as one of the top 10 technologies that will change the world.[i] So, what is data mining? For many people, the simple answer is that data mining is the collecting of people’s information when logged onto the Internet. But Webopedia emphasizes that data mining is not the collection of data itself, but the statistical interpretation of it – allowing people to obtain new information or find hidden patterns within that collected data.[ii] It is the combination of these, collection and analysis, which are cause for concern. People want to know: What information is being collected about me? Who has access to that information? What decisions are people making about me based upon that information? This paper looks at how data mining is currently being used on the Internet. It examines whether our privacy rights are vulnerable. Ways in which our privacy can be protected are explored. Finally, an ethical question is considered: ‘Are we maintaining our privacy with the current usage of data mining on the Internet?’ This question is looked at from several ethical points of view. II. Examples of Data Mining Use In general, nearly every time you surf or make a purchase online, information is collected on your actions. Then targeted advertising can be presented online, emailed, snail-mailed or even phoned to you. The business concept behind this is â€Å"best predictor of future behavior is relevant past behavior† (ala Dr. Phil). One company claims that retailers can increase their return on data mining investment by 1,000 percent.[i] The first step in understanding data mining is to look at the various ways t... ...www.acm.org/sigs/sigkdd/explorations/issue4-2/thuraisingham.pdf [x] Sara Baase, A Gift of Fire (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003)44, 46, 55, 85, 86 [xi] American Civil Liberties Union, MATRIX: Myths and Reality, 10 Feb 2004, 17 Feb 2004, http://www.aclu.org/news/NewsPrint.cfm?ID=14894&c=130 [xii] Dan Verton, Senate Kills Data Mining Program, 18 Jul 2003, Computerworld, 17 Mar 2004, http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0%2Caid%2C111626%2C00.asp [xiii] Martin S Olivier, Database Privacy - Balancing Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability, SIGKDD Explorations 4:2 (December 2002): 20-27, 29 Feb 2004, http://www.acm.org/sigs/sigkdd/explorations/issue4-2/olivier.pdf [xiv] Patricia Ellen Freed, Thinking Ethically about Policy Issues, Jewish College of Nursing and Allied Health, 13 Mar 2004, http://www.icss.net/~freedos/Pages/Debate/Review.html

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Lago is the Villain of the Tragedy Othello But to What Extent is he a Tragic Villain?

Iago is the villain of the tragedy Othello but to what extent is he a tragic villain? Iago is portrayed to be an intelligent and deceptive character whom exposes his deceit within the first scene of the play. He explains to Roderigo that ‘I am not what I am’ which could be interpreted as though there are many different levels to him meaning he is a complex character and shows various sides of him to different characters. However it could also mean that no one knows the real him: including Iago himself. This dialogue is juxtaposed right at the beginning of the play; this highlights the importance of Iago’s complex and villainous character and his attitude towards others in different situations to achieve what he wants no matter how duplicitous he has to be. It is ironic how Iago is saying this to Roderigo who could question Iago’s loyalty to him however Iago is extremely conniving and underestimates Roderigo’s intelligence. This illustrates how Iago is condescending towards others throughout the play not making him seem like a tragic villain at all. On the contrary, the audience enjoys Iago’s twisted intelligence as he slowly cultivates a plan in Act 1, scene 3. Iago’s soliloquy intrigues the audience as it seems as though Iago is speaking directly to the audience rather than to himself. The audience is charmed as they are drawn into Iago’s plan and cannot help but be enticed as Iago slowly improvises a plan. Iago’s soliloquy reflects his thoughts and yet we cannot tell what his true feelings are as what he says varies throughout. The scene ends with a rhyming couplet ‘I have’t. It is engendered. Hell and night Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light. ’ This is a powerful statement to end the scene with as he says this evil plan of his should be brought alive which leaves the audience intrigued at the end of the scene waiting for more. Shakespeare wants the audience to enjoy the cleverness of Iago which may make him seem like a tragic villain.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Group Experience

My group experience with picking Bollywood dance provided an opportunity to play a leadership role like courier graph the dance. Bollywood dance is the dance-form used in the Indian films. It is a mixture of numerous styles. These styles include belly-dancing, kathak, Indian folk, Western popular, jazz, and even Western erotic dancing. I enjoyed myself in an artistic manner by connecting the audience through dance. I am committed to this form of dance because it originates from my native country India. I basically taught my other team mates this form of dance and now it affects their personal character in terms of eastern dancing. My personal experience about teaching this dance was fairly enjoyable. I had an opportunity of teaching â€Å"bhangra† to my classmates too which is a form of a regional dance in India. By doing such leadership activities, I have gained an experience in organizing a group and modeling the way. In the process of my group project, I had a vision of achieving something extraordinary by teaching the eastern dance to westerners. There was different tactics and ideas that I implemented in this process where I was also helped by my other teammates in order to make it work. I admired their vision in doing something different within my dance. We talked about two minutes and everybody agreed to do the Bollywood dance. It was a challenge for me to teach Indian dance to western people because they are grown with different culture and they have different perception in dance. My ideas and techniques were definitely questioned by others but I still had a strong motivation to make it work and I took certain amount of risk in order to make my idea work. Teaching any activity requires certain amount of confidence, faster collaboration and strength. I always had a positive attitude towards this activity and I knew there would certain challenges to make this happen but the participation of my team mates gave me more confidence. My team mates motivated themselves because they had an interest to learn about new culture. I handled their challenges and gave them the proper guidance they needed. There were people who would take initiative and put lot of effort in our group project. I was also thrilled by seeing their dedication. There was a time when we I did not know what to do or we were lacking a concept; we all worked together to solve the way out of it. I thrilled to see the dedication that my teammates had towards our team goal. In conclusion, I would say that our overall team effort was tremendous, we were doing a genuine hard work to achieve our goal, and we had morale booster, team effort and confidence within our group. I would also like to point out the group skill was very good and my teammates gave their best to put up a good presentation.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Men Really are from Mars

It has been my experience that no matter how we try to alike, men and women definitely act differently, respond differently and see the world differently.   I have witnessed this behavior first hand in many of my classes. I had never noticed exactly how different we were until I started looking, and I was very surprised at how obvious it is.   My results may not be the same in every situation and I do not wish to generalize but overall and in most cases, this is what I witnessed. Firstly, in the classroom, in the learning environment the women seemed to â€Å"physically† be paying attention.   They made almost constant eye contact with the professor, took notes and watched every movement.   In contrast, the men, although paid attention, did not appear as â€Å"physical† about it.   They listened but very differently.   The women's listening skills were very active.   They watched, and gestured in agreement (when they agreed) and made notes while almost never losing eye contact.   The men, also took notes, but seemed to be able to do so without watching the professor or even appearing to be listening.   When something noteworthy was said, the women scribbled feverishly, but the men seemed to jot it down.   Again, this was not 100% the case, but obvious enough to notice and mention. The opposite happened, however, when the students spoke in class. When a male was asked to speak, he stood up very tall and also very exaggerated.   His shoulders broadened, his voice deepened and he appeared very serious.   Most of the males that spoke also gestured with their hands to emphasize their point.   Their voices were louder than necessary as they directed their answer to the professor.   In contrast, when a female spoke, her voice was quiet and she appeared to speak to the class as opposed to just the teacher.   I also never saw any female gesture dramatically with her hands or talk louder than necessary. Before class, when the atmosphere was more social, I also noticed several distinct differences between the males and the females.   The males grouped together and were again loud and sometimes obnoxious with language and jokes.   In this setting their actions were overly dramatic and it seemed they wanted everyone to hear what they were saying, whether they were in the conversation or not.   Also, when they grouped together to talk, almost 100% of the time, only males were in the group. Again, in sharp contrast was the way the females socialized.   Although they mainly talked to other women, at times, they did include men, and they spoke very quietly.   Their conversations were not â€Å"locker room talk†, but instead about the last assignment, or the current subject.   Even when they did speak socially, I didn't hear any crude jokes or obscenities.   This is not to say they didn't occur, just that if they did, because the women spoke so much quieter I couldn't hear them. After class was again a huge difference.   The men gathered up their books (many times early) and left the classroom quickly, again loudly and with friends.   The women took their time, waited for the crowd to disperse and walked slowly out of the room.   Many of them even stopped to talk to the professor on the way out, and some of them waited for friends in the hallway.   The differences were as obvious as night and day, and ones that I had never really noticed before. In every situation I witnessed the differences in men and women were so obvious I was shocked that I hadn't noticed them before.   The men not only talked to each other differently, but seemed to hear each other differently as well.   The women seemed to genuinely listen and even ask questions about the material.   Again, I don't mean to generalize as some men did ask questions, but overall it was the women who asked more questions about the material.   Also when a male asked a question, he usually blurted it out and did not look around to see if anyone else had a question.   It's difficult to point that out because although that was the case, it did not appear rude at the time, or selfish.   The women accepted it, the professor accepted it.   It was as if, it was not obvious to anyone, except me, and only because I was watching their behavior. I think these differences are huge, and I can fully understand why they say men are Mars and women are from Venus.   It really is as if we see things totally differently, to the extent where sometimes I wondered if we were all hearing the same material and in the same room.   It was that obvious.   I also think we need to be more aware of these differences and work to understand them.   This effort could result in far fewer arguments and much more peaceful relationship among us.      

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

How does the Simpsons Contravene the Guidlines for Children’s Television? Essay

Violence, alcoholism, sex, oh, and yellow people! Yes, I’m talking about the cartoon comedy The Simpsons. Now entering its 19 year on television the cartoon is enjoyed by all ages, indeed all ages! The controversial show arises many questions not only about some of the divisive jokes, cult horror and bad language used but the question that divides a lot of frequent and infrequent viewers of the show; is The Simpsons suitable to be show during children’s TV time? The never aging family consists of the unconventional father, Homer, perfect housewife/mother, Marge, insurgent son, Bart, intellectual daughter, Lisa, and baby Maggie. Both father and son portray ever growing problems within society; in many episodes Homer finds himself strangling Bart as a punishment yet, child abuse is a massive problem and with out realising I find myself laughing. Its not until I think about what Homer has actually done is when I kick myself for it. And Bart is always getting in trouble and in some cases leads a rebellion all over Springfield. Okay, why is that funny and think of your children, if they see their parents laughing at that what’s to say they might re-enact Bart’s ‘teachings’? Will you be laughing then? Moving swiftly on, the cartoon regularly releases a new episode (mainly at Halloween) called ‘Tree House of Horrors’. In one of these degrading and preposterous episodes the family act out some famous scenes from a very hellish horror film; originally a book by Stephen King, The Shining. For anyone who knows this film it includes the father going insane and savagely murdering his whole family. What sort of image is this portraying to your children? The young children who watch The Simpsons go to bed with the thought in their mind that their Dad could go cerebral. When we think it’s all over and are trying to leave the imaginary, stereotypical, demoralizing world of the yellow Americans we are quickly bashed back in with another degrading and inhumane part of the show†¦ Itchy and Scratchy. The show within a show has its own theme tune and being based on violence it also has its own share of blood and gore. Although, cartoon blood is not terrible it is still not very enjoyable for young children.

Rights of Third Parties Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Rights of Third Parties - Case Study Example Contract is an agreement or set of promise between two or more persons which is binding and therefore legally enforceable. It covers transactions like buying and selling, employment of staff, partnership agreement and so on. It can also be described as: "an agreement which is legally binding on the parties to it and which broken may be enforced by action in court against the defaulting party. Existence of contract - Damages sought by claimants on the basis of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty in respect to diverted insurance premiums - Negotiations between the parties taking place after proceedings issued - Letter sent by claimant asking whether defendant accepted responsibility for the fraud - Letter signed and returned by defendant but with caveat - Whether binding agreement concluded between parties. Willis Management (Isle of Man) Ltd v Cable and Wireless plc [2005] 2 Ll L R 597 (CA/UK) A trust is an equitable obligation, binding a person (who is called a trustee) to deal with property over which he has control (which is called the trust property) either for the benefit of persons (who are called beneficiaries or cestuis que trust) of whom he may himself be one, and any one of whom may enforce the obligation, or for a charitable purpose, which may be enforced at the instance of the Attorney-General, or for some other purpose permitted by law though unenforceable. Pettit Equity and The Law of Trusts 8th ed. (1997) p 24. CONSTITUTION OF TRUSTS Constituting the Trust - act of vesting the trust property in the hands of the trustee. If inter vivos transferor will vest the property concurrent with declaration of trust, If testamentary property will vest upon testator's death in executors/administrators, - Rule - if trust not constituted, it is invalid- Problems: A declares trust in favour of B on Day 1, but doesn't transfer $$ to trustee until Day 5. - Rule - until the trustee receives the property, trust incompletely constituted invalid - Curative: On day 5, trust valid & operative b/c trustee has property - Settlor can be compelled to transfer property they promised to place in trust - where S received valuable consideration for promise to create trust RIGHT OF THE THIRD PARTY The Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act, which was given Royal Assent on 11th November 1999, radically changes a fundamental principle of English law, namely that only those who are parties to a contract can enforce rights under that contract - the 'privity of contract' rule. The Act applies to virtually all contracts. Therefore the construction industry must consider its impact on all its contracts - building contracts, subcontracts, consultants' appointments, collateral warranties, insurance policies, bonds, adjudication agreements etc. Right of third party to enforce contractual term: The third party must be expressly identified in the contract by name, as a member of a class or as answering a particular description but need not be in existence when the contract is entered into. This section does not confer a right on a third party to enforce a term of a contract otherwise than subject to and in accordance with any other