Mike Roses I Just Wanna Be Average Essay -- Report French Commission

Comparing Mike Rose's I Just Wanna Be Average and the â€Å"Report of the French Commission on American Education, 1879' Mike Rose's I Just Wanna Be Average essay sheds light on troubled youth within the public school system. It makes you long for the days of American pride and service. Students placed in â€Å"tracks'; to utilize overcrowded and faulty test systems. Identity lost due to poor instruction and lack of motivation. The influx of shattered images brought forth by the â€Å"Report of the French Commission on American Education, 1879'; reminds us of a time long ago when education was for every child, not select few. Stoic instructors molding young minds in the quest to advance America as a whole. Civic pride and duty were influencing every aspect of American education. Both essays draw from the influence of education into the societal path into American mainstream society. Each school system is influenced by thoughts of bettering youth, but in much opposite ends of the spectrum. The French commission stated that the youth of America were offered the same curriculum in the hopes to form a united, equal society. America, as seen by the French, was a land of golden opportunities available to every child regardless of social standing. It was the basis for our country to survive. It safeguarded our standing in the world. Mike Rose’s school offered quite the opposite. It was a haven for long standing views on school being selective as to whom actually deserved the educa...

Report on Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited Essay

Introduction 1.1 Preface: Generally by the word â€Å"Bank† we can easily understand that the financial institution deals with money. But there are different types of banks like; Central Banks, Commercial Banks, Savings Banks, Investment Banks, Industrial Banks, Co-operative Banks etc. But when we use the term â€Å"Bank† without any prefix, or qualification, it refers to the ‘Commercial banks’. Commercial banks are the primary contributors to the economy of a country. So we can say Commercial bank is a profit-making institution that holds the deposits of individuals & business in checking & savings accounts and then uses these funds to make loans. For these people and the government is very much dependent on these banks as the financial intermediary. As banks are profit -earning concern; they collect deposit at the lowest possible cost and provide loans and advances at higher cost. The differences between two are the profit for the bank. Banking sector is expanding its hand in different financial events every day. At the same time the banking process is becoming faster, easier and the banking arena is becoming wider. As the demand for better service increases day by day, they are coming with different innovative ideas & products. In order to survive in the competitive field of the banking sector, all banking organizations are looking for better service opportunities to provide their fellow clients. As a result, it has become essential for every person to have some idea on the bank and banking procedure. Internship program is essential for every student, especially for the students of Business Administration, which helps them to know the real life situation. For this reason a student takes the internship program at the last stage of the BBA Program, to launch a career with some practical experience. The Banking Companies Ordinance was promulgated on the 7th June 1962. This has been adopted in Bangladesh and is applicable to the banking companies only. Nothing of this ordinance shall apply to a co-operative Securities Act (1912). Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited has a vision and mission to improve the financial sector of Bangladesh i.e. economic condition of Bangladesh by providing effective and innovative banking and financial product in financial market. However, in every economy of the world financial sector is highly regulated sector. Therefore, financial products of every bank are almost same as same law & regulations regulate them. Commercial Banks, as the very name indicates, function primarily as deposit takers and lenders to trade and commerce. But through a historical process, these Banks are now also engaged in long medium and short term industrial lending, agricultural financing including development financing. Commercial Banks are of three types Nationalized, Local Private and Foreign Commercial Banks. 1.2 Background of the study The BBA program (Stamford University Bangladesh) is designed to focus on theoretical and professional development of people open to take up business as a profession as well as service as a career. This internship provides the students to link up their theoretical knowledge into practical fields. This report is prepared for the internship program consisting of a major in depth study of the â€Å"overall activities of Shahjalal Islami Bank in banana branch†. This program enables a student to develop his analytical skill and scholastic aptitude. 1.3 Rational of the study In today’s modern and globalization world, business sector is competitive. Theoretical knowledge is not enough for a business student because there is a gap between theoretical knowledge and practical field. It is more competitive in the financial institution like bank. Now a day’s local banks are playing a key role for economic growth and development of the country. In that case Shahjalal Islami Bank is playing a pioneer role for structural development of the country. This study mainly covered the areas of performance of Shahjalal Islami bank, its services, types of deposits, remittance, loans & advance, recovery system and its growth. 1.4 Objective of the study 1.4.1 General objectives: The General objectives of the study are: ââ€" ¡ To fulfill the requirement for the completion of (BBA) program. ââ€" ¡ The general objective of this report is to fulfill the requirement for the completion of (BBA) program through internship report. ââ€" ¡ To acquire practical experience in different banking services of Shahjalal Islami bank. Understand the Islamic Sharia Based General Banking, Foreign Exchange and Investment Management of Shahjalal Islami Bank. 1.4.2 Specific Objectives: The Specific objectives of the study are: †¢ To make a bridge between the theories and practical procedures of banking day-to-day operations. †¢ To gather knowledge about the transaction of different department of the branch. †¢ To familiar with banking environment, clients, working hours, values, conditions and other things related to bank †¢ To understand present an overview of Shahjalal Islami bank 1.5 Scope of the study An infrastructure of the organization has been detailed, accompanied by a global perspective and look into the future. The scope of this report is limited to the overall description of the company, its services, and its position in the market and its marketing strategy. The scope of the study is limited to organizational setup, functions, and performances for customer satisfaction. The study would focus on the following areas: ââ€" ª General Banking of Shahjalal Islami bank Ltd. ââ€" ª Remittance and clearing section of SJIBL. ââ€" ª Credit operation of Shahjalal Islami bank Ltd. ââ€" ª Foreign Trade of Shahjalal Islami bank Ltd. Each of the above areas would be critically analyzed in order to identify the service quality of the bank. 1.6 Methodology of the study: Different data and information are required to meet the goal of this report. Those data and information were collected from various sources, such as, primary and secondary which is showed below: Data Analysis: For the analysis purpose I have basically undergone some financial analysis and also judged some qualitative factors responsible for the Shahjalal islami bank position in banking sector. To continue the study, I have collected the useful data by two methods: 1) Conceptual approach. 2) Empirical approach. These two data analysis techniques provided independently derived information that could be crosschecked, thus enhancing validity. Sources of collecting data: The information incorporated in this report has been gathered from primary and secondary sources. Apart from this, a review of related circular and office circular as well as face-to-face interview of the executives, officials and clients were carried out. 1.7 Limitation of the study There is a certain boundary to cover this study. It was not possible due to shortage of time to cover each and every activity performed by the bank. So the study has covered only the General banking Activities of Shahjalal Islami bank Limited. Like any other articles and theories, this study is not free from limitations. I have tried my level best to overcome these limitations through extensive study, hard and sincere devotion to the assigned duty. The major limitations are: †¢ I complete my internship in a small town branch, Banani branch. So I don’t get the proper information which I need. †¢ The bank personnel and officials were very busy with their occupational activities. Hence it was little bit difficult for them to help within their high schedule. †¢ Relevant data and document collection were difficult due to the organization confidentiality. Chapter: Two Overall Banking System 2.1 Banking Environment: During 2008, Bangladesh witnessed higher inflation that affected life of common people, labor unrest in garments sector- the highest contributor in export sector affected economic activities and business operations. Higher import cost of commodity prices, price hike in international oil market as well as money and credit growth resulted in higher inflation. As a result, the economy of the country showed every sign of recession. Despite this numerous adversities, closed the balance sheet of the Bank with an enormous per-tax profit of TK. 1216 million with excellent growth rate of 54.44% while the whole financial sector faced a slowdown. This credit worthy achievement has been possible due to our professional smoothness and confidence. 2.2 Global banking: In the 1970s, a number of smaller crashes tied to the policies put in place following the depression, resulted in deregulation and privatization of government-owned enterprises in the 1980s, indicating that governments of industrial countries around the world found private-sector solutions to problems of economic growth and development preferable to state-operated, semi-socialist programs. This spurred a trend that was already prevalent in the business sector, large companies becoming global and dealing with customers, suppliers, manufacturing, and information centers all over the world. Global banking and capital market services proliferated during the 1980s and 1990s as a result of a great increase in demand from companies, governments, and financial institutions, but also because financial market conditions were buoyant and, on the whole, bullish. Interest rates in the United States declined from about 15% for two-year U.S. Treasury notes to about 5% during the 20-year period, and financial assets grew then at a rate approximately twice the rate of the world economy. Such growth rate would have been lower, in the last twenty years, were it not for the profound effects of the internationalization of financial markets especially U.S. Foreign investments, particularly from Japan, who not only provided the funds to corporations in the U.S., but also helped finance the federal government; thus, transforming the U.S. stock market by far into the largest in the world. Nevertheless, in recent years, the dominance of U.S. financial markets has been disappearing and there has been an increasing interest in foreign stocks. The extraordinary growth of foreign financial markets results from both large increases in the pool of savings in foreign countries, such as Japan, and, especially, the deregulation of foreign financial markets, which has enabled them to expand their activities. Thus, American corporations and banks have started seeking investment opportunities abroad, prompting the development in the U.S. of mutual funds specializing in trading in foreign stock markets. Such growing internationalization and opportunity in financial services has entirely changed the competitive landscape, as now many banks have demonstrated a preference for the â€Å"universal banking† model prevalent in Europe. Universal banks are free to engage in all forms of financial services, make investments in client companies, and function as much as possible as a â€Å"one-stop† supplier of both retail and wholesale financial services. Many such possible alignments could be accomplished only by large acquisitions, and there were many of them. By the end of 2000, a year in which a record level of financial services transactions with a market value of $10.5 trillion occurred, the top ten banks commanded a market share of more than 80% and the top five, 55%. Of the top ten banks ranked by market share, seven were large universal-type banks (three American and four European), and the remaining three were large U.S. investment banks who between them accounted for a 33% market share. This growth and opportunity also led to an unexpected outcome: entrance into the market of other financial intermediaries: nonbanks. Large corporate players were beginning to find their way into the financial service community, offering competition to established banks. The main services offered included insurances, pension, mutual, money market and hedge funds, loans and credits and securities. Indeed, by the end of 2001 the market capitalization of the world’s 15 largest financial services providers included four nonbanks. In recent years, the process of financial innovation has advanced enormously increasing the importance and profitability of nonbank finance. Such profitability priory restricted to the nonbanking industry, has prompted the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to encourage banks to explore other financial instruments, diversifying banks’ business as well as improving banking economic health. Hence, as the distinct financial instruments are being explored and adopted by the banking and nonbanking industries, the distinction between different financial institutions is gradually vanishing. 2.3 Overall Banking Sector: Financial sector reforms to strengthen the regulatory and supervisory framework for banks made headway in 2006 although at a slower than expected pace. Overall health of the banking system showed improvement since 2002 as the gross Non-performing Loans (NPL) declined from 28 percent to 14 percent while net NPL (less Provision) reduced to 8 percent from 21 percent. This led significant improvement in the profitability ratios. Although the Private Commercial Banks (PCB) NPL ratio registered a record low of 6 percent, the four Nationalized Commercial Banks (NCB) position are still weak and showed very high NPL at 25 percent. The NCBs have large capital shortfalls with a risk-weighted capital asset ratio of just 0.5 percent (June 2006) as against the required 9 percent. For the PCBs risk-weighted capital asset ratio stood at 10 percent. Bangladesh Bank issued a good number of prudential guidelines during the year 2006 and the first quarter of 2007 which among others relate to (i) Rationalization of prudential norms for loan classification and provisioning, (ii) Policy for rescheduling of loans, (iii) Designing and enforcing an â€Å"integrated credit risk grading manual†, (iv) Credit rating of the banks, and (v) Revisions to the make-up of Tier- 2capital. Besides, recent decision of the Government to corporatize the remaining three NCBs along with the initiative to sale the Rupali Bank are bound to usher in changes in the banking sector competitiveness aspect. Bangladesh Bank has also taken up the task of implementing the Basel II capital accord. Further, the recent enactment of the Micro-credit Regulatory Authority Act (MRAA) for the regulation of the Micro Finance Institutions (MFI) has been a major development in the year 2006. Since 1998 CAMEL rating of banks gradually improved and in 2006 Bangladesh Bank updated this rating model by incorporating the market risk and the new model is known as CAMELS. 2.4 Banking System of Bangladesh The banking system at independence consisted of two branch offices of the former State Bank of Pakistan and seventeen large commercial banks, two of which were controlled by Bangladeshi interests and three by foreigners other than West Pakistanis. There were fourteen smaller commercial banks. Virtually all banking services were concentrated in urban areas. The newly independent government immediately designated the Dhaka branch of the State Bank of Pakistan as the central bank and renamed it the Bangladesh Bank. The bank was responsible for regulating currency, controlling credit and monetary policy, and administering exchange control and the official foreign exchange reserves. The Bangladesh government initially nationalized the entire domestic banking system and proceeded to reorganize and rename the various banks. Foreign-owned banks were permitted to continue doing business in Bangladesh. The insurance business was also nationalized and became a source of potential investment fun ds. Cooperative credit systems and postal savings offices handled service to small individual and rural accounts. The new banking system succeeded in establishing reasonably efficient procedures for managing credit and foreign exchange. The primary function of the credit system throughout the 1970s was to finance trade and the public sector, which together absorbed 75 percent of total advances. The transformation of finance priorities has brought with it problems in administration. No sound project-appraisal system was in place to identify viable borrowers and projects. Lending institutions did not have adequate autonomy to choose borrowers and projects and were often instructed by the political authorities. In addition, the incentive system for the banks stressed disbursements rather than recoveries, and the accounting and debt collection systems were inadequate to deal with the problems of loan recovery. It became more common for borrowers to default on loans than to repay them; the lending system was simply disbursing grant assistance to private individuals who qualified for loans more for political than for economic reasons. The rate of recovery on agricultural loans was only 27 percent in FY 1986, and the rate on industrial loans was even worse. As a result of this poor showing, major donors applied pressure to induce the government and banks to take firmer action to strengthen. 2.5 Perspective of Islamic Banking System: Banking plays a pivotal role in the development processes of a country. It helps accelerate the pace of development by securing uninterrupted supply of financial resources to people engaged in numerous economic activities. The tremendous development that the present world experienced in the last few decades was contributed by several factors among which growing institutional supply of loanable funds must have played the pivotal role. The role of banking is comparable to what an artery system does in human body. Banks both commercial and another development financial institution provide short, medium and long -term credits to businessperson and entrepreneurs who usually take the lead in ventures of economic development. Institutional supply of credits has been made possible by a system of financial intermediation organized in a way where conventional banks collect small saving from the public by offering them a fixed rate of interest and advancing the loanable funds out of the deposited money to enterprising clients charging relatively higher rate of interest. The margin between these two rates is bank’s income. Bank provides many other services to the people against service charges as well. Despite the outstanding contribution of conventional banking system (interest-based), several ancient and modern economists are critical about its efficiency level. Some economists consider role of interest in the conventional banking mechanism as a major destabilizing factor that contributes to cyclical fluctuations in the economy. Specifically, the ineffectiveness of interest rate as a stabilization tool during the period of Great depression is a case to note. Thus most of the economists called for urgent reform of the World Economies Order. In response though not exactly to that exigency but for quite a few other reason, a new system of banking known as Profit-Loss-Sharing has emerged in as many as 45 countries of the world. Another study provides a list of 248 Islamic financial institutions that are now in operation in different parts of the world. The second half of the twentieth century witnessed a distinctly separate line of thinking on banking. The thought later on got institutionalized at the end of third quarter and subsequently emerged as a new system of banking called Islamic Banking. At this stage, it is important to note the factors responsible for the emergence of profit-loss-sharing (PLS) system of banking. There are religious as well as economic reasons that have contributed to the emergence of PLS-banking as an alternative to its conventional counterpart. It is the prohibition of ‘riba’ in the Holy Quran that, according to the proponents of the PLS-system, was the source of inspiration for es tablishing Banks in line with Islamic shariah.

El salvador

This case was written by Susan Bartholomew based on personal interviews. Names, dates, and details of situations have been modified for illustrative purposes. The various economic, political, and cultural conditions described are presented as perceptions of the individuals in the case; they do not necessarily reflect the actual conditions in the region. The events described are presented as a basis for classroom discussion rather than to illustrate effective or ineffective handling of a cross- cultural situation.December 10, 1998: The Job Offer John and Joanna Lafferty had Just opened a bottle of wine to share with friends who had come to see their new apartment in Toronto when the telephone rang. John, a lanky, easygoing development economist, excused himself to answer the phone in the kitchen. Recently married, John and Joanna were excited to be building a life together in the same city at last. As a development economist specializing in Latin America, John Laffertys work had taken him to Peru, Bolivia, and Guatemala on a series of three- to four-month assignments over the previous three years.While he loved the challenge and adventure of this fieldwork and had come to love the people and culture, he also wanted a home base and steady presence in Toronto, where Joanna worked as a human resource management consultant. Just before their wedding six months earlier, John accepted a position with a Toronto-based NGO (non-government organization) focused on research, fund-raising, and government lobbying on issues related to Central American political refugees.Throughout the 1980s, tens of thousands of refugees had fled political persecution and human rights abuse in war- orn Central America to seek political asylum in Canada; John's field experience in Guatemala and his natural diplomacy were invaluable to the Canadian organization. He was passionate about his work and quickly gained a reputation for being a sa'. n. y and politically astute advocate of refugees' c ases. As Joanna went to get some wineglasses from the kitchen, she could overhear her husband speaking in Spanish on the phone.Joanna had studied Spanish in college but had difficulty following the rapid, one-sided conversation. However, one phrase, â€Å"Me allegre mucho,† and John's broad grin as he said it, was impossible to isinterpret. Joanna returned to her guests in the living room: â€Å"It sounds like good news. † John's work with refugees in the Canadian NGO had caught the attention of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, headquartered in Geneva, and he had recently returned from a one-week visit and series of interviews. While John had not been searching for a new Job opportunity, the Geneva invitation had been too exciting to resist.John walked back into the living room with a huge smile: â€Å"Forget the wine, I think we should open some champagne. The U. N. has Just offered me the most incredible Job. † â€Å"In Geneva? Joanna asked ex citedly. Decision The El Salvador assignment would be for two years, as a Program Officer responsible for organizing the repatriation of Salvadoran refugees from various refugee camps back to El Salvador and developing programs to ensure the protection and well-being of such refugees in their return to Salvadoran communities. The position would report to the Charge de Mission of the El Salvador office.While this office was based in the capital city, San Salvador, the Job would also require frequent travel to various field offices and refugee camps throughout El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras. The challenge of the assignment excited John tremendously; he also believed that this was an exceptional opportunity for him to make a real difference in the lives of the refugees of Central America. He certainly wanted to accept the Job; however, he would only go if Joanna would be willing and happy to go with him.Two questions would weigh heavily on Joanna's mind: 1 . â€Å"Wha t about the political instability of the area? † The politics of El Salvador were complicated and difficult to understand, and the story seemed to vary depending on the source. As Joanna gathered, the civil war in El Salvador had come to an end in 1992 with a U. N. -brokered peace treaty between the conservative government of the Republican Nationalist Alliance (Arena) and the Marxist-led Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN). Throughout the war, the U. S. ad apparently spent more than $4 billion to support the government and military, while the Soviet Bloc supported the FMLN. Human-rights groups alleged that right-wing death squads had murdered 40,000 of the 70,000 people killed during the 12-year war. However, the peace agreement had significantly reduced the size of the rmy, disbanded corrupt police forces, purged the country of the most notorious human-rights abusers, and disarmed the FMLN, allowing it to become a legal political party. The country appeared to h ave made substantial progress toward peace and democracy.The information and briefings they received from Salvadorans and other expatriates who had recently returned from the country suggested that life in the capital, San Salvador, was quite safe. Economically, the country was becoming more internationally open, with establishment of large export factories, increasing rivatization, and reforms aimed at stimulating foreign investment. While certain precautions were required, and the area was still heavily patrolled by armed forces, Joanna was told she could expect a relatively normal lifestyle. They would live in a highly secure part of the city, in the area populated by all the foreign embassies.They would also be living and traveling on a U. N. diplomatic passport (â€Å"Laissez- passer†), which would afford them excellent protection. 2. â€Å"What about my career? † Moving to El Salvador was the last thing Joanna had imagined when she married John Lafferty six month s earlier. Joanna had worked in Toronto for three years as a human resource consultant after graduating with an MBA. She was bright and ambitious, and her career was advancing well. While she was very happy to be married, she also enjoyed her professional and financial independence.Besides, Toronto was not only professionally rewarding, it was also home, friends, and family. However, Joanna was also ready for a change; secretly, she had always envied John the sense of adventure that accompanied his work. Maybe this was an opportunity for her to develop her After much discussion, they decided that John would accept the assignment. January-March 1999: Predeparture Arrangements When John confirmed with the Geneva office that he would take the assignment, it was arranged for him to move to San Salvador at the end of March and for Joanna to follow one month later.It was often recommended in assignments of this kind to send married staff ahead of time to get settled into the Job before th eir spouse and/ or family arrived. This option made sense to the Laffertys and had several advantages. First, it would give Joanna more time to finish off her current consulting rojects in Toronto and make a graceful exist from her present firm. She had a strong professional reputation and wanted to ensure she was remembered favorably by her corporate clients when she returned to Toronto two years later. Second, John would be able to get the housing arrangements settled before Joanna's arrival.John's employer would provide ample financial and logistical supports to staff in finding housing; however, John also knew from past experience that dealing with local real estate agents and utility companies in Central America could be highly frustrating. Tasks that were quite simple in Toronto, such as having a lease drawn up and getting a telephone installed, Just didn't seem to follow any system or set of procedures. â€Å"Tomorrow' could mean next week or even next month. Patience, flexi bility, and a good deal of charm were usually required; getting angry rarely helped.While John was used to the inconvenience and unpredictability of local services in Central America, he was uncertain how Joanna would react initially. John held a deep affection for the Central American people and felt hopeful that Joanna would develop an affinity for the culture as well. However, he hoped to at least have the majority of the living arrangements worked out before she arrived to make her transition to El Salvador as smooth as possible. Finally, the extra time gave Joanna more opportunity to prepare herself for the transition.Joanna had taken a course on international human resource management as an MBA and was familiar with the phenomenon of culture shock in international assignments. She recalled from her course that predeparture preparation and cultural orientation made a significant difference in helping employees and their families adapt to the foreign environment. Joanna was dete rmined to read and learn as much about Salvadoran history and politics as she could. She was also keen to improve her Spanish before she arrived and as soon as the decision was made that they would be going to El Salvador, she enrolled in night courses for six hours a week.As Joanna walked home from her Spanish class one evening, pleased with her results on her comprehension test, she recalled with amusement a conversation she had had with Joan Taylor. Joan was the wife of a senior executive with Altron, a Canadian firm with offices throughout Latin America. The Taylors had Just returned rom a two-year assignment in Guatemala City, and Joanna had contacted Joan to get some insight on the practicalities of living in the region. â€Å"My dear Joanna,† Joan began, â€Å"you will have a very fine life in Central America, or in most developing countries your husband will be sent to, for that matter.You will â€Å"Just watch out for the ‘gilded cage syndrome. †  "The what? † Joanna had asked. â€Å"As corporate executives or diplomats in third-world postings, we live a pretty high life, certainly a standard of living far beyond what we could have in our own countries. Everything is there for you and everything is done for you. It's like living in a gilded cage. Some people love it, and get pretty spoiled; after a while you cant imagine even making a sandwich for yourself†¦ .† Humph, Joanna thought to herself at the time. That would certainly never happen to me.I am a professional. This is an incredible learning opportunity and I am going to make the most of it! May 1999: Joanna's Arrival Joanna arrived on a balmy afternoon, grateful for the warm breeze after a cold Toronto winter. She was excited to see John and only slightly disappointed that their first drive into San Salvador would not be alone, but accompanied by a young Salvadoran named Julio Cesar, who had been assigned as their driver. On the drive from the airport, Joanna tried hard to follow his rapid banter as he pointed out the sights to her.She had felt confident in her Spanish in the classroom in Toronto, but now she could barely understand a word Julio Cesar said. John, sensing her frustration, began to translate, and by the time they reached the house, Joanna was exhausted and discouraged. John was proud of the house he had found, next door to the Mexican embassy and only a block from a tennis club where most of the members were expatriates. He hought this might provide a good social base for Joanna if she got homesick for North American lifestyle. The large 12-room house was certainly impressive, with its shining terrazzo floors and two large gardens.Joanna wondered what to do with all the space. It was also quite secure, with metal bars on all the windows, and surrounded by 12-foot walls. â€Å"This isn't a house, John, it's a fortress,† Joanna said in amazement. mieah . I know it's a bit much,† said John. â€Å"But thi s is the one area of the city we are strongly advised to live in, for security reasons. Smaller homes or apartments Just on't exist. Most of the families living here are either expats or very wealthy Salvadorans. Most have live-in help and need the space. † â€Å"But I don't want anyone else living with us †¦ † . I want you to meet Maria. † Joanna followed John out to the back of the â€Å"Come .. house, and was introduced to a small, brown woman, vigorously scrubbing clothes. â€Å"Maria worked for the family who lived here before; it only seemed right that she should stay. She only lives a few blocks away, though, so she will go home each evening. † After a week, Joanna soon learned Maria's work patterns. Maria would hand wash all their clothes in the cement tub and hang them to dry outside, a chore that would take all day long, as Maria would often wash things three times.The following day she would return to do the ironing, which would take anothe r full day. As Joanna sat in her study upstairs, reading her books and newspapers, she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt thinking of Maria, hand washing every last item of their clothing in the own clothes in a washing machine. Then, when Joanna found out that John paid Maria $6. 00 per day, she was furious. John explained to Joanna that this was the ustomary wage for the women from the â€Å"barrios marginales† who worked as domestic help for wealthy Salvadorans and expatriates.These â€Å"marginal communities† were small groupings of tin shacks located in the ravines that surrounded the city. A few had electricity, but many of the communities, including Maria's, still cooked their meals over fires and lit their homes with candles. Joanna began to slip more money into Maria's pay envelope. Joanna hoped to make a friend of Maria and looked forward to having lunch each day with her and learning more of the local way of speaking. Joanna realized now hat the formal Span ish she had learned in school was vastly different from the language she heard each day on the streets of San Salvador.However, Maria refused to eat at the same table as Joanna and insisted on serving Joanna first in the dining room, and then eating her own lunch on the stone steps in the back room. Joanna was deeply uncomfortable with this and began to eat lunch at the restaurant in her nearby tennis club instead. Other things began to irritate Joanna as well. For example, one day, she started to wash the car in the driveway. Suddenly, Maria's son appeared and insisted that he do he Job for her, horrified that â€Å"la Senora† would undertake such a task herself.Another time, Joanna began to dig up some of the plants in the garden for replanting; the following morning, a gardener appeared at the door, saying that he was a cousin of Maria's and would be pleased to take on additional gardening work. Joanna resented this intrusion into her daily life. If she was going to be spe nding so much time at home, she wanted privacy to read and study. It was going to be a while, she realized, before she found a Job. Joanna was disappointed with the Job prospects among local and even international companies. Most available positions were clerical, for which she was vastly overqualified. l didn't get an MBA to work as a file clerk! † she would think to herself angrily. Then, she would think sadly, â€Å"My Spanish probably isn't even good enough to get a Job as a file clerk. † One day, in frustration, Joanna called her two closest friends in Toronto, colleagues from her old firm. â€Å"l can't win! † Joanna complained. â€Å"l feel guilty all the time. I feel guilty because I don't do anything myself. And I feel guilty if I don't hire local people to the housework. They need the money so much. Then I feel guilty that we pay them six dollars a day. We can afford so much more.I feel guilty that I have a maid and she lives in a tin shack in a ravine two blocks from my house. But John says we can't pay her more than the going rate because it would upset the whole balance of her community. He says they have their own economic structure and norms and we have to respect that. My Salvadoran neighbors tell me that if I pay Maria or the gardener more they won't respect me. But I do anyway, and then I feel guilty because I don't tell John. And then our driver, Julio Cesar . The sarcastic response was the same from both. Gee, Joanna, sounds tough.Beautiful house, a maid, gardener, and driver, afternoons at the tennis club †¦ n wonder you're so miserable. † been a big mistake? She knew how much this Job meant to John, and it was a great step forward for his career. But what about her career and her own happiness? This had been a mutual decision. Something was going to have to change or they would be on a plane back to Toronto very soon. The question was †¦ what? Questions For discussion 1 . Is Joanna suffering from cultu re shock? What elements of the Salvadoran culture seem most difficult for her to adapt to? 2.Should Joanna have done anything differently in terms of her preparation for moving to El Salvador? What do you think she should do now? 3. How could Joanna further her career as a human resource consultant while living in El Salvador? What skills could she develop? Would these skills be transferable if she moved back to Toronto? To another country? 4. If you were John, would you have taken the Job in El Salvador? If you were Joanna, would you have agreed to go? 5. Do you think international careers are feasible for dual-career couples? What issues are important to consider for the individuals involved? What can companies do to make foreign assignments more successful for couples and families? Is the happiness of the employee's spouse the responsibility of the company? 7. What recommendations would you make to international organizations and companies sending employees to politically unstabl e regions? Do companies have a responsibility for the physical safety of expatriate employees? Does this responsibility extend to locally hired staff as well? 8. Do you think Joanna should pay her cleaning lady and gardener more than the standard $6. 00 per day? Why or why not?

Analysis of theoretical approaches to speech perception

Analysis of theoretical approaches to speech perception Speech perception is vital to language used in day to day lives. When someone speaks, the air pressure fluctuates and the waves strike the ears and in some way the individual turns these sound waves into meaningful consideration what the speaker is saying about. So, speech perception is important for human communication (Smith 2007). The core concept in speech perception is to explain the mechanism of perceiving the words correctly despite of inconsistent information provided by speech signals. It can be understood by the fact that human can perceive as many as fifty phonemes per second in a language in which the individual is fluent. This suggests that speech is perceived with marked rapidity. On contrary when the individual is not fluent in a particular language (e.g. foreign language) can perceive only about two third of single phone per second (of non speech sound) (Sternberg 2009:351). Over the last five decades researcher in the field of speech perception focused more attentio n on establishing the relationship between the properties of acoustic signal and linguistic components (phonemes and distinctive features). This has turned out the result to be more complex, and still how human perceive speech is not ascertain. Thus, this extensive research for explanation has given rise to important theoretical perspective on speech perception (ncbi 2009). The purpose of this essay is to critically evaluate various theoretical approaches toward speech perception. The most influential theories of speech perception include Motor theory, Cohort theory, and TRACE model (Eysenck 1995:280). First the essay will scrutinize the main claims proposed by motor theory; then it will examine the critique of cohort theory and finally analyze the TRACE model. A conclusion can be drawn that among all of these above mentioned theories cohort theory is better, scientific, and there is good evidence which suggests rationale justification of speech perception (moodle.coventry.ac.uk n.d .). The motor theory was the first and the most influential theory of speech perception proposed by Liberman et al. (1967). This theory is based on the following assumptions: Speech perception is perception of the articulatory gestures. ‘Phenomenon of speech perception as special’ (Sternberg 2009:352). Involvement of the motor system in perception of the speech (ncbi 2009). Speech perception is perception of articulatory phonetic gestures. ‘Listeners engage in a certain amount of mimicking of articulatory movements of the speaker’ (Eysenck 1995: 280). This is a controversial claim of the motor theory of speech perception, it state that the phonetic gestures produced in the air are not the objects of speech perception; instead the gestures of the vocal tract of the speaker are the real objects of speech perception (ncbi 2009). The evidence which supports this claim that the object of speech perception is gestural and not acoustic is the finding that ‘t he hand motor system to be activated by linguistic tasks, most notably pure linguistic perception but not by auditory or visuospatial processing’ (ebscohost 2003) ‘Phenomenon of speech perception as special’ (Sternberg, P.352): It is difficult to evaluate this claim because the term ‘special’ in itself is ambiguous. At least three possibilities can be drawn by the term ‘special’ as speech perception is special with respect to audition or speech perception is special with respect to audition that mean application of motor system in speech perception or speech is produced and process by a special neural track (ncbi 2009). There are no sufficient evidence available to support this claim so, should probably be retarded (talkingbrains 2008).

Immoral sex and religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Immoral sex and religion - Essay Example The bounds of morally had not been tested more than the present times.And among the compelling issues,practiced by most,are premarital sex, prostitution, homosexuality,and other forms of immoral sex.When people don’t really understand the real meaning and purpose of something they do it indiscriminately without prejudice. Human’s limited understanding on the purpose of sex resulted to the above immoral acts. Even worst, despite knowing the purpose, they do it beyond the limit. Premarital sex and prostitution are not new to the society.By nature, since the record of Biblical history, humans are always tempted by these sinful acts. But by the gift of God man was given a moral way to satisfy his sexual needs. The apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, addressed these words to the converts from Corinth, who, being used to Roman customs, were fond of using prostitutes as sex partners and engaging sex without marriage â€Å"Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband† (1 Corinthians 7:2-3).These passages of the New Testament reinforced the fact that prostitution and premarital sex is immoral and that there is a better way to fighting this immoral acts – that is through marriage. Being converts into Christianity, the old sinful people were given the chance to straighten their acts by entering into Christian marriage before engaging sex and to have a single spouse as sex partner. By sanctifying the bond of relationship the couple accepted by the society can exercise their physical needs within them. By subjecting themselves to marriage allows them to enjoy married life and sex in a moral way according to the plan of God. Premarital sex as accepted norm But because of human's ignorance or deliberate neglect of the real plan of God for mankind, and the importance of sex in this plan, they look at it as a simple biological desire that can be enjoyed to the fullest. Most people do not consider sex as a gift that can only be used within the bounds of marriage. They look at it as a civil right that everyone can freely use. Several articles and studies published have shown that premarital sex had been accepted in societies throughout the world. Report from Finer (73) showed that the 2002 survey indicate that by age 20, 77% of respondents already had sex and 75% of which are premarital sex. The study further revealed that among those who abstained until at least age 20, 81% had had premarital sex by age 44. In general, the study showed 80-90% of women in sexually active age had premarital sex in their lifetimes. In a separate study reported by BBC News in the article published in January 23, 2008, "The British Social Attitudes Survey suggests 70% of the 3,000 people polled had no objections to pre-marital sex." These show how societies, so socially advanced yet neglected the fundamental Christian teaching against premarital sex. America and Britain are composed by majority of Christian believers. The abovementioned reports show that sex outside marriage has been an accepted norm, and since majority is doing it, it then becomes moral in the sense. This is a kind of "majority role" which is a sort of mob role. In this case, as always has been, the mob role is not acceptable in well-organized societies. Knowing however that abstinence is a moral solution but difficult to practice, Finer suggested that "education and interventions that provide young people with the skills and information they need to protect themselves from unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases once they become sexually active"(78). The recommendations of Finer is tantamount to saying, "if we can't beat them; join them" even if the practice is immoral. In Christian values, what is immoral is immoral. The Christian teachings in the New Testament and even the Old Testament clearly denounce sexual affairs outside the sanctity

With reference to Britain OR the United States in the period Essay

With reference to Britain OR the United States in the period 1880s-1920s, critically examine the waysin which the child saving movement shaped the evolution of systems of care and control for the deliquent - Essay Example Accordingly, since the onset of Victorian era ideals surrounding the ability of society to handle juveniles who are behaving in a delinquent manner, much attention has been given to the issues surrounding youth crime, youth violence and overall juvenile delinquent behavior. Significantly, the child saving movement of the 19th century paved the way for a reevaluation of the conditions of child poverty and stimulated important changes with respect to the ways in which the state interacted with poor children. Seeking to address the issues associated with juvenile delinquency in the 19th century with respect to how juvenile delinquent behavior was understood with reference to the norms and expectations of the era, the following hopes to provide a thorough and concise analysis of perceptions of juvenile delinquency before, as well as after, the 19th century. This essay will ask, how did the child saving movement shape the evolution of systems of care and control for the delinquent? Follow ing this, we turn to an overview of antecedents to reform in the United States and the fundamental changes undertaken during this period. We then explore the changes and conclude with an overview of the issues discussed in this analysis of juvenile delinquency and the child-saving reform movement during the middle half of the 19th century (Lawrence, 2007; RouÄ ek, 1958). During the height of the 19th century, many children lived and worked in miserable social conditions. Accordingly, renowned theorists such as Karl Marx sought to address the horrific living conditions of the working poor and child labor was an important feature of this early industrial period of economic development. Child savers were at the forefront of change in the living and working conditions of young people as they pushed for important reforms in child labor laws, public education for all and important

American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

American History - Essay Example Reformation, which is generally considered to have begun in 1517, came about after well over a century of growing problems within the Roman Catholic Church. As early as the fourteenth century, religious and civic leaders were calling for church reform, and humanists of the early Renaissance as well and the general public were criticizing corruption in the church3. In England, ever since the late thirteenth century, there had been rivalry between the crown and the church over matters such as taxes, the judicial authority of the Roman Catholic Church, and clerical property rights. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the rise of humanism further heightened the conflict4. Certain events such as the Popish Plot in 1678, the 1679-81 Exclusion Crisis, and the 1685 Revocation of the Edict of Nantes exacerbated anti-Catholic sentiment in England. Anti-popery convinced the Carolina proprietors to to support the Protestant cause. Their aim was to recruit settlers to produce semi-tropical products whose sale would enrich England. Not wishing to weaken England by draining away its population, the proprietors under English private sponsorship encouraged a significant emigration of the Huguenots, Calvinist martyrs in Catholic absolutist France who were in search of a refuge. Economically, the 1660s and 1670s were a period of growth due to commercial expansion, but politically these years were full of instability and crises fuelled by an acute and sometimes hysterical fear of Catholicism, which was referred to as Popery. This proved to be an essential element in the making of Protestant England, serving the purpose of the â€Å"evil God† in the creation m yth. Popery was everyone’s worst nightmare, and was a catalyst for real as well as imagined menaces to the English nation. The Marian persecutions of the 1550s, the 1588 Great Armada, the 1605 Gunpowder Plot, and the Irish Rebellion of 1641 were collectively perceived as instances of how demoniac Catholic forces could