English Language Varieties Essay

English has spread rapidly, even since independence, either as a first language or as a medium of education for non-native speakers (Platt and Weber, 2002). The actual range of varieties of English is much greater than is found in the British Isles. On the one hand we can speak of an acrolect or high status variety, and on the other a basilect or low status variety, with the mesolect occupying the intermediate position. These terms are usually descriptive of what is known as a post-creole continuum—that is the range of non-discrete varieties in a post-colonial situation ranging from the acrolect, which is generally very close to the standard language of the colonial power, through to the basilect, which structurally resembles a creole. It is sufficient here to characterise a creole as a mixed language, resulting historically from contact between speakers of different and mutually unintelligible languages. Creoles are usually associated with colonial situations and are generally assigned a very low social status. Basilectal speakers, who occupy the lowest position in a post-creole continuum, are often quite unintelligible to speakers of the acrolect. All speakers occupy a range on this acrolect—basilect continuum, which correlates closely with their social status, shifting along it according to social context in much the same way as British speakers manipulate linguistic variables. Of course, the extent of linguistic difference is much greater. Such continua have been described in Jamaica by De Camp (2001) and in Guyana by Bickerton (1995), and it is likely, we should note, that these studies will be of increasing relevance to an understanding of the sociolinguistic structure of ethnic minority communities in Britain. A detailed account of the structure and function of pidgins and creoles is not directly relevant here, but interested readers are referred to Todd (2000) for an introductory account of the social, political and linguistic issues involved. Although respectable Victorians were already reacting strongly against the prescriptive attitudes of the eighteenth century, the most extreme anti-prescriptive statements, as far as we know, are those made by some members of the ‘American structuralist’ school of linguistics. Bloomfield (1993:22) felt that discovering why ain’t is considered bad and am not good is not a fundamental question in linguistics, and he thought it strange that ‘people without linguistic training’ should devote ‘a great deal of effort to futile discussions of this topic’. Bloomfield was certainly implying that the study of prescriptivism was not of central interest to linguistics; he was thereby limiting the field of linguistics to a descriptive study of form and system in language which takes relatively little account of language as a social phenomenon. Some of Bloomfield’s followers have gone further than this and have attacked ‘unscientific’ approaches to language with missionary zeal. C. C. Fries (1997) seems to have equated traditional school grammar with prescription (which was by definition ‘bad’ and ‘unscientific’ in the view of structural linguists of the time), and in his book on English syntax he went so far as to even reject traditional linguistic terms such as ‘noun’, ‘verb’ and ‘adjective’. Fries’s work was directed towards the educational system at the ordinary consumer. Anxious to assure all his readers that their use of language was just as good as that of anyone else, he proclaimed that there is no such thing as good or bad, correct or incorrect, grammatical or ungrammatical, in language. English in Western Europe and America Although linguistic scholars would certainly dispute the details of this pronouncement, they have continued (for the most part) to assert or assume that their discipline is descriptive and theoretical and that they do not deal in prescription. In Western Europe and America most theoretical linguists would still affirm that all forms of language are in principle equal. As Hudson (2002:191) has put it: Linguists would claim that if they were simply shown the grammars of two different varieties, one with high and the other with low prestige, they could not tell which was which, any more than they could predict the skin colour of those who speak the two varieties. Although some evidence from work by social psychologists (Giles et al. , 2000) lends some support to Hudson’s point, we do not, in fact, know whether standard languages can be conclusively shown to have no purely linguistic characteristics that differentiate them from non-standard forms of language (the matter has not really been investigated). It appears to be an article of faith at the moment that judgments evaluating differences between standard and non-standard varieties are always socially conditioned and never purely linguistic. However, we shall later suggest that the process of language standardisation involves the suppression of optional variability in language and that, as a consequence, non-standard varieties can be observed to permit more variability than standard ones (e. g. in pronunciations of particular words). Thus, there may be one sense at least in which the linguistic characteristics of non-standard varieties differ from those of ‘standards’. Standard English: UK Variety In the UK, one vehement critic of the supposed malign influence of linguistics on English language teaching is John Honey (1997-2003). He has named an array of linguistic scholars (including—astonishingly—Noam Chomsky, who has never been concerned with educational or social issues), as encouraging a neglect of Standard English teaching in schools. This is an entirely false claim. It is true that there has been some opposition to the teaching of English grammar, but in our experience this has arisen mainly from the preference of lecturers for literature teaching. Far from discouraging ‘grammar’, university linguists have been closely involved in maintaining and encouraging its teaching. No one has ever opposed the teaching of standard English, and many of those named by Honey as ‘enemies’ of standard English have devoted much of their careers to teaching it—training students to write clear and correct standard English. Experienced teachers will not take kindly to an attack that simply appears to them as ignorant, presumptuous and pointlessly offensive. The linguist’s academic interest in the human capacity to learn and use language is not a threat to the teaching of Standard English, and it can be a great benefit. It does not follow from the educational necessity to focus on the standard that we should neglect to examine and explain the different norms and conventions of speech and writing, or that we should fail to acknowledge that standardised usage is most fully achieved in writing. Nor does it follow that we should neglect the fact that non-standard spoken vernaculars have grammars of their own. To investigate the structure of language varieties is an intellectual requirement that cannot be compromised, and which in no way contradicts the importance of the teaching of literacy in a standard language. Amongst other things, research on real language in use can help us to clarify and understand what standard English actually is and appreciate more exactly what its roles and functions are. We will not improve practical language teaching by ignoring such matters or by maligning those who study conversational speech and non-standard vernaculars as ‘enemies of standard English’. The authors of elementary books on linguistics, however, have usually been anxious to dissociate their account of the subject from that of traditional handbooks of correctness. As we have seen they usually dismiss prescription routinely, and assert that linguistics is descriptive. Their general point—that, if one is to study the nature of language objectively, one cannot make prior value-judgments—is frequently misunderstood, and it has sometimes called forth splenetic and misinformed denunciations of linguistics as a whole. One example amongst many is Simon (2002). In an essay entitled ‘The Corruption of English’ (2002), Simon blames structural linguistics and literary structuralists for an alleged decline in language use and for permissive attitudes to language: ‘What this is, masquerading under the euphemism â€Å"descriptive linguistics†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦is a benighted and despicable catering to mass ignorance under the supposed aegis of democracy. ’ His essay is outspoken and full of emotive language (‘pseudoscientific mumbo jumbo’, ‘rock-bottom illiteracy’, ‘barbarians’, ‘vandalism’, etc. ), and it betrays ignorance of what linguistics is about. To Simon, linguists are almost equated with some menace that is threatening Western (i. e. American) civilisation from outside. It is unfortunate that misunderstandings and misapplications of the American structural linguists’ teaching should have made it seem reasonable for anyone to write in this ignorant way. As many people still interpret descriptive linguistics as inimical to standards of usage, there has clearly been some failure of communication between linguistic scholars and the general public. One reason for this is that ‘mainstream’ linguistics has concentrated more on the abstract and formal properties of language than on language in its social context. Bloomfield (1993), as we saw above, considered that prescription was irrelevant to linguistics as a ‘science’. Yet some linguists have been directly interested in prescription. Haas (2002), for example, has pointed out that prescription ‘is an integral part of the life of language’. By refusing to be interested in prescription, he adds: ‘linguists only ensure that every enterprise of linguistic planning will be dominated by ignorant enthusiasts and incompetent pedants’ (Haas, 2002:3). Since Haas made these comments, some social and educational linguists have been very active in commenting on public attitudes and educational policies, and some have represented the subject on advisory committees. A general linguist, R. A. Hudson, is responsible for the Language Workbooks series, published by Routledge. Several relevant books on language variation have appeared, and linguistic correctness was the topic of the 1996 BBC Reith Lectures, delivered by Jean Aitchison (1998). In the USA much of the interest in language differences has been driven by public concern about the language of ethnic minorities. In 1997, the Linguistic Society of America published a document inspired by a controversy about ‘Ebonics’ (African American Vernacular English), which was recognised by the Oakland (California) School Board as a legitimate form of language. It ended with the following comments: There is evidence from Sweden, the US, and other countries that speakers of other varieties can be aided in their learning of the standard variety by pedagogical approaches which recognize the legitimacy of other varieties of a language. From this perspective, the Oakland School Board’s decision to recognize the vernacular of African American students in teaching them Standard English is linguistically and pedagogically sound.

Analysis of the Hungarian Mobile Market Essay

Introduction The mobile market is still one of the most rapidly expanding business sectors in Hungary. Openness to new technologies and society’s need for swift communication, have elevated current statistics to show that the number of mobile telephones in Hungary exceed that of landlines. And it appears that the balance continues to shift more in favor of mobiles. This is characterized by the occurances of the previous years. At the end of 1999 the proportion of landline to mobile use was two to one, by the end of 2000 the number of landlines was only 25% higher than that of mobiles. Recently, over the course of the past few years dramatic changes have taken place. The country’s leading mobile provider, Westel Mobile Rt., reached 2 million subscribers by June 12, 2001; at the same time Pannon GSM reported 1.5 million subscribers, while the number of Vodafone subscribers was around 260,000.According to a recent report of the Telecommunications Supervisory Office, the number of opera tional mobile telephones in October 2003 amounted to 7,614,256. Given the tendencies of previous years, this number is expected to increase. Therefore, we can observe that mobile penetration has increased by nearly 100% over the course of the last few years. Growth shows no sign of slowing with the market. This makes it one of the highest growing markets in eastern Europe. But how will the Hungarian mobile-market develop further? Can the sharp increase of recent years be maintained, and when can we expect signs of market saturation? The Main Market Players Westel Mobile On 16 June 2000 Westel’s analogue and digital divisions, Westel Radiotelefon and Westel 900 GSM, officially became known as Westel Mobile; the company required a name change to reflect the fact that it was scheduled to introduce a GSM-1800 service. Westel was granted a GSM-1800 licence in mid-1999 when the government awarded Hungary’s third digital concession to Vodafone. In the interest of promoting fair competition, Vodafone was afforded a year-long period of exclusivity before Westel was allowed to launch its own GSM-1800 offering. Westel began sales of dual-band handsets in January 2000 in preparation for its November launch. Westel’s GSM subscriber base almost doubled during the course of 2000, from 842,000 to 1.6 million, growth which the company has attributed to the popularity of its pre-paid service Domino. The sale of Domino packages accounted for 76% of total revenues in 2000 and by the end of the year pre-paid users outnumbered post-paid customers, ac counting for 52% of the total subscriber base; this had risen to 57% three months later. By the end of March 2001 Westel had signed up a total of 1.8 million subscribers and in mid-June 2001 it registered its two millionth customer, by which time 60% of its customers were pre-paid. Westel launched its WAP service in early February 2000 and by the end of the year claimed that 100,000 customers were using WAP-enabled handsets. According to the company, there will be a boom in its WAP services once access times have been cut by GPRS. In spring 2001 Westel launched GPRS to a couple of hundred users and has scheduled full commercial launch for 1 August. It is aware that the technology could be slow to take off, however, and has already indicated that initial growth could be affected by the lack of handsets. A major development for Westel customers in 2000 was the introduction of the GreenZone tariff package, which allows customers living in rural areas to make lower cost calls. The GreenZone covers around 80% of Hungarian territory. In addition Westel has roaming agreements in place in 87 countries with 196 networks. It has also highlighted the popularity of SMS services; 200 million were sent during 2000 and in the first half of 2001 Westel customers sent more than 30 million per month. Westel Mobile retained its dominance over the market having almost doubled its subscriber base during the course of 2000, from 842,000 to 1.6 million, giving it a market share of 53.1%. By March 2001 the number of subscribers had reached 3.39 million, equivalent to a penetration rate of 33.7%. estel Mobile is owned by Matav (51%) and Deutsche Telekom (49%). Pannon GSM Although growth was steady during 2000, Pannon gained little ground on Westel; at the end of March 2001 it claimed a market share of 40.4%, up slightly on the 39.3% it recorded a year earlier. At the same date its subscribers numbered 1.37 million, 38% of whom were signed up to its pre-paid package Pannon Praktikum, which was launched in November 1997. By May 2001 Pannon announced that its customer base had reached 1.5 million. It has offered WAP services since early March 2000 and claims to have signed up several thousand users in the first four months. Majority shareholder KPN announced in June 2001 that it was seeking to offload its stake in Pannon as well as its minority stakes in the Ukraine and Indonesia. Interest in the stakes has been high and at the time of writing KPN confirmed that talks with potential buyers were well under way. Analysts have suggested that Vodafone may show interest in acquiring Pannon to strengthen its position in the country; it is not believed that Vo dafone will be deterred by the fact that Pannon is likely to be sold in conjunction with VoIP operator Pantel. Pannon is owned by KPN (44.66%), Telenor (25.78%), Sonera (23%) and TDC (6.56%). Vodafone Hungary When the VRAM consortium launched Hungary’s third digital mobile network under the Vodafone name in November 1999 it stated that its aim was to achieve a market share of 10% by the end of 2000. It failed to reach this target, signing up 200,000 customers, equivalent to just under 6.5%. Nonetheless, growth has been rapid. By March 2001 Vodafone had signed up 223,000 subscribers, up 374% from the 47,000 it claimed a year earlier. At the beginning of 2001 Vodafone announced that it would invest USD60 million in Hungary to build 400 base stations nationwide in addition to the 800 it has already installed. Vodafone has invested hundreds of millions of dollars since the inception of its Hungarian project to fund infrastructure, marketing and technological advances. The VRAM consortium consists of Vodafone (50.1%), RWE Telliance (19.9%), Antenna Hungary (20%) and Magyar Posta (10%). Market Share Development in Hungary Total Subscriber Development in Hungary Market Analysis This market is characterized by severe price discrimination implemented by all the participating firms. All three members of the market have pre paid and post paid packages available to their customers. It is observable that more users choose the pre paid packages in general. This can be derived from the price discrimination of the competing firms on the market. The following diagram also illustrates this tendency. Since the slope of the two lines is determined by the cost per minute it is obviously the lower envelope that represents the line according to which buyers should base their preference-based decisions. A customer who does not uses his or her mobile a lot will choose one of the pre paid packages. Controversially someone who is willing to talk much on his or her mobile will choose the post paid package, which implies to pay more for getting the started and costs less to use. In the intersection point of the two lines is the point where the customer is indifferent between the two. The market had witnessed unprecedented growth during 2000. At the end of the year it was home to 3.1 million users, this constitutes a 92.5% increase on the previous year end of 1999. This also beat the government’s forecast of a target of 2.5 million by a considerable margin. Also noteworthy is that mobile penetration reached an impressive 30.7% in December 2000, up from just 15.9% twelve months earlier. The market is growing indeed. according to analysts, 2002’s tendencies were easy to predict. The fast growth continued in the mobile market. However, it seems harder to foresee the development of the market later on. The only fact evident is that in the long run, there will be more mobile terminals in the country than the number of people living in it. Hungary’s new telecommunications act, which is currently being debated in Parliament, is also expected to further boost competition in the mobile phone market. With three competing mobile phone operators the Hunga rian market is probably the toughest in the entire region. Mobile Penetration Development in Hungary The second year of liberalized telecommunications in Hungary was marked by a decline in the number of fixed-line subscribers, but a persistently growing mobile market. In the first quarter of 2003, the number of mobile subscriptions (including active SIM cards and analogue subscription) rose to over 7 million for the first time, says a telecommunication market quarterly report compiled by the National Communications Authority (HIF). A comparison of 2003’s summer figures with those from the summer of 2002, shows an increase in mobile phone subscriptions of 22%. The numbers illustrate a major trend in the telecommunications sector of, let’s not forget, a country of only 10 million inhabitants. Westel leads the sector with a 47.5% market share, while Pannon GSM ranks second at 36.94%, followed by Vodafone, the smallest player, but one that is quickly growing with a 15.56% share of the market, according to HIF. Prices appear to increasingly level off, and the competition is speeding up. Therefore the mobile companies react faster to each other’s steps. Several years ago it took mobile operators almost half a year to counter each other’s marketing actions, but today it is a matter of days. This type of price war competition was started by Vodafone, Hungary’s third mobile phone provider, which entered the market in 1999. Vodafone’s Vitamax pre-paid cards became an instantaneous hit. Initially Vodafone’s prices were some 15-20% lower than anything offered on the market, but in the time since Westel and Pannon have lowered their prices as well. Pannon’s new campaign: â€Å"De-Juice† was a response to Vodafone’s younger image, and offers prepaid options along side Pannons already existing Praktikum service. Since March this year, Westel has introduced three new pre-paid Domino packages that offer competitive and unified tariffs on calls mad e to fixed-line or other mobile networks. There is also a considerable amount of price competition in the post-paid sector. Similarly to the post-paid packages, there is a very large array of package allocation possibilities. Of these assortments Westel’s cheapest offer for subscribers is its ‘Tà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rsalgà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ M’ package, under which users can call within the network for 36.75 Hungarian Forints per minute in peak hours. Under Pannon’s ‘Horizont’ package, subscribers can choose between three different categories (Bà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nusz, Plusz, Extra) that offer economical prices for calls made at different times of the day. In the meantime, Vodafone has come forward with its Rock ‘n’ Roll ‘Csà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cs Plusz’ subscription package, which offers a tariff of 6 Forints per minute for the first 10 minutes of a call made to any network. So competition is fierce among mobile operators for post-paid subscribers and pre-paid card users. Although companies believe they will win customers by advertising the lowest prices, we have ascertained that many pre-paid packages hide additional charges for calls made after prime time hours. Many analysts say that even after Hungary’s new telecom law takes effect, price competition will continue since there are still significant reserves in pre-paid card rates. Although mobile operators are extremely careful about detailing their strategies, we believe that telephone equipment prices, along with regular subscribers, will remain the main campaign elements in the future. One aspect of the new telecom law states that from May 1, 2004, customers may keep their mobile numbers even if they switch providers. It seems that this will greatly rearrange the market. It can be expected that pre-paid phone customers will probably have to pay much more for the mobile handsets (as opposed to being relatively cheap, as is the case right now), as it would not be in any company’s interest to give expensive, modern phones cheaply to customers who could change providers at any moment. Meanwhile, the value of regular subscribers is expected to grow and those customers who sign a long-term contract will probably be the most important ones. Pannon GSM, for instance, seems to put more focus on the post-paid customer segment instead of the SIM card market. The current price competition, mostly focused on pre-paid card users, is seen spreading to subscribers who would be able to make cheaper calls as well. Vodafone is also pursuing a similar strategy. Telecom Policy Director Pà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½l Marchart says: â€Å"I expect that the new regulation will stimulate market competition even in those markets that show monopolistic signs today.† In reality however, the new regulations are being carefully scrutinized and opinions vary. It is questionable whether they will fulfill the function of creating real market competition. Prices would radically drop if real market competition existed in the market. This question was first raised by Hungary’s Competition Authority (GVH). The office made headlines recently with its inquiry into the telecommunications services sector, which resulted in imposed fines for Westel and Pannon. The sector inquiry enabled GVH to achieve a more accurate view of the mobile phone sector. The office found several problems on the mobile market, mainly with the pricing of calls generated from mobile phones to fixed-line networks. GVH accused mobile operators of utilizing restrictive practices in-order to increase mobile use in Hungary. The inquiry alleged that there is a mobile phone cartel in Hungary. But of course in the end it accused mobile service providers of little and did not prove that there were coordinated actions taken on by the mobile firms. GVH could not even prove that call fees to other networks were too high, but only stated that some contracts among mobile providers could distort competition. Westel was fined HUF 210 million and Pannon GSM HUF 150 million by GVH. The fine is not substantial, however, and accounts for a mere fraction of mobile operators’ turnover. Westel and Pannon said they will appeal the GVH decision in Hungarian courts. Vodafone did not have to pay any fines. The mobile companies agreed that fees for calls to other mobile service providers would cost less than calling fixed-line operators. In Summary then, we believe it is safe to say that continued competition and occasional price-wars will continue to surface among the three mobile conglomerates in Hungary. We have just recently perused in the latest issue of the Budapest Times that the new telecoms legislation has just been officially approved in Parliament. The new telecom act will come into force January 1, 2004 for fixed-lines and May 1, 2004 for mobile networks, just in time for the EU entry. We are yet to see what real effects this law will have on market competition, and if predatory and limit pricing attempts will be detected and penalized by the GVH. Also of note for future developments is Hungary’s ensuing EU absorption. Although it is expected that new fixed-line operators will enter the Hungarian market after EU integration, in the mobile market, the situation is quite different. Given the considerable number of active mobile phone users in the Hungarian population, it seems inconceivable that a potential new entrant firm could operate efficiently next to the incumbents. They would need a lot of resources and a good financial background, since return on the investment would probably take a good number of years. The fact that the number of mobile providers is not bound to increase in the future is one issue that all three firms seem to agree on. However, we believe that eventual new entrants will or should make their way on the market, since this would further promote competition which is an obvious goal of the Hungarian Competition Office (GVH). What we, consumers can do is to hope that at some point in time prices and minimum average costs will tend to meet, setting an end to the presence of dead weight loss. This way welfare as well as consumer surplus will be maximized on the Hungarian mobile market. Bibliography Sources Consulted and Referenced: Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) official website; www.gvh.hu Hungarian National Communications Authority (HIF) official website; www.hif.hu Pannon GSM Mobile Service Provider Corporation official website; www.pannongsm.hu The Budapest Times Newspaper. Issue: Nov 28. – Dec 4. 2004; www.budapesttimes.hu Vodafone Mobile Service Provider Corporation official website; www.vodafone.hu Westel Mobile Service Provider Corporation official website; www.westel.hu

The Dawros Bay

The Dawros Bay Hotel has recently major financial problems. It is partly because of the economic crisis, but also because of the loss of our clientele. In order to bring back our customers , management appointed me as a new Restaurant manager. The management have lso set their objectives of providing excellent food with 5* as there unique selling point. Therefore, to increase our working effecience and quality of restaurant proper training will be provided as first.This training manual will indroduce you with some new Standard operating procedures which I believe will help us to become succesfull and profitable Restaurant. Daniel Hovancak Restaurant Manager The Importance of Training Training is one of our crucial factor to become succesful and profitable restaurant. It will help you ( as an employee ) to become more efficient and productive if you are trained well.Lillcrap (2010) defines training as the systematic developmnet of people, where the the general objectives are to : Incr ease the quantity and quality of output by improving employee skills Reduce accidents Make the operation more profitable by reducing the amount of equipment and material required to produce or sell in a given unit Make it possible for restaurant manager, or restaurant supervisors to spend less time correcting mistakes and more time in planning Enable new employees to meet their Job requirements and enable experienced employees to accept transfers and increase efficiency in work Definition of Standard Operating ProceduresStandard operating procedures (SOP) are detailed explanation of how a policy is to be implemented. An effective SOP communicates who will perform the task, what materials are necessary, where the task will take place, when the task shall be performed and how the person will execute the task. The purpose of a SOP is to give detailed directions. This means that every single member of Food and Berverge staff in Dawross Bay Hotel can do a Job correctly, on time and what is very important every time..Every SOP iw written will be presented to be more effective, Training that includes hands-on learning activities ill help you to learn and remember information more readily. Every member of F&B staff will be regularly monitored after trainig to make sure you are following training procedures. In general, according to his personal opinion, I believe there are 4 aspects that should be included in his Training Manual as Standard Operating Procedures. These are as follow: 1. How to make make perfect Espresoo 3. Upselling 4.

Learning experience of international students Essay - 1

Learning experience of international students - Essay Example In a survey conducted in 2010, 8 out of every ten international students were satisfied with the experience of studying in the UK (Ripmeester, & Pollock, 2011, p.4). The higher education administrators have successfully managed a wide range of international students’ expectations. One of the primary strategies adopted by the UK to favor international students in the country is the Prime Minister’s Initiative for International Education that was launched in 1999. (Ripmeester, & Pollock, 2011, p.6) The strategy aimed to increase the number of international students studying in the UK by checking on the quality of education for this group of students. The program has led to the establishment of different academic resources that the staff and students in institutions of higher education can rely upon. One of the academic strategies that favor international students in the UK is the inclusivity initiative. The initiative aims to provide a favorable learning environment for both the international students and other students. The institutions have also continuously engaged with the students by seeking to use their feedback in academic improvement. The international students in the country are represented in different student engagement activities that ensure that the existing academic policies accommodate the needs of foreigners in the country. Another strategic initiative by the UK higher education program is the guarantee that the information provided to the students in all academic levels is accessible, accurate, and clear across all the institutions. Clear explanation is also adopted in the delivery of courses where the use of technical terminology is unavoidable. The university and college staff in the UK has access to development and training opportunities that help them recognize, understand, and meet the needs of international students. The instructors are made to understand that they deal with a diverse global

Why does the financial industry need to be regulated Research Paper

Why does the financial industry need to be regulated - Research Paper Example A sound financial industry primarily involves deep, efficient markets, solvent, operational financial intermediaries and a legal framework that clearly defines the rights and obligations of all participants. Financial markets are the core of any financial system architecture, holding a central position as they are a real catalyst for the overall economic activity. Depending on country-specific factors, culture and historical traditions, but also on the globalization of markets, national financial systems have both special features and common elements. Academic literature provides a classification of financial systems as follows: Bank-dominated financial systems (the German-Japanese model); Capital-market dominated financial systems (the Anglo-American model). If analyzing the characteristics of the financial systems over the past 30 years, we note the shift from the traditional bank-based orientation towards capital markets. Crucial elements of this change are monetary and financial integration processes and financial innovation. As part of financial industry, the US financial companies enhance money flows by offering various services in different areas: accounting, bank and credit unions, consultancy, insurance agencies, investment banking, professional services, security brokers, venture capital. With combined annual revenue of almost $65 billion, the US accounting and fiscal industry sums more than 90,000 companies (Richardson). The leading players providing accounting services include Price Water House Coopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young, KPMG and H&R Block. The same recent statistical data reveal the structure of the US banking system shaped by 8,000 commercial banks, 1,400 savings banks and 10,000 credit unions with combined annual revenue of $600 billion. Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, and Wachovia are the most powerful commercial banks. The US banking market is highly concentrated, 50 largest institutions spreading more than 60% of the financial industry. The credit union environment displays a fragmented anatomy with 6% of industry revenue, much lower than commercial banks percentage (80%) and closer to savings banks, with a share of 14%. Financial planning and consultancy services shape an industry with annual revenue of $15 billion split between 10,000 US firms. Morningstar, Value Line and units of financial services companies are in the top. In the field of insurance services, the 130,000 US units generate annual revenue of $85 billion, having as market leaders March & McLennan, Arthur J. Gallagher and Aon. Investment banking is served by 2000 companies with annual revenue of almost $110 billion, with the largest 50 firms holding 90% of the sector. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs are the key competitors. The securities brokerage industry includes less than 4000 bodies, while the major players in investment companies are Merrill Lynch, Charles Schwab, AG Edwards, and brokerage companies like Citigroup and Fidelity. Venture capital industry generates annual revenue of about $26 billion and has more than $250 billion under management. The most important companies include New Enterprise Associates, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, and Technology Crossover Ventures. Why does the financial industry need to be regulated? The empirical literature (Goodhart et al.) and practical experience point out three main reasons that justify government intervention in the financial industry: 1). Information asymmetry: unlike financial institutions, customers are much less informed, so that financial supervision aims to balance the situation; 2). Externalities: the collapse of an

United Kingdom Health Service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

United Kingdom Health Service - Essay Example As any organisation with relatively long history and thousands of employees, the NHS has certain norms and rules that traditionally determine the nature of managerial practices. However, these rules and norms do not seem to be effective these days when the problem of management in NHS has turned into one of the major issues associated with this organisation. The case study and other scholarly studies provide sufficient information to identify the factors that may contribute to such situation. There are several types of standards applied within the organisational practices to evaluate effectiveness of management. However, the NHS is a specific organisation with outputs which are exceptionally difficult to measure objectively: for example, a middle level manager in a construction company has absolutely clear performance goals which must be achieved by certain deadline with the available resources. Failure to achieve the goals despite favourable situation and no force majeure circumstances demonstrates that the manager might lack skills and/or qualification to effectively perform his basic functions. These functions have been formulated over the second half of the 20th century and include planning, organising, leading, controlling and assessing (often these functions are abbreviated to POLCA) (Morgan, 1986). Evidently, this set of basic functions is valid for the NHS, but it is also clear that the specifics of healthcare does not allow for the possibility to evaluate the manager's failure or success in the same way as it is done in other industries such as construction, automotive, financial, etc. The explanation is simple: there are too many factors affecting health outside the health care industry to evaluate performance of the industry in easily measurable terms such as deaths per 100 beds and other statistical data. The impressive amount of intangibles involved in the process of healthcare management requires specific approach in evaluation of associated factors, including effectiveness of management. Therefore, one of the major problems related to management in the NHS might be absence of the correct evaluation criteria. As Willcocks (1997) puts it, "...the research literature fails to provide empirically-based standards against which to judge and compare managerial behaviour. A central problem is that the researchers have neglected the manager's role demands or expectations and concentrated on role performance or behaviour" (Willcocks, 1997: 181). Development of the adequate criteria that can be applied to assessment of managerial performance in the environment characterised by lack of statistically measurable parameters and oriented rather toward improvement of the process than achievement of any final goals may be a helpful solution in this regard. Absence of such criteria can probably be referred to as the most essential primary problem which acts as the major reason for other problems associated with management in the NHS environment. Managing Professionals Managing educated professionals such as doctors, architects, lawyers

Contemporary Architecture and Ecological Knowledge Essay

Contemporary Architecture and Ecological Knowledge - Essay Example The essay "Contemporary Architecture and Ecological Knowledge" discovers the impact of ecological knowledge in molding the architecture. The effectiveness of the design in terms of incorporating ecological concepts will be evaluated, and the validity of its scientific claims, will be seen. Lastly, the new directions in this area of creative pursuit will be identified, by additional ecological knowledge. â€Å"Our duty is to translate the codes of the ecological language in a poetic way, to marry beauty with respect for the environment† (The Dirt). Such were the words of Renzo Piano, the Italian architect, while discussing ecology and architecture with the local newspaper. In his design of the Academy of Sciences building in San Francisco, Piano makes the clear decision that creating a fine balance between natural and built environment, should be the driving theme in any new building. The 400,000-sq.-ft.structure, built at the cost of $488-million, is certainly an excellent end eavor of Piano, to bring together cutting-edge technology and green design in 3- dimensional form. An aquarium, a planetarium, and a natural history museum, are part of this building. The building also houses 20 million specimens, and provides a platform for scientific research. The architect’s sensitivity towards ecology can be clearly seen in the entire design, and most impressively in the design of 2.5 acre living green roof. Although Greens roofs are no new technology, but the idea of using green roof that can generate power is new.

Statistic project Statistics Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Statistic - Statistics Project Example 25 %). Italian restaurants are at the second place (28.75 %). 10 % of classmates prefer to eat at the Chinese restaurant. Indian restaurants are the least popular among the classmates because only 5 % of them prefer it. 76.25 % of persons in the class prefer regular drinks, and 16.25 % of respondents prefer soft diet drinks. 2.5 % of classmates does not give preference to any of the drinks. 5 % of respondents did not answer this question. 81. 25 % of respondents will not go out of state during spring holydays. The rest (18.75 %) prefer to go out of state during Thanksgiving. To describe the interval data the descriptive statistics and histograms were used (Anderson, Sweeney, and Williams 98-150). The results of data processing about age, miles from home and other interval data are the following. The minimal age in the class is 19 years. The maximal age is 51 years. The average age is 26.78 years. However, the histogram shows that the most of classmates are at the age 21-23 years. The second biggest age group is 25-27 years. The age of the classmates is not normally distributed. It is positively skewed because the biggest group of respondents has the age below the average age. The minimal distance from home to class one way is 1 mile. The maximal value of this variable is 50 miles. The average distance from home to the class is 19.78 miles. According to the histogram, this variable is not normally distributed. There are two big groups of persons: classmates that live about 13 miles from the class and classmates that live about 19 miles from the class. The histogram for this variable is also positively skewed. The minimal value for total credit hours being taken is 3 hours. The maximal value is 18 hours. The average number of hours is 10.475 hours. The most frequently occurred value (mode) is 12 hours. The median for this variable is also 12 hours. Median and mean values does not match, as well as mean and mode. It is the sign that the

Come up with an assertin- a claim,a point, an opinion- that you can Essay

Come up with an assertin- a claim,a point, an opinion- that you can support with some of the facts from the articles - Essay Example This premise is demonstrated beautifully when Charlie attempts to win Lalu from Hong King by playing poker. Clearly, Charlie is willing to gamble on Lalu because he loves here whereas Hong King is willing to gamble on her to maintain her slavery. Tragically, Lalu does not see this because she has always been viewed as a chattel and therefore presumes that Charlie views her much the same way. The problem that Charlie has is that he will never win the love or affections of Lalu because ultimately, she is the product of a bet. I suspect however, that had Charlie allowed Lalu to kill Hong King or had assisted her in the murder, he would have ultimately won her over. No matter how hard any man may try, a woman’s dignity will not be stolen from her without her consent. Women, all women want protection, but not at any price. Finally, once a woman has decided that a man sees her only as chattel, he can never shake that impression from

Information and Organizational knowledge slp Assignment

Information and Organizational knowledge slp - Assignment Example Though arguably, it is a proven fact that businesses in the modern world cannot thrive successfully without the use of information system. As a result, information system has become part and parcel of good businesss operational component. This is proven by the fact that, information system has lots of benefits to any organization that one even wonders what could become of such an entity without it. Some of the benefits of an information system in an organization include the fact that, its use leads to higher satisfaction in customers due to service delivery by organizations. Information system also helps organizations to access wider range of information, deal with the changes in business at a greater speed, and also increase the workers productivity. It is, for this reason, expected that an effective information system should exceed the expectation of customers and meet most of the needs of the business. We tend to use information system in most of our day-to-day activities sometimes knowingly while sometimes we apply it without knowing. For example, we use production and purchasing system that help us with calculating the required amount of raw material for a particular bunch of products (Jim, 2012). At the same time, we use billing systems after production as supplies, to send invoices to customers informing them on how much the goods supplied to them costs for them to pay. The employees who helped in the production system of these products also need to be paid. Some are paid on a daily basis, weekly and even monthly basis. Their payroll needs to be developed. All these functions are examples of information system that fall under the Transaction Processing Systems. After the transaction is completed, there are reports that are obtained. These reports can bear the details of materials that were used for production such as the number of materials used, cost, description,

Portfolio Committee Essay Example for Free

Portfolio Committee Essay Dear Professor: UIC Writing Center is open to every UIC students who need help with their writing papers; at the same time, UIC also has lots of ESL students who view English writing paper as the most challenging task. How can Writing Center become more effective for ESL students? Mandy, Duong, and I would like to give some suggestions for Writing Center tutors from the perspectives of ESL students. We used a power point and brochures to help us express our voice. Before starting the power point, we went to the writing center and had an interview with the tutor. We asked questions about the tutoring procedures and the differences between tutoring a native English speaker and an English Language Learner. After that, we knew that most ESL students have the basic English skills when they got accepted to UIC. Therefore, tutors can communicate with them by speaking simple English and ESL students will have no problems in understanding. However, not a lot ESL student would like going to Writing Center for help. What keeps ESL students away from Writing Center and how can Writing Center help more ESL students become more successful in their writing papers? There are many barriers for ESL students coming to Writing Center. For example, many ESL students have no confident with their English, and they feel shameful and timid when talking to tutors who are English Native Speakers. If students talk little, tutors will stop explaining because tutors assume students know that. As a result, many ESL students found Writing Center was useless for them and stopped coming. Making tutors and ESL students communicate and understand each other better is the key to make a successful tutoring session. My group suggests tutors make a goal with ESL students together at the beginning of the session based on what ESL students need and to be enthusiastic. We want our power point to explain the barriers and to give suggestions in short. We put key points to remind ourselves when presenting. We also want to the text  and pictures have the equal amount so that our audience can have better understanding of our presentation and listening to us. We selected some key points from the power point to make our brochure for audiences to take away and read. We used simple words to make sure everybody could understand our brochures and used a lot pictures to attract audiences. The presentation was short, and very few people asked questions. It may be due to the fact that my audience is tutors who have learned those tips in their classes. If I could have a chance to improve my presentation, I would make prepare more to talk and ask questions instead asking my audience to give feedback. Sincerely yours, Lin

Attitude Towards Women Essay Example for Free

Attitude Towards Women Essay One of the most prominent themes in the Canterbury Tales is the attitudes of the pilgrims towards women. There are two distinct sides in the dispute: that women are simply objects of lust that must never be trusted, and that women are highly respectable and loving. The Shipmans Tale starts off this debate with his depiction of women, which was less than favorable. The woman who is depicted in this tale is the wife of a merchant. She is not treated well by her husband, but certainly is not trustworthy or honorable herself. She sells her body to the best friend of her husband for a measly 100 francs. Her faithfulness to her husband was worth only a few extravagant garments for her to wear. It is her greed for these material goods that drives her into cuckolding her unsuspecting husband. Her worldly desires are more important than her marriage, and in the end she is hardly punished at all. She does manage to keep her husband from finding out, by saying that the Monk was simply repaying his debt and she used the money to buy some clothes. So, she gets away with a crime that would have dealt her a far greater punishment. This outcome, while it certainly wasnt perfect for the wife, was much less than she deserved (Rossignol). The Prioress steps in with the next tale, and takes a much different view. The Prioress herself is a very humble and well-mannered woman, as she is described in the General Prologue. She is also extremely compassionate towards all of Gods creatures. Her tale is a tribute to the greatest woman of all, the Virgin Mary. While it is a tribute to the Virgin, the focus of the story is more on the little boy and his widowed mother. The mother is greatly distressed at her sons disappearance, and is eventually led by Jesus himself to the place where her son has been tossed. The idea that Jesus himself was consorting with this woman and answering her prayers makes a strong statement. Jesus certainly would not aid an evil person, so this widow must have been virtuous and humble (Rossignol). And upon her finding of the little boy, the miracle of the Virgin Mary is presented. The boy, who had praised her and loved her throughout his short life, now sang because of the grain placed on his tongue by Mary herself. The story praises a woman who is unmatched in virtue by any mortal man, and shows a widowed mother to be humble and virtuous herself. Certainly a different view than was displayed in the Shipmans Tale. The tales of Chaucer himself followed the Prioress Tale. The first of which, the Tale of Sir Thopas, didnt take as strong stance on any attitude towards women as did the two tales that preceded it. It did, however, portray women to be objects of lust and affection which could put a man in grave danger. This is what the reader might expect from Chaucer, since he does place himself among some of the other rascals of the group in the General Prologue. The other rascals (the Reeve and Miller especially) had already told stories that depicted women as objects of male desire. Sir Thopas, the knight, left his hometown of Flanders because he had become bored with the local maidens. On his adventure, he dreamt of a beautiful Elf Queen, with whom he fell desperately in love (Ruud). He searched the forest in search of her, and vowed to never stop until her found her. When he met the three-headed giant who stood in his way, he went back home to prepare to fight. He was ready to risk his life to gain the love of the Elf Queen. The Elf Queen in this story is an object of lust and desire, much like the merchants wife in the Shipmans Tale. Since the story is cut short, though, the reader never gets a chance to see what this Queen is really like. All that is seen is that she has captured the heart of this young and noble knight, which has him risking his life in search of her. After Chaucers first sorry tale is cut short, he moves on to the Tale of Melibee. In this story some different attitudes towards woman are actually discussed verbally amongst the characters. Melibee talks of how all women are evil and none are good. But, his wife Prudence responds to that by saying that Jesus would never have been born to an evil woman, nor would he have appeared to a woman afte r his resurrection. So, not all women could be evil. This point is accepted by Melibee, as her point has been clearly made. Also, she points out women who have saved the lives of their husbands and who were truthful to them. As this argument continues, Prudence continues to sway Melibee to accept her argument. She does this with good intentions as well. She does not want her husband to go to war with these enemies of his which certainly could put them all in danger. By the end of the story, she has convinced him so thoroughly that he ignores the advice of his counsel, and follows her advice almost to the letter (Ruud). He does, however, give his enemies a bit of a verbal chiding against her wishes. It is quite possible that he did this simply to maintain himself as the sovereign lord of his estate, and to show Prudence that she has not gained complete mastery over him. This story takes an opposite approach towards women than Chaucer did in the Tale of Sir Thopas. But, since Chaucer does portray himself in the tales as a dunce, it is possible that this character is simply to doltish to make up his mind and take a solid stance on the issue. The Nuns Priest has the final say in the matter. The Priest is traveling with the Prioress, so before reading this tale one might think that he will be afraid to offend her. This story deals extensively on this issue, and has to main points which reveal the Priests attitude towards women. Chauntecleer quotes a Latin phrase that he says means that women are the bliss of men. However, the phrase actually said that women are mens ruin. So why did Chauntecleer lie to Pertelote when he told her this false translation? Well, quite possibly because he didnt want to upset her any further, and because he was about to spend the whole morning having sex with her. If he had upset her further, she may have turned him away. Chauntecleer also began to compliment her looks along with changing the meaning of the Latin phrase because he loved her and he wanted to make love to her. So, this is in fact showing that women are the bliss of men, since Chauntecleer is going out of his way to please Pertelote (Scala). By afternoon of the same day, the story takes quite a turn. Pertelote had criticized Chauntecleer for being so cowardly after his dream, and he flew down from his safe perch because of her insults. Because of this, his vision soon came true, and he was captured by the fox. If it had not been for Pertelote berating him because of his cowardice, he would have stayed in his perch in safety. Now, the true meaning of the Latin phrase is also shown as true, as Pertelote has caused the ruin of the great Chauntecleer. There is one substantial difference in this story, however. When Chauntecleer is taken away by the fox, Pertelote shrieks and is quite distressed, as the story emphasizes. She expresses genuine concern for Chauntecleer, unlike the wife in the Shipmans Tale and Dalilah in the Monks Tale. So, the Nuns Priests point on the matter is quite simple. Women are the bliss of men, but, whether intentionally or not, also bring about the ruin of the men they love. Works Cited Rossignol, Rosalyn. The Shipmans Tale. Critical Companion to Chaucer: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007.Blooms Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. Rossignol, Rosalyn. The Prioress Tale. Critical Companion to Chaucer: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007.Blooms Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. Scala, Elizabeth, and Michelle M. Sauer.The Nuns Priests Tale. In Sauer, Michelle M. The Facts On File Companion to British Poetry before 1600. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Blooms Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. Ruud, Jay. The Tale of Sir Thopas. Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Blooms Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web.

Characteristics And Features Of Capital Markets Finance Essay

Characteristics And Features Of Capital Markets Finance Essay Capital market in any country consists of equity and the debt markets. Within the debt market there are govt securities and the corporate bond market. For developing countries, a liquid corporate bond market can play a critical role in supporting economic development as It supplements the banking system to meet corporate sector requirements for long-term capital investment and asset creation. It provides a stable source of finance when the equity market is volatile. A well structures corporate bond market can have implications on monetary policy of a country as bond markets can provide relevant information about risks to price stability Despite rapidly transforming financial sector and a fast growing economy Indias corporate bond market remains underdeveloped. It is still dominated by the plain vanilla bank loans and govt securities. The dominance of equities and banking system can be gauged from the fact that since 1996, Indias stock market capitalisation as a percentage of GDP has increased to 108% from 32.1%, while the banking sectors ratio to GDP has risen from 46.3% to 78.2% in 2008. In contrast, the bond markets grew to a modest 43.4 percent of GDP from 21.3 percent. Of this corporate bonds account for around 3.2% of GDP and government bond market accounts for 38.3% of GDP. (Graph1) Graph1 Source: RBI Indias government bond market stands ahead of most East-Asian emerging markets but most of it is used as a source of financing the deficit. The size of the Indian corporate debt market is very small in comparison with not only developed markets, but also some of the emerging market economies in Asia such as Malaysia, Thailand and China (Graph 2) Graph 2 Source: RBI Characteristics and features Innovation and a Plethora of options: Over time great innovations have been witnessed in the corporate bond issuances, like floating rate instruments, convertible bonds, callable (put-able) bonds, zero coupon bonds and step-redemption bonds. This has brought a variety that caters to a wider customer base and helps them maintain strike a risk-return balance. Preference for private placement: In India, issuers tend to prefer Private Placement over public issue as against USA where majority of corporate bonds are publically issued. In India while private placement grew 6.23 times to Rs. 62461.80 crores in 2000-01 since 1995-96, the corresponding increase in public issues of debt has been merely 40.95 percent from the 1995-96 levels. (graph 3).This leads to a crunch in market liquidity. A number of factors are responsible for such preference. First, the companies can avoid the lengthy issuance procedure for public issues. Second is the low cost of private placement. Third, the amounts that can be raised through private placements are typically larger. Fourth, the structure of debt can be negotiated according to the needs of the issuer. Finally, a corporate can expect to raise debt from the market at finer rates than the PLR of banks and financial institutions only with an AAA rated paper. This limits the number of entities that would find it profitable to enter the market directly. Even though the listing of privately placed bonds has been made mandatory, a proper screening mechanism is missing to take care of t he quality and transparency issues of private placement deals. Graph 3: Resource mobilization through debt Source: Equity and corporate debt report: RBI Graph 4 Source: RBI Dominance of financial institutions: The public issues market has over the years been dominated by financial institutions. The issuers who are the main participants in other corporate bond markets (that is, private sector, non-financial), represent only a small proportion of the corporate debt issues in the Indian market. Most of the privately placed bonds (which are about 90% of the total issue of corporate bonds) are issued by the financial and the public sector. (Graph 4) Inefficient secondary market: Further the secondary market for non-sovereign debt, especially corporate paper still remains plagued by inefficiencies. The primary problem is the total lack of market making in these securities, which consequently leads to poor liquidity. The biggest investors in this segment of the market, namely LIC, UTI prefer to hold these instruments to maturity, thereby holding the supply of paper in the market. The listed corporate bonds also trade on the Wholesale Debt Segment of NSE. But the percentage of the bonds trading on the exchange is small. Number of trades in debt compared to equity on average for August 2007 is just 0.003%. Graph 5 Figures are turnover on the wholesale debt market segment of NSE. Source: NSE Challenges and issues Dominance of private placements Dominance of large corporations. The credit rating system encourages only the large corporations with an AAA rating. (Table 1) Non-existent repo market for corporate bonds unlike the government bonds where there is an active repo market. Complicated and slow issuance procedure. Regulators in India are reactive rather than proactive. Illiquid secondary market- part of it is due to the fact that the number of issuers is low and part of it is due to the fact that the large investors prefer to hold these securities till maturity. Lack of formal market makers Limited demand for bond financing. The corporate debt market in India continues to be dominated by banks Limited investor base. A successful corporate bond market requires non banking investors which are limited and restricted in case of India. Inadequate credit assessment skills coupled with lack of transparency in trades There is a lot of confusion in the market regarding both regulations and the trading floors. To sum up, corporate bond the market in India suffers from deficiencies of participants, products and a comprehensive institutional framework. Table 1: Distribution of corporate bond issues by credit ratings Recent developments Given the importance of a well developed corporate bond market, the government, the RBI and SEBI have initiated measure to develop the corporate bond market in India. Most measures were aimed at improving the disclosure norms. The corporate bond market got its due attention by the government in the Union Budget of 2004-05where in the High Level Expert Committee on Corporate Bonds and Securitisation, chaired by Dr. R. H. Patil, was set up to look into the regulatory, legal, tax and mortgage design issues for the development of the corporate bond markets. The suggestions made by the committee were to develop the market infrastructure. Some of the suggestions made in the report include the removing the stamp duty, simplifying the issuance and disclosure norms, to bring the cost of corporate bonds at par with those of government securities by having similar TDS norms, enhance the investor base by encouraging participation of mutual funds, pension funds, insurance companies and gratuity funds and also retail participation through better primary and secondary markets. It also suggested a regulatory framework for a transparent and efficient secondary market for corporate bonds should be put in place by SEBI in a phased manner. It also recommended having a trade reporting system, introduction of repo in corporate bonds and better clearing and settlement system. Both RBI and SEBI have fundamentally agreed to these recommendations and steps are being taken to implement the same. Some of the steps include: Dematerialization of holdings, as required by SEBI since 2002; increased trading transparency from compulsory reporting of trades, linking local rating agencies to international rating agencies. In January 2007 SEBI was declared as the sole body responsible for regulating and coordinating the primary and secondary corporate bond market. It was a major step in remove the lack of coordination that existed due to two regulators (SEBI and RBI). In April 2007, SEBI permitted both BSE and NSE to set up trading platforms. In April 2007, SEBI reduced the shut period in corporate bonds, to align it with that applicable for Government Securities, and tradable lots in corporate bonds. In December 2007 SEBI made further amendments in issuance procedures to reduce the cost and ease issuance. It also gave green signal to FMMIDA to start trade reporting platform for CBs. Moreover, the government has made changes in the Companies Act and on simplification and reduction in the stamp duty w.e.f. 2007. From December 1, 2009 all corporate bonds traded OTC or on the debt segment of the stock exchanges will have to be cleared and settled through the National Securities Clearing Corporation Ltd (NSCCL) or the Indian Clearing Corporation Ltd (ICCL). It will help in eliminating the counter party risk in trade settlement and ensure a smooth receipt and payment system. In June 2008, the investment limit for FIIs in corporate debt was increased from $1.5 billion to $3 billion and further to $15 billion in January 2009. Ministry of Finance has hinted towards corporate market becoming Repo-able from 2010. Asia Bond Monitor- ADB, April 2008 Indias Bond Market-Development and Challenges Ahead, Stephen Wells and Lotte Schou-Zibell, Working paper series on regional economic integration no.22, ADB, December 2008. CS Update, august 2008, ICSI Equity and corporate debt report 2007, RBI NSE

Food and Sports Essay examples -- Health Nutrition Diet Exercise Essay

Food and Sports    Billions of people around the world enjoy playing or watching sports as a great recreational activity. The object of almost any sport is to be the best at something. To be the best, an athlete must practice and train and consistently perform at the highest level possible. An athlete must push the body to the limit. If an athlete is to gain the best possible results from training and practice, the value of food and well balanced diet is of the utmost importance.    Food becomes the main component of the human body. Even as food is being savored, it is meeting nutritional needs. Every humans life relies on food to provide daily energy. Food is the tissue in bodies, and is the regulator of metabolic functions. Food is directly related to sports. Sports burn energy, and are impossible without bodily tissue. Sports rely on metabolism to keep the body moving. Food provides every organism with the means to live. While people understand the importance of eating, people do not understand the importance of what is eaten. Six kinds of nutrients are essential to all body systems. The six classes are water, minerals, vitamins, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Most anyone, who swallows food throughout the day, has these kinds of nutrients; however, most people ingest them in the wrong amounts or with excess food that is useless.    Water is the most important of all the nutrients. An athlete depends on water. Water is necessary for all energy production in the body, temperature control, and elimination of the by-products of respiration. Water is essential, for without it energy production and endurance are limited.    Minerals and vitamins are other nutrients that ... ... from the grain group, and the fruit and vegetable group. These servings will provide all the necessary nutrients for an average person, but this diet will not meet the energy needs of an active athlete. An athlete can do a number of things for excess energy. Most athletes simply increase the plan by adding second or third helpings or by eating extra large servings. The athlete must use caution with excess animal fats; however. Water is perhaps the most important part of the diet. For a moderately active person three quarts of water are required. An athlete must have regular water drinking habits. Milk and soft drinks are not viable substitutes. If an athlete abides by a well balanced diet, only the amount of effort put out by the athlete will determine the level play.    Smith, N. J. (1976). Food and sport. Palo Alto, CA: Bull Publishing Company. Food and Sports Essay examples -- Health Nutrition Diet Exercise Essay Food and Sports    Billions of people around the world enjoy playing or watching sports as a great recreational activity. The object of almost any sport is to be the best at something. To be the best, an athlete must practice and train and consistently perform at the highest level possible. An athlete must push the body to the limit. If an athlete is to gain the best possible results from training and practice, the value of food and well balanced diet is of the utmost importance.    Food becomes the main component of the human body. Even as food is being savored, it is meeting nutritional needs. Every humans life relies on food to provide daily energy. Food is the tissue in bodies, and is the regulator of metabolic functions. Food is directly related to sports. Sports burn energy, and are impossible without bodily tissue. Sports rely on metabolism to keep the body moving. Food provides every organism with the means to live. While people understand the importance of eating, people do not understand the importance of what is eaten. Six kinds of nutrients are essential to all body systems. The six classes are water, minerals, vitamins, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Most anyone, who swallows food throughout the day, has these kinds of nutrients; however, most people ingest them in the wrong amounts or with excess food that is useless.    Water is the most important of all the nutrients. An athlete depends on water. Water is necessary for all energy production in the body, temperature control, and elimination of the by-products of respiration. Water is essential, for without it energy production and endurance are limited.    Minerals and vitamins are other nutrients that ... ... from the grain group, and the fruit and vegetable group. These servings will provide all the necessary nutrients for an average person, but this diet will not meet the energy needs of an active athlete. An athlete can do a number of things for excess energy. Most athletes simply increase the plan by adding second or third helpings or by eating extra large servings. The athlete must use caution with excess animal fats; however. Water is perhaps the most important part of the diet. For a moderately active person three quarts of water are required. An athlete must have regular water drinking habits. Milk and soft drinks are not viable substitutes. If an athlete abides by a well balanced diet, only the amount of effort put out by the athlete will determine the level play.    Smith, N. J. (1976). Food and sport. Palo Alto, CA: Bull Publishing Company.

Free Essays - The Dehumanization of Shylock in Merchant of Venice :: Free Merchant of Venice Essays

The Dehumanization of Shylock in Merchant of Venice In Susan Pharr's "The Common Elements of Oppression", she defines "the other" as the outcast of society, the ones who stand up for what they believe in, no matter how `against the grain' it may be, the ones who try the hardest to earn acceptance, yet never receive it. In Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice", Shylock, the `villain' is portrayed as the other simply because of his faith, because he is Jewish in a predominantly Christian society. One way that Shylock is classified as the other was by being stripped of his name. Throughout the play, Shylock was very seldom referred to by name; in the trial scene, the Duke identifies him by name twice, and Portia does so once. During the rest of the play, Shylock is usually referred to as "the Jew", "dog Jew" (II, viii, 14), and "currish Jew" (IV, i, 292) Throughout the play, Shylock was often reduced to something other than Human. In many cases, even the simple title of "Jew" was stripped away, and Shylock was not a man, but an animal. For example, Gratiano curses Shylock with "O, be thou damned, inexecrable dog!" (IV, i, 128) whose "currish spirit govern'd a wolf" (IV, i, 133-134) and whose "desires are wolvish, bloody, starved, and ravenous" (IV, i, 137-138). Or when Shylock is neither a man nor an animal, he becomes "a stony adversary, inhuman wretch" (IV, i, 4-5). When the Christians applied these labels to Shylock, they effectively stripped him of his humanity, of his religious identity; he was reduced to something other than human. The Christians also labeled Shylock as explicitly equated with the Devil, which in a primarily Christian society left Shylock as the other. For example, in (II, ii, 24-28), Launcelot Gobbo identifies Shylock as "a kind of devil", "the devil himself", and "the very devil incarnation." Shylocks own daughter compared Shylock's house to "hell" (II, iii, 2). Salanio identifies Shylock as "the devil...in the likeness of a Jew" (III, i, 19-21) and Bassanio echoes this sentiment by identifying Shylock as a "cruel devil" (IV, i, 217). Antonio further cements the association between Shylock and the devil by noting how Shylock's arguments remind him how "The devil can cite scripture for his purpose" (I, iii, 97-100).

Mccartney Songwriter :: essays research papers

When someone mentions the Beatles, most people who know of the band would think of Lennon, McCartney, Ringo and Harrison playing great music on stage. The Beatles still are the best pop rock group ever and it has been said that no other pop rock band will come close to their level of success. Their music was fresh, new and of course it sounded fantastic. But there have been rumors and stories about what the Beatles were singing about, and also about the band members such as whether Paul McCartney was dead or alive along with many other well-known controversial rumors.Elson manages to bypass all this hearsay and write and intimate diary of Paul McCartney's life and also a short history of his father and mother. It is in two parts, the first explores Paul's childhood and his experiences of growing up, meeting other members of the Beatles and how their careers developed.The book also goes on to clear up rumors about their music and what stimulated the Beatles to write songs. The second part explores Paul's solo career and life as a family man with Linda.The book starts off when Paul is a young child and explores Paul's influences such as his father who had a deep passion for music and shared this passion with his two boys. Epstien explains how Paul loved the guitar and how this enabled him to write songs to communicate his feelings inside him, an example is when he wrote "Let it be" which was about his mothers death. "When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, Let it be"The book continues to travel through the various stages Paul went through as a child, his passion for music, his talents at school and his aspirations for become a teacher. It describes his first meeting with John Lennon and how the two boys shared their musical talents and songwriting ideas that developed songs that later on in life would be hits all over the world.Originally John and Paul didn't have compatible styles o f music. However, after time spent together they shared their music and songwriting ideas and most of the Beatles music was composed even before the band was formed.The other two members of the band Ringo Star and George Harrison and their entrance into McCartney's life is written about as well as their influences on the music a very brief history of their family life.

In view of what we know of Beatrice and Benedick from Act I and Act II, Scene I, how realistic is Don Pedro’s aim to bring them together?

Beatrice and Benedick are the two major characters in ‘Much Ado About Nothing' that provide comic relief. Their ‘merry wars' of words and phrases as described by Leonato, are frequently throughout the play examples of Shakespeare's magnificent ability to bring about amusement in his plays. In Act I and Act II scene I, Beatrice and Benedick are reunited after Benedick and the other soldiers return from war. Beatrice almost instantly jumps into a frenzy of lyrically punishing Benedick, who after a war of men begins a war of words. From the beginning of the play even before Beatrice and Benedick begin their battle of wit, it is evident to the audience that she has some kind of strong feelings for him, whether they are feelings of hate or of lust or of something in between or that they. Thought their insults are biting, their ability to maintain such clever, interconnected sparring seems to illustrate the existence of a strong bond between them. This is shown when the messenger arrives to bring the news that the war is won and the heroes are soon to return. The conversation focuses on Count Claudio and his bravery, ‘the figure of a lamb, the feats of a lion,' however Beatrice almost instantly changes the subject by asking the messenger if ‘Signior Mountanto returned from the wars or no?' Although this is an insult, it is evident that Beatrice could not wait to find out how Benedick was. The audience are instantly given the impression that she disguises her feelings for him. She continues talking about Benedick with the messenger and Leonato, who states that ‘There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her; they never meet, but there's a skirmish of wit between them'. Beatrice argues back that ‘in our last conflict, four of his five wits went halting off†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.He hath every month a new sworn brother†¦.he wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat,' meaning that he has no true friends and he changes his faith as often as he changes his hat. To add to this, the other soldiers who return from battle, who bear prominence in the play are Don Pedro and Claudio. Claudio is instantly paired up with Hero, although this does not officially happen until the party later that night, on stage and in films they stare at each other as if love struck. The same goes to Beatrice and Benedick at the reunion, except they do not stare at each other as if love struck but moreover as if they cannot wait to resume their ‘merry war'. This feeling becomes quite obvious when Beatrice speaks almost instantly after Benedick enters the conversation, it is as if he cannot be part of something without her being part of it as well, even if she is bullying him. Shortly after everyone leaves the stage apart from Benedick and Claudio. Claudio expresses how Hero has caught his eye and Benedick dismisses her as ‘too short'. From this conversation we learn that Benedick thinks he will never fall in love and does not believe in marriage. ‘I will do myself the right to trust none; and the fine is, for the which I may go the finer, I will live a bachelor', in turn this casts a shadow of doubt over any forecasts that members of the audience could have made about Beatrice and Benedick being paired up. However, from the beginning it is obvious that Benedick is an entertaining character and unlike his counterparts Don Pedro and Claudio, what he says is not taken especially seriously. Furthermore, at the beginning of Act II Scene I Beatrice also reveals herself as anti-marriage, ‘Just if he send me no husband; for which I am upon my knees every morning and evening.' She adds to this statement by stating that she imagines married people go to hell and single people do not, however in addition to this she says, ‘he shows me where the bachelors sit, and there live we as merry as the day is long,' this suggests that she hopes to have some kind of fun with bachelors in the future which brings us back to Benedick's belief that he will always remain a bachelor. From the end of Act I and the beginning of Act II Scene I we have learnt that both Beatrice and Benedick possess anti-marriage views, but given that they are both histrionic and insecure characters, nothing can be taken for granted. It is noticeable that Beatrice talks about Benedick a lot and often in conversations about subjects that bear no relation to him, she finds a way of interpreting the conversation to make him the fundament – usually criticising him of course. For example at the very beginning of Act II when Leonato and Antonio are having a conversation about Don John's absence at supper, she compares him with Benedick abruptly. This furthers the readers/ members of audience beliefs that she has an interest in Ben. Beatrice and Benedick are perhaps Shakespeare's most famously witty characters, neither ever lets the other say something without countering it with a pun or criticism. One notable characteristic of their attacks upon each other is their ability to extend a metaphor throughout lines of dialogue. When Benedick calls Beatrice a ‘rare parrot-teacher,' Beatrice responds, ‘a bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours'. Benedick continues the reference to animals in his response saying, ‘I would my horse had the speed of your tongue'. It is as if each anticipates the other's response. It is suggested in Act I Scene I that Beatrice and Benedick have previously been lovers, but Benedick led Beatrice on, perhaps this is where her viciousness towards him stems from. This is suggested in this quotation: ‘Benedick set up his bills here in Messina and challenged Cupid at the flight, and my uncles fool, reading the challenge, subscribed for Cupid,' she describes a battle of love between herself and Benedick which she has lost. At the masked ball later that night Beatrice dances with Benedick, the audience is unsure whether she simply does not recognise him due to his mask, or pretends not to recognise him. Nonetheless, she cleverly insults him, leaving him a nervous wreck as he cannot reveal himself to be Benedick. ‘Why, he is the prince's jester: a very dull fool; only his gift is in devising slanders†¦..and the commendation is not in his wit, but in his villainy.' She is mocking him and saying that his jokes are boring and nobody finds them amusing. I believe that Don Pedro's aim to bring together Beatrice and Benedick is reasonably realistic. There are many times in Act I and Act II Scene I that the thought of the two of them marrying seems almost impossible. For example when Benedick swears he will ‘live a bachelor', and when Beatrice is on her knees every morning and evening thanking God that she does not have a husband. However, Beatrice and Benedick are both very melodramatic and provide most of the comedy in the play, this gives the reader the view that what they swear cannot be taken as seriously as for example Claudio. From the beginning of the play, it is obvious that there is a strong bond between them. It appears that the ‘skirmish of wit' between them is a cover up for what is a strong bond underneath all the exchanging of criticisms. In act I, Beatrice shows that she thinks about Benedick a lot, by asking the messenger if he has returned from war and by talking almost every time he says something. This also shows in the first scene of Act II when she brings him into the conversation at the masked ball out of the blue. In the end, Don Pedro's plan was a success.

Creon and Oedipus Essay

Oedipus the King, the tragic hero is most certainly Oedipus. Oedipus, first of all, is a good man. When he declares, â€Å"My spirit grieves for the city† (l 75-76), he shows a deep passion. His sympathy for his people and his desire to be their savior, he earns the respect and love of the people.The respect of the people is crucial in creating the tragic effect that comes with a tragic hero’s downfall, and Sophocles utilizes this by means of giving Oedipus human qualities and a tragic flaw. Passionate, yet stubborn. In this case of his tragic flaw, his lack of knowledge of his true identity is coupled with the peoples awareness of his fate. Then, when Oedipus finds himself in the dilemma after talking to Tiresias, the people feel his pain and are afraid for his life, knowing that nothing he does can prevent the tragedy from occurring. When Oedipus finally falls from the throne, he doesn’t kill himself, rather he gouges out his eyes. The symbolic blinding of Oedipus suggests that he has experienced renewal and sees the truth. Antigone, the first part of the Oedipus Trilogy, also depicts the theme of a tragic hero. Through the character of Creon, Sophocles greatly conveys the essential elements of a tragic hero. Creon is, first, king of Thebes, this illustrating his high state, but he more importantly shows characteristics of nobility and virtue. In mentioning the Chorus, he announces that, â€Å"These are my principles. Never at my hands will the traitor be honored above the patriot. But whoever proves his loyalty to the state I’ll prize that man in death as well as life† (l -5). Creon puts his country above all else, and for this, he shows characteristics of a tragic hero and nobility. His imperfection is later shown in his pride. After Tiresias warns him of his transgressions, Creon declares, â€Å"It’s a dreadful thing to yield†¦but resist now? Lay my pride bare to the blows of ruin? That’s dreadful too† (l 11-11). His unwillingness to let go of his pride for the gods shows his main tragic flaw, and with it brings his lonely downfall. Creon’s fall is not a total loss, and he finds a sense of awareness and self-knowledgment. He says, â€Å"Ohhh, so senseless, so insane†¦my crimes, my stubborn†¦Oh I’ve  learned through blood and tears!† (l 1-1404). Creon reaches a point, from which the people also learns. By expressing nobility, downfall through flaw, Creon undoubtedly serves as a perfect example of the tragic hero’s essence.

As English Short Stories Summary

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS AS LITERATURE IN ENGLISH: SYLLABUS 9695 NOTES FOR TEACHERS ON STORIES SET FOR STUDY FROM STORIES OF OURSELVES: THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS ANTHOLOGY OF SHORT STORIES IN ENGLISH FOR EXAMINATION IN JUNE AND NOVEMBER 2010, 2011 AND 2012 CONTENTS Introduction: How to use these notes 1. The Fall of the House of UsherEdgar Allen Poe 2. The Open BoatStephen Crane 3. The Door in the WallHG Wells 4. The People BeforeMaurice Shadbolt 5. A Horse and Two GoatsRK Narayan 6. JourneyPatricia Grace 7. To Da-Duh, In MemoriamPaule Marshall 8. Of White Hairs and CricketRohinton Mistry 9. SandpiperAhdaf Soueif 10. TyresAdam Thorpe These notes are intended to give some background information on each author and/or story as an aid to further research and to stimulate discussion in the classroom. They are intended only as a starting point and are no substitute for the teacher’s and student’s own study and exploration of the texts. Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849) The Fall of the House of Usher This is one of the most famous gothic stories from one of the masters of the enre and contains many of the traditional elements of the genre, including horror, death, medievalism, an ancient building and signs of great psychological disturbance. The mood of oppressive melancholy is established at the opening of the story and here readers may note an acknowledgement of the appeal of gothic fiction: while there is fear and horror, the shudder is ‘thrilling’ and the ‘sentime nt’ is ‘half-pleasurable’. At the centre of the story are mysteries, about the psychological state of Usher himself and about his sister’s illness and death. The story only offers hints and suggestions; there is an ‘oppressive secret’, while the sister, buried in a strangely secure vault, returns as if risen from the dead to claim her brother. In archetypal gothic fashion, a raging storm of extreme violence mirrors the destruction of the family and its ancestral home. Horror stories and horror films continue to have wide popular appeal and it is worth considering why this is so, and in what ways this story fulfils the appeal of the horror story. Why are Usher’s and his sister’s maladies never identified? What does Madeline’s escape from the vault suggest? Wider reading Other gothic tales by Poe include The Masque of the Red Death, The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill Compare with The Door in the Wall by HG Wells The Hollow of the Three Hills by Nathaniel Hawthorne The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Online Biographical material and a searchable list of works can be found at: http://www. online-literature. com/poe/ Stephen Crane (1871-1900) The Open Boat This story is based on Crane’s own experience, when as a war correspondent, the boat he was travelling on to Cuba sank. He and others spent a number of days drifting in a small boat before reaching land. The story explores the fortitude of men in a shared plight and their companionship in the face of danger. The narrative style is factual and plain, perhaps mirroring the honest practicality of the men in the boat whose story is being narrated. It engenders an admiration of the skilled seamanship and calm demonstrated by the seamen. The drama in the story comes from the waves; the seamen converse, swap roles and encourage each other under the guidance of the captain. When they eventually reach shore, death comes to one of them, who is ‘randomly’ chosen. Without obviously aiming for pathos, Crane achieves it with the oiler’s death. The story, like the seamen, betrays ‘no hurried words, no pallor, no plain agitation’, but achieves a real sense of loss at its conclusion. Wider reading The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane Typhoon by Joseph Conrad Compare with The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe How it Happened by Arthur Conan Doyle Real Time by Amit Chaudhuri Online Biographical material and a searchable list of works can be found at: http://www. nline-literature. com/crane/ HG Wells (1866-1946) The Door in the Wall As well as famous novels such as The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine, HG Wells wrote numerous short stories, many of which show the author’s interest in fantasy and the improbable, but a feature of the stories is the way in which Wells creates a sense of truthfulness in his narratives. This was demonstrated when a radio broadcast of an adaptation of The War of the Worlds in 1938 caused panic in New York, and can also be seen in the narrator’s concern with the truth of the story at the beginning of The Door in the Wall. Here the narrator is retelling the story of someone else, who in turn tells it to him with ‘such direct simplicity of conviction’. This creates a tension which remains throughout the story, which on the one hand is ‘frankly incredible’ while we are assured that ‘it was a true story’. The temporary childhood escape into the paradisiacal garden is evoked with nostalgic longing, but remains inexplicable. The character’s final death leaves questions for the reader; it is either another inexplicable event, or some kind of solution to the mystery. Wider reading Try either of the novels listed above, or other short stories by Wells, such as The Country of the Blind or The Diamond Maker. Compare with The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe The Signalman by Charles Dickens The Moving Finger by Edith Wharton Online Wells’ biography and a searchable list of works can be found at: http://www. online-literature. com/wellshg/ An account of the New York panic can be found at: http://history1900s. about. com/od/1930s/a/warofworlds. htm Maurice Shadbolt (1932-1985) The People Before Maurice Shadbolt is one of the towering figures of New Zealand literature, winning numerous awards and accolades for his work, much of which examines the history of the country through narrative. The central characters in this story are carving out a farming existence on the land, and the importance of land ownership to the family is made apparent in a number of phrases in the story. The narrator tells us that ‘my father took on that farm’, he refers to the importance of ‘Land of your own,’ which becomes ‘your own little kingdom’. The suggestions of the history of the land come through the discovery of the greenstone adzes and attitudes to the land are brought to the fore with the visit of the Maori group. Although Shadbolt characterises Tom Taikaka as pleasant, courteous and patient, there is the constant underlying acknowledgement of the Europeans’ displacing of the Maori from their land. Jim’s attempt at restoring the greenstone to Tom is symbolic of an attempt at restitution, and the reader is left to interpret Tom’s reluctant refusal. The return of the Maori elder to the land in death, and his disappearance, is another indication of his unity with the landscape and again demonstrates the different attitudes to land held by the Maoris and the Europeans, attitudes which remain polarised in the brothers at the end of the story. Wider reading Strangers and Journeys or The Lovelock Version by Maurice Shadbolt Playing Waterloo by Peter Hawes Compare with Journey by Patricia Grace Her First Ball by Katherine Mansfield The Enemy by VS Naipaul Online Biographical information and a critical review of Shadbolt’s work is available at: http://www. ookcouncil. org. nz/writers/shadboltm. html This newspaper obituary is also interesting: http://www. timesonline. co. uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article497710. ece RK Narayan (1906-2001) A Horse and Two Goats Narayan has written numerous novels and short stories, many of them set in Malgudi, a fictional but typical small Indian town. His characters are invariably ordinary peopl e finding their route through Indian life. Although A Horse and Two Goats makes no reference to Malgudi itself, it is typical of these stories, as Muni tries to live and ease the burden of his poverty. The story is narrated with the non-judgemental understanding and gentle humour typical of Narayan’s writing. The narration emphasises the insignificance of the village, and by implication the insignificance of its central character, who is coping with poverty and domestic struggle and seeks to ease his way by deceit and invention. The big deceit of the story, though, happens through misunderstanding and without Muni’s volition, Narayan creating comedy through the two parallel lines of attempted dialogue between Muni and the American tourist. Within the comedy, though, Narayan shows the different values of the two, the American’s dialogue concerned with acquisition and possessions, while Muni is concerned with history and spirituality. Wider reading The Guide (novel) and Malgudi Days (short stories) by RK Narayan Kanthapura by Raja Rao Compare with Games at Twilight by Anita Desai Of White Hairs and Cricket by Rohinton Mistry Online Information about RK Narayan is available at: http://www. eng. fju. edu. tw/worldlit/india/narayan. html Patricia Grace (1937-) Journey Patricia Grace’s first novel, Mutuwhenua, was significant in being the first novel published by a woman Maori writer, and she has become an important figure in Maori writing in English in New Zealand. Journey shows her interest in the Maoris’ traditional claims on land. The rather dislocated narrative, with limited punctuation and no speech markings, creates the effect of creating the old man’s perspective, although the narrative is written in the third person. This old man’s perspective, with its old Maori wisdom, is shown to be out of balance with ‘these young people’, the ‘cars and railways’, the new housing and the growth of the city. His journey into the city makes him feel more and more alienated, and this is accentuated when the narrative is interspersed with the interview dialogue. The official and the old man cannot make each other understand. There is no comprehension on either side of the other’s view of how land should be used, and the story ends with frustration, violence and disillusion. In this story, Grace suggests that traditional Maori governance of land has no place in modern government and planning. Wider reading Mutuwhenua (novel) or The Dream Sleepers and Other Stories (short stories) by Patricia Grace Playing Waterloo by Peter Hawes The Bone People by Keri Hulme Compare with The People Before by Maurice Shadbolt To Da-duh, In Memoriam by Paule Marshall Online Biographical and other information about Patricia Grace is available at: http://www. artsfoundation. org. nz/patricia. html Paule Marshall (1929-) To Da-Duh, In Memoriam The narrator in this story remembers her visit from New York to her mother’s home country, which to her is the ‘alien sight and sounds of Barbados’. The story hinges on the relationship formed between the young girl and her grandmother, Da-duh of the title. While the Caribbean is unfamiliar to the young girl, who sees it as ‘some dangerous place’, Da-duh wants to show off its qualities, and a competition is established between the girl and the grandmother, between youth and age, between modernity and tradition and between New York and Barbados, which culminates in the girl’s assertion of the height of the Empire State Building, which dwarfs all that Da-duh shows her. The young girl’s triumph, however, is tempered at the end of the story by ‘the shadow’ of Da-duh’s death. Wider reading This story is taken from Merle and Other Stories by Paule Marshall. Compare with Journey by Patricia Grace Online Information about Paule Marshall is available at: http://www. answers. com/topic/paule_marshall Rohinton Mistry (1952-) Of White Hairs and Cricket This story’s concern with age and mortality is reflected in the structure, beginning with the removal of the narrator’s father’s white hairs and moving to what seems to be his friend’s father’s terminal illness. In the space of the story the narrator has his own recognition of mortality and emerges from boyhood into the adult world. He moves from considering distasteful his task of removing his father’s white hairs to a full awareness of the process of ageing which he ‘is powerless to stop’. There are other signs of this process throughout the story: the loss of the childhood cricket matches, the increasing frailty of Mamaiji, the father’s vain hope of a new job. It is the encounter with the friend Viraf, Dr Sidhwa and the glimpse of Viraf’s father which gives the narrator his epiphanic moment. Wider reading This story is taken from the collection Swimming Lessons and Other Stories. You could also try the novel Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry. Malgudi Days by RK Narayan The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy Compare with A Horse and Two Goats by RK Narayan To Da-duh, In Memoriam by Paule Marshall The Enemy by VS Naipaul Games at Twilight by Anita Desai Online Biographical material is available at: http://www. contemporarywriters. com/authors/? p=auth73 Ahdaf Soueif (1950-) Sandpiper The narrator in this story is unwilling to disturb even ‘one grain of sand’, and this reflects her passivity as her relationship with her husband breaks down under cultural pressures. The relationship with him is carefully charted, almost historically, but it is significant that he is never named, and a sense of loss grows at the centre of the narrative. The narrative structure includes disconcerting juxtapositions between memory and the present to show the narrator’s sate of mind. The narrative describes a love between the two formed elsewhere; it is the return to the husband’s country which creates the cultural and family pressures on the relationship, including the loss of female independence, work and identity, which cause the couple to drift apart. Such concerns of conflicting cultural pressures are perhaps a natural concern of an author born and educated in Egypt, before continuing education in England. She now divides her time between Cairo and London. Wider reading This story is taken from a collection of short stories by Ahdaf Soueif, also called Sandpiper. The Map of Love is a novel which deals with a love affair between an Egyptian and an English woman. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy Compare with To Da-duh, In Memoriam by Paule Marshall The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Five-Twenty by Patrick White Online Biographical information about Ahdaf Soueif is available at: http://www. contemporarywriters. com/authors/? p=auth227 Adam Thorpe (1956-) Tyres The narrative of Tyres is set against the tension of German-occupied France during the Second World War, where relationships are strained, little can be openly communicated and suspicion is rife. The brutality of war suddenly intervenes in the middle of the story with the killing of the suspected members of the French Resistance movement (the Maquis) and the villagers forced to view the bodies, their ‘guts†¦literally looped and dripping almost to the floor’, before the hanging of the ringleader from the village bridge. Set against this is the gradually developing love affair between the young lad learning to maintain vehicles in his father’s garage and the girl who cycles past each day. The young man’s narration leads the reader gradually to his final act of involvement with the resistance against the Germans and its effects; ill-luck seems to be the cause of guilt, and the final revelation of the age of the narrator shows how long that guilt and fidelity has lasted. In this story, Thorpe sets ordinariness – working on cars, changing tyres, a developing relationship – against extraordinariness – the Second World War and German occupation – to create a small poignant story of war. Wider reading This story comes from Adam Thorpe’s short story collection Shifts. His novel Ulverton is a collection of very different narratives which piece together the long history of an English village. Compare with To Da-duh, In Memoriam By Paule Marshall The Moving Finger by Edith Wharton The Taste of Watermelon by Borden Deal Online Biographical information and a review of Adam Thorpe’s work is available at: http://www. contemporarywriters. com/authors/? p=auth95