Summary and Analysis of The Man of Laws Tale Essay

Summary and Analysis of The Man of Laws Tale Fragment II The Words of the Host to the Company and Prologue to the Man of Laws Tale: The host speaks to the rest of the travelers, telling them that they can regain lost property but not lost time. The host suggests that the lawyer tell the next tale, and he agrees to do so, for he does not intend to break his promises. He says that we ought to keep the laws we give to others. He even refers to Chaucer, who works ignorantly and writes poorly, but at the very least does not write filthy tales of incest. The Man of Law tells the company that he will tell a tale by Chaucer called the tale of Cupids Saints. The lawyer prepares for the tale he will tell about poverty, and does so in a†¦show more content†¦The sultan thus decided that he would convert to Christianity and that his baronets would follow him in his conversion. With this conversion the Roman emperor gave Constance away in marriage, but she was overcome with sorrow, for she did not wish to be sent to a foreign country. She accepts, however, thinking that women are made to be subject to mens governance. The mother of the sultan (the sultana), however, learned of his intentions to convert, and sent for her own council. Analysis: The Man of Laws Tale exalts the sacrifice and honor of Constance, the daughter of the Roman emperor who will suffer a number of injustices during the years over which the story takes place. It is an overtly religious tale that does not even reach for the subtlety of allegory. Constance depends on her religious faith for her survival throughout a number of events in the story, while those characters who do not share her Christian faith are uniformly evil, whether pagan or Muslim. The tale takes a narrow view of humanity in which Christianity represents unadulterated purity and any other religious tradition is pure evil. Yet the Man of Laws Tale places a significant emphasis on fate; Her virtue and honor stem from her devotion to Christian principles, while those who adhere to other religious beliefs are automatically suspect. This holdsShow MoreRelatedEssay Summary and Analysis of The Physicians Tale441 Words   |  2 PagesSummary and Analysis of The Physicians Tale (The Canterbury Tales) The Physicians Tale: As Titus Livius tells us, there was once a knight called Virginius who had many friends, much wealth, and a loving wife and daughter. The daughter possessed a beauty so great that even Pygmalion could not create her equal. She was also humble in speech and avoided events in which her virtue could be compromised. There was a judge, Appius who governed the town who saw the knights daughter, and lusted afterRead MoreFigurative Language and the Canterbury Tales13472 Words   |  54 Pagesones. Often this term is used interchangeably with both the literary technique and the larger story itself that contains the smaller ones, which are called framed narratives or embedded narratives. The most famous example is Chaucers Canterbury Tales, in which the overarching frame narrative is the story of a band of pilgrims traveling to the shrine of Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. The band passes the time in a storytelling contest. The framed narratives are the individual stories told by theRead MoreF raud Triangle15238 Words   |  61 Pagestheir motivation for embezzlement to alcohol, gambling, and expensive extramarital relationships is high. However, the number who steal for drugs may even be higher. Consider these confessions of former addicted drug users: †¢ â€Å"I began living with a man who was a heavy drug user. We had a child, but the relationship didn’t last. By the time it ended, I was high on drugs and alcohol so much of the time I could barely manage to make it to work every day.† †¢ â€Å"I was the branch manager of a large bank

Personal Finance Assignment Example

Essays on Personal Finance Assignment Essay The Continuing Saga of Sam and Judy (Part 3 Discuss whether you think they should rent or buy. What are the factors they should consider? They think that they probably can find an apartment that would rent for $1500 a month. The decision to rent or buy a house is complex especially for young adults. Interestingly, the desire to own one remains high. It is, therefore, understandable that Sam and Judy are considering owning a house. A decision that requires careful consideration to ensure that the choice made offers more value. Finances A person’s financial position is the main factor to consider when making a buying or renting decision. Buying requires not only down payment, but also the ability to foot monthly bills arising from mortgage payment. Behavioral patterns Persons who plan to settle at one place for a long time are suitable candidates for purchasing a house unlike those who like travelling a lot. Still, there are persons who cannot afford to stay in a place for a long time because they become easily jaded. Occupational nature Some jobs involve much travelling and interstates movements. Such jobs make home owning quite expensive, which means that renting is the only option. In considering the above factors, the best choice for Sam and Judy is buying a house. Their earnings are considerable, and they are planning to settle down. Their families are also assisting by offering a down payment of $45,000 for purchasing a house. Most importantly, Judy is to continue working even if they have a family, which means their income will remain high. While they can easily afford $1500 rent, they will eventually have nothing in the end, as they will only be assisting their property owner in paying mortgage. 2. Discuss of where you think they should live? What are the factors they should consider? Can they find an apartment in their price range in the areas where you think they should live? Judy works in Cambridge while Sam works in Boston. The couple owns one car. When deciding where they should live, they should consider the security in the area, accessibility, availability of social amenities such as schools, since they want to raise a family, property prices in the area, and most importantly, their ability to pay. To cut the cost of purchasing another car, they should consider living in either Boston or Cambridge. This will ensure that only one partner travels to job with the available car. Apartments are relatively cheaper in Cambridge as compared to Boston. Therefore, Cambridge is a better choice. However, the cheapest available apartment in Cambridge cost $ 1680 (http://www.trulia.com/property). 3. Discussion of the costs of renting vs. buying. Using the techniques in the book on pages 299 300 decide how much can they afford to pay for a house? In calculating the cost of buying vs. renting, many variable needs to be considered. They include home price, available down payment, mortgage rate, annual property taxes, annual renovation costs, homeowner’s insurance, and length of mortgage for home buying against, rent deposit, rental broker’s fee if any, and renter’s insurance rate for renting an apartment. Renting $ Rent deposit 1680 Monthly rent 1680 Total 3360 For buying Cost of house $349,000, the value of the cheapest house found in Cambridge Property taxes rate 1.35% Mortgage rate 6% Repayment period of 30 years Monthly payments P = L[c (1 + c) n]/ [(1 + c) n - 1] =$1,822.63 Total monthly cost of buying (1,822.63+392) = $ 2214.63 4. Make up a new budget that reflects the changes in their expenses. Their new monthly budget Mortgage repayment $1822 Property taxes 1.35% $392 Property maintenance 0.5% $145 Utilities $200 Student loan $250 Car loan: $125 Car insurance $425 Gas $400 Food at home $300 Food and Entertainment $300 Dry Cleaning $ 40 Credit cards $139 Miscellaneous $200 Total $4738

News Media Free Essays

They are often misrepresented by editors in order to make them more appealing to the viewer. For example, take this Big Mac from McDonald’s. Here, advertisers have used a false portrayal of the real Big Mac to manipulate It’s viewers to want to the buy their product. We will write a custom essay sample on News Media or any similar topic only for you Order Now Similarly to advertises misleading us, so too does the media In their depiction of conveying real life Issues and events through the use of language features. Good morning/afternoon fellow classmates, today I am here to discuss the misrepresentations displayed in news articles. Recently, there has been a controversy between bikes and Campbell Newsman’s new anti-bike laws. In the articles titled This Brisbane man posted a menacing video warning the premier. Police say he’s done nothing wrong’ by Robin Ironsides, and ‘Senior police packing heat’ by Thomas Chamberlain and David Murray, both authors convey an unfair representation of the groups of bikes within society. These groups are often marginal’s and authors portray them negatively based upon stereotypes. Together, these articles demonstrate the Inaccurate representations of bless as minorities. The article Senior police packing heat’ published by the Courier Mall on the 1 lath of November (201 3), describes the Queensland Police battle against the belle legislation. Through closer examination, It Is clear that the authors, Thomas Chamberlain and David Murray have created a biased depiction of motorcycle groups though the utilization of language techniques such as evaluative language, repetition and actions. The headings of newspaper articles are considered to be one of the most important aspects of the text as it aims to engage and catch the reader’s attention. The title Senior police packing heat’ is a great example of an attention grabbing heading; however, it incorporates a negative connotation about motorcycle groups. The phrase â€Å"packing heat,† is quite alarming as it coincides with the Queensland Police Union’s action to take stand in preparation for their fight against the bless. Here, Chamberlain and Murray have stereotyped all forms of motorcycle gangs to perceive them as criminals, or Involved In criminal activity. As a result, the government has made legislations against the entire belle population to stop their true as motorcyclists in order to prevent violent and illegal acts. The authors have also used repetition and actions to clearly show Queensland bikes as an infamous group to reinforce to the reader about their destructive prominence in society. Through the actions of Commissioner Ian Stewart, Chamberlain and Murray have successfully showed the Queensland Police Unions considerations to â€Å"allow some district duty officers to carry RE . 223 carbines with telescopic sights in their vehicles. † â€Å"These are very, very high powered weapons and they need to be handled very, very ruefully. The repetition of â€Å"very,† emphasizes the dangers and threats posed to us by the bikes and outlines how much care â€Å"SENIOR police† should take. This showcases that the people Involved in motorcycle groups are considered to be criminals and or Involved In criminal actively as their behavior in society Is alleged to be Illegal. Similarly, the article entitled ‘This Brisbane man posted a menacing video warning the Premier. Police s ay he’s done nothing wrong’ Published by the to Premier Campbell Newman and his family. However, after deconstructing the article, it is clearly shown that investigators could not identify any signs of criminal offence behind the menacing video. Through the utilization of language features such as emotive language and intensifiers, Ironsides has portrayed the offender as a mysterious man alleged to be involved in criminal activities. This emotive language is depicted in the second stanza of the article. Ironsides states that the â€Å"Queensland Police Service confirmed investigators† that the man responsible was not persecuted of any illegal acts. This indicates that the man behind the online video criticizing the State Governments â€Å"anti-bike laws† has not been found to commit any signs of criminal offence. Despite this, the author has created an undesirable representation of motorcycle minorities through the use of intensifiers. She writes that the â€Å"masked man† involved in the online video criticized the Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment. † This implies that although the man was not committed of any lawless offence, he was assumed to be a dangerous figure in society. Here, the author has represented this group of people in a negative manner through a careful election of deceptive techniques. To reinforce this statement, Ironsides has incorporated a visual element in her article that portrays the alleged offender to have committed the series of threats to Campbell Newman and his family. This picture displays the masked man giving an inappropriate gesture towards authority, therefore, reinforcing our negative perceptions of bike groups. Every day, journalists are entrusted with the task of delivering unbiased events and issues to the public. However, editors regularly bypass this expectation, and instead serpentine the story to what was actually being conveyed in order to manipulate readers to perceive something the way they want you to. This technique was used by Robin Ironsides in her article titled ‘This Brisbane man posted a menacing video warning the Premier. Police say he’s done nothing wrong,’ and Thomas Chamberlain and David Murray in their article ‘Senior police packing heat’. In these articles both authors have represented bike minorities in a bias and negative manner. They have portrayed all motorcyclists groups as criminals who are involved in illegal activities. How to cite News Media, Papers News Media Free Essays Rena Hermez RWS 100 Prof. Costello Nov. 29, 2009 News Media Media have tremendous power in setting cultural guidelines and in shaping political discourse. We will write a custom essay sample on News Media or any similar topic only for you Order Now It is essential that news media is challenged to be unbiased and truthful. Most many people find news whether on TV, newspaper, or magazines to be politically bias. Michael Parenti, the author of Inventing Reality, asserts that the news can be bias towards political issues by using the â€Å"Methods of Misrepresentation† (Parenti 53). This includes: â€Å"Framing and Labeling†, â€Å"Selectivity and Deliberate Omission†, â€Å"The Greying of Reality†, â€Å"Auxiliary Embellishments†, and â€Å"Placement† (Parenti). These methods are used to serve the private news conglomerates and our country interests instead of the public interests. Therefore, the news content became politically biased. Moreover, the past decade has seen more change in the craft of news media than perhaps any other. Since the news conglomerates took over local papers and stations, news became less relevant and more for entrainment. The more news is entertaining to its audience, the more money for the news conglomerates and the shareholders. Thus, news is not as important to the lives of audience as they once were. The issue of economy is very crucial topic in the U. S. However, many news networks misrepresents the public interest by placing the article in the most secluded pages in the newspaper. For instance, the article, â€Å"Economists question accuracy of picture from economic data†, by New York Times Service, in the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper, discusses how the government’s picture of the economic data has a wide gap from the reality. It also explains why the government miscalculated the data, and gave a brief explanation on how to calculate it correctly. Since this article rectifys the government, San Diego Union Tribune decided to publish it on page A6 with advertising Ads. This is an example of â€Å"Placement† because as important as this issue has been to the public, the San Diego Union Tribune published the story in a place that is hidden from the readers view. Most people would never see it if they were just glossing the pages. According Parenti â€Å"troublesome stories that are not suppressed, ignored [†¦ still can be buried in obscure places. Placement is often used for the greying of reality†(Parenti 58). Another method of misrepresentation that occurs often in the news media is omission. Omission occurs when important information is not reported or is reported incompletely. likewise, Parenti defines it as, â€Å" sometimes the unmentioned includes not just particular details of he s tory but the entire story itself- even ones about major events† (Parenti 54). An example of suppressed issue in the mainstream press is that of the former Vice President Dick Cheney’s speech on October 21, 2009. He gave an important speech about the Center for Security Policy, and it was not televised on any American news or network. Not even Fox News televised this speech. They have, however, posted the speech on their website. Perhaps this deliberate omission of this speech from the news networks occurred because the Bush Administration became less powerful since too many people lost trust in it. Thus, when this particle example was omitted, than we are getting a skewed or biased perspective from Fox News network. Since big conglomerates bought news networks, the definition of â€Å"news† have changed for the past few decades because the profit motives. Before, news was information that is of broad interest to the intended audience. Today, â€Å"news production distortions are of a more political nature and reveal a pattern of bias that favors the dominate class of interests and statist ideology† (Parenti 53). When the president of ABC news was asked â€Å"how has the standard for what qualifies is news has changed because of the pressure profit motives? He responds back by saying it has changed and broadened and not lowered† (News War). An example of â€Å"broaden† news is â€Å"Palin visits Florida town that feted her in 2008† on MSNBC website headline news. This news report made it to the headline not because the public is interested in where Sara Palin visit, but because news produces want more news to fill up the page and to make more profit. Now days, anything can be made news as long as there is a video and a story line that goes with it. Thus, the issue of profit motives serve big conglomerates interest and not the public nterest as it once was. News media definition have shifted from public interest news to profit motive news, from fair and truthful news to political bias and inaccurate news. We live in a time where newspapers are not sufficient anymore, internet and TV are easier to access and cost less. However, it is very difficult to supply enough news to fill a whole page of website and a whole hour of TV news. Thus, to make profit the internet and TV, big private conglomerates decided to soften the news content to occupy the extra time thats left from the real important news. News content became more politically biassed, more entertaining, and more profitable. News is being selectively â€Å"siding with those who have powers, position, and wealthy†(Parenti 54). By covering news, politics, weather, sports, entertainment, and vital events, the daily media shape the dominant cultural, social and political picture of our society, only, instead of the real important issues of the cultural, social, and political picture of our society. Works Cited New York Times Service. â€Å"Economists Question Accuracy of Picture from Economic Data. San Diego Union Tribune 9 Nov. 2009: A6. News War: What’s Happening to the News. Prods. Stephen Talbot and Lowell Bergman. Frontline. PBS. WGBH Educational Foundation, 2007. â€Å"Palin visits Florida town that feted her in 2008. † 24 Nov. 2009. MSNBC. 24 Nov. 2009 . Parenti, Michael. Inventing Reality. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1993. New York Times Service. â€Å"Economists Question Accuracy of Picture from Economic Data. † San Diego Union Tribune 9 Nov. 2009: A6. â€Å"RAW DATA: Dick Cheney’s Remarks to the Center for Security Policy. † 21 Oct. 2009. FOX News. 24 Nov. 2009 . How to cite News Media, Papers

Hrm Dsdvsd free essay sample

The process of Case-Based Reasoning (CB) is to find a case that is similar to the rent situation, modify the solution to FLT the current situation and then to store the case in the case-base. These processes can be carried out using the program Caspian. The purpose of this section is to describe the language used in the case file for specifying cases (CALLS), and to describe how Caspian uses this information to create the case-base. You create a case base In CALLS using your favorite editor and then load It Into Caspian. Caspian checks that It Is a legal CALLS program as It loads It In (see the Caspian document for more details of error messages). 2. General Structure of a Case In CALLS, a case is similar too record in a database. The basic unit is a field which may contain a string, a number, an enumeration symbol or a list. A list item may be any of the four basic types. There are a number of differences between a CALLS case and an ordinary database record: 1) There are two groups of fields in a case. The first group describes the situation and the nature of the problem. The second group describes the solution to the problem. ) It is possible for a field to be omitted. This Is only true for those fields which are not used for Indexing (see below). Both field lists must contain at least one field. The problem section must use at least one field as an Index. 3) Each case has a value known as the result. This can be the value SUCCESS, or the value FAILURE, or a value between ;5 and 5. 4) A case has a name associated with it. Enumeration fields defined in the problem section of a case may be used as indexes. General Syntax of the case file The case file consists of a number of blocks of code.The overall syntax is: Introduction Case Definition Index Definition [Modification Definition] [Repair Rule Definition] Case Instance {Case Instance) CALLS description document FL . 3 O UH Abernathy, February 1995 The Introduction block contains introductory text which gets displayed when the program Caspian has finished checking the case file. The Case Definition defines the types and the weights of the fields that may appear in a case. The information in the Case Definition is used for typecasting input cases while the weights are used to aid the case-matching process (described below). The Index Definition defines the fields used as indexes when searching for a matching case. A case base should have at least one field used as an index. The type of an index field must be an enumerated type. The Modification definition defines the modification rules. The purpose of the modification definition is twofold: 1) It provides a means of specifying that certain symbols or numbers are similar, for matching purposes. 2) It provides a means of specifying symbols as abstractions of others. This is useful for making the search more general or for defining generalizes cases. The Repair Rule definition contains the repair rules. The repair rules are used to modify the solution retrieved from the case-base, to make it more suitable for the current tuition. Both the Modification definition and the Repair rule definition may be omitted, but a completed system should contain both, if the system is to be a true CB system. The last set of blocks are the case instances. These are the cases that make up the case base. The case file must contain at least one case instance and will need to be seeded with many cases initially to be of any use. A description of the case matching process is given in section 9. . The Introduction Section The Introduction block defines introductory text which is displayed when Caspian is run. The purpose of the text is to help the user understand the purpose of the casabas. The syntax definition is: Introduction = INTRODUCTION IS intro-text END intro-text = string { , string } Within the strings themselves, is used to represent the inline character and t is used to represent tab. This is not true of strings used elsewhere in the case file. 2 4. The Case Definition This is the definition of the syntax of the case definition block. Keywords are given in case-Definition = CASE DEFINITION IS field-definitions SOLUTION DEFINITION IS field-definitions END lied-definitions = fielded {fielded} fielded = FIELD filename TYPE IS filleted [WEIGHT IS positive] ; filleted STRING I NUMBER I LIST I enumeration enumeration = ( symbol { , symbol } The symbols filename and symbol are identifiers. The symbol positive is a positive number. The purpose of the case definition block is to define the fields contained in a case. It consists of a series of field definitions each of which defines the name, type and optionally the weight of each field.The fields defined in the first field definition list are known as the problem fields. The Leeds defined in the section field definition list are known as the solution fields. In a acquaintance a field may only appear in the section for which it was defined. The weight value is used in matching cases. The larger the weight, the more important the field is. If the weight is not included in the field definition, the default value of one is assumed as the weight for the field. The case definition is used to perform type-checking on the cases and user input to Caspian. 5.The Index Definition The syntax of the index definition block is as follows: Index-Definition = INDEX DEFINITION IS indexes END indexers = indexed {indexed} indexed = INDEX ON filename The filename symbol is an identifier denoting the name of a field which must be an enumerated type. The purpose of the index definition is to define which fields are to be used as indexes. This information is used by Caspian to generate an index structure to improve the search. Further information on indexes is given in the section on the modification rules. A field should be indexed only if the feature it represents is very important.Indexing on an appropriate field helps to ensure that the retrieved cases re in the right ball-park. There should be no need to use a weight on an indexed field. Experience of using indexes shows that they are rather less useful than had been expected. They are intended to prune the matching process so that many cases are rejected early and a lot of work is saved. Unless you have a very large case base, then you might as well match on all fields. Dont have more than one or two indexes. 3 The modification definition consists of a list of definitions known as the modification rules.The term modification rule is used slightly differently here in that the concern s with defining certain values to be similar, thus guiding the matching process, rather than performing modifications to the retrieved solution. The syntax of the Modification Definition is as follows: Modification-Definition = MODIFICATION DEFINITION IS modes END modes mode {mode} mode= modularize I numberless modularize = FIELD filename ABSTRACTION symbol IS enumeration numberless = FIELD filename SIMILAR RANGE number TO number ; There are two types of modification rule: 1) Rules on fields which are enumerated types.These have a dual function. First, the humbly after the keyword ABSTRACTION is considered to be an abstraction of the symbols in the following enumeration list. This serves two purposes: a) When matching cases, if the user enters an abstraction symbol, the case matcher will match with the abstraction symbol or any of the symbols in the following enumeration list. B) In a similar fashion, when examining an enumeration value to activate a repair rule, using an abstraction will cause a match with the abstraction symbol or any of the symbols in the enumeration list.Second, when cases are being matched using the weights (see case matching, below) ND two enumeration values are being compared, if neither symbol is used elsewhere as an abstraction and both symbols are in the the same enumeration list within a modification rule, then the symbols are defined to be similar. The result of comparing two symbols and finding them to be similar will cause the case matcher to return a weight for that field equal to three-quarters of the fields full weight. ) Rules on fields which are numbers. The purpose of these rules is to define ranges over which numbers are considered similar. If two number fields have values which are both contained in a range defined by a edification rule, then the numbers are similar and this will cause the case matcher to return a weight value equal to three-quarters of the fields full weight. 7.

The Muses free essay sample

The Romans believed in the ancient Muses, the gods of inspiration and talent, descending upon mortals to guide them in writing, painting, sculpting, fighting, you name it, it was a nifty little muse tapping into the human mind. I understand this proposal. The sudden urges one gets to do something, the path to success is not always a thing of design or intention, it just sort of happens. People find what they are nasty at accidentally, of pure fluke, of pure unwonted desire; it is a burning passion to do something that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. These are the flings of the night. The callings of the deep the inner beast, the inner intelligence, sprung out of nothing towards the elusive something. The muses should be followed, some say. Others maintain that they are things of evil, twisting obsessions that pull you away from responsibility and true devotion to the just causes of the world. We will write a custom essay sample on The Muses or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Suppose for a moment that they could be both, both benevolent and evil muses, the desires that string us along the various pathways of life. Think then on this, emotions drive us to say illogical things, pheromones detail for us the urges of our body. Physical demands to eat, drink, reproduce, raise our young, love our families all guide us in our choices and desires. These are not muses. Muses take on another form of desire all together. These are the desires that allow man to stand out as an individual, as a successful and â€Å"fulfilled† man. We listen to these muses to acquire glory, prestige, fame, the same road to the high pedestal that all fight along. This path is of the evil design. It is structured to distract us from the real meaning, the real understanding. Understanding, of course, is a different stipulation for all of man, and cannot be found in one’s self by reading or learning. It can be helped along, but never fully realized in full effect, the belief and holdings of one’s personal self. So how do we find the good muses? The healthy muse that encourages us to find self identity, the foundation of individual serenity we all must acquire to develop any kind of security, and acceptance on life in our own unique intelligence. Passion can be a hindrance and a rush towards the uncovering of the individual. It is the undefined urgings we should strive to grow, the secret little fascinations that should be opened and watered in full sunlight. Every facet of a humanity can be studied and written, but only the individual can fully realize the muse of serenity on the within.

A Book report on Celia, A Slave essays

A Book report on Celia, A Slave essays Celia, A Slave by Melton A. McLaurin In the book Celia, A Slave by Melton A. McLaurin, the accounts of one womans life are bound together in a vivid way to relay the circumstances surrounding a female slaves cruel life. The life of this woman named Celia was filled with acts of molestation, rape, murder, and eventual execution. Through the use of court records, correspondences, and newspaper accounts, the author delineated in chronological order the life of Celia: from her purchase by Robert Newsom to her execution on December 21, 1855. When Robert Newsom bought Celia from an unnamed person, the first night that he spent with her he raped Celia. This act was repeated numerously throughout the next five years. It is told to the reader that Celia almost certainly was purchased to replace Newsoms wife who had died months earlier. After years of sexual torment and abuse, Celia killed her master and burned his body to avoid being caught. However, she was caught, tried, and executed for her crime. This of course was not the whole story. Many factors come into play when explaining why Celia murdered Robert Newsom and determining the right course of action for her punishment. The factors influencing Celias behavior can be attributed to the years of rape sustained by Celia. In addition to the emotional instability that encourages Celia to murder Newsom is the ultimatum given by Celias lover, George, to quit the old man (30) or risk losing him as a companion. Also, many people had the opportunity to stand up for Celia and stop the abuse, but for personal reasons, those who knew of the crimes chose to remain quiet. All of these factors have the same thing in common: they each present a person or persons dealing with their own personal dilemmas. In the case of Celia, she could stand up to her master and face physical and emotional punishment and possibly death. It was a choice for h...

Film music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Film music - Essay Example The sounds of chirping birds, barking dog, a man cutting grass with a lawn mower, water being sprinkled from a hose, a man fixing the roof with a hammer making thudding sound are very clear. The sound of Bogs’ brisk footsteps across the zigzag path, carrying her blue bag marks the start of her busy day. The moment she rings the bell of Helen’s house a buzzing sound coming from inside the house disappears. Helen opens the door and Pegg gives her pitch in a bright cheerful tone. The next scene shows a plumber’s van parked outside the house of a lonely housewife, Joyce. There is music in the background. The song is romantic and it seems odd with the morning time. The plumber complains that she didn’t even have to call him to ‘fix’ the dishwasher; she could have taken care of it herself. The woman talks in a very slow sleazy voice as if to seduce the man who is appearing very professional in his tone and voice. The ring of the doorbell ruins her mood as she exclaims ‘who could that be?’ The music keeps playing. The moment she opens the door the sound birds chirping becomes clear again and Pegg starts pitching her Avon products. Joyce continues in her breathy sleepy voice that she isn’t supposed to be there as she was busy. The tapping of her fingernails on the wooden frame of the door is also very clear as she taps it impatiently waiting for Pegg to leave. And the Joyce’s slamming of door stops the song and the scene changes. The grim music from organ piano is played by a lady in one house and Pegg loses her heart and moves towards her car. In the background two children pass on bicycles singing ‘ding dong the Avon Lady!’ to mock Pegg. She gets in her car but the grim organ music keeps playing. She writes off the names of people on her list with a very loud scratching off pen. The moment she adjusts her mirror and sees the castle in it a very grim sounding piano is played in the background, accompanied by strings

Sale of Goods Act 1979 Commercial law (uk) Assignment

Sale of Goods Act 1979 Commercial law (uk) - Assignment Example If one were to adopt the narrow semantic position in this discussion, then one could conceivably argue that The Sale of Goods Act 1979 is more suitable as a commercial code. After all it was created specifically to address itself to commercial transactions between parties. In that these transactions almost always pertain to providing a good for a fee, this type of undertaking in an of themselves can be classified as a commercial transaction. The thrust of the Sale of Goods Act and its intent is to provide a net for all transactions; consumer and business. When one views the Act in its totality, it is readily discernable that it is an interchangeable document. Which attempts to address all of the possibilities which might surface during the course of a transaction. It was through the formulation of contracts that man was able to expand the acts of liaise faire and enter into deals. A contract is formed by agreement between two parties to the contract; the parties must choose to enter into a binding agreement; in a ordinary buyer to seller contract this may entail; the seller agrees to provide the buyer an item at a stated price. The seller (may be implied or explicit) then agrees to deliver the item in a reasonable or merchantable (satisfactory) condition to the buyer. The buyer having agreed with the conditions of the purchase agrees to pay the seller his previously stated price upon delivery of the item.... price upon delivery of the item. This is a bilateral contract, wherein each party has taken on an obligation to do something, in return for something. The promise which has been made by each party makes the "verbal" contract (may be formal or informal), binding. If any term or condition in this legally binding contract is breached by either party, the contract can then be voided. 3 As we find in Baldry v. Marshall [1925]; B owned a racing car but his wife refused to ride in it. He approached M, a car dealer, requesting details of Bugatti cars, about which he (B) knew nothing. He asked for a car that would be comfortable and suitable for touring purposes, and the dealer recommended a Bugatti. B agreed to buy a Bugatti; after inspecting the chassis. Once completed, it was obvious that the car was a racing car and not suitable for touring. He returned the car and sued for one thousand pounds that he had already paid under the contract. The court held; that B had relied upon the skill and judgement of M, and that it was in the course of M's business to supply cars. Hence, there had been a breach of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 S 14 (3). When a purchaser relies upon the skill and judgment of a seller and that seller is acting within the course of his business, then the purposes of S 14 (3), goods must be suitable for the purpose made known to the seller if a breach is to be avoided. Even if the goods are of merchantable (satisfactory) quality; other implied terms must be satisfied. S14 (3) precludes the seller from

Mid Term Exam (there are 4 questions) Scholarship Essay

Mid Term Exam (there are 4 questions) - Scholarship Essay Example The sum of these roles covers all aspects of managerial performance though Mintzberg was careful enough to state that they might not describe the process of managing comprehensively. Mintzberg (1973) defines the role as "a set of certain behavioral rules associated with a concrete organization or post" (p.36) and groups the manager's roles into the three large blocks: interpersonal, informational and decisional. Each of these blocks consists of several roles: Figurehead - involves obligation of manager to act as symbolic head performing many routine duties (social or legal). This role is inspirational and activities associated with it are not central to the manager's job. Leader - involves responsibility for motivating of employees and also staffing, training, development and associated duties. This role is especially important during organization of group: it facilitates adequate integration between organizational goals and individual needs of subordinates. Each of these roles is important and may be viewed as the most essential for a manager under a specific set of circumstances. Therefore, ranking them in order of importance is a very difficult task. One possible way to fulfill this task is to use the existing models of managerial work as the basis. Thus, one of the most popular models of management known as POLCA includes planning, organizing, leading, controlling and assessing (Morgan, 1986). This model suggests that Mintzberg's roles may be ranked as follows: Resource allocator (planning), Liaison (organizing), Leader/Figurehead (leading), and Monitor (controlling and assessing). However, when an organization faces inevitable changes other roles such as Disseminator or Disturbance handler may be more important than others. 2. Managers sometimes make poor decisions because of cognitive bias in their decision-making process. Discuss three of the four sources of bias that can adversely affect the ability of managers to make a good decision, and illustrate each of them with a realistic business decision-making situation. Cognitive biases represent a broad group of observer effects that often distort our perception of phenomena related either to external environment or inner world of human being. There are several categories of

Islamic Bank of Britain vs. Dubai Islamic Bank Comparison

Islamic Bank of Britain vs. Dubai Islamic Bank Comparison Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1- Introduction This chapter discusses the aims and objectives of the project. A detailed background of the study, research rationale and theoretical framework has also been discussed in this chapter. At the end of this chapter, the report structure of this thesis is mentioned. Research Title Islamic Bank of Britain vs. Dubai Islamic Bank (A Comparative Study) 1.2- Background of Study Islamic banking is very different as opposed to conventional banking, as it works on the principles of Islam and Sharia which entails avoiding interest and gives more preference to invest in a business and in sharing of profit and loss. There are several Islamic banks all over the world and all of them operate on the Sharia principles, however some progress to profit and some decline to loss and a prime example of this is the Islamic Bank of Britain. The Islamic bank of Britain was founded in 2004 by a group of Middle East investors. This was the first Islamic Bank in the United Kingdom. The formation of this bank was based on the simple foundation of Sharia conduct with typical products and services, however the bank underperformed, more so than anticipated. Losses were evident from the initiation of its business in the United Kingdom. Moreover, according to Financial times and its 2008 income statement, a loss of was highlighting, displaying major cause for concern. On the other hand, the Dubai Islamic Bank which was founded in UAE by Arabic investors and also adheres to Sharia principles has reported quarterly profit of US$ 122.5 million. This then raises the questions as to why Islamic Bank of Britain has been unable to attract the customers and what are the main factors causing losses for the bank every year. 1.3- Research Aim The aim of conducting this research is to discover the factors and causes troubling Islamic banking in United Kingdom as one of the major Islamic bank has accumulated losses for a considerable period of time, although its entrepreneurs are from the Gulf where Islamic banking has been growing and prospering. Moreover the rules of Sharia apply whether the Islamic Bank is in the UK or in UAE. After uncovering the underlying causes of the Islamic bankings plight in the United Kingdom recommendations will be drawn up to rectify the situation and highlight how improvements can be made. Circumstances will further be examined in form of comparisons between the United Kingdom and the UAE Islamic banks. 1.4- Research Objectives The objectives of this research are as follows: To investigate the performance of Islamic banks in UK and UAE To explore the reasons that affect the performance of Islamic Banks To study the investment portfolio of Islamic Banks in UK and UAE To analyse the impact of risks on the performance of Islamic Banks in UK and UAE 1.5- Research Rationale Islamic banking is a relatively new topic in the financial sector and especially in UK where the first Islamic bank started its business only in 2004. Though Islamic banks are quite successful across the globe, the first Islamic bank established in UK has not been able to gain significant success in the past 5 years. There is currently insufficient research conducted in regards to the performance of Islamic banks in the UK. This fact compels one to investigate this issue in order to gain some strong knowledge about the topic. 1.6- Theoretical Framework This research was designed in a structured format. Initially, a detailed study of literature was conducted. The purpose of this literature review was to gain an insight in regards to Islamic banking functioning across the globe. After reviewing the relevant literature, assessments were made as to how different Islamic banks improve their performance by designing their investment policies and how different type of risks can affect the performance of Islamic banks. This assisted in the analysis of both Dubai Islamic Bank and Islamic Bank of Britain, which further assisted in arriving at a conclusion to determine the reasons of poor performance of Islamic Bank of Britain. 1.7- Structure of Thesis Chapter 2 provides a review from literature which has been distributed into three sections. The first section describes the origin of banking and the main purpose of starting the banking. Second section explains about Islamic banking and its main functions. Chapter 3 discusses the current business operations of both the banks. I have given a detailed description of where both the banks invest their assets and how do they manage the risks. The purpose of this chapter is to find out how different investment and risk management techniques help the Islamic banks to give better performance. Chapter 4 highlights the methodology used in this thesis. A detailed description of the research methods used in thesis has been given in this chapter. All the sources of data used in this thesis have been explained in details and at the end of this chapter; I have given a detailed description of different accounting ratios used in this thesis. In this chapter, I have given a detailed description about the research methods used in this thesis. Chapter 5 comprises of different financial calculations. I have calculated various financial ratios for both the banks in order to do a side by side comparison to find out the reasons of poor performance of Islamic Bank of Britain. Chapter 6 includes a side by side comparison of the financial ratios of both the banks calculated in chapter 5. In addition to this, regression analysis has been given between certain risk ratios and profitability ratios to find out the impact of risk levels on returns. The possible reasons of poor performance of Islamic Bank of Britain in line with literature review and results in chapter 3 have also been discussed in this chapter. Chapter 7 discusses the conclusion of this thesis. All the research questions have been answered in an appropriate manner in line with the literature review and the results discussed in chapter 3, 5 6. At the end of this chapter, I have discussed any limitations of this research work. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1- Introduction This chapter provides a review from literature. It has been distributed into three sections. The first section describes about origin of banking and the main purpose of starting the banking. The second section explains Islamic banking and its main functions. Lastly the third section explains the origin of Islamic banking in Dubai and United Kingdom. 2.2- History of Banking The origins of banking are believed to have started after coinage, in the area between river Tigris and river Euphrates. People could keep their belongings safely in royal palaces and holy places. Within same period, some laws were developed and these laws are considered to be one of the earliest forms of laws (Glyn, 2002). 2.3- Banking Business A business that provides financial services to different customers and businesses is called as banking. A detailed definition of banking business can be a financial institution that accepts, collects, transfers, pays, safeguards or lends money for its customers (Sobczak, 1997, pp 6). 2.4- Islamic Banking A financial institution that operates under the principles of Islamic Shariah and it does not accept or pay out any interest (riba) is called an Islamic bank (Sadeque, 1980). Islamic banking is based on the idea of sharing profit and losses. Both the investor and the bank share any profits and losses as agreed at the time of opening the account (Venardos, 2006, pp 1). 2.5- History of Islamic Banking A few decades ago, conventional banks and other financial organisations were not providing the customers with any Shariah compliant services. This led to the necessity of starting such a financial institution that could provide the Muslim clients with the Shariah compliant services. The original Islamic bank initiated business in 1963. During the later years of 1970s, the Association of Islamic banks was established. Initially, Islamic banks were only operating in Islamic countries. In 1980, the first Islamic bank was open in a non-Islamic country and it further expanded into additional European and American countries. Within this short span of time, Islamic banks have progressed very well all over the world (Venardos, 2005, pp 65). 2.6- Services offered by Islamic Banks Islamic banks offer a range of services to their customers. A detailed description of these services is explained below. 2.5.1- Deposit Accounts Islamic banks offer three types of deposit accounts: current, savings and investment accounts. The customers are assured that they can withdraw their money on demand if agreed by both parties at the time of opening the account. In Islamic banking, demand deposits are places in a contract called Wadiah (trust). Islamic banks guarantee their customers to return their principal sum on demand. The banks cannot use this principal sum unless authorised by the customers. As the banks do not use this amount for their investments they do not pay back any profits on such accounts. Some banks offer some returns in the form of Hibah (gift). Islamic banks are using some innovative techniques for offering different products and most of the demand deposit accounts are structured within the contract of Mudharabah (Saeed, 1996, pp 101). 2.5.2- Current Accounts Current or demand deposit accounts are the same as those of conventional banks. Islamic banks guarantee the principal amount on demand (Hassan and Lewis, 2007, pp 131). 2.5.3- Saving Accounts Saving accounts are different from conventional banks in Islamic banking. In some Islamic banks, the depositors authorise the banks to use their deposited money, however they are guaranteed that they will be returned the full amount back from the bank. No profit is guaranteed in this sort of accounts. The banks usually use these deposits for short term projects (Al-Omar and Abdel-Haq, 1996, pp 51). 2.5.4- Investment Accounts Islamic banks accept the investment deposits for a fixed or unlimited time period. The investors agree at the time of opening the account to share any profit and loss at an agreed proportion. The banks do not guarantee to return the principal amount. Usually, the investment deposits have an expected maturity and expected rate of returns. Such investments are places under Mudharabah contract in which both the depositor and the bank agree at a ratio to share any profits or losses. This type of investment is totally different from conventional banks as there is no risk of losing any thing in those investments (Iqbal and Llewellyn, 2002, pp 198). 2.7- Financing modes in Islamic Banking Different banks use different modes to acquire assets and finance different projects. These modes can be distributed into three different areas namely investment, trade and lending services. 2.6.1- Investment Finance Khan (2009) says that Islamic banks can do investment financing in three different ways. First type of investment financing is called as Musharaka. In this type of investment financing, the bank can join another organisation or entity to open a joint venture. Both the parties participate in this venture in different roles. Both the parties agree on a set ratio of sharing any loss or profit before making such a venture. This type of venture is an independent entity and the bank can withdraw from this venture after an initial period. Second type of investment financing is called as Mudarabha in which the bank finances the projects and the clients provide with their expertise, labour and management. Both the parties i.e. bank and the clients share the profit but in case of any losses, its only the bank that will bear the losses. In third type of investment financing, the banks finance on the basis of an expected rate of return. If the profits are more than the expected rate of return, t he bank shares it with the clients but if the returns are lower than the expected rate, the bank will accept the lower rates. In case of any losses, the bank will share it (Khan, 2009). 2.6.2- Trade Finance Khan (2009) says that Islamic banks can do trade financing in different ways. The most common type of trade financing is called as Mark-up in which the bank buys an item for its client and the client agrees to pay back the bank the price and the agreed profit at later stage. In second type of trade financing, the bank buys an item for the client and then leases it to client for an agreed time period. At the end of the lease, the client pays the balance amount to the bank and becomes the owner of the item. Another type of trade financing is called as hire-purchase in which, the bank buys an item for its client and then hires it to the client for an agreed time period. At the end of this time period, the client becomes the owner automatically. Another type of trade finance in Islamic banking is called as sell-and-buy-back in which a client sells his property to the bank for an agreed time period at a condition that the client will buy back the property at an agreed rate. 2.6.3- Trade Finance Khan (2009) says that Islamic banks have different types of lending services including loans, no-cost-loans and overdrafts. Islamic banks offer the loans by charging the service charge. The bank does not charge any interest but they apply service charges to cover their expenses. Some Islamic banks offer the loans to needy people at no costs. Some Islamic banks also offer the overdraft services to the customers subject to some limits. The banks charge a certain amount if the customers request higher overdraft limits. 2.6.4- Miscellaneous Services Islamic banks offer additional services such as collecting the bills on behalf of different organisations, money transfers, trading foreign currency etc. Some banks charge a commission amount if their own money is not involved in such transactions. 2.8- Risks in Islamic Banking Khan (2003, pp 130-131) says that Islamic banking faces certain risks like conventional banking. The nature of these risks varies with the structure of the bank. As discussed earlier, Islamic banks usually operate under two different kinds of models. First type of model is known as the two tier Mudarabah model. This type of model operates under the principle of sharing both the profits and losses. The latter model is known as the single tier Mudarabah model. In this type of model, both the parties share the profit just on the liabilities side. Lewis and Hassan (2007, pp 144) say that Islamic banks have to follow certain rules based on Islamic Shariah. Both the authors believe that in this kind of situation, the nature of risk changes for Islamic banks and only a careful management of these risks can result in the better performance of the bank. Islamic banks face following risks: Operational Risks Credit Risks Liquidity Risks Withdrawal Risks Legal Risks 2.7.1- Operational Risks El-Hawary (2005, pp 21) says that this type of risk is caused when the people working for the bank fail to perform their duties appropriately or the systems used by the bank staff fail. Most of the time, this risk is caused due to the employees of the bank or any frauds. El-Hawary (2005, pp 21,22) has quoted the example of Dubai Islamic bank when the bank suffered huge losses due to an incompetent person during the later years of 1990s. Iqbal et al (1998) considers that the Islamic banks face more operational risk than conventional banks as a minor problem in computer systems can cost them too much. 2.7.2- Credit Risk Sundrarajan and Errico (2002, pp 5) believe that Islamic banks administer the profit loss accounts differently from conventional banks. Islamic banks determine the profit and loss ratios of different projects before the start of any agreement. On the basis of this expectation, Islamic banks set a share ratio that sometimes can cause them losses. In addition to this, Islamic banks carry on auditing the financial projects. In such situations, it becomes very difficult for the banks to standardise their financial products. Cihak and Hesse (2008, pp 5) believe that in PLS (Profit and loss sharing) accounts, the banks suffer losses as well if the profits are lower or the project ends in a loss. They believe that this is due to the reduced level of assets in the balance sheet. Sundrarajan and Errico (2002, pp 5) believe that in Mudarabah accounts, the banks can only share the profits but if the business ends up in loss, it becomes very difficult for the bank to recover the loans back due t o some legal complications as the Mudarabah accounts do not allow the Islamic banks to interfere in the business. On the other hand, in the case of Musharaka account, Islamic banks can monitor the financed projects and it reduces the risk levels significantly. 2.7.3- Legal Risk Haiwad (2008) says that Islamic banks have different kind of legal documents. He considers that due to compulsion of Islamic accounts to be Shariah compliant, the banks need to prepare a complex set of legal documents. In addition to this, the banks need to consider the local laws of the country as well before making any legal documents. Sometimes, it is very complicated to develop the legal documents that comply with both the Shariah law and the local law of the country. It ultimately increases the legal risk levels in the Islamic banks. 2.7.4- Liquidity Risk Aburime (2009) says that Islamic banks face the liquidity risk when the banks fail to sell their fixed assets at the desired rates. The banks usually develop the need to sell their fixed assets to meet their liabilities. This risk is increased due to the fact that Islamic banks do not accept any loans on interest so the Islamic banks are unable to come out of this situation by taking loans from other banks. Aburime (2009) considers that this risk is dependent on the economy of the country. The destabilisation of economy increases liquidity risk. 2.7.5- Withdrawal Risk Aburime (2009) says that sometimes, Islamic banks do not provide the customers with handsome amount of profits and it can lead to the customers withdrawing their money from the bank. In such situations, withdrawal risk is increased significantly. Aburime (2009) believes that this risk is more in Islamic banks as compared to the conventional banks. 2.9- Do Risk Levels affect Performance? Mencia (2009) says that a business can produce more money if there is greater risk at the start of the business provided the risks are managed appropriately. Kunt et al. (2009) says that those banks that generate income without any interests are at greater risks and can give better returns as compared to those that generate interest money. Haque and Mirakhor (2006) say that in Islamic banks, customers are at greater risk to lose their money and the banks are at lesser risk as Islamic banks do not guarantee any return at the time of account opening and in few accounts both profit and loss are shared. This fact can deter customers, leading them to invest their money in those banks where they do not have any risk to lose their money. Shim et al. (2000, pp 176, 177) has suggested that the extent of financing the business through debts is a useful indicator of risk levels in the business. They believe that if a business is financed more through debts, it is at higher risk. Helfert (2001, pp 128) has also same beliefs as that of Shim et al. (2000, pp 176, 177). He considers that financing the business through debts increases risks but at the same time it increases the probability of better returns as well. Falkenstein (2009) conducted research to explore the effects of risk levels on the returns of different businesses. His research results showed that the businesses that used more debts to finance their assets were at higher risk as compared to those that did not finance their assets through debts. The businesses that were at higher risk and that managed their risks appropriately produced better returns than those that were at lower risks. 2.10- Effective Risk Management in Islamic Banks Management of different types of risks is very different from conventional banks and due to some restrictions of Shariah laws it is very difficult to manage these risks. Effective credit risk management is a very complex procedure in Islamic banks as there is no permission of paying or receiving any interest. In addition to this, Sharias law does not allow to penalise the clients and this facility in Islamic banks is misused by some clients. In such situations, there are long delays in paying back the principal amount and it reduces the assets of the bank. Most of the Islamic banks use collaterals and take pledges from their clients. The best way to avoid the misuse of the facilities provides by Islamic banks, the banks can take more collateral before the start of different contracts. In addition to this, if the banks take personal guarantees before sanctioning the loans, it can help in reducing credit risk as well (Hawray et al., 2004). Shariah law forbids dealing harshly with those people that are in bad financial crisis. This facility can be misused by the clients. This issue costs the Islamic banks and it should be taken seriously. A comprehensive system to credit score each client before offering them the loan can make a huge difference. Furthermore, the banks should ask the clients to sign on possible enforcement as within Islamic law a person can be enforced if he has signed before the start of the contract. In addition to this, Islamic banks working in United Kingdom can think about legal actions against those that were unable to pay back the loans (Wilson, 2007). The nature of legal risks is very different in Islamic banks as compared to conventional banks as Islamic banks have to fulfil the requirements of both Shariah laws and local laws of the country they operate in. This makes the Islamic banking operations very complicated and legal risks are increased. The best way to come out of such situations is to make sure that prior to writing the contracts, requirements of local legislations are fulfilled as well. This can aid the banks in developing good knowledge about the possible ways of enforcement if a client fails to repay his loan. In Sharia law it is allowed to enforce those clients that file false claims. Bearing this fact in mind, Islamic banks should consider including this in the contracts. This will help the Islamic banks to reduce legal, liquidity and withdrawal risk as people will not attempt to misuse the lenient system (Djojosugito, 2008). 2.11- Diversification in Islamic Banks The banks that provide diverse financial services or spreading different risks into different geographic areas are likely to achieve improved diversification. In the case of Islamic banks, geographical diversification helps in breaking the banks concentration in limited areas and the bank usually gets good borrowers. (Greuning and Iqbal, 2008, p 264). Islamic banks mostly deal in the real estate business and most of these banks start their business from their regions and carry on working in that region. The real estate business has suffered huge losses in the past few years due to the effects of recession and interest rate variations across the globe. Due to this fact the investments in real estate have not proved very fruitful for such organisations. In order to gain good profits, Islamic banks need to diversify into different sectors and geographic areas as it will diversify the investments and the risks can be spread across different areas where the banks can get good borrowers and good investment opportunities (Islamic Investment Banking, 2009). There are different sectors that can prove beneficial for Islamic banks. The most important sector for diversification in Islamic banks is Insurance (Takaful). This sector is highly under developed even in big Islamic countries such as Malaysia where this sector is not developed much. Concentrating on this sector can prove very beneficial for Islamic banks (Thomas, KPMG.COM). Expansion of Islamic banks across different countries can prove to be very beneficial for them. Currently, Islamic banks are working in a lot of countries but their business size is very small. If these banks diversify into different zones of the world, it is inevitable to attain benefits. Furthermore, Islamic banks can consider to make strategic alliances with those conventional banks that wish to start Islamic banking as it will not only increase the size of Islamic banks but will help in obtaining a diverse work force as well. Finally, Islamic banks can get diverse competent staff that can help in improving different systems and it will ultimately result in reduced operational risks (Iqbal et al., 1998). Making of strategic alliances with other banks that wish to start Islamic banking will also help in reducing the liquidity risk. Making strategic alliances will help Islamic banks to increase their assets and the current assets level of Islamic banks will increase. This will help the Islamic banks to pay current liabilities and liquidity will be improved. Furthermore, strategic alliances will increase peoples trust in Islamic banks and the level of investments will be increased that will ultimately increase current assets and better liquidity of the banks (Iqbal et al., 1998). Chapter 3: Business Cases 3.1- Introduction This chapter will provide an overview of the current business operations of both the banks. Detailed descriptions of where both the banks invest their assets and how they manage the risks will follow. The purpose of this chapter is to find out how different investment and risk management techniques help the Islamic banks to give better performance. 3.2- Islamic Bank of Britain Islamic Bank of Britain started its business in UK in September 2004. This bank is the first Islamic Bank that started its business in UK. The bank is approved by FSA (Financial Services Authority). 3.2.1- Shareholders The bank has 10 major shareholders holding different levels of share in the bank. The biggest shareholder of the bank is Al Amal Investment and Trading that holds 52% of the total shares of the bank. IIB European Investment Company is the second major shareholder of the bank and it holds 10% shares of the bank. BNP Paribas Bahrain holds 8% of the shares; Mr. Al Rajhi holds 7% of the shares. The remaining 23% shares are owned by 6 other shareholders. 3.2.2- Investments The bank comprises of a board of directors and it is their responsibility to decide upon the investments. Most of the time, the bank invests its money in buying different properties, costly metals, different currencies etc. The bank mostly concentrates in buying the properties in United Kingdom. The board of directors decides all these matters in such a way that can be beneficial for its investors. 3.2.3- Services offered by the Bank The bank offers three main types of services to its clients Personal Business Premier 3.2.3-1. Personal Services In personal services, the bank offers current accounts, saving accounts and home purchase plans to its customers. In addition to this, the bank also offers personal finance to its customers. 3.2.3-2. Business Services In business services, the bank offers its clients business current, business savings, business finance, charity accounts and commercial property finance. 3.2.3-3. Premier Services The bank offers this service to those clients that are highly paid (at least  £100,000 per annum) and to those who can deposit more than  £75,000 in their account with a view to purchasing property in the UK that is worth more than  £250,000. 3.2.4- Risk Management in the Bank Islamic Bank of Britain manages its risks in a systematic way. Board of directors has the responsibility of managing the risks with the help of some committees assisting them. They have some written policies to manage the risks that are reviewed on a regular basis by an audit committee that is responsible to measure the risk levels and start the risk management after a certain risk threshold. The bank faces credit risk, liquidity risk, market risk and operational risk. A brief description of risk management is given below. 3.2.4-1. Credit Risk Management The bank has a systematic approach to manage the credit risk. To manage this risk certain producures are put into place such as the following: The bank makes credit policies The bank sets credit limits after assessing the profile of each borrower Credit risk assessment before start of agreement Collaterals for a few loans but in most accounts the bank does not ask for any collateral 3.2.4-2. Liquidity Risk Management The treasury department of Islamic Bank of Britain is responsible to manage liquidity risk. The bank uses following steps to manage liquidity risk; The treasury department maintains a portfolio of short term assets that can be liquefied. Comparison of liquid assets with asset maturity against any customer deposits Submission of any mismatches in liquid assets and asset maturity to financial services authority on quarterly basis 3.2.4-3. Market Risk Management The bank has a systematic approach to manage the market risk. To manage risks, the following procedures are adhered to: Profit rates for few accounts are agreed at the time of agreement start. Maturity profiles are constantly reviewed. Rates are agreed on a monthly basis for consumer finance transactions. Long term home purchase plans and commercial property finance are benchmarked against market measure. Process is assessed every six months. Profit rates on Mudaraba account are reviewed every month. 3.2.4-4. Operational Risk Management The bank has a systematic approach to manage the market risk. The board of directors of the bank is responsible to manage the operational risks. There are some risk committees that manage this risk under the guideline of the board of directors. The purpose of operational risk management is to implement such a system that can support the process efficiency and meeting the customer needs. To manage this risk the following procedure is respected: The bank aims to manage this risk by cutting down the costs on certain things. Getting reports from risk committees over regular periods of time 3.3- Dubai Islamic Bank Dubai Islamic Bank was formed in 1975 and is considered to be the first fully-fledged Islamic Bank in the world. The bank uses the latest innovative technology in its day-to-day operations. The bank is considered to be the undisputed leader in the field of Islamic banking and sets its examples for new starters in Islamic banking. A lot of Islamic banks in the world including Arab countries follow Dubai Islamic Bank to start and run their day-to-day operations (http://www.alislami.ae/en/index.htm). 3.3.1- Shareholders The Government of Dubai is the major shareholder of the bank and other shares are held by additional stakeholders in Dubai. 3.3.2- Investments The bank invests its money all over the world and is open to any businesses that require financing through the bank. The bank invests in properties, c

Nature and Procreation in Blue Highways Essay -- Blue Highways

Nature and Procreation in Blue Highways In the book of a rustic American journey, Blue Highways, William Least Heat Moon continually characterizes the land he travels with simple, natural references. Least Heat Moon repeatedly gives the nature he discovers on his journey very fertile, prolific qualities. The essays often contains vivid physical descriptions of the environment, particularly its natural beauty. Least Heat Moon ponders human existence and its interference with the environment. The themes of natural beauty and fertility repeatedly surface throughout Least Heat Moon's account of his journey around America. In several descriptions of nature throughout the book, William Least Heat Moon portrays the wilderness he finds with extremely basic, reproductive traits. The themes of procreation and fertility in the natural environment surround him. For example, in his description of a swamp environment, Least Heat Moon writes, In the muck pollywogs were starting to squirm. It was spring here, and juices were getting up in the stalks...water bubbled with the froth of ...

Cleanliness Champions

Hand Decontamination With the outbreak of antibiotic resilient infections, infection control is becoming a major concern for health groups all over the world (WHO, 2011). The risk of infection can be reduced by using three types of hand washing known as social, hygienic and surgical methods (HAI, 2011). Social hand washing is a useful method for removing dirt and transient micro-organisms. Using soap or an alcohol-based gel if hands are not soiled, vigorously clean your hands using the eight stages of hand-washing.This can stop transmission of the transient micro-organisms when in direct contact with patients (NHS, 2009). Alcohol-based hand rubs or gels should not be used alone when infection is present as this alone will not kill the spores for infection such as clostridium difficile. After washing hands must be dried properly as failure to do this can increase the transfer of bacteria (Nottingham University Hospitals, 2011). Hygienic hygiene not only removes transient microorganism s but also reduces resident microorganisms.This is used when preparing to work in a sterile environment, during an outbreak situation or following contact with bodily fluids. Use an antiseptic hand cleanser when washing and vigorously follow the eight steps of hand-washing. After drying properly then apply an alcohol-based hand rub and repeat the eight stages (NHS, 2011). Surgical scrubbing is a longer and more thorough antiseptic wash of both the hands and forearms. Before a surgical procedure this method is designed to remove as many of the micro-organisms as possible.It involves systematic washing and scrubbing of the hands and forearms using the most effective antibacterial cleansing agent available. Sterile gown and glove procedures are performed following the surgical scrub (NHS, 2010). Effective hand washing can break the chain of infection which is known as: the infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry and host. If the chain remains intact then infection will develop, therefore, nurses must wash their hands before, during and after ontact with a patient and their environment. This will consequently stop the infection progressing while ensuring micro-organisms do not build up in the environment. Direct and indirect contact transmission involves contact with a contaminated object which may be unwashed hands or gloves that are not changed between patients (HAI, 2011). One of the main principles of good hygiene is the use of personal protective equipment as this forms a skin barrier. It is important to ensure the equipment is intact and decontaminated.The decision to use or wear personal protective equipment must be based on risk assessment associated with the patient care activity or intervention. Personal protective equipment includes: gloves, masks, eyewear, caps, gowns, aprons and other items (HAI, 2011). The Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) advises that gloves be worn whenever there is a reasonable likeli hood that hands will be in contact with blood or other potentially infectious material, mucous, non-intact skin or when handling contaminated items or surfaces.The safe use and disposal of sharps is essential in protecting each and every individual from contamination and injury. The sharps bin can be used to dispose of medical supplies such as needles and syringes. After the use of needles they must be immediately disposed of in the sharps bin (NHS, 2011). All healthcare workers must be aware of their responsibility in avoiding needle stick injuries (NHS, 2007).

‘Anthem for doomed youth’ by Wilfred Owen Essays

‘Anthem for doomed youth’ by Wilfred Owen Essays ‘Anthem for doomed youth’ by Wilfred Owen Paper ‘Anthem for doomed youth’ by Wilfred Owen Paper Essay Topic: Anthem Poetry The poem ‘Anthem for doomed youth’ by Wilfred Owen is based on the massacre during World War 1. It is a Petrarchan sonnet that deals with the horror faced by adolescent soldiers and questions the real motif behind the wars. By questioning the funeral procedures of dead soldiers and contrasting it with the funerals of normal people, Owen expresses his disapproval and anger towards the war. It very effectively brings out the horrific scenes of the wars by using metaphors, alliteration, personification and rhetorical questions, all which bring out the futility of young soldiers dying and the insignificant funeral services carried for them. The title itself is very ambiguous. Usually, an anthem is a commemoration for someone who has passed away, but the juxtaposition with ‘doomed’ shows the ill fate that the ‘youth’ is accustomed to. A negative vibe is created from the very beginning. The use of assonance in ‘doomed youth’ with repeated vowels gives the poem a despairing and disdainful tone. The poem basically focuses on the pointlessness of war due to the immense fatality it causes. The tone is somber and morose. The poet makes use of a variety of techniques such as internal lines. e. g. – the repetition of ‘sh’ in ‘Shall shine’ and of g in ‘glimmers of goodbyes’. Owen very effectively uses sounds to mirror his emotions. The poet uses very descriptive language and enhances it with rhetorical questions and juxtaposition. The rhyme is abab cdcd efgg. Poet uses present tense to show it is a recent and immediate topic. The first stanza is slow paced with the use of a lot of punctuations. The octet focuses on the happenings of the battlefield and the circumstances under which the young soldiers die. It also particularly deals with the sound on the battlefield. The first line of the stanza itself is a rhetorical question, where Owen questions the death of soldiers. The death of the soldiers is metaphorically compared to that of ‘cattle’, which shows that how the cattle is slaughtered in the same way huge numbers of soldiers are made to fight in battles and sacrifice their lives. They are commemorated by the sound of ‘the monstrous anger of the guns’. An inanimate object like a gun is shown to ‘feel anger’ at scenes of the war, and hence shows that if an inanimate object can see the uselessness of war, mankind too, should. With the use of pathetic fallacy, the reader very effectively conveys this message. The use of ‘only’ creates the effect that the sounds are not enough to compensate for the deaths. Further this image is extended by the use of ‘no prayers nor bells’ that emphasizes on what the soldiers do not have. The only prayer said is one of ‘hasty orisons’, which shows religion failing to put an end to this. Owen introduces the idea of how religion in the form of ‘bells’ and ‘prayers’ is like a ‘mockery’ because the deaths are so many and so uncalled for that religion also cant do much to compensate for it. The last line of the octave introduces a new idea about the background that the soldiers come from and shows how deep the sorrow is of the loss. The first stanza has a lot of auditory images that help to visualize the terror and trauma in the battlefield. Words like ‘stuttering rifles rapid rattle’, and ‘monstrous anger of the guns’ helps the reader to visualize the unpleasant and cacophony during the war. The alliteration in ‘ stuttering rifles rapid rattle’ shows the constant firing of bullets and the repetition of ‘r’ shows the frequency of deaths. Also by contrasting such violent sounds with that of ‘choirs’ and ‘prayers’, the poet highlights how the funeral ceremonies for such martyrs is so different to that of a normal dead person. Further the idea of the funeral procedures of dead soldiers being contrasting to that of a traditional one is present throughout the poem. The title itself holds evidence for this. In a traditional ceremony an ‘anthem’ is played in remembrance for the dead soldiers, whereas for soldiers it is ‘all doomed’ and there is a dark future ahead. In a traditional ceremony, church ‘bells’ announce the death, however, in the case of soldiers it is ‘gunfire’. In the octet, the weapons of destruction such as ‘guns’, ‘rifles’, ‘shells’ and contrasts it with religious imagery such as ‘orisons’, ‘bells’ and ‘prayers’. On one hand where there are prayers for the deceased, on the other hand, there is just ‘rifle fire’ where more and more youngsters lose their lives. This brings out the aspect of how menial the lives of the soldiers are. In religious funerals, there are choirs singing sweet songs, while soldiers on the battlefield have to settle for ‘demented choirs of wailing shells (explosives)’. Moreover, the soldiers don’t even have a ‘pall’ to cover their dead body with; they have just the ‘pallor’ that is the pale face of their loved ones. Flowers usually given at funerals as a token of love and sorrow are not present at the deathbed of soldiers, they just sorrowful thoughts of their family for that. Antithesis is used to create a stark contrast between what the soldier’s lives could have turned out if they hadn’t died in war conditions. The sestet focuses on the aftermath of the death of the soldiers and the quiet mourning of the loved ones. The poet once again begins the stanza with a rhetorical question – ‘what candles may be held to speed them all’. ‘Candles’ are usually placed in church as a mark of remembrance for the dead. Here it could imply that there is still hope for change. Instead of having candles to guide them in their afterlife, all the soldiers would have is ‘holy glimmers’, exchange of looks in the soldier’s eyes. One more thing the soldiers’ death ceremony will lack is that of a ‘pall’ to cover their bodies. The ‘pall’ is metaphorically compared to the paleness on the girl’s faces that will be evident in their sulking ‘brows’. The last line of the sestet is very powerful. As dusk marks the end of light, ‘each slow dusk’ will mark the death of the martyrs and the end of their struggle. he night marks respect to the soldiers, whereas ‘drawing down of blinds’ usually takes place in the room with the coffin as a symbol of respect. The long vowel sounds in the last line shows how the memory of the soldiers will remain etched in the memory of the poet for the courageous tasks they have undertaken. Thus it throws light upon how first the soldiers sacrifice their lives for the country, and even after that they don’t get a proper funeral as a token for respect in fact they get to witness more and more of their colleagues dying instead.. Thus the poet targets the uselessness of war in being unfruitful and creates vivid images with the use of auditory and visual images. It very successfully depicts how the youth, the generation of the future has a very dark life ahead if war continues to brutally end their lives. The poem leaves the reader with a sense of shock by exposing the horrific battlefield images and fills us with sympathy for the many who lost their lives.

The Biological Importance of Water Essay

The Biological Importance of Water Essay The Biological Importance of Water Essay The Biological Importance of Water Water is essential to us humans and all other living organisms, without it life on Earth would not exist. Water as a molecule is quite peculiar and it is its unusual properties that give it the ability to sustain life. Water has the molecular formula of H2O, this means that there are two Hydrogen atoms (H) and one oxygen atom (O). The water molecules layout could be described as a Mickey Mouse head; the face being the oxygen molecule and the ears being the hydrogen molecules. Water is a dipolar molecule this means that one end is slightly positively charged (the hydrogen) and the other is slightly negatively charged (the oxygen), because of the dipolar charges water molecules attract each other, and this is called cohesion. Cohesion is when the oxygen atom of one water molecule forms a hydrogen bond with the hydrogen atom of another water molecule (opposite charges attract), cohesion can also occur between other molecules of similar substances. Water molecules on the surface of the water form hydrogen bonds with the surrounding water molecules but not with the molecules in the air, the unequal distribution of bonds enables the water to form a force called surface tension, this causes the water to form a sort of tough ‘skin’. This is important because it keeps the water as a singular body, protecting itself from disruption. It can also be important for insects, such as pond skaters, and other life forms, such as birds, because it enables them to sit on the surface of the water. Water can also form hydrogen bonds with polar substances; this is why water feels ‘wet’. The water molecules actually stick to other molecules with hydrogen bonds, causing a thin layer of water to form on the surface of a material, but because of the cohesion force the water never forms a flat layer. The molecules stick to each other to form circular drops called ‘droplets’. When oil is mixed with water, because of it non-polar properties it does not dissolve, it simply sits on the surface in a droplet, it does this because the oil is cohesive to itself and less dense than water. These bonds are weak and so the water can easily move and break away from the material, this intermolecular bonding is known as adhesion. This ‘sticky’ property enables water to move, unbroken, up the xylem tissue of plants up to the leaves to be used in photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a process that plants us to turn water and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen ( 6H2O + 6CO2 - C6H12O6 + 6O2). This process is essential for the plants to have energy and for the production of oxygen, which is essential for other organisms in allowing them to perform the process of respiration. Water is also essential for other biochemical reactions such as peptide bonding for protein formation, without proteins life would not exist. Proteins perform the majority of functions within a living organism, for example; catalyzing metabolic reactions, responding to stimuli, replicating DNA and transporting molecules from one location to another. Water forms the peptide bonds that hold the amino acids together to form proteins such as enzymes. Enzymes are biological catalysts, they depend on water to reach their substrates and bind to them. There is no enzymatic activity without water. In addition, enzymes depend on sufficient pH interval to work and the pH is a consequence of the delivery of hydrogen cations (H+) and hydroxyl anions (OH-) by acids and bases in water solution. Water is also essential in living organisms because it is a universal solvent, this means that the majority of solutes (polar and ionic substances), are attracted by the waters charges and break down in the water to form a solution. If the substance can dissolve in the water they are known as hydrophilic and non-polar substances that won’t dissolve are known as hydrophobic. Biologically, the solvent properties of water are essential because this means that the water can transport

Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Business Environment - Essay Example The UK has a rising level of its output being exported across borders and overseas and it is an open economy (Holden et al, 1995, p.44). It is at present number eight as the largest exporter in the world for goods and number two in being the largest exporter for services. It also has highest ratio of outward as well as inward investment to the GDP among any of the leading economies in the terms of capital flow. Inevitably the pattern as well as the balance of trade of goods and services changes over the time, this is reflection of movement in the relative prices of different traded goods as well as the shifts in the comparative advantage in various global markets. Other factors that affect the trade pattern are decisions of foreign investment of the UK as well as overseas companies and economic development and growth of countries, regions etc. Major part of UK’s trade of goods and services is carried with the countries that are part of European Union. Since UK became a part of EEC in January, 1973 there has been long term shift in its trade with the European Union. The trade growth has been pushed by single market; this has led to trade diversion and the trade creation effects (Aylott, 2007, p.4) Trade of UK with the countries in North American region has declined, although the U.S still is the largest single market for exported UK goods after EU (Great Britain Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 2011) , comprising of 15% of the total exports of UK. Over the previous 15 years trade with the countries that are oil exporters has declined in its relative importance. In the year 1979 percentage of UK’s exports which went to these countries was 10%, which is now only a small percentage of a little over 3%. Apart from the exports the imports from this oil exporting countries has also fallen. Another important change in UK’s pattern regarding trade in geographical sense is its rising share of trade with the fast growing and emerging ec onomies in Asian region. These include Malaysia, China, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Taiwan. The rate of growth in Indian economy is also probable to help boosting exports to sub-continent in future years; this provides businesses in the UK to grab export opportunities in this region. Analyse the impact of global factors on UK business organisations International trade is crucial for the UK, like any other country. If the UK did not participate in international trade, it would not be able to acquire many different materials that are needed to produce products that are used every day, especially concerning food industry. Cold climate in UK makes it rely on other countries with hotter climate to import fruits like mangoes and bananas which don’t grow domestically, similarly the countries with hot climate rely on countries like UK for vegetables like potatoes to import (in UK’s case, export). If international trade did not exist people in UK and everywhere else ac ross the globe will have very limited choices, and business will not have enough markets to expand. There are various global factors that would affect the business

Applied Strategic Management Speech or Presentation

Applied Strategic Management - Speech or Presentation Example It is alleged that the main problem was complacency in the area of management and absurd demands from the UAW, for instance, the Jobs Bank paid workers around 95% of their previous wages until the organization found them a job and the management was reluctant to solve the problems (Ingrassia 87). It is alleged that one thing that the General Motors did right was to lead Detroit in establishing a joint venture with the Japanese companies that helped Ford and Chrysler to equally engage into partnerships. Consequently, they were able to see first hand how the Japanese worked to ensure a competitive advantage. During this period, they learned that the Japanese registered higher profits because they kept their inventories lean, did not keep the store weeks’ worth of parts at great costs unlike the Detroit, and practiced just in time delivery to ensure timely supply of the materials. Moreover, unlike Detroit, the Japanese motivated their workers by rewarding them. Consequently, this gave them a competitive edge (Ingrassia 78-79). Despite what the three big companies learnt from the Japanese, they failed miserably during the recession period that saw competition heighten. Between 1979 and 1982, Chrysler and Ford lost around $ 5billion, while the General Motors lost $763 million. Consequently, other people were affected, like in the case of the employees whereby, around 250,000 of them got fired (Ingrassia 80) It is argued that people panic when gas prices go up to an extent of vowing to drive less and to purchase vehicles with better mileage. However, when the gas prices go down, the people go back to their old behavior as well as the actions that had initially created a market for big trucks and SUV’S. For instance in the 1980s, when the gas prices started to drop, Americans started buying the big cars just like before (Ingrassia 85). It is claimed that organizations end up selling their jets during unstable economic times and even buy better models onc e the risks are over. Additionally, the unions end up giving wage benefits and hikes only to realize that the management has heightened their bonuses and the retirement figures (Ingrassia 88-92). Consequently, this creates conflicts and long term hatred; hence, destroying all efforts to have a collaborative partnership that is required to have an effective and a successful organization. Various reasons have been linked to the challenges that faced the ‘big three’. For instance, after the US engaged in the Persian Gulf War, the economic recession heightened as the sale of cars dropped. During this period, General Motors lost around $2 billion. Instead of correcting the situation, the company ended up coming up with rigorous management strategies such as layoffs followed by plant closings. Subsequently, the company went into bankruptcy following the poor management by the CEO, Stempel. As a result of poor management and lack of rational changes, GM, Chrysler, and Ford con tinued to record more losses. The companies tried to reorganize, diversify and form joint ventures with no success. The Japanese companies such as Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, on the other hand, continued to expand and register higher profits than that of Detroit as they launched new brands such as Acura and Lexus

Explanatory Synthesis Essay (phone dangers) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Explanatory Synthesis (phone dangers) - Essay Example m to connect to their offices, plus the young adults who use these gadgets for entertainment (Sutko and Souza 811), it is impossible to ignore how this gadget can play a big role in an individuals life. The dangers associated with dependence on the gadget is not necessarily a psychological one, but rather, a physical one. While it can be argued that mobile phones provide people with â€Å"the ease and comfort of being able to contact family members immediately, or even being able to use it during emergencies† (Sutko and Souza 813-4), there is still considerable danger in the use of these gadgets. More people nowadays are able to purchase the gadget, while networks try so hard to keep up with the number of subscribers they can accommodate. While this may seem to be merely a business issue, as consumers, people should also understand what dangers lie under the presumption that mobile phones can be used for emergencies when in reality, a network being more and more crowded in time may prove this impossible. While that may still be under considerable argument, accidents caused by mobile phones is something that has been happening for decades. According to statistics, cell phone use causes over 300, 000 vehicle-related injuries and over 2, 500 vehicle-related deaths annually. These figures are out of the estimated 7 million vehicle-related accidents in the country per year (Blettner and Berg 927). That means mobile phone use is responsible for around 4.5% of vehicle-related accidents in the whole united States. For such a small gadget, this is such a big number. And for such a widely-used and relied on necessity, this is such a bothering fact. While some may argue that hands-free phone may resolve the issue, one has to consider that the advent of hands-free phones did not significantly reduce the number of mobile-phone related motor accidents in the past years (Blettner and Berg 931). Furthermore, the hidden dangers of mobile phone use associated with radiation (Zur,

Advantages of working from home Essay Example for Free

Advantages of working from home Essay There is a trend towards making jobs more mobile and allowing employees to access work remotely from home. Technology has also made a great contribution allowing people to work from home. Equipments such as computers, facsimile machines, telephones etc. have revolutionized the work industry and this trend has helped employers, employees and the state at large. An International Telework Association survey found that the number of teleworking employees grew from 41.3 million in 2003 to 44.4 million in 2005 and projects that number to climb to 51 million by 2008 (Marcia Reed-Woodard, Dec 2005). For a company, employees working from home may save them time, space and money. But for an employee, the benefits are much greater. In addition to the above mentioned factors, the employees benefit with flexibility in working hours, avoid distractions and family commitments are easily fulfilled. The greatest advantage is the time factor which can make the job much comfortable working from home. Often at times, time, becomes your ally, expanding or contracting to conform to specific work assignments. The pressure to finish the work or to look busy even when you are not, is eliminated. Therefore, you can fix your own work hours, more or less, as required. You do not have to reach work on time or give a reason for being late, relieving everyday stress. In an event of sickness, you do not need to get a medical or present a reason to the boss. You can still get some work done instead of remaining idle at home. Lunch can be managed and repair works can be done easily while being at home. You can set your own target and get maximum work done according to your wish. You avoid getting in traffic by driving for long hours to get to work and hence you save on fuel charges, car maintenance and also your precious time. Even if you take a two hour lunch no one can punish you as you are your own boss. Secondly, you avoid distractions around you while working at home. You can avoid difficult co-workers who can make your life stressful at work. Also bullies and gossipers can be avoided to give a good peace of mind. Sometimes there are office politics, like the boss favours some one and constantly looks at what you are doing. This calamity avoided can become a boon in concentrating on more work and reaping more benefits since peacefully you can get extra work done without having to face comments from co-workers or boss on the spot. At work you may come in contact with customers who are offensive, abusive etc. while at home no such instances can bother you. Thirdly, you can be with your family and get your work done simultaneously. The notion that parents do not spend time with children can be avoided and proper care can be taken of them at home. Children get more attention and life can be healthier when people around you are happy, and this can boost your self confidence and esteem. If any family member is sick or needs to get some attention, then this task is easily accomplished as you are your own boss. You can take your own decisions at your own will. Members of the family can be of great help when you have a large amount of work such as, typing a report, which can be done by anyone mature enough in the house or also your close friend or relative. Children can have an opportunity to see what their parents do for a living. The financial benefits are also very attractive. Instead of waiting for a boss to give you a raise or a promotion, the amount of money you can earn is directly related to your own performance. Whether the business is the sole means of support or a secondary income, its earning potential is up to you. These days, people who have been frequently shut out of job markets, for example, homemakers, students, retirees, to name a few, can use their home business to create new income opportunities. You save on travel expenses and you do not have to send your children to nurseries if you can be at home, so substantial savings can be made. In conclusion, working from home can be very relaxing and comfortable. We can see that working from home increases efficiency due to fewer distractions, and much greater benefits are reaped due to less stress and office complications. Today more people have home-based businesses, which increases the use of new ideas to generate income. Hence, working from home can be very rewarding and it may be a dream come true if in the future you own a business with your own ideas and independent thinking. References: -Scarry, Sandra and John Scarry. The writers workplace 6th  edition. http://choosing-careers.suite101.com/article.cfm/five_reasons_to_be_self_employedhttp://ezinearticles.com/?7-Benefits-of-Working-At-Homeid=51130http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCESitemId=1073791632