Banking; an ethical dilemma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Banking; an ethical dilemma - Essay Example This paper attempts to discuss the ethical dilemma, which can be faced by any bank in its operational activity, both in the external environment and conflicts of interest arising within the organization. The ethical dilemma that arises within working environment of a bank is more severe, as these systematically weaken the vibrant economic system of a country. The concept of ethical dilemmas had become more pressing during the recent financial crisis, as it was strongly believed that unethical conduct of the financial industry in general and banking in particular, had led to global economic meltdown. The purpose of this paper is to discuss ethical considerations of the banking industry and compliance of the banks to these ethics in order to understand the way banking industry faces the challenges of ethical dilemma. The last section of the paper discusses few of the policy recommendations, which can help to resolve issues of ethical dilemma faced by the banks. A vibrant banking industry is extremely important for proper functioning of an economy. This makes the issue of ethical considerations in banking an extremely relevant topic. Banking sector merely acts as an intermediary between the depositor and creditor. A respectable bank is expected to be honest, exhibit integrity in its transactions, social responsibility, accountability and compliance to promises (Solomon, 1992). The ethical dilemma for banks arises because they have to work in grey area of ethics and often under high level of pressure. Sometimes, in order to gain financial benefits, banks often end up making decisions that undermines ethical issues, which is the root cause of the problem. There have been numerous cases where banks have been involved in scandals revolving around acceptance of bribes, advancing loans to unfit customers and lending to connected parties, which may be considered as unethical on part of the bank. In a research conducted by Carse

The Economic Problem and how it Affects Society Essay Example for Free

The Economic Problem and how it Affects Society Essay Define the economic problem. Explain how individual consumers, business firms and the government are all faced with the economic problem. Identify the different economic factors that influence how each group seeks to address this problem. The economic problem occurs because of the fact that the supply of resources used to produce goods and services are limited or finite but there is an infinite amount of demands and wants of individuals. In other words, the economic problem is consequence of limited resources, but unlimited wants. Individuals must decide what is the best item to buy with their limited resources. This is called opportunity cost, which involves the consumer determining which goods and services will provide the most satisfaction and value for money. In market economies, consumers have sovereignty over the market and thus they influence which products are produced and the amount produced. However, many businesses persuasively advertise unwanted or unnecessary goods and services to certain consumers, which can result in a misallocation of resources. In accordance to the economic problem, businesses have a number of issues to address: What to produce? How to produce? How much to produce? To whom to distribute? What to produce Firms must decide which production combination of goods and services will involves the least cost but result in the largest amount of produce How to produce refers to what method of production of the selected goods and services Is the most cost effective and efficient How much to produce involves predicting the amount of goods and services that will be needed and demanded. Using these statistics, the business will attempt to produce a quantity of goods equal to or as close as possible to  that amount. This prediction is usually based on the amount of consumption, demand and profit of the previous year. To whom to distribute the ratio of distribution of goods and services across the country, state or region, according to consumer demands and availability of transport. The government has a regulatory role in the economy through the control of taxes and redistribution of income. For example, when an economy has a low level of economic activity, the government can increase its expenditure on things such as infrastructure, and could lower taxes to encourage consumer and business spending. Similarly, the government could decrease spending and increase taxes to influence saving and less shopping splurges, to reduce the economic activity. The Reserve Bank can also act as a regulator and can dramatically alter the direction of an economy. The Reserve Bank can raise and lower interest rates which influences domestic saving and investment, and also affects foreign investment. For example raising interest rates would encourage foreign countries to buy Australian dollars to capitalise on the interest of their investment. The government has some bearing on the actions of the Reserve Bank, however its influence is quite minor.

The Freedom of Choices :: Essays Papers

The Freedom of Choices â€Å"James Joyce was born in Dublin on February 2, 1882† (Joyce i). In 1914, Dubliners, a work that illustrated the lives of the people of Dublin, from Joyce’s viewpoint, hit the shelves (Joyce i). The book consists of fifteen short stories all about the people of Dublin. There are many different themes thought these short stories but one that is very important to the book is the theme of escape. The book also lends itself to a philosophical point of view taking on many other themes: such as the theme of autonomy and responsibility. Three stories that these themes can be seen in are â€Å"An Encounter,† â€Å"Counterparts,† and â€Å"The Dead.† In these stories Joyce depicts many of the characters as people attempting to escape their responsibilities through the choices they make in their own lives. One responsibility that is neglected throughout these stories is the responsibility characters have to each other. In the story â€Å"An Encounter,† although only two boys escape their responsibilities at school, there was a third that was supposed to tag along (14). The other two boys, the narrator and Mahony, made the decision to leave Leo behind and venture off on their quest to the Pigeon House. Joyce offers a choice to these boys in attempts to show the audience that they will choose to ignore their responsibility to Leo. The two friends use their freedom making the choice that they are going to leave the bridge without their third companion, Leo. Another example of characters disregarding their responsibility to one another occurs when the two boys meet the old man in the field. Instead of staying with his friend Mahony leaves the narrator by himself ignoring his responsibility to be a good friend and stick together. These choices exemplify the way tha t characters in these stories ignore their responsibilities to other people. A second example of a character ignoring her responsibilities to another character occurs within the story â€Å"The Dead.† At the end of the story â€Å"The Dead,† the reader feels sympathetic with Gabriel, the main character, because he finds out his wife loved another man.

Description of Jail Essay

A description of jail’s place in corrections and its role throughout history A summary of the history of state and federal prisons A comparison of the similarities and differences between security levels in jails, state prisons, and federal prisons An explanation of factors influencing growth in jails, state prisons, and federal prisons Jails have been present within the criminal justice system for as long as you can probably date back. Jails play a vital role in the correction system. When jails originated they were used to serve the sole purpose of keeping an individual confined. In the beginning the jails and their conditions were inhumane and very harsh. Jails were not they type of place that individuals would like to be and often times people feared the possibility of having to go to jail. There are many reasons why people feared going to jail and one of the main reasons were because of the conditions that present in jail. There were many times where the inmates were not fed and they hygienic conditions were poor. As time progressed factors about jails changed. Jails were no longer only used to house criminals but they were also used to rehabilitate the criminal and allow them to opportunity change enough to be released safely into society. As time progressed jails begin to add programs that allow them to advance and further themselves. It is now possible to obtain a high school diploma while being incarcerated in jail. There are now programs that help aid drug addicts and alcoholics recover from their addictions before they are released. There are also programs that allow inmates to obtain a trade degree that they can use once they are released back into society. You made a lot of valid points within your post. I use to always wonder why exactly criminals committed the crimes that they did, like what possessed them to do those type of things? I wonder now if criminals weigh crime and punishment why would they feel as of the reward that they will gain from committing a crime is worth their life and their freedom most of the time. Maybe these thoughts vary from person to person meaning what I may not think will be worth the punishment that will be received from a crime but others may not agree with my thought process.

What’s Gone Wrong with the Third Italy

Msc BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CONTENT Introduction p. 3 Early glitches of the SMEs within the industrial districts p. 5 Analysis of two of the regional clusters at stake p. 6 What went wrong? p. 7 Concluding remarks p. 9 References p. 10 Introduction The purpose of this paper is to determine to which extent the economic areas known as ’Third Italy’ have not managed to achieve the well-desired status. The local development model has been presented as the perfect small-scale flexible capitalist type that has adopted a post-Fordist mode of production (Grancelli, 2007).The economic cluster referred to as Third Italy, was founded in the post-war period (1950s and 1960s) when the global economy was going through hard times of recovery. In the north-east part of Italy a new type of firms was developed. The question may be put why didn’t the other two important industrialized districts known as First Italy (the industrial heartland of the North) and the Second Italy (the backward South) have become the regions of wealth and economic growth.The answer lies primarily in the cultural values: the local culture of entrepreneurship and cooperation (Boschma, 1998) that to some extent doesn’t apply for other Italian regions. The following figure displays accurately the industrial zone of Italy: According to Bagnasco (1977) from a economic point of view Italy was divided into the ’Three Italies’: the North-west, the big companies, was tagged as ’central economy’, the shallow regions of the South seen as ’marginal economy’ and the central-North-eastern regions- known as Third Italy- haracterized by the presence of small firms that are defined as ’peripheral economy’. Nonetheless, the way in which the Third Italy region was defined didn’t hide the real facts; when compared to the North-west typology, productivity per worker and work unit-costs were sensibly lower. But t his didn’t disable the central-north-east cluster to have a significant development process that is confirmed by: a reduction of agricultural employees, an increase in manufacturing workers, growth in resident population, and an upward trend in Italy’s industrial national product (Bianchi, 1998).The â€Å"Third Italy† region, also referred to as Emilia-Romagna, forms a north-eastern group of counties that propelled themselves to a position of prosperity between the relatively wealthy north-western triangle of Italy and the relatively impoverished Mezzagiorno region south of Rome (Walcott, 2007). Localized production centres utilize export-oriented niche specializations to create place-based economies supporting local firms. Related residents supply both low labour costs and endogenously accumulated capital.Light industrial products include foods, clothing, shoes, furniture, and metal work for a craft-based market. Building on a textiles and leather goods special ization, that demands rapid responses to a notoriously fickle fashion market, familial and other locally forged trust-based ties enabled local star â€Å"Benetton† to become an international fashion retail chain. Knowledge of the local market was so finely tuned that offerings were famously differentiated even within the same city (Walcott, 2007).External economies of place propelled tightly organized local regions to maximize returns based on clearly defined sectoral specialization. In one example clearly defying physical topography, Silicon Valley imitators sprang up around the globe as hopeful high technology havens. A real estate set-aside does not an industrial district make, however (Walcott, 2007). Early glitches of the SMEs within the industrial districts In the early 1990s the one of the menacing forces against the Italian industrial clusters was the post-industrial transition.The internationalization of the economy endangers the developing process of small-scale fir ms. One good argument is the external market that provides expanded multinational, multi-product, multi-market companies (Holland, 1987). Even if the European Union is trying to help out these businesses by adopting policies and programmes the structural problems are not accurately aimed (Dastoli and Vilella, 1992: 179). Firms part of the Italian industrial district were running short of breath confirming that the market by its self regulation has launched an attack to the ’small is beautiful’ saying.Innovation plays a key part in the life of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from the industrial clusters. It is noticed a decline in the importance of factors sources of external economies) that empowered the initial outset of the firms. The long used external sources were starting to lose grip in the face of the needed environmental efficiency (Bianchi, 1998). The changes that had to be performed weren’t a walk in the park. According to Bianchi (1990): the local entrepreneurs’ social culture and the past history successes disable the belief of urgent innovation investment.Also, economic barriers have prohibited small firms to access the large scale research and development, marketing and etc. (Regini and Sabel, 1989). Furthermore, two additional problems sprung up from the innovation process that need to be taken into consideration: ’product innovation’ in those zone of production with a highly design content that subtracts the formal innovation side rather than the technological innovation, because the first one includes creativity, imagination and taste, factors that are not easily obtained in business-set like this.The other difficulty is process innovation meaning that adopting a higher technological labour focused system would both increase productivity and decrease costs (Bianchi, 1998). Hadjimicalis (Hadjimicalis, 2006) introduces a set of arguments that could nevertheless be the real ones behind Third Italyâ₠¬â„¢s downturn. ’The lack of attention to the role of state’ implies the obsolete focus on different direct and indirect protectionist measures and regulations as in the work of radicals Stoper (1997) and Scott (1988).The most important protectionist measures as the Multi-Fibre Agreement that went in favour for Italy’s blooming manufacturing industries. The regulatory decisions have protected Italy along with other countries from ’unlimited competition’ in garments and textiles from the menacing low waged countries in the Eastern part of the world. Another governmental intervention was the fiscal regulation which consisted the hedging the exchange rates for the lira due to the devaluations throughout the 20th century and one of them when Euro currency was adopted in 2001.An interesting fact is that all those authors that supported the theories behind Third Italy industrial clusters as (Asheim 1999, Becattini 1990, Cooke 1988) haven’t seen th e harsh reality of such a business type: poor working conditions and safety conditions, longer work hours and low paid working hours. All the other specific characteristics of the small-scale enterprises from the region as: flexibility, innovation and embbededness of small firms (Hadjimichalis, 2006). Another term that was used to explain the success of Italian IDs is ’social capital’.It is the theoretical concept that has been used by various authors. A good perspective is seen through the lenses of Hadjimichalis: ’From individuals to communities, from firms to families, from cooperation to competition, from working conditions to unions, from trust and reciprocity to corruption and from the success to the failure of a place, all are called social capital’, this explaining clearly the real trend of firms within the Italian industrial clusters. Analysis of two of the regional clusters at stakeThe most remarkable evolution oscillations can be outlined in Em ilia-Romagna and Veneto provinces, where ’industrialisation without breaks’ (Fua,1983) was followed by a third party strategy ’without breaks’ which means that the regions have gained the prestige of stability organisms within the frontier of national development. The Piedmont and Lombardy are also good examples for the comparative advantage of their early launch and the lasting predominance of their industries provided the solid foundations for a strong post-industrial transition (Bianchi, 1998).Tuscany, on the other hand, has badly faced up to the need to restructure during the 1980s. Its historical memory describes best the anti-industrial attitude of its ruling class. Differences between the two provinces within the Third Italy are clear. The Emilia-Romagna’s type of industrial development is seen as unique and deeply rooted in the region’s culture and entrepreneurial activity (Heidenreich, 1996) and when compared to Tuscany’s ina bility to cope with a model of development that seems inapplicable to the case.Table 1 underlines the two differences in between the two regions described above. What went wrong? The industrial district of Third Italy (IDs) have suffered severe changes during the early 1990s because of the demand fall for Made in Italy products along with the emergence of new lower waged Eastern Europe companies and developing countries (Grancelli,2006). The active devaluation of the lira due to the euro introduction had a significant impact on the upward trend of Italian exports.The small-scale enterprises that have set a foothold into the creation of the so-called Third Italy region, were basically family businesses which put all into a network bowl had formed the leading industrial area of Italy and a model to follow on by the emerging countries. Following the same idea it could be said that the demographic decline has started a process of ’social construction of the market’ (Bagnas co ;amp; Triglia 1984; Dei Ottati 1995; Provasi 2002).The financial global crisis has put its fingerprint on the actual Italian industrial districts, but those enterprises that could jump incremental innovation and ensure a competitive position globally had somewhat survived the impact (Whitford, 2001). The latter example of firms shows that they have created vertically integrated organizational blueprints, and made foreign direct investments in contrast to the swept out firms that have just relocated part of their production (Grancelli, 2006) to low pay working force or to attract foreign workers in the home production facilities.According to Hadjimichailis (2006) : The erosion of the Italian industrial clusters was made through: ’ Relocation of production in Eastern Europe in search of low labour costs’ and this gave birth to: a severe increase in unemployment percentages and adding the hiring of immigrant workers within the Italian borders. Hadjimichailis (2006) als o introduces the ’bloody Taylorism’ term which is used in relation to the destination markets of the Italian entrepeneurs, Eastern Europe countries.This is used in connection to the SMEs of Veneto which were thought to re-establish Fordist factories due to delocalization processes. One example is the relocated production quotas abroad which ranged from 23% to 45% that resulted in a decrease of 28% of employment, 38% of production units in the region. This being said, the following concluding remarks could be made: ’Fordism is not only alive and well at the global scale, but it also returns as a solution to Italian firms’ from the industrial clusters, which were the models of flexibility and industrial district mythology (Hadjimichailis, 2006 : 95).The eastern slide of some of the sub-contractors from the Third Italy confirms the ideology that coordination between subsidiaries abroad and the parent company could not be only made through tacit knowledge of skilled workers and technicians remains an important factor even in a globally set value chain (Biggero, 2006). Those actors that have relocated their business into the Eastern part of Europe, Romania or other Balkan countries are seen as ’extroverted actors’ that also maintained relations within the home country district (Tappy, 2005).An important technological disequilibrium was introduced in the late 1960s – plastic materials for ski boots – by the lively research of external knowledge through some of leading firms. Another challenge of the north-eastern industrial clusters is the superior technological level of the products and putting a foot in the door of appealing mergers and acquisitions. Old, traditional and family driven businesses that are identified within the Third Italy areas need to see the ever changing strategy patterns as to going from a production to design phase which could attract cost diminishing (Cooke, 1998).It must not be neglecte d the power created by the tight bonded social network that has nurtured its roots for more than 50 years and before de ’90s has raised economic analysts’ eye browses throughout the world. Concluding remarks In order to survive, Italian industrial districts need to be fulfilling the following two conditions: their social and geographical division of labour remains globally competitive as compared to similar areas, sectors and other forms of industrial production, and their internal system of social reproduction remains unchallenged. Hadjimichalis, 2006) Mergers and acquisitions with famous brand names could be live threats for the small business embedded firms from the industrial zones of Italy. The power of Fordism has not dawned; in fact there is an increase of business deployment using this theory mainly in the Eastern countries. De-localization breaks the mesmerizing effect of small-scale flexible companies and builds up the multinational company picture having ver tical integrated characteristics.The presence of a huge wave of non-EU immigrants also changes the parameters of the Third Italy’s rather stable local social structure, with a cap on immigrations that could preserve craft traditions and the reproduction of skills. Even though ’Third Italy’ concept is turning ethereal, the back stage offers the resources, specific capabilities and core competencies developed throughout the years by the district firms to achieve competitive advantage in their markets but also to allow their sub-parts within the industrial system (Schiavone, 2004).As theories claim Third Italy revolves around the social capital theories that also could be a driver for economic performance (Granato et al. , 1996). In addition to too little social capital, too much social capital could have a negative impact on economic performance (Boschma and Lambooy, 2002). Finally, it could be assumed that the process of rethinking and reorienting of Third Italyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s entrepreneurial and family based firms has done a significant change to whole industrial aggregate. References Asheim B. (1999), â€Å" Interactive learning and localized knowledge in globalising learning economies†.Geojournal 49(4):345–352 Bagnasco, A. ,Trigilia, C. (eds) (1984), â€Å" Societa e politica nelle aree di piccola impresa: Il caso di Bassano, Venezia: Arsenale Editrice. agnasco†, A. ,Trigilia, C. (eds) (1984), Societa e politica nelle aree di piccola impresa: Il caso di Bassano, Venezia: Arsenale Editrice. Becattini G. , (1990) â€Å"The Marchallian industrial district as a socio-economic notion. In F Pyke, G Becattini and W Sengerberger (eds) Industrial Districts and the Interfirm Co-operation in Italy† (pp 132–142). Geneva: ILO Bianchi, G. (1998), â€Å"Requiem for the Third Italy?Rise and fall of a too successful concept†, Entrepeneurship;amp; Regional Development, 10 (1998), 93-116. Biggero, L. (2006), â€Å"Indus trial and knowledge delocation strategies under the challenges of globalization and digitalization: the move of small and medium enterprises among territorial systems† , Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 18: 443-471 Boschma, R. A. , and Lambooy, J. G. 2002. â€Å" Knowledge, market structure and economic co-ordination: the dynamics of industrial districts. Growth and Change† 33 (3): 291-311. Boschma, Ron A. , Kloosterman R.C. (1998), â€Å"Learning from Clusters: A Critical Assessment†,  © 2005 Springer. Printed in the Netherlands. 139–168. Cooke P. , (1988) â€Å" Flexible integration, scope economies and strategic alliances: Social and spatial mediation†. Society and Space 6:281–300 Cooke P. , Morgan, K. (1998), â€Å" The Associational Economy†, Oxford: O. U. P. Dastoli, P. V. and Viclla, G. 1992â€Å" La Nuova Europa. Dalla Comunita all' Unione (Bologna: II Mulino) † Dei Ottati, G. (1995), â€Å"Tra mercato e com unita: Aspetti concettuali e ricerche empiriche sul distretto industriale†, Milano: F.Angeli. Fua, G. and C. Zacchia (1983) (a cura di), â€Å" Industrializzazione senza fratture, Bologna: Il Mulino†. Granato, J. , Inglehart, R. , and Leblang, D. (1996). â€Å"The effect of cultural values on economic development. Theory, hypotheses, and some empirical testsâ€Å". American Journal of Political Sciences 40 (3): 607-631 Grancelli, B. , Chiesi A. M. (2006), â€Å"Elites-in-the-making and their organizational behaviour: Cases in Russia and the Balkans†, in B. Dallago (ed. ), Transformation and European Integration. The Local Dimension, London: Palgrave. Holland, S. 1987), â€Å"The Market Economy, From Micro- To Meso-Economics† ( London: Weidenfeld ;amp; Nicholson). Hadjimichalis, C. (2006), â€Å"The End of Third Italy as we knew it ? â€Å", Editorial Board of Antipode. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA Heidenreich, M. 1996 â€Å"Beyond flexible specialization: the rearrangement of regional production orders in Emilia-Romagna and Baden-Wurttemberg†, European Planning Studies, 4: 401-420 Makdisi S. , Casarino C. , Karl R. E. , â€Å"Marxism Beyond Marxism† Routledge, London, 1996, pg. 155Provasi, G. (2002) (Ed. ), â€Å"Le istituzioni dello sviluppo, Roma: Donzelli Regini, M. and Sabel†, C. 1989 Strategic di riaggiustamento industriale (Bologna: II Mulino). Schiavone ,F. , Dezi L. (2004), â€Å"Managerial Styles within an Italian Industrial District:Two different successful storiesâ€Å" Scott A and Storper M (1988) â€Å"The geographical foundations and social regulation offlexible production complexes†. In J Wolch and M Dear (eds) The Power of Geography (pp 21–40). London: Allen and Unwin Storper M (1997) â€Å"The Regional World: Territorial Development in a Global Economy†. New York: Guilford Tappi, D . 2005) â€Å"Cluster, adaptation and extroversion. A cognitive and entrepreneurial analysis of the Marche music cluster†, European Urban and Regional Studies, 12/3: 289- 307. Walcott, Susan M. (2007) â€Å"Wenzhou and the Third Italy: Entrepreneurial Model Regions†, Journal of Asia-Pacific Business, 8: 3, 23 — 35 Whitford, J. (2001), â€Å"The decline of a model? Challenge and response in the Italian industrial districts†, Economy and Society, 30/1: 38-65. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Theory that appeared after the ‘Fordism’ period in which a mass consumer was targeted, products standardized and costs lowered. Post-Fordism’ is characterized by ‘flexible specialization’ based on dense networks of flexible, strongly related, mostly small and medium-sized firms in mainly craft-based industries that are concentrated in specialis ed industrial districts(Boschma,1998). [ 2 ]. Copyright 2010 privileges set. [ 3 ]. SME-small and medium enterprises [ 4 ]. Putnam’s work on Italy (1993), Porter’s on clusters (1998) [ 5 ]. (Casarino, 1996) – After the Industrial Revolution, a mechanical engineer called Frederick W. Taylor proposed a new way to organize factories and shop floors with what he called the â€Å"Scientific Management†.

buy custom Consequences of the Uninsured Problem essay

buy custom Consequences of the Uninsured Problem essay Introduction Health insurance has a lot of benefits, not only to a working population but also to employers, government, as well as hospitals and doctors. Having a health insurance policy ensures that the individuals along with their families are provided with access to quality medical care, such that they can be taken through preventive measures like immunization, maintenance procedures like frequent medical checkups, and early diagnosis to prevent chronic diseases that can be cured if detected early. All these would imply less health care costs incurred by the hospitals and doctors, as early diagnosis prevents the high cost emergency treatments for most conditions. The government also ends up having to spend less money on health care and the employers and their employees pay lower premiums for their cost sharing insurance arrangements. Generally, everyone is covered when there is adequate health insurance coverage. The other side of that story is, however, not as good. The Problem Statement Gruber (2008) reckons that being uninsured implies that ones access to health care facilities is heavily hampered; it leads to cases when people get to a doctor when their health is severely deteriorated, requiring emergency primary care. This means that there are no preventive or maintenance measures, and the possibility that they cannot afford the cost of this care is also real. The expense is thus transferred to the hospital, the government and the insurance policy holders as the premiums get hiked to cover the rising costs of health care. When the uninsured persons are employed, it means they will be unhealthy and thus fail to report to work for a given number of days. Considering that their illness could have been prevented through vaccination or treated early as a minor problem if caught during a frequent medical checkup, this loss of working days is totally unnecessary and often costs the employer a lot in terms of time and money. Impacts of the Uninsured Issue on Various Stakeholders The major stakeholders in the uninsured issue are hospitals, government, employers, patients, physicians and insurers (Ziller, Coburn Youseflan, 2006). All of these groups are exposed by the uninsured issue in one way or another as discussed below. Hospitals often take in the severe cases that need primary care in the emergency department. This is often very expensive in that the cases brought in by the uninsured tend to be preventable or treatable at a relatively cheaper cost, if diagnosed early. The fact that these individuals do not have access to preventive measures and maintenance procedures leaves them vulnerable to conditions that are not only treatable, but also very preventable. Hospitals are typically responsible for the costs incurred in their emergency departments and thus the uninsured hike these costs (Ziller, Coburn Youseflan, 2006). Also, the high numbers of the uninsured populations in the US implies that these hospitals have a heavy work load in the emergency department. More often than not, this compromises the quality of health care that can be availed by these hospitals, unless the funding is matched to the demand. As more uninsured persons seek health care, more funding is required to sustain the quality of the health services at an acceptable level. The government is partially responsible for funding the health sector, and with so many uninsured individuals the budget is bound to be high. Hospitals cannot run without adequate funding and thus the government needs to cover the deficit if the quality of health care is to be maintained (Sered Fernandopulle, 2008). Also, when an uninsured person checks in to a hospital in a critical state and is later on proven unable to cover their bills, the government has to absorb this cost to cushion the hospitals. The physicians also suffer from the uninsured issue, as they have to deal with emergency cases that are treaatable if diagnosed early or even preventable if the patient has access to routine medical checkups and other preventive measures like vaccination. The high uninsured populations also ensure that the physicists have too much work in the emergency departments. It also frustrates them, given the lives that could have been saved and yet end up being lost as a result of delayed medical attention. It can thus be stated that from the physicists perspective, the uninsured issue increases the cost of health care with regards to the high number of patients they have to deal with, compromises the quality of service, as they have to work longer hours and limits access as there are always too many patients seeking their attention in the emergency room for conditions that should have been diagnosed and treated early as minor conditions, or prevented through immunization. For the insured patients, the uninsured issue increases the cost of insurance as the health care costs go up. They are thus forced to pay higher than normal premiums in order to ensure that the hospitals can maintain the quality of care that they are accustomed to. Also, the fact that there are often many cases in the emergency department implies that these insured patients are unable to access their physicists when they have real emergencies to deal with. For the uninsured, the impact is limited access to health care, high cost of health care at the emergency department and, in some cases, poor quality treatment given that the physicians are overloaded at the emergency department. Employers use health insurance as a motivational package to attract and retain a skilled workforce. However, over 80% of the uninsured population is employed or from a working family (Marwick, 2012). This implies that there are a number of employers who do not provide medical insurance coverage for their employees even on a cost sharing basis and yet an employment-based insurance is the most common and convenient one. Having uninsured employees results in too many cases of sick leaves, as well as low employee retention. Buy custom Consequences of the Uninsured Problem essay

Progressivism Movement essays

Progressivism Movement essays Progressivism implies a philosophy that welcomes innovations and reforms in the political, economic, and social order. The Progressive movement, 1901 to 1917, was ultimately the triumph of conservatism rather than a victory for liberalism. In a general sense, the conservative goals of this period justified the Liberal reforms enacted by Progressive leaders. Deviating from the traditional definition of conservatism (a resistance to change and a disposition of hostility to innovations in the political, social, and economic order), the Conservatist triumph was in the sense that there was an effort to maintain basic social and economic relations vital to a capitalist society. The Progressive leaders essentially wanted to perpetuate Liberal reform in order to bring upon general conservatism. Expansion of the federal governments powers, competition and economic distribution of wealth, and the social welfare of American citizens concerned the many leaders of this era. The business influence on politics was quite significant of the Progressive Era. Not only did the three leading Progressive political figures, Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson, bring upon new heights to government regulation, but also the great business leaders of this era defined the units of political intervention. With political capitalism rising to fame, Progressive politics experienced new themes and areas. The inevitability of federal regulation policies, reformation of social welfare, conservation, and various innovations with banking led to one conservative effort: the preservation of existing powers and economic/social relations. The political leaders of this ear were conservative in that they all believed in the fundamentals of basic capitalism. The various forms of anti-trust legislation presented by each president made the nation one step closer to providing a stable, predictable, and secure, therefore, conservative capitalist society. Theodore Ro...

Winnipeg General Strike of 1919

Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 For six weeks in the summer of 1919 the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba was crippled by a massive and dramatic general strike. Frustrated by unemployment, inflation, poor working conditions and regional disparities after World War I, workers from both the private and public sectors joined forces to shut down or drastically reduce most services. The workers were orderly and peaceful, but the reaction from the employers, city council and the federal government was aggressive. The strike ended in Bloody Saturday when the Royal North-West Mounted Police attacked a gathering of strike supporters. Two strikers were killed, 30 wounded and many arrested. Workers won little in the strike, and it was another 20 years before collective bargaining was recognized in Canada. Causes of Winnipeg General Strike The immediate reasons for the building trades and metal workers going on strike were for better wages and working conditions, for recognition of their unions and for the principle of collective bargaining.The broad sweep of the strike, which involved many non-unionized workers, was partly due to frustrations from World War I. Years of sacrifices during the war and high expectations for its aftermath were met with high unemployment, an industrial downturn, and inflation.The tight labor market had led to an increase in unions.The success of the Russian Revolution in 1917 had led not only to an increase in socialist and labor ideas but also a fear of revolution on the part of those in authority. Beginning of Winnipeg General Strike On May 1, 1919, after months of labor negotiations building workers in Winnipeg, Manitoba went on strike.On May 2, metalworkers went on strike when the employers of the main metalwork factories in Winnipeg refused to negotiate with their union.The Winnipeg Trades and Labour Council (WTLC), the umbrella organization for local labor, called a general strike in sympathy on May 15. About 30,000 workers, both unionized and non-unionized, left their jobs.The Winnipeg general strike was coordinated by the Central Strike Committee with delegates from the unions affiliated with the WTLC. The strike was orderly, with workers avoiding providing any excuse to provoke military force. Essential services were maintained.The Citizens Committee of 1000, made up of manufacturers, bankers, and politicians, provided organized opposition to the strike. The Strike Heats Up The Citizens Committee ignored the strikers demands and with the assistance of local newspapers accused the strikers of Bolshevism, of being enemy aliens and of undermining British values.On May 22, the federal Minister of Labour, Senator Gideon Robertson, and the federal minister of the interior and acting minister of justice Arthur Meighen met with the Citizens Committee. They refused to meet with the Central Strike Committee.Within the week, federal government employees, provincial government employees, and municipal workers were ordered to return to work. An amendment to the Immigration Act was rushed through Parliament to allow the deportation of British-born strike leaders and the definition of sedition in the Criminal Code was expanded.On May 30, the Winnipeg police refused to sign a no-strike pledge. They were fired and an 1800-man force of Specials was hired to tame the strike. They were supplied with horses and baseball bats.On June 17, the strike leaders were arrested in l ate-night raids. The city council outlawed the regular demonstration marches, both pro and anti-strike, by veterans. Bloody Saturday On June 21, which came to be known as Bloody Saturday, strikers pushed over and set fire to a streetcar. The Royal North-West Mounted Police attacked the crowd of strike supporters gathered outside City Hall, killing two and injuring 30. The Specials followed the crowd as it dispersed through the streets, beating protesters with baseball bats and wagon spokes. The army also patrolled the streets with machine guns.Authorities shut down the strikers paper, the Western Labour News, and arrested its editors.On June 26, afraid of more violence, the strike leaders called off the strike. Results of Winnipeg General Strike The metalworkers went back to work without a pay increase.Some workers were jailed, some were deported, and thousands lost their jobs.Seven strike leaders were convicted of a conspiracy to overthrow the government and jailed for up to two years.In the 1920 Manitoba provincial election, 11 labor candidates won seats. Four of them were strike leaders.It was another 20 years before collective bargaining was recognized in Canada.Winnipegs economy went into a decline.Winnipeg remained divided between the Tory south end and the working class north.

Course work business law environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Course work business law environment - Essay Example The above legal forms of doing business offer different benefits, rights as well as obligations to the owners of such businesses and as such as one moves from one form of business to another, the extent and nature of the rights and obligations also change. For example, a sole proprietor is personally liable for all the liability of the business running by him and as such the personal property of the sole proprietor is therefore also subject to liquidation if business fails and files for bankruptcy. Similar, in partnership, the partners are subject to personal liability also however as one move up towards formation of a company either a private or a public, the nature and extent of liability start to change. The shareholders of the private and public limited companies are only liable to the extent of their individual shareholding within the business. It is also important to note that in public limited companies, the function of management and ownership are two separate functions i.e. owners and the managers of the business are separate from each other. This paper will prepare a written analysis of a problem which identifies relevant legal principles; identify remedies and obligations appropriate to the circumstances of a legal situation presented in the given question. From the facts provided in the question, it is clear that the apparent form of the business is a sole proprietorship with Ivor being the legal owner of the business and Andrew as the employee of the new business. Sole proprietorship is considered as the oldest and common form of business formation where an individual can form a business without going into too much detail about the legal consequences of the business formation. Typically a Sole Proprietorship is owned and managed by single person and unlike limited company; there is no separation between the ownership as well as the management of the business. This is also the most distinguished character of the

Business research method and skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business research method and skills - Essay Example In present scenario there are wide array of retailers who gives more importance to their retail store environment. This is because maintaining appropriate ambient conditions enable a firm to attract maximum customers and initiate high revenue margins. At times this form of approach is also regarded as a tool utilized for market differentiation. In this study different journal articles shall be included and reviewed like Journal of International Business and Management, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Business Ethics and Association for Consumer Research. There has been various research studies conducted on effect of store atmospherics on consumer behaviour. However limited analysis is performed on mixture on retail store environmental conditions. This would be the key area of focus in this research study. It is a highly relevant study since retail industry is growing at a rapid pace and marketers invest lump sum amount on store environment conditions. The major aim of this research study is to – â€Å"analyze the impact of ambient conditions of a retail store on consumer purchasing decision†. Objectives of the study are- This study would be feasible since sales volume at retail stores is largely dependent on purchasing behaviour of customers. On the other hand, impact of ambient conditions can be effectively measured through customer satisfaction level and increase in revenue margins. Researcher Hosseini and Jayashree, (2014) have outlined in their study that the decoration and the ambience of the store is regarded as an important element in the overall outlook of the stores that is designed for enhancing the satisfaction of the customers. The atmospheric design of the environment of the retail store includes the lighting, music, communications that stimulates the emotional responses and the perception of the consumers that mainly affect the purchasing behaviour of the customers.

Personal experience in leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal experience in leadership - Essay Example paternalistic leaderships has various merits, combining transformational and transactional leadership styles dependent on the situation, offering better outcomes. I have always believed in achieving results efficiently and also that leadership is earned, it is not granted. In my past experiences, I have come across quite a few situations that tested my leadership skills and I believe that there were a lot of things that I could have done differently to make the situation or the outcomes relatively better. I have always found the quote of General George Patton quite overwhelming, â€Å"Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way†. The quote clearly states a desire to be lead, learn and be capable of influencing people; especially it focuses on getting the task done and overcoming the obstacles offered. There are various theories offered about leadership out of which situational leadership appears to be the most accurate one (Schermerhorn, 2001). Although leadership is an offshoot of the leader’s personality however situational factors cannot be ignored. Considering the audience, one may have an approach or attitude towards the situa tion in hand (Hersey, 1984). However, it is important to note that where leadership styles may vary according to circumstances, the main aura of leader’s personality remains relatively constant however for effective results, altering leadership style according to the situation may remain immensely helpful (Northouse, 2010). Through many online tests and self-assessment of my leadership style, I have come across the fact that my natural leadership style is of paternalistic nature (Erben & Gà ¼neÅŸer, 2008; Gerhardt, 2012). I find it more comfortable to develop strong relationships with my team, set clear objectives and provide enough time, effort and guidance to the team members in order to achieve the desired objectives. There are various instances in which I had a chance to

Macroeconomics of Financial Markets Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Macroeconomics of Financial Markets - Assignment Example Foreign businesses that would like to purchase goods in the US have to convert the currencies they have into US dollars. However, a rising dollar makes the foreign businesses to use much of their currencies to obtain a unit of US dollar. Thus, the foreign businesses will use more US dollars to obtain a product in the US. This means that businesses in the US that export goods and services will prefer a rising dollar. As the dollar rises, they obtain higher amounts for the goods that they export. This would be the same for a European tourist who comes to the US to visit the Grand Canyon. The tourist will have to change the European pounds that he or she has for US dollars. However, in case the dollar is rising, it means that the value of the dollar is declining. Thus, one unit of European pound will fetch more units of US dollar (Thomas, 2006). Therefore, the European tourist will obtain more units of US dollars. He or she will be able to access more products and services when he or sh e reaches the United States. Question Two The Fed can use various methods to create money. Creation of money refers to the methods that the Fed uses to manage the quantity of money that is in circulation in the economy. One of the methods is through open market operations. This refers to purchase and sale of United States’ government bonds (Ritter, Silber, & Udell, 2004). The Fed can buy government bonds from the public. This increases the amount of money in circulation in the United States. As the government buys bonds, it releases money into the economy. Alternatively, in case the Fed wants to reduce the amount of money in the economy, it can sell government bonds to the public (Mishkin, 2010). The sale of government bonds makes the Fed take money from the public and offers the public bonds. Therefore, the amount of money in circulation decreases. The Fed can use commercial banks’ reserve requirements to influence the amount of money in circulation (Burton, Brown, & Burton, 2009). Commercial banks must retain a given proportion of the deposits they receive. Thus, commercial banks cannot lend all the money deposited in their accounts. An increase in reserve ratio means that commercial banks will reduce the amount of money that they lend to the public. This reduces the amount of money in circulation. On the other hand, a decrease in reserve ratio requirement means that commercial banks can lend more money to the customers. Thus, the amount of money in circulation increases. The Fed can also influence the amount of money in circulation through the discount window (Thomas, 2006). Commercial banks usually borrow money from the Fed since it is the lender of the last resort. The Fed usually charges an interest whenever commercial banks borrow money. The Fed can increase the interest rate it charges to the commercial banks to reduce the amount of money in circulation. Alternatively, it can reduce the interest rate to increase the amount of money in cir culation. Finally, the Fed can make recommendations to the treasury so that money supply can be increased through printing (Ritter, Silber, & Udell, 2004). The Fed does not directly control money through printing or minting. The treasury prints notes and mints coins. This method can be used to direct the quantity of money in the economy. The most powerful method is the open market operation. However, the most commonly used method is the discount window or rate. It enables gradual reduction or increase in money in

Sexual offender registration and Notification laws in the State of Essay

Sexual offender registration and Notification laws in the State of Florida - Essay Example e and corrections organizations in the enactment of this legislation has helped reduce the occurrence of sexual offenses among the citizen population and visiting tourists. Sexual Offender Registration and Notification laws are beneficial in the state of Florida because they offer the community access to information significant to their ability to safeguard themselves and their families against sexual criminals. The comprehensive national registration system for the registration of sexual offenders reacts to the brutal attacks by forceful sexual marauders on victims such as Jacob Wetterling and Megan Nicole Kanka. The law covers both those who are yet to start their sentence and those who have completed their criminal sentences. The aim is to keep track of the activities the sexual offenders partake and their current residence. This is essential to dissuade current offenders and future offenders. In addition, it ensures that residents are aware of the history of offenders and avert themselves from potential risks. It is easy to enforce restrictions through the application of laws such as the Jacob Wetterling Act. For instance, sexual offenders should not stay next to school institution or near minors. These restrictions must be disparate from those that apply to probationers or parolees. Although critics may argue that the laws are too austere to rehabilitate criminals, sexual offenders still pose a threat to humanity and there is a need to monitor their activities and

Macroeconomics of Financial Markets Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Macroeconomics of Financial Markets - Assignment Example Foreign businesses that would like to purchase goods in the US have to convert the currencies they have into US dollars. However, a rising dollar makes the foreign businesses to use much of their currencies to obtain a unit of US dollar. Thus, the foreign businesses will use more US dollars to obtain a product in the US. This means that businesses in the US that export goods and services will prefer a rising dollar. As the dollar rises, they obtain higher amounts for the goods that they export. This would be the same for a European tourist who comes to the US to visit the Grand Canyon. The tourist will have to change the European pounds that he or she has for US dollars. However, in case the dollar is rising, it means that the value of the dollar is declining. Thus, one unit of European pound will fetch more units of US dollar (Thomas, 2006). Therefore, the European tourist will obtain more units of US dollars. He or she will be able to access more products and services when he or sh e reaches the United States. Question Two The Fed can use various methods to create money. Creation of money refers to the methods that the Fed uses to manage the quantity of money that is in circulation in the economy. One of the methods is through open market operations. This refers to purchase and sale of United States’ government bonds (Ritter, Silber, & Udell, 2004). The Fed can buy government bonds from the public. This increases the amount of money in circulation in the United States. As the government buys bonds, it releases money into the economy. Alternatively, in case the Fed wants to reduce the amount of money in the economy, it can sell government bonds to the public (Mishkin, 2010). The sale of government bonds makes the Fed take money from the public and offers the public bonds. Therefore, the amount of money in circulation decreases. The Fed can use commercial banks’ reserve requirements to influence the amount of money in circulation (Burton, Brown, & Burton, 2009). Commercial banks must retain a given proportion of the deposits they receive. Thus, commercial banks cannot lend all the money deposited in their accounts. An increase in reserve ratio means that commercial banks will reduce the amount of money that they lend to the public. This reduces the amount of money in circulation. On the other hand, a decrease in reserve ratio requirement means that commercial banks can lend more money to the customers. Thus, the amount of money in circulation increases. The Fed can also influence the amount of money in circulation through the discount window (Thomas, 2006). Commercial banks usually borrow money from the Fed since it is the lender of the last resort. The Fed usually charges an interest whenever commercial banks borrow money. The Fed can increase the interest rate it charges to the commercial banks to reduce the amount of money in circulation. Alternatively, it can reduce the interest rate to increase the amount of money in cir culation. Finally, the Fed can make recommendations to the treasury so that money supply can be increased through printing (Ritter, Silber, & Udell, 2004). The Fed does not directly control money through printing or minting. The treasury prints notes and mints coins. This method can be used to direct the quantity of money in the economy. The most powerful method is the open market operation. However, the most commonly used method is the discount window or rate. It enables gradual reduction or increase in money in

Comparison of the foreign policy decision making by the United States Essay

Comparison of the foreign policy decision making by the United States and Germany on the example of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF - Essay Example 1. Foreign Policy Decision Making of the US 1.1 Constitutional Conditions By virtue of his constitutional prerogatives, as set up in Article II, Section 1 and 2 of the US Constitution, the President of the United States is the nation’s chief executive and Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, as well as is granted the power to make treaties with foreign nations, â€Å"by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate†¦ provided two thirds of the Senators concur† (Clause 2). This postulate not only outlines the presidential powers in regard to foreign policy decision making, but also gives the Senate quite a passable share in that process by requiring Senate approval and confirmation of any treaty before it comes into effect. However, the President is allowed to enter into â€Å"presidential or sole executive agreements† concluded on the basis of his constitutional authority in regard to Article II, Section 1, Section 2, Clause 1 and Clause 2, as well as Se ction 3 of the Constitution (Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress 4). In addition to his control over the military forces, the President has the authority to deploy them at his discretion – in other words to wage war – while the Congress is empowered to declare war, and to raise and support armies, as well as to provide and maintain navy, which alongside the control of funding the military provides another way of keeping the executive branch in check (Constitution of the United States, Article I, Section 8, Clauses 11, 12, 13). Under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, the Congress is additionally empowered to â€Å"make all Laws which shell be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers† (Clause 18), which clause enables the legislature to use any reasonable means to put the powers in question into action, and authorizes the Congress to enact legislation necessary to carry out the powers of the other branches as we ll (Constitution of the US, Article I, Section 8, Explanation). This division of the war powers had repeatedly been put to the test in Korea, Vietnam and other places, where the US were involved in a number of intense conflicts without any declaration of war. That had provoked congressmen’s concern and a national argument over the meaning of these powers and the erosion of congressional authority to decide whether and when the United States should be involved in a war. As a consequence, both the House of Representatives and Senate passed the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148) which, although being vetoed by the President Nixon, was enacted in 1973. The resolution has been intended to guarantee â€Å"that the collective judgment of both the Congress and the President will apply to the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities† (War Powers Resolution, Sec. 2a), as well as to stipulate the procedures of consultation, reporting, congressional actio n, etc. in regard to the US involvement into such situations. 1.2. Participating Institutions As seen from above, the institutions all-important in the process of creation (decision making) and implementation of U.S. foreign

The heat energy given out Essay Example for Free

The heat energy given out Essay I think it will happen for the following scientific reasons: As the size of the carbon chain grows, more bonds are added to the structure of the alcohol. This means that each time, more energy from the surroundings must be extracted in order to break these starting bonds (endothermic stage). Yet, the more energy that is taken to break the bonds, the more energy is used to form the products bonds and this makes the energy of the products greater than that of the reactants. The alcohols start off with methanol, which has 0 carbon carbon bonds, 3 carbon hydrogen bonds, 1 carbon oxygen bond and 1 oxygen hydrogen bond. When the products are formed, excess energy is released which is mainly due to the amount of C = O bonds being made. The products of methanol have 2 C = O bonds and 4 O H bonds. Since a C = O bond has a high energy value of 805, many of them will ensure that the energy of the products is greater than that of the reactants. Here are the theoretical values for the input, output and exothermic heat energy of methanol along with a diagram and the bond energy values: Bond type Energy Value (Kj) Bond type Energy Value. Now lets take ethanol as an example. The bonds are 1 C C bond, 5 C H bonds, 1 C O bond and 1 O H bond. The number of C H bonds has risen by 2 and the carbon bond has gone up by one. For the products, there are 4 C = O bonds and 6 O H bonds which is two more bonds than methanol. Here is the input and output calculation for ethanol: The theoretical input energy for the ethanol is greater than that of methanol as is the output energy and the exothermic heat energy difference. The same is shown with proponal, butanol, pentanol, heptanol and octanol. The pattern that we see is that when the alcohols gain a carbon, they have to break an extra 2 C H bonds (and C C bonds if it is connected to another carbon) and this makes it need more energy from the surroundings which comes out as more energy when the products are formed. The theoretical values show that the more bonds in the reactants, the greater the bonds in the products and the more the theoretical energy difference. Also, since there is a regular change in the structure of the alcohols, then there is probably a regular change in the energies too. There is a regular change in the exothermic energy given out. Here is a graph of my theoretical values in order to show the relationship between the energy given out and the number of carbons: The number and range of results I will need, to obtain reliable evidence are: I will need to have at least 20 results; twice for each different alcohol, perhaps thrice if possible. If each experiment is done at least once, then averages of mass differences can be obtained and will make the energy given out by one mole of alcohol readings of each, much more accurate. The range of these results will be from the alcohol ethanol to the alcohol octanol which is 7 alcohols in all as we are excluding methanol and heptanol. This will enable me to make bond energy charts for each alcohol to easily identify and illustrate the relative heat energies released. I will require the apparatus for my investigation: Spirit burners of each alcohol, 5 heatproof mats, metal stand and clamp, thermometer, can, ruler, measuring cylinder, splint and a cardboard can lid. The way I will use this apparatus to obtain reliable evidence is shown below: Once the apparatus has been assembled as shown, fill the measuring cylinder with a specific volume of water and pour into the can. The starting temperature of the water should be recorded and the temperature it will go up to should be calculated by adding the original temperature to a temperature rise (e. g. 20i C + 7i C =27i C). Check that the distance between the alcohol and spirit burner and that the temperature rise is the same for every experiment. Weigh the alcohol before the experiment and then place in the shelter of the windbreakers, so it is directly underneath the can. Light the alcohol using a lighted splint and close it in with another heatproof mat. Safety glasses must be worn as the alcohols are flammable and if some gets on your hands, they must be washed immediately in case any flame touches your hand. Also, it would be safer and less of an equipment hazard if one Bunsen burner were used. Put the cardboard lid on top of the can and the thermometer through it (punch hole in lid and slide thermometer through). After the water temperature goes up to the one decided, put out the alcohol and weigh its finishing mass. This should be recorded. To prepare for a repeat empty out the can and refill and change the alcohol with another of the same type. Repeat the procedure for other alcohols and take average. I have used the following to help me plan my investigation: I have used the following books to help me plan my investigation: Physics for you by Keith Johnson. On page 37 to 39, I found out information concerning measuring heat energy, its values, specific heat capacity and a table displaying specific heat capacities of different substances. Revision guide for GCSE Double Science Physics where on page 67 to 68, there is information about heat transfer, evaporation, the conduction of heat and vibrating particles. Chemistry for you by Lawrie Ryan (Revised National Curriculum Edition). On page 178 to 179, there is information regarding organic molecules such as alcohol; their structures, physical properties and homologous series. On page 182, there is information on the combustion of alcohols, a brief explanation of the combustion experiment and combustion formulas. On page 186, which is about energy transfer, there is more detailed coverage of incomplete/complete combustion and fuels. On page 190 to 195, there are things about exothermic/endothermic reactions, what happens to the temperature during these reactions, energy level diagrams, making and breaking bonds and finally bond energy calculations.   Nuffield Book of Data sheet has exothermic heat energies of all the alcohols combustion reactions and all the varied bond energy values. I have done the following experiments to help plan my investigation: periment on page 191 to see what substances have endothermic or exothermic reactions. Previous practise experiment of the alcohol investigation, which helped me to find corrections for certain procedures, various precautions, tips that would produce less inaccuracy, discover key factors and how to set up the apparatus. Here is the set up of my results table as an example of what I learnt from the practise experiment.

The Road Not Taken

The Road Not Taken The poem The Road not taken was written by celebrated American poet Robert Frost. In this poem Robert Frost talks about the choices that a person faces in the journey of life, this poem deals with the questions of what might have happened if the traveler had chosen the other road in front of him, had or had not it made any difference in his life. These unanswered questions make the poem all the more ambiguous, riveting and complex. In the ensuing paragraphs a detailed literary analysis of the poem The Road Not Taken will be done, in particular the discussion will focus on dissecting the important poetic parameters of form, content, style and irony. FORM Literary form is broadly referred to as the manner and organization in which the literary work is arranged. Robert Frost has described the psychological chaos a person goes through while making decisions on choosing the path of life in the form of a gentle, free flowing poem. CONTENT ANALYSIS In doing the analysis of Robert Frosts poem The Road Not Taken some key factors are considered that provide a better insight of how the literary work was developed and what was the hidden meaning behind the written word, if there is any. The key factors that provide a basis for content analysis are Symbolism, Ambiguity and extent of Individualism contained in the poem. Symbolism: Symbolism relates to undertaking of a journey. At a deeper level symbolism is artificial, yet it is something we cannot live without. Words as they are written on paper are not important but what ideas, images and shapes the words invoke in the minds of people are more important. The three words in the poem Two roads diverged perhaps represent the strongest symbolism used in the poem where on surface it may seem that Frost is talking about a fork in the road, but in reality he is talking about choices people face in their lives. The roads diverged is a metaphor describing the turning points in life when people have the opportunity to decide and choose a path in their life, but for every road a person takes he/she has to forgo another road which in actuality is the The road not taken. Ambiguity: Another very important theme that is observed in Robert Frosts poem is the ambiguous nature of what appears on paper and what is actually intended. Robert Frost has written The Road Not Taken staying true to the saying that the very nature of literature is Polyvalent, i.e. it can mean different things at different times. Robert Frosts poem The Road Not Taken also contains traces of ambiguity that makes his poem ever so enigmatic. The roads in Frosts poem do not intertwine but the language does to a great extent until the reader is lost in the autumn yellow wood of the forest wondering if neither path was taken or if both paths were taken (Fagan). Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both (Frost). Another important consideration that greatly gives rise to ambiguity in Robert Frosts poem is the preference of word road over path as one imagines a path to be less travelled and the road to be much more travelled. The use of the word road gives suppo rt to the idea that the particular road has been worn for all except the speaker (Fagan). Individualism: Yehoshua Arieli believes that the term Individualism was coined by Saint-Simonians to characterize the condition of human society in the nineteenth century (Brown). Individualism is a pre-dominant feature of all the Robert Frost poems. His sense of individualism is greatly apparent in his work and gives the hints of a person who operates at a totally different level from those around him by ardently exposing the true picture of this very savage and cruel world (Ray). In his poem The Road Not Taken, Frost depicts his eccentric sense of Individualism when he articulates that, I took the one less traveled by (Frost). At this particular point the I of I took the one less traveled by becomes the most important of the whole poem, emphasizing that here the decision is taken keeping ones personal consideration in mind by taking the road less frequented upon. The line and that has made all the difference (Frost)also plays an important role in depicting that the individualistic decision to take the road less travelled by resulted in something that is greatly different from the routine outcome that would have resulted from following the worn beaten path which everyone follows. STYLE The term Style generally means manner or mode whereas the term Literary Style refers to a way of putting thoughts into words and the distinctive method of expression of a particular writer. The style of all the Robert Frost poems including The Road not Taken is based on a search for understanding of things that are apparently hidden from the view. Frost takes the medium of simplicity to get across his deeper finer ideals to the people, but while he may be talking about ordinary things the intended meaning of his poems is much different from the written word. This ambiguity gives a sense of mystery to Robert Frosts work that is difficult to find in ordinary works of literature. IRONY Irony in English literature means saying the opposite of what one actually means to say, though using stylistic indications like tone of voice, gestures to convey the actual meaning. The phrase all the difference (Frost) exemplifies Frosts typical style of irony; this phrase takes a dig at people who always regret not having chosen the other path in their life, when in actuality even choosing that path would not really have made any difference in their life. CONCLUSION The poem The Road not Taken can easily be considered as one of the best short poems written by the Robert frost taken into consideration the seemingly easy to understand but the inherent complex meaning of the poem. In this beautifully written poem multi-meaning words and phrases can be found abundantly. Robert Frost believes in communication of profoundly important concepts while talking about ordinary things, this belief is reflected in his poem The Road not Taken when he explores the dilemma of making a choice in the journey of life while talking about a traveler who has come to a fork in the road and has chosen one of the roads. Annotated Bibliography Brown, R. Philip. Authentic Individualism:A Guide for Reclaiming the Best of Americas Heritage. University Press of America, 1996. In this book the development of the concept of Individualism in western philosophy is discussed. The discussion that starts from the time of Saint-Simonians stretches to a comprehensive discussion of role of individualism in development of American culture, history and society. This book concentrates on tracing the roots of the concept of individualism; discussing what was the concept of individualism for the individual of dark ages moving to a discussion on the medieval mindset followed by a discussion on the concept of individualism in the modern world. In the discussion focusing on the literary parameter of individualism it was important to first understand the concept of individualism itself, this book proved to be the starting point for understanding this important literary parameter. Fagan, Deirdre. Robert Frost. Infobase Publishing, 2007. This book is an excellent resource providing quality information on the key aspects of life and work of the great American poet Robert Frost. This book is unique because it contains an extensive collection of each of Robert Frosts published poems, masques and plays. In addition to gathering all the masterpieces of the literary giant at one place another wonderful thing the book has achieved is that it provides selected information about each of the written work of Robert Frost; information such as the main theme and idea behind the written word are sure to provide excellent information to any student of Robert Frosts work. Frost, Robert. Mountain Interval. Henry Holt and Company, 1916. This book is an authentic source of primary information on many of Robert Frosts very well known, closely analyzed and moving poems including The Road not Taken. This book is of particular importance to the students and learners of English poetry in particular who can use this book as a primary source of information containing many of the best anthologized poems of the beloved American poet Robert Frost. Ray, Ed. Mohit K. Studies In American Literature. Atlantic Publishers Dist, 2002. This book contains important discussion on the nature and culture of American poetry. This discussion on American poetry is aided by a dissecting the poetic tendencies and poems of important American poets such as Robert Frost, Arthur Miller, Sylvia Plath, Tennessee Williams, and Philip Roth. This book proved to be a source of information for writing this essay as it contains comprehensive information on life and work of the great American poet Robert Frost. The book contains a very informative discussion on the poetic style of Frost while specially elaborating his eccentric sense of individualism depicted in almost all of his written work.

Waking Life :: essays research papers

Most (i didnt really even know what to make of it. its the kid from that movie dazed and confused basically trying to find out the meaning of life and his identity and shit.. and hes like constantly in this dreamworld.. that he cant seem to wake up of.. he cant differentiate his dreams from reality. so one of the points is that there is no waking life...there is life and nothing else....each experience is an experience, nothing more or nothing less, each has the same value...the things you experience in your dreams are life itself... also...a lot of stress on wherever you are is the place to be...accept that every moment has the potential for greatness Waking Life is clearly an experiment, and, as such, looks and feels much different from anything else recently seen on a movie screen. The backgrounds frequently waver, making it look like all of the action is taking place on board a gently rocking ship. This is all intentional, since every moment of Waking Life is meant to be transpiring inside a dream. ). They are present in an interlude, having an intriguing discussion about dream activity and reincarnation. Indeed, Waking Life is comprised of a series of philosophical discussions ranging from how language evolved to the role of the media in modern life to free will & quantum mechanics to the meaning of identity. Waking Life certainly isn't for everyone, but, in large part because of its fresh approach and its endlessly fascinating discourses, it ends up staying with you long after the jittery animated images have faded from the screen. , but instead of grounding the film in reality, it allows for a wide range of visual styles. Th is is necessary since it all takes place in a dream state. The dreamer is unnamed, but voiced by Wiley Wiggins. He meets various people, who go on long soliloquies about philosophy and how it relates to dreaming and death. At other times, he eavesdrops (with the audience) on other similar conversations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The film doesn't make it known whether he is dreaming from the beginning, but the visuals are always disjointed, as if from a dream. Objects float and surfaces shift while perspective is distorted in Picasso-like fashion. The style is distracting at first, but the deep conversations pull you in until a dream-like state falls upon the audience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A man in a dream state encounters many characters who, one by one, talk about their views on the meaning, perception, and reality of human existence.

It’s Better To Live In A Small Town Than A Big City

Nowaday, People often have 2 selection for their living place. Some people prefer to live in small town and Others prefer to live in the big city. I think one of the most important decisions that human have to take is to choose his living place where you can feel more comfortable,more suitable and happier. Peronally, I think setting down in modern big city is more beneficial. Through my essay I will analyze one of the most important reasons which is Chance of having a better carreer.Big cities has bigger market, companies or corporations are more famous so of course you can have more chance to found a better work . I have a same age friend. He study IT in an university in Thai Nguyen city , It’s a city which smaller than Ha Noi capital. He graduated from a famous university but after 1 year in Thai Nguyen he still unemployed Because number of companies fewer means you will have less chance. There are too many student graduated from university each year but number of companies is only slightly increased.Many student together apply in to one company. Having too much CV of employees but employment in the company are limited so maybe you must to win hundred of people,who applied together with you in order to have employment in the company and my close friend can’t do that. After that I advice him to go to Ha Noi to find another chance and he agreed. He went to Ha Noi and applied to some companies. Amazing! Having 3 companies want to contract with him after only 2 months.He contracted with FPT corporation and work as a Software Specialist about computer. Now he still work there and feeling very happy when being a FPT's staff. From this example we can see that there are more activities in big cities that help people to expose their chance. It is clear from the example that we can have better opportunities in big cities. In a nutshell, I am still positive living in big city is Hanoi where will allow me have better work chance. And I believe that many peo ple will move to here for the same reason. It’s better to live in a small town than a big city Nowaday, People often have 2 selection for their living place. Some people prefer to live in small town and Others prefer to live in the big city. I think one of the most important decisions that human have to take is to choose his living place where you can feel more comfortable,more suitable and happier. Peronally, I think setting down in modern big city is more beneficial. Through my essay I will analyze one of the most important reasons which is Chance of having a better carreer.Big cities has bigger market, companies or corporations are more famous so of course you can have more chance to found a better work . I have a same age friend. He study IT in an university in Thai Nguyen city , It’s a city which smaller than Ha Noi capital. He graduated from a famous university but after 1 year in Thai Nguyen he still unemployed Because number of companies fewer means you will have less chance. There are too many student graduated from university each year but number of companies is only slightly increased.Many student together apply in to one company. Having too much CV of employees but employment in the company are limited so maybe you must to win hundred of people,who applied together with you in order to have employment in the company and my close friend can’t do that. After that I advice him to go to Ha Noi to find another chance and he agreed. He went to Ha Noi and applied to some companies. Amazing! Having 3 companies want to contract with him after only 2 months.He contracted with FPT corporation and work as a Software Specialist about computer. Now he still work there and feeling very happy when being a FPT's staff. From this example we can see that there are more activities in big cities that help people to expose their chance. It is clear from the example that we can have better opportunities in big cities. In a nutshell, I am still positive living in big city is Hanoi where will allow me have better work chance. And I believe that many peo ple will move to here for the same reason.

A Museum Trip

uMuseum trip 1) How have my field trip enriched my understanding of being a Singaporean? -The trip to the museum brought about an indelible experience. I understood the great history of Singapore and how our forefathers survived and fought through the World War 2. Being a Singaporean meant much more than just living a beautiful lion city, instead it is one with great history and commendable spirit of our forefathers that make us, Singaporeans proud of our country. ) What have I learnt from this visit? -I learnt that the success of Singapore was brought about by many of our ancestors/forefathers/great leaders, and the peace and stability in our country cannot be taken for granted. Regardless of race, language or religion, everyone must work together to build a conducive society for ourselves and the future generation. 3) What are the highlights and key observations of my visit? The highlights of the visit was the world war 2 exhibition where we saw the stages of the war, which include s the downfall and the rise of Singapore. Another highlight was how life was like, in the past, and it was an eye opening experience as it was what I never imagined. Little India trip 1) How have my field trip enriched my understanding of being a Singaporean? -Being a Singaporean Chinese, I hardly went to other cultural places except for Chinatown.However, a trip to little India helped me to understand the cultural values of another race in Singapore. It helped me to understand what their iconic places for common visiting were. 2) What have I learnt from this visit? I learnt the Indian Culture, when we had our meals at a famous Indian eatery, where the bare right hand is used to consume food without a use of cutlery. I also learnt that flower garlands were a common item used when worshipping their gods.Lastly, I also understood the Indian tradition by speaking to the owners of the flower garland shops. 3) What are the highlights and key observations of my visit? -The highlights incl ude a visit to the Tekka Market, where all the common Indian food were. It also includes visits to the Indian temples, small shops which sells accessories such as Indian bangles and others which specializes in selling flowers and garlands.

Katherine Mansfield Essay

She was born in 1888 in Wellington, a town labeled â€Å"the empire city† by its white inhabitants, who modeled themselves on British life and relished their city’s bourgeois respectability. [1] At an early age, Mansfield witnessed the disjuncture between the colonial and the native, or Maori, ways of life, prompting her to criticize the treatment of the Maoris in several diary entries and short stories. [2] Mansfield’s biographer, Angela Smith, writes: â€Å"It was her childhood experience of living in a society where one way of life was imposed on another, and did not quite fit in† that sharpened her modernist impulse to focus on moments of â€Å"disruption† or encounters with â€Å"strange or disturbing† aspects of life. [3] Her feelings of disjuncture were accentuated when she arrived in Britain in 1903 to attend Queen’s College. In many respects, Mansfield remained a lifelong outsider, a traveler between two seemingly similar yet profoundly different worlds. After briefly returning to New Zealand in 1906, she moved back to Europe in 1908, living and writing in England and parts of continental Europe. Until her premature death from tuberculosis at the age of 34, Mansfield remained in Europe, leading a Bohemian, unconventional way of life. The Domestic Picturesque Mansfield’s short story â€Å"Prelude† is set in New Zealand and dramatizes the disjunctures of colonial life through an account of the Burnell family’s move from Wellington to a country village. The story takes its title from Wordsworth’s seminal poem, â€Å"The Prelude,† the first version of which was completed in 1805, which casts the poet as a traveler and chronicles the â€Å"growth of a poet’s mind. †[4] Although the Burnell family moves a mere â€Å"six miles† from town, the move is not inconsequential; it enacts a break with their previous way of life and alerts the family members to the various discontinuities in their lives. Beneath the veneer of the Burnells’ harmonious domestic life are faint undercurrents of aggression and unhappiness. The haunting specter of a mysterious aloe plant and a slaughtered duck in their well-manicured yard suggests that the family’s â€Å"awfully nice† new home conceals moments of brutality and ignorance toward another way of life that was suppressed and denied. [5] As I will propose, these two incidents echo the aesthetic concept of the sublime, as they encapsulate a mysterious power that awes its beholders and cannot be fully contained within their picturesque home. Through her subtle, dream-like prose, Mansfield deploys traditional aesthetic conventions like the picturesque while simultaneously transfiguring, subverting, and reinventing them in a modernist context. The concept of the picturesque was first defined by its originator, William Gilpin, an 18th century artist and clergyman, as â€Å"that kind of beauty which is agreeable in a picture. †[6] Thus, a scene or representation is beautiful when it echoes an already-established, artistic conception of beauty, revealing the self-reinforcing way in which art creates the standard of beauty for both art and life. Mansfield presents these picturesque moments in order to demystify them and reveal the suppression and violence they contain. In addition to â€Å"Prelude,† her stories â€Å"Garden Party† and â€Å"Bliss† dramatize the transformation and inversion of picturesque moments of bourgeois life and domestic harmony. While she seems to exhibit a certain attachment to these standard aesthetic forms, Mansfield subtly interrogates many of these conventions in a strikingly modernist way. Through her childhood in a colony, Mansfield also became attuned to the violence and inequalities of colonialism. As Angela Smith suggests, her early writings demonstrate a keen sensitivity towards a repressed history of brutality and duplicity. [7] In her 1912 short story â€Å"How Pearl Button Was Kidnapped,† she questions and overturns the perspective of the colonialist, whose vantage point historically trumps that of the native. The deliberate ambivalence of the word â€Å"kidnapping† dramatizes the conflict between the colonist’s perspective and Pearl’s joyful, eye-opening experiences during her abduction. In a similar way, empire dramatized for Mansfield the way that a picturesque, bourgeois household could suppress alternative perspectives. The Sublime In â€Å"Prelude,† the mysterious, sublime aloe plant disrupts the pleasant domesticity of the Burnell household. Their well-manicured yard with its tennis lawn, garden, and orchard also contains a wild, unseemly side—â€Å"this was the frightening side, and no garden at all. †[8] This â€Å"side† contains the aloe plant, which exerts a mysterious, enthralling power over its awed beholders. In its resemblance to the ocean, the aloe assumes the characteristics of the sublime: â€Å"the high grassy bank on which the aloe rested rose up like a wave, and the aloe seemed to ride upon it like a shop with the oars lifted. Bright moonlight hung upon the lifted oars like water, and on the green wave glittered the dew. †[9] For many writers and poets, the ocean was a manifestation of the sublime because of its unfathomable power and scale that awed and humbled its observers. The aloe’s strikingly physiological effect on its viewers recalls Edmund Burke’s sublime, which overpowers its observer and reinforces the limitations of human reason and control. In his famous treatise on the sublime, Burke writes: â€Å"greatness of dimension, vastness of extent or quantity† is a powerful cause of the sublime, as it embodies the violent and overpowering forces of nature. [10] In a similar vein, the child, Kezia Burnell’s first impression upon seeing the â€Å"fat swelling plant with its cruel leaves and fleshy stem† is one of awe and wonder. [11] In this case, the sublimity of the aloe plant disrupts and challenges the domestic picturesque as it defies mastery, categorization, and traditional notions of beauty. In its resistance to categorization and control, the sublime embodies the part of the ungovernable landscape that the Burnell family cannot domesticate and the picturesque cannot frame. As a result, in â€Å"Prelude,† the magnitude of the sublime interrupts and fractures the tranquil surface of the picturesque by exposing the unfathomable depths beneath it. The colonial backdrop of the Burnells’ yard also contributes to the mysterious, occult power of the aloe. This unruly part of their property hints toward a landscape that eludes domestication and serves as a constant reminder that the Burnell family is living in a land that is not quite theirs and cannot be fully tamed. [12] At the age of 19, Mansfield wrote that the New Zealand bush outside of the cities is â€Å"all so gigantic and tragic—and even in the bright sunlight it is so passionately secret. †[13] For Mansfield, the bush embodies the history of a people whose lives have been interrupted and displaced by European settlers. [14] After wars, brutal colonial practices, and European diseases had devastated the local Maori population, the bush became a haunting monument to their presence. As the Burnell family settles down to sleep on the first night in their new home, â€Å"far away in the bush there sounded a harsh rapid chatter: â€Å"Ha-ha-ha†¦ Ha-ha-ha. †[15] In her subtle way, Mansfield unveils the voices of those whose perspectives are excluded from this portrait of nocturnal domestic harmony. In a similar way, the aloe plant exudes an unfathomable history that is beyond the time and place of the Burnells. Even its age—implied by the fact that it flowers â€Å"once every hundred years†Ã¢â‚¬â€suggests that the aloe exists on a different scale than its human beholders. [16] In its ancient, superhuman scale, the aloe gestures towards the â€Å"gigantic,† indicating a subtle, but implicitly threatening power within, or in proximity of the home. The aloe is a kind of lacuna in the imperial landscape of New Zealand, whose power threatens the colonial household and its control over the landscape. [17] By disrupting and encroaching upon the ostensibly safe domestic sphere, the aloe also echoes the â€Å"unheimlich,† or uncanny, an aesthetic concept explored by Sigmund Freud in his 1919 essay, â€Å"The Uncanny. † The uncanny becomes, in part, an invasive force violating the sacred, domestic sphere and hearkens back to a previously repressed or hidden impulse: â€Å"The uncanny is something which ought to have remained hidden but has come to light. †[18] In â€Å"Prelude,† the aloe is initially depicted as a threatening force that â€Å"might have had claws instead of roots. The curving leaves seemed to be hiding something. †[19] Positioned within the safe space of their property, the aloe is a menacing, ungovernable force that seems to encroach upon it. The plant becomes part of the repressed history of the landscape—a history that is only apparent to Kezia, her mother Linda Burnell, and her grandmother Mrs. Fairfield, who are attuned to the forces below the surface of the picturesque exterior. Violent Underpinnings Beneath many of Mansfield’s picturesque domestic scenes are moments of violence and rupture. In â€Å"Garden Party,† for instance, a poor man falls to his death during the preparations for a much-anticipated social gathering of the wealthy Sheridan family, undermining the convivial spirit of the occasion. In â€Å"Prelude,† Pat, the handyman, slaughters a duck while the children watch with grotesque enthrallment as it waddles for a few steps after being decapitated. â€Å"The crowning wonder† of the dead duck walking hearkens back to Burke’s sublime, which is experienced in â€Å"Prelude† within the confines of the private residence. [20] The sublimity of this apparent defiance of the properties of death acts as a dramatic external force imposing on the observers’ intellect and reason in a profoundly Burkian way. But later that night, when the duck is placed in front of the patriarch, Stanley Burnell, â€Å"it did not look as if it had ever had a head. †[21] The duck’s picturesque dressing—â€Å"its legs tied together with a piece of string and a wreath of little balls of stuffing round it†Ã¢â‚¬â€conceals its violent death. [22] In a similar way, the â€Å"awfully nice† picturesque house is imposed upon the landscape, as if it had never been any other way. [23] Through reconfiguration and transformation, a new imperial order conceals the fact that an older order once lay beneath it. In both cases, the picturesque functions as a way of naturalizing the violent order of domination. As Pat’s golden earrings distract Kezia from her grief over the duck’s death, the duck’s pretty garnish conceals its â€Å"basted resignation. †[24] There is no such thing as a pure aesthetics, Mansfield seems to suggest, as each serene moment is implicated in some act of violence, brutality, or suppression. In â€Å"Prelude,† the good-natured Pat disrupts a pre-existing picturesque scene in which ducks â€Å"preen their dazzling breasts† amidst the pools and â€Å"bushes of yellow flowers and blackberries. †[25] Tellingly, the duck pond contains a bridge, a typical feature of the picturesque that reconciles or bridges the gap between different aspects of the scenery. In this way, the Burnell family’s cultivation of the land by planting and slaughtering ducks disrupts another underlying order. Their unquestioning appropriation of this pre-existing order mirrors the way colonial life disrupted and undermined the indigenous Maori life. Juxtaposing two picturesque scenes that interrupt and conflict with one another, Mansfield questions and unravels the conventional image of the picturesque. This interplay of various conflicting aesthetic orders constitutes part of Mansfield’s modernist style, in which aesthetic forms are ruptured, fragmented, and overturned. As the yard’s landscape bears traces of the Maori past, so the quiet harmony of the Burnells’ domesticity is underscored by deep, unspoken tensions and an animosity that hints at the uncanny. In fact, the only character who expresses any contentment is Stanley, who reflects, â€Å"By God, he was a perfect fool to feel as happy as this! †[26] Yet even he shudders upon entering his new driveway, as â€Å"a sort of panic overtook Burnell whenever he approached near home. †[27] Beneath this veneer of marital bliss and familial harmony, his wife Linda occasionally ignores her children and expresses hatred towards her husband and his aggressive sexuality: â€Å"there were times when he was frightening—really frightening. When she screamed at the top of her voice, ‘You are killing me. ’†[28] Meanwhile Stanley and Beryl, Linda’s sister, seem to have a flirtatious, indecent relationship: â€Å"Only last night when he was reading the paper her false self had stood beside him and leaned against his shoulder on purpose. Hadn’t she put her hand over his†¦ so that he should see how white her hand was beside his brown one. †[29] Dramatizing these dynamics, Mansfield suggests that a â€Å"happy† household outside of town is not as â€Å"dirt cheap† as Stanley boasts; it comes at the cost of servitude, sexual aggression, and a ravaged Maori landscape. [30] Through these layers, which Mansfield subtly strips off one at a time, she artfully exposes the way that an existing political and aesthetic order is not what it seems to be or how it has always been. Her short stories are fraught with their own tensions; while exposing the picturesque as false and absurd, she nevertheless draws on its conventional associations. Similarly, her subtle attempts to question colonial power are embedded in a seemingly idealized portrait of colonial life. Mansfield creates a seemingly beautiful or normal image, such as the happy family in â€Å"Prelude,† â€Å"Bliss,† or â€Å"Garden Party,† and then slowly challenges it through a subtle counter-narrative. In this way, her deployment of modernist techniques is less pronounced than that of James Joyce and her other modernist contemporaries. Just as she challenges aesthetic conventions, Mansfield unravels the reader’s ideas about her own stories by presenting a seemingly beautiful, transparent narrative that is haunted by tensions, lacunae, and opacity. Like the headless walking duck, these fictions of transparency and harmony quickly collapse upon closer inspection.