Monday, September 30, 2019

High School Life Essay

Ask any teenager today and they will tell you that they are nothing like their parents, that their parents just don’t understand them. This may be true and this may be false, it just depends on how you look at it. Teenagers of the Rebel Without a Cause, meaning the parents of today’s teens, did face a lot of the same problems and issues that we now face. Yet I am left thinking did the past teens face all the same problems at the same time as we do and were some of their â€Å"problems† not as much of a problem as it is to us. Teens from the past and present are faced with problems such as school, relationships, and friends. There were many teenage problems back then in â€Å"Rebel Without a Cause† and today’s teenagers. Most of these problems that Jim Stark and the other teens faced were similar, but my own belief is that these same problems were not as big of problem back when they were growing up. Let’s take school and homework for example, oh sure your parents had it too but I just don’t believe that there was as much pressure upon them to get good grades. Also, get into a good college as there is for us. And of course with the knowledge that college is right around the corner most teens also need to work. They need to save money for college, or a car, or to make the girl/boy of their dreams happy by taking them out on dates once in a while. Plus, all this pressure and work can build up for a teen and to most of us it seems like we never have a chance to just relax and hang out with friends anymore. It relates to the movie because some of the teens do not care about homework or going to school. The reason is that was back then it was easy to get a job by only having a high school diploma with no college education. But, now in our teen lives it is hard to get a job with a high school diploma. Another thing that is different from the past from the present is the fashion that students wear. In the past, boys wear plain regular clothes and the cool guys always wear black jackets or blazers. It is similar like what a gang member usually wears right now. Except the gangs have their baggy pants or shorts and show their boxers in black or white. It is weird how those kind of guys like to show-off their boxers or underwear. For the girls in the past, they all mostly put on dresses. Now girls mostly wear skirts or short shorts. Plus, girls always try to put on the sexiest clothes to wear because to get all the attention and be popular. Like in the movie, Jim Stark wears different clothes from his classmates. The reason is that he moved to a lot of different high schools because he never made any friends and doesn’t fit in with the other teens. Also, in every high school he went to the teens called Jim, â€Å"Chicken†. Why he is called that because the teenagers see him acting like a chicken, when Jim does not want to get into trouble. I think back then music for teens like, â€Å"Rebel Without a Cause†, probably listened to rock and roll. But now teens prefer rapping and hip hop music. It’s interesting how music has changed so much in the past because teens loved to get crazy on rock and roll. I wonder how teens will react if music never came to rock and roll. Probably teens will make their own music or have to try out their parent’s music, which were more hip hop and dance music. Now teens today have a mix of genres they like to listen. Most teens in the present relate their music to their emotions. The reason is because they must have some problems in their lives and music helps teens release stress. Plus, I am sure that it happens to the teens in the past except not big problems compare to our teen years. I bet Jim Stark and his classmates love to listen to rock and roll. Even though it does not show in the movie that they played rock and roll, but back then there was a lot of rock and roll. The teens in the early years prefer rock and roll because it was something they can be themselves with their friends. Sometimes parents cannot stand their teen’s music and tells them to turn it off or take it away from them. It is weird how in the movie, it shows parents like Jim’s parents how they do not care about his school issues. For instance, when Jim’s classmates call him chicken, he tells them to stop and be angry to his parents. Then Jim’s parents decide to move somewhere else again, which happen several times. Jim does not want that because he thinks it is going to happen all over again. So, basically Jim’s parents do not really help him and his life that much. But comparing to today’s teens, Jim’s parents and other parents show more concern for each of their son/daughter’s education to make them successful in life. I can see that every year new parents learn from their past seeing their mom and dad on how they take care of their son or daughter. Then later on the new parents learn from their parent’s mistakes and become a better parent. There are things that are similar between our time and the movie, â€Å"Rebel Without a Cause†. One is that teens hate doing homework and waking up early for school. Teens in the past and present struggle with their emotions like in relationships or family issues. Jim shows his emotions to his parents in the movie. He tells them how he feels every time when he transfers to a new school and he is not good at making any relationships or friends. The main reason is everyone calls him chicken because he is different from his classmates and they think he is afraid of them. I just want to say that I am not saying that teenagers of the past did not have their own problems, but of course they did, every single teen alive faces problems that they think is hard and that their whole world is crumbling down around them well at least once in a while. But now that they have grown up and turned into the parents of today’s teenagers I feel that they put more pressure upon their own teenage child in order for them to achieve more than they were able to. A common expression is, â€Å"My parents are so strict, overprotective, or too involved in my life, because they don’t want me making the same mistakes they did when they were my age but they need to trust me and just leave me alone. † And that expression can sometimes is kind of true. But all in all I feel that our parents do understand what we, as teenagers, are going through because they did face the same problems that we face today, but maybe with just a little less pressure.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Enron Collapse

What are the main reasons that Enron collapsed? I think the reasons for the collapse are three fold. Firstly Enron’s accounting practices(mark to market accounting- companies estimate how much revenue a deal is going to bring in and state that number in their earnings the moment the contract is signed) Its managements goal was to maintain the appearance of value by always having rising stock prices rather than focus on creating real value for the company.Secondly its reliance on Special Purpose Entities to constantly raise capital without increasing its indebtedness. It allowed losses to be kept off the books while assets to be stated. Enron had its own executives manage these partnerships and would make the deals work by guaranteeing that if whatever they had to sell off declined in value, enron would make up the difference in its own stock. So basically it was selling part of itself to itself.It was these financial bolications to the SPE’s that ended up triggering the collapse. Thirdly its lack of a truly independent auditor to stand up to Enron ultimately caused its downfall. 2. Do you think Enron could have survived? I think if the company had acted internally when Sharon Watkins reported suspicious accounting, and dealt with it internally , Im sure the share prices would have dropped upon reporting of the actual financials but maybe the company could have avoided bankruptcy. 3.Crisis Management Consultant of Arthur Anderson, what would your advice be to the CEO? I think I would have admitted the absurdity of performing both auditing and consulting functions I maybe would have focused on the hiring of of Arthur anderson employees as enron employees, who then managed the affairs of their old colleagues. Ethical lines got blurred. Then use this platform to lead the industry to reforms and act oversear of how to avoid their mistakes and breakdowns of communication within their corporation.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Employee Relations HND 2013 Assignment 2 Essay

It is a very common thing in the workplace for people to not be satisfied, being it either the employer or the employee; this could be in regard to the needs, values and interests in general. It takes many forms in organizations and there is always an unavoidable clash between formal authority and the groups affected. The list of reasons are limitless but some are disputes over how revenue is divided, how work must be performed, how much time one is allocated to work, etc. A lot of disagreements among individuals, departments and between unions and managements result to jurisdictional matters. Why Does Conflict Occur? There are many reasons and some can be; Expectations, Different Knowledge, Fear, Poor Communication, Attachment, Incompatible Values, Stress, Past Trauma, Scarce Resources, Different Paradigms, Misunderstanding, Perceived Oppression and many more reasons. The types of conflicts are Substantive Conflicts (Technical Conflicts) and Emotional Conflicts (Interpersonal Conflicts) that can occur being it within two or more individuals, two or more groups or between individuals and groups as well. Conflicts between Individuals; Interpersonal Conflicts take place due to several factors, most commonly they are due to personal dislikes or personality differences. Taking into consideration differences of opinion between individuals regarding task related issues, it can be labeled as technical conflict rather than interpersonal conflict. However technical and interpersonal conflicts can influence each other due to role-related stress. Conflicts between Individuals and Groups; These sorts of intra-group conflicts mainly arise due to an individual’s incapability to follow group rules and regulations. An example would be when groups have an idea of a ‘Fair day’s work’ and may pressurize an individual or punish him/her in regard to the rules of the groups productivity he/she could result with conflict towards the group and other individuals. There are various levels of conflicts that are classified like this: Intrapersonal Conflicts that involve: Pressures from incompatible goals Approach-Approach Conflict Avoidance –Avoidance Conflict Approach – Avoidance Conflict Interpersonal Conflicts: Occurs between two or more individuals who are against each other. Intergroup Conflicts: Occurs amongst members of different groups or teams. Interorganizational Conflicts: Occurs due to competition and rivalry of firms operating in the same markets. Occurs between Organizations and Unions employing their members. Occurs between government monitoring organizations and organizations regarding their scrutiny. Occurs between Organizations and Companies who supply raw materials. Functional/Constructive Conflicts: This results in positive attributes to an individual, a company or groups. The likely effects are: Important problems are revealed so they can be discussed. Causes an important discussion and evaluation of decisions. Causes re-considerable decisions. Increases the amount of information available for making decisions. Permits room for creativity Dysfunctional/Destructive Conflicts: These result in negative attributes and are a downside to individuals, a company or groups. The likely effects are: It diverts energy into negative things. Destroys the unity of groups. Encourages interpersonal conflicts. Overall it destroys the environment for employees. Culture and Conflict: There is usually a chance for conflict to be high when: People from short-term cultures are working with people from long-term cultures. People from individualistic cultures work with people from collectivist cultures. People from high-power distance cultures work with people from low-power distance cultures. Resolving Conflict: Some people believe the best way to resolve conflict is to ignore it or to vote which only suppresses the true problem without confronting and resolving it. These are some of the ways to resolve conflict effectively; Discuss or Debate, open communication, learn to compromise or reach an agreement, However the way organizations manage conflicts as of today are quite different and yet effective. They use conflict resolution, this is used: In a situation that the original reasons for a given destructive conflict are eradicated. Effective conflict resolution begins with an analysis of the stage where the conflict has reached and understanding the reason behind the conflict. Stages Of Conflict: Conflict History, Prioritize the circumstances for conflict. Conflict Precursors, Note down the circumstances for conflict. Perceived Conflict, Functional or emotional variations are identified. Felt Conflict, Stress generates incentive to act. Manifest Conflict, Resolving the Conflict. Conflict Outcome. Question 2: I will be using a conflict issue that was found at Radiant Montessori Nursery, Abu Dhabi during the year 2011. (http://www.rmn4me.com/) During the time since the nursery had been set up there were a lot of disputes over finding drivers who would be safe, efficient and loyal, The owners had various disputes regarding finding suitable drivers and from where they would find them. One owner suggested a driver who apparently was a relation of his friend. This conflict of interest led to many problems and disputes within the company and was eventually solved but even doing so it tarnished the owner’s reputation and business. The driver appeared to be a very trustworthy and loyal person and was always on his best behavior whenever the owners were around, later on they started receiving various speeding tickets on the Montessori van, it was found to be at 3-4a.m, no nursery is open at these times and it was later proven that the driver had been running his own routes along the city after office hours, when confronted he started absconding and was not being reasonable or trying to negotiate with the owners, he was in direct violation of his job permit and as well as his visa, Even then he was given chances because of the conflict of interest in him by the owner , therefore later on he was jailed by the police for misusing school property and the owner was charged a heavy fine. The manner in which the conflict was resolved was not a good manner and if the owners had sought to other measures and planned everything properly it wouldn’t have reached this stage. Question 3: Judging by the case study shown, the stage of which the case is by the time it reaches negotiation stage it is less likely to be solved, the positions are most likely fixed as to who is what and the relationship is not redeemable after all the disciplinary action and demands from each other. Petunia might think that she is the successor over the issue but judging from the company’s point of view it was a loss, not just by losing Lerato, by the costs put in for the hearings, the time allocated for the case and the witnesses brought forward, the influence of productivity and morale and the further cost of getting a new employee. If only there was someone who was able to explain to lerato regarding the situation when she refused to take the job or before that it would have been a positive conflict. The arbitrator would have provided Lerato with a confidential means and method by which Lerato and Petunia could have both discussed their interpersonal conflict and come out with a negotiation regarding the outcome. These are the stages: Petunia is a senior manager and Lerato a manager reporting indirectly to her which is a reason for Petunia to feel superior t Lerato. The initial case of conflict was when Lerato perceived that Petunia was the one responsible behind her moving to a different office. (Perceived Conflict) This caused her to rethink and analyze that it was because Petunia had accused her of insubordination. (Conflict Antecedents) Lerato starts lobbying against Petunia.(Felt Conflict) Lerato subject to disciplinary measures and dismissed.(Manifest Conflict) The believed reason behind the conflict from Lerato’s side was Power or value asymmetries. Procedures that went by: It started out by perceived pressures then moved on to an approach-approach conflict and then to an approach-avoidance conflict the avoidance did not allow for negotiation or understanding which resulted in the firing of lerato. The dysfunctionality of this conflict is seen by the way it was resolved, My view of the case study is that the way it went along was not right and this is not the way to solve a conflict, In my opinion lerato should not have perceived and acted stubborn she should have asked for guidance or confronted Petunia directly and found out if it was her who had gotten her changed from department to department. Secondly even if this was the case she should have come to an understanding with Petunia regarding the situation and tried to resolve it in a more diplomatic way, not by being stubborn and accusing blindly as Petunia is her senior. Thirdly, the department should have been involved about the case and should have taken immediate action and seen to it that both of them came to an understanding regarding what had happened and not let it escalate to such a high level. Lerato should have addressed the board and seen to it that a proper evaluation of her work and skills be made in regard to her transfer and whether or not it was truly needed. The way things were going impacted the company and the work environment of other employees as well. The way in which Petunia did it was right where she addressed the Human Resources Department and asked them to take action against lerato. All of this could have been prevented if there was proper conflict recognition and conflict resolving matters that could have been done. References: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/four-types-conflict-organizations-174.html http://www.uni-muenster.de/Politikwissenschaft/Doppeldiplom/docs/Organizational.pdf http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ways-managing-conflict-organizations-2655.html

Friday, September 27, 2019

Elementary statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Elementary statistics - Essay Example What can you conclude from Chebychev’s theorem about the percentage of  adults in the town whose heights are between 59.7 and 72.9 inches? Show all work. 5) Find the z-score corresponding to the given value and use the z-score to determine whether the value is unusual. Consider a score to be unusual if its z-score is less than –2.00 or greater than 2.00. Round to the nearest hundredth if necessary. Combinations and permutations are concepts related. The central difference is the order. For example, in a permutation the order is important. The same set of objects, but taken in a different order will give different permutations. In a combination, we select objects from a total of , but the order is no longer required. (Spiegel, 2000) Assume that a procedure yields a binomial distribution with a trial repeated n times.  Use the Binomial Probability Formula to find the probability of x successes given the probability p of successes on a single trial. (5 pts) normal distribution: The normal distribution is the curve that resemble a bell curve and it is referred to as Gaussian distribution. Normal distributions are symmetrical with a single central peak at the mean of the data. standard normal distribution: Standard normal distribution is a special case of the normal distribution. It is distribution that occurs when a normal random variable has a mean , and a standard deviation

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Project Strategy, Leadership and Governance Coursework

Project Strategy, Leadership and Governance - Coursework Example ject’s overall strategy, for instance the care with which the team is staffed, and the goals set for the project is both very critical (Jovanović et al. 2012). In a similar manner, the organization’s policies, culture, structure, and operating systems can work effectively to promote and support project management or perhaps work against the capability to effectively run projects. An effective project management requires that before it is started, the manager and the team have a responsibility of understanding the structure of the organization as it pertains to the tasks and project. For most organizations, projects and project management are not the operating norm, but rather projects exist outside of the formal, process-oriented activities related to many organizations (Kaleshovska 2014). As a result, many organizations are simply not structured to allow for the effective completion of the projects in conjunction with the ongoing corporate activities. This report w ill attempt to evaluate whether project management is used in strategic context, and then show how this application is achieved. Further, this report will evaluate how excellent project management can promote competitive advantage. Strategic project management provides a practical and step-by-step approach to guiding the organization and mangers on how to turn the projects to gain a competitive advantage. Instead of focusing how the job will be done, a strategic project management focuses on creating a competitive advantage for the organization and winning on the market (Dulipovici & Robey 2013). The framework of strategic project management encompasses five planning assets as well as seven principles for implementation, which can be utilized by organizations and managers during the time of project planning and execution. A project is referred to us as a temporary process and organization projected to achieve certain goals under the constraints of budget, time, and other resources. In most cases,

Organizational profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organizational profile - Essay Example The Congress’ purpose behind the organization of FEMA is to work systematically by providing needed help to state and local governments in fulfilling their responsibilities toward the communities in distress. FEMA helps in making comprehensive disaster management plans. Different government agencies vide Executive Order 12127 were merged by the then President, Jimmy Carter in 1979 to perform different disaster management functions. The agencies absorbed in FEMA included the Federal Insurance Administration, the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, the National Weather Service Community Preparedness Program, the Federal Preparedness Agency of the General Services Administration, the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration activities from HUD, and Civil defence responsibilities were also shifted to the new agency from the Defence Departments Defence Civil Preparedness Agency (FEMA, 2013). FEMA Corps, yet another partnership between FEMA and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) was formed on March 13, 2012 by the White House with FEMA dedicated staff strength of 1,600 corps members within AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), singularly for disaster readiness, action, and loss recovery (FEMA, 2013). The social initiative of this partnership is to boost the government’s disaster management calibre, heighten the dependability and variance of the disaster workforce, encourage the morality of service, widen education and economic uplifting of the adult population, and attain major cost-efficiencies for the American tax-payer. This program at its total functionality in an average disaster year provides a tax-saving of nearly $60 million a year (FEMA, 2013). When it comes to moral or ethical effects of FEMA’s social initiatives, the workforce focuses more on vulnerable communities – the poor and the marginalized who are at a greater risk

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Critique on The Affluent Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critique on The Affluent Society - Essay Example For that purpose he gave an idea in his book "the Affluent Society". This book became a best seller as it highlighted the back draws of lesser public goods such as highways and education. In this book Galbraith highlighted an important term 'Conventional Wisdom'. This is cited in the 2nd chapter of the book. Conventional wisdom means something that is accepted generally by the public. Conventional wisdom is said to be what the public generally believes will prop development and in economic theory these are well defined in the new growth theory that is somewhat like keeping budget deficits small, keeping a easy to collect tax base, keeping inflation low and spending more on public goods rather than private goods. Inflation has a high impact on almost every sector of the economy. Its awareness is considered very important when it comes to general public and the system should be educated enough to deal with this threat. However inflation is regarded as the best tool for expansion ONLY if it is CONTROLLED. Inflation is the general increase in the price level. It can also be defined as a persistent or continuous rise in the general price level or in other words it can be presumed as an unrelenting or gradual fall in the value of money. Inflation refers to the change in the general level of prices. It does not refer to changes in one commodity price relative to other commodity prices. These differences are common when the overall system is balanced even. For the term inflation, the rise in the price level must be significant and continue over a period longer than a day, week, or month. According Galbraith inflation was presented by the increase in public demand for goods. This meant that the aggregate demand came nearer to what actually the economy can sustain to produce. This conversely gave rise to prices and therefore the private sector in the World War II phase grew stronger as to meet their demands people paid more. Inflationary effects Inflationary effects upon the Economic growth are considered as difficult challenges. As the tools present to deal with inflation need other trade offs which an economy does not want. Such as to reduce the price level the economy must try to reduce costs and in doing so it may lose quality production. Some products are meant to be expensive and reducing their prices will cause the suppliers to lose out. Inflation tends to widen the gap between the rich and the poor as the rich becomes richer and the poor pays the penalty. During the time of high inflation the main priority of the state becomes to provide the poor with proper food shelter and clothing at a reasonable cost. Another shortcoming of the (uncontrolled) inflation is that the industries start loosing out to the outside competitors thereby creating job cuts which further bring down the GDP level of the economy. The US and Inflation The US economy suffered the same disease that the price level soared and people were unable to cope with it. What can be an effective tool to stop this disparity is the introduction of a strong Fiscal Policy as at the time of World War II US was suffering from deficits and the actual level was lower than the budgeted or predicted. At this time I believe that the Keynesian approach is the strongest as the monetarists can only be able to control price thereby creating more trouble for the

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 8

Annotated Bibliography Example Further, the readability of the book is not difficult since the authors used quite explicit and well elaborated methods and simple language for easy understanding. They pointed out that the age structure, for instance, dramatically has a huge impact on how consumers behave regarding a particular product. Arguably, a consumer may not likely use the same product which he/she used as a teenager in his/her later adult life. Accordingly, these factors contribute a lot in consumer behavior regarding a particular product which correspondingly affects the marketing strategy of an organization or firm. Again occupation, in this case employment has in one way or another great impact on product consumption since they can afford a number of consumable products which can otherwise be inaccessible to those without work. Income, agreeably determines who provides which goods and services and at what time. Assessment: Although the book by Quester et al. has a limited scope of study – New Zealand and Australia, - it offers very helpful insights into the external factors that affect consumer behavior and so the marketing strategies. This is a book by Michael Solomon published in 2009, meaning it is five years old. The choice of the book was influenced by the authors demonstration on how the external factor affects consumer attitude and its explicit explanation of those factors. Thus, it is a good resource for the subject matter. Michael Solomon is Professor of Marketing and Director of the Centre for Consumer Research. He has a primary research interest in consumer behavior, services marketing, branding strategy, symbolic aspects of products, and the psychology of fashion, decoration, and image. Further, he has published numerous articles and academic journals on these research interests. Accordingly, Solomon has established authority in his right especially regarding consumer

Monday, September 23, 2019

An Introduction to Religion in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

An Introduction to Religion in China - Essay Example Other reasons also come to play their part as well and they will be discusses later on (De et al 73). In China religion was something of a taboo because practicing any single faith was considered incorrect. It was more of a pluralistic society which was against allowing members to adhere to any organization. They were more practicing in their cultural customs and believed in following one particular family as a dynasty with its specific rules of living and policies of the state. Scholars still indulge in the argument about China having a religion or not from the time the country took its shape on the planet. Various terms which are now associated with legendary and traditional practices are considered to be the earliest form of value-drilling such as Buddhism and Confucianism, which help in understanding the culture of China even better (De et al 74). Starting with the teaching of Confucianism which goes back to the 551 BCE, one will observe that it was an attempt to revive the golde n age. Kong Qui who came to be known as Confucius was inspired to follow the rituals of the ancient people. He exercised ethical force to make his dynasty follow the same rituals and make these practices common amongst the people. These practices included: i. Consciousness to do the right thing ii. Be loyal to the superiors iii. Be benevolent towards each other The rituals were known as â€Å"li† which, if practiced, largely affected the role of the individuals in the society and so did their status. Hence, the deities of worshipping were divided into various classes according to the level of peoples’ performance. Kong Qui was the sole transmitter of the social hierarchies and rituals who stood the weight of the revival of the ancient times. His teachings included the lessons included in the previous books and the people who followed him started associating the teachings as Confucianism. During the late imperial age, the performances in China were remarkably at their p eak and elaborated with various local opera genre and solo performances. Since rituals had been the bedrock of Confucianism, during the time of Tang dynasty, theatricals of all kinds became eminent. For Father Evariste Hue, a European traveler who had lived in China for years exclaimed that China looks more like a fair for amusement of people (De et al 75). Countless works of literature depicted the Chinese tradition including â€Å"Mulian zhuan†. This opera is considered the best amongst other village performances. In 1929 a performance was recorded in the recital form which was organized and created by the Ding County’s experienced village actors in Hebei. The Ding County â€Å"yangge† was not a valuable evidence of popular culture. The themes of political righteousness and loyalty are absent while there is much farce and romance to discuss (De et al 104). Right after Kong Qui’s era or even during his time which came considered an overlapping of the pha se, the concept of Daoism began to emerge. This was all about patience and seeing life as a whole despite all the chaos surrounding it. Those persons or hermits who had a connection with the previous teachings including Confucianism were asked to escape the civilization. This made Daoism the most complex tradition especially for the current times. As time passed and people became more accustomed to the modern world the government asked the people to establish temples for every community so that those who wanted to practice Daoism or the teachings of another tradition including Buddhism could do so with peace and strengthen their network (De et al 92). The teachings Buddha emerged next in line and were commonly known among the Chinese as Fojiao. Buddha is

Sunday, September 22, 2019

John Locke Government Essay Example for Free

John Locke Government Essay Without a civil society, all rules of order begin to break down. At this point, there really is no society present. Rather, there is anarchy and an anarchistic society is not one where the populace can be reasonably cared for and protected. John Locke puts forth many assessments in this regard. However, Locke also understands that the current state of society will often play a role in terms of how we react to it. In Richard II, we have a monarchy of a society that fails to be civil in a number of ways. Because of this, action is taken by certain members of the populace. This does raise questions regarding whether or not the actions of these characters in the play support or undermine the theories of John Locke as they relate to the civil society. A closer examination of the play will reveal answers in this regard. In the play, we see certain callous and decidedly not well thought out actions on the part of Richard II. In the early stages of the play, the king interferes in a dual between Bolingbroke and Mowbray. The former is banished for 6 years as a result of his actions with the latter is banished forever. This creates great animosity among Mowbray and his followers while also setting the stage for the creation of a serious enemy. Such actions are further compounded when Richard appropriates all the land of John of Gaunt for himself when the character passes away. Are such actions those of a ruler that professes to oversee a civil society? A great many arguments can be made that such actions are hardly noble in their intent and action. At the core of Locke’s writing is that there really is no such thing as a divinity among the kings that rule a particular land. In other words, kings are not divine beings that can impose their will on the populace in any way they see fit. There are various John Locke, Government, and RICHARD II – Page 2 reasons why Locke promotes such a notion. Firstly, he recognizes that kings are human beings and, hence, fallible as all humans are. This can lead to kings being self-serving as opposed to serving their subjects and the rule of law. When both of these components are ignored, the civil society breaks down. Also, it becomes impossible for proper governance to exist unless deep and serious thought is put forth towards the nature and role of ruling. So, when a king puts forth the attitude that all things are good because of his divine will, society runs the risk of collapsing. Why is this so? Mainly, it is because no logic is being employed by the ruler. Rather, the king believes all things decreed correct because the king is infallible. This does little more than set the stage for the collapse of the king’s rule as well as the collapse of the civil society. We can see this in RICHARD II in several ways. Richard slowly seems to lose his grip on proper rule and becomes a self-serving entity. During the events of the play, we learn that Richard’s kingdom is involved in a long, bitter, and protracted war with Ireland. As such, the need for making proper and accurate decisions is a must. Poor decisions can undermine the effectiveness of the war effort which, in turn, can lead to a collapse of the kingdom. Early in the play, Richard is accused of not properly managing the war effort as evidenced by his personal appropriations of Gaunt’s wealth among other improprieties. This sets in motion the idea that he must be disposed as the ruler of the kingdom. John Locke, Government, and RICHARD II – Pg 3 While all rulers will be criticized at some point, the most stinging criticism would be that the leader does not hold the fabric of society together. Rather, he contributes to the collapse of society. An argument of these sorts can be made towards the rule of Richard II. Of great concern to Locke is the notion that the population has a right to private property and that any government or ruler that infringes on private property is little more than a tyranny. In the context of RICHARD II, there is a ruler that has no respect for private property as evidenced by his unlawful seizing of land and wealth. This poses the question when a king acts lawless, is there any law to the land? Locke also was an avowed believer in the notion that government must represent the will of the people. Those governments that do not provide for the populace in such a way will run the risk of being legitimately overthrown by the motivated members of the populace. We see such events played out in RICAHRD II in many different ways. Ultimately, all the actions of King Richard promote the notion that he does not serve his subject. Rather, he serves his own personal goals with little regard for the life and property of those he is entrusted to care for. One could say that RICHARD II truly does provide a clear interpretation of the problems with government detailed in John Locke’s SECOND TREATISE OF GOVERNMENT. As such, it would be safe to infer that Locke would hardly approve of the way Richard II rules. Considering the downfall of the king in the play, Richard II would have been better served had be been guided by Locke’s philosophical approach to government.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Implementation Of Steganography For Audio File Format Computer Science Essay

Implementation Of Steganography For Audio File Format Computer Science Essay Abstract The project entitled Audio Steganography is the application developed to embed an audio file in another audio signal. It is concerned with embedding information in an innocuous cover Speech in a secure and robust manner. This system makes the Files more secure by using the concepts Steganography and Cryptography. Steganography, poor cousin of Cryptography is the art of hiding messages inside other messages such that the very existence of the message is unknown to third party. The goal of cryptography is to make data unreadable by a third party, the goal of Steganography is to hide the data from a third party Through the use of advanced computer software, authors of images and software can place a hidden trademark in their product, allowing them to keep a check on piracy. This is commonly known as watermarking. Hiding serial numbers or a set of characters that distinguishes an object from a similar object is known as finger printing. Together, these two are intended to fight piracy. The latter is used to detect copyright violators and the former is used to prosecute them. But these are only examples of the much wider field of Steganography. The cover data should not be significantly degraded by the embedded data, and the embedded data should be as imperceptible as possible. The embedded data should be as immune as possible to modifications from intelligent attacks or anticipated manipulations. Thus it is necessary that the hidden message should be encrypted. 1. Introduction 1.1Synopsis 2 .System configuration 2.1 Software requirements 2.2 Hardware requirements 3. System Analysis 3.1 Feasibility study 3.2 Existing system 3.3 Proposed system 3.4 Analysis report 4. System design 4.1 System description 4.2 Functional requirements 5. UML Diagrams 6. Implementation 7. Testing and Debugging 8. Output Screens 9. Conclusion 10. Bibliography Introduction 1. Introduction Synopsis Encryption of data plays a vital role in the real time environment to keep the data out of reach of unauthorized people, such that it is not altered and tampered and sending the in audio format is most secured way to transfer the data through the network. The Audio Steganography is software, which tries to alter the originality of the file into some encrypted form and embed the file into an audio file. Then the users can easily and securely carry the compressed data wherever he wants. The major task of the Audio Steganography is to provide the user the flexibility of passing the information implementing the encryption standards as per the specification and algorithms proposed and store the information in a form that is unreadable. The Application should have a reversal process as of which should be in a position to de embed the data file from audio file and decrypt the data to its original format upon the proper request by the user. While the Encryption and Decryption is done the app lication should confirm the standards of authentication and authorization of the user. The Entire application should strive to achieve a user friendly Graphical User Interface, which need to be in a self-learning mode for the end user. The System Should provide all the functional standards of proper navigation with in the environment, which makes it possible for the users to have a smooth flow while working under the environment. The Overall system should provide proper menu based navigation for easier navigation and operation. The Application should be designed in such a way that, as soon as it starts create a Buffer and associate this buffer to some homogeneous data environment, the application should ask the user for the Encryption Key details and should start its functionality upon the logistics that are provided with in this key. The key should be designed in such a way that it prevents the unauthorized persons from stealing the information at any point of time. This is some part of securing the data from third party people. And the other way of securing the data is using Steganography in which embedding the encrypted file in to a audio file. If any one track that file they only see the audio file not the data. The application of De-embedding, Decryption and de compress should be a reverse process at the other end and should be translated only when the receiver of the data applies the proper reversal key. The Decryption process should have a log-based methodology that will take care of any errors that may be encountered while the system is under utilization and should record all those events, which are above the general standards of security. This system basically uses the Blowfish encryption algorithm to encrypt the passwords. This algorithm is a 64-bit block cipher with a variable length key. This algorithm has been used because it requires less memory. It uses only simple operations, therefore it is easy to implement. 1) Blowfish Algorithm Implementation Module 2) Steganography Module 3) Compression Module 4) GUI Module System Configuration 2. System Configuration 2.1 Software Requirements: Operating System Windows NT/2000 (Client/Server). 2.2 Hardware Requirements: Software requirements Front-end: Java J2SDK 1.5, Swings. System Configuration Pentium III Processor with 700 MHz Clock Speed 256 MB RAM, 20 GB HDD, 32 Bit PCI Ethernet Card. System Analysis Feasibility Study Fact Finding Techniques In this system we are going to develop a facility to a user that he will not face any difficulty at the time of usage like data missing, one way contacts, one view contacts. As we are developing this system with an encoding technique of images the user will not be bothered on which camera support is using, as well in sound. As we are maintaining one technique of speed controlling the frame relay will not be a problem for the user like over speed display, hanged display. 3.1 Feasibility Study A feasibility study is a high-level capsule version of the entire System analysis and Design Process. The study begins by classifying the problem definition. Feasibility is to determine if its worth doing. Once an acceptance problem definition has been generated, the analyst develops a logical model of the system. A search for alternatives is analyzed carefully. There are 3 parts in feasibility study. 3.1.1 Operational Feasibility: Question that going to be asked are Will the system be used if it developed and implemented. If there was sufficient support for the project from the management and from the users. Have the users been involved in planning and development of the Project. Will the system produce poorer result in any respect or area? This system can be implemented in the organization because there is adequate support from management and users. Being developed in Java so that the necessary operations are carried out automatically. 3.1.2 Technical feasibility Does the necessary technology exist to do what is been suggested Does the proposed equipment have the technical capacity for using the new system? Are there technical guarantees of accuracy, reliability and data security? The project is developed on Pentium IV with 256 MB RAM. The environment required in the development of system is any windows platform The observer pattern along with factory pattern will update the results eventually The language used in the development is JAVA 1.5 Windows Environment 3.1.3 Financial and Economical Feasibility The system developed and installed will be good benefit to the organization. The system will be developed and operated in the existing hardware and software infrastructure. So there is no need of additional hardware and software for the system. Existing and Proposed System 3.2 Existing System In the traditional architecture there existed only the server and the client. In most cases the server was only a data base server that can only offer data. Therefore majority of the business logic i.e., validations etc. had to be placed on the clients system. This makes maintenance expensive. Such clients are called as fat clients. This also means that every client has to be trained as to how to use the application and even the security in the communication is also the factor to be considered. Since the actual processing of the data takes place on the remote client the data has to be transported over the network, which requires a secured format of the transfer method. How to conduct transactions is to be controlled by the client and advanced techniques implementing the cryptographic standards in the executing the data transfer transactions. Present day transactions are considered to be un-trusted in terms of security, i.e. they are relatively easy to be hacked. And also we have to consider the transfer the large amount of data through the network will give errors while transferring. Nevertheless, sensitive data transfer is to be carried out even if there is lack of an alternative. Network security in the existing system is the motivation factor for a new system with higher-level security standards for the information exchange. 3.3 Proposed System The proposed system should have the following features. The transactions should take place in a secured format between various clients in the network. It provides flexibility to the user to transfer the data through the network very easily by compressing the large amount of file. It should also identify the user and provide the communication according to the prescribed level of security with transfer of the file requested and run the required process at the server if necessary. In this system the data will be send through the network as a audio file. The user who received the file will do the operations like de embedding, decryption, and decompress in their level of hierarchy etc. Analysis Report 3.4 System Analysis People for long time have tried to sort out the problems faced in the general digital communication system but as these problems exist even now, a secured and easy transfer system evolved and came to be known as the Encryption and Decryption of the data and converting the file to audio format to be transferred using the cryptographic standards and Steganography. The advantages of this Audio Steganography are: High level Security Cost effective transfer In this fast growing world where every individual free to access the information on the network and even the people are technically sound enough in hacking the information from the network for various reasons. The organizations have the process of information transfer in and out of their network at various levels, which need the process to be in a secured format for the organizational benefits. If the organizations have the Audio Steganography System, then each employee can send the information to any other registered employee and thus can establish communication. The audio file that the employee sends reaches the destinations within no time in an audio file format where the end user need to de embed the file, decrypt it and de compress and use for the purpose. The various branches of the organization can be connected to a single host server and then an employee of one branch can send files to the employee of another branch through the server but in a secured format. System Design 4. System Design The System Design includes the maintenance of the secure file transfer service with a prescribed encryption format and split at the interested level of encryption, and embed process and the receiving service at the other end with de-embed and decryption process. The design also includes the provision of facility to the user to manipulate the concerned information according to his personal use and communication process. The design also needs to provide the communication channel to the user to communicate with other registered users through the mailing services in a reliable and secured format. Authorization and authentication services are preferred most for this purpose. The System Design includes the maintenance authorization services, File and directory services with a prescribed encryption format at the interested level of encryption and the receiving service at the other end with decryption process. The design also includes the provision of facility to the user to manipulate the concerned information according to his personal use. The design of Audio Steganography system, basically involve the interface architecture, Security services, and communication system. In the interface design we involve with the design of the user interface with GUI standards and a proper navigation system where the user need to enter into the flow of transactions authorization services are check and further access is provided into the system. Then the user needs to select into the operations provided through the GUI where compression, encryption, embedding, de-embedding, Decryption, Decompressing and sending of the file, General information and exit are provided. Here the Encryption and decryption and services are provided connecting to the security services module where the encryption and decryption are carried out using the cryptographic standards implementing the Blowfish algorithm. After the compression process is completed the user is selecting the file for encryption. After encryption of the file is completed the user is to select the file for embedding it to the audio file and sending through the network to the desired user by specifying the targeted users system IP address in the panel designed. Then the system gets connected to the targeted user and delivers the file in audio format after which the user working with the Audio Steganography software should go for the option De-Embed Files and decrypt the file by selecting the file path by which the file gets decrypted and decompress the file and is viewed on the system. 4.1 System Description The Audio Steganography system is designed basically in four different modules they are GUI module, Compression Module, Security System module, Steganography Module, Connection Manager Module. GUI Module basically deals with the design of the interface which include the service of providing the user with the flexibility of accessing the file system and selecting the required file for the transfer. It should also provide the system to collect the information from the user to check the authorization in providing the access to the file system. The interface is also to consider the design, which include the services of sending and receiving of the files with encryption and decryption standards. The Compression module basically deals with the compress and decompresses the file, which is used to send the file very easily which reduces the uploading time. Security implementation module considers the implementation of the encryptions and decryption standards in transfer the files from one system to another in a distributed environment. The system design, even need to support the user to select the level of encryption he/she needs to perform depending upon the file to be transferred. The basic algorithm used in this purpose is the Blowfish where the user can enter the key depending upon level encryption he is interested. The Connection Manager deals with the architecture, which supports the system to identify the end users for the communication and establish the communication. Connection and disconnection of the communication channel between the users for the access of file system and file transfer services. The Connection Manager receives the IP address to be connected and the file to be sent then establishes the connection and transfers the file. Functional Requirements: The Modules of the system are: 1) Blowfish Algorithm Implementation Module 2) Steganography Module 3) Compression Module 4) GUI Module Blowfish Algorithm: Blowfish is a block cipher that encrypts data in 8-byte blocks. The algorithm consists of two parts: a key-expansion part and a data-encryption part. Key expansion converts a variable-length key of at most 56 bytes (448 bits) into several sub key arrays totaling 4168 bytes. Blowfish has 16 rounds. Each round consists of a key-dependent permutation, and a key- and data-dependent substitution. All operations are XORs and additions on 32-bit words. The only additional operations are four indexed array data lookups per round. Sub keys: Blowfish uses a large number of sub keys. These keys must be precomputed before any data encryption or decryption. The P-array consists of 18 32-bit sub keys: P1, P2,, P18. There are also four 32-bit S-boxes with 256 entries each: S1,0, S1,1,, S1,255; S2,0, S2,1,..,, S2,255; S3,0, S3,1,, S3,255; S4,0, S4,1,..,, S4,255. Encryption and Decryption: Blowfish has 16 rounds. The input is a 64-bit data element, x. Divide x into two 32-bit halves: XL, xR. Then, for i = 1 to 16: XL = XL XOR Pi xR = F (XL) XOR xR Swap XL and xR After the sixteenth round, swap xL and xR again to undo the last swap. Then, xR = xR XOR P17 and XL = XL XOR P18. Finally, recombine xL and xR to get the cipher text. Function F looks like this: Divide XL into four eight-bit quarters: a, b, c, and d. Then, F (xL) = ((S1, a + S2, b mod 232) XOR S3, c) + S4, d mod 232. Decryption is exactly the same as encryption, except that P1, P2, P18 are used in the reverse order. Generating the Sub keys: The sub keys are calculated using the Blowfish algorithm: 1. Initialize first the P-array and then the four S-boxes, in order, with a fixed string. This string consists of the hexadecimal digits of pi (less the initial 3): P1 = 0x243f6a88, P2 = 0x85a308d3, P3 = 0x13198a2e, P4 = 0x03707344, etc. 2. XOR P1 with the first 32 bits of the key, XOR P2 with the second 32-bits of the key, and so on for all bits of the key (possibly up to P14). Repeatedly cycle through the key bits until the entire P-array has been XORed with key bits. (For every short key, there is at least one equivalent longer key; for example, if A is a 64-bit key, then AA, AAA, etc., are equivalent keys.) 3. Encrypt the all-zero string with the Blowfish algorithm, using the sub keys described in steps (1) and (2). 4. Replace P1 and P2 with the output of step (3). 5. Encrypt the output of step (3) using the Blowfish algorithm with the modified sub keys. 6. Replace P3 and P4 with the output of step (5). 7. Continue the process, replacing all entries of the P array, and then all four S-boxes in order, with the output of the continuously changing Blowfish algorithm. In total, 521 iterations are required to generate all required sub keys. Applications can store the sub keys rather than execute this derivation process multiple times. Steganography: Steganography is art of hiding information in ways that prevent the detection of hidden messages. Steganography derived from Greek, literally means Covered Writing. It includes a vast array of secret communications methods that conceal the messages very existence. Theses methods are including invisible inks, microdots, character arrangement, digital signature, and covert channels and spread spectrum communications. In this technology, the end user identifies an audio file, which is going to act as the carrier of data. The data file is also selected and then to achieve greater speed of transmission the data file and audio file are sent. Prior to this the data is embedded into the audio and then sent. The image if hacked or interpreted by a third party user will open up in any audio player but not displaying the data. This protects the data from being invisible and hence is secure during transmission. The user in the receiving end uses another piece of code to retrieve the data from the audio file. The module deals with identifying the hidden data in the audio file. The module receives the audio file that is then browsed to remove the associated data. The data is then removed from the audio file. Compression and Decompression: Compression reduces the average code length used to represent the symbols of an alphabet. Symbols of the source alphabet, which occur frequently, are assigned with short length codes. The general strategy is to allow the code length to vary from character to character and to ensure that the frequently occurring character has shorter codes. We use utility package for compression. This technique maps arbitrary input into printable character output. The form of encoding has the following relevant characteristics. The range of the function is a character set that is universally re-presentable at all sites, not a specific binary encoding of that character set. Thus, the characters themselves can be encoded into whatever form is needed by a specific system. For instance, the character E is represented in ASCII system as a hexadecimal 45 and in EDCDIC- based system as hexadecimal- c5. The character set consists of 65 printable characters, one of which is used for padding. With 2^6 = 64 available characters, each character can be used to represent 6 bits of input. No control characters are included in the set. Thus, the message encoded in Radix-64 can traverse mail-handling system. That scans the data stream for control characters. The hyphen character - is not included. Graphical User Interface: This project is developed using graphics in java swings. The options available are displayed in a menu format, like in an online editor. Clicking on any particular menu item through mouse or through keyboard a dropdown menu is displayed, listing all the options available under that menu item and the user can select the needed actions according to their wish. UML Diagrams Use case Diagram Sender: Receiver: Use case Description: Use case name Compress Participating actors Sender Flow of events The user selected file will be compressed Entry Condition User must select the file. Exit condition Successful or Un Successful Compression of file. Quality Requirements Display proper error messages while compression. Use case name De Compress Participating actors Receiver Flow of events The user selected file will be de compressed Entry Condition User must select the file. Exit condition Successful or Un Successful De-Compression of file. Quality Requirements Display proper error messages while de-compression. Use case name Encrypt Participating actors Sender Flow of events The user-selected file will be encrypted with a given key. Entry Condition User must select the file and must give the key for encryption. Exit condition Successful or Un Successful Encryption of file. Quality Requirements Display proper error messages while Encryption. Use case name Decrypt Participating actors Receiver Flow of events The user-selected file will be decrypted with a proper key. Entry Condition User must select the file and must give the key for decryption. Exit condition Successful or Un Successful Decryption of file. QualityRequirements Display proper error messages while Decryption. Use case name Embed Participating actors Sender Flow of events The user-selected encrypted file will be embedding with selected audio file. Entry Condition User must select the one encrypted file and one audio file for embedding. Exit condition Successful or Un Successful Embedding process. Quality Requirements Display proper error messages while Embedding two files. Use case name De-Embed Participating actors Receiver Flow of events The user-selected audio file will be de-embedding to encrypted file. Entry Condition User must select the audio file for de-embedding. Exit condition Successful or Un Successful De-embedding of file. Quality Requirements Display proper error messages while De-embedding. Use case name Send File Participating actors Sender Flow of events The user-selected file will be send to the given host. Entry Condition User must select the file to send and must know the IP address of the destination host. Exit condition Successful or Un Successful sending of file to the destination host. Quality Requirements Display proper error messages while Sending the file. Class Diagram: Sequence Diagrams Sender: Receiver: Activity Diagram for Compression, Encryption, Embedding Sending Encryption System Sender Activity Diagram for De-Embed, Decrypt Decompress Receiver Decryption System Software Overview FEATURES OF THE LANGUAGE USED About Java Initially the language was called as oak but it was renamed as Java in 1995. The primary motivation of this language was the need for a platform-independent (i.e., architecture neutral) language that could be used to create software to be embedded in various consumer electronic devices. Java is a programmers language. Java is cohesive and consistent. Except for those constraints imposed by the Internet environment, Java gives the programmer, full control. Finally, Java is to Internet programming where C was to system programming. Applications and Applets An application is a program that runs on our Computer under the operating system of that computer. It is more or less like one creating using C or C++. Javas ability to create Applets makes it important. An Applet is an application designed, to be transmitted over the Internet and executed by a Java -compatible web browser. An applet is actually a tiny Java program, dynamically downloaded across the network, just like an image. But the difference is, it is an intelligent program, not just a media file. It can react to the user input and dynamically change. FEATURES OF JAVA Security Every time you that you download a normal program, you are risking a viral infection. Prior to Java, most users did not download executable programs frequently, and those who did scanned them for viruses prior to execution. Most users still worried about the possibility of infecting their systems with a virus. In addition, another type of malicious program exists that must be guarded against. This type of program can gather private information, such as credit card numbers, bank account balances, and passwords. Java answers both of these concerns by providing a firewall between a networked application and your computer. When you use a Java-compatible Web browser, you can safely download Java applets without fear of virus infection or malicious intent. Portability For programs to be dynamically downloaded to all the various types of platforms connected to the Internet, some means of generating portable executable code is needed .As you will see, the same mechanism that helps ensure security also helps create portability. Indeed, Javas solution to these two problems is both elegant and efficient. The Byte code The key that allows the Java to solve the security and portability problem is that the output of Java compiler is Byte code. Byte code is a highly optimized set of instructions designed to execute by the Java run-time system, which is called the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). That is, in its standard form, the JVM is an interpreter for byte code. Translating a Java program into byte code helps makes it much easier to run a program in a wide variety of environments. The reason is, Once the run-time package exists for a given system, any Java program can run on it. Although Java was designed for interpretation, there is technically nothing about Java that prevents on-the-fly compilation of byte code into native code. Sun has just completed its Just In Time (JIT) compiler for byte code. When the JIT compiler is a part of JVM, it compiles byte code into executable code in real time, on a piece-by-piece, demand basis. It is not possible to compile an entire Java program into executable code all at once, because Java performs various run-time checks that can be done only at run time. The JIT compiles code, as it is needed, during execution. Java Virtual Machine (JVM) Beyond the language, there is the Java virtual machine. The Java virtual machine is an important element of the Java technology. The virtual machine can be embedded within a web browser or an operating system. Once a piece of Java code is loaded onto a machine, it is verified. As part of the loading process, a class loader is invoked and does byte code verification makes sure that the code thats has been generated by the compiler will not corrupt the machine that its loaded on. Byte code verification takes place at the end of the compilation process to make sure that is all accurate and correct. So byte code verification is integral to the compiling and executing of Java code. Javac Java Virtual Machine Java byte code Java Source .Java .Class The above picture shows the development process a typical Java programming uses to produce byte codes and executes them. The first box indicates that the Java source code is located in a. Java file that is processed with a Java compiler called JAVA. The Java compiler produces a file called a. class file, which contains the byte code. The class file is then loaded across the network or loaded locally on your machine into the execution environment is the Java virtual machine, which interprets and executes the byte code. Java Architecture Java architecture provides a portable, robust, high performing environment for development. Java provides portability by compiling the byte codes for the Java Virtual Machine, which is then interpreted on each platform by the run-time environment. Java is a dynamic system, able to load code when needed from a machine in the same room or across the planet. Compilation of Code When you compile the code, the Java compiler creates machine code (called byte code) for a hypothetical machine called Java Virtual Machi

Friday, September 20, 2019

Economic Advantages and Disadvantages of a One Global Currency

Economic Advantages and Disadvantages of a One Global Currency Introduction The recent history of currency exchange rates includes 3 huge changes starting from the end of the XIX to the end of the XX century. Pure gold standard has been the basis for trading between nations during 1879 and 1914 (Abdel-Monem, n.d.). At the beginning of World War I, this standard ceased to exist and in 1920 countries permitted greater exchange rate flexibility (Jereissati, 1999), which however, did not last long and after the end of the World War II the Bretton-Woods system has been implemented. This standard has been created as a result of numerous meetings between the World War II winning states with the final conference taking place at the Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The standard took the name of this last conferences venue (Grabbe, 1996, as cited in Tucker, 2008). In August 15, 1971 Richard Nixon in his speech announced that the price of dollar will be no longer fixed against gold. This has put an end to the Bretton-Woods system and has set-off a new era in international monetary system. The main feature of this new system is that it is neither a pure gold standard nor a pure exchange rate float, but rather a system in between these two extremes (Meese, 1990). This standard exists until today and has been strongly undermined during the latest financial crisis. In this respect, the idea of having a single global currency is widely discussed as an alternative monetary system. This literature review outlines advantages and disadvantages of a single global currency. The Single Global Currency The Concept of a Single Global Currency Single global currency, as one can see from the example of Euro, signifies that countries, where this currency would be implemented, should be the members of a monetary union with one central bank, common currency, a coherent and binding financial policy. Scandinavian Currency Union (SCU), which included Denmark, Norway and Sweden, established a common currency unit, although central banks in each of those countries retained control over monetary policy and did not experience significant loss of independence (Bergman, 1999). The single global currency is a much more complicated issue. History recognizes a lot of monetary unions of different size, both formal and informal. However the most successful example came from the European Union, which is the Economic Monetary Union (EMU). There are also two proposed single currencies, which potentially may come near the Euro. They are the GCC monetary union currency and the Asian Monetary Unit. Economic Advantages of a Single Global Currency The advantages of a global currency are as follows. First of all, single currency will eliminate transaction costs, which are linked to international financial operations. This will affect both: ordinary citizens who plan to spend money abroad and multinational corporations undertaking international transactions. Different currencies create a lot of inconveniences and barriers. Exchanging one currency for another always involves currency exchange fees, as banks, which provide such currency exchanges, require commissions for their services. In the scale of countries or even monetary unions such expenditures on currency exchange fees may reach high amounts. By eliminating the need for currency exchange the monetary unions may save resources (Buiter, 1999, as cited in Bonpasse, 2008). For instance, the European Commission (EC) has estimated that due to a single currency across the European Union 13 to 20 billion of Euro were saved per year (Grauwe, 2007). Moreover the difference between the currencies exchange rates becomes an obstacle for a free flow of trade. As the barrier of different currencies will disappear, the number of international transactions will increase. Bordo and James (2006) said that neighboring countries, which are members of a common monetary union, tend to trade more frequently with each other. In a study conducted by Micco, Stein, and Ordonez (2003) they found out that trade between EU members increased by 8 to 16%, after EMU was created (as cited in Lane, 2006) Currency risks nowadays are one of the major disadvantages of the modern international financial system. Everything, ranged from a natural disaster to terroristic attack, may affect the value of the currency and as a result cause loss. Foreign investors, as well as stock holders, have to hedge their risk, which also demands additional expenditures. Implementation of the single global currency will eliminate the risk of loss, due to currency fluctuations. Moreover Bonpasse (n.d.) points out that the adoption of a single global currency will save 400 billion of US dollars annually in foreign exchange transaction costs, which come from trading 3.8 trillion US dollars every trading day. Currency misalignment is a process when central bank increases or decreases the value of its currency against another for different purposes. The most known cases of currency manipulation are the cases of China and Japan. Both countries artificially undervalued their currencies, which made their exports more competitive. As the value of Yen and Yuan decreases, the prices on Japanese and Chinese products will consequently fall. This has created a great advantage for Japanese and Chinese products in the market. Today the low value of these currencies, which has nothing to do with the real situation, has created huge difficulties for the economies of Europe and USA. Japan and China, based on all criteria related to the IMF definition, have been persistently manipulating their currencies to gain an unfair competitive advantage (Preeg, n.d.). Obviously with a single global currency, currency manipulation by individual countries would be impossible. Moreover there will be no need of such k inds of unfair methods. It is easy to perceive that problems of contemporary monetary system are currency rate fluctuations. As most of the currencies are free and are not fixed to any value, there is a huge possibility for currency speculations. For instance, speculative opportunities of FOREX market may have a great impact on economics of countries and their financial situation. The speculative attack on the Swedish Krona in 1992 is a perfect example. The Central Bank of Sweden had to raise the interest rate of its currency which caused devaluation of the Krona. Receiving income from currency speculations is getting money out of nothing. The next benefit from implementing a single global currency will be the elimination of currency speculations existence. The single global currency will present a different choice for speculators: if they wish to speculate, they will need to choose another commodity, as the money of the people will no longer be for sale (Bonpasse, 2006). Another problem of todays financial system is international reserves or foreign exchange reserves. As the possibility of a currency crash is high, due to currency risks and currency speculations, every country holds assets in various foreign currencies, which are considered as reserve currencies. Mainly it is the US dollar, not so often it is the Euro or the UK pound. However after implementing the single global currency, this hedging method will be unnecessary. As the central bank will abandon the foreign exchange reserves, it will save a considerable amount of money. In 1992 the European Commission estimated that the future Eurozone members might be able to reduce their total international reserves by one-half or $200 billion (Bonapasse, 2008). Disadvantages of a Single Global Currency Turning to disadvantages of a Global Currency, the most negative side of it is that countries will lose the ability to control their financial policy. Today every country is able to determine their monetary policy independently. In order to have an influence on the economy, nowadays central banks of every country through influencing exchange rates and adjusting interest rates, may increase or decrease economic activity. However in case of a single global currency, changes in a local countrys finances, will demand changes in the global scale. So with the Global Currency countries will lose flexibility in their monetary policy. A uniform policy template to provide macroeconomic stability, will constrain a countrys ability to make independent interest rates and exchange rate policy (Bonpasse, as cited in Wenzel, 2007, p17). Another significant disadvantage of having a Global Currency is connected with the difference in economies of different countries. While there are only a few developed states with strong economies, the rest of the countries of the world have rather weak economies, for instance the majority of African countries or some South American countries. In the world with a common currency, the weak economies shall pull down the rest, more well off countries. If one of the members will face a crisis, the others will have to spend their resources in order to stabilize the situation. A perfect example could be the debt crisis, which recently has occurred in Greece. While the EU/IMF bailout package wasnt enough, Germany had to loan about 110 billion Euros in order to save the country from bankruptcy. In addition the crisis had a chance to spread to other countries, as it reduced confidence in the economies of other EU members. Conclusion: Is The Single Global Currency Implementable? Global Currency as a financial system has been first mentioned back in the end of XIX century. The reasons why this system still has not been implemented are rather social and political, than economical. The first obstacle is national identity. Most of the nations consider their currencies as a national symbol, equal to the flag and the anthem. Obviously people will hardly discard their own national symbol, their source of pride. Some people are tempted to view such symbols as they do their flags and national constitutional documents, and the loss of such symbols can be considered as a national loss (Bonpasse, 2008). Just imagine how hard it will be for Americans to abandon dollar and accept a currency with absolutely neutral name and with neutral images and signs. In case of a Global Currency it should be absolutely neutral, as Euro is. Political barriers also should be taken in to account. In the conditions where political tensions between two countries are possible, implementing a single currency is a huge problem. For instance, it is difficult to imagine how USA, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and Iran, countries which have experienced significant political tensions, would negotiate in order to accept a single currency. Or it is difficult to say how it is going to work between countries which are in state of war like North and South Korea. In addition, due to political discords, such issues as supply and printing of the Global Currency would be problematic. As an independent central bank is demanded, the first dispute within the countries would be about the location of the central bank. Every member of the global monetary union would try to pull the blanket over. It is hard to believe that after gaining membership to the global monetary union, countries would not start attempting to gain greater influence o n the central bank and hence the monetary policy. Though the process of globalization seems to be unstoppable, we are still far away from being even close to a Global Currency. In my point of view, implementation of the single global currency can be compared to the legends about Eldorado or dreams of Utopia. There is no doubt that Global Currency has more benefits than costs. The loss of control of the monetary policy is a really low price for the other advantages of this idea. Throughout the history mankind tried to give birth to a global government. League of Nations and UN could serve as examples. Esperanto as a worldwide language also has been a great proposal, which could simplify the understanding between nations. But both concepts were not successful up to this time. Unfortunately the single global currency is an idea of such type. Although globalization and the Internet did bring people around the world closer to each other, maybe we are still to different to buy food with the same money. Maybe social and cultural difference s play much bigger role in our life, than we think. USSR made an effort of erasing these differences, but where is the USSR now?

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Most Imporanf The Tsars Fall From Power. :: essays research papers

Although some of the causes of the Tsar's fall from power seem more important than others, it is hard to choose a most important cause because each cause links into another, which leads into another. However I have come up with two causes which I think were the most important in the downfall of the Tsar. One was a long-term cause, the foundations of all the other causes, without which the country would not have been in such a bad state. The second one is a short-term cause, which tipped the balance into the Revolution and subsequently the Tsar's fall from power. The long-term cause is, Rominov mis-rule, and the short-term trigger is the 1st World War. The mis-rule of Russia by the Rominov's had been going on for many, many years, coming to a head with the Russian Revolution of 1917. The Rominovs especially Nicholas 2nd believed that they were appointed by G-d to rule the country, and that whatever they thought, must be right. This led them to rule the country for their own interests and for the interests of the rich and important, not for the interests of most of the population, the peasants. The Tsar didn't listen to the peasants or most of his ministers, appointing and firing them at will. The Tsar, by not listening to his people or caring about their needs, helped Russia to stay very economically backwards when compared to the rest of the world. This helps to link into the cause of social and economic hardships, another important cause. Many people believe that the influence of Rasputin was the reason that the Tsar fell from power, but I don't agree. Rasputin was an important factor in the lead upto the revolution and consequently the downfall of the Tsar. He was a rough, smelly peasant, who indulged in lots of sexual acts. The peasants resented him because he seemed to represent what was wrong with Russia. He was uncouth, showing the poor economic state of Russia and the poorness of the majority of its population. He was wild, showing the way that the Cossacks kept order and he was suspected of having an unfair with the Tsarina, degrading the royal family. However it was not Rasputin alone as some people think, that was the problems. It was the way that the media and Opposition groups portrayed him. However these still lead back to my original cause, Rominov mis-rule.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The impact of Queen Victorias Death on Australia :: essays research papers fc

Queen Victoria’s Death Queen Victoria’s reign, lasted 63 years, from 1837 to 1901. She ascended the throne of Great Britain, when she was 18. Despite being the Queen of Britain, and a very influential and prominent person, she also had an impact on Australian history. In Australia the most apparent legacy of Queen Victoria’s reign is manifested in the names of the two states, Victoria and Queensland. There are also a large number of other important buildings and places, named in her honor such as, the Queen Victoria Building, in Sydney. Victoria was loved and respected by her subjects, and Australian society at the time was affected greatly by the loss of their beloved Queen. An example of the affection and grief felt by the Australian people is apparent in the following poem, written by J D Horne of Castlemaine, Victoria. â€Å"Who can recall to memory the life Of one so loved, so dear — A devoted mother, Queen and wife A friend when few drew near — And not in silent agony Be melted into tears. A nation weeps her, The whole world mourns her... Dead, did I say? Ah! No! She lives In every loving heart. A nation’s grief is not assuaged – No time can heal the smart. She lives forever, and her deeds Will live in memory too, And history recount her praise For all the ages through. For never monarch lived on earth So worthy of our song...†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Victorian era, as it became known, was the time of Queen Victoria’s reign. Victoria’s death signaled the end of an era. It was a rich and significant period in Britain, which had a positive influence on Australia also. It saw profound social changes culminating in the rise of the middle class, population growth, and an increase in wealth. Victoria was Queen and so it was seen as a product of her reign and so the love for her increased. Victoria’s death created a feeling of insecurity and uncertainty of what would result. However, it also created the feeling of opportunity and a new beginning. â€Å"There was a sense not only in London but in all the capitals of the world that an age had come to an end, a stronger sense than there had been when the 19th century itself drew to a close.† (1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There were mixed feelings with the end of Victoria’s reign. At the time Australian culture still revolved around Britain and most Australian’s were either born in Britain, or had relatives residing there.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Karl Marx and Alienation Essay

Karl Marx in his time was known for his research on the alienation of the employees in the workplace. It was during that time in the Industrial Revolution did Karl Marx publish his book Das Kapital which not only criticized the system of capitalism but also the state of the workers working at long hours and under small amounts of compensation. Alienation for Marx is considered to be a cause of a decrease in productivity and entails to a much larger problem among the working class. According to his theory, the worker is subjected to various forms of alienation at the workplace. First one is the alienation to himself. The particular worker in the office would oftentimes consider himself a different person (Marx, 2006). This is brought about by the particular thinking that he alone exists and no one else does. Same can be said for the students in universities who often think a lot, write a lot, and do sorts of things that sometimes, he detaches himself from his inner capabilities. The student who also experience rejection, failure, and embarrassment is also alienated to himself. For instance, if one student fails a subject although he knows for a fact that he did everything he could just to pass his subject, he would resort to do other things that seem to worth nothing because even if he did what he could, he still failed the subject. This results to certain forms of depression and also sometimes to even suicide. Another form of alienation that Karl Marx explained is the alienation from other people in the workplace. For example, in particular workplace or office, employees commonly have cubicles wherein they do their jobs throughout the shift not necessarily minding the other people he works with. Applying this form of alienation to students in the university, students often most are alienated from one another in so many ways. First, students are separated from one another in classes in various buildings. Second, students are, in a particular class, not allowed to interact with one another during a lecture. They are alienated with one another by the existence of that certain notion of fountain of knowledge that most professors have. The fountain of knowledge is that one person acknowledges himself to be the only source of information. This certain act further contributes to the alienation. This is even more substantiated by the pressure the studies bring in the thinking that the only way to get a job is to have a degree in a university. With that particular way of thinking, the recognition of the various forms of intelligence are ignored and only the academic intelligence is recognized. The last form of alienation that most modern workers experience is the alienation from society. This form of alienation causes the individual to think that he is separate from society and works as an island. Modern office workers experience this by the schedule of their work. For instance, in a lot of business processes outsourcing (BPO) workers, graveyard shifts are a common thing to have. Graveyard shifts are working hours that are not the conventional type of working hours. They work at night when everyone is supposed to be sleeping and getting ready for the next day ahead.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Students on the other hand, also experience this kind of alienation. First, alienation from their love ones is exhibited by leaving their families to live in dormitories inside the campus and thus learning to live on their own (Salerno, 2004). Second, by having the pressure that not studying enough would cause rejection. This thinking often leads to the reasoning why students are often studying hard at night when everyone else should be resting. Also, student in universities does not want anyone to disturb them and this is explained by the fact that as they are alienated, their behaviour changes as well. References: Marx, K., Engels, F., & Jones, G. S. (2006). The communist manifesto. 119 p. Salerno, R. A. (2004). Beyond the enlightenment : lives and thoughts of social theorists. xi, 242 p.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Realism and Metarealism in Mary Shelley’s Horror Tale Frankenstein

Many great novels act as representations of their age and time, and of the way in which people thought of themselves in relation to their world. Novels which are set in a particular place and time are generally involved with the major upheavals of their society, to some extent or other. The novel is capable of richly alluding to the general aspirations, perceptions, the general world-view as well as what people think they know about how the world they live in has come about.In this respect, for instance, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which are seemingly poles apart in their style and content, serve a similar purpose: the former is concerned to evaluate the currents of change of its time as much as the latter is inspired by the revolutionary developments of knowledge of the contemporary world (Walder 135). Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (1818) certainly seems to be entirely derived from a dream or nightmare, something very un likely to have happened to somebody in real life.True, some novels can seem to be more fictitious than others, and Frankenstein had been a novel in fictional category of its own. With her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, at the age of 20, in fact inadvertently invented a revolutionary whole new genre of fiction which hardly existed before her time, namely science fiction. In this sense, Frankenstein may not be representative of real life, and yet it was representative of an emerging new paradigm of scientific thinking in her time, during the first decades of the nineteenth century.Frankenstein is generally regarded as representative of over-the-top fiction, with man acting as God, dead bodies coming to life, monsters, murder and mayhem — yet we will here argue that there is a great degree of realism in this quintessential fantasy story of the early nineteenth century. The every-day realism in Frankenstein is deftly combined with elements of a prevalent genre called Gothic, w hich more suited Mary Shelley's soaring imaginings. For instance, in the Gothic novel, one story is often nestled within another and large sections of the narrative come out as a tale told by one character to another.In this and many other senses, Frankenstein follows many rules and conventions typical of the Gothic genre. At the core of the novel is the story told by the â€Å"creature† that exists within the story told by the scientist Frankenstein, which is within the story told by the explorer, Walton (Allen 63). Yet this is no regular horror tale. Though it certainly created one of the two enduring â€Å"monsters† of all time in English Fiction, this is not a monster tale in any real sense either.Frankenstein’s creature, though labeled a monster, cannot be considered a monster, with any true justification, on par with other popular monsters such as Dracula or Godzilla. Frankenstein’s creature is a noble savage, and if anything, is sometimes more huma n than most humans. For instance, in the most recent revival of Frankenstein’s creature on Hollywood Screen, he sides with the eponymous human protagonist, Van Helsing, to battle against Count Dracula and his forces of darkness. Frankenstein’s creature embodies the quintessential human spirit and human longings.In a similar way, though being part of the Gothic fantasy tradition, and the most significant harbinger of perhaps the most highly imaginative genre of fiction, besides referring to a Greek myth in its sub-title, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein embodies a little of the spirit, the longings and fears of her age. Frankenstein's 1818 preface makes a clear distinction between its scientific plot, which was inspired by the scientific leanings of the time, and the more easily recognized action in the vein of Gothic fiction: â€Å"I have not considered myself as merely weaving a series of supernatural terrors.The event on which the interest of the story depends is exempt from the disadvantages of a mere tale of spectres or enchantment. (Shelley 47)† In truth, Frankenstein's claim to originality lies in its defiant rejection of the supernatural (Alkon 2). Thus, though often regarded as a fabulous flight of fancy, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein contains a powerful dose of realism, as opposed to supernaturalism, symbolism, or pure fantasy, at its core. But much more importantly, for the first time in the history of literature, it seeks out a new scientifically based vision of reality.By attempting to transpose the status of creator from God to man, and the secularization of the means of creation from the realm of miracles to the arena of science (Levine 27), Frankenstein offered a drastically new way of looking at our world that is devoid of supernaturalism or fantasy. Thus Frankenstein is not only a product of what is known as â€Å"realistic imagination,† but presents a deeper understanding of reality more in keeping with the then ra ther newly emerging scientific mode of thinking.Terror remains a predominant element, an effect Mary Shelley avowedly sought to create, in the novel, yet it is by no means of a supernatural variety, as for instance in its counterpart Bram Stoker’s Dracula (or even Dracula’s progenitor Byron’s Vampyre which was incidentally created during the same occasion that spurred the creating of Frankenstein). The fright factor in the novel is implemented through natural means involving science and human psychology.Thus, although affiliated to the accepted Gothic norms and forms of creating a â€Å"ghost story,† Frankenstein's essential realism validates its claim to novelty. The fear that Frankenstein evokes is not one of a spooky, instinctive kind, but rather of more thoughtful and plausible nature. Frankenstein succeeds in inspiring awe and reverence for greatness of ambition, and yet at the same time instills a healthy level of fear and distrust of those who act on it rather blindly.The ambition of the novel’s protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, that of recreating a living intelligent human form, may seem fantastic to us, yet it was by no means wholly outlandish by the standards of the time, the early nineteenth century being an extravagantly ambitious era when literally almost everything was considered possible by means of science. Great ambitions can succeed in the realization of great dreams, but they can also result in bringing to life unspeakable nightmares.Thus, though Mary Shelley may have worked on to create a conspicuous element of stark horror merely for the sake of sensationalism, in conforming with the purposes of â€Å"ghost story† genre, the fears that Frankenstein gives expression to are more like warnings of consequences when great ambitions take a wrong track or are pursued without sufficient foresight. Alkon observes that: A looming problem for writers in the nineteenth century was how to achieve sublimity with out recourse to the supernatural†¦.The supernatural marvels that had been a staple of epic and lesser forms from Homeric times would no longer do as the best sources of sublimity. Although ghost stories and related Gothic fantasies were to prove surprisingly viable right through the twentieth century, perhaps because they offer respite from the omnipresence of technology, writers sought new forms that could better accommodate the impact of science. Epics were displaced by realistic novels of quotidian life (2). . Fantasy tales normally act as a means of escape from the tyranny of every-day reality.However the advent and advancement of modern science was making the routine world that we take for granted a place of exhilarating possibilities and endless adventure. There was no need for an escape from our familiar world to seek thrill, excitement and â€Å"sublimity† anymore. Science made our every-day world hot and happening. At the same time, the phenomenal progress and p romise of science was bound to raise many fears and concerns in the thinker and common man alike, then as much as now.Frankenstein reflects the dominant theme of a quest for adventure and accomplishment, along with hopes and fears about how far we are willing to go in our relentless pursuit of scientific accomplishment. A significant achievement of Frankenstein lies in the fact that it became a trend-setter in a movement that was to bring more style and substance based on considerations of real-life world into the art form of the novel.However the most sublime virtue of Mary Shelley’s novel is that it goes beyond even realism into the world of deeper and timeless truths about human existence. The subtitle of the novel, â€Å"The Modern Prometheus† says it all. In the summer of 1816, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin had been living with Percy Shelley for two years, going through ordeals and troubled times together. During this particular period they found themselves settled i n Geneva, amidst the natural splendor of Alps, as well as in the stimulating company of Bryon.The origins of Frankenstein can be traced back to the rambling night conversations between these three luminaries, which must have presumably ranged from gothic terrors to galvanism, touching upon the prevalent theories of electricity and the origin of life. However, the fact that the three of them were to compose a major work with Prometheus in or as the title, that very same year, is a clear indicator that the myth of Prometheus and its significance should have been one of the major topics of their conversations.The subtitle of the novel Frankenstein, alluding to the myth of Prometheus, indeed holds an essential clue as to the original intent and purport of the author (Joseph v). Metarealism, for our present purposes, can be defined as the externalization of interior realities that are transformed into mystical or mythological metaphors. In this sense, transcending the particular context of its contemporary time, Frankenstein becomes a myth and a metaphor for human existence and evolution as such.Prometheus is generally portrayed as the suffering champion of mankind, but in Mary Shelley’s novel, in the form of Victor Frankenstein, he becomes a creator. The vital spark of fire that Prometheus stole from gods to give it to mortals for their use, and for which he is eternally condemned, is often equated with the spark of creativity in humans. As expressed via the means of science, our creativity can exalt us to the status of gods; at the same time, there is an intrinsic danger that it can cast us into eternal perdition.Almost two hundred after impetuously and almost naively suggested by Mary Shelley, notwithstanding the realistic scientific garb she wanted to give it, the prospect of us humans creating synthetic and intelligent life would come very close to reality in the years to come, thanks not the miracles of electricity, as depicted in the novel, but to the marvels of genetic engineering. However, the murder and mayhem unleashed by Frankenstein’s creature could pale into utter insignificance when compared to the horrors that could be visited upon us by extremely advanced technologies of tomorrow, especially genetic engineering.The lot that fell upon Victor Frankenstein could in all probability be the fate of mankind in the near future. Mary Shelley attempted to make what was essentially a gothic fantasy sound closer to our real world, but most ironically, our real world is all poised to assume the weirdness and surrealism of a gothic fantasy if the â€Å"Victor Frankenstein† amidst us is allowed to experiment and pursue his scientific ambitions wantonly.Unfortunately, there does not seem any way to stop him, because stopping him would mean the ending of progress. Our own progress leading to our own perdition, perhaps that is the ultimate tragedy and horror of humankind. References: Alkon, Paul K. â€Å"Science Fiction B efore 1900: Imagination Discovers Technology. † London : Routledge. 2002 Allen, Richard. â€Å"Reading Frankenstein. † In, The Realist Novel, ed. Dennis Walder. pp. 61 -96. London : Routledge. 1995. Joseph, M. K. â€Å"Introduction.† Frankenstein: Or the Modern Prometheus, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Oxford : Oxford University Press. 1969 Levine, George. â€Å"The Realistic Imagination: English Fiction from Frankenstein to Lady Chatterly. † Chicago : The University of Chicago Press. 1981 Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. â€Å"Frankenstein† (Original 1818 Text). Peterborough, Ontario : Broadway Press. 1999 Walder, Dennis. â€Å"Reading Great Expectations. † In, The Realist Novel, ed. Dennis Walder. pp. 135 -166. London : Routledge. 1995.