Future Subjunctive Tense in French Grammar

Future Subjunctive Tense in French Grammar There is no future subjunctive in French. The present subjunctive is used for both present and future.  There is no future subjunctive per se. Even if the action is to happen in the future, the present subjunctive is used. However, there is a  past subjunctive. Present Subjunctive Is Used for Both Present and Future In general, the French subjunctive  mood  is used to express actions or ideas that are subjective or otherwise uncertain: will/wanting, emotion, doubt, possibility, necessity, judgment.  The key to understanding this mood is  to remember that the subjunctive subjectivity or unreality.   The subjunctive is nearly always found in dependent clauses introduced by  que  or  qui, and the subjects of the dependent and main clauses are usually different:   Je veux que tu le fasses.I want you to do it.  Ã‚  Il faut que nous partions.Its necessary that we leave. / We have to leave.Il est  possible quil arrive demain.Its possible that he will arrive tomorrow.Cest bon que tu sois prà ªt midi.Its good that youll be ready at noon. Verbs and expressions that  express someones will, an  order, a need, a piece of advice, or a desire require the subjunctive: aimer mieux que  to like better / to prefer thatcommander que  to order thatdemander que  to ask (someone to do somethingdà ©sirer que  to desire thatdonner lordre que  to order that Verbs and expressions of emotion or feeling, such as fear, happiness, anger, regret, surprise, or any other sentiments, require the subjunctive: adorer que  to love thataimer que  to like thatapprà ©cier que  to appreciate that Verbs and expressions of doubt, possibility, supposition, and opinion require the subjunctive: accepter que to acceptsattendre ce que  to expectdà ©tester que  to hate Certain  verbs and expressions take the subjunctive when they are negative or interrogatory because they express uncertainty in the speakers mind: cest que  its that/becauseconnaà ®tre (quelquun) qui  Ã‚  Ã‚  to know (someone) thatcroire que  to believe that A number of French  conjunctive phrases  require the subjunctive: moins que*  Ã‚  Ã‚  unless supposer que  Ã‚  Ã‚  assuming thatafin que  Ã‚  Ã‚  so thatavant que*  Ã‚  Ã‚  before condition que  Ã‚  Ã‚  provided that The subjunctive is required  In a subordinate clause with the  negative pronouns  ne...personne  or  ne...rien, or the  indefinite pronouns  quelquun  or  quelque chose:   Ã‚  Je ne connais personne qui veuille maider.I dont know anyone who wants to help me.   Ã‚  ll ny a rien que nous puissions faire.Theres nothing that we can do. The subjunctive is  optional after main clauses that contain certain adjectives, such as  seul,  unique,  premier,  principal,  dernier, or any  superlative,  It depends on how concrete the speaker feels about what is being said:Hà ©là ¨ne est la seule personne qui puisse nous aider.Hà ©là ¨ne is the only person who can help us.(Hà ©là ¨ne may be the only person I think can help us, but there may be others.)Hà ©là ¨ne est la seule personne que je vois.Hà ©là ¨ne is the only person I see.(No subjunctive, because I know this for a fact - I only see Hà ©là ¨ne.) Conjugating the Subjunctive Is Relatively Straightforward To conjugate all regular verbs ending -ER, -IR, and -RE, as well as some irregular* ones, take the 3rd person plural  ils  form of the  present tense of the verb, drop the -ent  ending to find the stem, and add the subjunctive endings: Many verbs that  are irregular in the present tense are regular in the subjunctive, including all -IR verbs conjugated like partir and sortir and -RE verbs conjugated like mettre. Other irregular verbs, as well as all stem-changing verbs, have  irregular subjunctive conjugations.

How to write a case study for a bid - Emphasis

How to write a case study for a bid How to write a case study for a bid Most of a bid is dedicated to projecting the future – how you will help your prospect if youre chosen to work with them. In contrast, a case study lets you base your argument on something more concrete – what youve proven you can do in the past. And few things establish your reputation more effectively than reliable, relevant information about your past actions. Think of a boxer being announced with the record of their previous matches. An introduction like 38 wins, ten by knockout leaves a big impression in very little time. But to make a case study as persuasive as possible, you cant just describe what you did. You need to show off your organisations strengths and achievements in a way that will resonate with your prospect. This article will show you how. How to begin writing a case study The best way to get started is to get your research and planning done before you begin. Itll make the writing process much more straightforward. Getting relevant information about your previous client is key. If youre not client facing yourself, its a good idea to talk to someone who is (eg someone in sales or account management). Ask them why the previous client liked the work you did. If they liked it, theres a good chance it will resonate with your new prospect, too (as long as youve picked a suitably similar organisation for your case study). Your client-facing colleagues should also have access to the relevant facts and figures that illustrate the benefits of the work. Basic information to include Make sure to give your case study a specific title, such as Training 100 people in technical writing at HP. This immediately gives your readers an idea of what youve done before, even if they dont go on to read the rest of the case study. After the title, give basic information such as the name of the contract, whom it was for, what it delivered, its value and when you did the work. (You can set this out as a list.) And if youre using the case study as a reference – as some PQQs (pre-qualification questionnaires) require – then include some contact details for the previous client. (Obviously always ask permission of your previous client before you name them as a referee.) Giving your case study a logical structure There are lots of ways of structuring a case study. And, of course, if youre writing to a short word count, or to a particular bid or tender template, youll have to adapt to that. That said, a common and logical structure is to explain how you helped a client, step by step (if youre a regular reader, you may notice this is similar to the best structure for executive summaries). Begin with a short, factual background. Dont put too much detail here. You just need to make sure your prospect understands the basics of what you were doing. Include information like whom you worked for, and what the contract was for. Outlining the problems Then you can talk about any particular challenges or problems that your previous client had. This is where you can really emphasise the similarities between your previous client and your current prospect. With the problems sketched out, youre well placed to talk about the actions you took to solve those problems. Many case studies fall down at this point, because they become just a description of facts. But to make your case study stand out, you need to show what benefits your work had for your previous client. Remember to spell out these benefits. Did your previous client become more efficient because of your work? If so, how much time did they save? Or were you able to make them more profitable? If so, how much more profitable and over what amount of time? Which benefits you need to detail will depend on the sector and the kind of work youre doing. But the main thing to keep in mind is that you do need to highlight the benefits of your work and provide good evidence to support them. Finally, there are some other things you can include to make your case study really stand out. A good testimonial quote from your previous client can make your case study seem much more authentic (again, ask permission to use this). You can also consider using a particularly compelling graphic or image if it illustrates a key benefit of your work with your previous client. Things to avoid Try to avoid writing case studies at the last minute. It can take time to put all the relevant information together – and that may not be time you have when youre actively writing to a deadline. Be careful as well about putting in too much irrelevant detail (this is all too common). Youve got to ask why your prospect would care about whatever it is youre telling them. Do they really need to know when you first responded to the ITT or RFP? Or how many of your staff worked on part of the project? When you have detail youre sure will be relevant to your prospect, use it. Avoid being vague. Dont write general statements like, We dramatically improved conversion rate on PPC campaigns and boosted sales. Instead say, We increased conversion rate on PPC campaigns by 50 per cent – while reducing the overall ad spend by 10 per cent. This resulted in over  £10,000 in net profit for our client. (You may also want to highlight these key benefits by setting them out in bullet points.) Showing your strengths Above all, remember that the person reading the case study is trying to find evidence that youre the best organisation for the job. Make it as easy as possible for them to do this. If you keep the reader in mind throughout your writing, youll be much more likely to write a case study that resonates with them. And that could be the extra nudge you need to win them over. If youd like to improve your own case studies – and the proposal they accompany – have a look at our bid, tender and sales proposal writing courses for teams and for individuals. Image credit: ArtFamily / Shutterstock

Bean and Jerry Ice-cream Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Bean and Jerry Ice-cream Company - Essay Example The company started growing successfully due to some chunky ingredients and some unusual and catchy flavor. It was the scoop style which was adopted by them to sell ice-cream but they had to go for the pint way. By the year 1984 they had already been successful in taking the ice-cream company public in the city of Vermont. They got themselves registered under the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) allowing them to buy stock nationwide. Ben and Jerry were considered as good and old boys from the sixties who preferred conducting their meetings in a festive manner than in the stereotypical way of carry out any corporate meeting. They actually tried to show the masses that their company is not a place where people can work with greatness but it also tries to portrait that they are somewhere socially related as well responsible to the whole community and the society. â€Å"Caring Capitalism† is something which these two young people believed in and they eventually donated aroun d 7.5% of the pretax profit for the wellbeing of the society and for those social causes which included Centro for Better Living and Healing Our Mother Earth. Haagen-Dazs is the largest competitor of Benn and Jerry and the former has always been choosy in while distributing ice-creams. It has always aimed the elite class of the society. The funky image which the latter has shown has drawn attention of the younger crowd with catchy eyes. Their commitment to the society is an honest and an obvious approach. The mission statement of Benn and Jerry is the creation as well as demonstration of new concepts of the corporate for linked prosperity. The mission consists mainly of three parts. Underlying this mission is of course the in determination to seek a new as well as creative concepts and styles for addressing all the new parts, while holding this deep respect in case of every individuals outside and inside the company as well as for all the communities of which they consider themselve s to be a part. The company is operated on the basis of a sound and efficient economic system, which helps them to grow in the future and as well as increase the values of their shareholders on the other hand. The economic structure also aims at improving the opportunities of the workers and also is able to give away reward points. The company is also active in such a way that it is recognized everywhere as well as the important role which the company has in shaping the society locally, nationally and internationally. Underlying this particular mission of the company, Benn and Jerry is the creative and new ways of approaching and addressing all these three new parts, while they also try to uphold deep respect and virtue for each and every individuals outside and inside the company and eventually all the communities of which they consider themselves to be a part. 2. Product Benn and Jerry distribute, make and set all the best quality for the natural ice-creams and the dairy products related to a huge variety of unusual flavors which are made from the dairy product of Vermont. Their product which is super premium ice-cream is rich in the butterfat content that is 12%, where as this content is only 6-10 percent in other ice-dream. While ensuring quality of their product and of course to maintain the good old roots in their own community they preferred buying the creams from the

A reflective paper of 1000 words discussing design work and research Essay

A reflective paper of 1000 words discussing design work and research methods - Essay Example 2. With regards to the supply side, how did the changes in tourist behavior and preference affected the travel industry in terms of profitability and viability? Were there any large scale closures/ bankruptcy of tourism related service providers because of the change in customer behavior? According to a 2006 survey of corporate executives travel behavior and preferences conducted by Wainhouse Research, a market research firm based in the United States, out of 480 middle- and upper-management respondents, 63 percent affirmed that their propensity to take trips have lowered due to several factors such as war, terrorism, security inspections, new budgetary restraints and the like. This was in line with the results of their 2002 survey where 44 percent indicated restricting their trips abroad and at home. The results of the 2006 survey are significant since the 2002 results were obtained in the immediate wake of the 9/11 attacks where people do tend to prefer not traveling. It just goes to show that even after 4 years marked by strict security measures, people still do not want to expose themselves to the risks. (ISES, 2006) According to Market Research, an online company selling its business research, the USA and the United Kingdom has seen an increase in security consciousness with heavy monitoring in areas with people traffic very much high. The development came about after the wake of the 9/11 attack. (Market Research, 2005) It is expected that the 9/11 event would certainly negatively affect the global travel industry. For such a nation boasting itself as the leader in ensuring security with high-tech devices and well-planned systems, the United States saw the twin icons of its economic supremacy fall down right before their eyes. Pentagon, the country’s icon of military supremacy was also targeted. Passenger airplanes rushed and crashed on the structures. The message was clear- no one is safe

International Journal of Accounting and Financial Essay Example for Free

International Journal of Accounting and Financial Essay ABSTRACT The role of Indian mutual fund industry as significant financial service in financial market has really been noteworthy. In fact, the mutual fund industry has emerged as an important segment of financial market of India, especially in channelizing the savings of millions of individuals into the investment in equity and debt instruments. Mutual funds are seemingly the easiest and the least stressful way to invest in the stock market. Quiet a large amount of money has been invested in mutual funds during the past few years. Any investor would like to invest in a reputed Mutual Fund organization. Mutual funds are financial intermediaries concerned with mobilizing savings of those who have surplus and the canalization of these savings in those avenues where there is a demand for funds. These intermediaries employ their resources in such a manner as to provide combined benefits of low risk, steady return, high liquidity and capital appreciation through diversification and expert management. Reforms in the  Indian economic system and the opening up of the economy have been the reasons for the tremendous growth in the Indian capital market. This study analyzes the impact of different demographic variables on the attitude of investors towards mutual funds. Apart from this, it also focuses on the benefits delivered by mutual funds to investors. To this end, 200 respondents of Solapur City, having different demographic profiles were surveyed. The study reveals that the majority of investors have still not formed any attitude towards mutual fund investments. KEYWORDS: Mutual Fund, Investors, Solapur City INTRODUCTION Mutual fund is a pool of money collected from investors and is invested according to certain investment options. A mutual fund is a trust that pools the saving of a no. of investors who share a common financial goal. A mutual fund is created when investors put their money together. It is, therefore, a pool of investor’s fund. The money thus collected is then invested in capital market instruments such as shares, debentures and other securities. The income earned through these investments and the capital appreciations realized are shared by its unit holders in proportion to the no. of units owned by them. The most important characteristics of a fund are that the contributors and the beneficiaries of the fund are the same class of people namely the investors. The term mutual fund means the investors contribute to the pool and also benefit from the pool. The pool of funds held mutually by investors is the mutual fund. A mutual fund business is to invest the funds thus collected according to the wishes of the investors who created the pool. Usually the investor’s appoint professional investment managers create a product and offer it for investment to the investors. This project represents a share in the pool and pre status investment  Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi  objectives. Thus, a mutual fund is the most suitable investment for a common man as it offers an opportunity to invest in a diversified, professionally managed basket of securities at relatively low cost. EVOLUTION OF INDIAN MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY The formation of Unit Trust of India marked the evolution of the Indian mutual fund industry in the year 1963. The primary objective at that time was to attract the small investors and it was made possible through the collective efforts of the Government of India and the Reserve Bank of India. The history of mutual fund industry in India can be better understood divided into following phases: Establishment and Growth of Unit Trust of India 1964-87 Unit Trust of India enjoyed complete monopoly when it was established in the year 1963 by an act of Parliament. UTI was set up by the Reserve Bank of India and it continued to operate under the regulatory control of the RBI until the two were de-linked in 1978 and the entire control was transferred in the hands of Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI). UTI launched its first scheme in 1964, named as Unit Scheme 1964 (US-64), which attracted the largest number of investors in any single investment scheme over the years. UTI launched more innovative schemes in 1970s and 80s to suit the needs of different investors. It launched ULIP in 1971, six more schemes between 1981-84, Childrens Gift Growth Fund and India Fund (Indias first offshore fund) in 1986, Mastershare (Inidas first equity diversified scheme) in 1987 and Monthly Income Schemes (offering assured returns) during 1990s. By the end of 1987, UTIs assets under management grew ten times to Rs 6700 crores. Entry of Public Sector Funds 1987-1993 The Indian mutual fund industry witnessed a number of public sector players entering the market in the year 1987. In November 1987, SBI Mutual Fund from the State Bank of India became the first non-UTI mutual fund in India. SBI Mutual Fund was later followed by Canbank Mutual Fund, LIC Mutual Fund, Indian Bank Mutual Fund, Bank of India Mutual Fund, GIC Mutual Fund and PNB Mutual Fund. By 1993, the assets under management of the industry increased seven times to Rs. 47,004 crores. However, UTI remained to be the leader with about 80% market share. 1992-93 UTI Public Sector Total Amount Mobilised 11,057 1,964 13,021 Assets Under Management 38,247 8,757 47,004 Mobilisation as % of Gross Domestic Savings 5.20% 0.90% 6.10% Emergence of Private Secor Funds 1993-96 The permission given to private sector funds including foreign fund management companies (most of them entering through joint ventures with Indian promoters) to enter the mutal fund industry in 1993, provided a wide range of choice to investors and more competition in the industry. Private funds introduced innovative products, investment techniques and investor-servicing technology. By 1994-95, about 11 private sector funds had launched their schemes. Growth and SEBI Regulation 1996-2004 The mutual fund industry witnessed robust growth and stricter regulation from the SEBI after the year 1996. The mobilization of funds and the number of players operating in the industry reached new heights as investors started showing more interest in mutual funds. A Study of Investors Attitude towards Mutual Fund with Special Reference to Inversotrs in Solapur City Investors interests were safeguarded by SEBI and the Government offered tax benefits to the investors in order to encourage them. SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996 was introduced by SEBI that set uniform standards for all mutual funds in India. The Union Budget in 1999 exempted all dividend incomes in the hands of investors from income tax. Various Investor Awareness Programmes were launched during this phase, both by SEBI and AMFI, with an objective to educate investors and make them informed about the mutual fund industry. Growth and Consolidation 2004 Onwards The industry has also witnessed several mergers and acquisitions recently, examples of which are acquisition of schemes of Alliance Mutual Fund by Birla Sun Life, Sun FC Mutual Fund and PNB Mutual Fund by Principal Mutual Fund. Simultaneously, more international mutual fund players have entered India like Fidelity, Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund etc. There were 29 funds as at the end of March 2006. This is a continuing phase of growth of the industry through consolidation and entry of new international and private sector players. Indian mutual fund industry reached Rs 1,50,537 crore by March 2004. It is estimated that by 2010 March-end, the total assets of all scheduled commercial banks should be Rs 40,90,000 crore. The annual composite rate of growth is expected 13.4% during the rest of the decade. In the last 5 years there is an annual growth rate of 9%. According to the current growth rate, by year 2010, Mutual fund  India assets will be double FEATURES THOSE INVESTORS LIKE IN MUTUAL FUND If mutual funds are emerging as the favorite investment vehicle it is because of the many advantages. They have over other forms and avenues of investing parties for the investors who has limited resources available in terms of Capital and ability to carry out detailed reserves and market monitoring. These are the major advantages offered by mutual fund to all investors: Professional Management Mutual Funds provide the services of experienced and skilled professionals, backed by a dedicated investment research team that analyses the performance and prospects of companies and selects suitable investments to achieve the objectives of the scheme. Diversification Mutual Funds invest in a number of companies across a broad cross-section of industries and sectors. This diversification reduces the risk because seldom do all stocks decline at the same time and in the same proportion. You achieve this diversification through a Mutual Fund with far less money than you can do on your own. Convenient Administration Investing in a Mutual Fund reduces paperwork and helps you avoid many problems such as bad deliveries, delayed payments and follow up with brokers and companies. Mutual Funds save your time and make investing easy and convenient. Return Potential Over a medium to long-term, Mutual Funds have the potential to provide a higher return as they invest in a diversified basket of selected securities. Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi Low Costs Mutual Funds are a relatively less expensive way to invest compared to directly investing in the capital markets because the benefits of scale in brokerage, custodial and other fees translate into lower costs for investors Liquidity In open-end schemes, the investor gets the money back promptly at net asset value related prices from the Mutual Fund. In closed-end schemes, the units can be sold on a stock exchange at the prevailing market price or the investor can avail of the facility of direct repurchase at NAV related prices by the Mutual Fund Transparency You get regular information on the value of your investment in addition to disclosure on the specific investments made by your scheme, the proportion invested in each class of assets and the fund managers investment strategy and outlook Flexibility Through features such as regular investment plans, regular withdrawal plans and dividend reinvestment plans, you can systematically invest or withdraw funds according to your needs and convenience Affordability Investors individually may lack sufficient funds to invest in high-grade stocks. A mutual fund because of its large corpus allows even a small investor to take the benefit of its investment strategy. Well Regulated All Mutual Funds are registered with SEBI and they function within the provisions of strict regulations designed to protect the interests of investors. The operations of Mutual Funds are regularly monitored by SEBI. DISADVANTAGES OF MUTUAL FUNDS Above I have mentioned the various advantages of Mutual Funds but it also suffers from a lot of drawbacks as the market is volatile and it is ever affected by national as well as international factors, these days we can see that crude oil prices in International market has become an important factor  in determining the market movement. Here are some disadvantages as cited by me and by survey: Fluctuating Returns Mutual funds are like many other investments without a guaranteed return: there is always the possibility that the value of your mutual fund will depreciate. Unlike fixed-income products, such as bonds and Treasury bills, mutual funds experience price fluctuations along with the stocks that make up the fund. When deciding on a particular fund to buy, you need to research the risks involved just because a professional manager is looking after the fund, that doesn’t mean the performance will be always good Diversification Although diversification is one of the keys to successful investing, many mutual fund investors tend to over diversify. The idea of diversification is to reduce the risks associated with holding a single security; over diversification (also known as diversification) occurs when investors acquire many funds that are highly related and, as a result, don’t get A Study of Investors Attitude towards Mutual Fund with Special Reference to Inversotrs in Solapur City the risk reducing benefits of diversification. At the other extreme, just because you own mutual funds doesn’t mean you are automatically diversified. For example, a fund that invests only in a particular industry or region is still relatively risky. For example: Sect oral Funds Cash and More Cash As you know already, mutual funds pool money from thousands of investors, so everyday investors are putting money into the fund as well as withdrawing investments. To maintain liquidity and the capacity to accommodate withdrawals, funds typically have to keep a large portion of their portfolios as cash. Having ample cash is great for liquidity, but money  sitting around as cash is not working for you and thus is not very advantageous. Costs Mutual funds provide investors with professional management, but it comes at a cost. Funds will typically have a range of different fees that reduce the overall payout. In mutual funds, the fees are classified into two categories: shareholder fees and annual operating fees. The shareholder fees, in the forms of loads and redemption fees are paid directly by shareholders purchasing or selling the funds. The annual fund operating fees are charged as an annual percentage usually ranging from 1-3%. These fees are assessed to mutual fund investors regardless of the performance of the fund. As you can imagine, in years when the fund doesn’t make money, these fees only magnify losses. Figure 1: Structure of Mutual Fund A mutual is a set up in the form of trust, which has sponsor, trustee, assets management company (AMC) and custodian. Sponsor is the person who acts alone or in combination with another body corporate and establishes a mutual fund. Sponsor must contribute at least 40% of the net worth of the investment managed and meet the eligibility criteria prescribed under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Mutual Funds) regulations, 1996. The sponsor is not responsible or liable for any loss or shortfall resulting from the operation of the schemes beyond the initial contribution made by it towards setting up of Mutual Fund. The Mutual Fund is constituted as a trust in accordance with the provisions of the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 by the Sponsor. Trustee is usually a company (corporate body) or a board of trustees (body of individuals). The main responsibility of the trustee is to safeguard the interest of the unit holders and also ensure that AMC functions in the interest of investors’ and in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Mutual Fund) Regulations 1996 the provisions of the Trust deed and the offer Document of the respective schemes. The AMC is appointed by the Trustees Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi as the investment Manager of the Mutual Fund. The AMC is required to be approved by SEBI to act as an asset management company of the Mutual Fund. The AMC if so authorized by the Trust Deed appoints the Registrar and Transfer Agent to agent the mutual fund. The registrar processes the application form, redemption requests and dispatches account statements to the unit holders. The Registrar and Transfer agent also handles communications with investors’ and updates investor records. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Lenard et., al. (2003) empirically investigated investor’s attitudes toward mutual funds. The results indicate that the decision to switch funds within a fund family is affected by investor’s attitude towards risk, current asset allocation, investment losses, investment mix, capital base of the fund age, initial fund performance, investment mix, fund and portfolio diversification. The study reported that these factors are crucial to be considered before switching funds regardless of whether they invest in non-employer plans or in both employer and non-employer plans. Bollen (2006) studied the dynamics of investor fund flows in a sample of socially screened equity mutual funds and compared the relation between annual fund flows lagged performance in SR funds to the same relation in a matched sample of conventional funds. The result revealed that the extra-financial SR attribute serves to dampen the rate at which SR investors trade mutual funds. The study noted that the differences between SR funds and their conventional counterparts are robust over time and persist as funds age. The study found that the preferences of SR investors may be represented by conditional multi-attribute utility function (especially when SR funds deliver positive returns). The study remarked that mutual fund companies can expect SR investors to be more loyal than investors in ordinary funds. Walia and Kiran (2009) studied investor’s risk and return perception towards mutual funds. The study examined investors perception towards risk involved in mutual funds, return from mutual funds in comparison to other financial avenues, transparency and disclosure practices. The study investigated  problems of investors encountered with due to unprofessional services of mutual funds. The study found that majority of individual investors doesn’t consider mutual funds as highly risky investment. In fact on a ranking scale it is considered to be on higher side when compared with other financial avenues. The study also reported that significant relationship of interdependence exists between income level of investors and their perception for investment returns from mutual funds investment. Saini et., al. (2011) analyzed investor’s behavior, investors’ opinion and perception relating to various issues like type of mutual fund scheme, its objective, role of financial advisors / brokers, sources of information, deficiencies in the provision of services, investors’ opinion relating to factors that attract them to invest in mutual and challenges before the Indian mutual fund industry etc. The study found that investors seek for liquidity, simplicity in offer documents, online trading, regular updates through SMS and stringent follow up of provisions laid by AMFI. Singh (2012) conducted an empirical study of Indian investors and observed that most of the respondents do not have much awareness about the various function of mutual funds and they are bit confused regarding investment in mutual funds. The study found that some demographic factors like gender, income and level of education have their significant impact over the attitude towards mutual funds. On the contrary age and occupation have not been found influencing the investor’s attitude. The study noticed that return potential and liquidity have been perceived to be most lucrative benefits of investment in mutual funds and the same are followed by flexibility, transparency and affordability. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Mutual funds have their drawbacks and may not be for everyone. No investment is risk free. If the entire stock market declines in value, the value of mutual fund shares will go down as well, no matter how balanced the portfolio. A Study of Investors Attitude towards Mutual Fund with Special Reference to Inversotrs in Solapur City Investors encounter fewer risks when they invest in mutual funds than when they buy and sell stocks on their own. However, anyone who invests through a mutual fund runs the risk of losing money. All funds charge administrative fees to cover their day-to-day expenses. Some funds also charge sales commissions or â€Å"loads† to compensate brokers, financial consultants, or financial planners. When he invests in a mutual fund, they depend on the fund’s manager to make the right decisions regarding the fund’s portfolio. If the invests in Index Funds, they foregoes management risk, because these funds do not employ managers. Though these are the problems in the investment of mutual funds, in the recent days most of the investors preferred to invest their funds on mutual funds. In this background, the research has made an attempt to study the investors’ preference for mutual funds in Solapur City. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The present study is based upon the results of survey conducted on 200 mutual fund investors. The implications of the study are subject to the limitations of sample size, psychological and emotional characteristics of surveyed population. SCOPE OF THE STUDY This paper provides Future of Mutual Funds industry information as well as awareness level amongst people for Mutual Funds. Also this project report of Mutual Funds gives an outlook to management as to how the mutual funds are performing in the current market situation as a result what may be the future of this industry. This paper on mutual funds is informative the students who want to understand and undertake assignments in the industry. This study also facilitates the general people who can understand the importance and explore the new option for investment in Mutual Funds. Different financial institutions provide services that are both complementary to and competitive with each other. A well built financial system directly contributes to the growth of the country. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This study is descriptive in nature based on survey method. The study aims at finding out the attitude of the investors towards investment in mutual funds in Solapur city. This study was based mainly on primary sources. The primary data was collected from the investors of mutual funds with help of the questionnaire. The secondary data were collected from the books, records and journals. By adopting convenience sampling, 200 respondents were selected for this study. The essential data were collected with the help of questionnaire. The data collected from the period of January 2011 to April 2011. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION Figure: 2 Showing Pattern of Investment Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi From above figure it is clear that 75% investors are invested in open ended schemes where as 15% invested in closed ended schemes in mutual fund. Figure: 3 Reason for Investment in Mutual Fund From above figure it is clear that and 42% investors say that they invested money in mutual fund for tax assumption. 33% investors say that they invested money in mutual fund for higher returns. 16% investors say that they invested money in mutual fund for value creation in fund. 9% investors say that they invested money in mutual fund for other reason. Figure: 4 Showing the Reason of Investors that not Invested Money in Mutual Fund From above figure is clear that 50% investors say that they not interested to invest money in mutual fund. 33% investors say that they have imperfect knowledge in mutual fund, so they are not invested. 8.5% investors say that they invested in govt. bond. 8.5% investors has other reason so they not invested money in mutual fund. Figure: 5 Showing Type of Investment Investors Should be Preferred A Study of Investors Attitude towards Mutual Fund with Special Reference to Inversotrs in Solapur City From above figure it is clear that investors invest money in fixed deposits. 15 25% investors invest money in gold/real estates. 17% investors invest money in mutual fund. 8% investors invest money in bond/debentures. Remaining 17% investors invest money in shares. Figure: 6 Showing Returns Investor get from their Investment From above figure it is clear that 70% investors are gaining 5-15% returns from their investment. 23% are gaining 15-30% returns from their investment. 5% investors are gaining 30-45% returns from their investment. Remaining only 2% investors is gaining above 45% returns from their investment. Figure: 7 Showing Duration of Investment From above it is clear 80% investors are dealing in short term duration whereas 20% investors are dealing in long term duration. Figure: 8 Showing the Investors Experience in Mutual Fund Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi From above figure it is clear that 73% investors say that they are having bad experience in mutual fund. 12% investors say that they are having good experience in mutual fund. Remaining 15% investors say that their experience is ok. FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS Findings †¢The trend for investment is changing rapidly besides the traditional pattern of investment and people today they are ready to undertake risk and also bear the volatility of changing mutual fund market scenario. †¢This shows that people with Middle Income Group are more attractive this market and are ready to bear the risk. †¢It is observed that 75% investors have invested open ended schemes that they want higher returns on their investment rather than investing in closed ended schemes in mutual fund. †¢It is observed that 42% investors have invested money for tax assumption.33% investors have invested money for higher returns in their investment.16% investors have invested money for value creation in fund. And remaining 9% investors have invested money for other reason. †¢It is observed that 50% investors have not interested to invest money in mutual fund.33% investors have imperfect knowledge so they not invested money in mutual fund.9% investors find govt. securities bond is better that’s way they not invested money in mutual fund. And remaining 8% investors have other reason so they not invested money in mutual fund. †¢It is observed that more businessmen were inclined towards investing in current account. The ladies were inclined to invest their money in Gold and jewelleries. Service class people and retired class people prefer more saving and fixed deposits People with high income. †¢It is observed that 70% investors have invested to getting returns in the range of 5-15% which shows in short span of time they are getting good returns and more than expectations. †¢It is observed that 80% investors have invested in short term duration which indicates the investors have not ready to invest in long term period due to various risks associated with long term duration of investment. †¢On asking how they get knowledge of mutual fund a large number of them attributed to print media. Even banks today follow the role of the investment advisors. Very few get any information from the e-media or Hence, AMCs must increase the awareness about their product through Electronic media (TVs, Cables, Radios etc.) as well as and should not just constrained itself to the print advertisement those who do not read newspaper. SUGGESTIONS Investor’s Point of View The question that entire customer, irrespective of the age group and financial status, think of is- Are mutual funds are a safe option? What makes them safe? The basis of mutual fund industry’s safety is the way the business is defined and regulation of law. Since the mutual fund invests in the capital market instruments, so proper knowledge is essential. Hence the essential requirement is well informed seller and equally informed buyer who  understands and helped them to understand the product (here we can say the capital market and the money market instruments) is the essential preconditions. A Study of Investors Attitude towards Mutual Fund with Special Reference to Inversotrs in Solapur City Being Prudent Investor One Should †¢Ask one’s agent to give details of different schemes and match the appropriate ones. †¢Go to the company records or the fund house regarding any queries if one is not satisfied by the agents. †¢Investors should always keep an eye on the performance of the scheme and other good schemes as well which are available in the market for the closed comparison. †¢Never invest blindly in the investments before going through the fact sheets, annual reports etc. of the company. Since, according to the Guidelines of SEBI The AMCs are bound to disclose all the relevant data that is necessary for the investment purpose of investors. Company’s (Mutual Fund Companies) Point of View  Following measures can be taken by the company for getting higher investments in the mutual fund schemes: †¢Educate the agents or the salesmen properly so that they can take up the queries of the customer effectively. †¢Set up separate customer care divisions where the customers can anytime pose their query, regarding the scheme or the current NAV etc. These customer care units can work out in accordance with the requirements of the customer and facilitates them to choose the scheme that suits their financial status. †¢Conduct seminars or programs about mutual fund where every information about the product is outlined including the risk factor associated with the different classes of assets. †¢Brokers should reduce the brokerage charges for intra day and delivery based so that the investor can save more amounts to generate extra investment for the investor as well as for the Mutual Fund companies. †¢Mutual Fund companies should try to increase the promotion and advertisement strategies for awareness of Mutual fund in solapur city. CONCLUSIONS The mutual fund industry is growing at a tremendous pace. A large number of plans have come up from different financial resources. With the stock markets oaring the investors are attracted towards these schemes. Only a small segment of the investors still in Mutual Funds and the main source  sources of information still are the financial advisors followed by advertisements in different media. The Indian investors generally invest over period of 2-3 years. Also there is a tendency to invest in fixed deposits due to the security attached to it. In order to excel and make mutual funds a success, companies still need to create awareness and understand the psyche of the Indian customer. REFERENCES Agapova, Anna, 2011, „The Role of Money Market Mutual Funds in Mutual Fund Families , Journal of Applied ‟ 1. Finance, Vol. 21, Issue. 1, pp. 87-102. Agarwal, Vikas; Boyson, Nicole M.; Naik, Narayan Y, 2009, „Hedge Funds for Retail Investors? An Examination of Hedged Mutual Funds , Journal of Financial Quantitative Analysis, Vol. 44, Issue 2, pp. 273-305. ‟ 2. 12 Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi 3. A. Vennila, R. Nandhagopal(2012) â€Å"Investors’ Preference towards Mutual Funds in Coimbatore City European Journal of Social Sciences ISSN 1450-2267 Vol.29 No.1 (2012), pp. 115-125 4. Binod Kumar Singh (2011) â€Å"A Study on Investors’ Attitude towards Mutual Funds as an Investment Option† JOURNAL OF ASIAN BUSINESS STRATEGY, VOL. 1(2): 8-15 5. Badrinath, S.G Gubellini, S, (2011), „On the characteristics and performance of long-short, market-neutral and bear mutual funds , Journal of Banking Finance, Vol. 35 Issue 7, pp.1762-1776. ‟ 6. Dranikoff L, Koller, T. and Schneider, A, â€Å"Divestiture: Strategy’s Missing Link†, Harvard Business Review, May 2002, 80 (5). 7. Dr.Nishi Sharma (2009) â€Å"Indian Inverstors Perception towards mutual funds† Business Management Dynamics Vol.2, No.2, Aug 2012, pp.01-09 8. Gil-Bazo, Javier; Ruiz Verd, Pablo, 2009, „The Relation between Price and Performance in the Mutual Fund Industry , Journal of Finance, Vol. 64, Issue 5, pp. 2153-2183. ‟ 9. Hansen M and Nohria N, â€Å"What’s your Strategy for Managing Knowledge?† Harvard Business Review, MarchApril, 1999, 77 (2).1 10. Journal of Marketing, 32 (October), 65-68, 1968. 11. Rajeswari, T.R., and V.E. RamaMoorthy, 2001, An Empirical Study on Factors Influencing the Mutual Fund Scheme Selection by Retail Investors . Retrieved on May 2010 http://www.utiicm .com/Cmc/PDFs/ ‟ 2001/rajeswari.pdf. 12. Singh, Chander, 2004, „Performance of mutual funds in India – an empirical evidence , ICFAI journal of applied ‟ finance December, pp. 81-98. 13. Subbash C. Jain, â€Å"Marketing Planning and Strategy†, South Western College Publishing, Sixth Edition, 2000. 14. Singh, B. K. and Jha, A.K. 2009, „An empirical study on awareness acceptability of mutual fund , Regional ‟ Student s Conference, ICWAI, pp. 49-55. ‟ 15. Winer, C. Strategic Thinking: An executive Perspective, Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall, 2000

Statistics Essay -- Data Analysis, Frequency Distribution

Statistics are necessary for scientific research because they allow the researchers to analyze empirical data needed to interpret the findings and draw conclusions based on the results of the research. According to Portney and Watkins (2009), all studies require a description of subjects and responses that are obtained through measuring central tendency, so all studies use descriptive statistics to present an appropriate use of statistical tests and the validity of data interpretation. Although descriptive statistics do not allow general conclusions and allow only limited interpretations, they are useful for understanding the study sample and establishing an appropriate framework for the further analysis in the study. Further analysis using appropriate statistical methods allows the researchers to establish correlations between independent and dependent variables, define possible outcomes, and identify areas of potential study in the future accurately. Statistics is important for res earchers because it allows them to investigate and interpret the data more accurately, and researchers will notice patterns in the data that would be overlooked otherwise and result in inaccurate and possibly subjective conclusions (Portney & Watkins, 2009). Frequency distribution is a method used in descriptive statistics to arrange the values of one or multiple variables in a sample, so it will summarize the distribution of values in a sample. Frequency distribution is the most basic and frequently used method in statistics because it creates organized tables of data which can be used later to calculate averages or measure variability. The organized data frequency distribution provides continuous data that is easier to work with than raw data obtai... ...loser to the population mean and the plot would display a normal curve because a sampling distribution always forms a normal curve (Portney & Watkins, 2009). When the frequency distribution graph shows a normal curve, it is possible to determine its variability and estimate the standard error of the mean in compliance with the sample data. Unlike probability, an estimate of the population distribution allows researchers to establish the probability of selecting a sample with a predictable mean. Although the sampling distribution for predicting single outcomes is not applicable in reality, sample data can be used to draw inferences about the entire population from one sample, but it is never used to measure variance directly. However, sample data finds applications in several researches that require estimating unknown population parameters (Portney & Watkins, 2009)

History of French Cinema Essay

The art of cinematography is supposed to be born in France. On December 28, 1885, in one of the cafe-saloons at Boulevard des Capucines in Paris a screening by Louis and Auguste Lumiere, L’Arrivee d’un train en gare de la Ciotat, was presented to general public’s attention. Along with some other early movies, including Le Voyage dans la Lune, it marked the birth of a new epoch in arts. Since those times French cinema was never on the decline. Currently, it is considered to be very developed and the next best after Hollywood. Early French movies were mostly filmed with the help of the techniques of stop-tricks, multiple exposures, substitutions and other simple special effects. At that, an important role was played by Georges Melies, an influential French movie-maker, who used to promote cinematography and involve in it many talented composers, actors and screenwriters of those times. During the 1910s numerous comedies with Max Linder gained a huge popularity worldwide. Before the World War I, overwhelming majority of cinema movie products was made in France, mainly at Pathe Freres and Gaumont Pictures. After the war, the era of poetic realism and classicism started in French cinema. Such movies as La Grande Illusion, Les Enfants du Paradis and others were reflecting post-war realities and social life. Another direction of French cinema development within the 1930s was comedy, where the contribution of Rene Clair (Le Salaire de la Peur, etc. ) was the most substantial. The movies L’Atlante and Zero de Conduite directed by Jean Vigo were the examples of further experimentations with cinema production techniques. Modern image of French cinema art started its formation after the World War II and recognition of its aftereffects. Following a series of anti-Nazi movies, during the late 1940s French directors started addressing to the problems of humanism, as well as producing a number of high-quality entertaining movies. Besides, the screenings of French literature classics, including La Charterhouse at Parma and Le Rouge et le Noir, gained a rapid worldwide popularity. But one of the central cinema works of that period of time is the movie Hiroshima Mon Amour directed by Alain Resnais. In 1946 the first International Movie Festival took place in Cannes and received the status of annual. Nowadays it is one of the most prestigious movie festivals, which give opportunity to discover new talents in cinema industry. In the beginning of the 1950s a number of gifted actors of various genres appeared in France: Brigitte Bardot, Jean Marais, Bourvil, Maria Casares, Antoine Doinel, Louis de Funes, Serge Reggiani and many others. French cinema was becoming more and more thematic and experimental. On the peak of the â€Å"new wave† in the 1950s, a lot of new directors, such as Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, Yves Robert, Francis Veber, Claude Lelouch and Louis Malle made themselves known. The developments of that epoch are regarded to emphasizing conceptual forms of the plot. The movies of Jacques Demy, Les Parapluies de Cherbourg featuring a brilliant French actress Catherine Deneuve and Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, marked a new direction of French cinema art: cinema-musical. Within the 1960s-70s a new series of talented actors dominated in French cinema: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Alain Delon, Annie Girardot, just to name a few. Such styles as melodrama, historical movies, classical dramatic repertoire and absurdist experimentations were developing. Also, French comedies regained their worldwide popularity due to outstanding performances of Michel Colucci, Pierre Richard and Gerard Depardieu. During the 1980s about 140 French movies became popular on global level. Modern French cinema is a very sophisticated art, in which human psychology and dramatics of the plot are always united with a little piquancy and artistic beauty. Modern directors like Luc Besson and Francois Ozon are leading the fashion. Popular actors are Jean Reno, Sophie Marceau, Audrey Tautou, and Christian Clavier. French government broadly supports the development and popularization of national cinema products.

Maya Angelou Essay

During this class period you need to complete the following essay. Please type it and use proper formatting. The stories are all posted on your Edline page under assignments. You do NOT need the internet for ANY OTHER REASON. When you have completed the essay you need to do the FRED book assignment below. Comparing Texts Author Study: Maya Angelou Writing a Response to Literature: Biographical Approach Maya Angelou has remarked, â€Å"I’m always inspired by men and women who rise†¦That ability to rise is nobleness of the human spirit.† Write an essay in which you analyze Angelou’s beliefs about the human spirit, as reflected in the four works you just read. Before you begin, consider what Angelou has to say about her work: â€Å"I speak to the black experience, but I am always talking about the human condition—about what we can endure, dream, fail at, and still survive.† Writing Your Essay As you plan, draft, and revise your essay, keep the following tips in mind: †¢In the introduction, or the beginning of your essay, include a specific thesis statement that presents the key point you will prove in your essay. †¢Support your ideas with evidence from the four selections. Be sure to analyze how Angelou’s tone and use of stylistic devices contribute to the expression of her themes or main ideas. †¢Make sure that every paragraph has unity and coherence. All the sentences in the paragraph should relate to one main idea and help develop that idea. †¢End your essay with a conclusion in which you summarize your main points. Include a new, but related, closing insight or reflection. Create a one-page document that shows you have understood the book with the 2 parts below: †¢Part 1: First, think of the symbols in the book. Then, find pictures using â€Å"Google images† or â€Å"Clip Art† and paste them into the document. Then give a 1-2 sentence reason for the symbol. †¢Part 2: Write a book review. Make sure you convince me you have read it thoroughly! It should be no more than 1-2 paragraphs. (If you do not finish in class, send to me via email before the end of the day! vocabqueenb@gmail.com)

Term Paper on Computer

Term Paper on Computer Computer and its studies is a necessary field of expertise that everyone should be aware of. It is not necessary that you should be a master of computer but you should be able to use it, as it is the need of today’s society. Computers play an important role in our lives as they are needed in hospitals, educational institutions, security places, business organizations, libraries, homes, scientific institutions, shopping markets, sports gatherings, festival gatherings and all types of gatherings and other institutions all over the world. It is only because of computers that the world has become a global village. We can talk from our homes to far away places within no time and can deliver all kinds of files to our friends and relations through the usage of computers. Computer has made our life easy. A computer was created for computing fast- a purely mathematical function. Today they are used to forecast the weather, to operate machines, to cut sell to size and even to guide a sp acecraft to the moon. Computers help to trace criminals. Computers are used in the  airlines - the whole world of airlines functions efficiently with its help. Hotels make use of them from managerial capacities to kitchen and companies use them for accounting and invoicing, etc. A computer is a data processing device, which acts upon data coming to it in all shapes and sizes. It deals with the science of information processing, invoicing, recording, manipulating, and retrieving information stored as patters of electrical pulses. A computer has to be programmed as per the requirement either to guide a missile or to write poetry. Teachers assign their students to write computer term papers on various computer term paper topics such as term paper on computer technology, term paper on computer networking, term paper on computer software, term paper on computer hardware, term paper on computer accessories, term paper on computer programming, term paper on computer devices and many more. How to write a term paper on computer is a query students feel that they should ask. Term paper on computers should be fully informative and simply written that even a person who is not aware of the usage of computer technology can understand it easily. Clear and vivid writing makes your writing of term paper on computers a good one and you are eligible to get good marks for your written computer term paper. In case of problem in writing term paper on computers, you can buy term paper on computer from well-known term paper writing companies like us, which write custom   computer term papers in lieu of assistance to the students or read useful tips how to write a term paper. Here is a list of the most popular computer science essay topics: 1. Apple Computer Corporate and Business Strategy 2. The Computer Industry The â€Å"Con† Side 3. The Different Types of Computer Crimes and the Harm They Cause 4. Technostress Computer Vision Syndrome 5. Computer Viruses and Protection 6. Computer Programming 7. Application of Computer 8. Computer Addiction 9. The Impact Of Computer-Related Technology 10. Computer Ethics 11. Computer Misuse Act 1990 12. Strategies for Computer Recycling 13. Case Study: Dell Computers 14. Computers that Run Themselves 15. Computer Chips 16. Building a computer 17. Computers in Education 18. Computers And Information Processing 19. Computer Games, Its Effects on Children 20. Computer Aided Machining 21. Computer Technology In The School System 22. Computer Architecture HNC Computing 23. Video games and Computer Science 24. Effective Technical Human Implementation of Computer-based Systems 25. General Advantages in Computer Technology You can order an original custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation in Computer science from our custom paper writing service which provides high-quality custom written papers.

Four Things That Set Americans Apart and Why They Matter

Four Things That Set Americans Apart and Why They Matter The results are in. We now have sociological data about the values, beliefs, and attitudes that make Americans unique when compared with people from other nations- especially those from other rich nations. The Pew Research Centers 2014 Global Attitudes Survey found that Americans have a stronger belief in the power of the individual. Compared to residents of other nations, Americans are more likely to believe that hard work will lead to success. Americans also tend to be much more optimistic and religious than people in other rich nations. What Makes Americans Unique? Sociological data from the Pew Research Center suggests that Americans differ from residents of other nations in their individualism and their belief in hard work to get ahead. Moreover, compared to other wealthy nations, Americans are also more religious and optimistic. Lets dig into these data, consider why Americans differ so greatly from others, and figure out what it all means from a sociological perspective. A Stronger Belief in the Power of the Individual Pew found, after surveying people in 44 nations around the world, that  Americans believe, far more than others, that we control our own success in life. Others around the world are far more likely to believe that forces outside ones control determine the level of ones success. Pew determined this by asking people whether they agreed or disagreed with the following statement: Success in life is pretty much determined by forces outside our control. While the global median was 38 percent  of respondents disagreeing with the statement, more than half of Americans- 57 percent- disagreed with it. This means that most Americans believe that success is determined by ourselves, rather than outside forces. Pew suggests that this finding means that Americans stand out on individualism, which makes sense. This result signals that we believe more in the power of ourselves as individuals to shape our own life than we believe that outside forces shape us. The majority of Americans believe that success is up to us, which means we believe in the promise and possibility of success. This belief is, in essence, the American Dream: a dream rooted in the belief in the power of the individual. However, this common belief runs counter to what we social scientists know to be true: a litany of social and economic forces surround us from birth, and they shape, to a large degree, what happens in our lives, and whether we achieve success in normative terms (i.e. economic success). This does not mean that individuals do not have power, choice, or free will. We do, and within sociology, we refer to this as agency.  But we, as individuals, also exist within a society composed of social relationships with other people, groups, institutions, and communities, and they and their norms exert social force on us. So the paths, options, and outcomes from which we choose, and how we make those choices, are influenced greatly by the social, cultural, economic, and political circumstances that surround us. That Old Pull Yourself up by Your Bootstraps Mantra Connected to this belief in the power of the individual, Americans are also more likely to believe that it is very important to work hard to get ahead in life. Nearly three-quarters of Americans believe this, whereas just 60 percent do in the United Kingdom, and 49 percent do in Germany. The global mean is 50 percent, so residents of other nations also believe this too- just not to the same extent as Americans. A sociological perspective suggests that theres circular logic at work here. Success stories- widely popular in all forms of media- are typically framed as narratives of hard work, determination, struggle, and perseverance. This fuels the belief that one must work hard to get ahead in life, which perhaps fuels hard work, but it certainly does not fuel economic success for the vast majority of the population. This myth also fails to account for the fact that most people do work hard, but do not get ahead, and that even the concept of getting ahead means that others must by necessity fall behind. So the logic can, by design, only work for some, and they are a small minority. The Most Optimistic Among Rich Nations Interestingly, the U.S. is also far more optimistic than other rich nations, with 41 percent saying they were having a particularly good day. No other rich nations even came close. Second to the U.S. was the U.K., where just 27 percent- thats less than a third- felt the same way. It makes sense that people who believe in the power of themselves as individuals to achieve success by hard work and determination would also show this kind of optimism. If you see your days as full of promise for future success, then it follows that you would consider them good days. In the U.S. we  also receive and perpetuate the message, quite consistently, that positive thinking is a necessary component of achieving success. No doubt, theres some truth to that. If you dont believe that something is possible, whether its a personal or professional goal or dream, then how will you ever achieve it? But, as author Barbara Ehrenreich has observed, there are significant downsides to this uniquely American optimism. In her 2009 book  Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking is Undermining America, Ehrenreich suggests that positive thinking can ultimately harm us personally, and as a society. As one summary of the book explains,  On a personal level, it leads to self-blame and a morbid preoccupation with stamping out negative thoughts. On a national level, it’s brought us an era of irrational optimism resulting in disaster [i.e. the subprime mortgage foreclosure crisis]. Part of the problem with positive thinking, per Ehrenreich, is that when it becomes a mandatory attitude, it disallows for the acknowledgement of fear, and of criticism. Ultimately, Ehrenreich argues, positive thinking, as an ideology, fosters acceptance of an unequal and highly troubled status quo, because we use it to convince ourselves that we as individuals are to blame for what is hard in life, and that we can change our situation if we just have the right attitude about it. This kind of ideological manipulation is what Italian activist and writer Antonio Gramsci referred to as cultural hegemony, achieving rule through the ideological manufacture of consent. When you believe that thinking positively will solve your problems, you are unlikely to challenge the things that may be causing your trouble. Relatedly, late sociologist C. Wright Mills would look on this trend as fundamentally anti-sociological, because the essence of having a sociological imagination, or thinking like a sociologist, is being able to see the connections between personal troubles and public issues. As Ehrenreich sees it, American optimism stands in the way of the kind of critical thinking that is necessary to fight inequalities and to keep society in check.  The alternative to rampant optimism, she suggests, is not pessimism- it is realism. An Unusual Combination of National Wealth and Religiosity The 2014 Global Values Survey reaffirmed another well-established trend: the richer a nation is, in terms of GDP per capita, the less religious is its population. Around the world, the poorest nations have the highest levels of religiosity, and the wealthiest nations, like  Britain, Germany, Canada, and Australia, the lowest. Those four nations  are all clustered around a $40,000 GDP per capita, and approximately 20 percent of the population claims that religion is an important part of their life.  Conversely, the poorest nations, including Pakistan, Senegal, Kenya, and the Philippines, among others, are the most religious, with nearly all members of their populations claiming religion as an important part of their lives.   This is why it is unusual that in the U.S., the nation with the highest GDP per capita among those measured, more than half of the adult population says that religion is an important part of their lives. Thats a 30 percentage point difference over other rich nations, and puts us on par with nations that have a per capita GDP of less than $20,000. This difference between the U.S. and other rich nations seems to be connected to another- that  Americans are also far more likely to say that belief in God is a prerequisite for morality. In other rich nations like Australia and France this figure is far lower (23 and 15 percent respectively), where most people do not conflate theism with morality. These final findings about religion, when combined with the first two, demonstrate the legacy of early American Protestantism. Founding father of sociology, Max Weber, wrote about this in his famous book  The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Weber observed that in early American society, belief in God and religiosity were expressed in large part through dedicating oneself to a secular calling, or profession. Followers of Protestantism at the time were instructed by religious leaders to dedicate themselves to their calling and work hard in their earthly life in order enjoy heavenly glory in the afterlife. Over time, the universal acceptance and practice of the Protestant religion specifically waned in the U.S., but belief in hard work and the power of the individual to forge their own success remained. However, religiosity, or at least the appearance of it, remains strong in the U.S., and is perhaps connected to the three other values highlighted here, as each are form s of faith in their own right. The Trouble with American Values While all of the values described here are considered virtues in the U.S., and, indeed, can foster positive outcomes, there are significant drawbacks to the prominence of them in our society. The belief in the power of the individual, in the importance of hard work, and optimism function more as myths than they do as actual recipes for success, and what these myths obscure is a society cleaved by crippling inequalities along lines of race, class, gender, and sexuality, among other things. They do this obscuring work by encouraging us to see and think as individuals, rather than as members of communities or parts of a greater whole. Doing so prevents us from fully grasping the larger forces and patterns that organize society and shape our lives, which is to say, doing so discourages us from seeing and understanding systemic inequalities. This is how these values maintain an unequal status quo. If we want to live in a just and equal society, we have to challenge the dominance of these values and the prominent roles they play in our lives, and take instead a healthy dose of realistic social critique.

American Dream as Depicted in Death of a Salesman Term Paper

American Dream as Depicted in Death of a Salesman - Term Paper Example The 'American Dream,' in Willy's perspective, is the holding, enjoying and acquiring a flourishing career. Unluckily, for Willy, he delimits and restricts his goals at being a triumph in his career as a salesman. Willy charges the ostentation of the business and corporate world. This may be observed in his opinion about Bernard: "Bernard can get the best marks in school, understand, but when he gets out in the business world, understand, you're going to be five times ahead of him. That's why I thank Almighty God you're both built like agonizes. Because a man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want".Happy complains, " I mean I can outbox, outrun, and outlift anybody in that store, and I have to take orders from those common, pretty sons-of-bitches till I can't stand it anymore" (Act 1). Happy thinks that just because he is stronger than those who give him orders, he should be the one to give the orders. His father taught him that that was the way to success, and it is obviously failing for Happy. The same goes for Biff. Just because he has the dashing smile, good looks and people like him - that does not mean that he will be a success in the business world. Hard work, persistence and work ethic are what he is lacking which makes him a failure as well. Willy does not see it that way though. He is seeing both of his sons from 'the clouds.' He is looking down on them like they are the successes that he has made them out to be in his head. This, unfortunately, does not help them in life. The Loman boys are not the only ones Willy's views poisons, but also his wife Linda. The love Linda holds for Willy is persistent. She sees herself as his protector. Linda allows Willy to laps into his illusions so he can have that feeling of contentment. Willy also soon finds out that his life was not the perfect life he has conjured up in his head. Willy realizes that in fact he has lived his life in vain. It is by means of Willy's disappointment as a salesman that his inborn yearning for the outdoors is uncovered. (Bhatia, 46) Towards the climax of the play, Charley mentions, "... He was a happy man with a batch of cement ... so wonderful with his hands ... he had the wrong dreams, all wrong" (Act 2). We can assume that the play emphasizes the path not taken may have been the right one. Willy holds this assumption as the inability to see who and what he is which leads to the tragic ending. To the very end he is a firm believer in the ideology that the attractive and well spoken finish first. This is the very thing that destroys him, because he now finds out, in his own mind, he is not on top. The main reason why Willy Loman's life was always miserable is because Willy Loman accounted the society's expectations and standards of what an American Dream is to them rather then what an American Dream meant to him self. He always thought that he was better then what people thought of him. He put himself down due to his sons' failure to achieve their goals; therefore he thought

Liberty, Equlaity, Power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Liberty, Equlaity, Power - Essay Example They are extensively denoted in the bill of rights. Before the fight for liberty, African American men were not allowed to vote. Nevertheless, with the fifteenth amendment, they gained the right to vote. The facet of equality is based on membership of a community. The new chapter of equality emerged through struggle for citizenship in the American society through civil movements. Criminal justice policies been developed to change the issue of discrimination against the people of color in the United States. During the slavery period, people of the color were discriminated against. It was tricky for them to secure good jobs even after the end of slavery. Good housing and social services were denied owing to criminal records, which emanated as a result of laws that had been put in place to discriminate against them. Nevertheless, revolution created a room for equality. The civil was an opening door for the end of inequality. Although there was notion that civil rights amendments would have helped to end racism and economic exploitation, different forms of discrimination and exploitation emerged. This was achieved through manipulation of law through legal maneuvering, which ensured that there were twisted phrases of the law that encouraged inequality. For instance, in 1896, the famous Supreme Court ruling with the phrase â€Å"separate but equal† is a perfect example that encouraged inequality. This was the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896). Presently, criminal justices policies can be argued to indirectly endorse the issue of inequality. Mass arrest and incarceration of people of color have been evident. In the year 2007, there were over 2 million people confined in US prisons, but the majorities were black and brown people. In fact, the statistics indicates that one out of three African American men is incarcerated. Additionally, mass incarceration is highly