Monday, September 30, 2019

Ethics Paper on Facebook Beacon

Abstract Facebook began in February 2004. It was founded by Mark Zuckerberg and his collegiate comrades at Harvard University. Rapidly expanding, Facebook’s exponential growth led to its membership growing to over one billion users, as of September 2012. One would imagine that with such growth would come more opportunities for challenges to arise: one of these challenges being users and their rights to privacy. As part of Facebook’s advertising system, their primary means of generating revenue, Beacon sent data from other companies and websites to Facebook.Following a lawsuit, Beacon then changed to accommodate these requests. On December 5, 2007, Facebook declared it would allow users to choose not to participate in Beacon in which the owner of Facebook apologized for the dispute. When approaching a solution to this ethical dilemma, Facebook had a couple alternative decisions they could make. They could leave the Beacon system as it was, they could change the Beacon fe ature to accommodate requests, or they could delete the feature all together.Using the various ethical approaches to determine which option was best in determining how to solve their issues; one option would prove most logical. Under the utilitarian approach, choosing to keep the Beacon feature would not be the best decision to make. Changing the Beacon feature to allow users to choose to participate or opt out of using the feature. In the end, with this option, more would be satisfied, making it the best choice under this ethical approach.Facebook’s overall reasons for changing the feature spanned farther than just making users happy, it dealt with compliance with the law, so I feel that the positive outcomes from the change will outweigh any potential negative outcomes in the future. Ethical Dilemma Facebook began in February 2004. It was founded by Mark Zuckerberg and his collegiate comrades at Harvard University. Initially, the site was aimed at other Harvard students but was eventually expanded its membership to other colleges surrounding the Boston area.Rapidly expanding, it then opened its membership to high school students, and finally to anyone 13 and over. Facebook’s exponential growth led to its membership growing to over one billion users, as of September 2012. One would imagine that with such growth would come more opportunities for challenges to arise: one of these challenges being users and their rights to privacy. In an attempt to alleviate fears concerning privacy, Facebook enabled its users to choose from a variety of privacy settings and chose how viewable their profiles are.Although Facebook requires all users to provide a user name and a picture that can be accessed by anyone, users can regulate what other information they have shared is viewable, as well as who can find them in searches, through those privacy settings. As part of Facebook’s advertising system, their primary means of generating revenue, Beacon sent dat a from other companies and websites to Facebook, in hopes of permitting certain ads and Facebook users to communicate their activities with their online friends, some of the activities being circulated through the Facebook user’s newsfeed.The service creates controversy shortly after its launch because of apprehensions concerning privacy and in November of 2007 a group, MoveOn. org, generated a group on Facebook and an online petition requiring that Facebook cease to circulate user activity from other websites without clear and obvious permission. Within fewer than ten days, the group obtained 50,000 members. Following a lawsuit, Beacon then changed to accommodate these requests. On December 5, 2007, Facebook declared it would allow users to choose not to participate in Beacon in which the owner of Facebook apologized for the dispute. Carlson, 2010). Relevant Information Although Facebook, and other social media sites, are very public in the data users can opt to share, Beaco n took away a user’s right to choose what would become public. In doing so, they violated user’s rights. This caused a dilemma for the Facebook media giant because they generate revenues through advertisements, which keeps its services free for users. They had to formulate a way to keep their partners, who used Beacon to promote their businesses, while still maintaining a sensible amount of privacy for its users. McCarthy, 2007) It was this right to choose privacy that enabled Facebook to differentiate itself from other social media giants, such as MySpace, in the first place. How Facebook chose to come to a resolution would affect many of the stakeholders in the company. The primary stakeholders that would be affected by this decision would be the Facebook Company, who would want to still generate revenue while still providing this free service for its users, and its users, who wanted to ensure the privacy of their profiles.Other stakeholders would include advertising companies, who would want to reach the vast amount of Facebook users and increase the visibility of their brand. Other social media sites would be stakeholders, as well, because they could gain the users that Facebook would lose if they did not fix the dilemma, and generate profits as an end result. (Phillips, 2007) Possible Alternatives When approaching a solution to this ethical dilemma, Facebook had a couple alternative decisions they could make.They could leave the Beacon system as it was, they could change the Beacon feature to accommodate requests, or they could delete the feature all together. Leaving the Beacon feature as it was would have had negative consequences for the company. They would likely feel mass criticism from its users who felt their privacy was violated. With a plethora of free social media sites available to the public, Facebook would risk losing a vast amount of membership and, thus, lose money. The second option Facebook had was to completely get rid of t he Beacon feature.If they chose this option, they would likely have to find a new way to compensate for the revenue that would be lost by doing so. Remember, the main way Facebook was able to keep its services free to users, was to generate revenue through advertisements. In deleting the Beacon feature, Facebook would have to charge on one end: through users or advertisers. Either way, it would be a large amount of revenue that would have to be compensated for in the short time it would take to get rid of the Beacon feature.The last choice Facebook had would be to modify the Beacon feature to accommodate the requests of those who felt it violated their privacy. Doing so would be an attempt to balance the needs of the Facebook Company as well as the users who felt they needed a greater sense of privacy when dealing with the Beacon feature. Appropriate Standards If the Facebook Company was to use the various ethical approaches to determine which option was best in determining how to s olve their issue, one option would prove most logical. Under the utilitarian approach, choosing to keep the Beacon feature would not be the best decision to make.Under the utilitarian approach, the best course of action would be the one that contributes to the greatest amount of overall happiness. The first option, keeping Beacon how it was, in the end, would only make the Facebook Company and the advertisers happy. Because the sheer volume of consumers greatly outweighs that of the advertisers and solely the Facebook Company, it would not comply with the Utilitarian Approach. The second option, however, would include changing the Beacon feature to allow users to choose to participate or opt out of using the feature.This would allow the partnership between advertisers, Facebook, and its users, without having to take drastic measures. In the end, with this option, more would be satisfied, making it the best choice under this ethical approach. The third option of deleting the Beacon f eature would satisfy users who were concerned about their privacy, but it would leave Facebook with the daunting task of finding new ways to generate revenue. Basically, it would leave one side satisfied, and the other with a great burden.Therefore, this option would not be best under this approach. (Anderson, 2004) Implementation of Alternative As stated above, the most ethical course of action would be to modify the Beacon feature to satisfy both the needs of its users and the advertisers that use the feature. This alternative would include creating a method for users to either choose to participate in the program and also provide its users with all pertinent information relating to the Beacon feature so that users could make an informed decision regarding their participation with the program.This second option proved to be the best course of action because despite the fact that the different goals stakeholders have, they all had one common one: to keep Facebook running. Facebook would have to produce income to maintain its functionality as a free social media site to its users. Modifying the Beacon feature would enable Facebook to use the Beacon feature, but also enable its users to make an educated decision to permit the feature to monitor their internet activity. This meets the solution for the ethical dilemma and satisfies all sides.In order for Facebook to implement these changes, they would need to quickly act to enlighten all potential stakeholders of the changes to the Beacon feature. Beacon would need to be completely reshaped to enable Facebook users to have an obvious process to choose to participate, or not, in the service. They also would need to create incentives so that users would want to opt into the Beacon feature. The Facebook Company would need to reach out to all advertisers to devise a way to reach the users of Facebook without the initial problem of violating their privacy.Reflection The immediate outcome that comes to mind would be th e satisfaction of the users who felt their rights to privacy were violated. This would have a positive impact on the Facebook Company’s image. It would show that Facebook is a company that cares about its users and not just one that cares about its bottom line. The option of modifying the Beacon feature would be one that the Facebook Company could be proud of. This choice, following the Utilitarian Approach, maximizes the happiness of the most people involved overall.One potential outcome that is unintended would be the future demands that could come. Because Facebook saw the potential consequences of unhappy users, they quickly devised a way to satisfy the needs of these users. Consequently, the next time they implement a feature that makes its users unhappy, they may have to deal with the demands that might be enforced later. Overall, the Beacon feature was more than a feature that made users unhappy; it actually violated one of their fundamental rights: their right to priv acy.Facebook’s overall reasons for changing the feature spanned farther than just making users happy, it dealt with compliance with the law, so I feel that the positive outcomes from the change will outweigh any potential negative outcomes in the future. References Facebook. In (2012). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Facebook Facebook beacon. In (2012). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Facebook_Beacon Martin, K. (n. d. ). Facebook (a): Beacon and privacy. Corporate Ethics, Retrieved from http://www. corporate-ethics. org/publications/case-studies/ McCarthy, C. (2007).Facebook announces modifications to beacon advertising program. CNET, Retrieved from http://news. cnet. com/8301-13577_3-9826724-36. html Carlson, N. (2010). The full story of how facebook was founded. Business Insider, Retrieved from http://www. businessinsider. com/how-facebook-was-founded-2010-3 Phillips, S. (2007, July 24). A brief history of facebook. The Guar dian, Retrieved from http://www. guardian. co. uk/technology/2007/jul/25/media. newmedia Anderson, K. (2004). Probe ministries. Retrieved from http://www. probe. org/site/c. fdKEIMNsEoG/b. 4224805/k. B792/Utilitarianism_The_Greatest_Good_for_the_Greatest_Number. htm

Sunday, September 29, 2019

How Psychological Theories Have Been Used in Beer

When they see a person carrying a bottle of beer and the soft toy, they will Immediately apprehend IM without any questions asked. Back In the police station, the policemen would be enjoying the beer, which they had confiscated, while the Innocent customers would be miserably locked up In the cell. Similarly, this commercial Is supposedly targeted at adults, those who are above 8 years of age, since they are allowed to drink. However, everyone is again allowed to view the commercial for humor purposes.Our group will also be doing comparisons of the two beer commercials in terms of the psychological theories used and other dissimilarities worth mentioning. 2) Theory Reviews 2. ) Learning Theory There are basically three theories to learning, I) Classical conditioning II) Operant conditioning Ill) Observational learning Classical controlling Is the type of controlling that makes use of a stimulus that, before controlling, does not naturally bring about the response of Interest and a st imulus that brings about interest without having being learned.A good example loving it† makes it a top choice fast-food outlet that most people will patronize. The slogan in this case plays the role of a natural stimulus whereas Macdonald fast-food outlet is the unconditioned stimulus. Upon hearing the â€Å"I'm loving it† slogan, the sign of Macdonald fast-food outlet will appear unknowingly to our mind. Operant conditioning is a type of conditioning, which a voluntary response is strengthened or weakened, depending on its favorable or unfavorable consequences. An example will be that of a Wall's ice-cream advertisement.With attractive offers like, buy 3 for the price of 2 or even free gifts being given away for each tub of ice- cream brought. Observational learning is learning through observing the behavior of another person called a model. A good example will be that of a coca cola drink advertisement. In most of the coca cola drink advertisement, there will be peop le drinking the coca cola drink itself and they will reveal a very refreshing and cooling expression when they finish drinking a drink and by seeing that after drinking that can of coca cola drink, it will bring about a refreshing and cooling sensation to a person.Out of these three learning theories, only the classical conditioning and the observational learning are being applied to the beer commercials. This commercial uses the Classical Conditioning theory. Most people would not normally associate beer with singing. But after being exposed to the commercial for mom time, a person would actually remembers the Heinlein beer commercial, and hopefully proceed to buy the beer. When a person watches the commercial for the first time, he/she will acquire the impression that the singing has nothing to do with the beer.However, the tastiness, â€Å"It seems some people didn't take the last Heinlein commercial seriously. † And â€Å"Remember, buy Heinlein or we'll keep running thes e commercials,† actually reveals the whole intention of the commercial. So eventually, they will associate the beer with the horrible singing. Scrabbles This commercial uses the Observational Learning. Firstly, when the customer buy the beer and gets a free toy, a person may also follow suit. The idea of an incentive or free-gift' appeals very much to us Singapore who are very ‘kiss' or have the â€Å"don't want to lose out â€Å"attitude.So, when the customer is being apprehended by the police, gets locked up in a cell, and even having his beer confiscated, the observational learning still comes into play. This occurs when the policemen themselves drink the confiscated beer, giving them the impression that beers are better than diamonds. Therefore, giving viewers the notion that they should also buy Comparison The use of observational learning is more effective compared to classical conditioning. This is because the influences of an authoritative figure I. E. The poli cemen are brought into the picture. Therefore, it reinforces the observational learning.Like mentioned earlier, policemen are people of authority, therefore, if they were to do something that is generally not proper, which is in this case, drinking the confiscated beer, their actions would actually be socially accepted since they are people who are of higher authority than a normal civilian would be. The use of classical conditioning as a comparatively weaker impact to the audience in contrast to the use of observational learning. Since the stimulus of classical conditioning does not naturally bring about the response or interest to the beer, it can easily be forgotten if it is not reinforced.One-way for Heinlein to resolve this problem is to keep on playing the commercial. However, they would have to bear the costs incurred, and not forgetting, the contempt from irritated viewers who are forced to view the annoying commercial over and over again. 3. 2 Memory theory For this commerc ial, under the psychological theory of Memory, it â€Å"attacks† the ewer's sensory memory, specifically the Echoic Memory. Thus, it makes the viewer able to react to the annoying singing by remembering the commercial better since it is using the audio element to etch the product into the viewer's minds.The audio element is supposedly the most prominent sensory element of the commercial. Hence, the commercial will be played over and over again in the viewers' mind. The point is, the viewer does not even have to view the commercial visually to have the desired impact of the commercial on the viewer. As mentioned before, the audio element is the strongest agenda of the whole commercial. For this commercial, using the same psychological theory of Memory, the commercial is appealing to the viewer's sensory memory, especially the Iconic Memory to remember the product.As can be seen, we can work out with an example from the commercial that, the when the man buys the bottle of Scrab bles beer, and the cashier hands the buyer a soft toy, saying that it is a gift from buying the beer. â€Å"diamonds†, and the beer was confiscated along with him. Also, the makers of the commercial â€Å"attacks† the viewer's minds in which that they ill remember that the buying the Scrabbles beer is so good that, the police officers are enjoying themselves so much.Since the policemen, as mentioned, are people with authority, drinking the Scrabbles beers that they confiscated are seemingly more significant. This also portrays a powerful signal that the beer can even tempt the authorities under work obligations. Hence, such actions are being socially accepted, therefore, the viewer's implicit memory would subconsciously steer the viewer to buy Scrabbles beer. Both uses the same sensory theory and the only different is one, echoic and another, conic.Most commercial uses the echoic memory to remember, which in the Heinlein commercial you do not even need to use your eyes to watch and Just hear the songs they are singing is enough to serve the purpose. 3. 3) Motivation Theory Motivation is the factor that directs and invigorates the behavior of humans. Often, human motivation is driven by the intention, or arousal of achieving a goal. Primary drive are related to the biological needs that often helps to fulfill our basic needs, whereas secondary drive are prior to experience and learning that has no direct impact on our biological needs.In the two commercial that we have chosen, we can say that both commercials applies the secondary drive as both brings out the needs of a person to drink beer brought about by previous experience or learning. The main aim of the commercials that we have chosen was to motivate and attract the viewers to drink the respective brand of beer. Suggests that motivation stems from the desire to obtain valued external goals. The commercial started off with a seemly strange tagging – at least it is not common in most co mmercials that we see nowadays. It says, â€Å"It seems some people didn't take the last Heinlein commercial seriously.Although viewers might first think the commercial is trying to reprimand them, but it is actually indirectly motivating viewers to direct their attention on the commercial, simply because they do not want to be wrongly accused of â€Å"not taking commercial or anything seriously' and end off with a message when they got the attention by saying, â€Å"Remember, buy Heinlein, or we'll keep on running these commercials. † This suggests the determination shown by the commercial in motivating viewers to at least try the product, and that reignites the desire of consumers to obtain the beer – external goals.Furthermore, it also intends to serve as a constant reminder to consumers to realize their highest potential through drinking Heinlein instead of other brand of beer. Scrabbles In the second commercial, more than one approach can be applied to the adver tisement. Arousal Approach explains the increase of the stimulation and activity where people are willing to take the risk of getting caught by the police when purchasing the Scrabbles beer. Incentive Approach motivates people to buy Scrabbles beer, even the police whom are seen as protectors of the local people themselves are drinking Scrabbles.Hence, the impact and motivation, the local people receive when they revere to the police gives them the desire to obtain the same beer as their ‘protectors'. For Cognitive Approaches, the intrinsic motivation shows that the people are willing to buy the Scrabbles beer as it stimulates excitement for their own enjoyment whereas the extrinsic motivation, recognize the effort and give the soft toy as a reward. The need for affiliation was also applied on this commercial, the people who have seen the commercial will tend to follow what the police officers do because as the law enforcer, they themselves are drinking the confiscated Scrabbl es.Therefore, drinking Scrabbles would be seen as a gateway in establishing bilateral ties and maintaining relationship with the police. This commercial also motivates the viewers to realize their sense of self-actualization, the state of self-fulfillment, which is the highest level of Mascots Hierarchy, in which people realize their highest potentials, as the Scrabbles beer is now within their reach. Both commercials in this case use different styles and strategies in motivating consumers to purchase their products.In the Heinlein commercial, it uses the reverse psychological principles whereby it is indirectly motivating consumers to buy the Heinlein beer and it consists of symbol captions, which enable the viewers to establish inner thoughts to achieve constant memory of the product as well as incur the desire to try or even have the product. As for the Scrabbles commercial, it uses a more direct style and hence is clearer to understand. It motivates consumers as it consists of v arious theories of motivation, which gives several different perspectives on motivation.Furthermore, it adds a lot of humbly into the commercial that requires consumers to reflect on the purpose of the commercial and what it signifies. For example, firstly the diamonds are hidden in the soft toy, and the police confiscate the toy containing the ‘stolen diamonds' together with the Scrabbles beer. One scene where the innocent customers are trapped within a cell gives the impression of being ‘locked'. However, at the same time, the policemen are having a great time enjoying the confiscated beer.Hence, the Juxtaposition of the two agendas is basically trying to reinforce the point hat, without the beer, you would be miserable as signified by the customers being locked up and feeling miserable, yet at the same time, when you have the beer, you would be at the top of the mountain as portrayed by the policemen merrily drinking away. These metaphors and symbols are worth looking into as they indirectly motivate viewers to buy the beer and act as an unconscious motivation tool. 3. 4) Social Psychology Theory This commercial uses the Persuasion Theory. It is a process of changing attitude.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Can negotiations occur without trust

Can negotiations occur without trust BY Richer The nature of negotiation and its process constitutes a number of various factors that leads to an effective or ineffective process and outcome. One of the primary purposes of a negotiation is to come an agreement with another party by exchanging offers and to find solutions to a common issue, â€Å"whenever we cannot achieve our objectives single-heartedly' (Thompson, 2009).Some believe that in order to conduct a negotiation, trust is an utmost important factor as negotiators depend on the information provided by the other party, on the outcomes to which the parties omit throughout the negotiation process, and on the other party to deliver the commitments (Licked, Poplin, 2013). This essay aims to discuss whether trust is a precondition for negotiation. As such, it will attempt to reach to a deeper understanding of trust in a negotiation, before understanding how it may influence the outcome, and whether a negotiation may take place be tween us and the people whom we do not trust.Examples of trust and distrust within negotiations are given, before the essay will conclude with reasons why it is impossible to successfully negotiate with people whom we do not trust. Trust is commonly defined as a confident and positive expectation of the actions of another party (Lessons, Smith, 2012). Trusting gives us the assumption that the other party would meet the expectation by considering our welfare and honoring their commitment towards the agreement.Trust in negotiations, like in any other independent relationships, is characterized by dependency and vulnerability to the other party. Trust in this case, according to Lessons, implies to the positive expectation to sought common solutions to create value, integrate interests, and find mutually beneficial solutions (Lessons, Smith, 2012). This brings us to the characteristic of an integrative negotiation, which seeks to create value and achieving joint gains. In such cases, ne gotiators are in dependence to each or one another for the sharing or exchange of information.According to Licked and Poplin, even though a negotiator may have a certain level of doubt in the other party, he or she still has to have at least a bit of trust, otherwise, it may be impossible to accept anything the other party says at face value or reach a viable agreement (Licked, Poplin, 2013). As a result, being constantly afraid and doubtful with what is being shared would not low us to take a step further. This is further aggravated by the fact that negotiators may not be able to verify the received information.Here, trust is more about acceptance rather than further scrutiny and serves as stepping-stones to have an exchange of information during the negotiation process. Without trust, we are not able to move on further to create solutions and agreements based on the information received. As such, the negotiation is impossible to proceed further due to an absence of trust. In a neg otiation, many parties tend to focus on positions, not interests. The relevance f how interests could halt a negotiation seems to interlink with the problem of having trust.If we do not trust the other party, we lack an openness to share our objectives and understand their interests in the negotiation. In an example of the story shared by (Fisher, Our, 2006), two men were in conflict in a library as one wanted the window open and the other wanted it closed. Both could not come to an agreement on how much to leave the window open. When a third party, the librarian asked why both mean wanted it closed or open, one shared that he wanted to get fresh air, but the other wanted to avoid the draft (Fisher, Our, 2006).Here, we can see how both men focused on the position, the â€Å"what†, and not each other's interests, the â€Å"why'. As such, we can see that without understanding each other's interest, both men came into conflict and could not negotiate on a solution. As a result, it then becomes virtually impossible to really identify or appreciate the problem that actually needs to be addressed (Fisher, Our, 2006). To build on this, trust is extremely important as it serves as a foundation for understanding each other's interest before working on the solutions or agreements.Without trust, both parties will not seek to understand each other, and end up being fixated on their positions due to their own interests. This prevents both parties to successfully negotiate on the issue. In order to negotiate, trust is important in order to avoid retaliation due to a conflict of views and ideas. Without trust, every solution and idea will be met with suspicion and skepticism. This lack of trust not only inhibits cooperation and successful negotiation, it may also result in retaliation that causes the escalation of conflict (Coleman, et al. 2000). In addition, according to (Kramer, 1994), this may even result n paranoid cognitions in which one may feel that he or she is subject to the other party malevolence. These perceptions may then drive him or her to the point of hyper vigilance and rumination, resulting in a faulty diagnosis of the result of working with the other party (Licked, 2006). As such, conflicts would then arise, as the negotiator would increasingly focus on his or her position, and end up reluctant to come into agreement.The negotiation will then come to an impasse as both sides end up using their negative perceptions to retaliate each other, causing the conflict to escalate beyond control. As explained above, trust seems to be indispensable in order to negotiate. However, according to a writer Bonnie Change, claiming trust is necessary for all negotiation seem to be an overstatement as the significance of trust is culture and context specific (Change, 2009). In her example of how two people may conduct a negotiation without trust, she gave a scenario of negotiation with hostage- takers.A negotiator and a hostage-taker do not kno w each other and thus, will not have any trust between them. However, both of them may still engage in a negotiation to lay down the benefits of letting the hostage go. The negotiator's main objective is to talk the hostage-taker into revealing information about him or herself, and find out what kind of concessions to make for the release of the hostage. The hostage-taker's main objective is to use the hostage to obtain what he or she needs, including the escape from the crime.The succession of the negotiation in such cases are a result of the weight of the gains and losses, depending on which side has more power to influence the outcome. For example, if the hostage were to be a high profile person, the hostage-taker would have more power to negotiate through to his or her wants. Therefore, through this example, negotiations may occur even though both parties do not trust each other. According to (Choc, 2013), should there be no trust between two parties, relying on formal legal mec hanisms such as preparing contracts are constructive ways to proceed with a negotiation.These formalized documents remind people of what they had agreed upon and serves as documentation, minimizing miscommunication that may occur if a deal is made based on fertilization. Creation of such agreements usually requires elaborate consequences and penalties for violating the terms of agreement (Licked, Poplin, 2013). These consequences of violation commonly includes penalties such as monetary compensations and mechanisms such as law and the police force will be brought in to become part of the system of enforcement, should any agreements be violated.With a contract to force people to keep to a certain agreement, trust is not required in order for a negotiation to occur. We meet new people everyday, and sometimes, negotiations may occur whether or not we know the person. Of course, trust is not immediately established. Rather, like impressions, our Judgments of trustworthiness can occur ra pidly at the start of a stagnation. This trustworthiness may result from what the negotiator has learned about the other party's reputation. For example, if I wanted to buy something for a shop owner for the first time, I will naturally exhibit skepticism in the shop owner and the quality of the goods.However, if I see a crowd at the shop with people snapping up the items, naturally, I would have the trust in the shop owner that the goods sold would be good. Here, we can see how the reputation of a person may easily create trust in us, towards the other party, even if we were to be meeting for the first time. In addition, many negotiations seek trust as the objective and continue to build trust throughout the negotiation process. In the example of the negotiation with a hostage taker, the negotiator and hostage-taker may have not trust between each other at the very start.However, along the way, trust is built when both sides seek to understand the concessions that they can make, in order to gain what they want. While these initial impressions may also change as a negotiation unfolds, they create a powerful frame for interpreting the other party behavior and also provide a heuristic for duding negotiators' strategy choices (Lessons, Smith, 2012). As such, trust is important to keep a negotiation process going, and it is definitely an important factor to determine the relationship and outcome of the negotiation with the other party.As such, we cannot negotiate with people whom we do not trust. Earlier, contract binding was mentioned as a way where negotiation may occur even if there is no trust between two parties. Here, it is true that the two parties may have no personal trust in each other. However, according to Shapiro, even if there may be o personal trust, an institutional trust, also known as trust in a system, is what is present, leading to the creation of contract making (Shapiro et al. , 1992). With a trust in the legal enforcement system, it also cre ates a deterrence-based trust in order for a negotiation to proceed.Shapiro further added that this is a basic and ‘minimal condition' of trust in all negotiations (Shapiro et al. , 1992). This depends on the consistency in behavior and the threat of punishment if they do not maintain their promises to a certain commitment, and violate the documented agreements. In edition, it also depends on the gains for adhering to the agreements, such as rewards. Thus, the mentioned forms of trust will still be present even if we may have no personal trust.According to (Licked, 2000), even the most complex and sophisticated formal contract cannot stipulate every detail or possible contingency about the deal. Therefore, having personal trust in the other party is still critical. Without personal trust, a negotiation would not occur. This essay aims to discuss whether it is possible to negotiate with people whom we do not trust. Trust in this case, refers to having a positive expectation of the other arty and allowing ourselves to be dependent and vulnerable to the other party.There may seem to be cases where we may not have personal trust in a person and yet will still be able to negotiate. However, as mentioned in the essay, it may seem that trust is not present, but we may have a different form of trust, an institutionalized trust and most definitely, a deterrence based trust to ensure that we do not fall victim to breaches in agreements. The essay may show that it requires trust to form only cooperative agreements. However, likewise in competitive negotiations, it can still occur as deterrence based trust will be present to ensure hat agreements are not breached.As mentioned in the essay, without trust, we will only focus on our own objectives and interests and thus, will not allow the other party to gain anything. As a result, the negotiation will only come to an impasse if agreements cannot be made. In addition, without trust, we will be suspicious and skeptical of the information that is shared with us. This causes us to develop paranoid conditions and result in a conflict instead of being able to negotiate. To conclude, it is certainly critical to have some form of trust in a negotiation. However, it s also good to have relative trust, rather than an absolute trust.Having a fair share of distrust will definitely help us draw caution to what concessions we make. Ultimately, we cannot negotiate with people we do not trust at all. Trust will enable both parties to reach a solution that is needed or accepted by both sides, when we are not able to achieve them on our own.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Measuring the Sensitivity of a Bond's Price to Changes in the Market Essay

Measuring the Sensitivity of a Bond's Price to Changes in the Market Interest Rates - Essay Example On the other hand, bonds issued by companies are used for long term financing of the firm since they mature after a long period of time, usually more than ten years. Coupons are mostly paid out twice in a year but some could be payable once in a year. On maturity of a given bond, the bondholders are entitled to the principal amount initially invested at the present value at maturity. A bond may be issued at a discount or at a premium. If it is issued at a discount, the amount realized from such an issue is less than the face value of the bond. This occurs mostly when the interest rates of the bonds are low; therefore the government or the firms have to induce investors to invest in such a bond by lowering the prices of the bonds. On the other hand, if the amounts of funds realized from a bond issue are more than the face value of the bond, the bond is said to have been issued at a premium. This mostly occurs when the rates of return of the bond in question are relatively high and the bond is expected to yield some high returns in terms of the coupons. Investors will take into account the high amount of returns expected in the future and many will be interested in buying the bonds. These investors will be willing to pay a higher price for the bond, higher than the bonds face value. A bond’s price will change with changes in the market interest rate. There are different reasons for the changes in price. One of the most significant reasons is the fact that increase in market price denotes a higher rate of return on a given bond. Investors will inject their funds in an investment that has potential of yielding maximum returns for them. Given that they are rational individuals, the investors will rank a bond with a high rate of return at a higher position in their priorities of investment. This will drive the price of the bond up since the demand for it has gone up. This leads to the bond being issued at high price. The sensitivity of a bond’s price to interest rate movements is dependent on the bonds characteristics (Madura 2001). This is clearly the case since there are many kinds of bonds and each of them exhibit different unique characteristics according to its nature. Some of these unique characteristics are the different maturity periods. Some bonds mature after only ten years while others might mature at thirty years. The frequencies at which bonds pay out coupons also differ accordingly. The convex relationship between bond price and yield illustrates that the changes in prices for a given change in interest rates is not constant and nor is it identical, for all but very small amounts, for both upward and downward change in yields (Cima 2000). The two common methods of assessing the sensitivity of a bond to a change in the required rate of return on bonds are: Bond price elasticity Duration The above methods are computed as follows: 1. Bond price elasticity The sensitivity of bond prices to changes in the required rate of return is commonly measured by the bond price elasticity (Madura 2001). The computation is given as follows; Pc = percentage change in p / percentage change in k where; Pc is the bond price elasticity P is the bond price K is the required rate of return This method is significant especially when measuring the sensitivity of a bonds price on the market inter

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Sex Education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sex Education - Research Paper Example Children are curious about sex.† (Sex Education at Home). The changing social and cultural conditions have made a huge impact on the minds of the people and more so among teenagers. There are a lot of issues pertaining to the development of teenagers particularly with regard to their sexual development. One of the most commonly encountered problems by the teenagers of today deals with their sexual desires and the age at which it is expressed. Teen pregnancy has also risen worldwide over the years which is mainly attributed to the lack of knowledge about abstaining from sex at very young age and the precautions that can be taken if in case they engage in sex. Teenage pregnancy is associated with the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, low-birth weight children, and in addition also affects the studies and subsequent career of teenagers. This has resulted in an increased dependence on sex education to help young children learn about sex (Rector and Johnson). With the rapid gro wth in information, the term sex is being often used in today’s world. ... One of the major recent problems associated with early expression of sexual desires is teen pregnancy. These issues have stressed the need and importance of sex education both at home and educational institutions in order to ensure good reproductive health and general wellbeing of children. Sex education in schools becomes even more warranted in cases where parents do not have appropriate education and resources to guide their children. It is the moral right of every child, especially girls, to be provided with sex education as it will help to prevent unwarranted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and conditions such as suicide (Gabriela Women’s Party). It has been widely believed that youth should abstain from making decisions about their sexual preferences until they are at least 18 years of age or in other words till they complete their high school as research suggest that such children are able to perform better in their academics and are less likely to become scho ol-drop outs. It has been shown that children expelled from school due to the poor performance are less likely to do well in their life as they are left with little success in all their endeavors (Rector and Johnson). This has led to an increased focus on sex education for children right from a young age. Many people have argued against detailed sex education for children with the fear that they may negatively influence them. However, frightening people about sex and sexual practices have not helped them understand the morality of sex. â€Å"Attempts to impose narrow moralistic views about sex and sexuality on young people through sex education have failed.† Only

The results of the US involvement in Iraq Research Paper

The results of the US involvement in Iraq - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, the US invasion on Iraq has been considered as one of the most momentous and controversial foreign policy decisions that have ever been made by the American government. Different scholars and political analysts of the world have been divided over the explanation of the American war on Iraq. With a group of them agreeing that it was necessary to maintain world peace by silencing Iraq while the other group finds it unnecessary and a war that had a different motive than just maintaining the world peace. Today, effects of American presence in this country and the impacts of the invasion are still evident. It would be observed that the leadership in Iraq was transformed from dictatorship to democracy a government where the Iraqi citizens had more influence on policies of the government. Also, the presence of America in Middle East helped contain the major militant gangs of the world; Taliban and Al-Qaida; a great step towards uplifting the lives of the different citizens of Iraq and Middle East. But did this solve the Iraqi problem of leadership? Was the government established Democratic? Did this end terror in the region? Iraqi together with several other nations of Middle East today is perceived to be home to the most brutal and dangerous militia group in the world-ISIS. This brutal group has continued to violate the universality of the human rights as stipulated under the UN Human Right Convention of 1948. Now, do we blame America for going in Iraq or do we blame the extremists in Iraq? These are few of the questions that linger in the minds of many individuals today. The truth is that America has had a stake in what is happening in Iraq and the presence of America in Iraq is what has resulted to both the emergence of al-Maliki system of governance and the rise of militia groups in Iraq. This research paper seeks to establish the effects of America presence in Iraq and its influence on the emergence of al-Maliki governance and militia groups in

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Multinational Enterprise (U.S.A) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Multinational Enterprise (U.S.A) - Essay Example With a total area of 9,831, 513 square kilometers (Census bureau, 311), the United States is the third largest country in the world after Canada and the Russian Federation. The large stretch across the North American continent makes the country experience different kinds of climate and thus different types of vegetation. The region is thus a home to various species of plants and animals. This is a contribution towards being the country with the largest economy in the world. According to Population Reference Bureau (para.1), the US â€Å"is the third most populous country in the world after China and India† (See Appendix 2). The 2010 population census showed a figure of about 308 million and the population is currently estimated to be about 311 million (Population Reference Bureau, para.1; US Census Bureau, para.1). The population consists of individuals from diverse culture due to the slave trade that brought individuals from across the world into the country in the middle of the second millennium. There are Americans of African, Asian, Spanish, Mexican, or French origins that came into the country either as the conquerors or as slaves that were brought in to promote the agrarian and industrial revolution that was already taking place in the region. The presence of different cultures in the United States also led to different languages being spoken in the country. English is the most popular language in the country (Schmidt, 1). There are other languages like French, German, Spanish, and many others spoken in the country (See Appendix 1). For some period after the Second World War, a Cold War was experienced between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. USA was and remains to be a capitalist state whereas USSR was a communist state. The two federal states were fighting for allies from different countries and the power to monopolize the economy of the world. Each of the countries had expertise in the development of war weapons and was a threat to each other’s power to rule the world. The collapse of the Soviet Union in early 1990s led to the emergence of the United States as the worlds’ super power. Introduction A multinational enterprise (MNE) or Multinational Corporation (MNC) is an organization that operates or conducts business across two or more countries. The company produces its products and services and delivers the products/services to different countries. The organization usually has its central place of operations (the head quarter) located in one country called the home country and operates in other countries referred to as host nations. As globalization increases with an increase in competition in the local and global markets, most large organizations strive to establish themselves in other countries that perhaps may have better market opportunities, availability of materials for the production of the products or cheap labor that reduces the cost of production. The increased deregul ation and liberalization of local markets across the globe has attracted foreign investors into other countries in search of new market opportunities, raw materials that are readily available and cheap labor in these regions. In many cases, the developed nations are the source countries for most of the foreign direct investment as they have well established

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Preators in Roman Law vs Equity in English law Essay

Preators in Roman Law vs Equity in English law - Essay Example This essay stresses that English law remains uncodified just like Roman law, but there exists a vast legal framework comprised of records of cases and the legal principles on which decisions have been made. Therefore one of the most important contributions made by both Roman and English law have been in the maintenance of accurate, meticulous and detailed records f the cases in question. This helps to not only elaborate and consolidate established legal principles for the benefit of future legal personnel, but it also serves as a record for historical purposes. The maintenance of such written records have also been the cause for the initiation of reforms as necessary, when the precedents are found to be inapplicable and are overturned by fresh precedents, which was also done in the same manner in Roman law. This paper makes a conclusion that the Preators made a substantial contribution to the development of equitable, time tested principles that would be able to withstand the test of time. In a similar manner, English law has also made a substantial contribution to furthering the cause of law by introducing measures of equity when the medieval judges began to rely too much on precedent. Thereby by a judicious mix of the old and the new, the current legal system is continuing to evolve, retaining those principles that are worthwhile and rejecting those that are outdated by replacing them with new precedents, to further the cause of justice.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Juvenile Rights at Time of Arrest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Juvenile Rights at Time of Arrest - Essay Example Juveniles that have left their parents’ home without their guardians’ consent and others that are endangered by the surroundings in any way may also be arrested through the Court’s order. However, certain requirements need to be met while arresting the juveniles (Anne Arundel County, 2010, p. 1). Juveniles are to be granted all Constitutional rights that are conventionally meant for adults. The precautions and safety measures laid out for adult prisoner transportation are equally applicable on the juvenile prisoners. The parents of juvenile offender are supposed to be immediately notified of their child’s arrest. If they can not somehow be reached, then the arresting officer needs to inform the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) (Anne Arundel County, 2010, p. 1). There are also time limits in detention for juvenile offenders. No juvenile is supposed to be held any more than 6 hrs. In case, the detention time exceeds 6 hrs, the DJS again needs to be noti fied of that. This is where juvenile offenders are considerably leveraged as compared to the adult offenders.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Paper on Haroun and the Sea of Stories Essay Example for Free

Paper on Haroun and the Sea of Stories Essay A tale of adventure can pertain to an individual’s journey, whether it is a story in which the character physically journeys from one place to another, or a story encompassing a journey within the character. Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and The Sea of Stories takes readers on a journey of their own as they experience the enchanting tale of a young boy, Haroun, and his heroic journey from one realm to another. In a way, this story amounts to the structure of the standard hero’s journey, however revising the structured way the series of events unfolds. Characteristic of a hero’s myth, Haroun is an ordinary young boy at the beginning of the novel. His father tells stories, yet never comes forth with a legitimate explanation of their creation. As it turns out, the stories that Haroun’s father has told are in fact magically gathered from a different world than is known to ordinary man. Haroun encounters the magical water genie that provides his father with his flow of stories. This water genie notes the beginning of a profound journey between different worlds and environments, working to spark realizations and character evolvement. The mystical world created by Rushdie envelops the reader as the context lays out incredible imagery—immense enough to pull one into its story like a harsh tide could pull back into the sea. A mythic hero journey typically begins with an ordinary character, called to adventure for one reason or another. In Rushdie’s work, Haroun embodies this heroic character, when he realizes he is at fault for his father’s inability to continue with story telling. When he encounters the water genie, the genie becomes his mentor in a sense—bringing him from the ordinary world to his magical world of stories, where Haroun will be able to save his father’s stories. The reader becomes increasingly aware of Haroun’s motive and drive when he drinks a certain wishwater and sees his father’s face in his mind: â€Å"just do this one thing for me, my boy, just this one little thing† (Rushdie, 70). With this motivation, Haroun proclaims himself a hero for a cause—his father. However, as the story progresses, he becomes all the more heroic as the story land is faced with problems of its own and Haroun steps in to help. Haroun crosses into a new realm, as a hero would in a mythic story, yet does so without knowing his ultimate cause. Furthermore, a standard hero typically has a point in which he doubts going on the journey or quest. This becomes a waiting period in which the hero is depressed or setback. Haroun experiences his setbacks in different ways, which revises the natural alignment of the hero tale. He faces a problem in which he cannot focus for more than eleven minutes, and because of this cannot focus enough to effectively use his mind. When he fails to make the wishwater useful, he feels like a failure, as typical for a hero at this point of doubt. However, this moment is quick and does not hold much significance until the end of the novel, when he can finally use his attention for beneficial outcome. A hero story is incomplete without an ultimate enemy and an army to help back the heroic cause. Through his journey, Haroun stays true to this plot of the heroic myth, and creates a set of allies when he explores this new world. He meets the bird Iff, the floating gardener Mali, the page Blabbermouth, and of course the water genie. After his allies have been collected, Haroun is made aware of the enemy: Kattham Shud. Upon hearing his name, â€Å"Haroun felt his blood run cold† (75). After the enemy has been pronounced, another journey is to be taken to rid the land of stories of its troubles. Haroun’s father somehow winds up on the second world and aids in this heroic feat. The story continues with multiple themes of the typical heroic myth, including the conquering of the enemy, a profound heroic moment and realization, and the return home. Haroun is still a young boy, but he has become a hero and has matured with the soul of a man. His accomplishments match those of a mythic hero story, yet they differ in the sense that he is a boy, and needs guidance and support from elders and those with more knowledge. Additionally, the story did not play out exactly how one would ordinarily unfold. However, this story of heroic accomplishment and inward stride is one representing a story of ultimate journey: both inward and outward.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Music as a Tool for Learning

Music as a Tool for Learning The teaching of music in Primary Schools is an area of education that has seen dramatic changes in the last few decades. From a situation where music teaching was almost non-existent in some schools, and where in others young children were frequently alienated from music by being banned from choirs or told they were ‘tone-deaf’, music is now strongly represented within the National Curriculum. Current thinking emphasises that there is no such thing as a completely unmusical child, and the curriculum has moved from an emphasis on performance – often for the relatively gifted only – and passive listening to encompass composition, performance and critical appraisal part of the musical education of every child. This study considers music within the broader context of Primary education, considering the benefits of integrating music into other areas of the curriculum, and looking at the implications for learning bearing in mind that music in itself has been linked with improved behaviour and concentration (Glover and Ward 1998: 14), and thus may be considered conducive to a desirable learning environment for all subjects, and, furthermore, to the social and mental well-being of Primary school children. The development of modern Primary music education can be traced back to the introduction of the National Curriculum in 1987, although music at the time was considered low priority, and was not included in the Curriculum until 1991. When the National Curriculum was introduced, many teachers questioned its viability: it moved away from the topic-based teaching which had embraced a number of subjects without specifying distinct areas such as history or music or language. It was felt that by focusing on the topic rather than specific academic subjects, lessons held more interest for children. However, a number of educationalists had criticised the topic-based approach because of its lack of objectives and limited focus on specific achievement, and the National Curriculum sought to address this. Today, best practice is considered to be somewhere between these two approaches: subjects are distinct from each other, but a focus on the links between different disciplines is encouraged, and it is in this environment that incorporating music into cross-curricular activities can be particularly beneficial. The past few decades have seen a significant change in the delivery of music education. The Plowden Report (1967) recognised the importance of ‘non-specialist’ teachers being able to deliver music teaching : â€Å"It is to the musical education of the teacher that attention must first be given†¦ Comparatively few primary schools†¦can, for some time to come, expect to have a music specialist as a full-time member of the staff and it is even doubtful whether a specialist responsible for most of the teaching is desirable. It is the musical education of the non-specialist which, in our view, is the key to the problem.†(Web link: Plowden Report para. 690) It was over two decades before this thinking began to be properly implemented. In the meantime, schools relied on music specialists –teachers who were trained musicians, almost always skilled pianists –and this led, at best, to a detachment of music-teaching from the rest of the curriculum, delivered by the class teacher, and, at worst (where a specialist was unavailable), marginalised or non-existent music education. The development of a National Curriculum for music which is intended to be delivered by classroom teachers without any music specialisation has allowed it to be linked with other work more easily.More significantly still, delivery by the class teacher who, through far more exposure to the class than the ‘once-a-week music teacher’,understands the dynamic of the class and the individual pupils’situations, enables that teacher to deliver music teaching in a way that engages the class more readily and meets their specific needs. In 1991, the National Curriculum for Music was developed quickly,with limited research and, in many areas of music teaching, no accepted‘good practice’ that could be incorporated into the plan. In 2000, anew National Curriculum for Music was introduced that could take account of what had been learnt through the 1990s. The announcement of the government’s Music Manifesto in July 2004 suggested a further commitment to music education, with the aim that every child should have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. Although this could be considered a move away from classroom music teaching, with the requirement for peripatetic instrumental teachers and the demands made on limited school time, the potential outcome is a future generation who consider a wide range of music to be part of their culture and experience, rather than something for their more gifted or more affluent classmates. In order to consider how music should be used across the Primary curriculum, some thought should be given to the ways in which children learn. There are various theories of learning: at the extremes are maturation, which suggests children should be left to learn through their own experiences, and behaviourism, which advocates learning through instruction from others. Many theories consider learning to be a combination of the two: Vygotsky’s theories reconcile the two approaches. Jean Piaget’s theories tend towards maturation and have been influential in education, though probably more so in the sciences than the arts. Through many years of observation, Piaget drew the conclusion that children establish a ‘framework’ within which they construct their vision of the world. As they experience something new, they try to explain it from the perspective of the framework (assimilation). Only if they cannot will their framework develop in some way(accommodation). Much of the experience Piaget considers should be self-generated and not instructional from teachers, parents or other authority figures. Piaget proposed four key stages of learning. For primary school teaching, the second and third stage are most relevant, covering the ages of around 2 to 7 (Pre-Operational) and around 7 to 11 (Concrete Operational) respectively. There is a lack of logic and a focus on the self in the Pre-operational stage, while in the Concrete operational stage, childr en are able to apply knowledge logically, manipulate information and understand the concept of others’ perceptions as well as their own. While Piaget’s theories are popular, many educators have reservations about them, particularly with regard to the specific age ranges linked to the stages. It is widely considered that such developments vary greatly in respect of age from child to child .Criticism of the Plowden Report has at times focused on its emphasis onPiagetian approaches (Gillard 2005). However, Piaget’s ideas are applied widely, including in music education, with its frequent focus on working together in ensembles (which helps develop understanding of others’ perspectives), or experimenting with the sounds that different classroom instruments can make (learning by experience). The behaviourist approach has lost favour in education: certainly in music, where it would be characterised by passive listening and instruction, it has been superceded by a more critical and analytical approach. Pavlov, famous for teaching dogs to salivate at the sound sofa bell, was a key figure in the development of behaviourist theory, and it has some place in musical education: for example, historical or cultural context of a piece of music is best explained by the teacher before pupils explore its musical qualities. Vygotsky’s theories, which suggest children learn by a combination of experience and instruction are perhaps more relevant to primary music education. Vygotsky took into account the social and cultural environment, particularly the influence of parents. He proposed that children’s development arose as a result of interactions with others. Vygotsky’s theories provide a link to theories regarding the learning of expression through the spoken word. A number of academic shave researched the area of music as a language which might be learned in a similar way to speech. In Barrett (1996), various research into the learning of oral language is explored to construct a framework in which successful learning of music might take place. Key to it is immersion: just as language is practiced all around the child, so too should music be, with parents demonstrating good practice as well as teachers. This parallels the Suzuki method of instrumental learning,where the parent learns alongside the child and reinforces at home what has been taught. Barrett endorses a method which leans towards maturation – â€Å"the learner is encouraged to assume responsibility for his own learning,with frequent opportunities provided for the continuous practice of skills† (Barrett 1996:72), with â€Å"the teacher available to assist when help is requested† (ibid). Yet there is also an element of behaviourism: â€Å"The experience of explaining, or teaching an item to another is often instrumental in clarifying the issues within the mind of the learner† (ibid: 69). In Mills’ exploration of the development of musical skills in the primary years (Mills 1996), a New Zealand study is discussed which supports Barrett’s theories. Through extensive fieldwork, Roger Bucktonfound that Polynesian children in New Zealand schools sung with moreconsistent vocal accuracy than those from European families. Millsattributes this to the difference in culture: â€Å"[Polynesian] children sing with their families and in church from anearly age. Children of European ethnic background†¦often arrive atschool with little background in singing.† (Mills 1996: 119) As will be seen, these various schools of thought have implications forboth the study of music and of other subjects, and hence forcross-curricular activity too. To consider music’s use across the curriculum, we must first consider its place as a subject in its own right. The National Curriculum addresses the following core areas: Performing skills: controlling sound through singing and playing Composing skills: creating and developing musical ideas Appraising skills: responding to and reviewing music Listening and applying knowledge and understanding. The scope of the National Curriculum for music is broad. By the end ofKey Stage 1, pupils are expected to reach a standard where they arecapable of organising sound, of using symbols to represent music, ofperforming with an awareness of others and of responding to the mood ofmusic. Beyond the practical, they are also expected to learn aboutvarious music from history and around the world – this provides auseful opportunity for cross-curricular work – and to understand thefunctions of music such as for dance, again offering cross-curricularopportunities. This kind of background knowledge continues to form a core part of thecurriculum at Key Stage 2, with the practical element further expandedthrough ICT, with the statutory requirement to â€Å"capture, change andcombine sounds†. Technological developments and greater affordabilitymean this is an area that has been practical to include in thecurriculum only in recent years, and for many teachers unfamiliar withmusic technology, this creates an additional challenge. However, it isagain a practical area to apply cross-curricular teaching in. At Key Stage 2, pupils are expected to develop a sense of musicalexpression along with more advanced ensemble skills. They should alsobe able to evaluate and suggest improvements to pieces of music by thetime they leave Primary School. This corresponds to a time when pupilsare developing their own tastes, influenced by a range of externalfactors such as family (particularly older siblings), or artistsspecifically marketed at ‘tweens’. An awareness of such subcultures canhelp the Primary school teacher to relate elements of the music lessonto them to create a particular resonance with pupils with suchinterests. A 2002 study by a team of researchers from Southampton Roehampton and Keele Universities carried out as part of the QCA’s (Qualifications andCurriculum Authority) Curriculum Development Project in the Arts andMusic Monitoring Programme produced some interesting findings(Hargreaves, Lamont, Marshall and Tarrant 2002). Many of the study’ssubjects were K S2 pupils. Across the study, which used interviews andquestionnaires to look at pupils’ and teachers’ attitudes to andengagement with school music teaching, children responded positively tothe performance aspect of the curriculum. Although many spent a gooddeal of time listening to music outside school (particularly popularmusic on the radio or on walkmans), little reference was made tolistening and appraising music in school music lessons, nor tocomposition. Given the government’s commitment to enabling every child to havethe opportunity to learn an instrument, it is perhaps surprising thatonly 17% of children thought this was something a school should offer,although the majority were learning or wanted to learn an instrument.While instrumental lessons may seem to offer limited scope forcross-curricular activities, and indeed may take up additional teachingtime, their indirect effect on other subjects is positive as thelearning of an instrument helps develop a range of skills includingco-ordination, concentration and self-expression. The Southampton/Keele study noted that a number of teachersexpressed concern over time and financial resources available toimplement a music programme. The time constraints suggest thatcombination of subjects through cross-curricular activity may be anattractive solution if managed appropriately. The study also showed that the use of external music specialists inPrimary music teaching was widespread and, furthermore, help fromspecialists was seen as vital to the success of the music curriculum.The aim that music teaching should be deliverable by non-specialistteachers is still not met entirely: â€Å"Technical demands of the curriculum are mentioned by many teachers:even those with musical qualifications and expertise feel unable tocover the entire spectrum of the music curriculum.† (Hargreaves,Lamont, Marshall and Tarrant 2002: Section 3) This is not expanded on. Teachers responded positively to theschemes of work, particularly as a tool for less musically-experiencedteachers, but it is possible that the breadth of the music curriculumis a challenge for teachers to deliver. The government’s increasedfocus on learning an instrument is likely to maintain this situation.It will be interesting to see whether, in future years, the generationof teachers that has benefited from the National Curriculum for Musicas pupils and who have had more opportunity for learning an instrumentthan previous generations of Primary teachers find it easier to deliverclassroom music lessons. The response from schools in the Southampton/Keele survey wasoverwhelmingly positive and it appears that the National Curriculum hasbrought classroom music teaching out of the margins by demonstratingthe many benefits of musical activity, notably those beyond musicalskills such as the social aspects and positive impact on behaviour andconcentration . In addition to focusing purely on music for a period within thetimetable, many teachers practise combining music teaching with othersubjects. This has roots in pre-National Curriculum teaching, wherelearning was frequently cross-curricular and based on a topic. Incertain situations, it appears that music is highly relevant in theteaching of another subject. This section explores the opportunitiesavailable and shows how there may be significant benefits for learningin all subjects in a cross-curricular lesson. Glover and Ward warn that there is a danger of attempting tocombine subjects in a way that has little benefit. They particularlydraw attention to themed songs which have no musical relevance: â€Å"In a topic on ‘food’†¦young children might be encouraged to sing ‘FoodGlorious Food’†¦ the links with the topic are spurious†¦the song may be apoor musical choice for a class who find difficulty with pitching thedemanding interval leaps.† (Glover and Ward 1998: 153-4) Glover and Ward also draw attention to the practice of linkingcomposition too closely to topic work, so that children are invited tocreate the sound of, for example weather, producing sound effectsrather than an appropriately-structured and thought-out piece of music(Glover and Ward 1998: 154). Bearing these points in mind, how can music teaching be productively combined with other subject areas? History lends itself to an exploration of music from other times. Astudy of the Tudors might incorporate a look at Tudor instruments andmusic, which provides further opportunities to consider Tudor life.Many pieces are dances, and pupils might participate in a dance of theera. Pupils can find out more about the function of the music, aboutwho would have been able to afford the instruments and who would haveplayed them. This might link with study of life for the wealthycontrasted with the majority of the population or of leisure pursuitsof the time. This helps reinforce what has been learnt about life inTudor times, while consideration of the stylistic qualities of themusic benefits musical understanding. Geography provides the chance to consider world music within its socialand cultural context rather than in isolation. Glover and Ward advocateexploring various musical styles from the same geographical area: â€Å"A little research goes a long way towards getting things intoperspective. Children will be interested in the detail and thedifferences between different music within a culture.† (Glover and Ward1998: 160) Through exploration of the elements which go to make a particularmusical style, children can learn about musical devices such as dronesor call-and-response structures. Simultaneously, by understanding therole of a type of music within a particular culture, they gain abroader understanding of different societies. Science lessons can provide a framework for the study of soundproduction. Through a focus on a range of instruments and othermaterials and their sonic properties (the production method of thesound, its qualities and pitch range, for example) causes pupils tofocus on the detail of sound. Composition activities linked toexperiments with sound production are enhanced: pupils consider thescope of their instruments in a broader range of musical parameters.Their scientific understanding of sound also benefits. Maths has particularly strong links with music, and various studieshave established a link between aptitude in maths and musical ability.Rhythm in music has a significant mathematical component: an obviousexample is the US note-naming system, where a crotchet is aquarter-note, a quaver an eighth-note and so on. Musical patterns offerthe opportunity to explore principles of symmetry, by playing a patternin its original form and in reverse. The inversion of a melody can belikened to reflection. A number of composers have incorporatedmathematical concepts into their music: many of these are rathercomplex for consideration at primary level, although the works ofXenakis may be useful for older Primary pupils. The construction of aparabola through a series of overlaid straight lines is visible in someof Xenakis’ scores, with lines performed as a string glissandi (slidesthrough pitch). Xenakis’ involvement with architecture, again using thescience of curves, may also be linked to lessons in this subject area.In addition to obvious connections with mathematics, Xenakis’ scoresare a useful example of how modern composers develop their own notationsystems and graphic scores, which may inspire children in compositionactivities. Literacy also has a close affiliation with music. The inflections inspeech are melodic and it has distinct rhythmic qualities. The settingof text to music draws on these connections. Explorations of languageand words – for example, rhyming words or short poem – can be takenfurther by turning them into chants or songs. A recent trend which underlines the links between language andmusic is the frequency with which children write a ‘rap’ rather than apoem. This could be taken further with a look at rap music payingattention to the dialect, fulfilling the requirement of the NationalCurriculum for English that children understand about language variety.However, any rap music should be selected with care due to subjectmatter and vocabulary in many rap tracks being unsuitable for use inschool. Narratives in literacy can also be explored through music, but itis important that children understand the concept of music without aprogramme and can link musical devices to punctuation: a cadence is afull stop, a musical phrase correlates with a spoken phrase (Glover andWard 1998: 166). The National Curriculum for Physical Education promotes the explorationof music through dance, and schools have a long tradition of music andmovement lessons. Dance and music together are included in thegovernment’s Schemes of Work: â€Å"Unit 31†¦In this unit children focus on popular dance styles ofdifferent eras. They explore a range of dances, using step and gesturepatterns, body shapes, contact work, and contrasts in dynamic andrhythmic patterning. They learn more about both dance style and music.†(Weblink: Schemes of Work: PE/dance) This unit has links to history and possibly geography too, so is truly cross-curricular. Response to music through movement is pertinent throughout our culture(the inclination to tap a foot to the beat, for example), and in youngchildren a physical response to music is common. Ben-Tovim and Boydinclude this as a criterion in a ‘Musicality Test’ to be applied whenconsidering whether a child should learn a musical instrument(Ben-Tovim and Boyd 1995: 18). Possibly the most difficult subject to establish effectivecross-curricular links in is art. While music and art can be seen asclosely connected, they both function in a similar role in terms ofproviding an outlet for self-expression through organisation ofelements, whether visual or aural. The temptation to play a piece ofmusic as an ‘inspiration’ for painting may result in the childinventing a programme for the music which is then represented in apicture. One must question the benefits of this regarding the verylimited extent to which it might benefit musical understanding, andalso its unintentional promotion of the idea that music must beprogrammatic. Also, is the music a background element compromising thechild’s concentration on the art, or vice versa? Overall, there is a wide range of opportunity to combine music withother subjects to the benefit of both curriculum areas concerned. Thepractical applications discussed above also fulfil a balanced model ofinstructional teaching and self-discovery: for example, the teacherpresents a recording of music from another era or land, and providesbackground information, but the pupils are encouraged to explore itscharacteristics for themselves. This promotes a blend of thebehaviourist and maturation theories discussed earlier. The opportunities for mutual support between subjects throughcross-curricular teaching demonstrates the importance of classroomteachers having adequate support and training to incorporate music intoother lessons; it is even more relevant in cross-curricular teachingthan in music lessons. By ensuring this is the case, benefits may beseen across almost all curriculum subjects. In addition to combining music with other subjects in order to teach itdirectly, music has further applications in the curriculum. The connections between language and music have a further benefit thatcan be utilised across various subjects. Text set to music is moreeasily committed to memory, and the use of songs to learn key facts iswidespread – for example, to learn numbers or the alphabet.Number-learning by song is effective, as one SEN teacher using singingin Maths comments: â€Å"Even if pupils don’t understand the concept of numbers, they can sing up to 10†, (Maynard 2004) Colwell’s research with Kindergarten children in the US (Colwell 1994)demonstrated that when children practised a reading text set to music,they read it with greater accuracy than a group who had practised thetext without its musical setting. However, although this researchsupports the findings of previous experiments, it used a sample of only27 subjects. Research undertaken by Dr Frances Rauscher, a former professional’cellist with a Ph.D. in Psychology, and her colleagues suggested alink between playing music to a group of subjects and a simultaneousincrease in their spatial-temporal reasoning abilities (Rauscher, Shawand Ky 1993). Since then, further research has been undertaken whichboth supports and questions these results. A further study in 1997 on preschool children showed a 34% increasein spatial-temporal reasoning tests among children who had receivedprivate piano and singing lessons compared to those who had not –including a group who had received private computer lessons. Theconclusion drawn by the researchers was that learning music was ofbenefit to learning potential in maths and science subjects, and moreso than computer skills. This research raises many questions. Firstly, it is widely thoughtthat the ideal age to begin learning an instrument is no younger than 7: â€Å"the second most common factor in musical failure was starting at thewrong time – too early†¦a six year old who goes on and on about wantingto play a musical instrument is experiencing the promptings of hisdeveloping instinct to make music, but he is not yet ready to do muchabout it.† (Ben-Tovim and Boyd 1995: 20) . It is therefore somewhat surprising that very young children engagedwith their music lessons in a way that increased their more generalmental capabilities. This has clear implications for the government’sMusic Manifesto; could earlier instrumental learning have a greaterbenefit in other subjects? The second issue is the findings themselves: as the computerlessons had little impact on test results while the music lessons madea significant difference, it is clear that private teaching alone isnot the cause of the improvement; rather it is the learning of music.However, it does not necessarily follow that by simply listening tomusic, a child’s academic potential in mathematics or any other subjectis enhanced. Rauscher’s research has created a great deal of interest bothwithin more general media and among psychologists and other academics.It has, to some extent, been mythologised with the label â€Å"The MozartEffect†. Rauscher’s findings have been disputed by a number of academics.Heath and Bangerter (2004) argue that the original 1993 research, oncollege students, showed only a small effect which was not prolonged,and that a number of research projects have failed to replicate theresults. They also demonstrated a link between the level of attainmenti n various states in the US and the amount of local newspaper coveragepromoting the Mozart Effect: the lower the attainment, the morecoverage. Heath and Bangerter attributed this to the recognition of aparticular problem and the possibility of a ‘quick fix’. In a number ofstates local government reflected media endorsement by subsidisingprojects to expose children to Mozart recordings, but it appears therestill needs to be more research in the area Rauscher herself has moved to clarify her research: â€Å"Our results on the effects of listening to Mozarts Sonata for TwoPianos in D Major K. 448 on spatial-temporal task performance, havegenerated much interest but several misconceptions†¦ the most common ofthese [is] that listening to Mozart enhances intelligence. We made nosuch claim. The effect is limited to spatial-temporal tasks involvingmental imagery and temporal ordering.† (Rauscher 1999) However, a number of studies have shown some evidence of a Mozarteffect in various different environments. Most relevant is Ivanov andGeake (2003) which found a Mozart Effect and a Bach Effect on Primaryschool children listening to music while undertaking a paper-foldingtask (again, this is demonstrating spatial-temporal competence ratherthan intelligence). This study also established that general musictraining was not a factor in the results – this suggests that playingmusic has a temporary effect on reasoning, and might not enhancelearning in other subjects subsequently unless music is played on thatoccasion. The Mozart Effect continues to be debated by academics because ofthe conflicting research findings. However, it is notable that limitedresearch has been done on the elements of music which might contributeto the effect, although reference to an unspecified study by Dr WilliamThompson (Weblink: Research relating to the ‘Mozart Effect’ (2)) notesthat the effect is evident when lively classical music, includingMozart and Schubert, is played, but not with slower music by Albinoni. Many teachers report using background music in a variety of situations with positive results: â€Å"For many years I have used music during lessons. It helps youngchildren relax in handwriting lessons, and helps their concentrationduring imaginative writing sessions.† (Hume 2004) It appears that there is certainly some evidence supporting playinglively classical music in a variety of class situations to boostpupils’ performance, and a number of teachers are using backgroundmusic in class and feel it to be beneficial. However, much research isstill needed in this area. Music teaching has a variety of uses within the curriculum for pupilswith special educational needs (SEN). The term SEN is used to refer topupils with special needs arising from a wide range of situations andconditions such as physical disability, emotional and behaviouralproblems, autism, school phobia, a background of abuse or stress ordyslexia. Many of these children may be academically gifted, others mayfind very basic concepts challenging. Music in SEN, as a result,fulfils a range of functions. For all SEN music lessons, there is the potential to cover areasincluded in the National Curriculum: listening and appraising,composing and performing. The nature of SEN teaching means that thesemay have to be adapted according to the needs of pupils. Cross-curricular activity can be useful tool: for example, whilepupils with concentration problems may struggle to sit and listen tomusic, they may be more receptive if asked to draw a picture respondingto music that is playing while they do so, although there can be adifficulty with children focusing on their art and barely noticing themusic. Perry (1995: 56) suggests using a 5 minute excerpt introducedwith a story – thus using literacy – to create an initial engagementbefore moving on to children drawing. Music may also be used as a form of therapy. For younger children,activities undertaken while standing in a circle are of particularbenefit in helping child a child with attention difficulties to engage.An activity might involve passing a teddy around a circle while musicplays until it stops, at which point the child holding the teddy has achance to play briefly on an instrument. The teddy helps those childrenwho might be resistant to the activity to accept it (Weblinks: Becta). For autistic children, music can contribute to establishing aroutine. With songs, for example, for lunchtime, for playtime and forgoing-home time, where the same piece of music is used consistently forthe same activity, singing can help maintain the sense of stability androutine which is particularly important for those with autism (Maynard2004). While musical activities can benefit children with specialeducational needs, care must also be taken not to cause a detrimentaleffect. Packe

Friday, September 20, 2019

Growing Up As A Catholic

Growing Up As A Catholic Growing up, my family practiced the catholic faith. My parents educated me as Catholic and I attended a Catholic School for women. I never really experienced another kind of faith but Catholic; all my friends and people around me were from the same church. Im from Panama a Latin country, where 80% of the population is Catholic, the rest is divided between: Evangelist, Mormons, Baptist, etc., just to name a few. When I became an adult, have had Jewish, Muslim and without affiliations, and also I have been in Indian and Jewish religious weddings. Im currently enrolled in Campbell University, and one of my curses is REL-125. I was assigned to attend a religious service different than mine. I had a few options, but I decided to go First Baptist Church Stedman on Sunday morning. First Baptist Church Stedman, is located at 6921 Clinton Rd. The whole church itself was ok. The Usher, the first person I see when I entered the church greet me and welcomed me and also handle me, the bulletin an d an envelope attached. It was a well organized congregation of around 50 people, not too many to look around like you usually see in a Catholic church. I saw a cross but the cross did not have Jesus on it. Everyone who was there was very well dresses; ladies wearing hats and nice dresses and man wearing formal suit. Even the preacher was dressed in formal attire. The choir was spectacular, is the best word to describe it, very organized and the congregation seems to know the songs and enjoyed. It was very entertaining the form of worship they used through the singing. They sang a lot of songs, after every interval described in the program. When the service started, one of the church attendees read the Opening Selection followed by Pastors Invocation and welcome everybody. One thing that called my attention was, every time they sing it was a five minutes song. They worshiped God on each one. I dont notice that until later, and I was wondered how long is the service. As they end the singing another church attendant read the Responsive Reading, they gave all the attendant an additional page attached to the bulletin, entitled: The Resurrection of Jesus in Matthew 28:1-8. The Priest instructed everybody to stand up and the Choir sang another song, followed by the reading of the scripture: For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hoping For who hope for what is seen? However, if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. When he finished reading it, they prayed followed by the Church Vision Statement that says: First Baptist Church Stedman will be a church in the community that transforms the community, and will make it our aim to reconcile as many individuals as we can to God through the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus. Â  At that moment, Im still wondering whats the envelope for. Differently, as we do in Catholic church, I was waiting for the pastor speech. They read the announcements for the community. It was like a fifteen-minute announcement, after that they called the visitors to stand up. At this time, I have been at that church around an hour and fifteen minutes. I stand and introduced myself as a visitor. The entire congregation came over to greet every single visitor, as to welcome them personally. Pastors Brief, I was wondering what is that? It was the replay of the announcements but now by the pastor. And then, the Tithes Offering start, thats when I realized, whats the envelope for? I have to put money on it with my name and address, of course I dont have the interest to be part of that church, so I just walk to the front and put the envelope on a basket. Suddenly, the priest everybody to stand up and read the scripture again followed by the Sermon. It was lengthy and noisy, but presen ted and explained very well. It was good it was about faith. It made me realize that no matter how things may look wo keep believing and expecting good things from God; dont give up. Hope is expectancy; there is no hope if we always know what God has for us. Real hope says: God will touch me. We got to be patient, and when we are patient God will come to our rescue. He may not be there when you want it, but it will be there on time when you need it. I enjoyed. More singing, and then, the priest called those one seeking salvation to come forward. There a few people who went forward, and he starts praying with his hand over their head; after praying with a lady, she is faint, I dont know what happened, I thought to that only happen on TV shows. It was a very long and unexpected religious service. As we were blessed, the pastor walk outside first and stood in the front of the church to greet and say goodbye to the congregation. As I walk outside he approached me and start asking me que stions like: Where I live, Where I come from? And then say We are very grateful you attend our service today, we hope to see you next Sunday. I know there are a lot of different kinds of Baptist church, I dont just generalize all of them with one experience, but I dont think I will return any time soon.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

IQ and the Controversy Concerning Human Intelligence :: Biology Essays Research Papers

IQ and the Controversy Concerning Human Intelligence Human intelligence is an eel-like subject: slippery, difficult to grasp, and almost impossible to get straight [3]. Many scientist and psychologist have made numerous attempts to come up with an explanation for the development of human intelligence. For many years, there has been much controversy over what intelligence is and whether it is hereditary or nurtured by the environment. Webster's dictionary defines intelligence as "the ability to acquire and apply knowledge; which includes a sensing an environment and reaching conclusions about the state of that environment [7]. In this paper I am going to examine the factors, which make up ones intelligence. I will be investigating whether or not intelligence is fostered by genetic heritance or nurtured by ones environment. "There can be of course no serious doubt that differences in environment experiences do contribute to variation in IQ [5]. The environment is made of circumstances, objects, and conditions by which a human, animal, plant or object are surrounded in science. It has been argued that the environment in a child's developing years could in fact be a factor that will determine this IQ. In a study of adoptive and biologically related familys psychologist Scarr and Weinberg recognized that with children between 16 and 22 years of age, environment was more powerful in influencing IQ level in the young child, than the young adult. Scarr and Weinberg reasoned that "environment exerts a greater influence on children, who have little choice; as they age, diversity age, diversity and availability of choices expands, and if these choices are at least partially determined by genetic factors, the influence of environment is there by diminished. Heritability is a term from the population of genetics. It refers to"the capability of being passed from one generation to the next [1]. Intelligence has for centuries been considered as fixed trait. A number of investigators have taken an approach that intelligence is highly heritable, transmitted through genes [3]. Kinship studies have shown that the habitability of IQ is significantly less than 1.0, and recent attempts to model kinship correlation especially in children have agreed that IQ is influenced both by the child's parent and the environment. Other factors such as parental affection, birth order, gender differences, and experiences outside the family, accidents, and illnesses may account for IQ. Writer of Hereditary Genius, Francis Galton developed a theory know as the "genius theory.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Depreciation of the Candaian Dollar :: essays papers

Depreciation of the Candaian Dollar Canada has been increasing its prestige as a high-tech, industrial, society since the end of World War II. In many ways it resembles very closely its southern North American cousin, the United States. Some of those similarities are residing in its market-orientated system, pattern of production, and its high standard of living. Most years following the war up to the present, Canada has experienced some kind of continued growth as a prosperous and developed country. However, during the year of 1998, Canada experienced an unexpected large depreciation in their dollar relative to the United States. Late in August of that year, in fact, the value reached an all-time low. During this paper, I will try to present some of the possible economic factors that may or may not have led to this change in Canada’s exchange rate. I will also examine some additional analysis and theories as to why the trend possibly occurred. Exchange Rate As the year 1998 approached, the trend for the Canadian dollar was on a steady decrease in value in relation to the U.S. dollar. With each passing year the dollar lost some value as the table below demonstrates. Year 1990 1995 1996 1997 1998 Exchange Rate 1.16 1.38 1.36 1.38 1.48 All data tables extrapolated from the Cambridge Forecasts Country Report, unless otherwise noted. It took an exceptional hit during the year, moving the rate from 1.38 U.S. dollars to 1.48 in U.S. dollars. The plunge is better exhibited in Appendix 1, with the sharp decrease of the dollar illustrated graphically and more specifically, with Appendix 2 showing the drop throughout the year of 1998 alone. Growth Rate In terms of growth rate, the years leading up to the exchange rate drop in 1998 showed very typical numbers. There was nothing out of the ordinary, or anything to hint at a sharp decrease in the value of the Canadian dollar. As highlighted below, up to 1998, the economy was growing at a slow but steady rate each year. Both the Total Gross Domestic Product and percentage of GDP real growth were increasing overall. Year 1990 1995 1996 1997 1998 GDP (bill. of U.S. $) 573966 584044 611602 631193 603978 Year 1990 1995 1996 1997 1998 GDP Real Growth (%) N/A 2.3 1.6 3.7 3.1 However as the numbers for 1998 indicate, the depreciation of the dollar definitely took a significant chunk out of the Total Gross Domestic Product, dropping it below 1996’s levels.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Horus Research Paper

Horus is one of the oldest and most important deities in the Ancient Egyptian religion. He was worshipped from at least the late Pre-dynastic period through Greco-Roman times. (Remler) Different forms of Horus are recorded in history and these are treated as different gods by some Egyptologists. However these different forms may possibly be different perceptions of the same god who served many different functions. (Remler) The earliest recorded form, dating around the 25th century B. C. , is Horus the Falcon who was the patron god of Nekhen in Upper Egypt and who is the first known national god. Meltzer)However the most widespread and popular story, and the one that I will focus on, describe Horus as the son of Isis and Osiris. (Meltzer) Isis was said to be the daughter of the gods Geb and Nut. She was thought of as the perfect example of the Egyptian mother and wife. She was therefore considered the symbolic mother of all the Pharaohs. (Shaw)Osiris was one of the oldest and most wor shipped gods in ancient Egypt. He was generally referred to as the god of the Afterlife. This would make him one of the most revered gods because the ancient Egyptians felt that the Afterlife was more important than actual life. They often referred to their dead as the â€Å"living ones†. (Meltzer)Horus served many functions in Egyptian mythology, but mostly he was known as either the god of the Sky or the god of both War and Protection. He was also considered the role model for all of the Pharaohs. Each ruler was looked upon as a living Horus. His other roles will be mentioned later. Horus in Egyptian is pronounced Haru, meaning Falcon. Horus has also been translated to mean â€Å"He who is above, over†. Horus also appears as the Egyptian name Har-Si-Ese which means â€Å"Horus, son of Isis†. Horus was also sometimes known as Nekheny, meaning â€Å"Falcon†. Meltzer) In the majority of Egyptian hieroglyphics the Pharaoh is often portrayed as Horus. Countless depictions of the Pharaoh almost always featured him wearing the Eye of Horus and with Isis as his mother. As mentioned before, Pharaoh was looked at as the living version Horus in life so when he went to the Afterlife he woul d be greeted by Osiris as a son. The idea of a Pharaoh as being the son of Osiris seems to have changed to Pharaoh as the son of Ra during the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt but the ruler while alive was always considered as the living Horus. (Meltzer) Horus was the son of the goddess Isis. He was formed from all the dismembered body parts of her murdered husband Osiris. She then used her magic powers to conceive her son. Once Isis knew she was pregnant with Horus, she ran away to the Nile Delta to hide from her brother Seth, who had killed Osiris and knew he would want to kill their son. Since Horus was said to be the sky, he was considered to also contain the sun and moon. It was said that the sun was his right eye and the moon was his left eye, and that they traveled across the sky when he flew over as a falcon. This is why he is sometimes referred to as Harmerty – Horus of two eyes. Later, the reason that the moon was not as bright as the sun was explained by a tale, known as the Contesting’s of Horus and Seth. (Remler) In this story Seth, sometimes referred to as Typhon,(Shaw) the patron of Upper Egypt, and Horus, the patron of Lower Egypt, had a bloody battle for Egypt. They had always each other since Seth had killed Horus’ father, Osiris, and tried many times to kill Horus as a child. Neither was the clear winner but in the end the rest of the gods took Horus’ side. In the battle two important things happened. Seth lost a testicle which explains why the desert which he ruled over was in fertile. Then Horus had his left eye gouged out which explained why the moon was so much weaker than the sun. They would go on to have many more battles. The Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection and royal power. The symbol is seen on images of Horus' mother, Isis, and on other gods associated with her. Horus was also said to be a god of war and hunting. After the death of his father Horus took it upon himself to wage war against Seth and his forces. In one story Osiris appears to Horus from the underworld and asks him â€Å"And what is the most glorious deed a man can do? Horus was said to have repliedâ€Å"To avenge the injuries done to his father and mother. † (Shaw) The Horus falcon often appears is hieroglyphs which shows a lion hunting. This made him a symbol of majesty and power as well as the model for the Pharaohs. (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Horus-15) Other gods would later be referred to as gods of war Isis told Horus to protect the people of Egypt fr om Seth, the god of the desert. As mentioned before, Horus had many battles with Seth. These battles were not only to avenge Osiris but also to figure out who the rightful ruler of Egypt was. In these battles, Horus came to be associated with Lower Egypt (where Horus was worshipped), and became its patron. One story shows how Horus was on the verge of killing Seth but Isis, who was Seth’s sister, stopped him. Isis injured Horus, but eventually healed him. They both went to appeal to the various other gods to have them proclaim who was the winner once and for all and they eventually sided with Horus. Seth refused to give in, and the other gods were getting tired of the fighting that had continued for 80 years. Horus and Seth then challenged each other to a boat race, where they each raced in a boat made of stone. Horus and Seth agreed, and the race started. Horus had tricked Seth however. Horus’ boat was made of wood but painted to look like stone. Seth's boat sank, but Horus's did not. Horus then won the race, and Seth stepped down and officially gave Horus the throne of Egypt. But after the New Kingdom, Seth still was considered Lord of the desert and its oases which were greatly inferior to the fertile delta of Lower Egypt which Horus ruled over. While researching Horus it was important to understand just what his significance was in the lives of Ancient Egyptians. Was he just another one of their many gods or was he placed on a higher level than most? There are many heroic stories about Horus. The fact that the Egyptian people considered Pharaoh, their all-powerful rulers as living version of Horus tells us something. This is proof that he was one of the most important gods in the ancient Egyptian religion. It shows that Horus was the role model for all Egyptians. They were always hoping to conduct themselves in a manner that was Horus-like. Not surprisingly there have actually been many comparisons between the roles of Jesus in Christian religions and Horus in the religion of ancient Egypt. (Meltzer)