Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Macbeth Response Act One, two, three and four essays

Macbeth Response Act One, two, three and four essays Why does Macbeth decide to kill Duncan? From the beginning of the play Macbeth is seen to be a worthy person with great courage and respect from his men. Already Thane of Glamis, Macbeth earns himself the title of Thane of Cawdor by his heroic performance on the battlefield. Macbeths first meeting with the three witches makes Macbeth nervous but it is then that he first has the thoughts of becoming King of Scotland. On arriving home to his castle he is greeted by Lady Macbeth who has been hatching a plan to murder King Duncan. She rids herself of feminine thoughts and any feelings of remorse and has no regrets when she pressures the uncertain Macbeth into the murder of his King. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have desires of becoming King and Queen of Scotland, and Lady Macbeth sees Duncans arrival at Macbeths castle as an opportunity to the quickest route to fulfilling the witchs prophecies. Macbeth is under immense pressure from his and his ladys desires, the prophecies from the witches, and the opportunities to murder his king. Even so, Macbeth murders Duncan and in the desperation of the morning after, the sons flee and Macbeth is able to become king. How do Lady Macbeth and Macbeth react to the actual murder of Duncan? Macbeth enters King Duncans chamber as apprehensive and nervous as when he leaves. Following an imaginary dagger, Macbeth is doubtful about the actions he is about to undertake. The doubts mount to regret as he returns gingerly to his bedroom to find his excited Lady. The Lady, confident with the nights killing is angered by Macbeth when he produces the murderous daggers which are covered in blood so she returns them. Macbeth is haunted by bodiless calls and taunts that Macbeth shalt sleep no more, Macbeth hath murdered sleep. Lady Macbeth dismisses these taunts as just voices inside his head. MacDuff arrived at Macbeths castle ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

History of Feral Rabbits in Australia

History of Feral Rabbits in Australia Rabbits are an invasive species that has caused immense ecological devastation to the continent of Australia for over 150 years. They procreate with uncontrollable velocity, consume cropland like locusts, and contribute significantly to soil erosion. Although some of the governments rabbit eradication methods have been successful in controlling their spread, the overall rabbit population in Australia is still well beyond sustainable means. History of Rabbits in Australia In 1859, a man named Thomas Austin, a landowner in Winchelsea, Victoria imported 24 wild rabbits from England and released them into the wild for sport hunting. Within a number of years, those 24 rabbits multiplied into millions. By the 1920s, less than 70 years since its introduction, the rabbit population in Australia ballooned to an estimated 10 billion, reproducing at a rate of 18 to 30 per single female rabbit per year. The rabbits started to migrate across Australia at a rate of 80 miles a year. After destroying two million acres of Victorias floral lands, they traversed across the states of New South Wales, South Australia, and Queensland. By 1890, rabbits were spotted all the way in Western Australia. Australia is an ideal location for the prolific rabbit. The winters are mild, so they are able to breed nearly year-round. There is an abundance of land with limited industrial development. Natural low vegetation provides them with shelter and food, and years of geographic isolation has left the continent with no natural predator for this new invasive species. Currently, the rabbit inhabits around 2.5 million square miles of Australia with an estimated population of over 200 million. Feral Australian Rabbits as Ecological Problem Despite its size, much of Australia is arid and not fully fit for agriculture. What fertile soil the continent has is now threatened by the rabbit. Excessive grazing by the rabbit has diminished vegetative cover, allowing wind to erode away top soil. Soil erosion affects revegetation and water absorption. Land with limited top soil can also lead to agricultural run-off and increased salinity. The livestock industry in Australia has been widely affected by the rabbit. As food yields decrease, so does the cattle and sheep population. To compensate, many farmers extend their livestock range and diet, farming a wider expanse of the land and thus further contributing to the problem. The agricultural industry in Australia has lost billions of dollars from the direct and indirect effects of the rabbit infestation. The introduction of the rabbit has also strained the native wildlife of Australia. Rabbits have been blamed for the destruction of the eremophila plant and various species of trees. Because rabbits will feed on seedlings, many trees are never able to reproduce, leading to local extinction. Additionally, due to direct competition for food and habitat, the population of many native animals such as the greater bilby and the pig-footed bandicoot has declined dramatically. Feral Rabbit Control Measures For much of the 19th century, the most common methods of feral rabbit control have been trapping and shooting. But between 1901 and 1907, the Australian government went with a national approach by building three rabbit-proof fences to protect the pastoral lands of Western Australia. The first fence stretched 1,138 miles vertically down the entire western side of the continent, starting from a point near Cape Keravdren in the north and ending in Starvation Harbor in the south. It is considered to be the worlds longest continuous standing fence. The second fence was built roughly parallel to the first, 55 - 100 miles further west, branching off from the original to the southern coast, stretching 724 miles. The final fence extends 160 miles horizontally from the second to the western coast of the country. Despite the enormity of the project, the fence was deemed unsuccessful, since many rabbits traversed over to the protected side during the construction period. Additionally, many have dug their way through the fence, as well. The Australian government also experimented with biological methods to control the feral rabbit population. In 1950, mosquitoes and fleas carrying the myxoma virus were released into the wild. This virus, found in South America, only affects rabbits. The release was highly successful, as an estimated 90-99 percent of the rabbit population in Australia was wiped out. Unfortunately, because mosquitoes and fleas do not typically inhabit arid areas, many of the rabbits living in the continents interior were not affected. A small percentage of the population also developed a natural genetic immunity to the virus and they continued to reproduce. Today, only about 40 percent of rabbits are still susceptible to this disease. To combat the reduced effectiveness of myxoma, flies carrying a rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD), was released in Australia in 1995. Unlike myxoma, RHD is able to infiltrate the arid areas. The disease helped reduced rabbit populations by 90 percent in arid zones. However, like myxomatosis, RHD is still limited by geography. Since its host is a fly, this disease has very little impact on the cooler, higher rainfall regions of coastal Australia where flies are less prevalent. Moreover, rabbits are beginning to develop resistance to this disease, as well. Today, many farmers still use conventional means of eradicating rabbits from their land. Although the rabbit population is a fraction of what it was in the early 1920s, it continues to burden the countrys eco- and agricultural systems. They have lived on Australia for over 150-years and until a perfect virus can be found, theyll probably be there for several hundred more. References Australia Government: Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (2011, May 27). Feral Animals in Australia. Retrieved from: environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive-species/feral-animals-australiaABC Science (2009, April 09). Australias battle with the bunny. Retrieved from: abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/04/08/2538860.htmBroomhall, F.H. The Longest Fence in the World. Carlisle, Western Australia: Hesperian Press, 1991

Thursday, November 21, 2019

- Text The Handmaids Tale (Atwood) What is the purpose of morality Essay

- Text The Handmaids Tale (Atwood) What is the purpose of morality What are the pros and cons What is morality - Essay Example Whether it results in the reinstatement of moral values to the creation of a better world is the matter of concern here. Based on the principle that â€Å"no society ever strays completely far from its roots† (Curious Pursuits, 91), Atwood has created a future society reviving the trends and practices of the Nineteenth Century Puritanism. The novel, which is the outcome of composite factors like vast and thorough reading of history, extensive travel, first hand experiences of real despotisms and experience acquired through a membership in the Amnesty International, perpetrates the author’s conviction that totalitarian regimes breed fear and silence. In such an atmosphere, morality is also a degenerative instrument of torture at the hands of the dictators. Morality, when enforced, becomes nothing but oppression and invariably fails to serve its purpose. The term morality implies the ability to discern right, good and virtue from their counterparts. Human beings are endowed with the ability to rationalize and the free will to face crucial situations in life demanding the exercise of these faculties. Every society has its set of standards in morality, so also each individual. Various factors like cultural parameters, contemporary trends and individual preferences play vital roles in deciding and setting up these standards. The revival of Puritanism in the novel, with its dictatorial enforcement of standards of living pose an outrageous, dismal and despicable picture of an impending possibility fulfilling a dystopia’s mission of warning the world. The simulated American theocracy in the novel is patterned after the Old Testament standards. In the imaginary nation ‘The Republic of Gilead’ which is the United States of America in the distant future, women are withdrawn from the public spheres and are categorized according to the duties they

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

What does the bible mean to me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What does the bible mean to me - Essay Example The word â€Å"Bible† comes from Greek and can be translated as a â€Å"book†. Though Bible consists of more than seventy books, which have been written in different times and by different authors using various genres, literary styles and even languages, they all are perceived as one united and undivided continuous text that recreates life experience, moral norms and sources of human wisdom. People who have not read this book can not consider themselves as educated. However, I am confident that everyday the number of such people decreases constantly. Being written by inspired people, Bible is not merely work of fiction, but it is the greatest book of human history that contains magnificent and philosophic studies about our world, inhabitants, and eternal morality along with spiritual values. Urgency of this book is undisputed, because with its help we are able to find answers and explanations of such notions as life and death, fate and human soul, good and evil and others. Bible teaches us how to live, what we should do, what things should be unacceptable in our conscience, what kind of people we must strive to become and which negative traits of our characters ought to be changed. Bible gives us a great hope for bright and serene future persuading to believe in a life after death and Heavens. Reading this Holy Book, I comprehend that person can insure calm and happy life only with a help of conceiving thoughts and apprenticeships of Jesus Christ who persistently invites to open our hearts for God that manages to touch the most remote depths of human soul. Bible makes us believe that God is real. Every person is given life to prepare own self for eternal life on the Heavens. Bible propagandizes ethical and esthetical experience of humanity. All disappointed people refer to this book and keep on searching for the point of life that lies in religion. Hence, our trust in God helps us to live dignified lives on the Earth before being

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Review of related literature Essay Example for Free

Review of related literature Essay CHAPTER II As mentioned earlier, it is indeed a certainty that the journals and books used by the author of this study is much related to the issue being discussed. The said journals are to be introduced herein. One of the basic factors of success in any organizational progress is the art of motivation. However, motivational procedures are not that easy to apply especially if the crowd to be dealt with is not that inclined or cooperative in the progress being implied in a specific organization. According to Martinez, in his book entitled â€Å"Management Theory and Practice†, motivation consists of three basic phases of development: †¢ Examination of the situation Before anything could be started, it is very important to first examine the real situation and how the situation is supposed to be dealt with. This may include an evaluation of the present circumstances and how it could be related to what future results are expected from the program or motivational procedure to be implemented. (Martinez, 121) †¢ Consideration of the Participants. Who are the participants to the program or the procedural approach? This question should be considered upon the formulation of the motivational processes that would be chosen by the administration to be implemented. (Martinez, 15) †¢ Application of Procedures After evaluating the situation and determining the people who would be involved in the programs, the application of the formulated procedures could already be commenced in a planned way. In this manner considerably fine results could be expected upon completion of the procedures. (Martinez, 16) Through the constant observation of the completion of the said phases, program procedures could be expected to become successful. The presence of the processes mentioned in here could determine the success of any applied motivational procedures by any business administration or even educational institutions at that. Meanwhile, Don Dinkmeyer in his book entitled â€Å"Leadership by Encouragement† stresses about the importance of encouragement in becoming a good leader. He says that: â€Å"the main aim of leaders is to help their colleagues progress for themselves and the organization they work as well† (Dinkmeyer, 41). Hence, this means that among the important factors that each person within an organization should consider is the fact that they need to be leaders in their own ways and encourage their co-workers to progress in a way by which the organization and they themselves could benefit much. Dinkmeyer further adds, â€Å"there are necessary factors to consider in being a fine leader of encouragement† (44). Here are some of the suggested factors of concern in Dinkmeyer’s book: †¢ As a leader, a considerable act of control is needed; however, concern for colleagues is also a character necessary for leaders to have. (18) †¢ Motivating people for further self progress and organizational benefit is one of the leader’s most important functions in a team. Hence, this skill should be enhanced and considered a major work for leaders. (19,20) †¢ Empathy for other colleagues concern in the motivational program should be applied. Yes, being able to understand how others feel about the progress procedures should be considered by the leaders. This way they are able to take the challenge of dealing with people’s reactions towards the program and be able to motivate them to take the progressive procedures as well. (25) Yes, by being able to become an ideal leader, a person could be able to encourage other people around him to be able become mote progressive in their own ways. One of the basic reasons why this study has been commenced is the fact that the motivational processes are highly concerned with language classrooms, specifically ESL classes. In this regard, Zoltan Dornyei talks about specific factors of concern especially on the part of the educators when they are dealing with their students. Here are some of the suggestions he mentions: †¢ Be leaders and become role models in class. As the educators show their enthusiasm in teaching, the students too are able to have encouragement to learn the language with enthusiasm as well. †¢ Make the Classroom Environment Lively This could include the ability of the educators to encourage their students to speak out their ideas and their thoughts regarding the issues being discussed which should be of interest to the students depending on their age and their races. This would allow the students understand the language they are trying to learn while enjoying sharing their thoughts at the same time. †¢ Be Open to Suggestions from Students The fact that the students also want to have exposure to the language at a certain level, the educators should consider hearing what they want form the class to be able to help them participate more during discussions. This way, they could become more progressive with their studies as the classes continue. With regards to the direct worker motivation processes, Abraham Maslow has something to say about the theories of motivation that could be utilized in encouraging the people to work hard not only for their own good but for the good of their organization as well. According to him, there are necessary physiological needs of the workers that must be provided by the organizations to be able to get the best out of their employees. Among the breakdown of his hierarchy of needs of employees are three major points of consideration: †¢ Needs of self-actualization As an intrinsic motivation, this factor of concern is directed to an employee’s ability understand that he is of some worth to the organization he is working for. †¢ Preconditions for the basic satisfaction. Also considered as an intrinsic motivation, this concept of encouraging the employees involves the satisfactory aspects of the employees within themselves due to the work they are doing. †¢ Desires to know and understand One of the important factors of self satisfaction is one’s ability to learn more as an additional knowledge to for themselves from their jobs. True, this factor of consideration in motivating the employees helps a lot in making them realize that they have certain benefit form the work they are engaged with. Thus they are motivated to work even better to be able to gain their benefit from their company. On the other hand, Frederick Herzberg talks about external motivation that has to be implied to be able to encourage employees to work at their best. Among the said extrinsic aspects of motivation are : †¢ Achievements †¢ Recognition †¢ Growth and Advancement †¢ Interest in the Job These four factors of consideration helps the employee realize that their abilities are appreciated by their organization and are used as a reason for other’s to follow their work ethics and attitudes. With the use of these suggestions, it could be expected that the classroom procedures would become more productive and more progressive for the capability of the students to use the English Language more effectively. Hence, the programs of learning would be more effective and practical for more and more students who are interested to take the ESL courses that the learning institutions offer. With the utilization of the literatures mentioned herein, the discussion of the issue being tackled in this paper shall be continued towards its completion. CHAPTER III Discussions An ample amount of motivation in the Toronto ESL program offerings have resulted in considerable successful final products. However, the question here is, how much motivation did it take before the educators were convinced to take on the challenges of teaching other races with the ESL programs that has been formulated for the different institutions to include in their learning programs? Certainly, motivating people to take on the challenges of change is not an easy task. According to Andrew Duffy’s report on Canadian learning institutions, Canada’s failing of a number of students who are studying in the said country has been due to the fact that the seriousness upon the program that the students are ought to learn has not been realized much by the students themselves. As a result, educators handling this type of situation also loose their enthusiasm upon the application of the program, which they ought to offer to their students. This situation then called for much motivational processes on the part of the administrators of the learning institutions. The Motivational Procedures Specifically focusing on the institutions in Toronto, Canada, it has been reported that the staffing of ESL teachers has been increased in a matter of time to be able to support the existing teaching force with the other educators that are needed to attend the needs of the students in Toronto. Notifying the educators on how to specifically help the students realize what they have to learn about their chosen courses have made so much difference for the reports which were once reported about Toronto. The Toronto Star reports that in a nationwide survey of some 9,000 high school dropouts in Canada, â€Å"three out of every 10 dropouts leave school because of boredom. † Good grades are no indicator that students will stay in school, as over 30 percent of those surveyed had high marks. Jim Livermore, vice president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation was not surprised. He stated: â€Å"Boredom is more of a factor today than it was 20 years ago because of television. To interest kids everything today has to be glitzy, high tech and showy. † Mr. Livermore feels that some of the brightest minds are not being challenged in school. He added that the â€Å"old way of teaching doesn’t work any more. Rather than lecture-style teaching, we have to get students more involved in learning. † Hence, it has been added in the motivational procedures the educators need to be educate themselves. This education includes teaching strategy enhancement as well as informing the teachers on the real need of the country of having English Speaking citizens. It has been stressed out that the production of students who are able to speak professional business English gives the country a greater chance of being globally competitive, as their employees become world class. Hence, the educators were able to realize the need for the said program. As a result, the educators were motivated to continuously assist their students to becoming highly competent when it comes to using the English language in a professional level. Results of Motivation After the motivational procedures have been implemented, fine results have been received by several Toronto learning institutions. Yes, the application of the learned strategies through the motivational programs, which were commenced, proved to be productive and successful for the students who were able to realize the need for them to progress on their own way. Certainly, it has been observed that much of the motivational tactics that the administrations used for these programs were indeed effective. The motivation that the teachers were able to gain during the training programs has directly affected the way the students view their need to learn their subjects. The fact that the teachers realized the need for the program in their place, the programs became much productive, able to give the students the ample training they need to be able to become competent enough in the usage of the English language. This then helps the Canadian employers to be more at ease as they hire students who were produced by the Toronto learning institutes. STUDENT COMPETENCY RESULTS The existence of fine educator skills, excellent learning environment, and constant encouragement form educators have been able to result to several considerable results on the part of the English speaking skills of the students. The competency of the educators has driven the students to learn more and apply the subjects they have learned to their own everyday lives. It has been more often than not the students were motivated to learn more everyday as they see the enthusiasm from their teachers to help them learn the language and apply the language in their daily activities. The confidence among individual students has also been developed through the educating programs. The process of learning for the students became more accommodating and progressive as it gave attention to their needs and gave importance to their development not only as English speakers but as individuals living in Canada as well. CHAPTER 4 Overall Situational Assessment. With the details of ESL development programs in Canada, specifically in Toronto, listed in this paper, it shows how much motivational procedures aimed towards the educators could contribute so much on the way the students progress in their studies. The effectiveness of the curriculum of English learning offered in institutions of education is highly based upon the enthusiasm of the educators to handle their classes while being able to meet the needs of each of their students. Indeed, teaching students with so much diversity among them is a great challenge to any educator in the learning industry. The consequences though of ample training and motivation with regards to the teaching strategies used by the educators is indeed fruitful and beneficial on the part of the students and the economic growth of the country basing from the competency of the employees produced by the institutions, regardless of the fact that they are native English speakers or not. In this manner, the certainties of the employers on the new graduates of learning institutions become stronger and the results of the job done by these students are much globally competitive as they re able to use the English language in professional applications. Chapter 5 Conclusion From the study that has been presented herein, it is obvious that the situation of organizations is constantly changeable. Most likely, the focus is to continuously make possibilities for changes. TO be effective in facing company challenges in facing grievances and demands of the employees within a certain organization, it is indeed advisable for the human resource management to take necessary steps in creating strategic structure of Human Resources Department Organization. This means that as the HR faces so much turmoil in managing people, the whole body of the HRD should be subdivided into several parts who would be in charged in facing only specific details on the organization’s internal affairs. In this way, the responsibilities would be distributed and the issues would be more focused upon by personnels who are more experienced on the matter at concern. As for example, a certain group within the HRD would be in charged in salary and payment grievances, another on benefits, then another on finances and so on and so forth. Having this structural design of organization would ease the troubles of the Human Resources Department in facing company issues, all at the same time. Surely, the decisions that would be made in this manner would be more thought about and in turn, would become more effective and practical as well. As years continue to progress, employees of organizations become more and more demanding. Because of this, the Human Resource Department is faced with more and more problems, which they are expected to fix. True, the challenges for the HRD continuously grows and as an answer to this, the HR. should also consider continuous development in terms of effective practices in facing issues. Indeed, the Human Resources Management has the most complex and complicated work in an organization. Yet, by the use of strategic approach in facing issues, the Human Resources Management would be able to survive the struggles and emerge victorious in bringing the organizations to prosperous status. BIBLIOGRAPHY Internet Journal Sources: The Community Social Planning Council of Toronto. (2005). Community Voices, Perspectives and Priorities. http://72. 14. 253. 104/search? q=cache:LHaAxJemZSoJ:www. inclusivecities. ca/publication/reports/Toronto-ICC-Report. pdf+ESL+in+Toronto+Canada+reportshl=tlgl=phct=clnkcd=6. (November 7, 2007). The 2003 Atkinson Fellowship In Public Policy. (2003). Class Struggles: Public Education and the New Canadian. http://www. atkinsonfoundation. ca/files/Duffyrev. pdf. (November 7, 2007). A. H. Maslow. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. http://www. advancedhiring. com/docs/theory_of_human_motivation. pdf. (November 7, 2007). Frederick Herzberg. (2006). Human Relations Contributors. http://www. accel-team. com/human_relations/hrels_05_herzberg. html. (November 7, 2007). Books: Don Dinkmeyer. (1995). Leadership By Encouragement. CRC Publishing Company. Zoltan Dornyei. (2001). Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom. Cambridge University Press. Lewis E. Losoncy.(2003). The Motivating Team Leader. DC Press. Barbara Burnaby. (1992). Socio-Political Aspects of ESL in Canada. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. JoAnn Phillion. (2002). Narrative Inquiry in a Multicultural Landscape: Multicultural Teaching and Learning (Issues in Curriculum Theory, Policy, and Research). Ablex Publishing. Devon Woods. (1996). Teacher Cognition in Language Teaching: Beliefs, Decision-Making and Classroom Practice (Cambridge Applied Linguistics). Cambridge University Press. Craig Chaudron. (1998). Second Language Classrooms: Research on Teaching and Learning (Cambridge Applied Linguistics). Cambridge University Press. HYBELS. (2003). Communicating Effectively. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages Jere Brophy. (2004). Motivating Students to Learn (2nd Edition). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 2nd edition. Irene M. A. Henley. (2004). Aviation Education and Training: Adult Learning Principles and Teaching Strategies. Ashgate Publishing Company. Ken Hultman. (2001). Balancing Individual and Organizational Values: Walking the Tightrope to Success. Pfeiffer; 1st edition. Ezdras Martinez. (1990). Management Theory and Practice. Rex Book Publishing Manila.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Essay --

The bestselling novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee is about a racist southern community in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. At that time, southern states were still racially segregated. Harper Lee constructs her book by teaching all her readers about human standards. By presenting the good and bad in people. A major theme of this novel is the humankind’s inhumanity toward the humankind. One character that is treated terribly was Boo Radley. Boo Radley is a very obscure character in To Kill a Mockingbird. Not only does the whole community treat him terrible, so does his whole family. Boo Radley’s father is the number one victim to treat Boo Radley terrible. Boo was going to be locked in jail for some trouble he got in when he was a teenager. Boo’s father wanted the punishment in his hands and locked Boo into the house till he was an adult. Boo’s father thinks of Boo as a disgrace to their family. Boo stabbed his father in the leg with scissors with all his hatred in him. Boo’s father was always a very cruel man. Another character that treated Boo terrible is his brother, Nathan Radley. Boo always communicates with the children, Jem and Scout, by the knothole of a tree. Nathan noticed that Boo was giving the children gifts, so he filled the knothole of the tree with cement. Boo has never communicated with anyone for almost 15 years, and Nathan prevented Boo’s chance to ever talk to someone and be friends with. Boo was treated terribly by the children also. The children thought Boo was a scary person. Every time they came to a path where Boo was located they would always be frightened by the rumors they heard about him. \:Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels ... ...ayella’s father sees Tom, Mayella insists that Tom raped her. She did a horrible thing and blamed Tom. Tom did all her chores for free of charge, and Mayella ruined his life by blaming Tom for something he did not do. Mrs. Merriweather is part of a missionary circle. It’s a group of Christian women who are determined to help people suffering poor countries. They complain about her black servants, that they don’t work hard or deserve their pay. They only pay little amount to their servants. They do not perform their Christian attitude toward other people. This makes them an hypocrite because they make people believe that they are perfect Christians. Harper Lee teaches her readers something. It demonstrated the good and bad in people. She shows the readers how racist people could be so cruel. This novel showed how humankind’s inhumanity toward the humankinds.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

A Survey of Behavioral Finance Summary

A Survey of Behavioral Finance Nicholas Barberis and Richard Thaler In this handbook, Barberis and Thaler define the differences between traditional finance and behavioral finance. Traditional finance is rational. Rationality means two things; correct Bayesian Updating and choises consistent with expected utility. On the other hand behavioral finance assumes that market is not fully rational and analyzes the facts when the some of the princibles are loosen up. This essay also discusses about two main topics; limits to arbitrage and psychology.These two topics are known as the two buildings blocks of the behaviour finance. In the normal markets security prices equal to fundamental value. In this sitiuation. expected cash flows can be easily calculate with the markets’ discount rates. This hypothesis called Efficient Market Hypothesis. According to this hypothesis; as soon as there will be a deviation from fundemantal value and mispricings will be corrected by rational traders. An arbitrage is an investment strategy that offers riskless profits at no cost.The rational traders le became known as arbitrageurs because of the belief that a mispriced asset immediately creates an opportunity for riskless profits. Behavioral finance argues that this is not true. According to behavioral finance â€Å"prices are right† and â€Å"there is no free lunch† statments are not equal. If the market value of a stock is not equal to fundemantal value of the stock, arbitrageurs can not enter the position easily. Because there are some risks and costs. First of all there is a fundemantal risk.If the negative shock occurs to the stock , there is not a prefect substitude to hedge theirselves. Second risk is about noisy traders. Noisy trader can be caused to decrease according to their pessimistic behavior. Noisy traders forces the arbitrageurs to liquidate their position early. This is called seperation of brains and capital. Trading in the same direction of noisy traders and arbitrageurs can also caused problems. Execution or implementation costs are also limitting to arbitragesuch as commisions, bid/ask spread; Price impact, short sell costs and identification cost.So far, we see how the difficult for the rational traders such as hedge funds to exploit market market inefficiencies. In Evidence part of the hand book they discuss if there is some evidence that arbitrage is limited. If arbitrage were not limited, the mispricing would quickly disappear. It is not easy to identify mispricings. when a mispriced security has a perfect substitute, arbitrage can still be limited if arbitrageurs are risk averse and have short horizons and the noise trader risk is systematic, or the arbitrage requires specialized skills, or there are costs to learning about such opportunities.Index ? nclusions are shown as a good example of evidence supporting limits to arbitrage in the handbook. It almost says that stock prices jups premanantly and gives examples fro m S&P. The theory of limited arbitrage shows that if irrational traders cause deviations from fundamental value, rational traders will often be powerless to do anything about it. In this part Barberis and Thaler summarize the psychology and summarize what psychologists have learned about how people appear to form beliefs in practice.Overconfidence, optimism and wishful thinking , representativeness, conservatism, belief perseverance, anchoring, availability biases are some of beliefs that explain in the book. The important thing of all these biases that according to observations when the bias is explained, people often understand it, but then immediately proceed to violate it again. On the other hand, people, through repetition, will learn their way out of biases; that experts in a field, such as traders in an investment bank, will make fewer errors; and that with more powerful incentives, the effects will isappear. Prospect Theory is explained in the book with some examples and for mulas. This section of the book gives answers to how prospect theory could explain why people made different choices in situations with identical final wealth levels. Ambigutiy aversion is defines risk as a gamble with known distribution and uncertainty as a gamble with unknown distribution, and suggests that people dislike uncertainty more than risk. The experiments about ambigutiy aversions shows that people do not like sitiuations where they are uncertain .Aversion changes based on preceived competence at assessing relevant distribution. US stock market is a good research area for the facts about its behaviour. The most three important behaviours are equity premium , high volality and predictable returns. Risk preium seems to high and possible explanations are under prospect theory. Rational approches must focus on changing risk aversion to explain volatility. Volatiliy explanations under beliefs are overreaction to dividend growth, overreaction to returns, confusion between real and nominal rates. All three of these facts are known as eqity puzzles.Both the rational and behavioral approaches to finance have made progress in understanding the three puzzles singled out at the start of this section. The advances on the rational side are well described in other articles in this handbook. Here, we discuss the behavioral approaches, starting with the equity premium puzzle and then turning to the volatility puzzle. Equity premium puzzle is that even though stocks appear to be an attractive asset investors appear very unwilling to hold them. In particular, they appear to demand a substantial risk premium in order to hold the market supply.Benartzi and Thaler are one of the earliest papers link prospect theory to the equity Premium. Their study is about how an insvestor allocate his portfolio between T-Bills and the stock market with the prospect theory acknowledge. Prospect theory argues that when choosing between gambles, people compute the gains and losses for e ach one and select the one with the highest prospective utility. In a financial context, this suggests that people may choose a portfolio allocation by computing, for each allocation, the potential gains and losses in the value of their.One possible story is that investors believe that the mean dividend growth rate is more variable than it actually is. When they see a surge in dividends, they are too quick to believe that the mean dividend growth rate has increased. Their exuberance pushes prices up relative to dividends, adding to the volatility of returns. holdings, and then taking the allocation with the highest prospective utility. this is a example of representativness. In the handbook they explains the cross-section of average returns.They document that one group of stocks earns higher average returns than another. These facts have come to be known as â€Å"anomalies† because they cannot be explained by the simplest and most intuitive model of risk and return in the fin ancial economist’s toolkit, the Capital Asset Pricing Model, or CAPM. This is explainin by the size Premium, long term reversals, the predictive of scaled ratios, momentum , event studies of earnings announcements,event studies of divident initiations and ommissions, event studies of stock repuchases, event studies of primary and secondary offerings.Barberis and Thaler clasify the behavioral models on whether their mechanism centers on beliefs or on prefences. the result of systematic errors that investors make when they use public information to form expectations of future cash flows. Conservatism and representativeness cause this. Behavioral finance has also discuss about how certain groups of investors behave, and what kinds of portfolios they choose to hold and how they trade over time. It is simply to explain the actions of certain investors, and these actions also affect prices.Some of the actions of nvestors and the behavioral ideas are insufficient diversifation, naiv e diversifation,excessive trading, the selling and buying decision. In the corporate finance part of the hand book; gives opinions to rational managers in a mispricing market and gives examples for â€Å"market timing†. On the conclusion of the hand book they mentioned that behavioral finance will be develop on coming years. This handbook publish on 2002 and it is valid nowadays. After I read this book I mentioned how important to analyszing the market as an investor by the view of the behavioural finance. PINAR TUNA 108621034

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Look at the questions

Queen Elizabeth of England was known as one of the most successful rulers of her time for a number of different reasons. She did many things right, but the most prevailing aspect of her reign was her foreign policy. She was something of a revolutionary leader during that time in a number of different ways. While other leaders were busy fighting big wars to protect themselves from danger, Queen Elizabeth found a way to keep her enemies at bay by pacifying them. She used power and influence to balance between the countries and the powers that would have otherwise been a problem during that time. Though the premise of her policy was to help England, it actually helped much of Europe as a result. For example, European powers like France and Germany were able to build their military power and their financial backing while not having to defend against a large armed force in England. Without having to look too far, one can find some of Elizabeth’s policies being utilized in the world today. In some ways, they are being used in many of the same ways that Elizabeth used her policies back in England. There are some very good examples, including the situation that is currently happening in Ukraine. Ukraine is a country that was involved with the Soviet Union for a long time, so they have struggled in the period shortly following that. The adjustment has been difficult, because the country still holds onto its Russian roots, but it is being pulled towards the Western world. Being in such proximity to both Russia and Europe, Ukraine has to fact tough questions about the direction of their country. China is a country that is always in balance between various powers, as well. On one side of them, there is Japan, who holds much of the world’s power in the financial district. One the other hand, they have to balance between the socialist nations that surround them in the South Pacific. In order to make sure that they keep a good reputation around the world, China has had to keep pacify the Western world. They are a large producer of goods, so in order to stay viable, they have to keep the important trade relationships that have been developed up to this point. On the other hand, the socialist nature of their government makes it difficult for them to relate with countries like the United States and many of the nations in Europe. In the sixteenth century, England found itself in an interesting position. In many ways, the world was changing during that time. Today, it is still a changing world, so countries still have to account for these changes. Instead of having to simply care for today, countries like China and Ukraine have to take into account what might happen tomorrow. This is why it is difficult for these countries to have an economic and military strategy that pleases everyone. Queen Elizabeth was able to balance the interests of her country and many different countries, so that they could become a power in the changing world. If England did not have such a balanced policy, then there is no way they could have charged into the new age in such that they would maintain their power into this current time.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Biography of Audrey Hepburn, Elegant Actress

Biography of Audrey Hepburn, Elegant Actress Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929–Jan. 20, 1993) was an Academy-Award winning actress and a fashion icon in the 20th century. Having almost starved to death in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, Hepburn became a goodwill ambassador for starving children. Considered one of the most beautiful and elegant women in the world then and now, Hepburns beauty shone through her doe eyes and contagious smile. A trained ballet dancer who never performed in a ballet, Hepburn was Hollywood’s most sought-after actress in the mid-20th century. Fast Facts: Audrey Hepburn Known For: Famous 20th-century actressAlso Known As: Audrey Kathleen Ruston, Edda van HeemstraBorn: May 4, 1929 in  Brussels, BelgiumParents: Baroness Ella van Heemstra, Joseph Victor Anthony RustonDied: Jan. 20,1993 in  Vaud, SwitzerlandNoted Films: Roman Holiday, Sabrina,  My Fair Lady, Breakfast at Tiffany’sAwards and Honors: Academy Award for Best Actress and Golden Globe for Best Actress (Roman Holiday, 1954), BAFTA (The Nuns Story, 1960), Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (1993), Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement – Informational Programming (Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn, 1993)Spouse(s): Mel Ferrer (m.  1954–1968), Andrea Dotti (m.  1969–1982)Children: Sean Hepburn Ferrer, Luca DottiNotable Quote: The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. Early Years Hepburn was born the daughter of a British father and a Dutch mother in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 1929. When Hepburn was 6 years old, her father Joseph Victor Anthony Hepburn-Ruston, a heavy drinker, deserted the family. Hepburns mother Baroness Ella van Heemstra moved her two sons (Alexander and Ian from a previous marriage) and Hepburn from Brussels to her father’s mansion in Arnhem, Netherlands. The following year in 1936, Hepburn left the country and moved to England to attend a private boarding school in Kent, where she enjoyed dance classes taught by a London ballet master. In 1939, when Hepburn was 10, Germany invaded Poland, beginning World War II. When England declared war on Germany, the Baroness moved Hepburn back to Arnhem for safety. However, Germany soon invaded the Netherlands. Life Under Nazi Occupation Hepburn lived under Nazi occupation from 1940 to 1945, using the name Edda van Heemstra so as not to sound English. Still living a privileged life, Hepburn received ballet training from Winja Marova at the Arnhem School of Music, where she received praise for her posture, personality, and performance. Life was normal at first; kids went to football games, swim meets, and the movie theater. However, with half a million occupying German soldiers using up Dutch resources, fuel and food shortages were soon rampant. These scarcities caused the Netherlands child death rate to increase by 40 percent. In the winter of 1944, Hepburn, who had already been enduring very little to eat, and her family were evicted when Nazi officers seized the Van Heemstra mansion. With most of their wealth confiscated, the Baron (Hepburn’s grandfather), Hepburn, and her mother moved to the Baron’s villa in the town of Velp, three miles outside of Arnhem. The war affected Hepburn’s extended family as well. Her Uncle Otto was shot to death for attempting to blow up a railroad. Hepburn’s half-brother Ian was forced to work in a German munitions factory in Berlin. Hepburn’s half-brother Alexander joined the underground Dutch resistance. Working for the Dutch Resistance Hepburn also resisted Nazi occupation. When the Germans confiscated all the radios, Hepburn delivered secret underground newspapers, which she hid in her oversized boots. She continued ballet and gave recitals to make money for the resistance until she was too weak from malnutrition. Four days after Adolf Hitler ended his life by committing suicide on April 30, 1945, the liberation of the Netherlands took place- coincidentally on Hepburn’s 16th birthday. Hepburn’s half-brothers returned home. The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration brought boxes of food, blankets, medicine, and clothes. Hepburn was suffering from colitis, jaundice, severe edema, anemia, endometriosis, asthma, and depression. With the war over, her family tried to resume a normal life. Hepburn no longer had to call herself Edda van Heemstra and went back to her name of Audrey Hepburn-Ruston. Hepburn and her mother worked at the Royal Military Invalids Home. Alexander (age 25) worked for the government in reconstruction projects while Ian (age 21) worked for Unilever, an Anglo-Dutch food and detergent company. Rise to Fame In 1945, Winja Marova referred Hepburn to Sonia Gaskell’s Ballet Studio ’45 in Amsterdam, where Hepburn studied ballet for three more years. Gaskell believed that Hepburn had something special; especially the way she used her doe eyes to captivate audiences. Gaskell introduced Hepburn to Marie Rambert of Ballet Rambert in London, a company performing night revues in London and international tours. Hepburn auditioned for Rambert and was accepted with scholarship in early 1948. By October, Rambert told Hepburn that she did not have the physique to become a prima ballerina because she was too tall (Hepburn was 5-foot-7). Plus, Hepburn didn’t compare to the other dancers since she had begun serious training too late in her life. Ups and Downs Devastated that her dream was over, Hepburn tried out for a part in the chorus line in High Button Shoes, a zany play at London’s Hippodrome. She got the part and performed 291 shows, using the name Audrey Hepburn. Afterward, Cecil Landeau, producer of the play Sauce Tartare (1949) had spotted Hepburn and cast her as the girl walking across the stage holding up the title card for each skit. With her impish smile and large eyes, she was cast at higher pay in the play’s sequel, Sauce Piquant (1950), in a few comedy skits. In 1950, Hepburn modeled part-time and registered herself as a freelance actress with the British film studio. She appeared in several bit parts in small movies before landing the role of a ballerina in The Secret People (1952), where she was able to show off her ballet talent. In 1951, the famed French writer Colette was on the set of Monte Carlo Baby (1953) and spotted Hepburn playing the small part of a spoiled actress in the movie. Colette cast Hepburn as Gigi in her musical comedy play Gigi, which opened on Nov. 24, 1951, on Broadway in New York at the Fulton Theater. Simultaneously, director William Wyler was looking for a European actress to play the lead role of a princess in his new movie, Roman Holiday, a romantic comedy. Executives in the Paramount London office had Hepburn do a screen test. Wyler was enchanted and Hepburn got the role. Gigi ran until May 31, 1952, earning Hepburn a Theatre World Award and plenty of recognition. Hepburn in Hollywood When Gigi ended, Hepburn flew to Rome to star in Roman Holiday (1953). The movie was a box-office success and Hepburn received the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1953 when she was 24 years old. Capitalizing on its newest star, Paramount cast her as the lead in Sabrina (1954), another romantic comedy, directed by Billy Wilder and in which Hepburn played a Cinderella type. It was the top box-office hit of the year and Hepburn was nominated for Best Actress again  but lost to Grace Kelly in The Country Girl. In 1954, Hepburn met and dated actor Mel Ferrer when they co-starred on Broadway in the hit play Ondine. When the play ended, Hepburn received the Tony Award and married Ferrer on September 25, 1954, in Switzerland.​ After a miscarriage, Hepburn fell into a deep depression. Ferrer suggested she return to work. Together they starred in the film War and Peace (1956), a romantic drama, with Hepburn getting top billing. While Hepburn’s career offered many successes, including another Best Actress nomination for her dramatic portrayal of Sister Luke in The Nun’s Story (1959), Ferrer’s career was on the decline. Hepburn discovered she was pregnant again in late 1958  but was on contract to star in a Western, The Unforgiven (1960), which began filming in January 1959. Later that same month during filming, she fell off a horse and broke her back. Although she recovered, Hepburn gave birth to a stillborn that spring. Her depression went deeper. Iconic Look Thankfully, Hepburn gave birth to a healthy son, Sean Hepburn-Ferrer, on January 17, 1960. Little Sean was always in tow and even accompanied his mother on the set of Breakfast at Tiffanys (1961). With fashions designed by Hubert de Givenchy, the film catapulted Hepburn as a fashion icon; she appeared on nearly every fashion magazine that year. The press took its toll, however, and the Ferrers bought La Paisible, an 18th-century farmhouse in Tolochenaz, Switzerland, to live in privacy. Hepburns successful career continued when she starred in The Children’s Hour (1961), Charade (1963), and then was cast in the universally acclaimed musical film, My Fair Lady (1964). After more successes, including the thriller Wait Until Dark (1967), the Ferrers separated. Two More Lovers In June 1968, Hepburn was cruising to Greece with friends aboard the yacht of Italy’s Princess Olympia Torlonia when she met Dr. Andrea Dotti, an Italian psychiatrist. That December, the Ferrers divorced after 14 years of marriage. Hepburn retained custody of Sean and married Dotti six weeks later. On February 8, 1970, at age 40, Hepburn gave birth to her second son, Luca Dotti. The Dottis lived in Rome, but while Ferrer had been nine years older than Hepburn, Dotti was nine years younger and still enjoyed the nightlife. In order to focus her attention on her family, Hepburn took a lengthy hiatus from Hollywood. Despite all her efforts, however, Dotti’s ongoing adultery caused Hepburn to seek a divorce in 1979 after nine years of marriage. In 1981 when Hepburn was 52, she met 46-year-old Robert Wolders, a Dutch-born investor and actor, who remained her companion for the rest of her life. Later Years Although Hepburn ventured back into a few more movies, in 1988 her main focus became helping with the United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF). As a spokesperson for children in crises, she remembered the United Nations relief in Holland after WWII and threw herself into her work. She and Wolders traveled the world six months a year, bringing national attention to the needs of starving, sick children throughout the world. In 1992, Hepburn thought she had picked up a stomach virus in Somalia  but was soon diagnosed with colon cancer. After an unsuccessful surgery for colon cancer in November 1992, her doctors gave her three months to live. Death Hepburn, age 63, passed away on Jan. 20, 1993, at La Paisible. Her death was announced by UNICEF, the United Nations Childrens Fund, for which she had been a special ambassador since 1988. At a quiet funeral in Switzerland, pallbearers included Hubert de Givenchy and ex-husband Mel Ferrer. Legacy Though Hepburns film career was relatively brief, spanning mainly only the 1950s and 1960s, the American Film Institute named her among the greatest movie stars of all time. The AFI placed Hepburn in the third spot on its AFIs 100 Years...100 Stars  list of the 50 greatest screen legends, behind only Katharine Hepburn, at No. 1, and Betty Davis, at No. 2. (Katherine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn were not related.) Hepburn is still remembered for such films as Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffanys,  and to this day, she is still looked upon as a fashion icon for her style and elegance. Even decades after her death, Hepburn continues to be voted as one of the most beautiful women of all time on numerous polls. Sources â€Å"AFIs 100 Years...100 Stars.†Ã‚  American Film Institute.â€Å"Audrey Hepburn.†Ã‚  Biography.com, AE Networks Television, 22 Jan. 2019â€Å"Audrey Hepburn.†Ã‚  IMDb, IMDb.com.Friedman, Vanessa. â€Å"Givenchy and Hepburn: The Original Brand Ambassadors.†Ã‚  The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Mar. 2018.â€Å"The Most Beautiful Women Of All Time.†Ã‚  Esquire, Esquire, 26 Nov. 2018.James, Caryn. â€Å"Audrey Hepburn, Actress, Is Dead at 63.†Ã‚  The New York Times, 21 Jan. 1993.Riding, Alan. â€Å"25 Years Later, Honor for Audrey Hepburn.†Ã‚  The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Apr. 1991.Roman Holiday. Filmsite.org.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Research-Based Ways to Live Through Finals

Research-Based Ways to Live Through Finals The finals are obviously stressful. Either youve got a lot to catch up with or simply prove your diligence once again – the pressure is enormous. Fortunately, one doesnt have to struggle alone. Not only your friends and family are always ready to come to the rescue. The whole world of science works to make your life if not awesome, then at least bearable. Dont believe it? Check out our top picks and use them to ace your exams one by one! Move Around Preparing for final exams you may get that â€Å"groundhog day† feeling. Sitting at the same library desk on a daily basis, doodling on its dusty surface, thinking that theres no end to all of that. Not only its a bit frustrating, but it also makes you less sharp at learning and remembering new things. The study has shown, that switching studying locations has a positive impact onto recognition memory. Having placed yourself into a different context, you force your brain to activate and build new, vivid associative connections. That results in better understanding and memorizing the material. So grab that cup of coffee and go to the park to study! Theres never been better excuse for that. Test Yourself Theres no need to whine: we know, youre going to have plenty of those soon. However, forewarned is forearmed. Plus, the research has proven memory tests improve long-term retention. Making yourself go through tests of various forms makes you engage your brain to the greatest extent and think of the material youve got to learn from different sides. Usually, the things you struggle to remember during the preparatory tests will leave deep imprints on your brain. In addition, youll reduce the levels of anxiety when the actual test-day comes. Squeeze Anxiety and finals go hand in hand. No matter, either its pre- or post-exam, it never is a pleasant experience. Theres a remedy, that might help you loosen up and perform better as a result. Thats a progressive muscle relaxation. The process is quite simple: youve got to tighten your muscles group by group, and then let go. Start with the toes and move to the shoulders. Youll feel significantly better, as your muscles will relieve pressure, theyve been holding in for a while. Plus, youre likely to distract from â€Å"I cant do this† thoughts and enter the exam hall with the boost of confidence you need. Take Deep Breaths Aromatherapy demonstrated a beneficial effect onto the students, dealing with pre-exam anxiety. The study concentrated on the impact of lavender and rosemary, however you may feel free to experiment. What sets the perfect mood for getting the grade you need? Is it a zingy orange? Or, possibly, a cool mint? Choose the smell that makes you feel both inspired and calm. Take deep breaths and go for those great results stress-free! C is for Cardio Different research projects keep demonstrating that aerobic exercise is awesome for your brain. Your memory improves, you get less worried. In addition, your cognitive abilities improve: the subjects of the research have completed a certain test before and after a 20-minute bike ride. They coped with the after-ride test a lot faster, maintaining the same level of precision. And you get a leaner body, just as a bonus. Seems pretty cool, doesnt it? Teachem Why do you think your professors are so good at the subjects they teach? Because they repeat pretty much the same stuff over and over again! According to the study, reciting is a highly efficient memorizing tool. Why dont you use it? Retell the material youve been cramming to your friends or family. If these guys dont want to listen to you – teach a bunch of stuffed animals, for instance. (The end justifies the means, right?) The humans are a bit better here, though: they may ask questions, youll have to answer! This helps you look at the topic from different angles, thus, carving it onto your brain. Build a Schedule When it comes to preparation to finals, time-management is essential. Not just when you need to fit a little nap into your tight revision schedule, but also in terms of letting your brain have some rest between studying sessions. This way information will soak in far more effectively. Pomodoro Technique may be of a great help. Youll divide your time into cycles of work and relaxing, lasting for 25 and 5 minutes respectively. The rhythm will keep your brain alert during the active intervals and will help you really cherish those 5 minutes of rest. The length of periods may differ: you could also try the 50/10 principle. Intermittent manner will help you memorize things better, for longer periods of time. Nighty-Night The study has once again demonstrated that sleep deprivation is extremely harmful for ones cognitive functions. You get distracted much easier, things you seem to have memorized forever just leave your head, that buzzes with serene, untouched emptiness. Thus, if you dont want this to happen – dont push your way through the all-nighter. Get the maximum amount of peaceful slumber the last night before the big test. Find out how to study for a test the night before so that it wont be harmful for your health! Sleep On It Your brain strengthens memories in your sleep. The research has shown, that learning new information before going to bed helps you remember it much better next morning. Dont just go over and over the stuff youve known already. Concentrate on new things. Make sure to leave at least an hour of a gap between studying and dozing off: bringing your textbooks and notes to bed may result in deteriorating your quiet sleep. Well, now you know what to do. Get that lavender oil, go for a jog and then study before sleeping! Just kidding. Use the tips you like and brace yourselves. And remember: its going to be just fine! image credit: wikimedia.org

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Media Law and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Media Law and Ethics - Essay Example Newspapers are among the most affected modes of communication in modern times that have been adversely affected by the debates and the differing viewpoints taken by stakeholders in the freedom debates (Barendt, 2009). While some support an entirely free press, a cross section of society feels that such freedom should be regulated to some extent. That is, laws should be enacted to ensure that media houses, more so newspaper publishers are regulated so that they do not exceed certain limits that could endanger personal and public safety or engross on human rights and liberties. Those in support of total newspaper freedom assert that this absolute freedom must be sought through constitutional and legal protections although the norm is that there should be zero interference in the media freedom from overreaching state and regulatory agencies (Dean, 2011). However, the supporters of newspaper freedom concur with their opponents who feel that with regards to government information, certain critical information, classified as secret and sensitive due to their national interest and security roles should be protected from disclosure to the public. Newspaper publishers should therefore acknowledge that certain information must be controlled and secretly guarded for the sake of protecting the interests and safety of a state. Newspapers should be Free As a result of the sensitive and controversial nature of press/newspaper freedom, governments have established not only laws and agencies to execute certain press freedom-related tasks but also commissions of inquiry to look into specific events related to press freedom. In the UK, one such commission was the Leveson Inquiry, which Prime Minister David Cameron appointed on July 6, 2011 in accordance with the Inquiries Act 2005 to further investigate the cultural and ethical practices related to the revelations of phone hacking activities by the News International. The News International phone-hacking scandal is a controversy surrounding the defunct News of the World and other media outlets related to the subsidiary of News Corporation, News International. In this phone-hacking scandal, the employees of these related firms have been accused of engaging in police bribery, phone hacking and improper influence in executing their tasks of collecting information and creating stories. The public outcry was particularly targeted at News Corporation’s owner Rupert Murdoch whose company was accused of targeting celebrities, high-profile cases, victims, the British Royal Family and bombing victims in their phone hacking activities. Because of the resultant advertiser boycotts, the News of the World closed on 10 July after publishing for 168 years and the News Corporation cancelled its intended takeover of the British telecommunications company BSkyB (The BBC, 2011). The Lord Justice Leveson-led inquiry was thus mandated to inquire about these claims about the News of the World. Further, the Inquiry had to l ook into the initial police inquiry and the allegations that the News Corporation made illegal payments to police (Jenkins, 2012). The most important role of the Inquiry was however to review the UK media’s general culture and ethics. From this case study, it is imperative that media stakeholders recognize their role, responsibilities and influences in the society to act not only ethically but