Theme of struggle

The Struggle Struggle is when you make forceful efforts to get free of a restraint. Usually something critical happens that causes you to struggle frequently. This critical thing can happen over time, or it can happen all of a sudden. Frequently struggling usually leads to depression, the same way that struggling can keep you depressed. Everything has to happen for a reason, and in this case struggling was the reasoning for depression. Since the beginning of his wanting to go to a very academic school, Craig studied crazily like.He studied so much that one of the times he went to his room to study â€Å"[he] got comfortable with [his] room for the first time. † Most depressed people like to stay in their room for a long time because they want to isolate themselves. Studying for three hours a day in his room, is one the things that allowed himself to isolate himself, even though it was not intentional. He, like many other depressed people felt safe somewhere, and for him, it wa s his room.When you cannot do anything about your struggle you tend to panic and/or stress which can dead to long term physical and/or mental pain. Most people who throw up are sick, but there are certain people who vomit because they are stressed and Craig is one of them. Within months of his new school, which is one of the hardest high schools there are, he had stress vomited. Craig stress vomiting is very significant in It's Kind of a Funny Story because it is when all his struggling begins. It usually shows that that person is not strong as to how they came off to be.Towards the beginning of the kook, Craig had everything together, which is usually other people's lives are as well, but as more goes on to their plate as they can chew, they vomit and it shows that they are struggling. This conveys that every person who has stress vomited because of all the things they had to handle, really believed they were that person, someone who could do everything with ease. Struggling someti mes makes you lose control, so it may seem like you are in control, but in reality you are Just pretending to be.Since Craig has trouble digesting is food he has to tell himself he is â€Å"still in control of [his] mind and [he] has medication and [he] is going to make this happen† (37-38). If anyone is taking medication for something that they cannot control, like Craig eating abilities, it means that they are already no longer in control of their mind. Craig thinking that he is still in control conveys that he has found taking medication a normal thing, that it is no longer something that sets him apart from others.When you think of someone who takes medication to help them with depression along with other things, you hint their name and you think depression and medication along with them. It has become one with them. Craig became depressed because he was continuously struggling with simple things and harsh things that were a struggle. It can be predicted that over time Cr aig will come out of his depression when he gets out of his comfort zone, when he actually does something about one of his struggles. He will learn how to do that with all struggles and that will slowly end his depression.

The Covenant Between God And The Isrealites

Covenant is a word that seems complicated to analyze and discuss by so many people and this is the reason why many people fail to keep covenant among them, even back in the old testament of the bible written 2000BC, the Israelites often fail in the covenant between them and God and only God who is perfect never fails.â€Å"The distance between God and the creature is so great,† says the Westminster Confession (VII. I), â€Å"that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto him as their Creator, yet they could never have any fruition of him as their blessedness and reward, but by some voluntary condescension on God's part, which he hath been pleased to express by way of covenant. † Exactly!So biblical doctrine, first to last, has to do with covenantal relationships between God and man; biblical ethics has to do with expressing God's covenantal relationship to us in covenantal relationships between ourselves and others; and Christian religion has the nature of cov enant life, in which God is the direct object of our faith, hope, love, worship, and service, all animated by gratitude for grace.Our theme is the life-embracing bedrock reality of the covenant relationship between the Creator and Christians, and it is high time we defined exactly what we are talking about. A covenant relationship is a voluntary mutual commitment that binds each party to the other. Whether it is negotiated, like a modern business deal or a marriage contract, or unilaterally imposed, as all God's covenants are, is irrelevant to the commitment itself; the reality of the relationship depends simply on the fact that mutual obligations have been accepted and pledged on both sides.Luther is held to have said that Christianity is a matter of personal pronouns, in the sense that everything depends on knowing that Jesus died for me, to be my Savior, and that his Father is my God and Father, personally committed to love, nurture, uphold, and glorify me. This already is covena nt thinking, for this is the essential substance of the covenant relationship: God's covenant is precisely a matter of these personal pronouns, used in this way, as a basis for a life with God of friendship, peace and communicated love.Going back to the Old Testament of the Bible, when God tells Abraham, â€Å"I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you . . . to be your God . . . I will be their God† (Gen. 17:6-8), the personal pronouns are the key words: God is committing himself to Abraham and Abraham's seed in a way in which he does not commit himself to others. God's covenant commitment expresses eternal election; his covenant love to individuals sinners flows from his choice of them to be his for ever in the peace of justification and the joy of glorification.The verbal commitment in which electing sovereignty thus shows itself has the nature of a promise, the fulfillment of which is guaranteed by God's absolu te fidelity and trustworthiness — the quality that David Livingstone the explorer celebrated by describing God as â€Å"an honorable gentleman who never breaks his word. † The covenant promise itself, â€Å"I will be your God,† is an unconditional undertaking on God's part to be â€Å"for us† (Rom. 8:31), â€Å"on our side† (Ps. 124:1-5), using all his resources for the furthering of the ultimate good of those (â€Å"us†) to whom he thus pledges himself.â€Å"I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God† (Ex. 6:7), the covenant promise constantly repeated throughout both testaments (Gen. 17:6-8; Ex. 20:2, 29:45 Ezek. 11:20, 34:30 f. , 36:28; 2 Cor. 6:16-18; Rev. 21:2 f. ; etc. ), may fairly be called the pantechnicon promise, inasmuch as every particular promise that God makes is packed into it — fellowship and communion first (â€Å"I will be with you,† â€Å"I will dwell among them,† â€Å"I will li ve among you,† etc.), and then the supply of every real need, here and hereafter. Sovereignty and salvation, love and largesse, election and enjoyment, affirmation and assurance, fidelity and fullness thus appear as the spectrum of themes (the second of each pair being the fruit of the first as its root) that combine to form the white light, glowing and glorious, of the gracious self-giving of God to sinners that covenant theology proclaims.The God-given covenant carries, of course, obligations. The life of faith and repentance, and the obedience to which faith leads, constitute the covenant-keeping through which God's people receive the fullness of God's covenant blessing. â€Å"I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession† (Ex. 19:4 f. ).Covenant faithfulness is the condition and means of receiving covenant benefits, and there is nothing arbitrary in that; for the blessings flow from the relationship, and human rebelliousness and unfaithfulness stop the flow by disrupting the relationship. Israel's infidelity was constantly doing this throughout the Old Testament story, and the New Testament makes it plain that churches and Christians will lose blessings that would otherwise be theirs, should covenant fidelity be lacking in their lives.The very first covenant that could be read in the bible is that of our first father and mother who destroyed the covenant just because of a fruit given to them by a camouflaged Satan. This original covenantal arrangement, usually called the Covenant of Works, was one whereby God undertook to prolong and augment for all subsequent humanity the happy state in which he had made the first human pair — provided that the man observed, as part of the humble obedience that was then natural to him, one prohibition, specified in the narrative as not eating a forbidden fruit.The devil, presented as a serpent, seduced Adam and Eve into disobeying, so that they fell under the penal sanctions of the Covenant of Works (loss of good, and corruption of nature). But God at once revealed to them in embryo a redemptive economy that had in it both the covering of sin, and a prospective victory for the woman's seed (a human Savior) over the serpent and his malice.The redemptive purpose of this new arrangement became clearer as God called Abraham, made a nation from his descendants, saved them from slavery, named himself not only their God but also their King and Father, taught them his law (the family code), drilled them in sacrificial liturgies, disciplined their disobedience, and sent messengers to hold up before them his holiness and his promise of a Savior King and a saving kingdom; which in due course became reality.The Westminster Confession summarizes what was going on in and through all this. â€Å"Man, by his fall, having made himself incapable of life by (the first) covenant, t he Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace: wherein he freely offered unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in him, that they may be saved, and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto eternal life his Holy Spirit, to make them willing and able to believe. . .â€Å"This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel; under the law it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all fore signifying Christ to come, which were, for that time, sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation; and is called the old Testament.â€Å"Under the gospel, when Christ, the substance, was exhibited, the ordinances in which this covenant is dispensed are the preaching of the Word, and the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper . . . in them, it is held forth in more fullness, evidence and spiritual efficacy, to all nations, both Jews and Gentiles; and is called the new Testament. There are not therefore two covenants of grace, differing in substance, but one and the same, under various dispensations† (VII. iii. v. vi).So the unifying strands that bind together the books of the Bible are, first, the one covenant promise, sloganized as â€Å"I will be your God, and you shall be my people,† which God was fulfilling to his elect all through his successive orderings of covenant faith and life; second, the one messenger and mediator of the covenant, Jesus Christ the God-man, prophet and king, priest and sacrifice, the Messiah of Old Testament prophecy and New Testament proclamation; third, the one people of God, the covenant community, the company of the elect, whom God brings to faith and keeps in faith, from Abel, Noah and Abraham through the remnant of Israel to the worldwide New Testament church of believing Jews and Gentiles; and fourth, the one pattern of covenant piety, consisting of faith, repentance, love, joy, praise, hope, hatred of sin, desire for sanctity, a spirit of prayer, and readiness to battle the world, the flesh, and the devil in order to glorify God . . . a pattern displayed most fully, perhaps, in Luther's â€Å"little Bible,† the Psalter, but seen also in the lives of God's servants in both Testaments and reflected more or less fully in each single one of the Old and New Testament books.Covenant theologians insist that every book of the Bible in effect asks to be read in terms of these unities, and as contributing to the exposition of them, and is actually misunderstood if it is not so read. Some of the major covenant between God and man in the old testament would be discussed to show the importance and effec t of a covenant as an agreement. THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND THE ISREALITES According to the Bible the history of Israel began when Abraham was called by God to leave his family and his home and settle in Canaan. His son Isaac, and his grandson, Jacob, lived there until Jacob was forced by famine to flee to Egypt with his remaining sons, where one of them, Joseph, already held a position of prominence after a grass to grace encounter. The descendants of Jacob were enslaved in Egypt.God charged Moses with the deliverance of his people from bondage. This he did with the aid of God, who dried up the ‘Red Sea' so that the Israelites could cross in safety, while the pursuing Egyptian army drowned. Moses and his people continued to Mount Sinai, where a covenant was concluded establishing God as the Lord of his chosen people, Israel. The conditions of the covenant were laid down in a law including the Ten Commandments. However, because of the people's disobedience their march toward the Promised Land turned into forty years of wanderings in the wilderness. Finally, after the death of Moses, the people of Israel entered Canaan from the east, crossing the River Jordan.Under the leadership of Joshua they sacked Jericho; after the city walls came tumbling down rather miraculously, and then went on to conquer the rest of Canaan. THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND THE ABRAHAM † Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian slave-girl whose name was Hagar, and Sarai said to Abram, â€Å"You see that the LORD has prevented me from bearing children; go in to my slave-girl; it may be that I shall obtain children by her. â€Å"And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife. Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bor e him Ishmael. When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, â€Å"I am God Almighty;† walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous. † Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, â€Å"As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God. â €  God said to Abraham, â€Å"As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.Throughout your generations every male among you shall be circumcised when he is eight days old, including the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring. Both the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money must be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant. † God said to Abraham, â€Å"As for Sarah your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.† Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said to himself, â€Å"Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child? † And Abraham said to God, â€Å"O that Ishmael might live in your sight! † God said, â€Å"No, but your wife Sarah shall bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; I will bless him and make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year. † And when he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.Then Abraham took h is son Ishmael and all the slaves born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised; and all the men of his house, slaves born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him. . The LORD dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as he had promised.Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Now S arah said, â€Å"God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me. † And she said, â€Å"Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age. † The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac.So she said to Abraham, â€Å"Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac. † The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, â€Å"Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring. † So Abraham ros e early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, â€Å"Do not let me look on the death of the child. † And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, â€Å"What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand for I will make a great nation of him. † Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt. † THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND THE NOAH Centuries before the time of Abraham, God made a covenant with Noah, assuring Noah that He would never again destroy the world by flood (Gen. 9). Noah lived at a time when the whole earth was filled with violence and corruption — yet Noah did not allow the evil standards of his day to rob him of fellowship with God. He stood out as the only one who â€Å"walked with God† (Gen. 6:9), as was also true of his great-grandfather Enoch (Gen. 5:22). â€Å"Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations† (Gen. 6:9).The Lord singled out Noah from among all his contemporaries and chose him as the man to accomplish a great work. When God saw the wickedness that prevailed in the world (Gen. 6:5), He told Noah of His intention to destroy the ancient world by a universal flood. God instructed Noah to build an ark (a large barge) in which he and his family would survive the universal deluge. Noah believed God and â€Å"according to all that God commanded him, so he did† (Gen. 6:22). Noah is listed among the heroes of faith. â€Å"By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith† (Heb. 11:7).With steadfast confidence in God, Noah started building the ark. During this time, Noah continued to preach God's judgment and mercy, warning the ungodly of their approaching doom. Peter reminds us of how God â€Å"did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly† (2 Pet. 2:5). Noah preached for 120 years, apparently without any converts. At the end of that time, â€Å"whe n †¦ the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah †¦ eight souls were saved through water† (1 Pet. 3:20). People continued in their evil ways and ignored his pleadings and warnings until the flood overtook them.When the ark was ready, Noah entered in with all kinds of animals â€Å"and the Lord shut him in† (Gen. 7:16), cut off completely from the rest of mankind. Noah was grateful to the Lord who had delivered him from the flood. After the flood, he built an altar to God (Gen. 8:20) and made a sacrifice, which was accepted graciously, for in it â€Å"the Lord smelled a soothing aroma† (Gen. 8:21). The Lord promised Noah and his descendants that He would never destroy the world again with a universal flood (Gen. 9:15). The Lord made an everlasting covenant with Noah and his descendants, establishing the rainbow as the sign of His promise (Gen. 9:1-17). Another part of the covenant involved the sanctity of human life, i. e., that â€Å"whoever sh eds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man† (Gen. 9:6). Every time we see a rainbow today we are reminded of that agreement — this covenant has not been done away with. As long as God still sends rainbows after a storm, capital punishment will still be a part of God's law for the human race. THE MOSAIC COVENANT The Israelites moved to Egypt during the time of Joseph. A new Pharaoh came upon the scene and turned the Israelites into common slaves. The people cried out to the God of their forefathers. â€Å"So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob† (Exo. 2:24).After a series of ten plagues upon the land of Egypt, God brought the Israelites out â€Å"of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand† (Exo. 32:11). Three months after leaving the land of Egypt, the children of Israel camped at the base of Mount Sinai (Exo. 19:1). God promised to make a covenant with the Israelites (Exo. 19:3-6). Before they even knew the conditions of the contract, the people agreed to abide by whatever God said (Exo. 19:8). This covenant was between God and the people of Israel — you and I are not a party in this contract (and never have been). The Ten Commandments are the foundation of the covenant, but they are not the entirety of it.After giving the first ten commands, the people asked the Lord to speak no more (Exo. 20:18-20). Moses then drew near to the presence of God to hear the rest of the covenant (Exo. 20:21). After receiving the Law, Moses spoke the words of the covenant to all of the people, and the people agreed to obey (Exo. 24:4). Moses then wrote the conditions of the covenant down, offered sacrifices to God, and then sprinkled both the book and the people with blood to seal the covenant (Exo. 24:8). This covenant between God and the people of Israel was temporary — God promised a day when He would make a new covenant, not on ly with Israel but also with all mankind.â€Å"Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah — not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people† (Jer. 31:31-34). The old testament of the Bible, from Genesis to Malachi, are, as was said earlier, God's own record of the progressive unfolding of his purpose to have a people in covenant with himself here on earth. The covenantal character of God's relationships with human beings, first to last, has already been underlined, and is in fact reflected one way and anot her on just about every page of the Bible.The transition in Eden from the covenant of works to the covenant of grace, and the further transition from all that was involved in the preliminary (old) form of that covenant to its final (new) form, brought in through the death of Jesus Christ and now administered by him from his throne, are the key events in the covenant story. The significance of the fact that God caused his book of instruction to mankind to be put together with the history of his covenant as its backbone can hardly be overestimated. Covenant relationships between God and men, established by God's initiative, bringing temporal and eternal blessings to individuals and creating community among them, so that they have a corporate identity as God's people, are in fact the pervasive themes of the whole Bible; and it compels thoughtful readers to take note of the covenant as being central to God's concern.Finally, with all these examples and explanations on the covenant in th e old testament of the bible, it would be seen that covenant is not just a thing to be handled slightly, if you know you have no capacity to involve in a covenant is better you refrain so that you will not spend years in the wilderness for disobedience. SOURCES Old Testament of the King James Version of the Holy bible. The Five Great Bible Covenant by David Padfield God of Promise: Introducing Covenant Theology by Michael Horton Truman G. Madsen and Seth Ward (2001). Covenant and Chosenness in Judaism and Mormonism. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. People of the Covenant : an Introduction To the Hebrew Bible (4TH 96 Edition) by Henry J. Flanders and Robert W. Crapps and David A. Smith

Nurse Practitioner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nurse Practitioner - Essay Example They also act as a psychiatric in some cases as their main focus is on the prevention of illness and they do so by educating their patient about his illness and the causes which help him to take preventive measures to avoid illness. The can provide services to patients of all ages, they can treat acute as well as chronic conditions. They also have discretion to provide medications and therapies to their patients. The three primary function of practitioner are to provide prevention, wellness and education to their patients. Their scope of working broadens when they take into care the effect of patient's illness to the people around him along with a focus on patient's condition. This preventive style of care helps reducing the future illness, medications and therapies to the patients and hence lesser expensive treatments. Nurse practitioner may easily provide diagnosis and management facilities to their patient for diseases such as Pneumonia, BP, or Diabetics. This autonomy comes from the specialized training that they receive in their particular area of interest during their degree program for Nurse Practitioner. They are also allowed to obtain medical histories of their patients under care and to decide upon and conduct the type of medical examination they think is appropriate for the patient. They are also allowed to prescribe diagnostic studies such as lab tests, x-rays etc to help gain an insight of the causes of patient's illness. They are also entitled to refer patients to physicians if needed or other professionals for better treatment of patient's illness. And for the reason they have good relationships with most of the physicians and surgeons. Pursuing nurse practitioners as a profession also brings some interference and questioning to your efforts from other medical professionals around you. It is not always the case that the services of a nurse practitioner will be welcomed. Medical professionals some times think nurse practitioner as a threat to their scope of working. Specially the diagnosis and the referral part of working of a nurse practitioner is always questioned and a clear-cut definition of a nurse practitioner's role is yet to be outlined. "There are times that the autonomy of the nurse practitioner is directly challenged by other medical professionals that it is it sometimes difficult for a nurse practitioner like me to work on some specific cases (Wadsworth et al, 2002)". Many medical professionals refuse a nurse practitioner's judgments and decisions just because of the fact that he/she does not a doctor written with his name. According to a study conducted by the RNC Nurse Practitioner Association, refusal to honour the referrals and diagnosis made by nurse practitioner is quite common. "About 44% of the nurse practitioners surveyed by the association reported that their request for X-rays and referrals were refused on the basis that these request and referrals are made by 'nurses, not by doctors' (Jane Ball, 2006)". The refusal from some medical professionals and service providers to honour the requests made by nurse practitioner creates a big obstacle in the practice of NPs' profession. It is sometime not only frustrating but also discouraging to the passion of a NP towards his or

China and Monetary Policy Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

China and Monetary Policy - Coursework Example Foreign projects in manufacturing sectors were only concentrated in labor-intensive sectors, such as food, electronics, construction materials, textiles and toys. In the late 1980s, foreign manufacturing investment accounted for more than 70 percent of the total FDI flowing into China; investment continued to increase rapidly, reaching more than 80 percent around 1990 (NBS, 1991). With increasing experience in the Chinese market, and accumulated knowledge about China's industrial structure, foreign firms extended their business scope into physical infrastructure facilities, including construction, energy, transportation and capital-intensive and technology-intensive machinery and equipment. Such investments involved more technological inputs, higher start-up costs, and larger financial commitments and, therefore, foreign firms faced greater risks. With China's accession to the WTO, other sectors, especially services, have become popular to foreign investors. In China, FDI is highly agglomerated. It favors cities where targeted industries are fairly developed (Belderbos and Carree, 2002). Marshall (1898) proposes that the pool of specialized skilled labor, trade of intermediate inputs, and spillovers were driving forces of industrial agglomeration. Porter (2000) argues that industrial clusters increase the productivity of constituent firms, upgrade the capacity of cluster participants for innovation and productivity growth, and stimulate new business formation. Because of the lack of local knowledge, foreign investors encountered so-called "disadvantage of an alien status" in China. Industrial clusters have helped foreign investors to attenuate these disadvantages (He, 2002, pp.1030). Therefore, foreign investors like to select geographically agglomerated industries with strong localized business linkages. Traditional FDI theories (Hymer, 1976; Kojima, 1978; Dunning, 1980) suggest that industrial distribution of foreign investment depend s on comparative advantages in host economies and the ownership-specific advantages that multinational corporations (MNCs) hold. Dunning (2000) argues that factors influencing MNC industrial choices have gone beyond the natural endowments in the era of globalization, and that benefits from industrial agglomeration are playing an increasingly important role. Therefore, industrial distribution of FDI in host economies might be influenced by industry-specific external economies, which arise from geographical proximity of related firms and localized business linkages. There is some published literature concerning industrial patterns of FDI in host economies. Caves (1974), for instance, considers foreign firms' shares in Canadian and UK manufacturing industries in the 1960s and emphasizes the importance of intangible capital, advantages accruing from the operation of multiplant enterprises and the strength of entrepreneurial resources. Ratnayake (1993) concludes that foreign ownership of industry tends to be higher in skill-intensive and technology-intensive industries and those in industries enjoying high-level protection in Australia. Aswicahyono and Hill (1994) examine determinants of foreign investment shares in the Indonesian manufacturing sector and find product differentiation, technological capacity, skill intensity, absolute capital

Has the improved explosive device impacted our ability to develop a Essay

Has the improved explosive device impacted our ability to develop a reasonably priced tactical vehicle - Essay Example The aim of selecting these sites is for them to explode underneath or beside a vehicle causing maximum damage2. The improvement of the vehicle armor on the military vehicle has made the insurgents to place IEDs on raised positions like utility poles, road signs or trees so as to be able to hit the less protected areas. In Afghanistan, it was reported by military experts in January 2010 that Taliban fighters had already developed a new, almost undetectable generation of the IEDs. This new generation has no metallic or electronic parts compared to the previous IEDs that were triggered by two blades of hack-saw separated by a spacer. The most recent and lethal means of exploding the IEDs is the trigger mechanism which incorporates either the use of the radio, cell phone, is victim-operated or infrared device which makes it difficult to detect or disarm them. Impacts of Improved Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Iraq and Afghanistan on US Army’s Ability to Develop a Reasonably Priced Ta ctical Vehicle Due to the new inventions and improvements in the use of IEDs, law enforcement and military forces personnel have come up with several RSP (render safe procedures) to curb the threat of IEDs. These RSP may be developed from direct experience with the devices or research applied which is designed to counter the threat. Among countermeasures put in place include the application of the underbelly armor applique’ on the EFV (Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle) as it comes ashore and before their encounter with the IEDs following the June 2007 letter from the Subcommittee of House Armed Services on Expeditionary Forces and Sea Power to the marine corps commandant3. The January and February 2010 tests at the centre of Aberdeen showed that the EFV offers protection on blast equal to 2nd category protected vehicle of the mine resistant ambush, including two IEDs which are simulated on its tracks and under its belly4. Improved explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq and Afghanista n have also impacted the US army’s ability to develop a reasonably priced tactical vehicle. This is because it has since helped in the development of improvised vehicle armor. This is an armor that is added or centrally planned in the field, which was originally part of the design. In the recent US-Iraq and US-Afghanistan wars, US troops armored their Humvees in their war against Iraq. Their transport vehicles were also armored with scrap materials. The Americans came to know this as â€Å"hillbilly armor or hajji armor† when Iraqi contractors installed it5. In Afghanistan, the US troops lined their vehicles’ floor with sandbags to provide them with extra protection against improvised explosive devices. Sometimes, US tanks had tracks of spare strips welded on the hulls6. However, this was to provide them short lived protection, as the Iraqis and Afghanistan’s learnt about it and devised the devices in a way that they could destroy them by use of new trigg er mechanisms. This was a loss to the US army because despite the investment, the impact was not to last for long, and they had to find another means of dealing with the trigger mechanism. When Baghdad was captured by US troops, vehicles of military police were fully installed with required machinery. However, road side bombs, snipers, RPG teams and small alarms were deployed by insurgent forces to attack US military vehicles on known routes and supply conveys. American troops protected themselves from such threats by

Issue paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Issue paper - Essay Example The culture of any country is a conglomerate of many societies, which are unique and special to them. However, the values are not measured on individual differences but the differences on the society. Such differences are known as group level constructs (Hofstede 16). While applying this knowledge, anyone has to consider several factors, which always accompany culture. Examples of these factors include the national wealth, national history and heritage, the different individuals who live in the country as well as any coincidental events. While applying this method, a great level of care has to be taken into consideration in order to predict the future with more accuracy. According to Geer, culture is the collection of programmes of the mind, which differentiates followers of one group or class of individuals from another (Hofstede 16). A research was conducted in sixty-two countries, which sought to identify the most common cultures among the people in the world. The results conclude d by identifying nine similar cultures in most part of the world (Evan and Gordon Web). This therefore formed a benchmark for measuring independent variables. The variables were later noted to contribute to the differences between countries, which affect culture, and performance of my team (Ward Web). Being in South Korea, my country embraces deep religious practices among its citizens. Majority of the population in the country comprises of Buddhists, Christians, Confucians, Shamanist, and many other traditional religious groupings. Religion in this country will form a basis for the formation of work teams. Moreover, religion will form a moral code for human relations. I have also realized that Koreans are very respectful of an individual’s choice while the culture of impudence is highly discouraged. People in the groups will tend to avoid bad behaviors since it will discourage other group members from participating. I have also learnt that South Koreans have strict rules on decency and etiquette, whereby they tend to follow seniority in age and the hierarchical ranks (Asia Pulse Web). Individual collectivism is another cultural difference among nations, which impacts on the performance of teams. Individual collectivism is described as the value in which individuals and different groups give to themselves. Independent people are more concerned with achieving self-actualization and career success rather than dependent people who like to see themselves in successful teams. Cohesion among group members is of great concern than the individualism in the group. Therefore, I would consider that an individual has to prioritize group work rather than individual goals (Asia News Monitor Web). Gender concern is another issue that tends to affect the performance of group members. Different nations have different views and policies regarding the relationship of men and women in different work areas. In South Korea, masculinity defines responsibilities based on gende r in the society. In high masculinity communities, there are higher salaried jobs and ranks that are meant for women whereas in low masculinity organizations, women get recognition, which is more equitable in terms of positions and power. In South Korea, people prefer to have man in power as compared to women. Moreover, people prefer to have men in professional career growth than women. This role has made South Korea a high masculinity

Meeting for business ideas Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Meeting for business ideas - Coursework Example Smartphones and tablets are the devices that make the most sales, according to various business reports. This initiated the idea to create a mobile application known as SecureIT, to protect and promote IT security awareness online users in the course of their transactions. Different organizations are aware of the online security threats. They are embracing the relevant technology to mitigate the risks. Online hackers have the ability to capture the information that is in transit from servers to users. They have the ability to disrupt or manipulate the information, creating a negative impact to a given organization. In addition, the attackers have the ability to steal the data and deface web pages (Curtin, 2002). Through the SecureIt application, users could require the creation of an account that could enable them to access a feature that has the ability to encrypt data. The application has the capability to trace the geographical location of the attackers through their Internet Prot ocol address, in addition to their address books. Once the application collects the information, it informs the servers and the clients on the potential risks that exist. The other online security challenge relates to the faults and miscommunication between the servers and the clients. The server could fail in the screening of the clients’ data and the attackers could take advantage through their software that runs within the server. Using SecureIT, there could be the limitation or removal of the vulnerable software that exists between the connectivity of the server and the client. There is also a challenge of the determination of the receipt of genuine data from the clients. This is because the attackers could act as genuine clients and send vulnerable data to the server that in return accepts the data (Williams, 2007). The attackers could use the untrusted data to

Parallels Between Spartacus (1960) and American Life in 1960 Essay

Parallels Between Spartacus (1960) and American Life in 1960 - Essay Example In the movie, Spartacus is bought by Batiatus who trains slaves to become gladiators. The fights between two gladiators till one of them dies, and the fact that it is intended merely for the entertainment of patricians, demonstrate the lack of value attached to a slave’s life. The movie also depicts how two men discuss politics when other two men were fighting a battle that would define the line between their life and death. This situation reflects the state of affairs in the American society where thousands embark on the streets fighting for a cause where they are asking for their basic rights while others, who by their race are thought to be superior, decide what the people of lower racial status should or shouldn’t receive. The movie’s focus then shifts to how a deprived and exploited lot would react when the suppression gets in tolerable. When Crassus, a patrician, arrives at Capia along with his wife, Lady Helena, and insists that a gladiatorial match be arranged, ignoring Batiatus’ concern that forcing the slaves to fight to the death in their own camp could cause an uprising. In a fight that ensued, Draba overcomes Spartacus. However, he chooses not to kill his friend, and instead attacks Crassus. A guard kills him and it triggers a mutiny. The slaves form an ‘army’ that travels through the countryside, looting land owners and freeing slaves. However, in the end, they are overcome and Spartacus is killed. Such an uprising can be witnessed in the American history if we examine the Civil Rights and Black Liberation Movements during the 1960s.

American Idiot Essay Example for Free

American Idiot Essay The song that I chose to write about is titled American Idiot by Green Day. This song was on Green Day’s album titled American Idiot. This album was originally released in 2004. American Idiot, the song, peaked at number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100. My reason for choosing this song is that it talks about how the media runs society and how people shouldn’t let the media run their lives. The main social issue that is talked about in this song is how the media runs our lives and society. One of the lines in the song is â€Å"Don’t wanna be an American idiot, one nation controlled by the media. † This line refers to how people in America rely heavily on the media for everything. They trust every word that is printed in a newspaper or magazine or said on television without question. People hang on every word that is pumped through the media. I don’t consider this to be a personal problem because it refers to all people being controlled by the media. It is not as if the singer in the song is the only one that the media affects. Media is worldwide ways of letting people know what is going on around them. What Billy Joe Armstrong is saying throughout this song is that people need to realize is that not everything that a person hears is necessarily true and people should not panic just because of what the news says. Green Day is an American rock band that was formed in 1987. the group consists of three members: Billy Joe Armstrong(vocals), Tre` Cool(drums), and Mike Dirnt(bass). In 1988, they signed to Lookout Records and then in 1989 they released their first EP titled 1,000 Hours. However, the band didn’t have much success until it released the album Kerplunk in 1993. After Kerplunk’s success, Green Day proceeded to leave Lookout Records and sign with Reprise Records. In 1994, they released their first major label debut, Dookie. Over the next few years, Green Day would have much success but then decided to take a break in 1996. They returned in 1997. When they returned, they began to work on a new full-length album. This album was entitled Nimrod and was released in October of 1997. This album deviated from their normally pop-punk style of music and gave listeners a variety of music. They didn’t release another album until 2000 when they released Warning which further continued their new sound that they started with Nimrod. After releasing Warning, they were nominated for 8 awards in the California Music Awards. They won all eight awards. The band then continued their success over the next few years. In 2004 the band released American Idiot. And then in 2006 they won the Grammy for record of the year because of the track Boulevard of Broken Dreams which spent 16 weeks at the top of the charts. The lyrics to American Idiot are as follows: â€Å"Dont wanna be an American idiot. Dont want a nation under the new mania. And can you hear the sound of hysteria? The subliminal mindfuck America. Welcome to a new kind of tension. All across the alienation. Everything isnt meant to be okay. Television dreams of tomorrow. Were not the ones whore meant to follow. For thats enough to argue. Well maybe Im the faggot America. Im not a part of a redneck agenda. Now everybody do the propaganda. And sing along in the age of paranoia. Welcome to a new kind of tension. All across the alienation. Everything isnt meant to be okay. Television dreams of tomorrow. Were not the ones whore meant to follow. For thats enough to argue. Dont wanna be an American idiot. One nation controlled by the media. Information age of hysteria. Its calling out to idiot America. Welcome to a new kind of tension. All across the alienation. Everything isnt meant to be okay. Television dreams of tomorrow. Were not the ones whore meant to follow. For thats enough to argue. †

The Town on the Beaver Creek Essay Example for Free

The Town on the Beaver Creek Essay In her â€Å"The Town on the Beaver Creek† Michelle Slatalla presents humorous and lively writing in order to present intimate and enchanting history of a 20th-century frontier. The author evokes place and time to make people remember. â€Å"When he was seven, my uncle Jack saw a man dying of rabies on the county courthouse lawn. The man wore bib overalls, and as he convulsed and choked, his boot heels flung divots into the air. He begged for water. Someone brought a dipper cool from the pump, but he could not swallow. After an ambulance took the farmer away and Hesta reappeared on the concrete steps in a rush to catch the next Sparks Bros. bus, Jack tried to forget the strange scene†. In such a way the author starts her narration making people acquainted with a small Kentucky town. Actually, the author tells a story of small town Martin specifying the life stories of three generations of her family before the town was bulldozed. Michelle finds appealing approach and inquisitive mind to shed light on the life and glory of Martin, â€Å"built by the hardy†, which population amounts about 860 people. Aparent strength of the book is that Slatalla prefers novelistic style to make her narration more realistic and true to life. She manages to be remarkably thorough without seeming academic or sterile. The author excellently had done her job and her characters have appeared very expressive and vivid. For example, Doc Walk Sumbo, who rode down the church aisle on horseback and ran – successfully – for sheriff after a stint in prison for embezzling government money, whereas Stumbo’s opponent was running an ad in the town: â€Å"I will give the office personal attention, as I have nothing else to do†. Actually, the author tends to show that politics in the town is inexhaustible source of jokes and humor. She writes that in another unlikely election, an outhouse cleaner was named county coroner over an undertaker, solely by virtue of his fortuitous first name, Judge. Therefore, the book illustrates both political and social life of the town in a rather sarcastic and humorous way. As it is mentioned above the author tells a story of her family: of her mother who was so nostalgic for the town she had to leave as an adult, of her father who managed to build a scale model of small town in their family basement. Slatalla notes that â€Å"the results looked like a movie set created for a heartwarming Frank Capra film†. Nevertheless, the author writes that nothing would be the same as their native town. The model carted by her father, for example, failed to reproduce the stash of courageous, scary, heartrending and hilarious stories which filled the lives of inhabitants in Kentucky town in the beginning of the 20th century. Further, the author mentions that she aware that Martin tow was going to be demolished and a new locale would be built. And that fact caused her to act and to struggle for her native city. She writes that she was outrageous and really furious that old traditions and memories weren’t appreciated and only material wealth was emphasized. Michelle realized that some things would be lot forever, though they would be kept in memories and records and she made such an attempt. Therefore, she decided to grab â€Å"as many of the old stories as I could carry†. So, her recollections are transformed and presented in a really delightful book. Her expert hands managed to show her husband Fred, her Uncle Red, great-grandmother Hesta, grandmother Mary, her grandfather Elmer and the town physician, Doc Walk very alive and vibrant : â€Å"Sometimes a town is past saving, but its history shouldnt be†. The author seems so anxious at times not to leave anything out. Slatalla was very proud of her native city. Summing up the book is a fitting memorial for an unusual town and makes one wonder how many other towns stories have been lost. References Slatalla, Michelle. (2006).The Town on Beaver Creek: The Story of a Lost Kentucky Community. USA: Random House Publishing Group.

Aggregate Supply Curve In Malaysia

Aggregate Supply Curve In Malaysia Since 1970, Malaysia has transformed itself from raw materials producer into rising multi-sector economy. Under present Prime Minister, Malaysia is trying to reach high-income status and to increase value-added production series by attracting investments in Islamic finance, technology manufacturing, biotechnology, and services. The government is trying to enhance local demand and lessen economys reliance on exports since exports remain an economy major initiative. As oil and gas exporter, Malaysia has gained profit from higher world force prices, even though government subsidies is forced to cut down due to the growing domestic gasoline and diesel gas cost, mixed with overwrought government finances. The government is also aiming to lessen its reliance on state oil producer PETRONAS as oil and gas segment contributes above 40% of government income. The central bank retains good foreign trade stores, and well-developed regulatory system has restricted Malaysias disclosure to threaten financial mechanism and global financial crisis. On the other hand, Malaysia could be at risk to fall in product prices or broad decelerate in worldwide economic activity because exports are Gross Domestic Product (GDP) main element. Prime Minister has lift up potential adjustments to the unusual economic and social favorites with the purpose of attract increased investment; however he has met major conflict, particularly from Malay nationalists and other vested interests. However, during global financial crisis in year 2008-2009, although Malaysian financial system was protected from the direct effects of financial contact due to disallowed of new derivatives into the country, the global financial crisis has transmit uncertainty on the Governments plans to attain vision 2020 because of collapse in exports and slowdown in foreign direct investment (FDI). Theoretical Background Aggregate demand (AD) is aggregate quantity demanded for goods and services in economy at given general price level. It is symbolized by aggregate demand curve, which illustrates the negative relationship effect between price level and total output assuming no variation in government spending, net taxes or monetary policy variable. Aggregate demand curve is downward sloping because of wealth effect, interest effect and exchange rate effect. At each point along aggregate demand curve, the total quantity demanded is exactly equal to planned aggregate expenditure, which is the combination of consumption, investment and government spending. Each point on aggregate demand curve stands for certain level of aggregate expenditure that is dependable with equilibrium in goods and money market at given price. When the aggregate demand curve is moved along, the change of price level is presumed to cause equilibrium GDP change but other determinants of equilibrium GDP remain constant. When other determinants except price level lead the equilibrium GDP change, aggregate demand curve will shift itself. The other determinants of equilibrium GDP are consumption expenses, investment spending, government expenditure, taxes, net export and money supply. Aggregate supply (AS) is total goods and services supplied that are produced in economy at particular overall price level. It is corresponded to aggregate supply curve or price/output response curve, which demonstrates positive relationship effect between total output amount supplied and overall price level. The curve also draws out the price and output choices of all markets and firms in economy under given set of circumstances. In short run aggregate supply, the idea of fixed capacity plays role in macroeconomics. At low output point in economy, there is possible to be surplus capacity in economy. An increase in aggregate demand is possible to outcome in increase in amount produced with slightly or no raise in overall price. Thus, aggregate supply curve is likely to be flat at low aggregate output level. The economy maybe works below capability if there is cyclical unemployment even if firms are not holding surplus labor and capital. The short-run aggregate supply curve is upward sloping, because the price of a few inputs are supposed to be decided under auction-like situations, caused by markup pricing and/or presumed informational irregularities. In long run aggregate supply, firms reaction to an increase in aggregate demand varies from primarily increasing output to principally increasing prices as unemployment rate falls, wages and cost of inputs will increase. When economy is producing at its maximum capacity, aggregate supply curve becomes vertical. There must be time delay between change in input price and change in output price for aggregate supply curve to slope upward. If input prices altered instantly to output prices, the aggregate supply curve would be vertical. Wage rates may increase at similar rate as overall price if price level increases in fully foreseen. The reasons of the shifts of short-run aggregate supply curve are cost of production, expectation on future price level, economic growth, public policy and weather condition. Meanwhile, the causes of shifts of long-run aggregate supply curve are change in labor, capital, natural resources and technology. Equilibrium price level is the price level at which the aggregate demand and aggregate supply curves meet. Equilibrium price level matches up with equilibrium in the goods money markets and lays down price/output decisions on part of all firms in economy AD/AS agenda is applied to assess the effects of monetary fiscal policy on the economy. Potential GDP is aggregate output level that can be continued in the long run without inflation. Economists consider costs cover behind price level changes in the short run; eventually move with the overall price level in long run. If the price level increases at a fixed rate, inflation may be fully foreseen built into labor contracts. Discuss and argument Aggregate Supply is the total supply of all goods and services in an economy.Normally , the aggregate supply curve is draw like vertical line, also name as classical range.But , in reality, this Aggregate supply are divided into 3 range , which is Keynesian range , intermediate range and also classical range. Keynesian range occur in the short run and show a horizontal segment on of the aggreagate supply curve (blue line) , which represent the economy is under the recession condition.Base on table below ,the price level is fixed regardless how many the output had been produce by the country.When AD shift rightward from AD1 to AD2 ,the total output has increase but the price level remain the same.This is due to the substaintial idle production capacity such as unemployed worker competing for available jobs can put to work . The intermediate range ,as show in the pink line,is the rising of aggragate supply curve when the economy is approaching full employment output.When the AD shift rightward from AD3 to AD4, the output and also price level increase .This show that they have the positive relationship between price level and real GDP .When the price level increase , this had cause the inflation occur.There are 3 factor cause this inflation occur, the first one is bottleneck occur because the firm no fully utilise the resources .Example,if the steel industry no fully supply to the steel firm .Bottleneck cause steel firm no enough raw material to produce their product and the cost of steel become higher, so they will also increase the price of thier product , so inflation occur.Moreover, when the company are earning higher profit, their worker will tend to ask for higher wages.The wage demand to increase is hardly to reject because company fear the worker will quit or strike .Beside , the company also can pass the cost on to consumer side easily because in this stage ,the unemployement rate is lower, all people got thier job and they are expect higher price of goods as they feel that will be more quality.Lastly is that sometime the firm still using the less produtivity worker or outdate machinery.This will cause the cost of production increase and become higher product price. Lastly the classical range is occur only in Long run supply curve where the curve is vertical shape ,which show that the real GDP remain constant at full employment output at point Yn, regardless how many the price level had increase or decrease.When the AD shift rightward from AD4 to AD5, the output remain constant ,but it will cause the price increase, as a consequency economy suffer inflation. The effect of increase in Aggregate demand AD1 AD2 AD3 AD4 AD5 AD6 YN Aggregate_supply_svg.png Now we consider the aggregate demand curve is stationary and the factor that influence the aggregate supply curve to shift.This factor are call non-price-level determinants. What happen aggreagte supply curve in Malaysia recently? During the year 2008, the oil price in Malaysia suddenly increase sharpy to US$147.27 ,compare to the year 2002 which the oil price is merely US$20 (Hour, 2009). This issues was cause many household and also firm suffer a lot .As we know that the changes of aggregate demand is base on changes in total demand for all final goods and services.In the statistics of consumer price index (CPI) had found that every cunsumer use 68% from their income for consuming food, non-alcholic beverages, housing , utility, gas ,transportation and also fuel.After the fuel hike in june 2008, the CPI immediate rose to a 27-year high of 7.7% instead of 3.8% in may,2008, which had increase 3.9% within 1 month.Increase in input price had cause the price level of economy increase, the household purchase power will drop because their real income had decrease.For example, before increase in oil price, one plate of nasi lemak is cost RM2.00.but after increase the input price, the seller need to bear higher cost to transport the same quantity of nasi lemak, so they will transfer the cost to consumer by increase the selling price to RM4.00.Now ,with the same plate of nasi lemak , the buyer need to paid double price , therefore their purchase power decrease. Moreover, it also will affects the households monetary wealth drop .As a consequence, the total consumption decrease ,aggregate expenditure reduce, and finally affect aggregate demand drop . Aggregate supply curve will shift based on changes in input price.As we know that most of the firms need the oil price for transport and deliver their product.When the oil price increase , the firms input cost will be increase as well, therefore , the firms will supply less outputs.then the short run aggregate supply curve will shift to left, then the price level increase ,total output decrease .When the output decrease, the manage will try to reduce the input cost such as layoff some existing labor.Therefore the unemployment rate will increase. Why suppy shock will occur in Malaysia? The first reason the affects the oil price shock occur in Malaysia is because 80% of the worlds oil reserves are own by state-owned oil firms so it tend to limited the international companies to access (Hour, 2009). Beside, the cause of shortage of oil supply is because of most of the big located field are found in the a few decade ago and one days this field will also be used up as the raw material are limited in this world.Furthermore, the size of the oil field found recently are very small and costly to operate .For example, if we found 10 small oil field in seperate location, that mean the firms need to set up 10 rigs compare to a big oil field they just need a big rig. The suppy shock can solve antomatically? In long run, the oil price shock can be solve automatically if the government or central bank does not implement any policy.When the oil price increase,the input price for the supplier will be increase, then the short run aggregate suppy will shift to the left,price level will increase from Po to P1,aggregate output will decrease from Yo yo Y1.In the long term, the drop in the total output will cause the firms want to layoff the employees to reduce their cost,so the unemployement rate in market will rise .The price expectation of employees for higher wage will drop and cause the firms have more money to increase more outputs to supply. So the short run aggregate suppy curve will shift back to right from SRAS1 to SRASo.Therefore , the price level and also total output are back to equilibrium level and the stagflation is solve. P YN Y1 P1 P0 LRAS SRASO ADo Y SRAS1 The supply shock can solve by government? Although the oil price shock can be solve in long term , but in the short term the citizen are suffer a lot especially for the low income family and also the unemployement rate increase rapidly.The umemployed citizen are depend on the money in their saving account for survive.If the price level increase more higher ,they is stuck with high cost of living without any compensation from the government.So, government must implement the expansionary fiscal policy to solve the unemployement .When inplement this policy, the Aggregate demand curve will shift rightward from ADo to AD1.Then the price level will increase from P1 to P2,total output will increase back to equilibrium level of output from Y 1 to Y2, and now Y2=Y1.The price level had increase higher than before , and the output back to equilibrium level, and the higher inflation occur. SRASO SRAS1 ADo AD1 LRAS P Y YN= Y2 Y1 P1 P0 P2 Factor to shift the aggregate demand curve Aggregate demand(AD) is the total number of demand of goods and services in economy. The AD is almost equal with aggregate expenditure(AE). The factor will affect the AD curve are based on equation of aggregate expenditure, AE=C+I+G+NX. In the AD curve, each point is representing certain level of AE that same with the equilibrium in money market at given price. When AD curve is moving along, price level change as due to the change of equilibrium GDP but other determinants are remain constant. When opposite direction, change of other determinants change the equilibrium of GDP, AD curve shift itself. Therefore, the other determinants are consumption spending, investment spending, government spending, taxes, net export and money supply. The quantity of money supplied at a given price level will affect the AD curve. When money supply is increase, the curve shift to the right from Ms0 to Ms1. The interest rate will drop from r0 to r1. The interest drop due to the increase of investment spending and the AE increase cause the real GDP increase. AE curve shift upward show that the output will decrease. At the end, the AD curve will shift right from AD0 to AD1 to remain the price at the constant. P AE=Y AE1 AE Y Y0 Y1 I r0 I0 I1 Md r1 r r Ms0 Ms1 Md M r0 r1 P Y AD0 AD1 P0 Y0 Y1 In the others hand, if there are spending shock, means the government spending is increase, this will affect the AD curve shift to the right. Shown from the graph below, when the increase in government spending at any given price level, the AE curve will shift upward and rise the real GDP. when the real GDP higher the given price level, it cause the AD curve shift to the right from AD0 to AD1. P Y AD0 AD1 P0 Y0 Y1 P AE=Y AE1 AE Y Y0 Y1 G Why oil price shock will affect aggregate demand curve? Aggregate demand is based on changes in total demand for all final goods and services. During the oil price shock, the oil price increase in Malaysia. This increase of oil price cause the price level of economy increase. The price level affect the real income decrease and reduce the purchase power of household. Household purchase power drop mean that the consumption decrease. Consumption spending is one of the factor to shift the AD curve. When consumption decrease, it shift the AD curve to the left from AD0 to AD1. Therefore, the price will decrease from P0 to P1 and the output also decrease from Y0 to Y1 AD1 P0 AS AD0 P1 LRAS P Y Y0 Y1 How to solve the aggregate demand automatically? If the government or central bank do not implement any policy during the shock of the oil price, this has to solve the aggregate demand automatically. After the aggregate demand shift to the left from AD0 to AD1, the price and the output were reduced. When the output drop, the employment decrease and unemployment increase. This affect the expected price drop and the wage rate decrease. At the same time, the short run supply curve shift to the right from AS0 to AS1. At the end, in the long run, output will return back from Y1 to the natural output Y0, but the price will keep on decrease from P0 to P1 and P2. This cause the deflation occur in the economy. Y0=Yn AD1 AS1 P0 AS0 AD P1 LRAS P Y Y1 P2 How the government or central bank solve the supple shock? When the supply shock solve by automatically, it will stay back the output value but the price decrease continuously. This affect the whole market economy and become deflation. The deflation will make the economy down and this will make suffer to the whole country. Therefore, government should implement the policy to solve this problem. To shift back the aggregate demand curve, government need to implement the expansionary fiscal policy. This policy can shift the aggregate demand curve to the right from AD1 back to AD0. In the long run, the price back to the natural price P0 and the output also change from Y1 to the natural output of Y0. AS LRAS Y AD1 AD0 Pn=P0 P1 P Y0=Yn Y1 Conclusion The oil price shock in 2008 had brought a large impact for Malaysias economy. After rising in oil price, producers need to pay higher input price for the production purpose. Thus, firms sold their goods for higher price which causing consumers purchasing power dropped and the aggregate demand decrease. The increasing input prices also causing firms to produce less output which might cause the unemployment rate increase. In short run, government can implement the expansionary fiscal policy to solve the unemployment problem. However, the price will increase even higher than before which might cause hyperinflation. If the government or central bank does not implement any policy during the oil price shock, the problem will be solved automatically in the long run but it might cause consumer to suffer a lot in the short run. We recommend Malaysia government to develop reasonable oil price setting instrument, obtain cheap oil from foreign country, searching alternative resources, give subsidies to firms and increase wage rate of workers in order to minimize the consequences of increasing oil price. Throughout this assignment, we have a better understanding about the aggregate demand and aggregate supply and able to apply it in real economy situation. We had also learned how to work in a team efficiently and effectively in terms of collaboration and time management in order to accomplish the task given. Recommendation Increasing in oil prices is a serious issue that may affect aggregate supply and aggregate demand which bring large impact to Malaysias economy. Appropriate ways need to be taken in order to minimize the consequences of increasing oil price in Malaysia. Our suggestions are as follow: Reasonable Oil Price Setting Instrument First, government needs to develop reasonable oil price setting instrument which may ensure the oil prices are setting within a range which is reasonable and affordable for citizens, and allow realistic profit for oil industries. There are three aspects that should be taken into consideration while determine the oil price range, which are the consumers purchasing power, an estimation of profit for oil industries in reasonable level, and the international oil prices. With the help of this mechanism, Malaysias oil prices will be more realistic and reasonable which may prevent uncontrollable increasing of oil prices in Malaysia. When the oil prices are set in a reasonable level, there will be no large impact on the aggregate demand and aggregate supply curve. Obtain Cheap Oil from Foreign Country In order to minimize the impact of high oil price, government is suggested to search for the new sources of low-cost oil from other country. Malaysias government can import cheap and low quality oil from foreign country and refine it to become better quality oil which is qualified to issue to the market with lower cost. The reservation of the cheap oil in a certain amount is also necessary in order to avoid Malaysia from being the victim of increasing prices in the cheap oil. With the available of cheaper oil (input), firms will increase the aggregate supply of the outputs which might prevent shortage of goods in the market. When there is an increasing output in the market, the price of the goods will be reduced and the aggregate demand will increase to a certain level. Searching Alternative Resources High oil price problem only can be solved by associate effort of both government and individual. In order to minimize the impact of high oil price, the organization should attempt to do some investigation or discover the substitute of the oil like bio gas and electronic bike and should try to innovation so that the product of the organization can be produce on other alternatives. In this situation, the company can reduce the quantity of the oil which used to produce the output. Then, the supplier or provider would not reduce the quantity of supply which affects the aggregate supply shift to the left. On the other side, aggregate demand also relatively would not be affected which the curve shift to the left because the consumer can continue to consume the product in the normal price. Give Subsidies Once the oil prices increase, it will directly or indirectly affect the whole production cost, including the fee of the transportation or other else. In order to solve it, the government should provide subsidies to the supplier or provider in order to control the market price. After the suppliers receive the subsidies from government, they will not increase the retail price of their products since they want to maintain their organizations profit. By implementing this strategy, the inflation problem can be avoided because the supplier would not increase the price of product due to the higher input price. Hence, the aggregate demand and aggregate supply would not be affected. Increase Wage Rate In the market, increasing oil prices may lead to inflation problem in Malaysia. This problem will caused our citizens suffer from financial burden and their purchasing power will decrease. In this case, government can raise the amount of minimum wage in order to make sure the organization provides the cost of living to the employee. This can help the employee are able to maintain their basic needs in their daily life although the high oil price situation happened in Malaysia. Individual who using the vehicle during the daily life, the oil price increase will directly increase their daily expense. Purchasing power of the individual will be decreased and finally it will affect the aggregate demand shift to the left because consumer consume less than before. After increasing wages rate, this problem can be solved and the curve of the aggregate demand will back to original.

Assistive technology for the blind and visually impaired Essay examples

For this research project the topic I have chosen to cover is, â€Å"The impacts of assistive technology for the blind and visually impaired.† I will discuss the benefits and drawbacks to using advanced technology to promote development. I will also look at how assistive technology is being implemented and what effects it has on the visually impaired. There are approximately 10 to 11 million blind and visually impaired people in North America, and their visual abilities vary almost as much as their ethnic, racial, and personal characteristics do. The term "visual impairment" covers a wide range and variety of vision, from blindness and lack of usable sight; to low vision, which cannot be corrected to normal vision with standard eyeglasses or contact lenses; to moderate visual impairment and an inability to read the fine print in a daily newspaper. People who are visually impaired, like everyone else, pursue a great range of interests and careers and participate in the full range of daily activities. They may need to receive training in various adaptive techniques in order to do so, and educational and other services and products are designed and available for this purpose. Federal and state estimates used for planning educational services do not adequately account for the number of children in the United States who are blind or visually impaired. In some cases, only students who are legally blind are reported, ignoring those who have difficulty seeing but do not qualify as "legally" blind. In other instances, children who are visually impaired and have other disabilities such as mental retardation are not counted as visually impaired because they are reported in other federally defined categories, such as multiple disabilities. Tragically, because many 3 professionals lack the specialized skills necessary to recognize and address vision loss, there are also children with visual and multiple impairments whose vision loss remains undiagnosed throughout their school experience. The inadequate count of visually impaired children means that our nation lacks critical information about the need for specialized services for these children, and cannot correctly allocate the specialized resources and ... ...sts despite the fact that education experts agree that for some children, special schools are the best placement option, and that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act passed by the U.S. Congress makes access to all educational placement options, including special schools, every child's right. As a result of my research I have found that assistive technology is very helpful to blind or visually impaired people when used appropriately. Technology has set new standards and goals for the visually disabled and blind that were never within reach without these new break throughs. The main issues that still need to be dealt with is making sure the new technology is taught correctly to the people who need to use it, and that access to the latest technology is easily attainable. References Van Huijgevoort, Toos. (2002) Coping with a visual impairment through self- investigation. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 96, Abner, G. H. & Lahm, E. A. (2002) Implementation of assistive technology with students who are visually impaired: Teachers’ readiness. Journal of visual impairment and blindness, 96, Assistive technology for the blind and visually impaired Essay examples For this research project the topic I have chosen to cover is, â€Å"The impacts of assistive technology for the blind and visually impaired.† I will discuss the benefits and drawbacks to using advanced technology to promote development. I will also look at how assistive technology is being implemented and what effects it has on the visually impaired. There are approximately 10 to 11 million blind and visually impaired people in North America, and their visual abilities vary almost as much as their ethnic, racial, and personal characteristics do. The term "visual impairment" covers a wide range and variety of vision, from blindness and lack of usable sight; to low vision, which cannot be corrected to normal vision with standard eyeglasses or contact lenses; to moderate visual impairment and an inability to read the fine print in a daily newspaper. People who are visually impaired, like everyone else, pursue a great range of interests and careers and participate in the full range of daily activities. They may need to receive training in various adaptive techniques in order to do so, and educational and other services and products are designed and available for this purpose. Federal and state estimates used for planning educational services do not adequately account for the number of children in the United States who are blind or visually impaired. In some cases, only students who are legally blind are reported, ignoring those who have difficulty seeing but do not qualify as "legally" blind. In other instances, children who are visually impaired and have other disabilities such as mental retardation are not counted as visually impaired because they are reported in other federally defined categories, such as multiple disabilities. Tragically, because many 3 professionals lack the specialized skills necessary to recognize and address vision loss, there are also children with visual and multiple impairments whose vision loss remains undiagnosed throughout their school experience. The inadequate count of visually impaired children means that our nation lacks critical information about the need for specialized services for these children, and cannot correctly allocate the specialized resources and ... ...sts despite the fact that education experts agree that for some children, special schools are the best placement option, and that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act passed by the U.S. Congress makes access to all educational placement options, including special schools, every child's right. As a result of my research I have found that assistive technology is very helpful to blind or visually impaired people when used appropriately. Technology has set new standards and goals for the visually disabled and blind that were never within reach without these new break throughs. The main issues that still need to be dealt with is making sure the new technology is taught correctly to the people who need to use it, and that access to the latest technology is easily attainable. References Van Huijgevoort, Toos. (2002) Coping with a visual impairment through self- investigation. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 96, Abner, G. H. & Lahm, E. A. (2002) Implementation of assistive technology with students who are visually impaired: Teachers’ readiness. Journal of visual impairment and blindness, 96,

Hockey-The Rodney Dangerfield Of Sports Essay -- essays research paper

Hockey, The Rodney Dangerfield Of Sports   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the US, there are four major sports; football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. Out of the four, hockey gets the least amount of respect. This is something that bothers me as hockey player and fan, and it also bothers other hockey fans around the country. They way that hockey is covered in the newspapers, on television, and not just professional hockey. It goes the same for college hockey and also high school hockey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lets start at the top with the NHL. The NHL has a TV deal with ESPN and ABC so that the two companies share the Stanley Cup Finals. The NHL’s championship series. (It should also be noted that ABC owns ESPN). The problem with TV deal is that ESPN is a paid for cable station, which means that you can only watch the finals games on ESPN if you have cable. Because of this, hockey doesn’t get as much exposure as other sports do too a new audience. The World Series is on FOX or NBC, the NBA Finals are on NBC, and the Super Bowl is on FOX, CBS, or ABC. All of those stations are free to a viewer with a television. There is no monthly charge for service of those stations unlike ESPN. This is where hockey gets shafted, the NHL is the only sport that has its championship game or series on cable TV where only a specific audience as access to it as opposed to the entire nation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  But it is not just the Cup Finals that are on cable te...

Stock Market Assignment

Journal One – The Stock Market Game First submission Date 26/10/2009| Table 1|   |   | Company| Shares bought| Share Price| Change| 3i Group| 2000| ? 2. 95| ? 5,900. 00| BP| 2000| ? 5. 65| ? 11,300. 00| Prudential| 4000| ? 6. 33| ? 25,320. 00| Sainsbury’s| 2000| ? 3. 39| ? 6,780. 00| |   |   |   | TOTAL|   |   | ? 49,300. 00| CASH HELD|   |   | ? 50,700. 00| |   |   |   | Original amount|   |   | ? 100,000. 00| Profit/Loss|   |   | 0| I will undertake an analysis of 3i Group. I have already invested ? 5,900. 00 and have bought 2000 shares at the share price of ? . 39. I will be watching my shares closely so that I can make a choice to sell, buy or hold my shares 3i Group Established in the 1945, is one of the UK's biggest investors in private companies, it says its strategy is to go for early stage growth companies rather than the financial wizardry favoured by by other ventured capitalists. It has been a big investor in technology compan ies in the past. The reason why I chose this company is because I followed the advice given to me in lecture to not pick companies that I am familiar with.This chart shows the behaviour of the share price over 6 months. I will undertake an analysis of BP. I have already invested ? 11,300 at a share price of ? 5. 65. The Beta for this company 0. 89 which is less than 1. This means that the security will be less so I may not make a profit on my return so there is a bit of a risk. BP Oil giant BP moved into the bracket of oil companies in the late nineties, with the acquisition of US concerns Amoco and Atlantic Richfield. More geared to oil production and exploration than its main rivals.BP has moved into the former Soviet Union to secure future production as its current key asset in the North Sea and Alaska wind down. The reason why I chose this company was because petrol prices have been going up, at one stage the price for a litre was less than ? 1. So I am taking a risk with this o ne but I am hoping it will turn out that I have made some profit with the choices I have made. This chart shows the behaviour of the share price over 6 months I will undertake an analysis of Sainsbury’s. I have already invested ? 780. 00 at a share price of ? 3. 39. The Beta for this company is 0. 5 again this is less than 1. The security risk is going to be high with this company. I will keep a close eye on the share price if it falls I may have to sell my shares at the right time so I do not make a loss. Sainsbury’s J Sainsbury’s UK supermarket group was originally founded in the Drury lane in London 1869. The group began life as a listed company in 1973 which at the time was UK largest ever flotation the group have moved into financial servicesI chose to invest in this company because the public need to purchase food it is a need not a want. There are many competitors out there such as Tesco and Asda, which would have been an obvious choice for me, but again I thought I would take a risk and go for a company that I do not shop in. I logged on to www. digitallook. com and at the time Sainsbury’s was a top seller, because of this small bit of information I decided I was going to buy some shares from this company. I checked on another day and the shares had dropped, so I thought maybe Sainsbury’s is not the right company to choose.I chose it because it may be going up and down but may end up as a winner. Tesco, Asda and some other competitors were on watchdog about flat packed bikes; this program may affect their Christmas sales. In this entry I will undertake an analysis of Prudential. I have already invested ? 25,320. This is the largest investment I have made but I believe it is the best one and I will make a return on my investment. The Beta for this company is 2. 24 so this proves I will make a return on my investment nevertheless there will be more of a higher risk, that I am willing to take.Prudential Insurance Group P rudential is one of the UK largest life insurers. It has operations around the world, in the UK, US and Asia. As well as providing financial services under its own name the Prudential also owns M+G Investment. I chose this company because I thought it would be a good investment and I will make a profit. I have invested over ? 25,000 in this company as I am hoping to make a good return on my money. With all the companies that I have invested my money in I have set up a profile on www. digitallook. com.I was going to set up a spreadsheet in excel but I noticed on digital look that you can create a profile with how much shares you bought, the date and how much per share. Once this information is entered it will let you know how much money you have lost that day. For the second submission I will not continue with this as I would rather set up a spreadsheet in my reflective log and use different formulae to work out whether I have made a profit or loss. Second submission for the Fantasy Stock Market Game On the 12/11/09 I read in the metro newspaper that Sainsbury's has reported an 18. % rise in profits in the past six months but warned sales could slump in the next half. The grocery chain posted healthy profits of ? 307m after like for like sales rose 5. 7% in the October. Share price rose two percent after the profit figure bettered Sainsbury's emerged as a winner in the recession as it tempted customers away from Tesco and other competitors, this was led by the advertisers (fed family for a fiver). Sainsbury's confirmed that market growth was likely to slow in the future as sales surge comes to an end.According to researchers at Nielsen Sainsbury's sales increase was the lowest out of the big four chains. Sainsbury's face a tougher challenge to maintain the sharp rises in the sales seen over the past year as food prices ease back and are expected economic recovery curves. Sainsbury's are hoping to compete in other areas as food sales came under pressure. I was w illing to take a risk as risk is associated when investing money. On the BBC news Sainsbury's said they will not be able to generate sale growth like last year because of inflation.The share price on the 13/11/2009 was 339. 30p going down by 1. 40p which is 0. 03% decrease. With this information that I found out I decided to sell my shares, luckily I sold my shares on Thursday 12/11/2009 and the share price was again ? 3. 39. I bought 2000 shares this equals to ? 6780. 00. I haven't made a loss as when I originally bought my shares the share price was the same. The other three companies have been doing well since I sold my Sainsbury's shares, the have been up everyday. On the 18/11/09 I had made a profit of ? 380, which I was pleased about.One the 19/11/09 the share prices have fallen, nevertheless I am confident the three companies will make me a profit. Reflective Log Spreadsheet This is a part of my reflective log spreadsheet that I have been keeping so far to show I have been ke eping an eye of my shares, the share prices and whether I am making a profit or a loss. Looking at this Table I have made a loss of ? 240 (3i group) comparison with the original amount I have made a profit of ? 500 with BP and with Prudential I have made a profit of ? 720. Comparison of the chosen companies with their competitors BP CompetitorsChevron and Texaco merged in 2001 creating the 2nd largest US based energy company and the 5th largest in the world. BP have signed their first big oilfield development contract. This should improve their shares, even though they are doing okay, once this contract is finalised I think it will benefit the company in more than one way. Exxon and Mobil completed there merger in 1999 to form what is now the worlds largest publicly traded energy company. Exxon and Mobil is involved in the exploration, production, manufacture, transportation and sale of crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products.The group also manufactures and markets petrochemic als, packaging films and speciality chemicals in more than 50 countries. The company is best known by the consumers as Esso and Mobil brand. Royal Dutch and Shell Transport completed their formal unification under a single new parent company RDS in July 2005. Shell is best known for the exploration and production of oil and natural gas alongside its retail petrol stations across UK. Shell's other operations include petrochemicals that are used for plastic and detergents. The share prices to date for these companies are 26/11/2009Chevron Investment (CDI) $79. 64 Exxon Mobile $76. 47 Royal Dutch Shell (RDS)? 6. 50 3i Group Competitors This company has 2 top competitors Candover Investment and CVC Capital Partners Candover Investment Their objectives is to achieve above average growth in its net assets through capital gains from its investments and to earn satisfactory income for their shareholders CVC Limited This company provide investment is over 70 companies across all industries. This company was incorporated in 1984 and operates in Australia. The share prices to date for these companies are 26/11/2009Candover Investment(CDI)? 4. 95 27/11/2009 Candover Investment(CDI)? 4. 99 CVC Limited? 4. 18 (AUD A$7. 60) Prudential Competitors Prudential have three top competitors they are American International Group, AXA and Met life incorporated Their share to date are 26/11/2009 American International Group (AIG)? 21. 00 Converted this from $34. 68 AXA? 23. 95 Metlife inc. ?20. 96 By looking at this spreadsheet compared to the last submission I decided not to purchase any more shares. I have been continuing to keep an eye on my share prices not every day like when I started this assignment.Nevertheless when I do check them they have been progressively increasing. This boost my confidence that I have made the right choice when selecting the companies to invest in. I will not be selling these shares now. I have bought them and will keep them long term so that I make a p rofit. These three companies are a long investment. Time to time I have had a look at the Sainsbury's shares to convince myself that I made the right decision in selling them. By doing this, this has confirmed my decision as the shares keep falling. The last time I checked them they were standing at ? . 24. Submission 4 Reflective Log What have you learned about the financial markets and, particularly, the stock markets? What are the importances’s of these markets? After reading and research that I have done my understanding of financial markets is as follows; A financial market is a mechanism that allows people to buy and sell (trade) financial securities (such as stocks and bonds), commodities (such as precious metals or agricultural goods), and other fungible items of value at low transaction costs and at prices that reflect the efficient-market hypothesis.Financial markets have evolved significantly over several hundred years and are undergoing constant innovation for the improvement of liquidity. Both general markets (where many commodities are traded) and specialized markets (where only one commodity is traded) exist. Markets work by placing many interested buyers and sellers in one â€Å"place†, thus making it easier for them to find each other. An economy which relies primarily on interactions between buyers and sellers to allocate resources is known as a market economy in contrast either to a command economy or to a non-market economy such as a gift economy.Financial markets facilitate: The raising of capital (in the capital markets), the transfer of risk (in the derivatives markets) and International trade (in the currency markets); theses are used to match those who want capital to those who have it. Typically a borrower issues a receipt to the lender promising to pay back the capital. These receipts are securities which may be freely bought or sold. In return for lending money to the borrower, the lender will expect some compensation in the form of interest or dividends.A stock market is a public market for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately. The stocks are listed and traded on stock exchanges which are entities of a corporation or mutual organisation specialised in the business of bringing buyers and sellers of the organisations to a listing of stocks and securities together. The stock market in the United States is NYSE while in Canada; it is the Toronto Stock Exchange. Major European examples of stock exchanges include the London Stock Exchange, Paris Bourse, and the Deutsche Bourse.The stock market I had to use for this assignment was the FTSE 100. What is the overall performance of your stock investment? Please critically review the variation of your portfolio’s constituent and value. Any particular events significantly affected your investment profits? I invested in 3i Group, Bp, Prud ential and Sainsbury’s. Once I submitted the third submission I decided to sell these’s shares as they kept falling; i did not want to lose any money at the time I thought I was making the right choice due to what was being reported in the news.Over the three months the share price fell/rose by x%. This compares with an overall rise of y% for the FTSE100. I made ? 2500 losses for the shares I invested, because BP petrol is expensive; because the price of petrol is more than ? 1 per litre consumers has not got money anyway because they have been made redundant. Consumers need petrol or diesel; if they can purchase this at a cheaper price but still get the quality then that is what they will do. The competitor is shell as there petrol is cheaper and of better quality. Prudential share price falls buy 20%. Reference (http://www. oneymarketing. co. uk/pensions/prudential-share-price-slumps-20/1007734. article). 3i Group Reference for Article http://www. thisismoney. co. uk The highest risers during the period were shares in hindsight such as; insurance,clothes and food industries. I can see that the company I chose might not have been going to perform as wells shares in other sectors; this is because unfortunately the companies I chose to invest one was getting taken over towards the end of the three months (Prudential) before this happened consumers sold there shares resulting in it falling by 20%. i Group is a smaa company that invests in new businesses that are starting out; obviously the businesses that 3i group have chosen haven’t taken off as much as 3i Group would have wanted them too. The recession is still recovering, therefore it will still affect some stocks in the stock market If I could start over again, I would have invested in the supermarkets that are more known than Sainsbury’s; such as Asda and Tesco. Then I would have bought shares in Cadbury’s and Next. I would have definitely have picked Cadburys as they are now owned by Kraft at one stage the share price increased up to 746p.I would have made a profit on the money I had invested. Suppose that you can do your stock investment again, what would you do differently this time? What kind of economic factors and investment techniques would you consider? And why? If I could do my stock investment again I would have looked at the different investment techniques to support my chose such as this website; http://stocks. about. com/od/evaluatingstocks/a/063009error. htm. It gives an explanation in details what techniques I could have used and what information it would give me so that i could make an informative decision.I am 100% sure that if i did this I would have made a profit not a loss on the company I chose. At the time I thought I made the right choice but now I think it was a gamble; I could have had a bigger loss than ? 2500. I know now there is more to it that picking some companies and buying shares. There was a variety of websites that I could have visit that would have made my stock investment profitable and different financial ratios I could have used; the tools of Fundamental Analysis Stock Market – Reflective Journal Started on Thursday 15th October @ 9. 00pmI logged onto Digital Look my first thought was the first company I am going to buy shares in will be Sainsbury's because they are at the highest in the FTSE 100 table. But then I thought I need to be smart, a lot of money could go down the drain so, I am going to do some more research look at what is happening in the 3 months or more, not just with Sainsbury's but with other companies as well. Friday 16th October 2009 @ 9. 00am Logged onto the Financial Times website to have a change from the first one. I still have not decided what companies I am going to choose, or how many shares I am going to buy.Today I have decided I am going to do some research and have a close look to see if there is any important information in the news and see if there ar e a any articles that are relevant and that could give me an idea what company not to go for as they may be in trouble. 3/11/2009 Watching BBC News Was watching the news when I got back from university. I heard something about share prices were down 10%. I was hoping it was not my four companies that I chose. Theses were Sainsbury's, BP, Prudential and 3i Group. Thankfully it was BGS group. Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Tsb are forced to sell off their branches.BGS group said some companies that have loads of money can borrow as much as they want, but the thing is there is no demand. This was the day I decided its times to keep an eye on my shares, to see what their doing, are they falling or increasing? Am I making a profit or a loss? Do I need to sell my shares? Buy more or hold on to them. I have invested ? 50,000 and I would like to make a profit on it, even if it is a small amount. 7/11/09 Today I looked at my four companies, 3i, BP, Sainsbury's were all down 3i group was i n the top fallers so I felt a bit disappointed but, Prudential was up today which I was pleased about.I have invested the most in this company and have taken on a bigger risk, I cannot afford to lose my money. What I have decided to do is set up a spreadsheet on excel and keep a daily track of what's going on with my shares up until the next submission date. With the other companies I was going to check my share price and make a decision. Today I will do some research and see what I can find about the companies I have chosen. I may buy the financial times and try to get an in depth understanding of what is happening in the market. I didn't buy the Financial Times but I looked on the digital look website and they said:The supermarket chain Sainsbury's half year results on Wednesday, having already worked out that it is unlikely to be able to maintain its impressive sale growth due to the effects of a reduction in inflation. After reading this on Monday 9/11/09 I am going to sell my s hares especially if they have fallen again. I will keep track of this in my spreadsheet. Monday 9/11/09 I checked the share prices today and I am pleased that all my share prices have gone up, even though I am still making a loss of ? 1180. This has improved from Saturday.I have lost a bit on Sainsbury's but not enough to sell my shares. Today I have decided not to sell my shares, I am still going to take the risk and hopefully make myself some money. I will check the paper and see if there is any information about my companies. I may be able to get an incline on what's going to happen. I will give my Sainsbury's shares a couple of days and check on Friday just to give this company a chance to improve. I believed Sainsbury's will continue to decline, so just to recap on Friday 13th November 2009 if Sainsbury's shares have gone down I will sell them. Tuesday 10/11/2009I didn't get chance to check my shares today, as I said yesterday I am giving Sainsbury's a chance and as for the oth er companies I may as well check them all together. Thursday 12/11/2009 I read in the Metro paper this morning I the business and finance section Sainsbury's has reported on a 18. 5% rise in the past six months but warned sales could slump in the next half. The grocery chain posted healthy profits of 307m after like for like sales rose 7% in the 28 week to October. Share price rose 2 percent after the profit figure increased, Sainsbury's emerged as a winner in the recession as it tempted customers away from Tescos and Asda.This was lead by advertisers feed for a fiver. According to Nielsen Sainsbury's sale increase was the lowest out of the big four chains. Sainsbury's faces a tougher challenge to maintain the sharp rises in sales over the past year as food prices ease back. Sainsbury's are hoping to compete in other areas. Friday 13/11/2009 I was willing to take a risk as risk is associated with money. In the news Sainsbury's said they will not be able to generate sales growth like last year because of a fall in inflation The share price today is 339. 30 its has fallen by 1. 0p which is a 0. 03% decrease, so I have decided to sell my shares. The information that I found out yesterday confirmed for me its time to sell my shares otherwise it will continue to fall I will continue to make a loss and eventually lose my money, that is a risk I am not willing to take. So I sold my shares today at a price of 339. 30 @ 2000 shares equals to ? 6780. 00. So I haven't lost any money on these shares because on the 26/10/2009 the share price was the same 339. 30p. Monday 15/11/2009 I now have 3 companies the shares have gone down but still continue to grow.I will not sell these shares but will continue to hold them until the end. I feel that I will make a profit on one of these three companies. 17/11/2009 Today all of my shares have increased except for BP they have fallen (0. 40% which is 2p so it isn't to bad) 18/11/2009 Great day all of my have gone up I'm not sure if I have made a profit yet as I need to refer to my reflective journal spreadsheet this is where I keep, well try to keep a daily record of my shares and whether I have made a profit or a loss. Did some research today as I wanted to know the reason behind Prudential, as it is doing so well.I looked at www. investcorp. co. uk Stock Market News and Share prices and they said: Insurance giant Prudential was one of the major risers after a price target upgraded from the Dutch broking group ING. They have upped its target price from 392p to 584p, but maintaining its `hold' rating for the shares. For me this proves my investment is a risk but its a great company choice. The saving grace of Prudential is its exposure to emerging markets through ING. This is reflective in the current share price. 19/11/2009 Checked my shares today and updated my spreadsheet.Had a look at Sainsbury's even though I sold my shares I still like to have a look to see what was happening, and also it makes me feel so much better if they continue to fall, that means I have made the right decision. I will be keeping Prudential I feel this company is the one that will make me a profit. BP and 3i Group is growing steadily. 20/11/2009 Checked my shares again 2 of the companies have fallen, Prudential has risen that I am pleased about hoping I will make a profit. 31/03/2010 I have sold my shares and made a loss of ? 2500.