Organisational Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Authoritative Behavior Essay In any association, the businesses display differed practices. Conduct is a social corporate duty (Antal Sobczak, 2004). An association ought request a conduct as well as be joined in guaranteeing this is accomplished. The precise investigation of how people act in an association, either exclusively or as a gathering is alluded to as authoritative conduct (Michael, 2005). There exists numerous components that would shape the manner in which individuals interface in associations. These try to anticipate, control and clarify a few realities. Notwithstanding significant reactions concerning the morals of controlling the conduct of laborers, authoritative conduct has been instrumental in the turn of events and achievement of associations. In the advanced world, hierarchical conduct is a quickly developing field. Individuals from various local and social foundations need to cooperate hence making it important to direct the manner in which they connect. These examinations have been coordinated with different spaces for viability, these are: human sciences, morals and authority. The administration area looks to give a knowledge into the job authority plays in an association in the change the executives procedure. An individual takes in some conduct from an association either straightforwardly or in a roundabout way (ICMR, 2007). Speculations generally acknowledged in learning are subjective, behaviouristic and social learning hypotheses. Learning is ascribed to the relationship among upgrade and reaction. In behaviouristic hypothesis, the ideal conduct is accomplished through the utilization of speculations on conduct. This hypothesis will in general arrangement with those abilities figured out how to be utilized later barring those capacities that are characteristic (Behavioral Theory, 2008). Individuals are instructed and adapt as opposed to acquire attributes. With regards to Waiting Tables for Godot entry, we can examine a portion of the qualities that are educated instead of the intrinsic ones. Jean-Pierre Godot, the proprietor of La Maison showed his staff a portion of the things he anticipated that them should watch. He showed the laborers to fill in as a group and work incredibly so far as that is concerned. It is out of this that Diane realized that she needed to put forth a strong effort. By what other means would she be able to be incredible? Basically, she was incorporating what was instructed to her by Godot; greatness in obligation. It is likewise simple to see that Diane had obtained some other information somewhere else. She had figured out how to adjust a few plates on her arms. Diane could communicate in French regardless of living and concentrating in Australia. It is along these lines just insightful to close Diane ought to have been educated French. This empowered her to perform well since it is obvious from the entry that she was an astounding specialist. Clients supplemented her for offering proficient assistance and even gave her tips. Psychological hypothesis includes learning through errors (Domjan, 2003). An individual keeps away from the way prompting pre-submitted botches whenever comparative exercises are embraced (Jaffee, 2000). For the situation entry, when Diane dropped a bowl of bouillabaisse starter, her manager shouted at her and even proceeded to deduct $44. 95 structure her compensation. This instructed Diane that conveying many request plates on the double was undependable. It additionally caused her to understand that Godot was not worried about the great deeds by the laborers yet rather by their deficiencies. Hindering her pace was the quick exercise that Diane gained from this experience. From a similar mix-up, the University of Canberra understudy understood that with a more slow pace, she would bring in minimal expenditure to address her issues. It was just fitting for her to carry on at a similar pace yet take more alert to maintain a strategic distance from any upheavals from her chief. In conclusion, the sort of conduct that is gone on through perception is clarified in social hypothesis. An individual watches a few characteristics that others display and adjusts the equivalent. It is exceptionally basic with youngsters. As per Miller and Dollard (1941), the eyewitness copies the watched activity which is then adjusted and compensated with an encouraging feedback. Diane, a recently utilized specialist at La Maison watched the cook being reprimanded by Godot. She promptly discovered that she had no alternative however to give the best in her ability if she somehow happened to keep away from any difficulty. By watching the idea of her clients, she figured out how to be amicable and even utilize some different abilities like communicating in French when need be. Diane saw that by heartily inviting clients she had served previously, she had the option to hold them. She accordingly utilized her kindness abilities to hold clients. Social conduct incorporates the innate attributes. Diane displayed characteristics like the craft of adjusting a few plates on her arms. She was additionally skilled in the suggestion of wines that work out in a good way for explicit dinners. This Canberra understudy had powerful aptitudes to persuade clients to purchase rich pastries by the manner in which she portrayed them. Her memory never fizzled. She effectively entered her requests and properly conveyed them. Besides, she recalled rehash clients and guided them back heartily. These are some social qualities that are not really instructed. They could be intrinsic. Results have been utilized as a rule to decide the event of conduct. This is alluded to as operant molding or instrumental molding. Learning happens just by then where the student acknowledges the association that exists among conduct and its outcomes (Wagner, 2005). It is worked in by the earth yet kept up by results. Support and discipline could either be certain or negative. The positive perspective is accomplished when it is conveyed because of some reaction while the negative is pulled back because of a reaction. Annihilation is another instrument of operant molding where there exists no adjustment in results following some reaction. In discipline, the conduct of an individual is debilitated after the experience of some negative condition (Operant Conditioning Basics, 1999). It is of criticalness to take note of that it is just reaction that is stifled, rebuffed or strengthened. Encouraging feedback exists where a charming upgrade that improves a specific conduct is an aftereffect of a reaction. In Waiting Tables for Godot, clients continued supplementing Dianes administration as a result of her astounding assistance. They would likewise offer tips to this University understudy. Godot then again consistently shouted at her laborers. The La Maison proprietor would even utilize French to communicate his disappointment. As it were, this ensured things complete the correct way. It is seen that even Diane turns out to be increasingly cautious when taking care of his request plates to deflect misfortunes like the one encountered previously. Godot disclosed to new specialists what he anticipated from them; great employment. This, whenever taken from Dianes response, shows that laborers gave their best due to this activity. Then again, negative fortification is where a conduct is an aftereffect of halting a negative condition, typically viewed as horrendous. For instance, when Godot chastens his cook and culinary expert, they get things going. At the point when he hollers out his resentment at Diane for dropping bouillabaisse hors d'oeuvre on the floor covering, Diane reevaluates how cautious she is with her activity. She in this manner deflects the negative outcomes where she needs to break her managers property and even have her compensation deducted for pay. It is likewise certain that Diane discovers some work to do during her excursion than simply remain at home to maintain a strategic distance from rice and spaghetti suppers when she continues back to Canberra University the accompanying semester. Positive discipline would allude to a circumstance where a reaction happens because of an aversive improvement. This incorporates the presentation of uproarious commotion or stun. Jean-Pierre Godon realized how to utilize this instrument. He would holler at his laborers if just to get things going quicker. Consistently, he would talk in French if just to effectively express the idea. At one specific time, when Diane dropped the bouillabaisse starter, she was admonished and part of her compensation deducted to provide food for the misfortunes her boss had brought about. This created positive change as she turned out to be progressively cautious in whatever she took care of in La Maison from there on. When Dianes pay was sliced, she picked to watch additional alert. Not exclusively was her compensation deducted however she additionally lost a lot of tips in view of the lull in her administration. This served to improve the manner in which she took care of her request plates. This condition where a great result is pulled back after an unsavory conduct is known as negative discipline (Wagner, 2005). Both the negative and the positive discipline result to diminished conduct. There are conditions that outcome when a conduct that had been strengthened already stops to be successful. This is annihilation. For the situation entry, Diane is depicted as an exceptionally effective laborer who might go additional lengths to achieve her obligations. For example, she would adjust a few plates on her arms which caused her to stay away from numerous excursions to the kitchen. She would likewise do her obligations so well that Godot, her chief, never encountered her. In any case, on the day she messed herself by dropping starter of bouillabaisse on the floor covering, every one of these things stopped to be significant. Her skill in adjusting a few plates in her arms was not, at this point a positive characteristic. It had cost her $44. 95 of her compensation. It was thusly not worth going on with this yet rather resort to conveying only a couple of plates one after another. In spite of the fact that she didn't break any thing in La Maison consequently, Godot was as yet aggravated with this University understudy. Godot was not happy with her hold up staff exertion. Regardless of how enthusiastically they attempted to satisfy their bosss requests, Godot would in any case rush them up with affronts in French. Their exertion was hence wiped out. Dianes life was most likely influenced by these learning instruments somehow. Encouraging comments caused her to accomplish her objectives. At the point when clients would supplement her, she would feel that she was making the best choice. This inspire

A Research Proposal on the Role of the Chief Executive Officer Essay

Questions One of the serious issues in business is the thought of whether organizations ought to be worried about different issues than productivity. Adam Smith in 1863 guaranteed that the way toward accomplishing the general useful for the general public is something that will happen definitely happen due to his concept of the undetectable hand of the market. In any case, progressively contemporary thoughts attest in any case as they accepted that there are various conditions that would impede the undetectable hand to work viably (Mohr and Webb, 2002). The idea of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is profoundly established on the dedication of associations to proceed with their business in a moral way. It is in this regard associations are said to fundamentally add to the general monetary advancement of one’s nation while simultaneously improving the personal satisfaction of its representatives and its families as well as the general public where it had a place (Watts and Holme, 1999). One of the focal worries concerning the need of the usage of CSR by a specific association is the effect of a specific company’s choices and activities inside the general public along with their obligation in the previously mentioned. As such this implies while adjusting certain authoritative objectives or tasks, it would be better if associations will assess first their activities and ensure that they are in agreement to the government assistance of more prominent's benefit (Parsons, 1954). In that capacity, the effect of an organization’s choice inside the general public is exceptionally crucial in CSR. It ought to be underscored too that an organization’s obligation should traverse more than the financial and legitimate angles yet additionally accept the benefit of the larger part. Archie Carroll said that an organization’s social duty is something that incorporates the exchange of four significant variables. These are monetary execution, adherence with the law, moral duty, great corporate citizenship, and improving the society’s personal satisfaction (Carrol and Buchholtz, 2003). Anyway regardless of companies’ guarantee for CSR execution, a critical number of proof tells that consistently, there are various organizations that are charged for damaging ecological laws (Kassinis and Panayiotou, 2006, p. 68). Issues The accomplishment of a company’s CSR and the its impact on the company’s picture has been seen by various investigations to be legitimately connected on the job of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) (PR News, 2007). It has been said by Kassinis and Panayiotou (2006) that the job of the CEO is essential since they are the ones who are principally answerable for the board’s choice administration capacities and the even the degree of corporate bad behavior. The understanding of the CEO as far as different natural issues that could have influence their organizations and its decision of ecological systems have likewise a noteworthy ramifications on the general picture and execution of a specific organization. Studies, for example, those led by PR News Wire in 2008 guaranteed that to have a place with Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies, the CEO’s job along with their ability to make a system or recruit explicit specialists who can viably deal with CSR concerns, for example, employing a serious Chief Communications Officer (CCO,) is exceptionally crucial. Organizations which have a place with Fortune’s yearly honors are regularly assessed dependent on their notoriety. As indicated by PR News in 2007, it is frequently the situation that CEOs are the ones who are considered responsible as far as the inability to secure the organization picture in at whatever point an emergency emerges. The investigation of PR News uncovered that in out of 950 worldwide business administrators in 11 nations, 68% of the outcomes credited unscrupulous conduct to the CEO, and 60% refered to natural infringement and item reviews to the CEO also. The impact of the impression of different partners, controllers, networks and workers has been seen by Kassinis and Panayiotou (2006) as basic to the government assistance of the firm as they are midway associated with upholding the laws and different approaches that organizations must stick to. Figure 1: Relationship Between CSR and Stakeholders Source: Tokoro (2007) The figure above shows the immediate relationship of partners to CSR as far as the limitations that they force, the asset bargains that they pass and the general worth production of the association. Hole in Research Regardless of whether the case on the job of CEOs as far as managing issues of CSR and organization notoriety, different examinations proposes that CSR techniques and arrangements are rather designated to the investors (Kassinis and Panayiotou, 2006, p. 67). It is frequently the situation that the requests of the investors are as a rule in struggle with the enthusiasm of clients, providers, governments, associations, contenders, nearby networks, and the overall population (Sims, 2003, p. 40). The table beneath shows a review of view of Table 1: Stakeholders View of Corporate Responsibility Partners Nature of Stakeholder Claim Investors Participation in circulation of benefits, extra stock contributions, resources on liquidation; vote of stock; examination of organization books; move of stock; appointment of top managerial staff; and such extra rights as have been set up in the agreement with the partnership. Workers Economic, social, and mental fulfillment in the work environment. Opportunity from subjective and impulsive conduct with respect to organization authorities. Offer in incidental advantages, opportunity to join association and take an interest in aggregate dealing, singular opportunity in presenting their administrations through a business contract. Satisfactory working conditions. Clients Service gave the item; specialized information to utilize the item; appropriate guarantees; save parts to help the item during use; R&D prompting item improvement; assistance of credit. Lenders Legal extent of premium installments due and return of head from the speculation. Security of swore resources; relative need in occasion of liquidation. The board and proprietor rights if certain conditions exist with the organization, (for example, default of intrigue installments). Providers Continuing wellspring of business; opportune fulfillment of exchange credit commitments; proficient relationship in contracting for, buying, and getting products and enterprises. Associations Recognition as the arranging specialist for representatives. Chance to propagate the association as a member in the business association. Contenders Observation of the standards of serious direct settled by society and the business. Business diplomacy with respect to peers. Governments Taxes (pay, property, etc); adherence precisely and purpose of open approach managing the necessities of reasonable and free rivalry; release of lawful commitments of specialists (and business associations); adherence to antitrust laws. Neighborhood people group Place of beneficial and fortifying condition in the network. Cooperation of organization authorities in network issues, arrangement of normal business, reasonable play, sensible segment of buys made in the neighborhood network, enthusiasm for and backing of nearby government, backing of social and magnanimous ventures. The overall population Participation in and commitment to society in general; inventive correspondences among legislative and specialty units intended for equal comprehension; supposition of reasonable extent of the weight of government and society. Reasonable cost for items and headway of the cutting edge innovation that the product offering includes. Source: Sims, 2003, p. 41 For example, shoppers expect that the organization ought to have the option to do their business in a mindful way; then again, partners expect that their speculations would be returned. In different occurrences, clients are looking forward an arrival on what they paid for, while providers search for trustworthy purchasers. The legislature needed organizations to follow enactments, while associations look for benefits for their individuals. The contenders, anticipated that organizations should do their business in a reasonable way and nearby networks needed the previously mentioned to be mindful residents. At long last, the overall population anticipates that associations should improve the over all nature of human life, while investors may see this suggestion as idealistic (Sims, 2003). The figure beneath shows the elements of partner collaborations. Figure 2: Value Creation Through Dialog with Stakeholders Source: Tokoro (2007) All things considered, it is in this regard one might say that CEOs and a specific company’s responsiveness to the requests of CSR and in the long run making a solid picture is something couldn't be the sole deciding element for a fruitful CSR. Rather, the topic of whether CEOs are just executing the requests of the company’s partners, or the CEOs just taking care of buyer, providers, government, network and overall population request ought to likewise be taken into close thought. Lack As most inquires about regularly quality the achievement or disappointment of a CSR system to the CEO, the job and impact of different partners in the association are not frequently seen as critical factors deserving of thought. Just latest inquires about are fundamentally crediting partner jobs as far as its relationship to CSR. Yet, based from the researcher’s overview of different auxiliary information, there are not really any powerful literary works expressing the impact of partners to the CEO and inevitably the latter’s choice on the most proficient method to actualize its CSR program. Reason The investigation is essential so as to not just add to the current examinations on the job of CEOs and a fruitful CSR program; yet in addition to additionally fortify the case on the relationship of CSR and a positive organization picture. All the more significantly, unobtrusive components tha

GRE, Boston love, and loose ends from last time

GRE, Boston love, and loose ends from last time Pre-entry warning: I took the GRE this morning, and since I completely owned the test, I am in an unaccountably giddy mood. The only good things about the GRE (in this order): you can take it any day of the week; its computer-based, so you get your score right after you take the test, and all the math is high school math (actually, thats sort of bad, since I hadnt had to do a lot of the stuff on the test since 10th grade the good part is that its like riding a bike and you can pick it up again quickly). And Im sure thats all you care to hear about the GREs, so I will skip to after the test, when I had my score in hand and began being unaccountably giddy. The test center was near South Station, so after I was done, I walked back to South Station and decided to wander around the city for a while. Wandering around Boston is one of my favorite recreations, and is made possible by the fact that Boston is a very safe place to wander, so long as one is somewhat aware of places not to go. (The reason safety enters into this at all is that I like to wander without actually knowing where I am. In some cities, this is a very foolhardy and dangerous activity. I lived in DC the summer after my freshman year here, and I used to wander there. In the middle of the city. Late at night. By myself. Once, at 11 PM, I called one of my best friends at home in Ohio to ask if he could please get on the internet and find where the subway stop was that I was looking for, because I was sort of lost he almost had an aneurysm. Its actually sort of surprising that I havent yet been murdered.) Anyway. My wanderings led me to one of my favorite Ohio restaurants, Cosi Ive never been to the one in Boston because its only open during the day on weekdays, when Im almost never in the city. After gobbling a turkey sandwich, still happily lost, I found myself in the Downtown Crossing shopping district, so I ambled into HM and looked at purses. At this point, I realized where I was, so I found my way to the Granary Cemetery Ive never done all the Freedom Trail stuff, and I figure now is a good time to start. I ended my wanderings after sitting on a bench in Boston Common. After all, the heat index was 105 today! Loose ends from last entry: 1. Im glad everybody approved of my getting-back-at-the-ex MIT application. One thing I forgot to mention is that it didnt entirely work I ran into him a few days after getting my MIT letter. Naturally, I was thrilled. I said, Oh, Exboyfriend! Its so good to see you! Did you hear that I got into MIT? (Im so subtle. Its a gift.) And he was like, Yeah, I heard, good work! Did you hear that Im getting married? If you are from the Midwest, like I am, you probably realize that I got completely owned; in my hometown, marriage MIT. Too bad. 2. Justin M asked if I submitted my CV along with my application. To be honest, I dont really remember. MIT currently asks people not to send resumes, but I think it may have been different when I applied. My guess is that I sent it, but only if it was allowed at the time. Youd probably be better off directing that question at one of the admissions guys. 3. Alice asked how I got through my freshman year if I hate physics. The answer: painfully. (Actually, I really only hate mechanics. EM is okay.) I was probably one of the only members of my class to enter MIT without ever having taken physics, and believe me, it was reflected in my 8.01 grade. I passed the class, but only by a few points (thank heavens for pass/no record!). My advice, as for all freshman classes, is to do your problem sets carefully, because good pset grades can really help if your test grades are bad like mine were. 4. Fajrul asked for advice on getting into MIT. The best advice is always to really make the application reflect who you are as a person. My 7.02 scientific writing teacher told us we have to make scientific papers tell a story, and I think that applies here: making the application tell a story is very important and will draw the reader into your life. I am, by the way, very sorry for your loss, and wish you the best of luck in your application. (Just in case you didnt know, all the application procedures are at My MIT under How to Apply.)

Elderly Adults A National Health Crisis Concern

Falls among inpatient elderly adults has become a national health crisis concern, leading cause of hospital injuries, and prolonged length of hospital stays (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2012). Every year, there are approximately 700,000 to 1,000,000 hospitalized falls in hospitals, (Cox, Thomas-Hawkins, Pajarillo, DeGennaro, Cadmus, Martinez, 2014). Cangany, Back, Hamilton-Kelly, Altman, and Lacey (2015) emphasize inpatient falls are the second leading cause of death in hospital settings. The indirect costs related to inpatient fall for a hospital is approximate $13,806 not including malpractice obligations and staff injuries (Simpson, Rosenthal, Cumbler, Likosky, 2013). Introduction: The description of a fall is†¦show more content†¦Hence, a greater financial load is placed on hospitals (Cox, et al., 2014). Acute care nurses have a difficult time providing direct patient care, often because of contradictory goals and policies (Oliver, Connelly, Victor, Shaw, Whitehead, Genc, Vanoli, Martin, Gosney, 2007). Aside from maintaining patient safety during hospitalization, nurses need to address the problem, which prompted the patient’s admission. Once the problem is addressed, the nurse can support or help return the patient to an optimal state of physical and mental health (Chang, Morton, Rubenstein, Mojica, Maglione, Suttorp, Shekelle, 2004). Nurses must develop fall promotion practices that supersede the universal fall standards most hospitals utilize (Quigley White, 2015). Nursing leadership that encourage fall promotion practices and further education of staff nurses intertwined with an interdisciplinary approach can impact the h ospital’s fall reduction (Quigley White, 2015). Policy proposed: The proposed policy created by Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) in Colton, California is utilized for direct patient care providers and staff nurses. The policy was based on standard fall guidelines for patients identified as a fall risk upon initial history assessment. Presently, there is not an educational component in place for fall prevention of inpatients. The

A Brief Note On The Conflict Resolution Skills - 1211 Words

Conflict Resolution Skills According to Hashish, Hamouda, and Taha (2015), conflict is healthy, common, and necessary for growth and Losa Iglesias and Becerro De Bengoa Vallejo (2012) have noted that conï ¬â€šict has been a vital factor of social functioning throughout history and the present, which has been widely defined in the literature. Scenario You are a newly hired Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) who began working at the â€Å"Health For You, Family For Us clinic.† As for patient care in the clinic, you are currently under two doctors, Dr. Paul and Dr. Snick; however, Dr. Snick has been particularly unkind to you. After meeting with your third patient for the day, you realize that the patient needs a refill for his narcotics (oxycodone) for†¦show more content†¦1. Win/win approach1 Win/win approach focuses on both parties being able to come together on appropriate terms, while feeling that each person has resolved their point and has expressed gratification that each party has essentially â€Å"won† after the conflict. Example: You express to Dr. Paul that Dr. Snick has been disregarding your narcotic prescription signing request. According to her, Dr Snick has been having a â€Å"rough patch† and stated that in the meantime you can resolve this by handing me the prescriptions to sign. This appears to be a win/win resolution; Dr. Paul is eager to help his new colleague, you are able to do your job effectively and Dr. Snick will not feel imposed on. 2. Creative response Although Dr. Paul is eager to assist with your prescription signing, there are days when she may be unavailable and you’re left with the only option of Dr. Snick. Approaching the doctor, can take some bravado; however, you’re open to conversation and conflict resolution for the sake of a healthy, therapeutic work environment. Creatively, you express to Dr. Snick that he is the â€Å"best doctor that the world has ever seen† in hopes of conflict resolution, to lessen the tension and to hopefully receive a positive reaction. 3. Empathy Because Dr Snick has disregarded your prescription signing, you inquire about his reasoning. He then tells you that he is under a lot of pressure and that he does not want to be bothered by having to sign other colleague’s

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ Chapter 9 Free Essays

‘If you believe my sins are forgiven,’ she said, ‘please heal me.’ Christ turned his head away, and then looked back at her and said, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ ‘Must I believe that too?’ ‘Yes. We will write a custom essay sample on The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ Chapter 9 or any similar topic only for you Order Now I must believe it, and you must believe it.’ ‘Tell me again.’ ‘Your sins are forgiven. Truly.’ ‘How will I know?’ ‘You must have faith.’ ‘If I have faith, will I be healed?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘I will have faith, if you do, sir.’ ‘I do.’ ‘Tell me once more.’ ‘I have said it†¦ Very well: your sins are forgiven.’ ‘And yet I’m not healed,’ she said. She closed her robe. Christ said, ‘And I am not my brother. Didn’t I tell you that? Why did you ask me to heal you, if you knew I was not Jesus? Did I ever claim to be able to heal you? I said to you â€Å"Your sins are forgiven.† If you don’t have sufficient faith after you’ve heard that, the fault is yours.’ The woman turned away and faced the wall, and drew her robe over her head. Christ left her house. He was ashamed, and he went out of the town and climbed to a quiet place among the rocks, and prayed that his own sins might be forgiven. He wept a little. He was afraid the angel might come to him, and he hid all night. The Wise and Foolish Girls Now the time of the Passover was getting close, and this prompted the people who listened to Jesus to ask about the Kingdom again: when will it come? How will we know it? What should we do to be ready for it? ‘It’ll be like this,’ he told them. ‘There was a wedding, and ten girls took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom and welcome him to the banquet. Now five of them took their lamps and nothing else, no spare oil, but the other five were a bit cleverer than that, and they brought some flasks of oil with them. ‘Well, the bridegroom was delayed, and time went past, and all of the girls began to feel drowsy and closed their eyes. ‘Then at midnight there was a cry: â€Å"He’s coming! The bridegroom is here!† ‘The girls woke up at once and started trimming their lamps. You can see what happened next: the foolish ones discovered that their oil had run out. ‘†Give us some of your oil!† they said to the others. â€Å"Look, our lamps are going out!† ‘And two of the far-seeing ones shared their oil with two of the foolish ones, and all four were admitted to the banquet. Two of the clever ones refused, and the bridegroom shut them out, together with two more foolish ones. ‘But the last wise girl said, â€Å"Lord, we have come to celebrate your wedding, even the least of us. If you won’t let us all in, I would rather stay outside with my sisters, even when the last of my oil is gone.† ‘And for her sake the bridegroom opened the doors of the banquet and admitted them all. Now, where was the Kingdom of heaven? Inside the bridegroom’s house? Is that what you think? No, it was outside in the dark with the wise girl and her sisters, even when the last of her oil was gone.’ Christ wrote down every word, but he resolved to improve the story later. The Stranger Talks of Abraham and Issac Next time the angel came, Christ was in Jericho. He was following Jesus and his disciples as they made their way to Jerusalem for the Passover. Jesus was staying in the house of one of his followers, but Christ had taken a room in a tavern not far away. At midnight he went outside to use the privy. When he turned to go back inside he felt a hand on his shoulder, and knew at once that it was the stranger. ‘Events are moving quickly now,’ the stranger said. ‘We must talk about something important. Take me to your room.’ Once inside, Christ lit the lamp and gathered up the scrolls he had filled. ‘Sir, what do you do with these scrolls?’ he said. ‘I take them to a place of great safety.’ ‘Will I be able to see them again? I may need to edit and correct the entries, in the light of what I have since learned about truth and history.’ ‘There will be an opportunity for that, never fear. Now tell me about your brother. What is his mood as he gets closer to Jerusalem?’ ‘He seems serene and confident, sir. I wouldn’t say that has changed at all.’ ‘Does he speak of what he expects to happen there?’ ‘Only that the Kingdom will come very soon. Perhaps it will come when he is in the temple.’ ‘And the disciples? How is your informant? Is he still close to Jesus?’ ‘I would say he is in the very best position. He is not the closest or the most favoured ?C Peter and James and John are the men Jesus speaks to most confidentially ?C but my informant is securely among the middle-ranking followers. His reports are full and trustworthy. I have checked them.’ ‘We must think about rewarding him at some stage. But now I want to talk to you about something difficult.’ ‘I am ready, sir.’ ‘You and I know that for the Kingdom to flourish, it needs a body of men, and women too, both Jews and Gentiles, faithful followers under the guidance of men of authority and wisdom. And this church ?C we can call it a church ?C will need men of formidable organisational powers and deep intellectual penetration, both to conceive and develop the structure of the body and to formulate the doctrines that will hold it together. There are such men, and they are ready and waiting. The church will not lack organisation and doctrine. ‘But you will remember, my dear Christ, the story of Abraham and Isaac. God sets his people severe tests. How many men of today would be ready to act like Abraham, prepared to sacrifice his son because the Lord had told him to? How many would be like Isaac, ready to do as his father told him and hold out his hands to be bound, and lie down on the altar, and wait peaceably for the knife in the serene confidence of righteousness?’ ‘I would,’ said Christ at once. ‘If that is what God wants, I would do that. If it would serve the Kingdom, yes, I would. If it would serve my brother, yes, yes, I would.’ He spoke eagerly, because he knew that this would give him the chance to atone for his failure to heal the woman with the cancer. It was his faith that had been insufficient, not hers; he had spoken harshly to her, and he still felt ashamed. ‘You are devoted to your brother,’ said the stranger. ‘Yes. Everything I do is for him, though he doesn’t know it. I have been shaping the history especially to magnify his name.’ ‘Don’t forget what I told you when we first spoke: your name will shine as greatly as his.’ ‘I don’t think of that.’ ‘No, but it may give you comfort to think that others do, and are working to make sure it comes about.’ ‘Others? There are others besides you, sir?’ ‘A legion. And it will come to happen, have no fear about that. But before I go, let me ask you again: do you understand how it might be necessary for one man to die so that many can live?’ ‘No, I don’t understand it, but I accept it. If it is God’s will, I accept it, even if it’s impossible to understand. The story doesn’t say whether Abraham and Isaac understood what they had to do, but they didn’t hesitate to do it.’ ‘Remember your words,’ said the angel. ‘We shall talk again in Jerusalem.’ He kissed Christ on the brow before leaving with the scrolls. Jesus Rides into Jerusalem Next day, Jesus and his followers prepared to leave for Jerusalem. Word had spread that he was coming, and many people came to see him and welcome him on his way to the city, because his fame was now so widespread. The priests and the scribes, of course, had been aware of him for some time, and they didn’t know how best to react. It was a difficult matter for them: should they endorse him and hope to share his popularity, at the cost of not knowing what he would do next? Or should they condemn him, and risk offending the people who supported him in such numbers? They resolved to watch closely, and to test him whenever they saw the chance. Jesus and his disciples had reached Bethphage, near a place called the Mount of Olives, when he told them to stop and rest. He sent two of the disciples to find a beast for him to ride on, because he was tired. All they could find was the foal of a donkey, and when the owner heard who it was for, he refused any payment. The disciples spread their cloaks on the donkey and Jesus rode it into Jerusalem. The streets were thronged with people curious to see him, or eager to welcome him. Christ was among the crowd, watching everything, and he saw how one or two people had cut palm branches to wave; he was already composing the account of the scene in his mind. Jesus was calm and unaffected by the clamour, and acknowledged all the questions that people called out without answering any of them: ‘Are you going to preach here, master?’ ‘Are you going to heal?’ ‘What are you going to do, Lord?’ ‘Will you go to the temple?’ ‘Have you come to speak to the priests?’ ‘Are you going to fight the Romans?’ ‘Master, will you heal my son?’ The disciples cleared a way to the house where he was going to stay, and presently the crowd dispersed. How to cite The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ Chapter 9, Essay examples

Lincolns birthday Essay Example For Students

Lincolns birthday Essay This book is a compilation of letters written to and by the revered president, Abraham Lincoln. This makes it so that the same stories are told from different perspectives. All together this book is filled with historically accurate information. The opening passage is Lincoln’s own Autobiography. I wish I could insert the entire passage. I think the closing paragraph is a wonderful description of the man, both in appearance and in demeanor. â€Å"If any personal description of me is thought desirable, it may be said I am in height six feet four inches, nearly; lean in flesh, weighing, on an average, one hundred and eighty pounds; dark complexion, with coarse black hair and gray eyes – no other marks or brands recollected. â€Å"Yours very truly, A. Lincoln.†On the stormy morning of Sunday, February 12, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, wife of Thomas, gave birth to a boy. He was born on a bed of poles covered with cornhusks. The baby was named Abraham after his grandfather. In 1811 the Lincolns moved to a farm on Knob Creek, what was also near Hodgenville. In 1811 or 1812, Abrahams younger brother, Thomas, died in infancy. Abraham spent a short amount of time in a log schoolhouse. He began to learned reading, writing, and cipherin’ to the rule of three, from a teacher named Zachariah Riney. He attended school with his sister, Sarah. Late in 1816 the Lincoln family moved to southern Indiana and settled near present day Gentry Ville. A cabin was constructed near Little Pigeon Creek. It measured 16 X 18 feet, and it had only one window. Abrahams mother, Nancy, passed away on October 5th, 1818, she died of milk sickness. In 1819, Abraham would barrow books from his neighbors to read. In 1821 Abraham atte nded school taught by James Swaney for about 4 months. In 1824 Abraham also attended school taught by Azel Dorsey. In 1827 Abrahams sister, Sarah died giving birth to her son. In 1831, Lincoln decided to leave his family and go off on his own, but not before spending a year to build his parents a house. In July he moved to New Salem, Illinois, where he boarded at Rutledges tavern and became acquainted with the owners daughter, Ann. New Salem was a frontier village consisting of one long street on a bluff over the Sangamon River. During the Black hawk War Lincoln was elected captain of the volunteer militia. Without any true attempt on his part Lincoln defeated a particularly unpleasant former employer. It was his most pleasurable victory. On August 6th, 1832 Lincoln was defeated while running for the Illinois State Legislature. Lincoln began to operate a general store in New Salem along with William F. Berry. Again, in 1834, Lincoln ran for the Illinois State Legislature, but this time he was elected. During the summer, John T. Stuart advised Lincoln to study law. On December 1 he took his seat in state government in Vandalia. In 1837 Lincoln, 28, was admitted to the Illinois Bar on March 1, and he moved to Springfield on April 15. He became a law partner of John Stuart and lived with Joshua Speed. Lincoln now had income from a law practice as well as a state legislator. November 4,1842 Lincoln married Mary Todd. The first son of the Lincolns, Robert Todd, was born August 1, 1843 at the Globe Tavern. In 1844 Abraham and Mary purchased a home from Dr. Dresser in Springfield for $1,500. It was located at the corner of Eighth and Jackson. The family moved in on May 2nd. In 1849 Lincoln failed in his attempt to be appointed commissioner of the General Land Office, and he returned to a full time law practice in Springfield as his term in the House of Representatives had expired on March 4th. On March 7th he was admitted to practice law before the United States Supreme Court. .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4 , .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4 .postImageUrl , .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4 , .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4:hover , .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4:visited , .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4:active { border:0!important; } .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4:active , .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4 .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u1403265c02cc7b791441539a787306b4:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Daughters Of The American Revolution Essay ContestLincoln’s son, â€Å"Eddie† died on February 1, 1850. His third son, William Wallace was born on December 21st. The fourth and last son of the Lincolns, Thomas, was born on April 4th, 1853. In 1858 Lincoln was nominated by the Republicans to run for the U.S. Senate against Stephen Douglas. He gave his famous House Divided speech in the Old State Capitol in Springfield. During the summer, Lincoln and Douglas engaged in a series of 7 debates throughout Illinois. On November 2nd Douglas won the election. On May 18th, 1860 Lincoln was nominated for President at the Republican National Convention in Chicago. On Nov ember 6th Lincoln was elected President over 3 opponents (Stephen Douglas, John Breckinridge, and John Bell) winning 39% of the popular vote but nearly 60% of the electoral vote. On January 1st, 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves in the rebelling areas, took effect. On March 3rd Lincoln approved the first draft law in U.S. history. In early July the Union won two major battles at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. In 1864 Lincoln nominated Ulysses S. Grant as the first full lieutenant general since George Washington. Grant assumed his role as General-in-Chief of Union armies. Lincoln received the Republican nomination on June 8th to run for a 2nd term as President. Andrew Johnson was his Vice-presidential running mate. On November 8th he easily defeated Democrat George B. McClellan in the Presidential election. The Lincolns attended the play Our American Cousin at Fords Theater on April 14th, and John Wilkes Booth at shot Lincoln about 10:15 P.M. The President died the next morning at 7:22 A.M. He was 56 years old at the time of his death. Andrew Johnson took the oath of office as the 17th President on April 15th. On April 21st a nine car funer al train that included 300 dignitaries left Washington, DC and began a nearly 1700 mile journey back to Springfield. In the afternoon of May 4th, Lincolns body was buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery. This was one of the first modern-day funeral precessions and is an event that all others like it will be compared to. Lincoln was one of the most revered presidents and people in the history of this country.Bibliography:

Macroeconomics Essay Example

Macroeconomics Essay Macroeconomics Name: Course: Date: We will write a custom essay sample on Macroeconomics specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Macroeconomics specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Macroeconomics specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Macroeconomics The United States federal government strives to improvise and provide economic policies that are beneficial for the growth of a healthy American economy. An economic policy that proves to be advantageous to one segment in the society can prove to be injurious on another segment. This can be illustrated by the relationship encompassing policies for unemployment and inflation. For instance, increasing interest rates in order to decrease inflation in an economy augments difficulty for businesses to obtain capital for expansion purposes. Such purposes enable the business to employ more workers. Thus by increasing the interest rates, unemployment will increase. Lowering the interest rates creates inflation due to increased spending. This, in turn, devalues employees’ salaries because of the rise in prices. In order to affect the economy positively, it is valid to create efficient economic policies. Part 1 To preserve a sturdy economy, there are policy goals that require to be adhered. These policy goals include stable prices, economic growth and full employment. Regarding stable prices, the economy should be characterized by an optimal level of prices for goods and services. However, most economies have experienced a shift in the stability of prices. The most common shift of prices is inflation. This is when the prices for products and services rise sharply further reducing the value for money. This causes an increase in costs of goods. Economic growth is indicated by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The GDP is the value of the total output of products and services in the country in dollars. A flourishing economy can possess a GDP growth rate of 4 percent. Full employment cannot be achieved since there are various reasons that arise to unemployment that cannot be controlled. However, an unemployment rate of 4 percent is less is denoted as full employment (Carlberg, 2008). Hence, it is understandable why the federal government maintains its GDP at 3 percent. In the case involving the country being in a stage of high unemployment, zero interest rates, inflation at 2 percent per annum and a GDP of less than 2 percent, it is necessary to incorporate economic policies that will maintain the country in a thriving state. These policies involve the fiscal policy and the monetary policy. Fiscal policy involves the utilization of taxation and government expenditure to change the economy. Hence, the main tools used in invoking fiscal policies in the economy are expenditure and taxation (Kopcke, Tootell Triest, 2006). Monetary policy involves the control of money supply in the economy. This duty is usually performed by monetary authorities such as the Federal Reserve. This policy usually involves promotion of escalation and stability of an economy by targeting interest rates (Fender, 2012). In such an illustrated economic environment characterized by zero interest rates and a marginal of less than 2 percent GDP growth, it is a requirement to implement fiscal and monetary policies that will stimulate economic growth. Therefore, as president, I would recommend the use of fiscal policies. In this case, the fiscal policies will be used to reduce taxes imposed on small and medium enterprises, as well as households. This is because they are the main drive for the economy. This can be further indicated by the fact that the small and medium enterprises avail more employment than large and multinational companies. Hence, there will be an increase in employment, which will lead to a reduced multiplier effect due to increased income circulation among employees (Kopcke, Tootell Triest, 2006). Moreover, I will introduce tax rebates and inducements to the large corporations that are in partnership with the businesses. This move will increase confidence among consumers and amplify ag gregate expenditures within the private sector. As the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, I would employ efficient monetary policies specifically targeting the interest rates. This is because interest rates affect the productivity of the economy since they define unemployment. Additionally, an expansionary monetary policy can be used to lower interest rates in order to avail credit to businesses hence increase employment. Thus by maintaining a zero percent interest rate, people would be able to obtain credit for growth of businesses. The increased employment in turn increases the GDP rate because Okun’s Law states that, for every decrease in unemployment, the GDP increases thrice. Moreover, I would lower rates for the acquisition of funds from the Federal Reserve (Sexton, 2002). This strategy will encourage the banks to borrow finances from the federal banks. Moreover, the action will enable the banks to possess and avail more liquid cash for enterprises and private loans for the unemployed and underemployed. The positive effects of these actions revolve around the effects of the policies on consumption. This is because by using the fiscal policies to reduce tax rates; there will be an increase in the purchasing power since there will be an increase in small and medium enterprises, which will have an increased demand for money. This, in turn, will increase consumption. Moreover, the increased consumption of goods and services will increase the supply of money in the economy. Additionally, an increase in businesses avails more employment thus lowering the unemployment rate in the economy in the short run (Carlberg, 2008). Moreover, the positive effects of such policies will lead to the relocation of revenues to the private sector from the government. This is attributed to the low rates of income taxes. This is because of the reduction of taxes on households and small businesses. Hence, the fiscal policy adapted will establish control of revenues by the private sector, which have better man agement of funds, and revenues when compared to the private sector. The negative effects of the policies are based on the effect of the actions on the amount of revenue the government will receive. Indeed, there will be reduced revenue for the government. This is attributed by revenue transfer from the public to the private sector. Moreover, the government is heavily dependent on the revenue received from taxation. Therefore, the reduction in taxes accorded to small enterprises will decrease the revenue the government receives from taxation of the businesses. Furthermore, the decrease in income taxes also lowers revenue taxed on employees. The increase in unemployment in the end will be a negative effect on the government. This is because the decrease in the rate of employment will lead to increased money circulation, which will eventually lead to an increase in spending. The increase in spending will lead to inflation. According to the Philips Curve, the lower the unemployment rate of an economy, the faster the payment of labor wages in the economy (Carlberg, 2008). This eventually leads to inflation since demand for products and services overlaps the supply causing producers to increase the prices to restrict the purchase which increase the costs of production. The trade off resulting from the employment of the specific policies in contrast with other monetary and fiscal policies is the amount of time taken for implementation. This is because such policies will take longer time to implement. The reason for this is attributed to the novelty of such measures as compared to the commonly used policies the federal government implements. Despite the delay in the implementation of such measures, in the economy, it is important to recognize the positive effect of the measures since they will lead to the lowering of the unemployment rate, the increase in the rate of GDP, the increase in income circulation in the economy attributed to increased businesses and purchasing power and ease of credit access for potential borrowers. Moreover, since inflation is low, households will experience minimal difficulty utilizing their wealth to purchase products and services. It will probably take a considerable amount of time to gain an increase in spending and a decrease in unemployment. Part 2 The debt to GDP ratio indicates an economy’s health. It refers to the measure of the federal debt of the country in relation with the gross domestic product of the country. The comparison between the country’s debts to what the country produces reveals the country’s ability to repay the debt. The economic indicator gives a notion of the country’s ability to create future payments on what it owes. If the country were not able to repay the debt, then it would default leading to pandemonium in the household and international markets. A low debt to GDP ratio portrays large production of products and services as well as significant profits by an economy. This indicates that such an economy is able enough to repay its debts. Governments particularly aim for low debt to GDP ratios and have the ability to support themselves against risks involved by increasing debt since their economies possess a high GDP and profit margin. The inverse, a high debt to GDP ratio in dicates portrays low production and a low profit margin, which indicates the inability of the economy to repay debt and default (Frumkin, 2006). If the country has a budget deficit and carries a large debt, then it signifies that the country possesses a high debt to GDP ratio. The negative effect of a high debt to GDP ratio relies on the impact of fiscal policies in the economy. This is because an increase in the ratio is determined by government spending. The impact associated with a higher debt to GDP ratio can also be related to the impact of monetary policies in the economy. This is mainly because a high debt to GDCP ratio has a considerable impact on the interest rates. Therefore, the implications of a high debt to GDP ratio involve interest rate repercussions, increases in tax and enhanced cuts on spending (Frumkin, 2006). Regarding interest rates, the ratio will increase the interest rates of treasury bonds and indicate a higher risk. Regarding tax increases, the government will be required to increase taxes and reduce spending in order to gather finances to repay the debts. To expound further on the ratio’s impact on the interest rates, the rates replicate risk in the treasury bonds. Therefore, the higher the debt to GDP ratio, the higher the risk rate of the bonds (Frumkin, 2006). Consequently, if the Treasury bond possesses a risk rate that is high, then the government has the mandate to offer bondholders additional interest in order to receive more finances. Hence, countries with a high debt to GDP ratio are considered to possess default risk. Therefore, such countries cannot borrow cheap finances from bondholders. A high debt to GDP ratio will also increase the susceptibility of increase in taxes and cuts on spending. This is because the country with a high debt to GDP ratio bears high debt and thus will be obligated to reduce the deficit at a point. A national default can prove disastrous for the economy hence raising taxes and lowering expenditure are the common methods used to lower the ratio and fill up the budget deficit. Another impact that a high debt to GDP ratio will have on the economy is the disequilibrium of the macro economy. The equilibrium of the economy is usually attributed to the balance between aggregate demand and aggregate supply. Aggregate demand refers to the total demand for products and services at a given period and price. Aggregate supply refers to the total supply of products and services that companies plan to sell in a given period. Disequilibrium arises whereby a higher debt to GDP ratio leads to the decrease in the rate of production caused by the increase in interest rates and reduced purchasing. Additionally, low production will cause a subsequent decrease in products and services in the economy and thus lead to decreased demand. This causes macroeconomic disequilibrium in the short run (Wickens, 2008). However, in the long run aggregate demand and aggregate supply will intersect because of the decrease in production leading to low supply that will eventually lead to an in crease in prices and a decrease in demand. A high debt to GDP ratio will also lead to the redundancy of government employees and workers. This is because the government seeking to close up its budget deficit will require lowering the amount of wages it avails to its employees by laying them off. This shall lead to an increase in the unemployment rate in the economy. This can affect the business cycles of the economy and increase the fluctuations because an economy operating at high unemployment will reduce the economy from reaching short run equilibrium. In most cases, a cycle such as the debt cycle shifts credit expansion to credit contraction hence lowering the economic growth of the country resulting from decrease in private credit and an increase in recession. Therefore, by laying off workers, the government will decrease the multiplier effect on the economy since there will be no injection of new demand in the economy (Knoop, 2004). The effect of the ratio on the proposals will have an effect on the fiscal polices proposed. This is because there will be an increase in the rates of tax on income. By increasing the tax rates as a method of fiscal policy, the small enterprises and households will not be able to acquire funding from banks since the tax rates will also affect the banks, which will in turn increase their lending rates resulting from the federal banks’ directive. This will lead to unemployment because the enterprises will either lay off their workers or retain the ones they have without considering employment of other workers. The monetary policies employed will also be affected because of the high risk of interest rates on the treasury bonds. Since the government will seek to raise extensive finance to allow for the purchase of bonds, it will have to lower its expenditure in order to cater for the financing of high interest rates for the bondholders. This leads to underdevelopment of the econom y resulting from the under financing of public amenities such as infrastructure that are important for the development of the economy in terms of increase in GDP. It is important for an economy to analyze its policies efficiently and adequately to determine if they are probable enough for the development of the country. Such policies if reviewed clearly can guide a country to economic prosperity since they will be created based on achieving increased value in economic indicators such as the GDP. Moreover, the policies can aid the country in focusing on financial forecasting, which can enable it determine inflation and deflation rates and how to mitigate such unsystematic risks. References Carlberg, M. (2008). Inflation and unemployment in a monetary union. Berlin, Germany: Springer. Fender, J. (2012). Monetary policy. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley. Frumkin, N. (2006). Guide to economic indicators. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe. Knoop, T. A. (2004). Recessions and depressions: Understanding business cycles. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger. Kopcke, R. W., Tootell, G. M. B., Triest, R. K. (2006). The macroeconomics of fiscal policy. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. Sexton, R. L. (2002). Exploring economics. Mason, Ohio: South-Western/Thomson Learning. Wickens, M. (2008). Macroeconomic theory: A dynamic general equilibrium approach. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Macroeconomics Essay Example Macroeconomics Essay Chapter 11 of Wholly Macro starts off by explaining the different cases of insufficient demand. The writer starts off by explaining that aggregate demand (APE) may drop because of three reasons; less household expenditure, less government purchase of domestic produce and reduction in demand of U.S products outside. Next the writer explains how recession is caused by demand. When the APE decreases and becomes less than the GDP, there is excess produce. This means supply or ASF is now more and hence funding goes towards financing the excess produce. This funding will always be equal to the supply and hence, no price adjustment is requires. This situation will ultimately force producers to reduce the people employed as well as the output. This move will again increase ASF and reduce the GDP and APE and will then affect the interest rate as well which will decrease. All this will make the three components (i.e. APE, GDP and the ASF) equal but on the other hand will generate negative economic profit. Once the prices rise and eliminate the negative profit, the prices will then become stable until the next shock change. We will write a custom essay sample on Macroeconomics specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Macroeconomics specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Macroeconomics specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The writer then moves on to the second cause of recession. When the ASF will fall it will cause the M x V to fall as well. This could be due to a fall in V, M or both. If the above 3 components are equal and then ASF falls, this means buyers are now short of funds and will resort to credit funding, to meet current demand. This will then cause the ASF to rise. ASF and interest rates will continue rising until ASF= APE. With demand now less than the produce, producers will need funding for excess. This will give rise to increase in ASF and interest rates until ASF equals the GDP. However, interest rates have kept on rising, and this will cause APE to become lower than the GDP. The same effects of unemployment, price adjustment etc will take effect and ultimately all three components will become equal, resulting in less employment and output, high interest rate and unchanged price. Next the writer explains how cost-push inflation causes recession. When the cost of production rises, the firms pass it on to their customers by reducing output and employment and increasing prices. Rise in prices will decrease the ASF and a fall in employment and output will reduce the GDP as a whole. As a result the demand (APE) will fall as well. During this time interest rates will start increasing causing APE to fall so that ASF and GDP can become equal. All companies cannot bear the rise in cost and some will exit the market causing equal increase in cost and prices until the cost and price are equal. This means there is no more negative profit. Now there is no need of reducing employment and output. Hence there will be no decrease causing ASF, GDP and APE to become equal. Ultimately the employment is now stable at a lower level and so is the output. Prices too are stable, but at a higher level. In other words, inflation has hit the economy. Lastly the writer says that, another problem is the growth problem. This problem occurs when GDP increases due to increased production capacity, But APE increase less than it (i.e. there is insufficient demand). The second part of the problem is funding problems. When GDP rises it does not increase the ASF (funding), however, it does increase the need of funding. APE will rise, but there is no increase in ASF, hence, credit funding will come into play. Now ASF will rise. But with this, interest rates have increased and some demand is lost. Now ASF and interest rate will rise until they equal GDP while APE will fall and continue to fall below original level of GDP. With less demand, prices will fall, some firms, not being able to bear this, will leave due to negative profit. Their leaving will reduce output and prices will rise up again to same level as before and ultimately all GDP growth will come to nothing. No demand means, cut it production and this means all the money invested i n expansion is a waste and expansion has to stop. GDP levels can no longer be maintained and the economy will go into recession. MONETARY POLICY In Chapter 12 the writer has focused on how people can manipulate the levels of employment, GDP etc by use of monetary policy. In the U.S, this is the work of the Federal Reserve System, which is independent but under authority by the Congress. The Fed’s have a number of banks under them, though owned privately. The Fed’s functions range from, regulating the money supply, to generating revenue as well as being the bank of the Federal government. The writer, then explains how monetary policy influences employment, interest rates etc. Using their policy tools the Fed’s influence the money supply and interest rates. This change in money supply causes a change in the ASF. Once the ASF is affected it alters employment, interest rate and output. In other words, change in money supply will cause all the changes and this is in the hands of the Fed’s. The writer now goes on to link the Fed’s control variables to the magnitude of money supply. By combining the formulas for money supply (M), total reserves of banks (R), monetary base (B), the cash to checking account deposit ratio (d) and the time deposit to checking account deposit ratio (t) the ultimate formula for money supply can be written as M={ (d + 1)/(d + r + r x t + w) } x B. In this formula the main thing is the B. The B is the money multiplier and hence, it will determine how much money supply is generated. Similarly the d, r, r and t are also controllable by the Fed’s and hence effect money supply. The d and t are controlled by public, but the banks, using interest can influence it. The Fed’s have control over r, r and B. The Fed’s can increase and decrease the multiplier directly by directly changing the r and r. For example if Fed’s decrease r and r, the multipliers value will increase and hence the money supply will increase too. This means the Fed’s can control the ASF .However, since all variable are not under the control of the Fed’s, and any change in them can cause ASF to change, therefore many times the Fed’s have to change their variable to correct anything they feel is not right, but was not under their control. Moving further the writers explains the three policies, via which the monetary policy is controlled by the Fed’s. The first policy is to conduct open market operations. This means they buy and sell securities. These securities are bought by the special securities dealers, who then sell them ahead. What this buying and selling does is that, it alters the magnitude of B and since B and M are related it ultimately affects M or the money supply. The next policy is to alter the reserve requirement. By altering, the checking account and time deposits requirements (i.e.   r and r) the Fed’s can dictate the money supply. However they are dependant to certain extent on the willingness of the banks. If banks don’t mind reducing the working reserve (w) this is easy, otherwise the Fed’s can increase r and r to such level that banks will be forced, because they cannot in any circumstance allow (w) to go below zero. The opposite is the case with decreasing reserve requirements. Again bank need to be willing to increase the (w). Similarly discount rate adjustment can also be used to control monetary policy. Working reserves (w) come into play here. The banks need to determine their optimum level of w, so that ultimately their interest penalty on borrowed funds does not exceed the interest earnings on extra funds. If discount rate was to rise resulting in expected interest earning loss less than penalty, banks would start to hold working reserves and this will decrease M. This tells us that discount rate does not directly affect M, but it is actually w which does. The Fed’s refer to their policy changes as tightening or easing the monetary policy. Monetary policy can be eased to increase the ASF which has fallen due to money and-credit recession, thereby saving the employment and output from going down. Similarly it can also be eased when GDP growth needs to be sustained by increasing funding. Easing of monetary policy will be effective if firstly, banks do not increase too much of their working reserve and secondly if there is a strong reaction on the demand side to reduced interest rate. The Fed’s can tighten the monetary policy to control inflation. But the problem is that this is temporary and causes output to reduce and then employment as well. Tightening policy would mean that, banks will be forced to minimize lending. The banks will then increase the interest rates. Ultimately it depends on how demand reacts to high interest rate. FISCAL POLICY After explaining the monetary policy the writers now moves on to fiscal policy in chapter 13. Fiscal policy, according to the writers consists of, firstly, automatic stabilizers. These stabilizers reduce the APE’s responsiveness to changes in the level of income or GDY, thereby reducing the drop in GDP. Among the different stabilizers are nation’s welfare programs which are run under the reservoir principle. When the income increases, taxes increase and hence the money goes in the fund and when incomes decrease these funds are then used to facilitate the low income people. Besides this, the government can also use progressive income taxes, as a method towards automatic stabilization. When income rises, people go into higher tax slabs, as a result more income in the form of taxes comes to the government. If the government does not increase its purchase and allows a surplus to build up, the growth in demand will reduce. Similarly a decrease in income will have a vice versa effect. Thus these programs are automatically being affected by level of income. In other words with less income and government grants during these times to families, the purchasing power is not hit by heavy impact and hence stabilization takes place. The next form of fiscal policy is the discretionary one. In this the Federal government alters levels of three things; current domestic output purchases and tax receipts from households and businesses. This will affect APE and thus employment levels, prices etc. To show how the federal purchases and federal tax receipts affect APE, the writer has come up with a formula for fiscal policy. Starting with the formula for APE and using symbols for change in tax receipts etc. The final formula after assuming a few figures (for explanation purpose) come to be, ΔAPE = ΔG 0.65ΔHT 0.35ΔBT. Next the writer explains what measures the government can take if it wants to set a certain level for the GDP. In other words, what the government can do to keep the change in APE equal to the excess GDP over current APE. For this purpose the government can do two things. The first is expansionary fiscal policy, which is used when, excess GDP APE 0. In this case the government could either reduce taxes of households or businesses or increase purchase of domestic products. Whatever they do, to increase the APE, ultimately the government will have to borrow, thus increasing the national debt. To avoid this, government can make a large increase in tax and at the same time direct demand away from the private sector. The government will have to consider the pros and cons of both. Next the writer tells us what restrictive fiscal policies are. In this policy federal purchases will need to be reduced as compared to tax receipts. As a result there will be a positive effect on the budget. Discretionary fiscal policy has the purpose to reduce unemployment and lower inflation etc. It does this by impacting the APE directly. In other words, it is important that the fiscal policy is carefully drafted, so that the desired effects are achieved without any problems and complications. POLICY ISSUES The fourteenth chapter is all about policy issue. The writer starts off by explaining; firstly, what problems are associated with boosting APE when expansionary monetary policy is being practiced? The first problem is inconsistency. For example, if the APE has dropped, the Fed’s can use any method to drop the interest rate as that would boost the APE back to original level. However, this will not guaranteed to work always. It is possible that the initial interest level is so low that even if it becomes zero, the corresponding increase in APE will not be enough to get it back to the original level. This would cause the need for additional measures. Hence the writer is telling us that, every time the government will have to use a combination of different measure and therefore there is no consistency. The second problem is liquidity trap. This trap is created when, the economy is facing recession. During this time, interest rates fall, unemployment increases and people lose the capacity to purchase. During this time banks struggle to give loans as businesses are not launching new projects. Those that are able to, do so at very low rates. When economy recovers those who gave loans on low rates will suffer loss. All this will bring the ASF down. However, the Fed’s cannot do anything to increase it because the fall in ASF is fast and large and is increasing all the time. All they can do during this time is to try and stop the ASF from falling. In other words the depression is reducing the effectiveness of the monetary policy. Besides this, expansionary fiscal policy can be affected by crowding out. Crowding out occurs when APEASF. If APE rises and ASF doesn’t then interest rates will go up and this will crowd out the increase. However, if ASF rises a little in response then, little bit of the increase will crowd out but not all. This means crowding out doesn’t destroy fiscal policy measures, but it does reduce its efficiency. Next the writer explains how the fiscal policy can fail by using the Ricardian Equivalence. According to it, people know that government has borrowed and in future when treasury bonds are redeemed, government will increase taxes. People, to prepare for this, will save more and purchase less and hence goal of fiscal policy to increase aggregate demand will fail. However, the writer also states that this is not the case in U.S.A. People are not increasing saving too much hence coupled with other factors fiscal policy will not fail, but will definitely lose some efficiency. Now the writer moves towards restrictive policies and how they are used to offset inflationary effects. Firstly, when the APE or ASF increase and can increase inflation, government can use restrictive policy to stop it. But that also means there will be no growth. However, when GDP goes down, government should not use restrictive policy as this is short term and hence short term solutions should be used. Next the writer says that, in case of inflation due to rise in prices, no policy should be used as it would have no effect on the inflation. If we interfere then unemployment will rise. However, the writer says, the government can control the prices; by using a tax based income policy. Using this policy the government can reduce inflation and at the same time use a demand based policy to increase employment. In the tax based income policy the government sets certain limits of average wages and price. Anyone who gets more wages or increase the price more than the official target will be required to pay a tax penalty (i.e. more tax) and similarly vice versa. This will deter people from increasing beyond official level. This way the government can control prices. Next the writer explains that if the government continues with demand based policy it will cause the economy to go through policy-induced business cycles. This means that, if that, the different economic shocks that hit the economy cause random movements in employment level, interest rates, output etc. The severity and timing of these cycles is not known and this is the danger. Moreover, once the process of cycle’s starts, it will continue and the economy will keep on getting these cycles from time to time. Next the writer explains that, the Fed’s constant switching between tightening and easing the monetary policy, which they do to counteract the effects of their previous policy change, instead of stabilizing, it destabilizes the economy because it reinforces the cycles occurring due to other sources. What they can do is that, they should use the demand based policy to reduce unemployment and use any policy, like the tax-based income policy to reduce inflation. Further the writer explains that, in order to get the right and desired interest rate there has to be a balance between monetary and fiscal policy. This can be achieved easily if one organization (for example the Fed’s), handle it. But they control only the monetary part and the fiscal policy is in the hand of the government. Hence striking the right balance and the right changes becomes a problem. Moreover, another problem is availability of the correct data and that too on time. The economy is very sensitive. Policy decisions have effects on it. If data is incorrect or late this can cause wrong decisions to be made and can result in a disaster for the economy. There is a lot of problem in the available data of the GDP, APE, ASF etc and this is causing a problem. This problem is compounded by the fact that time is wasted, before the problem is recognized. After recognizing, then they design and implement it. Hence its effects take time. Meanwhile the MCP is doing its process. Lastly the writer says that, though monetary and fiscal policies are good, but the data problems, policy lags and inability to predict the effects of economic shocks accurately are making it ineffective.

Introducing The Essay Expert’s College Application Essay Series. College Essay Tips for Ivy League Bound Seniors

Introducing The Essay Expert’s College Application Essay Series. College Essay Tips for Ivy League Bound Seniors For each of the next four weeks, I will be writing an article with tips for writing college application essays.   I will cover the popular essay themes of â€Å"my grandmother,† â€Å"my sport,† â€Å"a famous person† and â€Å"a fictional character.† These topics are extremely popular, and if you choose one of them it is paramount that you don’t sound like everyone else!   If you’re applying to Ivy League schools in particular, your essay can make or break your application.   Bore the Yale admissions committee or the Harvard admissions committee and you’re done for. In my upcoming articles, there will be 7 writing tips for each type of essay so that yours is unique and keeps the admission committee’s attention. If you’re not a member of my blog already, sign up now to make sure you get every nugget of wisdom I have to offer! And if there’s another topic you want me to cover, let me know and maybe your pick can be topic #5.

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 129

Assignment Example e policy focused on reallocation of resources to reflect market forces which was followed by reduction and removal of tariff protection in addition to corporatization and privatization of government business enterprises (Australia 1998). The microeconomic reforms aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of industries and therefore impose competition (Gittins & Forsyth 2008). When more and more industries become efficient per unit production the costs will eventually be lowered (Gittins & Forsyth 2008). This will automatically results to increased profit made by the business. The main objective is to ensure that producers transfer and supply their resources to the industries that are efficient. This will see abandonment of those industries which are not using the resources efficiently. The implementation of the microeconomic reforms basing on the 5 sector flow model has seen sharper competition develop between lower and foreign investments. More and great incentives are now available for local investors to improve their productivity by reducing costs and seeking new markets (Gittins & Forsyth 2008). There is great openness to trade and many people are encouraged even to specialize in business. Moreover, prices of commodities have also lowered and things are much affordable to the domestic consumers. Competition in communication sectors has seen advancement since the reforms ended monopoly discrimination of single business (Gittins & Forsyth 2008). The microeconomic reform policies have one major advantage. It is upon individual businesses to come up with the best strategies to sell and overcome competitors. This has seen service delivery and quality of products improve. One of the shortcomings is conflict among competing business companies (Budget.gov 1998). The free business environment needs to have regulation. This will ensure there is respect among competing companied as far as competition is concerned. Australian microeconomic policy has a major

RESEARCH PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

RESEARCH PAPER - Essay Example One of the authors who wrote on the mistakes that happened in the war is Bill Fawcett. In his book, How to Lose WWII: Bad Mistakes of the Good War, he highlighted facts and in a very interesting way. According to Fawcett, the outbreak of war was ignited by Germany’s invasion of Poland in September 1939 which could have been avoided if not for poor judgement (8). The Treaty of Versailles which was imposed on Germany by Orlando of Italy, Georges Clemenceau of France, Lloyd George of England and Woodrow Wilson of the US discussed the punishment they had to give Germany for starting World War I. Woodrow Wilson formulated a 14-point-plan which he believed would bring peace to Europe but Clemenceaue wanted revenge on Germany. Georges agreed with Wilson but the public sided with France. The Germans were expecting a treaty based on Wilson’s 14 points but ended being disappointed. Instead, they had no choice but to take the very harsh agreement. They had to accept the blame for starting World War I, were forced to pay ?6.6 billion for war damages and were only allowed to have a small army. Moreover, Rhineland would be de-militarized. Some of Germany’s territories were given to other countries and union with Austria was also forbidden. Imposing a cold-hearted punishment like this to a poor and starving war struck country made many very unhappy. Germany looked for a saviour and found one, Adolf Hitler. He promised to tear down the treaty. As soon as he was elected Chancellor in January 1933, he wasted no time in building his army in secret. This was no secret for the French and Britain. They did not pay much attention thinking that the actions of Hitler would prevent the expansion of Communism to the West. They were wrong. By 1936, Germany had an army but it was not that strong. In the dawn of March 7, 1936, Hitler ordered his troops to enter Rhineland. At this point, thousands of France soldiers were also at the Franco-German border, yet they did not do anything, a great mistake. One of Hitler’s general, Heinz Guderian, stated that if the French had intervened in Rhineland in 1936, they could have defeated Hitler there and then. Later, it was also revealed that Hitler privately admitted: â€Å"The forty-eight hours after the march into the Rhineland were the most nerve-racking in my life. If the French had then marched into the Rhineland we would have had to withdraw with our tails between our legs, for the military resources at our disposal would have been wholly inadequate for even a moderate resistance† (Bullock 135). If only the French or Britain made an action and put aside their fear, World War II could have been avoided at that point. In 1936, Italy and Japan allied with Germany. After these alliances Hitler started taking back German lands. They started with Austria in 1938, which was a direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler promised that Anschluss, union with Germany, would be the end of his expansion and he did not want to risk war. Six months later, Hitler invaded Sudetenland and eventually the whole of Czechoslovakia and yet again no one dared to stop Germany. The British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, thought that pressing military pressure from France and Britain would scare Germany from invading Poland. Chamberlain was wrong. In September 1, 1939, Germany attacked and occupied Poland, World War II officially started. Hitler also made one crucial mistake in 1941 when he declared war on Russia while

Facebook: A Useful Communication Tool

Facebook: A Useful Communication Tool This report provides an analysis about Facebook, which has become an important source of communication now days. The report starts with an introduction of Facebook, history of Facebook and its importance now days. The report then moves on the use of the social network as a communication tool, entertainment, business and information. The report also tells about the usage of Facebook among different people of different regions and different ages. The report then covers the main advantages and disadvantages of Facebook and then finally discusses how to make the usage of Facebook limited and safe. 1.0 Introduction A social network is defined as an internet based service that allows its users to create a public or private profile in which they could list their personal details, hobbies, relationships and share it with people they want to share their personal details with. Most popular social networks now days are Facebook, Twitter, Linked in, My Space and Google Plus. This research is carried out to provide information about Facebook, the importance of Facebook now days and to mention advantages and disadvantages of Facebook. Facebook was found on 4th February 2004 by a teenage boy Mark Zuckerberg in Stanford. The companys first name was thefacebook.com, after a month company shifted its platform of functions to Florida and Palo Alta. The company bought its name Facebook from the website Facebook.com in 2005 for $200,000. After 8 years Facebook has become one of the most famous website on the internet, even from a school boy to a busy business man everybody seems to be addicted to Facebook. Thi s research tells us about the use of Facebook by different people of different ages and regions. People of different ages use Facebook for different purposes children and teenagers mostly use this network for communication and entertainment, Business men use this for multiple purposes such as communication, information, and marketing and also as an entertainment. According to research carried out Facebook is used in every country of the world. The report then finally discusses what problems have risen as a result of excess use of Facebook and its effect on International media and daily life of people. 2.0 Importance of Facebook now days: According to this research Facebook is a lawful activity in every country of the world, and from a small child to a busy professional business man Facebook is an addiction to all of them. Facebook has become a part of daily routine of people and for some people part of their hourly routine, people of all ages use Facebook for following different purposes. 2.1 Communication: The main purpose of this social network is communication; the main logo of Facebook is connect and share with the people in your life. Facebook allows its users to chat, talk and share their daily life activities with their friends and family. 2.2 Entertainment Due to the advance features of this network entertainment has become as equal purpose as communication; as a member logs into his Facebook account his attention is readily diverted towards different entertainment stuff like time line applications, online game applications, picture jokes, funny videos and other interesting content. 2.3 Source of Earning Facebook is also used as a source of earning by people i.e. Facebook is one of the most visited websites on internet so it is an excellent website for advertisement and offers about brands and products, therefore Facebook is also used for marketing of business and hence it assists people in earning money. 2.4 Data Storage and Information Some people also use Facebook as data storage i.e. to store their memorable photos and videos on internet as in case their compute data gets corrupt or lost. Facebook is also sometimes used to obtain information about famous people, locations, cultures and events. Facebook also keeps people up to date about the world. 3.0 Usage of Facebook by people of different ages and different regions According to the research carried out Facebook population is made up of Millions of people around the globe. As compared to males, females lead the population on Facebook; young adults aged 18 to 25, possess the most population of the Facebook due to their interests in chatting, entertainment, cyber dating and other youth stuff. After this age sector Facebook is heavily populated from people aged 26 to 34, due to the same interests as of young adults. The rest of the population is covered by people of different ages including children and people over 45. Coming to the regional statics of Facebook usage, Facebook is a lawful activity in every country of the world. America has the most Facebook users of the world, Brazil has the second most users of Facebook in the World and third country with most Facebook users is India. Ireland possesses 59th position in relevance to the Facebook population. All these statistics show that Facebook is huge and on the present day it is the most popula r social network and one of the most visited website on internet. 4.0 Advantages and disadvantages of Facebook: Today the world has become a place of instant communication with the help of social networks like Facebook, twitter, Google plus etc. and by other means of communication like emails and telephones. Facebook is the most popular social network on internet and its use is rapidly increasing, according to research carried out Facebook is the most popular communication tool used, followed by SMS and email. Facebook is the most popular social network in the world, with over 350 million users, so it should come as no surprise to discover that people are using it as a primary tool for communication, said Hazel Butters, CEO of Prompt Communications. As far as communication and sharing Facebook is considered as an excellent tool, but problems arise when Facebook becomes an addiction. Facebook has become a part of daily routine of people and for some people part of their hourly routine and hence they are moving away from their daily healthy activities by spending hours on Facebook. Teens especially are being accused of constantly logged in their account, some specialists narrate that this develops social skills in them which are essential in practical life. But other people believe that this disturbs their studies and their healthy outdoor activities. Privacy is another issue with Facebook, although the social network offers the users full control of their private information still there is insecurity with many different features of Facebook, also hacking is another threat for users, if some account gets hacked all the personal details and stuff of the user will be leaked. Another drawback of Facebook is fraud and fake accounts, a ccording to the stats 83 million accounts on Facebook are fake or duplicate, this creates a lot of confusion among the users e.g. people may not be talking or sharing their details with the person they think they actually are, sometimes people are fooled into funding or sharing money for the name of some well-known company or fund raisers by fake accounts. Facebook an incredible place for young boys and girls in relevance of dating sometimes becomes a goldmine for identity theft and dating Sometimes people are in love with person they dont even know that exists or not. Cyber bullying is another major problem with Facebook, people often criticize others on Facebook and sometimes a group targets an individual and insult the person in front of their friends or even family. This causes mental stress to people, makes them victim of complex and diverts their attention from their carrier or studies. With all these problems it is hard decided that Facebook is a beneficial or not, but inste ad of criticizing a solution should be found. Facebook was found for communication and entertainment purpose so it should be kept that way, Facebook should not be taken as an addiction and there should be a small time period for it. Facebook should not be preferred over studies, outdoor activities or work. Moral Values should be followed on Facebook one must not abuse somebodys privacy, should not cheat anybody on Facebook or criticize any other person on Facebook. This way we can make Facebook beneficial. 5.0 Conclusion: The research carried out tells us that Facebook has become an important part of our lives by means of communication, entertainment and business all around the globe, but it is misused by people and therefore it is losing its reputation. But instead of walking out from Facebook it should be used properly to avoid the loss of a very useful communication and entertainment tool. Contents Geekosystem.com, 2012, to prove a point dating site steals 250,000 profiles on Facebook, 2012, http://www.geekosystem.com/dating-site-stole-facebook-profiles/, accessed on 25/11/2012. Katin Rogers, 2012, Facebook users raise privacy concerns as company tweaks security settings, 15/10/2012, http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/oct/15/facebook-users-privacy-concerns-security, accessed on 25/11/2012. Social Bakers, 2012, Facebook Statistics, 2012, http://www.socialbakers.com/facebook-statistics, accessed on 25/11/2012. History of Facebook, 2012, History of Facebook, 2012, http://www.historyoffacebook.com/, accessed on 25/11/2012. Mike Sachoff, 2009, Survey found Facebook most useful communication tool, 11/12/2009, http://www.webpronews.com/survey-finds-facebook-most-popular-communication-tool-2009-12, accessed on 25/11/2012.

A Comparison of W.K Clifford and William James’s Arguments

Clifford and James Summaries of W. K. Clifford and William James’s arguments for belief | In this paper, I hope to effectively summarize W. K Clifford’s (1879) argument on the ethics of belief, followed by a summary of William James’ (1897) argument on the right to believe, and finally, provide an argument for why W. K Clifford’s (1879) argument is stronger by highlighting its strengths while simultaneously arguing against William James’ (1897) argument. According to Clifford (1879), there is an ethics to belief that makes it always wrong for anyone to believe anything on insufficient evidence.Clifford (1879) begins his paper by providing an illustrative analogy – one where a ship-owner is preparing to send to sea a ship filled with innocent men, women, and children. Prior to its departure, doubts had been brought to his attention regarding its condition and the possibility of a failure to complete the voyage. The ship-owner, now in a dilemma , successfully convinces himself that because the ship had weathered so many storms and successfully completed so many voyages, it was fit to believe that the ship was fit to sail.He acquired a sincere belief that the ship would successfully complete the voyage despite its apparent faults. Eventually, the ship sank. Clifford (1879) argues that the ship-owner is responsible for the death of those innocent men and women – not only did the ship-owner ignore the doubts regarding the ship’s capabilities, but he acquired a false belief by simply stifling his doubts. Yes, he felt sure about the ship’s capabilities; but, he only acquired such a conviction by allowing himself to believe it, and not based on sufficient evidence.Clifford (1879) also argues that in the event the ship had not sank and had completed the voyage, the ship-owner â€Å"would not have been innocent, he would only have been not found out. † (498) In essence, Clifford (1879) argues that the o utcome has no effect since the origin of his belief was flawed and based on whims rather than evidence. In another analogy where a group of men are accused for manipulating children, Clifford (1879) argues that those who accused the innocence of the men based on self-propagated beliefs are not â€Å"honourable men,† (499) regardless of whether the accused were guilty.He illustrated the ideology that no accusation can be made unless there is sufficient evidence to supplement it; if sufficient evidence cannot be found, then the individual loses the right to believe that certain belief, as he will harm himself and humanity. Clifford (1879) argues it is right and necessary to examine evidence on both sides of any belief with patience and care. Right, because when a man is so consumed by a belief so as to not entertain other grounds, he can still choose the action stemming from that belief – thus, he has a duty to investigate â€Å"on the ground of the strength of his conv ictions. (499) And necessary, because those who become consumed by their self-sponsored beliefs must have a rule to deal with actions stemming from those beliefs. Clifford (1879) argues no one belief is isolated from the action that follows, and no belief is ever truly insignificant. No individual can judge the validity of his beliefs in an unbiased manner; thus, the actions following beliefs, regardless of being true or false, can have strong implications on our future if not corrected now. Clifford (1879) argues it is essential to continuously judge our beliefs and validate them based on sufficient evidence.Finally, Clifford (1879) argues our beliefs are not personal property; rather, â€Å"our words, our phrases and processes and modes of thought are common property. Belief†¦ is ours not for ourselves, but for humanity. † (500) Because our actions – which stem from our beliefs – affect those around us, Clifford (1879) deems it a universal duty to constan tly doubt our closely held beliefs. Although â€Å"we naturally do not like to find that we are really ignorant and powerless,† (500) Clifford argues it would be a crime and a sin on humanity to acquire a sense of power when the belief has not been sufficiently investigated and earned.Clifford (1879) is a strong proponent of proof-based beliefs and of the continuous criticism of beliefs held backed by loose evidence. In order to advance as a fair and just society, our beliefs must be evaluated and supported by evidence which is fair and just, and not by apparent truisms which satisfy our personal power struggles, insecurities, and lack of interest. William James (1897), on the other hand, attempts to define the permissible cases in which it is intellectually respectable to believe without sufficient evidence.James (1897) begins by providing three criterion for judging beliefs: either beliefs are 1) living or dead; 2) forced or avoidable; or 3) momentous or trivial. A live hyp othesis is one where the hypothesis appeals to the existing beliefs of the individual; a forced hypothesis is one where one must choose between alternatives, and cannot proceed without doing so; and finally, a momentous hypothesis is one where there is a lot at stake and/or when the decision is irreversible. James(1897) argues that certain actions and convictions need pre-existing beliefs which do not require sufficient evidence.He uses Pascal’s Wager as an example – James (1897) argues Pascal’s Wager may force individuals in choosing to either believe in God or not, regardless of there being sufficient evidence to prove the existence of the former or latter. However, James (1897) argues that different propositions hold varying meanings and importance to different individuals; it is individuals’ pre-existing beliefs which form future beliefs once further information is received. James (1897) acknowledges the fact that many beliefs are pre-supposed and wit hout sufficient evidence.To challenge Clifford (1879), he says â€Å"our belief in truth itself†¦ that there is a truth†¦ what is it but a passionate affirmation of desire,† (505) effectively questioning Clifford’s (1879) double-standard; if Clifford (1879) requires sufficient evidence for beliefs, where is the sufficient evidence to support the belief of truth held by scientists and philosophers alike? Then, James (1897) extends the argument to say we want to have a truth – it is our will which pushes us to believe in a truth and â€Å"puts us in a continually better and better position towards it. (505) In discussing telepathy, James claims scientists do not want to consider the evidence for telepathy because â€Å"they think†¦ that even if such a thing were true, scientists ought to band together to keep it suppressed†¦ It would undo the uniformity of Nature and all sorts of other things without which scientists cannot carry on their pur suits. † (505) James argues that â€Å"[the] very law which the logicians impose upon us†¦ is based on nothing but their own natural wish to exclude all elements for which they†¦ an find no use. † (506) Thus, James effectively argues that even the scientists’ passionate convictions and prejudices form their beliefs, as we see in the case of telepathic research. Finally, in this section, James (1897) argues such behaviour re-inforces Pascal’s Wager – a pre-existing belief can generate further beliefs, and that logic alone is not enough. Then, James (1897) takes two approaches in looking at the â€Å"duties† in matters of opinion – that we must know the truth, and we must avoid error.James (1897) argues it is impractical and unrealistic to know the truth while simultaneously avoiding error; â€Å"it hardly ever happens that by merely disbelieving B we necessarily believe A. We may in escaping B fall into believing other falseh oods, C or D, just as bad as B,† (506) says James (1897). Then, James (1897) argues that the risk of being wrong or in error is trivial compared to the possibility of stumbling upon real knowledge and of â€Å"indefinitely guessing true. † (506) In his opinion, it is better to continue to guess or hope for the truth than to continuously deny certain beliefs until sufficient evidence surfaces.He believes it is better to be light-hearted in the regard of accepting certain beliefs than to constantly question and doubt. James (1897) argues that in most matters, the decision to choose between various options is not so momentous and urgent that a false belief to act on is better than no belief at all. He says â€Å"seldom is there any such a hurry†¦ that the risks of being duped by believed a premature theory need be faced. † (507) James (1897) then goes on to state that modern science’s â€Å"nervousness† and yearning to technically verifying the tr uth may â€Å"cease her to care for truth by itself at all. (507) In extending this argument, he states that although technical evidence is strong and important, human passions are stronger. He then poses his final question – that of weighing the perils and benefits of waiting with â€Å"impunity† until the sufficient evidence is found. In essence, he asks if there are forced options in man’s already speculative questions, and whether it is wise to continue to wait until â€Å"sufficient† evidence arrives. In leading up to his conclusion, James (1897) argues that the desire for a certain truth can help bring about its existence; so, desire or the will to discover a fact can help create the fact.He infers this to mean that the beliefs conjured and held by our passionate minds may prove to be instrumental in providing the sufficient evidence to justify those beliefs. In conclusion, James (1897) argues that because religion is forced and momentous, we canno t remain skeptical and continue to wait, as we will lose the good provided by religion if we continue to wait in the same fashion that we choose to disbelieve in the first place – James (1897) argues that it is better to risk the chance of error than the loss of truth.Finally, James (1897) argues that to believe in religion or God with the notion of being right is the prerogative of the individual and is undertaken at his own risk – if the individual wishes to put himself in the best position possible to enjoy the fruits of the after-life, then society and/or science’s imposed rules and laws of requiring â€Å"sufficient evidence† for the verification of that God or religion is unjustified. It is the individual’s personal decision and he alone assumes the risk – as such, his right must be respected.James argues that individuals have a right to believe without sufficient evidence so long as the belief is live, momentous and is forced. He argu es that it is impractical to continue to wait for sufficient evidence to surface while the chance to believe gradually dissipates. Now that I have summarized Clifford (1879) and James’s (1897) articles, I would like to elaborate further as to why Clifford’s (1879) argument is stronger than James’s (1897) in the area of religious belief.In his article, James (1897) made a number of references to the apparently frivolous actions of scientists and their narcissistic habits of â€Å"waiting† for sufficient evidence. However, his rendition of live hypotheses still does not give sufficient reason to believe in a certain belief without first establishing a basis for its verification. First, in any experiment, â€Å"sufficient evidence† is to be based on objective proof which can reasonably prove that the latter cannot hold truer than the former. However, when beliefs are formed based on passion and human emotion, how can one achieve any objectivity?How ca n there be fair grounds for comparison? How can one individual, who, in his own right, is passionately convinced of his belief – based on nothing more than emotion – convince the other that his belief is superior when the other individual believes on the same token? Second, James (1897) continually criticizes scientists for their ways and states science’s search for â€Å"technical verification† is a shun for the truth; however, would modern science have discovered the cure of diseases and made significant inroads in the field of medical research had it stuck with one belief and not explored other avenues of growth?Is it, then, morally right to continue to hold certain medical hypotheses valid while simultaneously rejecting other possibilities when such an act could concern the lives of millions? Should there not be room for a reasonable amount of doubt and criticisms within one’s beliefs to continually improve, rather than degrade, as James (1897) suggests? Yes, James suggests that evidence should be required when the matter at hand is a significant one – but who can be a fair judge on the magnanimity of such a topic?Thus, although it may be tedious and inconvenient to continually question and doubt one’s basis for belief, it is necessary and categorically the right thing to do. We owe it to ourselves and to mankind to be honest with one another, and not believe just to satiate our personal thirst for power. Finally, James (1897) asks that those who believe – regardless of whether they have evidence or not – must be left alone and have the right to â€Å"live and let live. † I vehemently disagree.As Clifford (1879) suggested, beliefs turn into actions, and by the time we realize the action undertaken was an immoral one, it is usually too late. We are all connected – any thoughts in my mind, or yours, can affect others in an infinite number of ways. As James (1897) stated, most everyd ay beliefs will not affect others drastically; however, there is a fraction of beliefs which can turn actions affecting many people or any one person in profound ways, either negatively or positively.In such a scenario, do we want to leave open the possibility of unfounded beliefs adversely affecting some person’s life? Do we want to run the risk of hurting a loved one and/or our reputations because we were too lazy or did not find the issue momentous or live enough to gather sufficient evidence for a belief? Thus, although Clifford’s (1879) proposition may seem, again, tedious or time-consuming, it is the only way of ensuring we close the cracks and do our best to ensure a fair society.After all, in the presumption of innocence, our legal system works in a similar way – the legal system ensures every accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty, regardless the magnitude of the verdict, because it knows the implications of sending an innocent man to prison. Thus, every belief by the prosecution and defence must be backed by sufficient evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. After analyzing the summaries of the respective philosophers – W. K.Clifford (1879) and William James (1897) – I hope it has become evident that sufficient evidence to support beliefs is not only right and necessary for us, but for humanity as a whole. As a society, we cannot shun substantive, technical evidence because we are satisfied with our pre-existing beliefs. To advance as a society, it is our universal duty to continually question our beliefs and search for sufficient evidence in forming our new beliefs. References Pojman, Louis, & Rea, Michael. (2012). Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology. Boston: Clark Baxter.