Summary and reflection of an Article Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary and reflection of an Article - Assignment Example The authors of the article point out that the issue of match-day attendance is greatly influenced by the uncertainty of the outcomes of the matches. Reduced attendance is attributed to increased uncertainty. High attendance is usually witnessed whenever the fans predict that the chances of their team winning are very high compared to losing or drawing. This has brought about issues of revenue sharing because revenue sharing is pegged on receipt sales and broadcast rights issues. Poor attendance will mean that there will be less revenue to share amongst the stakeholders. However, despite this, intervention measures are less apparent in European soccer. Intervention measures are necessary in order to improve competitive balance. The dynamics of the findings of this research are complex because television viewers have different preferences from fans who view matches at the stadiums (Buraimo and Simmons 154). The findings of this research are quite controversial because the dynamics of watching matches live from stadiums and on television are quite different. I do not agree with the sentiments of the authors when they claim that fans usually attend stadiums because they prefer to see their teams battle it out with teams that they find inferior and easy to beat. This is because whether to watch a match live from the stadium or to watch it from a television from a place of choice all depends on preference. For example, sometimes, in the English Premier League, there are very strong teams that often play together. Just from general observations, it is evident that such matches are usually attended by very many fans. In such matches, it is usually very difficult to determine which team will win the game. This is because both teams playing in such a match are usually very strong and it is difficult to predict which team may win. Despite the fact that both teams are

Critique of the article entitled Images of Women in Early Buddhism and Essay

Critique of the article entitled Images of Women in Early Buddhism and Christian Gnosticism - Essay Example The research question for the paper is clearly stated as: â€Å"Why should these negative attitudes towards women persist when we know that women actively supported and participated in the religious life of both Buddhist and Gnostic communities?†. This research question is very important given that it shows that the author has point to prove especially with regards to the way women are treated by their male counterparts in different religions especially the two mentioned above. Lang is also try to portray different views that are held by various scholars with regards to the way women are viewed in different religious sectors. In terms of coverage of the topic, it can be seen that the author used different scholarly studies though they are limited about what Gnostic and Bhuddist religions say about women. For instance, Pagels is one of the most cited scholarly article in this research. The credibility of the literature used becomes doubtful which can negatively impact on the ar ticle’s authenticity. On the other hand, it can be observed that the major problem the author tries to address is that women have been active participants in religious activities but they are labelled as evil and improper. The author suggests that women are sensual and responsible for seducing man. Both religions suggest that the wrong doing of women disrupted the world which was once perfect. This thesis statement seeks to show that the author is of the view that women are responsible for human kind’s disgrace on earth. A critical reading of the article shows that the author restates the thesis throughout the article and she tries to answer the research question identified above in the article. The way she presents her argument is convincing since she is relying on other scholarly articles. The author uses different claims in supporting the myths that both religions mentioned above suggest that human kind fell from God’s grace after eating forbidden fruits. The Buddhist myth posits to the effect that men’s disgrace came after he tasted the food known as ‘female.’ These claims tend to blame women but men are also involved in the commission of this particular sin. They must also be labelled as imperfect just like their male counterparts. This part is not quite convincing to the reader since all the blame is laid on the women while men too are involved. The evidence presented by the author in advancing her argument shows that women are viewed as agents of the devil since they are responsible for driving men into committing sins that have led them to fall from humanity. The argument is supported in â€Å"Temptress† Daughter of Evil (5) where women are portrayed as inferior and temples of the devil by the Bhudhists. Women are viewed as purely sensual with uncontrollable desires in a number of Bhudhist texts. Therefore, it can be argued that women are not evil since they cohabitate with their male counterparts. this i s the view being presented by Lang in her article. The author also says that even Christianity also states that holiness can be fully achieved if men live a life of purity as

Development of Sustainable Dwellings in Wales

Development of Sustainable Dwellings in Wales This study focuses on the development of a sustainable retrofit plan for a typical dwelling in Wales. There are two parts that have been discussed in this report. The first section is a full development plan to reduce the fuel cost with a budget of  £30K and the second is a calculation of carbon footprint of a building element (wall insulation materials). The project was predicted to achieve 70% reductions in CO2 emissions for a cost of some  £26K.Furthermore, the energy cost would be reduced by 85% if the development plan was implemented in full. Stepwise approach has been used to measure the performance. Replacing the heating system and adding more insulation for the roof, walls and floor are considered the significant improvement of the project with reasonable payback periods. The embodied CO2 emission for three different insulation materials has been calculated. Rockwool has the lowest rate 833 kg co2e compared to 875, 1737 to the Sheeps wool and Expanded Polystyrene respectivel 1.1 Background 1.1.1 Introduction: Indeed, there is a huge pressure on governments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Paris agreement, is a recent agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, was agreed to keep the global warming below 2 °C (1). British government aims to have an 80% reduction by 2050. This means a huge improvement is needed in energy efficiency of our existing dwelling. The recent report shows that over 45% of total greenhouse emissions were emitted from dwelling building (2).The domestic sector accounted for 29 % of the total energy consumption in 2015(3).Furthermore, residential was ranked the fourth in the amount of greenhouse gas emission according to national statistics(4) the figure below show the greenhouse gas emission by different sectors. Figure (1) Greenhouse gas emission by sector (DECC), UK, 2014 1.1.2 The property: This house was built in 1930s and has three bedrooms with South-West facing and located in Wales. The external walls are cavity wall with plaster but without any insulation, the floor has no insulation, the roof is slate tiles with 50mm insulation between the rafters. The windows are double glazed, with a 6mm air gap, PVC frames and with U value of 2.8.The doors are also PVC frame with U value of 2.8. The heating system is an old mains gas boiler with 65% efficiency, the capacity of hot water tank 120 litre. 1.1.3 Performance prior to refurbishment: This house has a SAP rating of 45, below the national average of 48 and therefore there is a need to improve its performance to achieve 80 % of reduction in emissions as well as the annual fuel cost. This could be achieved by reducing the heat loss through the walls, floor, roof as well as windows and doors. 1.2 Development plan There are two factors that are set to dramatically transform the way in which building was designed and fabricated in the early twenty-first century-insulation and energy. There is a need to maximise the insulation levels of the buildings while at the same time rethinking the ways in which building consumes the energy needed to run them. Step 1: Upgrading the heating system : Modern boilers are more efficient because they burn the fuel very efficiently. The fuel type also has a direct impact on reducing the fuel bill as well as carbon emissions. The condensing gas boiler (90% efficacy) with room thermostat is the best choice in this matter. Step 2: Insulating the roof, floor and walls: The challenge in adding insulation levels in domestics is to choose the right materials that fit for purpose. Understanding the properties of the materials and when it is suited to fitting in the attic space is essential. Moreover, price, fire safety, chemicals involved and end of life should also be considered when choosing the material (5). -Floor: Phenolic foam insulation would offer the best performance of any readily available panel (6). It also has less impact on room size where dry-lining is considered. Kingspans Kooltherm phenolic is the good option for floors. The designed U value for floor is 0.2 W/m2K. -Cavity wall insulation: Filling the cavity gap between the inner and outer blocks with appropriate insulation material has been considered. However, it is highly likely that insulating the cavity alone will not be enough to achieve the required U-values. For this reason, adding internal or external insulation should also be concerned to achieve the targeted U-value. The designed u value for injected insulation with external wall insulation (Rockwool) is 0.49 (W/m2K). -Roofs: mineral wool insulation is highly recommended for roof insulation, 160 mm is added between rafters and 100 mm below them. The designed U value in this case is 0.15 (W/m2K). Step 3: Minimising infiltration (disuse chimneys, draught proofing). Ventilation is needed in traditional buildings to help the fabric breathe. Chimneys would have contributed greatly to the ventilation rate, so it is advised, in some cases, that chimneys could to be left open to allow natural ventilation. However, disused chimney, if left fully open, will often cause more heat loss. It also can let water in, if it is uncapped. Some methods can be recommended: CAPS: a cap at the top of a chimney will prevent water ingress but allow through ventilation. However, caps can cause huge damage and be very dangerous if they blow off in case of windy weather. Balloons: is the quickest and cheapest way to close of a flue that is not being used, but it is awkward and dirty when removing and reinstalling them in place. Step 4: Reducing the energy consumption for lighting (LED). LED lighting is extremely energy efficient technology and has changed the future of lighting worldwide. The residential LED lighting use less 70% energy and last 25 times longer life (7). The value of lighting gain in the SAP calculation (67) was reduced by 70% of the original value. Step 5: Installing renewable sources (PV panel). The solar photovoltaic (PV) has many advantages that a householder can benefit from. The main benefit is to cut electricity bill as well as sell the left over electricity to the grid. Not to mention, the sunlight is free and that means nearly zero carbon footprint (8). It is advised the Monocrystalline system with 20% efficiency is required to generate around 2700kWh annually. This system requires 21 square meter roof space and makes saving around 12p/kWh from electricity bill. However, if a householder doesnt use the electricity produced, exported to grid or store it in batteries are the only two options available. The storage technology has been ignored because the cost and complexity with installing at dwelling. The exported tariff is 3.1 p/kWh, but this figure could be ignored as the power generated by the system would be absorbed by the site demand. Step 6: UPVC triple glazing windows The huge heating loss in domestics occurs through windows. There is a growing range in this area to improve the thermal performance of this element. Triple glazing is the best options that could be considered to achieve the reduction target. This element has an excellent U-value (one or less) which provide a decrease in energy consumption as well as reducing CO2 emissions. Step 7: UPVC high efficient door It is suggested that the original doors on the property, with a U-value of 2.8 W/m2.K, should be replaced with a high performance triple glazed door, reducing the U-value of the surface by 65%. 1.3 Alternatives options Other systems were also considered but rejected due to the cost-effectiveness as well as the project size. For example: Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR): is widely used for highly energy efficient buildings in the UK. However, the complexity to install and the high capital cost, the system was ignored. Under floor heating: is a modern technology that allows the householder to enjoy the luxury of the warm floor during the winter. In other hand, under floor system is pricey to install in retrofit house and more difficult to maintain if any problem occurs. Wind turbine: roof-mounted and freestanding mast wind turbines are two types that can be installed in the project. The micro wind turbine was rejected because the space limitation, the turbine noise and save the birds in the local area. 1.4 Analysis and evaluation SAP rating: the graph (1) illustrates the improvement of the SAP rating though the development plan. It is clearly seen that the property has been developed from 45.65 to over 90 and that means the house can achieve band B in the EPC. CO2 emissions rate: As it can be seen from the graph (2) below, a significant decrease in CO2 emissions though the development plan. The house would benefit of 70% reduction on CO2 emissions as the plan reduced CO2 emissions rate from 71.35 to below 22.77. Energy cost: The annual fuel cost has been reduced from  £1354 to below  £200 as graph (3) indicates. A reduction of 85% of annual energy bill will be achieved if the designed plan is implemented. The projects budget was  £30K; however, the full money spent in this plan is around  £26K. The simple payback method has been used for financial evaluation. The full plan will require 20 years to recover the cost of the project. The plan is designed in stepwise to achieve higher performance as well as keep the cost low as much as possible. The graph (4) shows that SAP rating improvement against the cost for each step. Replacing windows and doors would cost over  £7000 and  £1000 respectively; with having longer payback periods (graph 5), that took them to the end of the list. Note: Full data can be found in the appendix (table 3). Graph (1) SAP rating during the development plan Graph (2) CO2 emissions rate through the development plan Graph (3) Annual energy cost through the development plan Graph (4) SAP improvement vs. Cost Graph (5) Simple payback calculation for development plan 1.5 Conclusion The project will benefit significantly by replacing the heating system as well as adding more insulation for the roof, floor and walls. However, replacing windows the doors have slight effect on the house performance as it costs more with less benefit. Installing photovoltaic panels will make a huge impact on the project performance. It would make saving over 55% from the energy bill if 3 KWp panel was installed. 2.1 Introduction The thermal resistance provided by insulation materials used in the building fabric means that the energy savings from insulation made during the operation of the building far outweigh its embodied environmental impacts. Also, insulation products tend to have a very low density and, therefore, when reviewed in a building context, only relatively small masses of materials are used. However, if insulations are not assessed with a whole-building life-cycle approach they may not appear to be an inherently low environmental impact material, because of the resources and energy used during manufacture, the use of blowing agents and the lack of reuse/recycling at the end of life. This study will illustrate the environmental impact of three different types of insulation; it also provides the carbon footprint calculation for the project that was refurbished in the Part 1. 2.2 Literature survey The Green guide classifies the insulation used in the construction into: Non-renewable organic-based insulation such as expanded polystyrene (EPS); this material has conductivity 0.038 W/mK, density 37 kg/m3. It is a rigid, open cell form of polystyrene blown with pentane. EPS is a thermoplastic polymer, so can be reprocessed and recycled more easily than thermoset polymers. Most process waste is recycled but there is limited recycling of postconsumer packaging. Renewable organic plant/animal-derived insulation such as Sheeps wool insulation; it has conductivity 0.039 W/mK, density 25 kg/m3. The sheeps wool that is not suitable for textiles, is used for insulation. The wool needs to be scoured, requiring energy and water, and the resulting pesticide residue from the sheet dip needs treatment. Binders and polyester fibre are required, as well as chemical treatment to prevent moth attack. Mineral wool insulation such as Rockwool; is a medium density insulation product of 45 kg/m3 and has a thermal conductivity of 0.044 W/mK. Rockwool is made of 77% virgin raw material mainly in the form of diabase, gotland stone, lime stone, cement and bauxite. The remaining 23% are classed as waste materials. End-of-life issues for insulation Many insulation types are recyclable at end of life, but do not currently have any recycling system in place for material recovered from construction, refurbishment or demolition. There is evidence that some insulation waste from construction is incorporated elsewhere within the building, rather than being sent for disposal. For most materials, the impact associated with end of life is the disposal impact measured by BRE relating to the amount of material landfilled or incinerated. The BRE methodology also includes the emissions associated with incineration and landfill, including burning of landfill gas. For renewable materials, the end-of-life stage can have a significant impact if the sequestered carbon is released back into the environment through incineration or decay in landfill. Table (1) End-of-life waste destination (reference 11) Insulation End of life waste destination (%) Landfill Incineration Recycled Expanded polystyrene (EPS): 90 9 1 Sheeps wool 100 0 0 Rockwool 40 10 50 2.3 Carbon footprint calculation The construction carbon calculator is used to determine the environmental impact for insulation materials. This tool was downloaded from the governments website (12). CO2 emissions calculation: The table below shows the total amount of co2 emissions for the three types of insulation. Table (2) Carbon footprint calculation for EPS, Sheeps wool and Rockwool Reference Unit Expanded Polystyrene Sheeps wool Rockwool Wall area m2 110 110 110 Insulation thickness Assumption m 0.1 0.1 0.1 Volume of insulation m3 11 11 11 Density Ref (13) kg/m3 37 25 45 Mass kg 407 275 495 Waste 5% Assumption kg 427.35 288.75 519.75 Carbon coefficient Ref(14) kgco2/kg 3.43 2.09 1.12 Embodied CO2 kg co2e 1465.8105 603.4875 582.12 Boundary Ref(14) cradle to gate cradle to gate cradle to grave Transport of material Manufacturer website 200 miles from Kent by road 175 miles from Liverpool by road Non Transport Embodied CO2 kg co2e 19 19 0 Waste destination Ref(11) 90% landfill 100% landfill 50% landfill Waste mass kg 366.3 275 259.875 Waste Embodied CO2 kg co2e 3.19 3.48 1.7 Transport of waste Assumption miles 100 100 100 Transport waste Embodied CO2 kg co2e 0.2 0.2 0.2 Total waste Embodied CO2 kg co2e 3.39 3.68 1.9 Energy consumed Assumption Kwh 200 200 200 Plant CO2 emissions kg co2e 119 119 119 Project duration (days) Assumption 3 3 3 Travel CO2 emissions kg co2e 130 130 130 Total kg co2e 1737.2005 875.1675 833.02 2.4 Conclusion As it can be seen from the previews calculation, the highest embodied CO2 emission is Expanded Polystyrene because of the higher carbon coefficient and end-of-life issue. For that reason EP is out of consideration. Sheeps wool is natural source, absorbing and releasing moisture without decreasing its thermal insulating properties. However, it has more CO2 emissions than Rockwool which also take it out of thought. In addition to Rockwool has less embodied CO2 emissions, it has excellent thermal insulation with more flexibility to install. Mineral wool has also superior fire resistance as well as better acoustic properties. The Paris Agreement main page (2001) Available at: http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php (Accessed: 14 February 2017). DECC (2011), The Carbon Plan: Delivering Our Low Carbon Future, p.29. Department of Energy and Climate Change. Digest of United Kingdom energy statistics (DUKES). Available at: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/ publications/dukes. Government Statistics (no date) Available at: http://4.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/496942/2014_Final_Emissions_Statistics_Release.pdf (Accessed: 14 February 2017). Technology Strategy Board, 2014. Reducing energy use in existing homes, a guide to making retrofit work. RETROFIT FOR THE FUTURE, 1, 15. D Pickles, I Brocklebank C Wood, 2010. ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN HISTORIC BUILDINGS: Open fires, chimneys and flues. nglish Heritage, 1, 17. LED Lighting | Department of Energy. 2017. LED Lighting | Department of Energy. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/led-lighting. [Accessed 15 February 2017]. R. Sadgrove S.Pester, 2014. Installation of photovoltaic panels on existing flat roofs some lessons learned. BRE Information Papers, IP 8/14, 7. SEI, Retrofitted Passive Homes, 2009. Retrofitted Passive Homes: Guidelines for upgrading existing dwelling in Ireland. Retrofitted Passive Homes, 1, 15. Shorrock L D and Utley J I. Domestic energy fact file 2003,BRE BR 457. Bracknell, IHS BRE Press, 2003. K Albury J Anderson , 2011. Environmental Impact Of Insulation . BRE TRUST, 2011. 10 Government Website. 2007. Construction Carbon Calculator. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency/about/procurement. [Accessed 28 February 2017]. http://jablite.co.uk. 2016. Jablite EPS . [ONLINE] Available at: http://jablite.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Jablite-EPS.pdf. [Accessed 28 February 2017]. Sheep Wool Insulation Premium. 2016. Sheep Wool. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.sheepwoolinsulation.ie/products/premium_insulation_technical.asp. [Accessed 28 February 2017]. Prof.Hammond Jones, Prof.G and C, 2011. The Inventory of Carbon and Energy (ICE). 1st ed. UK: University of Bath Table (3) Full data of the development plan Current Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Overall Assignment Results Current New boiler Insulated Floor Insulated walls Insulated roof Minimising infiltration LED lighting PV panel UPVC Triple glazing UPVC door Dwelling volume (m ³) 223.6 223.6 223.6 223.6 223.6 223.6 223.6 223.6 223.6 223.6 Effective air change rate 1.2261 1.2261 1.2261 1.22614 1.2261 0.66878 0.6688 0.6688 0.66878 0.668784 Ventilation type 24d 24d 24d 24d 24d 24d 24d 24d 24d 24d Fabric heat loss (W/K ) 309.66 309.66 213.77 130.25 123.37 123.37 123.37 123.37 84.28 82.28 Total fabric heat loss (W/K ) 339.06 339.06 243.17 159.65 152.77 152.77 152.77 152.77 113.68 111.68 HLP (W/m ²K ) 4.2377 4.2377 3.2917 2.46769 2.3998 1.99406 1.9941 1.9941 1.60841 1.588676 Heat gains from water heating, (kWh) 1489.6 1489.6 1489.6 1489.65 1489.6 1489.65 1489.6 1489.6 1489.65 1489.648 Average Internal gains (W) 485.09 485.09 485.09 485.085 485.09 485.085 468.49 468.49 468.494 468.4936 Average Solar gains (W) 339.96 339.96 339.96 339.956 339.96 339.956 339.96 339.96 254.967 254.9673 Mean Internal temperature (C °) 17.534 17.534 18.063 18.6402 18.695 19.0535 19.043 19.043 19.3723 19.39251 Space heating requirement in kWh2/m2/year 203.94 203.94 160.8 119.082 115.45 91.3375 92.201 92.201 72.9319 71.72854 Efficiency of main space heating system 1 (in %) 0.66 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 Efficiency of water heater 0.66 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 Fuel for water heating, kWh 4281.2 3139.5 3139.5 3139.54 3139.5 3139.54 3139.5 3139.5 3139.54 3139.544 Electricity for pumps, fans and electric keep-hot 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Electricity for lighting (calculated in Appendix L) 284.43 284.43 284.43 284.428 284.43 284.428 85.328 85.328 85.3283 85.32833 Energy saving/generation technologies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -2700 -2700 -2700 Average Fuel costs (p) 8.335 8.335 8.335 8.335 8.335 8.335 8.335 9.306 9.306 9.306 Additional standing charges 174 174 174 174 174 174 174 174 174 174 Total energy cost 1354.5 1050.7 <

Genre Theory and John Fords Stagecoach Essay -- Movie Film Films Cine

Genre Theory and John Ford's Stagecoach The analytic theory posited by Robert Warshow in his essay "The Westerner", itemizes the elements necessary for a film to belong to the genre of the "western". Most contentiously, he mandates that the narrative focus upon the individual hero's plight to assert his identity, and diminishes the importance of secondary characters and issues, or any tendency toward "social drama." (431) He states that it is subtle variations that make successive instances of a genre film interesting, yet limits this variety to "minor variations in the characteristics of the actors who play the hero's role." (430) It is my belief that while exhibiting many of the traits itemized by Warshow, John Ford's Stagecoach (1939) also exhibits variations in characterization, symbolism and even moral focus which project it dangerously close to what Warshow would view as a "social" film. It would be nearly impossible to declare Stagecoach a non-western by either Warshow's own generic criteria or the expectations of the genre viewer, yet the film clearly conveys the more individuated social concerns of its director. While Warshow claims that this perversion of the norm threatens to make the genre uninteresting, I believe the contrary to be true. Subverting the expectations of the genre, while still functioning within the language of the "western" is what makes Stagecoach a powerful film, and legitimizes the notion of genre itself. The traits cited by Warshow as compulsory for the "western" are extensive. Most elements concern the figure of the melancholy cowboy hero, who is certainly present in Stagecoach in the personage of Ringo. The hero usually exhibits a certain leisure, an ambiguity of occupation, a noncha... ...r variations within the working out of a pre-established order." (461) However, his theory seems too eager to limit a genre film to achieving the same end in every incidence. I believe that Stagecoach reveals that it can be more constructive to achieve something new through the use of the conventional mode. It seems that it is only through the creation of an ostensibly new product by each recurrence of a generic form that a genre can continue. Theorists who deny the possibility of retaining enough of the original mode to make the film recognizable as part of a genre, while still capitalizing on the full range of variation available through plot, characterization, and style, underestimate the audience's capacity to simultaneously make connections and receive a new product. I believe an audience would rather be challenged than spoon-fed another "creative" recreation. Genre Theory and John Ford's Stagecoach Essay -- Movie Film Films Cine Genre Theory and John Ford's Stagecoach The analytic theory posited by Robert Warshow in his essay "The Westerner", itemizes the elements necessary for a film to belong to the genre of the "western". Most contentiously, he mandates that the narrative focus upon the individual hero's plight to assert his identity, and diminishes the importance of secondary characters and issues, or any tendency toward "social drama." (431) He states that it is subtle variations that make successive instances of a genre film interesting, yet limits this variety to "minor variations in the characteristics of the actors who play the hero's role." (430) It is my belief that while exhibiting many of the traits itemized by Warshow, John Ford's Stagecoach (1939) also exhibits variations in characterization, symbolism and even moral focus which project it dangerously close to what Warshow would view as a "social" film. It would be nearly impossible to declare Stagecoach a non-western by either Warshow's own generic criteria or the expectations of the genre viewer, yet the film clearly conveys the more individuated social concerns of its director. While Warshow claims that this perversion of the norm threatens to make the genre uninteresting, I believe the contrary to be true. Subverting the expectations of the genre, while still functioning within the language of the "western" is what makes Stagecoach a powerful film, and legitimizes the notion of genre itself. The traits cited by Warshow as compulsory for the "western" are extensive. Most elements concern the figure of the melancholy cowboy hero, who is certainly present in Stagecoach in the personage of Ringo. The hero usually exhibits a certain leisure, an ambiguity of occupation, a noncha... ...r variations within the working out of a pre-established order." (461) However, his theory seems too eager to limit a genre film to achieving the same end in every incidence. I believe that Stagecoach reveals that it can be more constructive to achieve something new through the use of the conventional mode. It seems that it is only through the creation of an ostensibly new product by each recurrence of a generic form that a genre can continue. Theorists who deny the possibility of retaining enough of the original mode to make the film recognizable as part of a genre, while still capitalizing on the full range of variation available through plot, characterization, and style, underestimate the audience's capacity to simultaneously make connections and receive a new product. I believe an audience would rather be challenged than spoon-fed another "creative" recreation.

Assessment Tools Analysis

Assessment Tools Analysis The vulnerable population of single low-income mothers and their children are at risk for poor health: physically, socially, and psychologically. As a nurse, I know the importance of performing a complete nursing assessment to provide the best nursing care. It is helpful to use available assessment tools to evaluate and fully assess the patient. Nurses need to be knowledgeable in assessment tools to expand the assessment process and evaluate clients in various stages and states of health, illness, stress, and life.In this paper, I will discuss and analyze three assessment tools: The Beck Depression Inventory, The Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire, and The Family Hardiness Index. Beck Depression Inventory According to the Center for Psychological Studies (2010), the BDI is used to measure the presence and degree of depression. This self-reporting questionnaire measures depression symptoms, such as headache, constipation, loss of appetite, backache or chron ic fatigue (Viinamaki, Tanskanen, et al. , 2004). It is a straightforward, low-cost, easy to use, 21-item test presented in multiple-choice format.The BDI is intended to be used in research and clinical settings to assess depression in adults and adolescents 13 and older. Administration of the BDI takes approximately five minutes. The test is either self-administered or verbally administered by trained personnel. Each item is a list of four statements about a particular symptom of depression, such as loss of appetite and sleep loss, and they are arranged in increasing severity. Validity and Reliability The BDI has been used for over 35 years to identify depressive symptoms and is reported to be highly reliable in being able to distinguish depressed from non-depressed patients.The new version showed improved clinical sensitivity, with the reliability of the BDI–II scoring higher than the BDI (Center for Psychological Studies, 2010). Recently, the BDI has been updated and the n ame changed to BDI-II. The BDI-II conforms more closely to the diagnostic criteria for depression and specifically assesses for depression by identifying the presence and severity of symptoms. This increased the validity. Nursing Even though mood disorders are common in the general population, many people suffering from depression remain undiagnosed (Viinamaki, Tanskanen, et al. , 2004).Because many low-income single mothers lack self-esteem, self-confidence, and adequate coping skills, leading them to feel isolated and alone, this vulnerable population is especially at risk for depression. The nurse can use the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to assess each patient for signs and symptoms of depression. Using this tool within the nursing assessment will help the nurse to differentiate patients experiencing symptoms of depression. This will then allow the nurse an opportunity for teaching and information on therapy, counseling, or outpatient psychiatric follow-up can be provided to t he patient.Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire The Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire is self-administered, low-cost, and measures multiple dimensions of social support including affect, affirmation, and aide. Nine categories are used to determine sources of support, and size, stability, and accessibility of those sources are measured. â€Å"The Social Supports Questionnaire measures include: the kinds of help and support that the parent/caregiver and youth received from people in the past 6 months, and the kinds of people who helped the parent/caregiver and youth in the past 6 months† (Kernan & Morilus-Black, 2010, p. 258).Adults and adolescents 13 or older are asked to list the first names or initials for each significant person in his or her life, such as spouse, relatives, friends, neighbors, etc. The patient then labels the kind of relationship he or she shares with each person listed Finally, the patient then rates and describes the amount of support available from e ach person on the list. The amount of social support can then be calculated. Validity and Reliability Reliability was assessed through analysis of consistency and test-retest measures taken a week apart. High levels of consistency and reliability were found.According to a study published by UCSF School of Medicine (2005), the test-retest correlations were Affect, 0. 89; Affirmation, 0. 88; and Aid, 0. 86 and response bias, which ranged from 0. 01 to 0. 17, was not significant. Nursing The nurse must accurately assess the patient’s social support, especially in the vulnerable population of single low-income mothers. According to Campbell-Grossman, Hudson, Keating-Lefler, & Fleck (2005), â€Å"Inadequate social support is related to poor public health outcomes, particularly in conditions of stress such as poverty and single motherhood† (p. 242).Nursing care of single mothers needs to focus on teaching, providing information on community resources, and providing support a nd encouragement. Family Hardiness Index Low- income single mothers experience many personal barriers to successful parenthood, usually because they suffer from the stress of new responsibilities with minimal resources to back them up. Major life changes can occur within the single parent household with family structure and function. Family and job demands, and family strengths, capabilities, and weaknesses all play a role in how families, including children, adapt to the current situation (Robinson, 2003).The Family Hardiness Index (FHI) can be used with adults and children over the age of nine to assess family adaptation. â€Å"Hardiness is defined as the family members’ internal strengths and durability as characterized by an ability to work together to find solutions to difficulties, a view of change as beneficial and growth producing rather than threatening, and a sense of control over the outcomes of life events and hardships† (Leske& Jiricka, 1998, p. 383). The Family Hardiness Index is a 20-item questionnaire.It measures four components families use to respond to stressful life events: confidence, challenge, commitment, and control (Leske& Jiricka, 1998). Patients indicate on a three-point scale how well the questions or statements apply to their life and their family situation, and the scores are calculated by adding the values of the responses. Validity and Reliability According to a study described by Leske & Jiricka (1998), reported internal consistency and reliability of the FHI is 0. 82, and validity is strong. This study was on a combined sample of 51 family members going through major life changes and challenges.Alpha reliability was 0. 98 for the total resource scores of their study (Leske & Jiricka, 1998). Increases in scores were related to adequate resources, coping, problem-solving communication, and family adaption. Response bias is possible due to the self-report nature of the questionnaire (Leske & Jiricka, 1998). Nursing The nurse needs to assess the whole person; sometimes this includes the family as one unit because children are a part of the vulnerable population too. Studies of parenting have shown that low-income families with maternal hardships impede the children’s cognitive and societal abilities (Mechanic & Tanner, 2007). Family deprivations also increase the probability of abuse and neglect of children, who then seek to escape the household early, associate with inappropriate peers, form tenuous sexual partnerships, have early pregnancies, and often replicate the pattern of inadequate parenting they experienced as children† (Mechanic & Tanner, 2007, p. 1223). The nurse can use this low-cost questionnaire to assess family functioning and family hardiness. Integrating Watson’s Theory of Human Caring Watson believes nursing should focus on health promotion and treating the whole person: body, mind, and spirit.The transpersonal caring relationship builds when the nurse show s concern about the whole person and fully commits to protect and enhance the person’s human dignity. The nurse’s caring consciousness essentially allows a deeper connection between the person and the nurse, in which each person involved can understand the others perspective (Watson Caring Science Institute, 2009). The discussed assessment tools enhance the assessment phase of the nursing process, allowing the patient and nurse an opening opportunity for conversation, leading to a caring moment, and improving the quality of health care delivered by the nurse on a personal level.Conclusion The Beck Depression Inventory, The Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire, and The Family Hardiness Index are three tools available to assist the nurse in completing a fully assessment of the patient and families. These tools can be used with many different age groups, are low-cost, straightforward, and easy to use. Researching the tools for this paper has helped me to understand the im portance of fully evaluating clients in various stages and states of health, illness, stress and life. These tools improve the quality of health care delivered by the nurse by enhancing the assessment phase of the nursing process.References Campbell-Grossman, C. , Hudson, D. , Keating-Lefler, R. , & Fleck, M. (2005). Community Leaders' Perceptions of Single, Low-Income Mothers' Needs and Concerns for Social Support. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 22(4), 241-257. (doi:10. 1207/s15327655jchn2204_6). Center for Psychological Studies. (2010). Beck depression inventory. Retrieved from http://www. cps. nova. edu/~cpphelp/BDI. html Kernan, J. , & Morilus-Black, M.. (2010). Social supports for youth and families. Community Mental Health Journal, 46(3), 258-64. Retrieved August 20, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Complete. (Document ID: 2026204261). Leske, J. S. & Jiricka, M. K. (1998). Family well-being and adaption after critical injury. American Journal of Critical Care, 7(5), 383-392. Retrie ved from MEDLINE with Full Text database, University of Phoenix Research Library. Mechanic, D. , & Tanner, J. (2007). Vulnerable people, groups, and populations: societal view. Health Affairs (Project Hope), 26(5), 1220-1230. Retrieved from MEDLINE with Full Text database. Robinson, M. B. (2003). Family hardiness index- Methodology for use with children. Ph. D. dissertation, Saint Louis University, United States-Missouri. Retrieved from ProQuest Nursing & Allied Heath Source, Publication No.AAT 3130049. UCSF School of Medicine. (2005). Summary of psychometric testing of the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire. Retrieved from http://nurseweb. ucsf. edu/www/NSSQ-Psychometric. pdf Viinamaki, H. , Tanskanen, A. , Honkalampi, K. , Koivumaa-Honkanen, H. , Haatainen, K. , Kaustio, O. , et al. (2004). Is the Beck Depression Inventory suitable for screening major depression in different phases of the disease? Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 58(1), 49-53. Retrieved from Academic Search Complet e database. Watson Caring Science Institute. (2009). Transpersonal caring and the caring moment defined. Retrieved from

Linkage Between Capital Market Development and Economic Growth Essay

The capital market is an integral part of the financial system that provides efficient delivery mechanism for mobilization and allocation, management and distribution of long-term fund (Sunday O. E. Ewah and Judey Bassey). The capital market is a market for long-term debt and equity securities, where business enterprise and government can raise fund for long-term investments. It is normally divided into two broad categories: the stock market and the bond market (Central Bank of Lesotho Economic Review 2009). According to Tokunbo S.Osinubi (2000), the stock market is reported to perform some functions which promote the growth and development of an economy. It plays a pivotal role in mobilizing idle fund from surplus economic unit and channels such fund into deficit unit for investment in long-term project. The supplier of funds are basically individuals and corporate bodies who subscribe to capital market instrument as a way of adding value to their unused financial resources while the deficit unit i. e. the end users of the fund are government and corporate bodies as individual cannot approach the capital market for fund. Equally, the capital market provides ideal source for corporate bodies and government to pool monies from people and corporate bodies to finance capital intensive project which its internal purse cannot cope with. Akingboungbe (1996) opined that the importance of the capital lies in its financial intermediation capacity to link the laggard sector of the economy with the active sector. According to him, the absence of such capacity robs the economy of investment and production of goods and services for societal advancement. Capital market in any nation exists to provide long-term funds for government and corporate bodies for development purpose. It deals with long-term financial instruments which include equities or stocks, debentures, government bonds and derivatives like future options. In the capital market, the stock in trade is money which is often viewed as the lubricant of the economy and which can be raised through various instruments such as right issues, debt instrument, equity offering as well as through the stock exchange. This is a pointer to the fact that the capital market provides the wherewithal with which the goal of economic growth can be actualized, and equally held the key to economic prosperity of any nation. A virile capital market is capable of assisting a nation to muster financial resources and skills for rapid growth and development. The capital market is viewed as engine of growth in most countries. Empirical research by CBL Economic Review 2009 indicated that the capital market connects monetary sectors with the real sector and therefore facilitates growth in the real sector and economic development. The CBL economic review adduced the following as the fundamental channels through which capital market is connected to economic growth: First, capital markets increase the proportion of long-term savings (pension, funeral savings) that is channeled to long-term investment. Capital market enables contractual savings industry to mobilize long-term savings from small individual households and channel them into long-term investment. It fulfils the transfer of current purchasing power, in monetary forms from surplus sector to deficit sectors, in exchange for reimbursing a great purchasing power in future. In this way, the capital market enables corporations to raise funds to finance their investments in real estate. The implication will be an increase in aggregate consumption and hence growth and development. Second, capital market also provides equity capital and infrastructure development capital that has strong socio-economic benefit through development of roads, housing, energy, telecommunication, etc. These projects are ideal for financing through capital market via long-term bonds and asset backed securities. Moreover, capital market promotes public-private partnership to encourage private sector participation in productive investment. The need to shift economic growth from public to private sector has become inevitable as resources continue to diminish . It assists the public sector to close the resource gap, and complement its effort in financing socio-economic development through raising long-term project based capital. It also attracts foreign portfolio investors who are critical in supplementing the domestic savings levels. It facilitates inflow of foreign exchange into the domestic economy. Furthermore, the CBL Economic review 2009 equally asserted that countries with developed capital market have higher economic growth than countries without. An instance cited to justify this position is South Africa, the country with the largest and most developed capital market in Africa in terms of market capitalization which is experiencing faster growth compared to other countries with less-developed capital market. In Nigeria, the capital market seems not to have contributed so robustly to economic growth as the empirical research of the CBL Economic review and the predict of endogenous growth model which envisage positive correlation between the development of the capital market and economic growth both suggested. The capital market in Nigeria started rolling in 1960 when the Nigeria Stock Exchange was opened. It metamorphosed from the Lagos Stock Exchange which had been created in 1959 based on the recommendation of the Barback Committee set up by the then federal government. However, the Nigeria capital market has enjoyed a decade of unprecedented growth in the past five years. Going by the annual report of the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) the total market capitalization has increased by over 90%though, this feat was short lived by the decline of 45. 8% in market capitalization recorded in 2008. According to the NSE, the impressive performance of the capital market can be attributed to some reasons: First, the bank consolidation exercise which introduced a minimum capital requirement for banks stimulated the performance of the capital market as it has encouraged most banks to choose the stock market. Equally, the privatization policy has also significantly impacted on the performance of the capital market. Even though with this scenario, the Nigeria capital market is yet to keep pace with the trend across the globe. According to Sule Ndanusa the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Nigeria capital market is still a small market by international standard as its equity listing and market capitalization stood at 196 and $7billion respectively. This size of the Nigeria capital market is affected by the continuous depreciation of the naira. While the global trend dictates that the market capitalization of the capital market should be nearer the GDP or be above it, the market capitalization of the Nigeria capital market hovered around 60% and 39% respectively for 2007 and 2008 (NSE Annual report2009) respectively compared to that of South Africa which stood at 239%. Thus, a lot still need to be done to make the Nigeria capital market the engine of growth for the Nigeria economy. Given the scenario in the Nigeria capital market, the point of departure of this study is to examine the linkage between capital market development and economic growth with a view to explore the channels through which the capital market in Nigeria can be made engine of growth while addressing problem inherent in its operation. In the word of Adebiyi (2005), capital market in developing countries often suffer from classical defect such as illiquidity, lack of equity capital, bank dominated economies and lack of investor’s confidence in the capital market. The situation in the Nigeria capital market is not different as the predominant problem revolves around low market capitalization as well as illiquidity as most research works have revealed (e. g. Emenuga 2004, Judey Bassey and Sunday E. Ewah). This is coupled with the more serious obstacle of non-strengthening of the channels of transmission from financial development to economic growth such as financial depth(ratio of financial asset to national income), advanced financial structure(moving from bank and non-bank ntermediaries to stock market ), size as well as the efficiency of the financial system . The description of the Nigeria capital market as a small market by international standard as well the dominant roles which banks still play in the financial system at the expense of other financial intermediaries lends credence to this viewpoint. Several recent overviews of the link between financial market development and economic growth affirm positive correlation between financial market development and economic growth. But, in Nigeria evidences to this effect are weak, inconclusive and non-definitive. For instance, Sunday O. E. Ewah and Jude Bassey (2004) concluded that capital market has growth inducing potential but it has not contributed to economic growth owing to such problems such as low market capitalization and illiquidity. In similar vein, efforts were equally made by Nyong (1997) to develop an aggregate index of capital market development and use it to determine its relationship with long-term growth in Nigeria. The study employed a time series data between 1970 and 1974. The result of the study reveals that capital market is negatively and significantly correlated with long-run growth in Nigeria. The result also showed that there exist bi-directional causality between capital market development and economic growth. However, Levine and Zervos (1996) established positive relationship between the measure of stock market development and long-run growth rates. Ariyo and Adelegan (2005) contended that the liberalization of capital market contributes to the growth of the Nigeria capital market but its impact at the macro-economy is negligible. That is, the question of the channels through which capital market development correlate with economic growth has not been given detailed attention in empirics literature in Nigeria as most available empirical analysis in this direction are cross-country study and more so, are conducted for Asian and European economy. Such works include Jose De Gregorio et al (2003) Dipendra Sinha et al Saray Joy et al (2002) . A more potent proof of the scanty of evidence on the channel of transmission from financial development and economic growth can be found in the word of Valpy FitzGerald (2006) who stated that financial development and economic growth are clearly related and this relationship has occupied the mind of economists from Smith to Schumpeter, although the channels and direction of this relationship has remained unresolved in both theory and empirics literature. Thus, the absence of empirical analysis in this direction has left a serious gap that needed to be filled with a research enquiry. Following the foregoing from the few empirical evidences sighted above which reveal inadequacy and lack of agreement among analysts about the sine-qua-non role of capital market in economic growth coupled with scanty of literature on channels of transmission from financial development to growth and the pervasive problem of decline in market capitalization and illiquidity which characterize the Nigeria capital market as reflected in Nigeria Stock Exchange Annual report(2009), it becomes important to turn the searchlight on the capital market and every other thing that accompany or propel it with a view to empirically examine how linkage between capital market development and economic growth as well as the channels of transmission from capital market development to growth can be pursued to bring the dream of economic growth to fruition.