Insider Trading Law

Introduction Insider trading has rocked newsrooms lately. Some of the most famous incidences that had serious consequences on the companies that were involved include Martha Stewart, WorldCom and Enron scenarios. The illegal form of insider trading is the trading that takes place in a security market, following exchange of material information, which is not offered to the general public.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Insider Trading Law specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a results of its undue and destructive nature â€Å"this trading is outlawed by the US Securities Exchange Commission SEC – this is particularly because it tends to devastate the investors’ confidence† (Reh, 2012, p. 1). This paper seeks to analyze an article that features an insider trading in Tokyo, followed by a critical analysis of insider trading. Summary of the article – JPMorgan Implicated in Japan’s I nsider Trading Probe This CNBC article shows how JPMorgan was caught up in Japan’s Insider Trading Probe. In this drama, some insiders had conspired to help Nippon Sheet Glass get some shares in 2010. It was alleged that the material information was leaked to Asuka Asset Management Fund by a salesman from JPMorgan. This insider trading has become the order of the day in the Tokyo securities market. Astonishingly, the penalty imposed by the Japanese stock market regulators is inconsequential and may not bar a repeat of the vice. As such, it was probable that JP Morgan would get away with it, as the penalty that could have been imposed is inconsequential. One of Asuka’s fund managers was said to have been involved in the insider trading, and he was relieved from his duties, though it was not clear whether he was fired. Investigations revealed that Asuka had benefited from the leak, something that had not been investigated well by the bank. This left questions on whether the whole organization was involved, or it was only JP Morgan. Daiwa distanced themselves from any blame by stating that there was no credible prove that they were involved in any illegal behavior. This incident and many others, which are similar to this have led to a criticism of the Japanese regulator’s crackdown, which is seen as grossly shoddy as it does not involve tough sanctions in major markets. Critical analysis of insider trading An insider is a party that is privy to critical information regarding an entity, which has an impact on the price of its stock, or which can have some impact on the investors’ decisions. In the case analyzed above, it was alleged that a JPMorgan sales man was responsible for leakage of materials information, which was not made available to the public. This JPMorgan salesman is the insider in this case, and the information he leaked was material, because it influenced the decision of the investors, ahead of a $505 million share offer. Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is obvious that the company’s executives who are involved in such a deal, including share brokers have access to material information. The JPMorgan top sales executives, for example, knew the plans of the share offer. Furthermore, a clerical officer who prepares information to be published in the press, or the accountant who undertakes sales estimates analysis can as well be considered to be insiders. To prevent illegal passing of material information, there should be a policy to regulate the number of people who can access material information due to its sensitivity. There are scores of reasons why this should be done. First, there is the obvious reason of limiting the possibility of some people disclosing information, which is material. The second reason is that the insiders should be limited on the time they can trade on the enti ty’s stock – which can be the middle of months. As evidenced in the case of JPMorgan, the top sales people are also insiders who are privy to very critical information. Those who are engaged in public relations, for example, by preparing public declarations are insiders whose ability to leak material information should be controlled. As an insider has been defined above, the people involved in RD, during the introduction of a new product in the market are also insiders, who can leak material information. Lastly, other parties who are insiders includes bankers, legal representatives and other institutions that could be having access to some critical information of the company, during discharge of their duties. This law has effectively netted even a person who is not a senior member of the management. For example, if the senior manager of an entity reveals, to an ordinary person, that its best expectation for a step forward product will not be approved by the regulatory body; then it means that that person is in all respects an insider, just like a senior manager as far as that information is concerned. The essence here is that such a person should not be allowed to trade with courtesy of that information before the general public becomes privy to it. Consequently, such people are considered to be â€Å"temporary insiders†, and therefore, cannot get involved in trading to take advantage of such information, without being accused of breaking the law. The Security Exchange Act of 1934, section 10(b) and 14(e) accord the SEC the powers to obtain a court order to force the accomplices to return the profits they have obtained from such a deal. Additionally, SEC can ask the court to force the company to pay a very heavy penalty, which is proportional to the amount of profits realized from the illegal trading. Alongside these financial fines are criminal fines.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Insider Trading Law specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Just like the Japanese regulator’s crackdown that has been discussed above which seems to be grossly ineffective, I think these fines are not adequate, and should be made significantly more severe. I strongly support a United States bill, which will make those who are accused of insider trading accountable for committing a felony that leads to incarceration for a period not less than 10 years. Conclusion In view of this discussion, it has been found that insider trading is a retrogressive activity that amounts to defrauding of shareholders, and which should be punishable by the toughest terms possible. The illegal form of insider trading is the trading that takes place in a security market, following exchange of material information, which is not offered to the general public. The strong criticism of the Japanese regulator’s crackdown is a wakeup call. It shows that this issue is not taken with the se riousness it deserves, by the regulatory bodies, which are entrusted to curtail the insider business. It should be in the best interest of companies to avoid insider trading so they are not investigation by the regulatory bodies – this is particularly because, even after being cleared of any wrong doing, such an investigation can have a lasting damage on the company’s reputation. Reference Reh, F.J. (2012). Insider Trading. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/insider-trading-2275117 This essay on Insider Trading Law was written and submitted by user Kristen W. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Function and Development Questions on ACT Reading

Function and Development Questions on ACT Reading SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Function questions (also sometimes known as â€Å"meaning in context† questions) make up approximately 20% of all ACT Reading questions (based on my survey of four publicly available ACTs). The ACT Reading will also occasionally have "development" questions, which are sort of like larger-scale versions of function questions (they ask about the structure of the passage or passages). Both function and development questions require you to judge the effect of a phrase in a certain place (as opposed to little picture and vocab in context questions, which are just concerned with meaning). So how do you get asked function questions on the ACT, and what strategies can you use to answer them? Keep on reading to find out! feature image credit: The Thinker by Japanexperterna.se, used under CC BY-SA 2.0/Cropped from original. What Are Function Questions? Function questions are those questions that ask you to describe what the effect is of a phrase, sentence, or paragraph in the context of a passage. The wording of function questions makes them seem as if they are asking â€Å"The author [wrote a thing] in order to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Figuring out the right answer to these questions can be problematic, because the way function questions are phrased often makes it seem as if they're asking â€Å"Why did the author do this thing?† Unless you're the author, your immediate reaction is probably going to be "How should I know? I'm no psychic!" (unless you are able to read the author's mind, in which case this test just got a whole lot different for you). A better way to answer function questions would be to rephrase them like this: â€Å"What effect does [this thing] have in the context of [the lines, paragraph, or passage]? Regardless of whether or not I am a psychic?† Another name sometimes used for these questions is â€Å"meaning in context,† which is fine†¦except that they’re not exactly asking about meaning. Rather than asking you what a particular phrase MEANS (which would be an inference question), function questions ask â€Å"what does [that phrase] DO† or â€Å"what is the effect of this meaning in context?† For example, let's make up a scenario where the public transportation in my town was basically shut down for two months due to massive amounts of snow, and just as the trains were starting up again on their normal schedule, there was another snowstorm, prompting me to sing (sarcastically) "It's the most wonderful time of the year." The MEANING of the words "most wonderful" in this context would be "worst" (as in "It's the worst time of the year"); the FUNCTION of the words "most wonderful" would be "to suggest that the speaker actually feels the opposite is true." Like primary purpose questions, function questions usually have answer choices in the form of â€Å"verb a noun† (as in "illustrate the narrator's frustration with the city infrastructure" or "convey the joy the narrator felt in the unseasonable snowfall"); the main difference between the two is that function questions ask about relatively small amounts of text (phrases or lines), rather than entire paragraphs (which are asked about with big picture questions). In fact, having a good understanding of the big picture/main point of a passage can often assist you in answering function questions. Take the following example: you're asked "The phraseâ€Å"live and die depending on her whimsy† primarily serves to..." If you know that the main point is, for instance, about desert life, you’re unlikely to assume the phraseâ€Å"live and die depending on her whimsy† illustrates that there is an insane and murderous empress ruling over every desert on Earth. Instead, it's far more likely that the function of the statement is to support the idea that in the desert, even a small change in the amount of rainfall can have drastic effects on desert life. Here are a few examples of the most common ways you’ll see function questions presented on the ACT (adapted from ACTual ACT questions): â€Å"The quotation by Finck and Cranor in lines 32–41 is used in this passage to support the idea that:† â€Å"The author uses the fourth paragraph (lines 27–33) primarily to:† â€Å"The main purpose of the second paragraph (lines 6–18) is to:† â€Å"The main function of lines 64–66 in terms of the eighth paragraph (lines 59–66) as a whole is to:† â€Å"It is reasonable to infer that the primary reason the author included the information in the eleventh paragraph (lines 59–64) is to:† â€Å"In relation to the first paragraph’s earlier description of the nightmare, the narrator’s comments in lines 10–13 primarily serve to:† Sidebar: Development Questions Development questions involve the same skill set as you use for function questions, but generally ask about larger chunks of text. Instead of asking â€Å"what does this paragraph DO,† development questions seems to ask â€Å"what happens in this paragraph?† In order to lower the possibility of interpretation (and more than one correct answer), ACT Reading usually frames development questions as being about the "author's approach. It's a little hard to explain what I mean in the abstract, so here’s an example: Which of the following best describes the author’s approach to presenting the story of the narrator’s discovery about himself? F. Revealing the narrator’s self-awareness about a trait through a blend of personal reflection and scenes from the narrator’s youth and adulthood G. Starting immediately with a statement of the discovery in the narrator’s voice and continuing with scenes that reveal how the discovery came about H. Describing the physical details of scenes and summarizing their significance in a concluding statement in the narrator’s voice J. Using dialogue in the midst of scenes fraught with tension to indicate what the narrator is experiencing internally For paragraphs, it's possible to ask about the function (you can ask â€Å"what’s the main function of this paragraph†), but it's more difficult to do this for entire passages without the questions turning into primary purpose questions. Development questions differ from primary purpose questions because they're not about authorial intent; instead, development questions are closer to the flip side of function questions. If the above example were a function question, rather than a development question, it might go something like this: The author describes the physical details of scenes and summarizes their significance in order to... A. Present the story of the narrator's self-discovery. Compare with answer choice H and the original question: Which of the following best describes the author’s approach to presenting the story of the narrator’s discovery about himself? H. Describing the physical details of scenes and summarizing their significance in a concluding statement in the narrator’s voice Here are other ways I've seen development questions asked on ACT Reading: â€Å"Which of the following best describes the structure of the passage?† â€Å"The narrator develops the third paragraph (lines 19–29) mainly through:† â€Å"In terms of developing the narrative, the last two paragraphs (lines 67–87) primarily serve to:† â€Å"In terms of the passage as a whole, one of the main functions of the third paragraph (lines 13–19) is to suggest that:† Strategies for Conquering ACT Reading Function Questions Some of the advice below works best for certain ways of approaching the passage, while other advice is useful for everyone, regardless of your passage reading strategy. In the end, you should mix and match strategies in a way that works for you - these are just suggestions to help get you started. Understand What The Question Is Really Asking For me, this is the key component needed to consistentIy answer function questions correctly. This isn't to say that you don't need to know what other ACT Reading questions are really asking, of course - it's more that function questions have the weirdest wording. Often, it seems like you need to read the mind of the author (or character) in order to answer these questions. I can understand why the ACT words the questions the way they do: questions that say â€Å"What does the mentioning of the two events listed in lines 77-79 do† are too open to interpretation, while questions like â€Å"The author uses the events listed in lines 77–79 primarily to" can only have one right answer. Understanding the motivation behind the wording doesn't make the wording any less confusing at first glance, though. So what's the best way to grapple with the wording of function questions? Learn to translate the questions into ones that are actually answerable (i.e. that don't require mind-reading abilities). Here's a sample function question: The author most likely includes the information in lines 53–57 to suggest: Wrong way to rephrase it: Why does the author include the information in lines 53-57? The answer to this question (unless you know the author and/or can read minds) will probably be along the lines of "Because it was his birthday? Because he felt like it? I have no idea." Right way to rephrase it: What does the information in lines 53-57 suggest/do? This is a question that can be answered (in this case, the information in lines 53-57 illustrates Armstrong’s highly developed skills.). Corollary: Answer In Your Own Words For most questions on ACT Reading, it's helpful to come up with the answer in your own words before you look at the answer choices. This strategy is particularly helpful with function questions because the answer choices for these questions tend to be complex, and so coming up with your own answer before looking at the answer choices can help prevent you from getting confused. True, your answer for â€Å"what best describes the transition the author presents in lines 80-84† will probably not be as nicely as the correct answer choice. However, the answer choice you come up with should only include relevant and accurate information, while the wrong answers may have irrelevant information or interpretations that â€Å"COULD be true, I guess." Why do the wrong answer choices include wrong or irrelevant information? Because this is one of the ways ACT Reading tries to trick you – the people writing the questions know that you’re used to trying to see things from multiple perspectives as part of school (which is ordinarily a good thing), when in fact there is only ONE right answer on the ACT. Figuring out the answer in your own words forst, then, makes it a lot easier to find that one correct answer. But how do you find the function of a phrase, line, or sentence in a passage in the first place? Question mark by the Italian voice, used under CC BY 2.0. Look For Context On ACT Reading, sometimes questions give you the specific lines where the information being asked about is located, which is nice (since the passages are so long). Alas, for function questions, the lines that the question gives you are not necessarily the only lines you’ll need to answer the question - sometimes, you just need more context. If you’re having trouble answering a function question, your best bet is to take a look at the sentences before and after the phrase/sentence/lines you’re given in the question and see if that helps make it clearer. On occasion, though, it may end up that you need even more context to answer a particular function question (like knowing the bigger picture/main point/perspective of the text/author). In these cases, if you don't already know that context and are having difficult answering the question, mark it and come back to it after you’ve answered the relevant big picture questions (questions about the paragraph/section the lines in question are in, or even questions about the whole passage). Answer Questions In The Order That Works For You This is a strategy that depends heavily on how you read the passage. You may also decide that this strategy works well for certain passage types better than others. For instance, you might be able to get away with looking at the questions first and skipping around Natural Science passages, but feel like you need to read Prose Fiction passages all the way through before you start answering questions. Basically, don't lock yourself into one way of doing things. That being said, if you read thoroughly first, then answer questions, I really recommend answering big picture questions first, then function and inference questions. It's better to answer questions about larger amounts of text while that text is still fresh in your mind, and starting out with big picture questions first might also give you information/context that is useful when it comes to answering the function questions. If you read quickly enough that you can read all the passages thoroughly and have still have plenty of time to answer the questions, just answering the questions in order is certainly a valid choice, because it lowers the chance that you'll accidentally fill in an answer in the wrong place or miss a question. Because there is so much text to get through on ACT Reading, however, I do not recommend the "read everything through" strategy (and yes, this is coming from someone who reads 60-100 pages/hour). If you start out by reading through all the questions, then going back to the passage, I recommend starting with little picture and vocab in context questions before getting to function questions. The answer to these more focused questions provide you with information about the author and topic being covered, which can assist you in answering function questions; if you do end up needing to know the big picture in order to answer a particular function question, you can always circle it and come back to it later. If you skim through first, then questions, then back to passage, it's best to answer both big and little picture questions before getting to function questions. Why? Well, unless the phrase, sentence, or lines being asked about were in part of the passage you read during your skim (at the beginning or end of a paragraph or passage), you probably didn’t read the necessary information during your skimming. If you're going to skim, you might as well make the most of it by answering questions that would be better served with a quick skim (questions about the passage as a whole and questions about specific details you might have mapped during your skimming). Eliminate Answers The fundamental rule for ACT Reading is that you must eliminate 3 wrong answers. For function questions, the answer choices are often complex, which can make eliminating just one answer choice seem daunting. After all, how can you figure out if the answer is right when there are so many parts of it to check? First of all, if you've successfully answered the question in your own words, you might not even have to worry about eliminating answers – only one answer choice should match yours. If it does turn out you need to eliminate answers, however, you're in luck - complicated answers are actually easier to eliminate, because if any part of the answer choice does not match with the passage, then you can cross it out. Example: Which of the following best describes the structure of the passage? A. A dialogue between two people in which both relate their dreams in an almost equal amount of detail B. An account of the narrator’s perspective on the woman revealed primarily through the narrator’s report of their conversations C. A character sketch of two people as related by a narrator who knows both of them and their thoughts D. A detailed narration of several of the narrator’s dreams accompanied by a description of the woman’s reactions to them Let's say you think the answer is probably B, an account of the narrator’s perspective on the woman revealed primarily through the narrator’s report of their conversations.In order for that to be true, it must pass the following obstacles: Is it an account of the narrator’s perspective? If not, ELIMINATE Is it about the narrator’s perspective of â€Å"the woman†? If not, ELIMINATE Is the information revealed primarily through the narrator’s report (or someone else’s)? If not, ELIMINATE Is the report of their conversations? If not, ELIMINATE As you can see, there are many chances for elimination as you consider the answer choices. For this question, the correct answer, B, passes this test: yes, it is an account of the narrator’s perspective on the woman, and it is revealed primarily through the narrator’s report, which is about their conversations. Function Questions: A Demonstration And now, before I leave you to your practice questions, a full breakdown of answering a function question on ACT Reading. First, the question: The main function of lines 64–66 in terms of the eighth paragraph (lines 59–66) as a whole is to: F. give a sense of proportion to the numbers provided earlier in the paragraph. G. point out the limitations of the evidence provided by the Iowa scientists. H. supplement the paragraph’ s description of the comets with additional details about their size and capacity. J. provide readers with a sense of how old the planet really is. Before I even take a look at the lines (and the paragraph) cited in the question, I’m going to rephrase this question in a way that is answerable: What effect do lines 64-66 have in the 8th paragraph? ...Well, that wasn’t as drastic a change as I expected. Oh well. Time to take a look at the paragraph! Based on their images, the Iowa scientists estimated 20 comets an hour- each about 30 feet or so across and carrying 100 tons of water- were bombarding the Earth. At that rate, they would produce water vapor that would add about an inch of water to the planet every 10,000 years, Frank concluded. That may not seem like much, but when talking about a planet billions of years old, it adds up. Out of this paragraph, here are lines 64-66 (since they don’t specify that you should begin at the beginning of the sentence, I’m including all of line 64 in all its glory): planet every 10,000 years, Frank concluded. That may not seem like much, but when talking about a planet billions of years old, it adds up. My first thoughts: So what do lines 64-66 say? Basically that while the information given doesn’t seem impressive on its own, it actually is when considered over a long period of time. What does that do in terms of the paragraph as a whole? Well, what does the paragraph look like without those lines? Based on their images, the Iowa scientists estimated 20 comets an hour- each about 30 feet or so across and carrying 100 tons of water- were bombarding the Earth. At that rate, they would produce water vapor that would add about an inch of water to the It’s basically just giving information about tiny comets hitting the Earth (with water). If you don’t have lines 64-66, you don’t get the sense that this creates a significant amount of water over time, so the function of those lines is to put the amount of water the comets could have brought to Earth into perspective, I guess. I’ve reworded the question to make it easier to answer and answered in my own words considering the context of the paragraph. Next: eliminating answers. The main function of lines 64–66 in terms of the eighth paragraph (lines 59–66) as a whole is to: F. give a sense of proportion to the numbers provided earlier in the paragraph. Yeah, that seems right – my answer was that those lines â€Å"put the amount of water the comets could have brought to Earth into perspective,† which matches up pretty well with that answer. Let’s just look over the rest of the answers to double check†¦ The main function of lines 64–66 in terms of the eighth paragraph (lines 59–66) as a whole is to: G. point out the limitations of the evidence provided by the Iowa scientists. No, no limitations are pointed out. In fact, lines 64-66 actually bring the information from the first part of the paragraph into a larger context. ELIMINATE. The main function of lines 64–66 in terms of the eighth paragraph (lines 59–66) as a whole is to: H. supplement the paragraph’s description of the comets with additional details about their size and capacity. Hmm†¦it has additional details, but it’s not about the size of the comets at all, so even if capacity is somewhat related (because of the amount of water they could add to the Earth) this answer must be ELIMINATED. The main function of lines 64–66 in terms of the eighth paragraph (lines 59–66) as a whole is to: J. provide readers with a sense of how old the planet really is. I mean, the age of the planet is sort of mentioned (billions of years old), but there’s nothing in lines 64-66 that provide â€Å"a sense of how old the planet really is.† I guess you could try to twist this answer so it works, except F already is a clear answer choice because this question is asking about the MAIN function. So even if A function is that you get a sense of how old the planet is, it’s not the main function. ELIMINATE. The correct answer is F. Comet activity, 21 June by European Space Agency, used under CC BY-SA 2.0/Cropped from original. Function Questions: Your Turn To Practice! The following questions are all on the same passage, taken from an official (and currently public and free) ACT: 1. The main purpose of the last paragraph is to: A. reveal the enduring impact of Mr. Marsh’s lessons on the author. B. acknowledge that the author came to doubt some of Mr. Marsh’s teachings. C. describe a typical class as taught by Mr. Marsh. D. present a biographical sketch of Mr. Marsh. 2. The author mentions Melody Maker, the top 20, and articles about musicians primarily to suggest that his: A. early interest in music has remained with him to the present. B. time spent playing music should instead have been spent reading. C. fascination with pop music and musicians gave focus to his life for a time. D. commitment to study enabled him to perfect his drumming technique. 3. Viewed in the context of the passage, the statement in lines 55–56 is most likely intended to suggest that: A. schools should require students to take philosophy courses. B. students can become passionate when learning about science in school. C. schools need to keep searching for ways to tap into students’ deeply held interests. D. students should resolve to take school courses that interest them. 4. The author calls pen and paper â€Å"rudimentary tools† (line 80) as part of his argument that: F. the use of computers has made the use of pen and paper obsolete. G. students should become skilled with pen and paper before moving on to better tools. H. while writing with pen and paper can be pleasant, it can also be physically painful. I. although seemingly simple, pen and paper allow people to perform great feats. Answer key (scroll down when ready): 1. A 2. C 3. C 4. J In Conclusion Function questions on ACT Reading ask you â€Å"what effect does this [phrase, sentence, or series of lines] have, in context,† or, more simply put, â€Å"what does this [phrase, sentence, or series of lines] DO?† Development questions involve the reverse of function questions and ask "What is the structure of this passage/paragraph?" The most important part of answering function questions correctly is making sure you understand what the question is asking. Answer the question in your own words before looking at the ACT’s answer choices. If the lines cited in the question don't provide enough context, look to the surrounding sentences. Depending on your passage reading approach, you may wish to answer function questions after answering other types of questions first. Eliminate three wrong answers What’s Next? Want more practice with real ACT questions? Go to our guide and find links to free ACTs and information about what other official tests are out there. Interested in more ACT Reading skills articles like this one? We’ve got a whole series of articles that cover each ACT Reading skill - be sure to read my articles on main point, little picture, vocab in context, inference, and paired passage questions. Not sure how to finish all 40 questions on ACT Reading without running out of time? Learn about the three different ways to approach the passage on the ACT and figure out what works for you. Are these articles all very well and good, but you need more structured help to reach your ACT goal? Then why not try out our very own PrepScholar test prep platform FREE for five days? Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Reading lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Text-Based Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Text-Based - Research Paper Example The news media is also able to convey the health of the economy to the viewers of its different sections. They thus, perform a very valuable function in the society. This paper shall look at how the news industry has on occasions failed to live up to the expectations that are made of it. The article shall also look at news that focuses on gossip and its effects. Later on, the essay shall look at alternate forms of news. The essay shall also focus on the reporting of wars in the news media. The essay shall also look at the neglect that foreign affairs are made to face by the American public in times of peace. The essay shall then go on to analyze the selective reporting of news and the biases that may be behind such a phenomenon. The essay shall thus, look at various aspects of American news media, focusing on its problems and some of the solutions that have emerged from within the industry itself. The article by the news agency AP, â€Å"AP: We Ignored Paris†, points to a mala ise that affects news media in these times. Almost as a matter of routine, one finds that newspapers and news channels on the television report items that do not concern the daily lives of the common citizens of the world. This is a phenomenon that one finds all over the world. The ironic part of this phenomenon is the fact that this is carried out in the name of the common citizen, who according to the news media, wants them to report such news. The article in question repudiates such a myth, placing the blame for such standards of reportage on the reporters and editors themselves. Such reportage takes attention away from real articles of news at a time when the nation is at war and several internal security issues have been a thorn in the flesh of the government. The responsibility of the media is clearly to convey such issues to all sections of the society. This is not what the media has done and this reflects, according to Jan Wieten, a class-based bias that the media has harbor ed for years. The sections of the media that caters to the elite sections of the society has always reported on problematic areas of governance and the economy. On the other hand, those sections of the media that have been accessible to the lower classes of the society have always resorted to irrelevant pieces of news, under the assumption that such sections ‘want’ such news. Wieten argues that such a view has always taken the shape of gossip and tabloids. Such forms of the news media attempt to classify false articles of news as real in an attempt to sell them. The profusion of reality shows is only the latest form of such news, according to Wieten (1998). Such forms of the media obfuscate the real news, deflecting the attention of the masses, the people who are responsible for the election of the government that has to ultimately, take decisions. There are however, forms of the news media that do believe in entertainment and news value. Rachel Smolkin speaks of one su ch program, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in her essay, â€Å"What the Mainstream Media Can Learn From Jon Stewart†. She speaks of the fact that the binary between entertaining programs and non-entertaining or informative ones has led to the creation of certain shows that are merely entertaining without being informative and some with no entertainment at all. Her argument is aimed at such shows and reveals the need for

Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Assessment - Essay Example guidance and management of the school principal whose participation influences the level of school efficiency through aligning individual teacher instructions with student achievement. My participation in instructional collaboration would be to intensify my relationship with colleagues, offer my opinion towards a student-centered school, gain proficiency in curriculum goals, raise my expectations and that of other teachers, become part of an aggressive and engaged community of teacher-learners, and reinforces the entire school program. I would hesitate to collaborate to avoid over-dependence on my colleagues, and to gain more confidence my decisions. I would also not collaborate to pursue issues geared towards personal goals that conflict with student-centered learning. In my opinion, successful collaboration must improve my reflective abilities and promote individual professional growth. Additionally, partners have to demonstrate strong self-esteem and motivation, sense of security hence a common goal, shared studying and peer observation, open and rich professional dialogues, instructional variety in teaching, elevated risk taking, planning and preparation, and improved of levels self-confidence. Through increased participation in of teachers curriculum delivery, collaboration makes it possible to evaluate the outcomes of both the teachers and the students. Yes, I have previously participated in instructional collaboration. I engaged in consultation collaboration for a topic I did not know how to deliver effectively. The experience made me to realize that not all teachers feel secure when engaging in collaboration and they would turn you away claiming they are busy. However, most teachers are willing to assist newly employed colleagues in effort to promote consistent student learning. I felt incompetent and did not want to jeopardize the learning of my students. I would look for a partner who is trustworthy and who seeks equitable distribution of

Data Collection Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Data Collection Methods - Essay Example An ‘alternative hypothesis’ is the opposite of null hypothesis and is developed to reject the initial claim of any research or statistician. A survey method (using questionnaire) is more feasible and appropriate for collecting primary information on consumers’ income level, attitudes, perceptions, tastes and preferences, restaurant’s location and internal environment etc. We have initiated this research project with an aim to enter in restaurant industry by offering an experience rather just selling our food products. Hence, it is essential to analyze our competitors’ market information i-e customers, food menu, location advantage, target market, prices etc. Hence, our group has decided to impersonate our identity and conduct a survey with customers who dine-in at our competitors to obtain their unbiased responses. Nevertheless, the ethical principles will not be violated as we will select participants after obtaining their free consent as well as ensure confidentiality. As studied in some Marketing Research textbooks, our group has received an insight that a sample refers to the group of people that are representatives of entire population. Nevertheless, a sample should be carefully chosen to avert possibility of biased responses. More specifically, it should be gender balanced and include people from various localities / neighborhoods / areas to obtain valuable information for a food business. It is worthwhile to mention that sample will be chosen after estimating and analyzing the population of two chosen cities. Indeed, the target market will then be decided so that Santa Fe Grill could offer its products to customers in an efficient and effective manner. Recall that sample should represent the population otherwise the results and findings would become inappropriate. Our group will consider Probability sampling method in formulating the sample size (or a minimum number of participants). This method would be beneficial in sample designing mainly because we have estimated probability of each sampling unity across two chosen cities.  

Psychological Distress Experienced by Medical Students

Psychological Distress Experienced by Medical Students INTRODUCTION The psychological distress of medical students is more commonly associated with stress, anxiety and depression [1]. It is a fact that tertiary medical education is highly stressful due to factors that include academic pressures, obstacles to their goal achievement, environmental changes, life challenges such as transition from school to university and the change in role from student to knowledgeable physician [2,3]. Even though there were studies suggested that some stress in medical school training involve stress, this stressful environment can exert a negative effect on the psychological and physical well-being of the undergraduates [5,6]. The stress can be defined as â€Å"a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense† and also as â€Å"a number of normal reactions of the body (mental, emotional, and physiological) designed for self-preservation† [7]. Stress is also defined as not just a stimulus or a response but rather, it is a process by which we perceive and cope with environmental threats and challenges [8]. On the other hand, anxiety can be defined as â€Å"an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes. People with anxiety disorders usually have recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns. They may avoid certain situations out of worry. They may also experience physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling, dizziness or rapid heartbeat† [4]. While depression is more than just sadness. People with depression may experience a lack of interest and pleasure in daily activities, significant weight loss or gain, insomnia or excessive sleeping, lack of ener gy, inability to concentrate, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide [4]. However, for the sake of simplicity, these three most common condition psychological issues are coined into one term that is ‘stress’ as all of them are closely related [9]. Several studies have revealed that the incidence of stress among medical profession are increasing day by day and medical students have been found to experience higher level of depression and anxiety compared to the general population and to their same age group individuals [10,11,12]. The top ten main stressors found by Yusuf et al. at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) based on scores given by the medical students were all related to academic matters while Wolf et al. listed examination, class-work and financial responsibilities as their main stressor [13,14]. Therefore, it is critical for medical educators to understand the prevalence and causes of student distress, potential adverse personal and professional consequences, and institutional factors that can influence student’s health. It is suggested that an intervention programs could be implemented to reduce the stress levels [14]. OBJECTIVES The review was carried out to address the following questions: What is the prevalence of psychological distress experienced by medical students’? What are the socio demographical factors associated with psychological distress experienced by medical students’? METHODOLOGY 10 keyword were chosen to do the search for this project. Keywords – Malaysia, Medical students, stress, psychological distress, anxiety, depression, emotional disorder, mental health, undergraduates and trainee Literature review was carried out using the following electronic databases: PUBMED, Medline, Science Direct, Up-to-Date and Google scholar databases for articles on medical student’s distress in Malaysia. It was a systemic review of the literatures carried out from October 2014 to February 2015. Inclusion and Exclusion criteria All articles that published data related to stress or psychological distress/health of Malaysian medical students and written in English were eligible for inclusion in this study. The latest articles published since January 2014 was included. From the search, 20 full text articles were retrieved based on the relevance in relation to the topic. In addition, the reference list of the articles retrieved were also checked to find similar articles. RESULT Instrument used There are variety of tools used to assess psychological distress. The tools used will be selected based on elements to be assess. The most common one used for assessment of stress in Malaysian based study is General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) using 12 items or 28 items. The questionnaire was developed by Goldberg in 1978 which measures two important elements. The first one is the inability to carry out normal functions and the appearance of distress. The second is to assess the well-being in a person [15]. Other tools for used includes Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS). Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ) was used to identify sources of stress or stressor [16]. Prevalence of psychological distress The overall prevalence rate of psychological distress among medical student in Malaysia are range from 14.3% to 56% [17,18]. The highest prevalence rate of 56% was obtained from Salina et al. where they did a survey on 101 medical students in University Malaya (UM). Based on SPIN scores, they conclude that 56% of the medical student who scored 19 or above have higher probability of having social anxiety disorder [18]. While the lowest prevalence of psychological distress with rate of 14.3% was documented by Yusoff et al. from the study among a cohort of University Sains Malaysia (USM) medical students where two cohorts of first year (2008/2009 and 2009/2010 intake) were compared. Cohort 1 was selected based on academic merit while cohort 2 was selected based on academic merit, psychometric assessment and interview performance. Based on GHQ scores, the results indicate that cohort 1 (prevalence rate of 26.3%) experienced more psychological distress compared to cohort 2 (prevalence rat e of 14.3%) indicating that stratification of student selection by using multimodal criteria might better identify medical students with good psychological health [17]. A study on psychological distress by using DASS scores was done by Nikmat et al. among 110 preclinical medical students of University Teknologi Mara (UiTM). The results were classified into mild, moderate, severe and extremely severe. It was further divided into two group which were ‘clinical’ for severe and extremely severe and ‘sub-clinical’ for mild and moderate. Out of 110 students, 5.5% of students had clinical depression, 24.5% clinical anxiety and 7.3% had clinical stress. Other remaining students experienced sub-clinical depression, anxiety and stress with prevalence of 36.4%, 35.5% and 30.0% respectively [21]. Yusoff et al. documented prevalence of depressive symptoms rate by using BDI scale among final year medical students stood at 21.7% [22]. Socio demographic variables Study years Stress among different years of students was studied by Sherina et al, Zaid et al and Yusoff et al. Cumulatively, They found that the stress prevalence for different years of study were varied. According to Sherina et al. based on the study in 2003, there was high prevalence of stress among 1st (48.6%) and 4th (41.4%) year medical students in comparison to students of second, third and final years. The most acceptable explanation was that 1st year student have to adjust to a new environment of medical educations. While the year 4 students whom just in their early days of clinical setting need to adjust their way with hospital setting and undergo clinical examinations which were totally different from pre-clinical years [23]. In addition to that, a study done by Zaid et al. in 2007 seems to support the findings of Sherina et al. with their results of having high prevalence of emotional disorder for the 1st (50%), but rather different for 5th (62.7%) year medical students. The extremel y high score documented by the final year students (5th year) was probably due to high expectations for them to become a competent doctors and to acquire good academic results, whereas the high score for the 1st year students might be because of the effect of stiff competition they faced to enter the medical schools and also due to process of adjustment to the medical education setting [24]. In contrary to that, in 2010 Yusoff et al. found lower stress prevalence in both 1st (26.3%) and final year (21.9%) students. Even other years of study also showed lower stress prevalence with 36.5% for 2nd year, 31.4% for 3rd year and 35.3% for 4th year medical students in comparison to result documented by Sherina et al. and Zaid et al. The probable reason was that 1st year students were at the beginning of their course, full of euphoria and still not yet face difficult subjects which make them less stressful. On the other hand, 5th year students possibly developed skills to manage their studi es and able to cope with stress. According to Yusoff et al. adaptation periods to the new phases of studies and impact of transition could be the reason of high prevalence in 2nd year and 4th year students [14]. Ethnics Although there was no documented significant association between ethnic and psychological distress, Johari et al and Sherina et al. managed to publish the prevalence of psychological distress between the 4 major ethnics in Malaysia. Sherina et al mention that Chinese and other ethnics had prevalence rate of 42.0% and 18.8% respectively, which was lower compared to Indian whom had the highest prevalence (48.1%) followed by the Malays (42.9%) according to Johari et al [23,25]. Gender To date, only few articles were found to study relationship of stress between male and female [14,18,23,24]. As expected, all studies indicate that female students have higher stress level compared to male, although only one; Yusoff et al. was able to achieve significant relationship statistically [20]. Financial problem There are two studies which was conducted inter universities (public universities) by Yusoff et al. and Johari et al. in 2009 and 2011 that highlighted the significant relation between psychological distress and financial difficulties [25,26]. While Radman et al. also obtained similar result in their investigation among private inter universities [27]. Apparently, Zaid et al. whom did similar research in one private medical school did not found any relation between financial issues and psychological distress [24]. Relationship problem Rather surprising fact found by Zaid et al. (2007) which stated that relationship problems with parent, siblings, friends and lecturers were not associated with psychological distress [24]. However, earlier research in 2003 by Sherina et al. did mention that there were significant stress level among medical students having relationship problems, and this fact was supported by Johari et al. in 2009 [23,25]. Apart from that, other types of relationship which can be consider a special relationship (marital and romantic relationship) might help to reduce stress level. As mentioned by Zaid et al. the students whom did not involve in special relationship were found having significantly more stress (51.7%) than (37%) in those who involved [24]. In addition, married students were proved by Johari et al. to be in significantly less stressed compare to single status [25]. Other factors Yusuf et al. in his study involving inter universities medical students, has found that there was a significant relationship between different universities and psychological distress. Perhaps different kind of modules, examination, environment, clinical structures do play a role [26]. While poor general health and younger also identified as significant factors for psychological distress [25,26]. Other factors such as types of school, number of siblings, religion and co-curriculum did not contribute to stress among medical student [14,18] REFERENCES N. Bayram and N. Bilgel, â€Å"The prevalence and socio-demo-graphic correlations of depression, anxiety and stress among a group of university students,† Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 43, no. 8, pp. 667–672, 2008. M. S. Sherina, L. Rampal, and N. Kaneson, â€Å"Psychological stress among undergraduate medical students,† Medical Journal of Malaysia, vol. 59, no. 2, pp. 207–211, 2004. Habeeb KA. Prevalence of stressors among female medical students Taibah.University. J Taibah Univ Med Sci, 5, 110-119. 2010 Kazdin A. Encyclopedia of psychology. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association; 2000. Linn BS, Zeppa R. Stress in Junior Medical Students:Relationship to Personality and Performance. J Med Education. 59(1):7–12.1984 Mosley TH Jr., Perrin SG, Neral SM, Dubbert PM, Grothues CA, Pinto BM. Stress, coping and well-being among third year medical students. Acad. Med. 69:765–7.1994 PRINCETON UNIVERSITY (2001). Word Net Dictionary. USA. Myers DG. Stress and Health. In: Exploring Psychology. 6th edition. New York: Worth Publishers. p. 402. 2005 Ko SM, Kua EH, Fones CSL. Stress and the Undergraduates. Singapore MedJ 40(10): 627-30. 1999 Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, Shanafelt TD. Systematic review of depression anxiety, and other indicators of psychological distress among U.S. and Canadian medical students. Acad Med, 81, 354-373. 2006 Saipanish R. Stress among medical students in a Thai medical school. Med Teach, 25, 502-506. 2003 M. Dahlin, N. Joneborg, and B. Runeson, â€Å"Stress and depression among medical students: a cross-sectional study,† Medical Education, vol. 39, no. 6, pp. 594–604, 2005. Wolf TM, Faucett JM, Randall HM, Balson PM. Graduating medical students ratings of stresses, pleasures, and coping strategies. J Med Educ, 63, 636-642. 1998 Yusoff MSB, Abdul Rahim AF, Yaacob MJ. Prevalence and sources of stress among Universiti Sains Malaysia medical students. Malaysian J Med Sci. 2010;17(1):30–37. Goldberg D. Manual of the general health questionnaire. NFER Publishing Company.1978 Yusoff MSB, Rahim AFA, Yaacob MJ. The Development and Validity of the Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ). ASEAN J Psychiatry, 11. 2010 Yusoff MSB, Rahim AFA, Baba AA, Ismail SB, Esa AR. A study on psychological distress of two batches of first-year medical students underwent different selection admission processes. Malays J Med Sci. 2012 Salina M, Ng CG, Gill JS, Chin JM, Chin CJ, Yap WF.Social anxiety problem among medical students in Universiti Malaya Medical Center (UMMC): a cross-sectional study. Malaysian J Psychiatry. 2008 Ko SM, Kua EH, Fones CSL. Stress and The Undergraduate, Singapore Med J. 1999; 40:627–630. Yusoff MSB, Saiful M, Ahmad Fuad AR, Yaacob MJ. The prevalence of final year medical students with depressive symptoms and its contributing factors. International Medical Journal, 2011; 18, 305-309. Nikmat AW, Mariam M, Ainsah O, Salmi R. Psychological well-being, stress and coping style among pre-clinical medical students. Research management in state, University Teknologi Mara. 2010 Yusoff MSB, Saiful M, Ahmad Fuad AR, Yaacob MJ. The prevalence of final year medical students with depressive symptoms and its contributing factors. International Medical Journal, 2011; 18, 305-309. Sherina MS, Rampal L, Kaneson N. Prevalence of emotional disorders among medical students in a Malaysian university. Asia Pac Fam Med, 2003; 2, 213-217. Zaid ZA, Chan SC, Ho JJ. Emotional disorders among medical students in a Malaysian private medical school. Singapore Med J, 2007; 48, 895-899. Johari AB, Hassim IN. Stress and coping strategies among medical students international university of Malaysia, Malaysia University of Sabah and University Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak. J Community Health, 2009; 15, 106-115. Yusoff MSB et al. A study on stress, stressors and coping strategies among medical students. Int J Students Res, 2011; 1, 45-50.

Anthony Comstock †The Father of American Censorship Essay -- Explorat

Anthony Comstock – The Father of American Censorship Anthony Comstock was the most prominent American advocate of censorship in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.   Born in Connecticut in 1844, Comstock fought with the Union in the Civil War and upon release became an influential member of the Young Men’s Christian Association.   His personal quest to rid America of indecent and immoral literature made his name synonymous with the epithet â€Å"Comstockery† or the excessive pursuit of moralistic censorship.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Comstock soon realized that the YMCA was an insufficient front for his rigorous efforts to protect children from the corruptive effects of demoralizing publications.   In 1873 he helped found the Society for the Suppression of Vice, an organization of gentlemen from New York City.   In a November 1882 article in North American Review, Comstock describes the mission of this society, â€Å"the enforcement of the laws for the suppression of the trade in, and circulation of, obscene literature and illustrations, advertisements, and articles of indecent and immoral use.†...