Education in Wuthering Heights Essay

Education of the 18th and 19th century connects closely to the gender association of this period. Men from wealthy families were the only persons provided the opportunity to be educated at the university level. Just as many men use golf to prove their status and superiority today, these gentlemen pursued cricket and rugby. Another similarity with society today involves the importance of personal connections to further your education possibilities and business opportunities. Social standing was extremely important during this time. â€Å"Manners, money, birth, occupation and leisure time were crucial indicators of social standing, determining not only one’s place in society but one’s freedom to act, speak, learn, and earn† (Longman p. 1886). (alternate view on Victorian society) In the Victorian Era, social class was not solely dependent upon the amount of money a person had; rather, the source of income, birth, and family connections played a major role in determining one’s position in society. And, significantly, most people accepted their place in the hierarchy. In addition to money, manners, speech, clothing, education, and values revealed a person’s class. The three main classes were the elite class, the middle class, and the working class. Further divisions existed within these three class distinctions. The struggle between social classes roughly resembles a real-life conflict during this time. The book was published during the Industrial Revolution, a time of great economic change in which laborers fought for fair conditions in the workplace, and employers fought to defend themselves. People formed groups to work for their own benefit, thus, causing the separation of classes THE GENERAL EFFECT THAT STRESS ON EDUCATION AND THUS SOCIAL CLA SS BRINGS OUT IN THE NOVEL: Education is the one of the central themes in Wuthering Heights, it brings about social status and class distinction in the novel, one of the major differences that we witness between Class struggle is a central theme found in wuthering heights. Class determines hatred, marriage, financial situation and occupation in Wuthering heights. The strict guidelines of class structure break hearts, bring about marriages without love and affect the physical and emotional wellbeing of every character. Even the two main houses in Emily Bronte’s novel reflects the difference education imparts on the character’s dispositions and behaviour. The setting of the story at Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange provides a clear example of social contrast. While the Heights is depicted as simply typical and â€Å"domestic† and associated with uneducated characters: (Nelly, Heathcliff, Hareton, Zillah and Joseph) the Grange is described as a â€Å"scene of unprecedented richness† (80). Each house is associated with behaviour fitting the description. For example, when Catherine is taken into the Grange, she experiences drastic changes, thus going from a â€Å"savage† to a â€Å"lady† (80). While at this house, she rises in status, learns manners, and receives great privileges such as not having to work due to being acquaintances with the educated Isabella and Linton. Heathcliff, on the other hand, learns to classify himself as a member of the lower class, as he does not possess the education of those at the Grange. THE EFFECT OF EDUCATION (OR LACK OF EDUCATION) ON THE CHARACTERS IN WUTHERING HEIGHTS: *MY IDEA IS THAT THE THEME OF CLASS AND EDUCATION ARE INTERLINKED. EDUCATION BREEDS CLASS AS SEEN IN THE CHARACTERS OF EDGAR LINTON, ISABELLA, CATHERING EARNSHAW (TO SOME EXTENT) AND CATHERINE LINTON HEATHCLIFF: †¢Education in Wuthering Heights leads to a better understanding of class and society. The fact that Heathcliff is deprived of an education, immediately lowers his class and ranks him among the servants of Wuthering Heights, emphasized when Catherine Earnshaw returns to Wuthering Heights after her stay at the Lintons. (chapter 7) :† why how very black and cross you look!and how- how funny and grim! But that’s because I’m used to Edgar and Isabella Linton.† †¢Even though Wuthering Heights’ two families live out in the middle of nowhere, they still abide by the constraints of class. Brontà « lets us know through Catherine’s aspirations to marry Edgar Linton that Thrushcross Grange is a far superior manor to the sprawling farmhouse at Wuthering Heights. Now, the Lintons and the Earnshaws are both members of the middle class – between the working class and the elite – as they have servants running the house. But marriage to Edgar Linton is still the means through which Catherine becomes the â€Å"greatest woman of the neighbourhood† (9.59) while, as she tells Nelly, â€Å"Did it never strike you that if Heathcliff and I married, we should be beggars? whereas if I marry Linton, I can aid Heathcliff to rise and place him out of my brother’s power† (9.99). Being an orphan with no family ties and no land, Heathcliff is the lowest on the totem pole. That Hindley denies Heathcliff an education implies that he is trying to force him to become a servant (which is how he, in fact, refers to him several times). So it makes sense that Heathcliff’s revenge is tied directly to the novel’s class issues, because property ownership is one of the privileges of the middle class and above. :† He drove him from their company to the servants, deprived him of the instructions of the curate, and insisted that he should labour out of doors instead; compelling him to do s o as hard as any other lad on the farm. (6.9)† †¢Heathcliff is brought up in a middle class environment with the earnshaws and then into a working class when Hindley takes over custody of Heathcliff. Heathcliff originally was of low working class, being a gypsy (a poor nomadic race of people) and had dark skin. His ethnic disposition worked against him when being judged by the Earnshaws and Linton’s. This leads to the constant belittling of Heathcliff by Hindley and the Lintons ultimately resulted in his loss of Catherine and his motivation in bring about the downfalls of the Earnshaws and Lintons. †¢Heathcliff is an orphan; therefore, his station is below everyone else in Wuthering Heights. It was unheard of to raise someone from the working class as a member of the middle-to-upper middle class. Even Nelly, who was raised with the Earnshaw children, understood her place below her childhood friends. When Mr. Earnshaw elevates the status of Heathcliff, eventually favoring him to his own son, this goes against societal norms. This combination of elevation and usurpation is why Hindley returns Heathcliff to his previous low station after the death of Mr. Earnshaw, and that is why Heathcliff relishes in the fact that Hindley’s son Hareton is reduced to the level of a common, uneducated labourer. †¢Due to the fact that Heathcliff is uneducated Catherine begins to prefer Edgar Linton’s society simply because Edgar is able to discuss more intellectual topics than Heathcliff, thus due to his lack of education and class distinct he lost the love of his life, Catherine. †¢Only after he becomes educated and more genteel does he garner more respect in the novel. †¢When Heathcliff returns, having money is not enough for Edgar to consider him a part of acceptable society, as he is not educated. Heathcliff uses his role as the outcast to encourage Isabella’s infatuation. The feelings that both Catherine and Isabella have for Heathcliff, the common laborer, cause them to lose favor with their brothers. Hindley and Edgar cannot accept the choices their sisters make and therefore, withdraw their love. When a woman betrays her class, she is betraying her family and her class — both unacceptable actions. †¢It should be noted that Heathcliff uses the Victorian’s obsession with class distinct and education against his enemies. They are tools of his revenge. CATHERINE: †¢Social class and education must be the reason Catherine marries Edgar; she is attracted to the social comforts he can supply her. No other plausible explanation exists. Catherine naively thinks she can marry Edgar and then use her position and his money to assist Heathcliff, but that would never happen. †¢The fact that her own brother Hindley deprives her true love, Heathcliff of an education makes Catherine realize the fact that Heathcliff would never be of any consequence to society as in Victorian times education and class distinct ran hand in hand. This is what broadens the chasm between Catherine and her childhood companion Heathcliff as she comes back from her stay at the Lintons. †¢It is Heathcliff’s lack of education that drives her into the society of the Lintons. †¢The fact that Hindley deprives Heathcliff of an education cements Cathy’s view of Heathcliff as a tyrant and causes a chasm between brother and sister. †¢The fact that education is such an important part of Victorian society is emphasized by Catherine’s choice to marry Linton rather than Heathcliff. Catherine’s decision to marry Edgar Linton rather than Heathcliff, and this decision widens the gap between social classes. Edgar Linton is a wealthy man of high status and education, and Heathcliff is poor and possesses no assets. Catherine does not consider personal feelings, but instead, she focuses on her outward appearance to society. â€Å"Edgar Linton will be rich and I shall like to be the greatest woman of the neighborhood whereas if Heathcliff and I married, we should be beggars (81).† It is obvious that wealth justifies social class, and Catherine strives to achieve high status. HINDLEY: †¢Out of all the characters in the novel, Hindley seems to be the most worldly, from a young age he is sent off to college, mainly due to his father’s deference to Heathcliff. This causes us to believe that he is more exposed to Victorian class distinction, more than the other characters of the novel as he is sagacious enough that he discovers that by depriving Heathcliff of an education he ultimately separates him from Catherine as he is then ranked among a servant. †¢Due to Heathcliff, in a cyclical turn of events, Hindley’s own son due a combination of his own neglect and Heathcliff’s cruelty is deprived of education. The fact that he is deprived of education deprives him of any social consequence and his own birthright, emphasizing Emily Bronte’s theme that class and social standing can’t exist without education. EDGAR LINTON: †¢Edgar Linton is a wealthy and well-educated with a noticeably higher ranking than the tenants of Wuthering Heights. †¢Although his rank has made him rather weak- willed and effeminate in character. (Emily Bronte seems to associate the genteel class with slightly effeminate characteristics) he is well educated and this leads him to win the heart of Catherine. †¢His high social status and education make him dislike Heathcliff whom he regards as a ‘gypsy’, his wife and sister’s regard for a man with such low education is a cause for his extreme dislike towards Heathcliff †¢Edgar embodies Victorian society’s idea of a well- educated. Cultured gentleman. Emily Bronte uses Edgar to depict the value of education in such a society, he is a complete contrast to the character of Heathcliff. HARETON: †¢while Hareton’s outward behaviour might suggest a lack of character, he responds to Cathy’s beauty and love by striving to improve his mind. Hareton realizes the importance of education in Victorian society. †¢Heathcliff’s revenge on him is to make Hareton a double of a younger Heathcliff, by denying Hareton his right to an education he makes Hareton less than a servant in Victorian society. This is emphasized by Linton Heathcliff and Catherine Linton’s treatment of him. CATHERINE LINTON: †¢Wuthering heights is famous due to Emily Bronte’s use of doubles or ‘shadowing’ both mother (Catherine Earnshaw) and daughter (Catherine Linton) share a distate for those characters with a lack of education, emphasizing the Victorian era’s obsession with education and the important role it played in class distinction. †¢Catherine Linton shows distaste and even disgust towards her uneducated cousin Hareton, she is shocked that they are related and mocks him with her more cultured cousin Linton Heathcliff †¢It is Catherine’s distaste at Hareton’s lack of education that prevents her from seeing the aid Hareton was attempting to provide when she is forcibly taken to Wuthering Heights by Heathcliff. Isabella: †¢Isabella’s regard for the ‘gypsy’, Heathcliff who she pays no mind to as a child only grows when he returns from his expeditions as an educated man. †¢When Isabella marries Heathcliff she betrays her cultured and educated upbringing leading to estrangement from her brother this emphasizes the chasm that Heathcliff’s lack of education creates throughout the book, separating characters and damaging relationships. It also shows the social unacceptability of being uneducated in England in the Victorian era. QUOTATIONS REPRESENTING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EDUCATION IN THE NOVEL: (the quotes are cited chapter.paragraph) †¢He drove him from their company to the servants, deprived him of the instructions of the curate, and insisted that he should labour out of doors instead; compelling him to do so as hard as any other lad on the farm. (6.9) ïÆ'ËœHindley’s project to punish his father’s favorite begins as soon as the old man dies. To make Heathcliff a farmhand, bereft of education (instructions), is to put him in the lowest possible position. The gentry never work with their hands. †¢[Hindley] wished earnestly to see her bring honour to the family by an alliance with the Lintons, and as long as she let him alone she might trample on us like slaves, for aught he cared! (9.152) Hindley has designs on the Lintons’ social status. Nelly resents the treatment she receives from Catherine. Nelly (who is speaking here) may not be a slave, but she is a servant – yet more often than not she acts like a family member. †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"but he yielded completely and there was no prevailing on him to take a step in the way of moving upward, when he found he must necessarily sink beneath his former level† chapter 8 †¢:†what good do I get- what do you talk about†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦or for anything you fo either!† chapter 8 †¢:†and he will be rich and i†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..husband† chapter 9 †¢:†and the curate doesn’t teach you to read and write,†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..Heathcliff had promised that† chapter 10 †¢:†papa is gone to fetch†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.relationship with such a clown† chapter 4 volume 2 †¢:†he has satisfied my expectations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.he takes pride in his brutishness† chapter 7 volume 2. †¢:†he does not know his letters†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.dunce?† †¢:†Mr H areton is not envious†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..in a few years† chapter 16 volume 2 †¢:†and tell him if he’ll take it†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..never tease him again.† Chapter 18 volume 2 EDUCATION IN THE COLOR PURPLE: Walker also makes it evident to readers the level of education many of the blacks in the novel had received, which is representative of the black community in the South as a whole in those days. As Walker shows, many females did not finish school, and were instead married away at early ages. Also, many young males were not able to attend school long, considering they were needed to help farm the land. Because of this, most of dialogue in the book is written as if an uneducated person was trying to speak English. For example, many sentences appear to have not only spelling, but grammatical errors as well, such as â€Å"Where us going? ast the oldest girl.† In one of the main character’s, Celie, letters to her sister Nettie, she comments on how two women are trying to teach her how to â€Å"talk†. She states, â€Å"She say us not so hot. A dead country give-away. You say US where most people say WE, she say, and peoples think you dumb. Colored peoples think you a hick and white folks be amuse.† However, in Nettie’s letters to Celie, Walker uses correct grammar and spelling. This is because Nettie was more educated than most of the black people in the South, going to school for many years. Therefore, Walker is using the two sister’s English to show a direct contradiction in the way most blacks in the South at that time spoke, and the way a few that were schooled well spoke. Thus, the reader is able to gauge the education level of the characters in the book by their dialogue. This level is in direct correlation with the level of education of the blacks that really did exist in the South after the Civil War, due to lack of school funding and time for learning. Celie’s point of view is particularly interested. Unlike Nettie, Celie is an uneducated woman, having been forced to drop out of school around the age of fourteen when she became pregnant by her Pa. Her lack of education is apparent from her poor spelling and grammar. Nettie, however, is educated. Her spelling and grammar are correct, and her letters discuss more complex topics, such as women’s rights, civil rights, religion, politics, and more. However, it isn’t only Nettie that has an interesting story to tell. Despite Celie’s poor educational background, Celie tells a powerful story. In this sense, Walker’s chosen narrator shows that all people, including poor, uneducated, victimized black women have an important story to tell. QUOTES ABOUT EDUCATION IN THE COLOR PURPLE: †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Olinka girls do not believe girls should be educated. When I asked a mother why she thought this, she said: A girl is nothing to herself; only to her husband can she become something. What can she become? I asked. Why, she said, the mother of his children But I am not the mother of anybody’s children, I said, and I am something.† †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"She say us not so hot. A dead country give-away. You say US where most people say WE, she say, and peoples think you dumb. Colored peoples think you a hick and white folks be amuse.† †¢Why do they say I will be a wife of the chief? asks Olivia. That is as high as they can think, I tell her. He is fat and shiny with huge perfect teeth. She thinks she has nightmares about him. You will grow up to be a strong Christian woman, I tell her. Someone who helps her people to advance. You will be a teacher or a nurse. You will travel. You will know many people greater than the chief. Will Tashi? she wants to know. Yes, I tell her, Tashi too. (62.13-18) †¢Tashi is very intelligent, I said. She could be a teacher. A nurse. She could help the people in the village. There is no place here for a woman to do those things, he said. Then we should leave, I said. Sister Corrine and I. No, no, he said. Teach only the boys? I asked. Yes, he said, as if my question was agreement. There is a way that the men speak to women that reminds me too much of Pa. (63.14-20)

The Ideal School

The Ideal School Lakeside School of Football is positioned on the coast of Lake Erie and gives you the opportunities to work with trained professional football players. Lakeside teaches you the ropes of football at an affordable price. If you want to learn how to play and meet the players of your choice, Lakeside is the school for you. The Lakeside School of Football will have a college campus set up; it will have dorms along the beaches of Lake Erie; the Lakeside academic building will be located behind the dorms.It will have three full -sized football fields stretched across campus each for specific purposes. There’s also a rec center stationed in the center of campus, including a weight-room, a full sized track with eight lanes, a pool and fitness instructors for all of your fitness needs. They will help you acquire a workout specifically designed for your level of physical fitness always ready to help you achieve your goals and improve more. The rec center will be easily a ccessed with your student I. D card.The school year will consist of eight months August to March and then have a four month break April to July. The school days will begin in the morning at 8:30 beginning on the fields. At 12:30, everyone will have open campus for lunch until 2:00; at 2:10, classes in the academic building will be going until 6:10. If there is anyone who chooses to keep progressing through the summer break, there will be summer classes available; just contact admissions. There is a very open variety of classes available not just through the school year but also throughout the summer.The classes fit you as a person if you want to do it we have it; we have classes going over the bases of defense and offense of football. Other classes focus only on the statistics of football. For the more active people enrolling at Lakeside, there are several gym classes that you should get involved in. We continue the study of football in our history classes and ,if you’re not just pleased with those classes, we have other things to get involved in as well as those required classes. You can get involved in art or student council.We here at Lakeside believe that there is a lot of potential in everybody, so if you have any talents that you want to bring out , we are open for more suggestions in our curriculum. We want to keep high standards here at Lakeside, but our rules are quite lenient. There are professionally trained football players here to help you improve your skills; we expect all students to be to class on time and treat all instructors with respect. If you are unable to attend any of your classes, please let your instructor know in advance.If you skip class for any illogical reasons, there will be mild consequences; after four unexcused absences, you will be removed from the class. If any student is caught involved in any illegal activity, you will miss the first session of school from 8:30-12:30 for a month for first offense; if caught again yo u will then be expelled. You’re only going to get out what you put in. We believe there is a future for everyone. Lakeside wants you to start your future here. We want all students to work on improving your skills in the on and off season; remember you only get out what you put in.

Human visual system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human visual system - Essay Example However, for one to see, the human eye has to convert the visible light energy into neural activity, a process that usually takes place in the retina part of the eye (Atchison and Smith 2000, P.11). The retina contains neurons, enabling it to transduce light energy into neural activity. However, the process does not take place in a vacuum, rather with the help of rods and cones found in the retina according to Atchison and Smith (2000, P.11). Rods and cones are photoreceptors that are responsible for the conversion of visible light energy into neural activity (Bernstein et al. 2007, P.45). These photoreceptors usually contain chemicals, which are sensitive to light energy. As such, when light strikes the retina, the chemicals in the rods and cones immediately break apart, generating signals, which are relayed to the brain for interpretation. However, Bernstein (2010, p.91) notes that the process of rebuilding the chemicals broken apart in the rods and cones usually takes some time, w hich explain why a person usually find it hard seeing when entering a dark room when coming from a bright light. Nonetheless, as one continues to stay in the dark, the rods quickly build up the chemicals thereby enabling the person to start seeing things normally. This process of adjusting to darkness overtime is usually referred to as dark adaptation where one becomes approximately 10,000 times more light-sensitive after being in the darkness for quite awhile according to Atchison and Smith (2000, P.12). Cones, on the other hand, contain three light-sensitive chemicals that help in determining the color being seen by an individual. Cones are usually found at the middle of the retina in an area known as the fovea. The fovea is the area where the incoming light is focused. Bernstein (2010, p.91) notes that the density of cones in the fovea differs from one person to another, which explains the differences in visual acuity among different people. What is noted that cones usually works best at high light intensities, where the ability to differentiate colors become active (Bernstein et al. 2007, P.46). For instance, it is possible for one to pick two different socks in a dark room thinking that they resemble each other and only learn later that the socks are actually different in color. From the retina, signals are transferred to the brain, where the information is translated before an individual is able to see something. However, as Bernstein (2010, p.91) points out, the eye does not just transfer the images it focused on the retina directly to the brain as this will make one see blurred pictures. Instead, the visual images are first sharpened by the eye, a function, which hugely depends on the interaction between the rods and cones, found in the retina of the human eye as noted by Atchison and Smith (2000, P.12). Bernstein (2010, p.91) reveals that rays of light usually pass through numerous structures of the retina before striking the cones and rods. Once the rods and cones have been struck, they generate signals that are again relayed back to the surface of retina, thereby allowing the ganglion cells and the bipolar cells to connect enabling the eye to start the process of information analysis. Bipolar cells are part of the neurons capable of sending either positive or negative signals

The Late Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Late Paper - Essay Example In the scenario presented, Kim is the most responsible person for her own failure. It may seem unfair, considering she has done her part in completing her requirements for the course, but did give in to the temptation of delaying its submission due to her desire for pleasure with her friends. She became complacent in her duty to submit her paper before its due date because it was already done ahead of time. Arnold, Kim’s husband, further puts Kim in trouble by refusing to drive his wife to her professor’s office to make it faster and more convenient for her to submit the paper. He is so immersed in his own insecurity of Kim’s rise to success that he tries to sabotage it by being unsupportive. His pride as the man of the house keeps him from allowing his wife to develop as person, as she is most likely to overtake him in terms of stature. Cindy, Kim’s classmate was a carefree influence in Kim’s decision to delay the submission of her paper. Cindy was out for a good time with Kim and her friends that she did not consider the importance of Kim’s priority. Philip, Arnold’s co-worker is responsible for planting insecurities in Arnold’s psyche by feeding him malicious information regarding Kim’s desire to better herself as a person through her studies. In teasing Arnold that Kim will be able to find a college guy to replace him, Philip has undeniable triggered Arnold’s jealousy, which prompted him to be unsupportive of Kim. Professor Freud has not been remiss in laying out her ground rules form the beginning. However, in Kim’s case, being an â€Å"A† student, the good professor should have just exempted her from her tardiness of a mere 15 minutes in submission of the paper. She knows how hard Kim has worked, and should have considered her performance for the whole term instead of a minor fault as a deciding factor in giving Kim an â€Å"F† for the course. Mary, Professor Freud’s secretary, tactlessly gave Kim assurance that

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Group marketing project (SPSS) - Assignment Example The research report under discussion is a group effort which aims to understand the current level of customer loyalty for the Samsung brand and the drivers behind it. The relationship between these drivers and the current perceptions has also been studied to identify the most important factors influencing it. On the basis of the findings, recommendations for improving the current level of loyalty and for attracting and retaining a higher user base have also been suggested. The nature of study is quantitative and involves interviews conducted with 100 respondents (including Samsung users & non-users) within the area of Bangor, Gwynedd. A comparison of means on the basis of gender and age reveals that there is no significant impact of these factors on the way people have rated the perceptions for Samsung’s products. However, there does exist a somewhat significant difference regarding user ship for a few attributes. The results indicate that around 56% of Samsung users believe Samsung products to be well made. Among the non-users, the response is mixed. This percentage is relatively positive but when compared with other attributes, Samsung should focus on improving the other perceptions further through good customer service and marketing efforts to drive up the overall customer loyalty. On an overall basis, when looking at the different attributes, consistency in quality and good value for money pricing are highly positive. Usership and gender also have a significant association with value for money pricing. Overall 55% respondents regard consistency positively and 58% of Samsung users and 56% females consider it good value for money. It is mainly because of the positive perceptions for these attributes that the overall value of Samsung products is considered excellent. Consistency in quality is the most influential driver here and then follows the good value for

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Business Structure Advice - Essay Example This is where you choose to take on partners. Partners contribute capital to start the business. The business may be a limited partnership that is different from a partnership because some partners (limited partners) have limited liability for the company’s debts while others have unlimited liability (general partners). Advantages of a Partnership will be: My recommendation to you as a new business owner is to start a business as a sole proprietorship and refrain from taking on partners. The sole proprietorship business structure will give you the opportunity start at a lower cost and offer you the flexibility of controlling the business. Once the business is stable, you can safely move to other business structures based on the company’s requirements. Sole-proprietorship-advantages-and-disadvantages. (2014, September 9). Retrieved from Tasmanian Government: https://www.business.tas.gov.au/starting-a-business/starting-a-business-from-scratch/choosing-a-business-structure-intro/sole-proprietorship-advantages-and-disadvantages., Department of State Growth

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ELISA ASSAY - Essay Example In this graph various dilution of mouse anti rabbit Ig G antibodies were used to determined concentration of rabbit Ig G. the most effective dilution will be between 1/4000 to 1/8000, as in rest of the cases, at lower concentration of Ig G there is no linearity with increasing concentration of rabbit IgG (like in case of 1/2000). At1/2000 dilution concentration of mouse anti-rabbit Ig G is too high compared to rabbit IgG and hence there is no linier relation. Similarly at more than 1/8000 dilution concentration of anti rabbit IgG becomes to less compared to concentration of rabbit Ig G. hence there will not be any anti rabbit Ig G available to bind with rabbit Ig G at higher concentration. In given scenario the optimum dilution for mouse anti- rabbit IgG will be 1/6000 which gives linear correlation with increase in concentration of rabbit IgG. Here in case of goat anti rabbit Ig G the over all binding and absorption profiles restricts it use for estimation of rabbit IgG. There are two different scenario 1) In case of lower dilution (1/2000) there is lots of non specific binding resulted in to very high absorption at lower concentration of rabbit Ig G and get saturated at slightly higher concentrations of rabbit Ig G. 2) In case of higher dilution (1/4000 and above) there is very less binding due to non specificity of polyclonal anti body.

About the English Department at the New York University Essay

About the English Department at the New York University - Essay Example The English department also offers minor in Creative Writing. The Department of English at New York University studies and teaches English language literature from various periods and places. The university trains their students in close reading, historical and archival research, literary theory, the history of the book, media theory, and cultural analysis. Every year NYU attracts applicants from various parts of the world for graduate study. Many of these graduate students do not belong to the New York City, so to make the programs attractive the existing graduate students have created a strong community. The undergraduate Creative Writing Program offers workshops, reading, internships, writing prizes and events. The graduate Creative Writing Program at NYU consists of a community of authors who works in a supportive and challenging atmosphere. The faculty members of the department also contribute to building a strong community for the students who come to study here. According to m e, it’s not only the educational programs but also the strong sense of community which attracts prospective students every year. Thesis The internship, work of graduates, building and maintaining strong community is all about the literacy study here. All the participants have their individual role in the department. If every participant maintains the performance in a progressive manner then the English Department of New York University will be able to maintain its position, which will bring new members every year, who will also gradually contribute to the existing community to take it to another level and maintain its position thoroughly. Statement of Significance The purpose of this study is to identify how literacy practices contribute to the community, and what is the role of each member belongs to the community. As mentioned above writing and reading considered to be the most important literacy practice. They also produce high-quality literary journals. Students actively take part in the vibrant literary community and engage themselves in all aspects of the literary arts like writing, reading, teaching, publishing and community outreach. It is indicated by the graduate students of this department that writing creates the identity both here in the department and beyond. So it is to be understood in this paper that writing is an assumed literacy practice that is said to be an essential part of the performance, although it is not a separate literacy practice. Performing respective roles in the English department is important to faculty, current graduate students and prospective graduate students. To make this essay more significant it is expected that certain members of the community will perform certain roles. It can be assumed that members of the community will perform in respective ways to enrich their own academic careers as well as they will support the community. In other words, the strength of the English department at NYU is highly dependent on the effective and successful performance of all its members. To look into the matter of literacy practice of the English department, I have collected a few samples which include fiction reading, poetry reading, and poets in conversation. Along with this, I conducted two interviews: one with the graduate coordinator of GEO   that is Graduate English Organization of NYU and another is a graduate student who represents the use of literacy within the department.        Ã‚  

Careers Learning and Development in Katz, Sapper and Miller Company Case Study

Careers Learning and Development in Katz, Sapper and Miller Company - Case Study Example The core values include lifetime relations, integrity, responsiveness, quality, employee success, and entrepreneurship. Through the company’s business strategy that â€Å"Don’t just have clients; have partnered for life† it is clear that the company works towards establishing a long life relationship with its partners. Inherently, Katz, Sapper & Miller offers a full range of tax compliance together with planning services which mainly targets private and public companies, individuals, non-profit organizations and estates. Moreover, the company also is involved in evaluating business along with control risks for its clients. This includes audits and review of financial statements, compliance audit. Similarly, Katz, Sapper & Miller assist its client in target identification and post-deal integration which includes advisory accounting and reporting, valuations, transfer pricing and due diligence (Maurer 8). Katz, Sapper & Miller is not only known for its technical competence along with a good depth of knowledge that provides an extra edge that makes their clients more successful, but also its professionalism and community service. In order to ensure strict employee compliance with federal and state regulation and the company’s high ethical standards, KSM accountants attend professional education classes. Actually, the employees attend the professional classes throughout the year (Maurer 6). One of the ways David Resnick has employed in order to resolve differences of opinion that surface between clients and company consultants is through numerous advice to the clients. Mainly, KSM considers the abilities and passion of new college recruits before taking them. Mostly the new recruits are first taken through an internship program before confirmed as new employees. Moreover, the academic qualifications include 3.40 overall GPA and undergraduate or masters in accounting (Katz Sapper & Miller 4). Such candidates should possess written and oral communication skills, together with a desire to pursue the public accounting career.

Tradition and Modernity Trends in Modern Jewish History Essay Example for Free

Tradition and Modernity Trends in Modern Jewish History Essay The system of traditional education as evaluated by the traditional society on one hand and the Haskalah on the other According to Katz, Jewish education and participation in the life of the community usually gave the average Jew sufficient knowledge to conduct his daily life. But as circumstances changed questions arose almost daily. The correct application of Halacha in present circumstances was normally not something that the layman could decide. For this, scholars of the Jewish law were needed. (Katz, 1988 p. 142) An earlier generation of Jewish educators had stressed the similarities between Judaism and the norms of American democracy. That position was, of course, shaped by the immigrant experience. A curriculum that consciously teaches the importance of difference is clearly addressing itself to a changed America and more important, another sort of Jew. Those Orthodox Jews who remain within the â€Å"four ells of the Law† reject the non-Jewish world in its entirety, even though they make use of modern technology to further their ends. Their schools do not depart from the core curriculum brought in the Mishnah. Institutions of this kind can be found all over the world. The more removed the school and the population it serves from tradition, the more idiosyncratic its curriculum. The emphasis on identity, particularly in the United States but increasingly so in other places as well, may be a way of saying that what one knows about Judaism is not as important as wanting to be a Jew, or feeling Jewish, something that can possibly be attained without the effort required for real learning. The separatism of those who live in a self-created ghetto is matched at the other extreme by those who reject Judaism and identification with the Jewish people in order to find a place, if not always an identity, in other places. This is relatively easy to do in a modern society that requires no overt or official act in order to leave the group of ones origin nor demands membership or affiliation in a recognized corporate entity. Jewish schools, like all others everywhere, teach more than is implied in the detail of the course of study. The work of Jewish educators in the last 100 years has created, for example, pockets of resistance to oppressive regimes and centers of a counterculture. There is a straight line that connects between volunteer teachers in Vilna in 1893 who taught Hebrew in private homes all over the city in order to avoid detection and the more recent underground Hebrew study groups in the former Soviet Union particularly those in the prison camps that served, among other things, as vehicles for preserving personal identity in a situation calculated to obliterate all individuality. The Jewish concept of Tikun Olam (Making the World a Better Place), for some schools a motif that integrates all that they do, resonates with the utopianism that characterizes revolutionary movements; todays youngsters can achieve the same spirit that moved their peers of an earlier time who attended socialist Yiddish schools that stressed the development of class consciousness as the route to an egalitarian society. The larger message of cultural pluralism remains implied in the idea that Judaism and democracy are not only compatible but also positively influence one another. Pupils in Jewish schools of all kinds who do their lessons well will sense that identification with the Jewish people promises a feeling of community that is difficult to find in society at large. Judaism and Jewish education has become a modern tradition. All modern Jewish movements find their origins in the Haskalah, the Jewish Enlightenment of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Before the Haskalah you were either a traditional Jew or you left the Jewish people to become part of the Christian majority. While local conditions varied, in general, pre-Haskalah Jewry led a life apart from its Gentile neighbors. In Western Europe Jews lived in ghettos (or at least in their own separate areas), in Eastern Europe in shtetls. This independent social life did not preclude commercial relations, but in almost all other respects Jews and Gentiles belonged to separate communities. (Katz 1988 p. 141-145) Jacob Katz describes these movements as: The movement of emancipation appeared in Western Europe at the same time that Hassidism rose in the East. From the 1760s a new type of person appeared called a maskil (an intellectual). This is a person who had studied torah but added to this knowledge ther things such as – foreign languages, general knowledge and interest in the world beyond the Jewish community. Soon they presented a program to change Jewish life – its education, structure of community and life-style. When their program began to dominate a sense of crisis swept the traditional community. This sense of dissolution was caused by processes occurring within and without Jewish society. (Katz 1988 p. 214-215) In the Renaissance followed by the Enlightenment, and the world beyond the ghetto became more welcoming and attractive. For the first time in a long time, the non-Jewish world had something worth having, and there was the glimmer of hope that Jews could have it while remaining Jews. The Jewish incarnation of the Enlightenment, the Haskalah, was the result. The Haskalah begins in Western Europe, and it is there that it gives rise to the first modern Jewish movements. There is no late eighteenth to early nineteenth-century Haskalah in Eastern Europe largely because there is no general late eighteenth- to early nineteenth-century Enlightenment there. It is one thing to join the burghers of Frankfurt, to read Schiller and listen to Haydn, or to become a citizen of Republican France, a devotee of libertà ©, à ©galità ©, et fraternità ©. That is real competition for the ghetto and Rashi. But the illiterate, impoverished peasantry of the czarist empire, itself horribly oppressed, was not a club to which shtetl Jews eagerly sought membership. And it would be a while before an enticing Eastern European bourgeoisie emerged. When the Haskalah is finally felt among the Jews of Eastern Europe, it is under circumstances that give rise to very different modernist movements than those that emerged in the West. But it is these Eastern European movements that are the most immediate and influential forebears of the secular Jewish philosophy developed in this book. Later in the chapter I will turn to them. But first we will survey ideological developments among the Jews in Western Europe and its offshoot, the United States. By the eighteenth century a few Jews had permission to live in Berlin (and other German cities) because they were economically useful to the rulers. These Jews were called Shutzjuden (protected Jews). Initially Mendelssohn was allowed to live, study, and work in Berlin because of his association with a Shutzjude. Eventually he obtained this status for himself. Mendelssohn had received a traditional Jewish education from his father, Menachem Mendel, and his rabbi, David Fraenkel. When the latter was appointed rabbi of Berlin, Mendelssohn followed him there to continue his Jewish studies, but while there he also obtained a thorough secular education. (Mendelssohn, 1770 p.476) Mendelssohns first writings in German were secular philosophical works on aesthetics and metaphysics. When he turned to the nonsectarian rationalist philosophy of religion, Christian clerics, inclined to see Christianity as the embodiment of rational religion, challenged Mendelssohn to defend his Judaism. Mendelssohn was disinclined to do it. He had never made any claims of superiority for Judaism, and he was against engaging in religious polemics for principled and practical reasons (Mendelssohn noted that Jews were an oppressed minority in Germany). Still, he reluctantly took up the challenge, arguing that adherence to Judaism was rational for the Jews. Thereafter, much of Mendelssohns work concerned Jewish issues. He translated the Pentateuch and the Psalms into German, and he wrote biblical commentaries in Hebrew. He argued for the improvement of the civic status of Jews, and he intervened on behalf of Jewish communities with various governments. But of most interest to us here are his attempts to modify Jewish custom. (Mendelssohn, 1770 p.478) A loyal, learned, and observant Jew, Mendelssohn denied having an interest in changing any Jewish law or practices rooted in the law. He considered Judaism to be revealed legislation. Jews were divinely commanded and obliged to observe the law. But they were not obliged to have any particular religious beliefs. Judaism was not revealed dogma. Jews were free to believe what they would. Hence Mendelssohn did not view his rationalist interpretation of Jewish practice as an innovation in the religion. But his rationalism did lead to a call for changes in certain Jewish practices that Mendelssohn deemed irrational and unrelated to the law. He thought these practices were based in superstition and degeneracy, the fruit of isolation and oppression. He anticipated two outcomes from the changes: 1) Judaism would more clearly emerge as the rational and dignified religion it essentially was, thereby uplifting the Jewish character, and 2) Jews would ultimately be more acceptable as fellow countrymen to the Gentiles. This second outcome would be a result of the first, combined with the increasing rationalization and liberalization of Christian society itself. (Mendelssohn, 1770 p. 480) There were no Orthodox Jews before the Haskalah. While there were some variations of local customs, there was only one brand of Judaism. Individuals may have been more or less pious, but there was no disagreement about the substance of Judaism.   It was only with the Enlightenment and the rise of Reform that traditional Jewry had to define its relation to modernity. Reform Jews were claiming that it was now possible to join European civilization and remain a Jew, if certain changes were made in Judaism. But of course many Jews refused to deviate from traditional Jewish law. One segment of the Jews who were unwilling to make changes in the law thought that modernity and Judaism were incompatible; these Jews had no desire to join European civilization. They are best termed Traditional Jews. Traditional Jews tried to ignore and isolate themselves from non-Jewish culture. Except for some Hasidic sects, there are really no surviving communities of traditional Jews.   (Mendelssohn, 1770 p. 485) But there was another segment of Jews, also completely opposed to any changes in the law, who believed that strict Torah adherence could accommodate modernity. They constitute Jewish Orthodoxy, which, in its way, is as much a child of Mendelssohn and the Haskalah as Reform is. The basic belief of Orthodoxy, which it shares with Traditional Judaism, is that the Torah is divinely given and eternally valid. Even the authoritative rulings of the future are believed to have been revealed at Sinai. 11 The Orthodox hold that to deny the divine and binding nature of the Torah is to drain Judaism of its substance. The 613 traditional mitzvot, commandments, are divinely ordained and obligatory for Jews. No doctrinal concessions are permissible. Jacob Katz concludes that It was in the field of education that the conflict between tradition and innovation became open war In gentile society a new educational philosophy had emerged that all children should receive the same education, regardless of religion. (Katz 1988 p.229) A maskil called Naphtali Hertz Wessely   came up with a different idea in a famous pamphlet called Words of Peace and Truth: the basis of education should be educational values shared by all men (torat ha-adam) while the teacjing of torah (torat ha-elohim) was to remain only a special supplement of the Jews education. Wessely emphasized subjects such as the local language, geography, history, etc. Even in his proposed Jewish studies he preferred bible studies, Hebrew and grammar which were closer to outside society over Talmudic studies. Wessely argued that such a curriculum would lead to the perfection and salvation of the individual Jew. (Katz 1988 p.230) Compare the responses to Hasidism of the vilna Gaon and of Rabbi Hayyim of volozhin. The Gaon is alleged to have urged his disciples to engage in secular studies; indeed, the example set by the Gaon himself in this respect encouraged the maskilim to take up the banner of general education. The historians who have critically discussed the attitude of the Gaon of Vilna to Haskalah are Ben-Zion Katz, Joseph Klausner, Israel Zinberg, Louis Greenberg, and Raphael Mahler. These authors, though differing in various details, display remarkable similarities in their conceptions of the Gaons position and role in relation to the beginnings of Haskalah in eastern Europe. The Gaons positive attitude to what would ultimately characterize the Haskalah movement, according to the aforementioned authors, is exemplified first and foremost in his favorable approach to secular studies. For example, Katz holds that, although the Gaon rejected philosophy, he loved and greatly admired the natural sciences. (Mendelssohn, 1770 p. 378) During the intermediate days of Passover in 1772, the organized struggle against Hasidism was launched. The community of Vilna, the largest and most important of the Jewish communities of Poland and Lithuania, initiated the struggle and called on other communities to follow in its footsteps. (Etkes, 2002 p. 73)   This was not a struggle over ideas between two currents or what may be called a Kulturkampf. The community of Vilna and the communities associated with it started a total war against what they viewed as a deviant sect. The aim of this war was to remove Hasidism and the Hasidim from the world. For that purpose the community organizations used a variety of means at their disposal: testimony was gathered about the â€Å"crimes† of the Hasidim, Hasidic writings were seized and burned, Hasidic leaders were arrested and punished, and above all, it was forbidden, under pain of excommunication, to maintain Hasidic minyanim. (Etkes, 2002 p. 74) Shimeon Dubnow describes the struggles outbreak according to his general conception of the essence of Hasidism, on the one hand, and of the â€Å"rabbinate, † on the other. He defines the rabbinate as â€Å"the system of the religion of the book, a religion consisting principally of study; expertise in literature thousands of years old, in laws, and in infinitely minute concatenations of law upon law; and scrupulous obedience to the commandments in all their precise details. † In Dubnows opinion, the rabbinate, in this sense, laid the normative foundations of the community organization and established its values. (Etkes, 2002 p. 75) Dubnow regarded the struggle against Hasidism as a natural response, even a necessary one, of the rabbinate and the community leadership against a movement that rebelled against them and challenged them. As he says, the aim of Hasidism was essentially to challenge the scholarly foundation of the religion and to replace it with the element of hidden faith, to emphasize emotion and devotion in the observance of the commandments rather than piling up heaps of regulations on them. By the nature of his discussion, Katz does not deal with events in detail, he does not address the question of the role played by the Gaon versus that played by the community leaders. However, regarding the motivations for opposition to Hasidism, it appears from Katzs account that the Gaon and the community leaders acted from identical motives: the defense of the tradition against those who deviated from it and threatened its integrity.   (Etkes, 2002 p. 79) While Dubnow and Katz believed that the Gaon and the community leaders acted from identical motives, Hayyim Hillel Ben-Sasson contends that â€Å"there were two circles of warriors here, each of which had its own emphasis and preference regarding the purposes of the war and its means. † On the basis of a comparative analysis of the polemical writings those that were, in his opinion, written with the direct inspiration of the Gaon versus those composed by the community leaders BenSasson reached the conclusion that the Gaon and his circle combated Hasidism because of â€Å"matters of faith and ways of worshiping the Creator, † whereas the community leaders opposed Hasidim because of their damage to â€Å"communal and religious order. † (Etkes, 2002 p. 75) When the leaders of the Rabbi Shneur Zalman was forced to deal with the issue of the Gaons authority because the leaders of the Mitnagdim continually appealed to that authority, whenever objections were raised to their claims. In that matter as well, Rabbi Shneur Zalman advanced a Halakhic argument. He did not deny the view of the Mitnagdim that the Gaon was unique in his generation. However, against the opinion that one must obey the greatest authority of the generation without reservation, he advanced the principle of majority rule. True, the Gaon was unique in his generation, but he was still a single man, whereas the maggid of Mezhirech and the other Hasidic leaders were the majority. Altogether, the position that Rabbi Shneur Zalman took regarding the Gaon was ambivalent: he recognized his extraordinary personal merit, but he also denied his authority as a sole Halakhic arbiter. It would not be too much to say that there is a good deal of irony in the fact that the leaders of the Mitnagdim constantly had recourse to the Gaons charisma, whereas the Hasidic leader based his argument on Halakhic principles. (Etkes, 2002 p. 75-92) As noted, the role played by the Gaon at the start of the campaign against Hasidism and the motivations that guided him occupied a considerable part of the letter sent by Rabbi Shneur Zalman to his Hasidim in Vilna in 1797. Later in his epistle, Rabbi Shneur Zalman tells his Hasidim that, after the failed visit to Vilna, the Hasidic leaders traveled to Shklov to take part in the controversy initiated by the Mitnagdim there. When the Mitnagdim realized that they could not refute the arguments of the Hasidim, â€Å"they came with a strong arm and hung themselves from the great tree of ha-Gaon he-Hasid, may his light burn brightly. † Thus the failure to appease the Mitnagdim in Shklov was also connected to the Gaons authority. Rabbi Shneur Zalman further explains to his Hasidim that, not only had the Gaon prevented dialogue and reconciliation in the past, but until he changed his mind there was no hope for reconciliation and accommodation. The constant repetition of the statement that the Gaon was the one who had prevented and continued to prevent any possibility of reconciliation between the Hasidim and their opponents reflects recognition of the exceptional force of his authority. The Gaon regarded the people from whom he received information as reliable witnesses whose word was not to be doubted. At that stage further information came to him: the â€Å"well-known intermediary, † whose identity is unknown to us, told him of a Hasidic interpretation of a passage in the Zohar. The Gaon regarded that interpretation as â€Å"heresy and Epicureanism. † Hence, when Rabbi Menahem Mendel and Rabbi The description of the attitude of the Gaon was not meant to remind the reader of forgotten things. Following those words, the Mitnaged challenges the Hasid: how did he have the temerity to thrust his head in among the tall mountains, that is to say, the Gaon, on the one hand, and the Hasidic leaders, on the other, and to decide in favor of the latter against the stand of the Gaon? Underlying this challenge was the Gaons authority. That authority, whose power permitted the persecution of the Hasidim, is here presented as a reason for rejecting their way. (Etkes, 2002 p. 75-95) Rabbi Hayyims friendly attitude toward the Hasidim who studied in his yeshiva and were guests in his home, the interest he showed in the teachings of their rabbis, and that fact that his son owned Hasidic books and studied them all of these clearly prove that the Mitnagdim had some authority for ignoring the prohibitions imposed by the Gaon on contact with Hasidim. The argument that the Gaons position regarding Hasidism was based on error is not new. As noted, this was the opinion of both Rabbi Menahem Mendel of Vitebsk and of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Lyady. Both of them absolved the Gaon of malicious intention because he had been misled by false witnesses. Rabbi Shneur Zalman took a further step and presented evidence that even the Sages of the Sanhedrin were liable to err. Hence the error of a communal leader was a legitimate occurrence. However, the author of Maá ºâ€œref Haavodah is not content with these explanations and seeks to endow the Gaons error with a theological dimension. The Gaons opposition to Hasidism was not simply a human error, but the product of the precise planning of divine providence. The Kabbalistic principle that every manifestation of divine light must be accompanied by an obscuration and concealment also applies to the revelation of the Baal Shem Tov. Hence the Gaons opposition was a concealment necessitated by the abundance of light. This surprising explanation of the Gaons struggle against Hasidism is a kind of â€Å"sweetening of judgments, † for the severe persecution of the Hasidim was â€Å"sweetened† and its sting removed. The bans, the humiliations, and the bodily and economic injury to the Hasidim took place only to conceal the strength of the divine light that broke through with the revelation of the Baal Shem Tov and the maggid of Mezhirech. Thus it was possible to maintain both the honor and authority of the Gaon, and the righteousness and honor of Hasidism. This harmonious explanation, which can also be described as the mystification of the struggle between the Hasidim and the Mitnagdim, leaves no doubt as to which of the two warring camps received the divine light and which of them served as a veil meant to conceal it. The effort of the author of Maá ºâ€œref Haavodah to make sense of the opposition to Hasidism led by the Gaon expresses a viewpoint typical in the first decades of the nineteenth century. In the beginning of the century the organized struggle against Hasidism came to an end. The cessation of the persecution can be attributed to a number of factors: the Gaons death, recognition by the Russian authorities of the right of the Hasidim to hold separate minyanim, and increasing recognition that the Hasidim were not heretics. (Etkes, 2002 p. 75-95) Jacob Katz describes Hassidism as a religious and social movement. It emphasized reaching ecstasy through the performance of the religious rites, and socially it set up a new pattern: a group of devoted followers headed by the Zaddik whos claim was charisma, not necessarily scholarship. This community was voluntary. (Katz, 1988 p.76) Works Cited Immanuel Etkes, The Gaon of Vilna: The Man and His Image (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002), Chapter 5, pp. 151-208. Karlinsky, H. Harishon leshushelet Brisk [The founder of the Brisk dynasty]. Jerusalem, 1984. Katz, B-á ºâ€™. Rabanut, á ¸ ¥asidut, haskalah [The rabbinate, Hasidism, Haskalah]. 2 vols. Tel Aviv, 1956. Katz, J. â€Å"Jewish Civilization as Reflected in the Yeshivot—Jewish Centers of Higher Learning. † Journal of World History 10 (1967): 698–700. Katz, J. Tradition and Crisis: Jewish Society at the End of the Middle Ages. New York, 1993. Krassen, M. A. â€Å"Devequt and Faith in Zaddiquim. † Ph. D. diss., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1990. Landau, B. Hagaon heá ¸ ¥asid miVilna [The righteous Gaon of Vilna]. Jerusalem, 1965. Marcus, I. G., ed. Dat veá ¸ ¥evra bemishnatam shel asidei Ashkenaz [Religion and society in the doctrine of á ¸ ¤asidei Ashkenaz]. Jerusalem, 1987. Mendelssohn translated the Torah (Pentateuch) into German probably starting in the middle of the 1770s.

Internship Report at National Bank of Malaysia (BNM)

Internship Report at National Bank of Malaysia (BNM) Introduction My internship was performed in the Republic of Macedonia, more exactly, at its National Bank. This institution is the one that deals with the macroeconomic policies applicable in the country. These policies allow a stable and long term economic development of one country. I opted for Macedonia because it is the country of my origins, and also because I think one day I will be able to work for one of the Macedonians institutions. So this internship will help me find out how these kind of institutions really work, what is the aim of their work. Macedonia is in a transition process, that undoubtedly is always characterized by numerous difficulties, which are, in general, very similar to other countries living these same processes. The mail purpose of the government of Macedonia is the integration of the country in some international organizations such as NATO or the European Union. While its integration in NATO would secure the borders of the country, and a long term stability (as we know that some under ethnic conflicts had risen in 2001), the integration in the EU, which is far more complicated and demands a very high responsibility of the government, will boost the economic development of this small country with a little bit more than 2 million citizens. The importance of the National Bank, in terms of these integrations, is unavoidable. The Bank is responsible for the monetary policy and economy, for important indexes such as Inflation Rate, CPI (consumer price index), which indexes help to clarify the development of the country in a long term. The economic stability, and the territorial stability, are two very important things, in order that Macedonia could be part of the big European family, and become a potential country that will attract foreign investments at a much higher degree. I. Description of the institution About NBRM Organization chart Functions : the National Bank shall perform the following functions: establish and conduct the monetary policy; regulate the liquidity in the international payments; establish and conduct the Denar exchange rate policy; handle and manage the foreign exchange reserves; regulate the payment system; grant founding and operating license to a bank and a savings house and supervise the banks and savings houses; grant a license for performing services of prompt money transfer and supervise the operations of the entities performing services of prompt money transfer in accordance with a law; grant operating license to foreign exchange bureaus and supervise their operations in accordance with a law; issue banknotes and coins perform activities for the account of the central government and the government administration bodies. THE MONETARY POLICY: Monetary Policy-Design Designing of the monetary policy The National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia (NBRM) is a central bank, and accordingly, the only bank of issue in the Republic of Macedonia. Its primary objective is to maintain the price stability, thus being independent in the performance of its functions. The National Bank supports the economic policy of the country and the financial stability of the country, without jeopardizing the achievement of the main objective, and adhering to the principles of market economy. In line with the legally set functions, the NBRM designs and conducts the monetary policy at a level of the national economy. At the end of the current year, in line with the previously determined macroeconomic framework, the NBRM works out the Projection of the monetary developments for the following year, adopted by the NBRM Council. Monetary policy goals The maintenance of the price stability is a primary objective of the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia, established by a Law. The establishment of this goal is in line with the current EU monetary policy layout, based on the empirically confirmed perceptions that the price stability creates most favorable macroeconomic environment for accelerated economic growth sustainable on a long run. Until 1999, the inflation in the Republic of Macedonia was measured through the retail prices index, while since 2000 it has been monitored by the costs of living index. In order to attain its ultimate goal, the NBRM determines an intermediary target of the monetary policy. Thus from April 1992 to September 1995, the NBRM was applying the strategy of targeting the money supply M1, as an intermediary goal of the monetary policy. Since October 1995, the NBRM has been implementing monetary strategy of targeting the nominal exchange rate of the Denar against the Deutsche Mark, i.e. against the Euro since January 2002. Accordingly, the maintenance of the Denar exchange rate stability is an intermediary goal of the monetary policy. The exchange rate targeting strategy is applied due to the following: a. the importance of the exchange rate in a small open economy (the Republic of Macedonia exchanges around 80% of the GDP with abroad); b. the need of nominal anchor for maintenance of financial discipline and credibility; c. high degree of currency substitution (over 40%) and d. exchange rate transparency and the possibility of daily monitoring by the economic agents. Money supply and money demand The money supply in the Republic of Macedonia is subordinated to the maintenance of the Denar exchange rate stability, as a nominal anchor in the economy. The amount of money supply is determined in line with the need of regular execution of goods and money transactions, i.e. the economic activity in the country. The money supply is monitored through the following monetary aggregates: M0 – reserve money (currency in circulation, banks account with the NBRM and cash in the banks vaults), M1 (currency in circulation and transaction deposits), M2 (M1, Denar and foreign exchange deposits with a maturity of up to one year), M3 (M2 and restricted deposits) and M4 (M3 and Denar and foreign exchange deposits with maturity of over one year). The movement of these aggregates is monitored in line with the adopted projection. The money demand, by the definition, is determined by the income level, the price level and the short-term and the long-term interest rates. On the basis of the prev ious practical experience, the money demand in the Republic of Macedonia is relatively unstable, primarily due to the transitory and the external shocks, as well as the effect of the currency substitution. Interest rate policy and transmission mechanism With the monetary policy being directed towards preserving the Denar exchange rate stability, the interest rates and the money supply are endogenous variables, determined by the achievement of the intermediary goal. The NBRM, through its interest rate policy, sends monetary signals to the banks, thus making efforts to influence their lending and deposit interest rates. The lowest interest rate of the NBRM is the discount rate, whereas the highest is the interest rate on the Lombard credit. Currently, the referential interest rate in the economy is the interest rate registered on the CB bills auctions, with respect to its close relation with the interest rate on the Money Market. Due to the higher liquidity in the banking system, no need of organizing credit auctions has been registered over a certain period. However, the transmission canal of the monetary policy through the interest rates in the Republic of Macedonia is still insufficiently developed, considering the insufficiently d eveloped financial market, the rigid interest rate policy of the banks and their insufficient responsiveness to the monetary signals of the NBRM. DENAR EXCHANGE RATE POLICY Exchange rate policy According to the National Bank of Macedonia Law (Official Journal of Republic Macedonia nr. 3/2002 51/2003), the National Bank of Macedonia establishes and executes the denar exchange rate policy in order to achieve the main purpose – the conservation of the price stability. Current foreign currency system According to article 33 from the currency policy law, the denar rate is determined by the simple rule of offer and demand for foreign currencies in the currency market. The denar rate in relation with the Euro is fixed by the reports from different banks that take part in the currency exchange market. As for the other foreign currency, the rate of the denar is determined by the relation between these currencies and the Euro rate, which is fixed by the European Central Bank. The buying and selling rate is calculated with the addition and deduction of 0.5%. In fact, this is the way how the National Bank of Macedonia exposes every day the approved currency rates on the Currency List. The execution of the currency policy According to the denar rate targeting strategy, as an important element, the goal and also hard task of the monetary policy is to keep stability between the denar and the Euro rates. If there are tendencies to the depreciation or appreciation of the denar, the National Bank interacts by selling or buying respectively, foreign currencies, after what the monetary strategy becomes respectively more restrictive or more expansive in relation to the projected targets. Relationship between the monetary and the currency policy There is a huge dependence between the monetary and the currency policy. It is important for the Macedonian economy to keep a stable exchange rate with the euro, in order to keep price stability in the country, which element will lead to a better life for all its citizens. In October 1995 the monetary targeting strategy was overturned, and a new strategy was embraced, called the targeted nominal denar rate strategy. With this new strategy, the rising of the money supply is transformed into an instrument that helps, directly, on the stability of the currency rate, and indirectly, on the price stability. Currency reserves When the Macedonian National Bank became independent, it had no currency reserves at all. It all began in 1992, when the National Bank began creating its own reserves. The amount of foreign currency reserves is rising permanently. While in 1992, there were around US $60 million, it became US $803 million in 2003, which represents the amount of four months of import. According to article 25 from the Law on the National Bank of Republic of Macedonia, the management of the National Reserve is in the hands of the National Bank itself. It has also to duty to prepare and consolidate reports every 6 months. On behalf of the management of the National Reserve, the National Bank, according to article 28, is loyal to the principles of awareness, liquidity and profitability. The exchangeability concept The Macedonian currency has a present exchangeability. In June 1998, Macedonia has accepted article nr. 8 of the International Monetary Funds Statute, which stated that all currents transactions between residents and non-residents can be completed freely, without restrictions. As part of this agreement between the National Bank of Macedonia and the IMF, was also the liberalization of capital transactions. The direct investments of residents abroad, and of non-residents in Macedonia, are now free, except of a taxation fee in order to register by the ministry of economy. Non-residents can now invest into any Macedonian company, to start their own companies, and to buy shares so that they can become shareholders of all enterprises listed on the Macedonian Stock Exchange (MSE 10). The profit and all the capital investments can be taken back to the non-residents place, if there are no more liabilities towards the government. Non-residents, on behalf of diplomats, and other embassy representatives, have the right to buy real estate, but under certain conditions of demand and registration at the Central Registry of Macedonia. Residents may distribute and sell native shares at foreign financial markets if he/she has the permission from the Commission of shares and financial instruments. Credit transactions are also liberalized, in and abroad the country, so that the funds can move loosely, but for that, the National Bank needs to be informed. Residents may use foreign currencies obtained from transactions made with a foreigner to clear any debt he has, or also use them in the currency market to exchange them into the national currency. In order to pay with a foreign currency abroad, a resident may â€Å"buy† these currencies in exchange offices. Other residents, such as physical persons, can also exchange their money for other purposes, not only for business. As for the opening of an account abroad, residents need to be authorized by the National Bank itself. It is possible for any non-resident to open a denar or foreign currency account, and to use it whenever he/she wants to, with no objection. But there is a limitation on the amount of payments a month, this limit is 10.000 Euros. But, in case of disorder of the balance of payments or the financial system, the National Bank can prevent the circumstances to worsen by application of some restrictions. PAYEMENTS SYSTEMS IN MACEDONIA General Features of the Payment System The payment system represents a sum of instruments, procedures and infrastructure for money transfer. It is of great importance for all economic agents since it enables fast and efficient payments in the national economy. The payment system of the Republic of Macedonia can be presented schematically as: The central bank, which runs the accounts of the deposit money institutions – the banks, is at the top of the payment system. In the payment system, the central bank has the following functions: operational, development and function of monitoring of the other payment systems in the country. The banks, which run the accounts of other legal entities and natural persons, consist the following level. Running of the accounts is decentralized – which means, each bank runs only the accounts of its clients. In order to execute and perform prompt settlement of the large value payments and urgent interbank payments, the system of the central bank is used. For netting the small value payments, a specialized institution – the Clearing House for small value payments is used, while the results of the netting are later settled in the system of the Central Bank. Start of the New Payment System On July 30, 2001, the functional implementation of one of the most complex reforms in the Republic of Macedonia, the Reform in the Payments System, commenced. This Reform is managed by a Steering Committee comprised of experts from the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia, the Ministry of Finance, the banks, the Payment Operations Bureau and eminent professors from the Faculty of Economics in Skopje. This start represents a beginning of a new payment system designed according to the payment systems of the countries with developed market economies. The new payment system enhances the competitive component of the banks and represents a prerequisite for implementing new banking products which increase the efficiency of the banks and the banking system as a whole. The competitiveness induces new IT tendencies in the banking operations. The reform enables more efficient monitoring and management of the liquidity of individual banks, as well as better efficiency in conducting the monetary policy. The previous payment system (effective until December 31, 2001) incorporated strong static components and limitations both regarding the options, as well as technological limitations, which represented an obstacle for the future development of the financial infrastructure and the financial system as a whole. The implementation of the new payment system was encompassed a transitional period from July 30, 2001 until December 31, 2001, during which besides the implementation of the new systems, the Payment Operations Bureau continued with its operations as a specific payment system. The National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia has important functions in the new payment system, which are stipulated in the new Law on Payment Operation. BANKING SUPERVISION According to the Law on the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia and the Banking Law, the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia is the only supervisory authority responsible for licensing and supervision of banks and savings houses in the Republic of Macedonia. The main purpose of the supervisory function performed by the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia is the maintenance of safe and sound banking system and protection of the depositors and other creditors that had invested their money in the banking system. The National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia has established supervisory standards that are incompliance with the international standards and practices set by the Basle Committee on Banking Supervision. Supervisory standards While performing their activities, banks are obliged to comply with the existing supervisory standards that are implemented for the purpose of limiting the banks risk exposure. The supervisory standards established and implemented by the National Bank are derived from the Basle Committees principles and the European Directives. The most important standards implemented by the National Bank are: capital adequacy, i.e. maintenance of an adequate capital base that will enable covering of the risk profile of banks. The capital adequacy ratio calculated as a ratio between the banks own funds and its risk weighted assets, must not be lower than 8%; criteria for classification of on-balance and off-balance sheet asset items of banks according to their risk level and determining adequate amount of impairments and special reserves for coverage of the banks potential and/or established losses; exposure limits as a ratio between the total on-balance and off-balance sheet exposure to a single persons and group of connected persons and the banks own funds; limits of exposure to the FX risk and the manner of managing this type of risk; limits on investments in land, buildings, equipment and equity holdings. ISSUE COINS AND BANKNOTES 1. Legal Tender in the Republic of Macedonia Legal tender in the Republic of Macedonia is the Macedonian Denar, consisting of 100 Deni. The National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia has the exclusive right of printing and issuing banknotes in the Republic of Macedonia. Macedonian banknotes in circulation (issue 1996 and 2003) :  · 5000 Denars issue 1996  · 1000 Denars issue 1996 and issue 2003  · 500 Denars issue 1996 and issue  · 100 Denars issue 1996  · 50 Denars issue 1996  · 10 Denars issue 1996 2. Printing and characteristics The lower banknote denominations of 10, 50 and 100 denars are printed in Macedonia, while the banknotes of 500 and 1000 denars (1996 issue) are printed at â€Å"Thomas de la Rue†, London. The last banknote issue of 2003, 500 and 1000 denars denominations, was also printed in TDLR. The Macedonian banknotes posses several security features like watermark, windowed-thread, intaglio print, latent image, micro-text, see-through feature, and optically variable ink. 3. Institutions which Act as cash collectors Institutions which act as cash collectors are the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia and commercial banks. II. Internship description As I am from the Republic of Macedonia, I thought maybe doing an internship there would be a plus for me. I graduated in Macedonia in 2002, so I really wanted to go back there to an internship, which I think it was a good idea in order to put together what Ive learned at university and whats happening in the real life out there. I think it is crucial for a student, or a future graduated student, to learn and make the link between theory and real life practice in order to get ready and not surprised or shocked when first meeting life for real. The reason also why I chose Macedonia to complete my internship, is that one day after graduating in Belgium, to be able to go back there, and work for my country, which would be much easier if the internship was done there, especially at a very important institution, its National Bank. But, it is also important to say that in this kind of countries, it is difficult and complicated to find a company, private or public, that would accept a future graduated student to do his/her internship there. This is also the position of national institutions. In such countries, that are living in transition, and where this process takes so long, and has many difficulties, the problem of informal economy is very present in the everyday life. This is the reason why, it is so hard to find a company that would offer you a normal and proper internship, unless, of course, if you may know the head of the company or institution. I was, unfortunately, not in this case of knowing somebody â€Å"important† to either private or public institutions. Regardless this fact, I still applied and send the demand of such internship at the National Bank of Macedonia. It took very long to get a response from them, but it finally came positive. After this, they were some complication, especially during the 2007 summer, for me to begin with the internship. In fact, there were some procedures to respect, which were not told to me and which I didnt know. Above all, the extreme heat of that summer had an impact on the government to reduce much of the working hours, especially in its institutions. That is the reason why I could not manage to start the internship that summer. My internship could finally be done during the three months of holiday granted to last year students at ICHEC. I was accepted by the human resources manager at the Bank, who interviewed me, especially to learn about my background, such as school, political, interests on the National Bank, and so on. After that I could finally begin with the internship. I was told to begin the very next day, after signing a convention of behavior at the Bank. I was supposed to start at 8 am and finish at 4 pm, which is the work time of each functionary working at this institution. After the interview, the Human Resources Manager advised me, in relation with my interests, to do the internship in the Research and Development department of the National Bank. It was a little confusing, because in general, students are allowed to come for their internships a few hours during working days, while I was invited to go there all day long. It was a something I didnt expected at all when I applied for this internship. But the conditions were given by them, so I did not wanted to react about that. But it was not the best manner to execute and learn about my topic. When I begun the internship, I had the task to read the reports that are issued by the National Bank itself. Actually, I didnt understand why I had to do this, but everybody told me they had done so when they started work at the Bank. It was also the way internship students started at this institution. It was a little confusing, but I had to rely on this task. This reading of the reports helped me though to learn further more of the different indexes that are studied, and their importance in order to measure the development of the macroeconomic policy of Macedonia. But I would have been more satisfied if I was told before beginning this internship to do so, in order to not waste my time reading during my internship, which was limited in time. First, I had a topic that seemed very clear and comprehensive to me. But after a few days at the Bank, I understood that something had to be changed in this topic because as I was entering my internship everyday more and more, I could see that my topic was too vast, and it could not really help me for my final paper, which would be related with the internship. After many consultations with my internship advisor, and also with participation of the head of the sector, I decided to somehow change my topic. At the beginning, I was opting for a study about the macroeconomic indexes, such as Inflation Rate, Unemployment Rate, CPI (consumers price index), etc. These indexes are studied and performed by the National Bank of course. But as I said, it was really a vast topic, which could have gone nowhere, and finally not helped me much to the purpose of the internship. So I opted for a change. This change was more directed towards the energy sector of Macedonia, and how energy has an influence on the economy of this country. This idea came, as I said, after consulting people working there, but above all, after attending on a presentation performed by a professor of the Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje for the National Bank. The professor presenting was Dr. VlaÃ… ¡ko ÄŒingoski, and the topic: The Electro-energetic Situation and Perspectives of Republic of Macedonia. The presentation was mainly on the problems concerning the energetic sector of Macedonia, from its independence until today, the current situation of energy and also the most probable and real manners to overcome the negative balance on this sector. This presentation really opened my path, and helped me a lot into finding a new and more specific topic for my final paper. Other presentations regarding energy, and the energetic sector concerning Macedonia were performed after. I attended all of them, as my interest was since balancing toward this topic. I was allowed though to be present at these meetings, so it helped me further more in my focusing. The other presentations were performed also by professors, or people working in the management of electro-energetic companies. But my internship wasnt all about attending presentations, and taking notes of them. As I said, I was accepted at the Research and Development department of the Bank. This department, which was the one where my main advisor worked, is the principal responsible for the construction, consolidation, editing, and writing the annual, trimester, monthly, and even two-weekly reports concerning the development of the economical situation of Macedonia, and comparing them to other countries, mainly from the Balkans. These reports have different parts, in general. The first part, concerns the economic development in a global point of view. Next we have the development of Macedonia, then the monetary development, the capital market, etc. Generally speaking, they are specific teams that work on a specific part of these reports, but the teams can sometimes change. My main advisor was more active on determining and calculating macroeconomic indexes, and then, comparing them with the same indexes of one specific period of last year, or same periods in the past. That was in general his role, and the one of his team. In fact, I was introduced at his computer to see how things are going, working thus with these indexes. All indexes were calculated via Microsoft Excel, and a software, which is frequently used by National Banks in the region and wider, called eViews. I was not able to have this software on my computer, as it is a program only the National Bank of Macedonia may use. This is why I couldnt really get deep into this software, in order to understand how it works, and what data or information it offers. So, the whole things was to take right data, transform and calculate them into indexes, compare them with same indexes of past periods, design different graphics and tables so that it is more comprehensive to the reader, and finally do the interpretation of the results. The data I mentioned before, which are the base of these indexes, are delivered from the Statistical Office of Macedonia. It is this office that has almost all statistical data for the population living and working in Macedonia. It also has information about the housing sector, which is important to calculate some indexes, such as inflation and CPI. Then, I was able to start and calculate myself some basic and simple indexes, but mostly, I was asked to compare them with the past permofmances. This is not a very difficult task to do, as I have had many statistical classes during my study years both in Macedonia and Belgium. But I have to say that, my internship was far from what I was expecting. I am conscious that the period I was able to do the internship, was a full working period. Everybody there was working at high speed to finalize the annual report of 2007, which is the most important, and also most voluminous of all. So, they had not very much time to spend with me and my internship. In general, this internship enabled me to see what the sector works in real terms, and also, it was very important for me that I was able to have access to the Banks library, and also to many publications that I saved, which helped me analyze the data that interested me more after I was done with the internship. III. Technical Part Introduction As I mentioned in the introduction of this internship report, I was first keen on studying the macroeconomic indexes that the National Bank of Macedonia uses in order to develop its reports (annually, monthly, even 2 weekly reports) that are required by many organizations such as World Bank, the ECB, the International Energy Agency, etc. But after some time, I realized I should be focusing more on one specific matter, and that was the energetic sector of Macedonia. I think the problem of energy, globally speaking, is becoming more and more an important issue, that is undoubtedly an unavoidable factor for the economic growth and development of one country. Especially, in countries such as Macedonia, who arent very rich in natural resources, this situation can have a huge impact, having in mind that these countries are highly dependent on the import of energy producing products. The reason why I chose this topic to study is, that it is a problem everybody talks about in these days, as we are conscious of the high prices of oil in the recent months. This is another important factor that pushes the issue of the Macedonian energetic sector just further. This study provides an overview of the investment and policy choices in the Macedonian energy sector. On the investment side, the study highlights the criteria under which potential investments in a new Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant and a new coal mine should proceed. The Report focuses on reforms that would be required to support the CHP project, namely ratification by Macedonia of the Kyoto Protocol and resolution of ownership issues related to the gas pipeline linking