Individual Experience of Working at a Prestigious Bank Essay

Individual Experience of Working at a Prestigious Bank - Essay Example I had a partial English education and could converse in English without difficulty. Although she had a thick African accent and a way of speaking, which is, at best called â€Å"cart before the horse,† the unabashed African made herself clearly understood. Other two Asians, coming from different parts of Asia, found it an uphill task to hold an ordinary conversation. But I could see that they were learning fast. People took some time to understand our accented and rather hurried way of speaking and this was, at times, a huge embarrassment. In frustration sometimes, we blamed it on the racism prevalent in the UK, although we knew that we were being unfair. African had an aggressive ‘back home’ accent and was unexpectedly comfortable with it. We had initial problems to understand the original British English, and had always been nervous if someone spoke to us directly. Slowly we started understanding the British way of speaking and that problem was partially left be hind. It is fantastic that we know a common language, even though at varying degrees of fluency. â€Å"For many theorists within mainstream linguistics, the term discourse signifies a turning away from sentences as exemplars of usage in the abstract, that is examples of the way that language is structured as a system, to a concern with language in use.† Brown and Yule (1983, taken from Mills, 1997, p. 9). Discourse across race and regions has many colors and shades. Our discourse that has remained formal even to this day with the British also shows the delicate nature of our relationship. It took only a few days for the rest of us to be informal. With formal conversation, very often one hits a brick wall. â€Å"What I have said is not ‘what I think’ but often what I wonder whether it couldn’t be thought,† said Foucault (1979d. 58) (Taken from Mills, 1997, p. 14). Language and discourse are crucial in cross-cultural  interactions and mostly becomes the sole reason of hindrance in furthering a friendship.  

The Effect of Minimum Wage Policy on Poverty Reduction Essay Example for Free

The Effect of Minimum Wage Policy on Poverty Reduction Essay 1 Introduction Minimum wage policies are widespread throughout the world. More than 90% of all countries have a minimum wage policy (International Labour Office, 2009, p. 34). Although the goals of mandating and maintaining a minimum wage, such as the reduction of poverty and the creation of income equality, are widely accepted around the world, there is a disagreement about the policy’s efficacy regarding these goals. Opponents of setting a minimum wage argue that it leads to unemployment, and it does not result in the reduction of poverty (Burkhauser Sabia, 2007, p. 263). Meanwhile, employment plays an important role in poverty alleviation, because it secures income and empowerment for the poor (United Nations, 2005). However, proponents of the minimum wage policy appoint that the policy leads to decrease in poverty rates and the unemployment effect is not significant (Lustig and McLeod, 1997). That means, there is controversy over the use of minimum wage as an anti-poverty tool, and this makes the topic interesting to study. This paper will evaluate the extent to which the minimum wage policy is an effective anti-poverty tool. The evaluation will be based on literary reviews of scientific articles and theoretical materials regarding the influence of minimum wage on employment and poverty. Such a focus is selected because studying the effect of minimum wage only on employment does not lead to a conclusion about the influence of minimum wage on poverty. Even if the unemployment effect is moderate, an increase in the minimum wage leads to net income losses for poor families (Neumark Wascher, 1997, p. 1). In addition, criteria such as the effect of minimum wage on employment and poverty level will be used for evaluation of efficacy of minimum wage policy as anti-poverty tool. The paper will be structured in the following way: section two will provide a summary of works related to the topic; in section three, the selected assessment criteria will be described; evaluation and the conclusion will be presented in section four and five respectively. 2 Theoretical framework A few empirical investigations were made to find evidence in favour or against the minimum wage as an anti-poverty tool. There are several research studies that demonstrate that the minimum wage policy is an ineffective means of achieving poverty reduction in many cases because of the unemployment effect . Neumark and Wascher (1997) conducted one such investigation. They studied the effect of minimum wage on poverty on the basis of changes in net income of poor families. The researchers discovered that raising minimum wages increases the probability that some poor families escape poverty and the probability that, initially, non-poor families fall into poverty. The discovered result supposes that the unemployment effect combined with minimum wage increases causes reductions in the income of previously non-poor families (Neumark Wascher,1997, p. 3). The conclusion of Neumark and Wascher (1997, p. 31) is that there is no strong evidence to support the idea that minimum wage policy helps in poverty alleviation because of the concomitant unemployment effect of minimum wage. Another research study was conducted on the basis of Brazilian microdata by Paes de Baros, Carlos, and Samir (as cited in Gindling Terrell, 2010). The result of the research showed that there was no effect of the minimum wage on poverty because the unemployment effects of the minimum wage increase. Pauw and Leibbrandt (2012) also decided to check the efficacy of minimum wage as an anti-poverty tool. To investigate the influence of the minimum wage policy on poverty in South Africa, they used an advanced micro-simulation model, which assesses the distribution of employment gains and losses and the implications for household income. The results showed that minimum wages led to a marginal decline of poverty. Moreover, job losses, price increase and income decline are more likely to affect the poorest. The investigators found that the minimum wage policy targets a small fraction of the poor. As such, they concluded that the policy was not an effective tool in South Africa because it was not well targeted (Pauw Leibbrandt, 2012, p. 780). However, there are few empirical research studies that prove that the minimum wage policy reaches the poor. The first estimates on the effect of minimum wages on poverty were made in the United States by Card and Krueger (as cited by Gindling Terrell, 2010). They used regression analysis to examine the change in the poverty rate of states from 1989 to 1991 and took into consideration only a small fraction of workers who were influenced by the minimum wage increase. The researchers found weak evidence of a modest poverty reduction effect because of the minimum wage increase. Lustig and McLeod (1997) also investigated the effect of the minimum wage on poverty but in Latin America and Asia. They concluded that an increase or fall in minimum wage leads respectively to a decline or increase in the poverty rates in developing countries (Lustig McLeod, 1997, p. 81). However, it was also noticed by the investigators that an increase in the minimum wage could increase slightly unemployment. (Lustig McLeod, 1997, p. 77). In addition, they mentioned that even if the minimum wage is shown to reduce poverty in the short run, employment opportunities could decrease in the long run. The result of research by Saget (2001, p. 22) shows that an increase in minimum wage reduces poverty; however, for a set of Latin American countries, where regression analyses were made on the basis of a one- or two-dollar poverty line, there was no effect on the poverty level. Moreover, they remark that the result confirms their intuition that minimum wages in developing countries do not influence the poorest population but the low-income population of the upper level instead. The empirical research of Gindling and Terrell (2010) regarding the influence of minimum wage on poverty in Honduras provided evidence that a raise in the minimum wage had a modest poverty-reducing effect. The results are true for the formal sector and could be higher, if there was no the unemployment effect in the formal sector. Moreover, the researchers suggested that those who lost jobs probably found jobs in the informal sector, where the minimum wage regulation does not hold power (Gindling Terrell, p. 915). Although in the majority of studies above, the unemployment effect of the minimum wage policy is mentioned, Card and Kruger (1994, In: Ropponen, 2011) discovered that a minimum wage increase can lead to an increase in employment. Such evidence they received by investigating fast food restaurants in New Jersey in 1992. Thus, there are several studies that provide evidence both in favour and against the minimum wage policy as anti-poverty tool. 3 Criteria Two criteria were selected for the evaluation of the extent to which the minimum wage is an effective tool for poverty alleviation: They are the influence of the minimum wage on the poverty level and its effect on the employment of the poor. The measuring of the effect of the minimum wage on the poverty level supposes focusing on the transition into poverty and out of poverty and the changes in poverty rates. Such a focus follows from the analysis of theoretical frameworks, where researchers used poverty rates (Gindling Terrell, 2010) or transitions out or into poverty for the evaluation of the influence of the minimum wage on poverty (Neumark Wascher, 1997). The employment effect of minimum wage criterion was selected because in the theoretical framework, the employment effect seems to be a critical factor that identifies the effectiveness of the minimum wage as an anti-poverty tool. For example, Samir, (as cited in Gindling Terrell, 2010) mentions that there is no effect of the minimum wage policy if the employment effect increases. These criteria will be applied by finding in the empirical investigations the evidence of the negative or positive changes in the poverty level and employment or the evidence of the absence of corresponding minimum wage influences. After that, evidence will be weighed, and a decision about the effectiveness of maintaining a minimum wage will be made. 4 Evaluation Although economists agree that the primary goal of minimum wage policy is poverty alleviation, many disagree about its effectiveness as an anti-poverty tool, as shown in section 2 of this paper. In this section, arguments for and against the policy were compared using criteria from section 3, evaluating the extent to which minimum wage served as an effective anti-poverty tool.

The Chamber Essays -- essays research papers

1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Chamber starts off with Sam Cayhall and Rollie Wedge planting a bomb in Marvin Kramer’s office. Marvin’s is a Jewish activist leader during the civil rights movement, and both Sam and Rollie are members of the Ku Klux Klan. The bomb goes off, killing both of Marvin’s young children and leaving Marvin as an amputee. The bomb’s publicity destroys the small town of Greenville, Mississippi. Time goes on towards Adam Hall, Sam’s grandson. Adam’s father kills himself in 1980 when he was only 16. This leaves a big void in Adam’s life and creates a hunger for family in his life. However, he goes on to study law at Harvard following his undergraduate degree from Michigan. Adam begs his firm, Kravitz and Bane, to let him take on his grandfather’s case as a pro-bono case. The firm reluctantly lets him because they believe that it will create positive publicity for their firm. Adam goes to live with his best friend, his Aunt Lee in Memphis. Adam then meets his notorious grandfather, Sam Cayhall, on death row. Adam discovers how wretched and mean Sam is, but still is determined to save his life. Along the way Adam meets friends and various enemies. He meets a friend in: Sergeant Packer, Nora Stark, and Garner Goodman. He meets enemies in: Lucas Mann, Governor McAllister, and Colonel Nugent. Adam berates Sam with questions trying to discover new evidence on the case to help his appeals. His Aunt Lee helps by telling family secrets and past stories tha...

Human Genome Project Essay -- essays research papers fc

Outline Thesis: Large corporations, such as insurance companies, and governments are looking to save money on future policyholders through the use of genetic testing. General information on the Human Genome Project Time of discussion leading up to implementation Who was involved Where does the funding come from Insurance Companies and discrimination Discrimination against unborn children Genetic testing for “bad'; or unwanted traits Fix vs. Abort Not covering unborn with unwanted traits Denying Benefits to Current Members Forcing Genetic test to continue coverage Not covering spouses, children, etc.. who come up “Bad'; Denying coverage to new members 1. New members who want to join but have unwanted traits People switching jobs that need insurance but can’t get it Governments Benefits to people with unwanted traits Will government protect people with a predisposition to recklessness Will governments provide benefits for people with predisposition to genetic disorders? Welfare Will welfare be provided to people with genetic predisposition not to work Will the government try to alter people on welfare Military Will the military attempt to genetically alter persons to become greater soldiers or officers? Will the newly found technologies be used to engineer biological weapons? Corporations Will corporations require genetic testing to be performed as a term of hire? Will corporations issue genetic testing to employees to determine job position? Eugenics A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Define Eugenics B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Creating a “Custom Child'; 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ability 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ethics Privacy and ethical views on genetic testing General concerns of privacy Discrimination from insurance companies Discrimination from government policies Discrimination from employers Who should now the results of a genetic test? Individuals should know Employers should not know Government should not know Insurance should not know Widespread views on the ethical issues of genetic testing Physicians and their views Views of the general public Discussion on the Negative Implications of the Information Derived from the Human Genome Project Should man govern nature? This is a question that has been posed more often recently than ever. Human will soon know the secret to life and be able to ... ...t on their practices, but do expect major clinical changes in the future (Fetters 1). Although the Human Genome Project will bring upon many aspects that will be beneficial for generations to come, there are too many negative implications that will turn a lot of cheeks. Supporters of this effort will in the future regret their choice. There will be employment and insurance barriers due to genetic testing. Perhaps the worst part about the government implications is the biological military applications that will spawn destructive biological weapons. Man should not and could not govern nature. Nature has always prevailed from the beginning of time. Man has finally sealed his own fate. Works Cited Begley, Sharon. “Designer Babies.'; Newsweek 9 November 1998:1-4 Bereano, Phil. “The Politics of DNA’s Meaning.'; Tikku September 1999:23 Branfman, Fred. “The Gene is Out of the Bottle.'; 9 December 1999. Fetters, Michael D. “Family Physicians’ Perspectives on Genetics and the Human Genome Project.'; JAMA 24 November 1999: 1,902. Lee, Thomas F. The Human Genome Project: Cracking the Genetic Code of Life New York: Plenum, 1991.

Study Plan

All world’s population is 7 billion, 1. 3 billion people spoken Chinese in worldwide, approximately worldwide 1 in every 6-7 person can speak chinese. If you believe Chinese to be one language, rather than a grouping, it is the single most commonly spoken language on the planet. It is spoken in countries like China, Taiwan Singapore. For people interested in becoming fluent in Chinese, it can be intimidating and challenging. As Mongolia and China have been neighbors, many Mongolians are interested in China and its language and culture as well as Mongolians are more familiar about China than any other nation in the world.First reason of choosing China is it I’m familiar with country, secondly Chinese is getting more and more influential learning it gives me more advantage in the future. The international communication and trade program interests me because it gives me good intellectual. In today’s globalizing society, studying in foreign high developed country to be very significant to bring development to own business and individual’s development. I have information about Chinese education system which is excellent at trying theoretical knowledge to the practice work thus it affected me to choose it.Studying with people from various countries ;learning selected experience of such countries thus sharing information to be very important to the human development. Due to my studies, I am aware that my Chinese Language skills are still to increase. I have studied Chinese a little, but it’s not perfect yet. But I constantly try to improve myself by doing personal work. Besides it is one of the reasons I want to live and study in China. For my point of view, it’s the best way to acquire good accent and talk â€Å"true† Chinese, not only based on readings.As for a citizen, I would like to give my contribution to the development of my country as possible as I can on studying well in the China. I have many advantages to st udy successfully and keep studying with majoring on my profession without any difficulties further. I have shown some of my study plan as follows. – Study successfully majoring on my own qualification at the University; Attentively learn all subjects in accordance with appropriate term and planned hours; Get acquainted with the students who have the same purposes as well learn from Chinese history, culture, and life.I hope that you will look favorably on my application. Therefore accepting this scholarship is a big opportunity of good life and chance to become intelligent knowledge person that I dreamed of and it will be opening door to the my future. As for me, I have full confidence in myself that I am able to study Chinese as faster as I can. I have many advantages to study successfully and keep studying with majoring on my profession without any difficulties further.

Mathematically Modelling Basketball Shots Essays

Mathematically Modelling Basketball Shots Essays Mathematically Modelling Basketball Shots Essay Mathematically Modelling Basketball Shots Essay The manager of a professional basketball team is having a tough decision in choosing which of his two top scorers this season are better at free-throw shots. The final decision will go towards picking the team for Saturdays Cup Final match. On a training session one week before the match the coach decides to go all out and bring some mathematical genii in to model a situation where Lee Grimes and Dominic Aspbury, the goalscorers, will shoot at the basketball net. The mathematical genii are students from Cambridge and are benefiting from this opportunity in that they will be able to show evidence of coursework for their final exam. Their coursework will be using their abilities to collect data and test the appropriateness of a probability model on a real situation whilst the coachs aim will be to pick the better of the two players for the big game. If the random variables X and Y count the number of independent trials before the event, having a probability p, occurs then X and Y have geometric distributions: P ( X = r ) = q r 1 p where r = 1,2,3, X~G ( p ) and Y~G ( p ) I will define X as being the number of shots required before Lee shoots a basket. Therefore, Y is defined as the number of shots required before Dom shoots a basket. I will be attempting to see if X and Y have geometric distributions by taking samples of X and Y. The populations are the infinite range of shots capable from the two throwers taken in a discrete time period under varied conditions at the same level of skill. This is impossible to create so the coursework will have to involve sampling, therefore not producing results representative of the whole population. For this coursework I can not take random samples because it will not be possible to recreate due to the infinite choices of shot which could occur e.g. fatigue levels, mood type, improvement of skill level throughout the sampling etc. all could differ. I will record a sample of X by asking Lee to shoot a number of baskets and hence work out the relative frequency of success p. This result will allow me to model X as X~G ( p ) . Next I will record a sample for Y by asking Dom to shoot a number of baskets so that another value for the relative frequency of success p can be calculated. I can use the result to model Y as Y~G ( p ) . The conditions I will have to use are going to be as similar as possible to gain independent and identical shots. This will involve: * Five practice shots beforehand so that the feel of shooting is apparent a warm up before starting. * The shots being taken from the same free-throw position which is fifteen feet away from the base of the net and perpendicular to the back line. * The same type of shot being used using one hand to steady the ball and one to project the ball through the air. Same arms used each time. * The weather conditions being similar. In the sports hall there should be no significant alteration of the environment. * Each shot being taken one after the other to gain results, which will be under the most similar conditions. * When the shot is taken; a score implies one basket, a no score implies try again until you succeed. * Continue until the sample of eighty is reached and record all results If the data is successful I may be able to produce a reliable geometric model of the population from the sample enabling me to predict population parameters with greater confidence. Using the parameters I should be able to compare the populations by considering sample parameters. I have chosen a geometric model because it is an infinite distribution requiring discrete random variables and is able to accommodate the infinite range of shots that may be required to score a basket. The sum of all the probabilities will equal one (a probability density function). If X and Y have a geometric distribution, the distribution should look like this: The sample size shall be 80 as a large sample size makes the geometric distribution as accurate as possible for testing purposes. It also allows me to use the chi squared test on the model to check if there is any evidence to suggest that one thrower is better than the other at various critical levels. Assumptions that I am making to allow the model to work are that the trials are: * Identical: The factors are exactly the same. This provides a fair test and is a property of the geometric distribution. * Independent: The trials are not affected by the previous trial. The geometric model states that the events must be independent. No distribution could possibly account for the infinite amount of variables/influences that could occur e.g. improving skill as more shots are scored, fatigue etc. The variable would be different in each case. The five practice shots will make the distribution more geometric as it will warm up the performer beforehand so that they get used to the feel of shooting. * Have two outcomes score a basket or no score. * Repeated to gain the sample size Modelling the situation with a geometric distribution Let X be the number of attempts before a basket is scored for Lee: Probability of scoring a basket: P(score) = sample size/total number of shots = 80/269 = 0.2973977695 This implies X~G( 0.297 ) X can be modelled as a geometric distribution with a probability of scoring first time equal to 29.7% (1 d.p.) Finding Prob(X=r) Therefore P (no score) = 1 P (score) = 1- 0.2973977695 = 0.7026022305 Using the formula: P(X = r) = qr-1p where r = 1, 2, 3: q = probability of not scoring p = probability of scoring P( X = 2) = 0.7026022305 x 0.2939776957 = 0.2065493847 P( X = 3) = 0.7026022305(3-1) x 0.2939776957 = 0.14512205844 Finding Expected Frequency Expected Frequency for (X = r) = Prob (X=r) x sample size Therefore Expected Frequency for (X = 1) = 0.2973977695 x 80 = 23.791821 Expected Frequency for (X = 2) = 0.2065493847 x 80 = 16.7161869 Let Y be the number of attempts taken before a basket is scored for Dom: Probability of scoring a basket: P(score) = sample size/total number of shots = 80/345 = 0.231884058 This implies Y~G ( 0.232 ) Y is geometric with a probability of scoring first time equal to 0.232 (3 d.p.). This result states also that there is a 23.2% chance of scoring on the first attempt and I aim to model these results by a geometric distribution. Therefore P(no score) = 1 0.231884058 = 0.768115942 Therefore for Dom: P (Y = 2) = 0.768115942 x 0.231884058 = 0.1781138416 P (Y = 3) = 0.768115942(3-1) x 0.231884058 = 0.1368120813 Expected Frequencies will be: (Y = 1) = 0.231884058 x 80 = 18.55072464 (Y = 2) = 0.1781138416 x 80 = 14.24910733 Chi Squared Distribution The chi-squared distribution can be applied to measure the goodness of fit for the geometric models. It will examine the goodness of the model by considering the number of possible outcomes of the events and will analyse the validity of the assumptions. Thevalue will be expected to be small to suggest that the model fits the real distribution. A large value would suggest that the model is unlikely to be correct so I will use a 10% critical region to test it. * If thevalue lies within the critical region then, assuming the model is correct, it would mean that there is less then 10% chance of a result as high as this occurring. We reject the model as a consequence and conclude insufficient sampling etc. * Alternatively, if the value lies outside the critical region, the result is valid and there is a larger possibility of the value being what it is. The model is assumed to be correct and the model is accepted. Conclusion would be to state that the statistical model is appropriate to the situation and the assumptions are correct. In the tables, the expected and observed frequencies were calculated but how close together are the values? The closer the observed value to the expected value the more accurate the geometric model will be. The goodness of fit statistic is: where O = Observed Frequency E = Expected Frequency To find the best measure of goodness of fit, add up all values for each statistic and compare with the 2 probability distribution tables. The chi squared test should only be used if the expected frequency of a cell is more than five which means some of the groups are going to have to be combined. This enables the chi-squared distribution to be better approximated. The total frequency of expected frequencies should also be over 50. This makes the chi squared test work at a more accurate level. Lees chi squared test Using the equation : As we can see by the result = 7 To analyse the result with the chi squared test the number of degrees of freedom have to be established following this procedure: Degrees of Freedom = Number of Cells Number of Constraints In Lees table there are seven cells. The number of constraints is two because: o A sample size of eighty is one constraint: The sample has to be eighty. o The probability is another constraint: The mean of the model has to equal the mean of the data so we used the data to work this value out. * Therefore: Degrees of Freedom = 7 2 = 5 * at 10% critical level i.e. prob ( ) = 0.9 * but observed value of = 7.478504913 * 7.478 is less than 9.236 * therefore, the value is not in the critical region (result taken from probability distribution table) The value is not in the critical region implying the model is significant enough to use. Lees results fit into the geometric distribution model and therefore it is a good model for Lees data. There is evidence to suggest that the assumptions are true and therefore we accept the assumptions as part of the geometric model. See graph above for explanation of what the results show. Doms Chi Squared Test Using the equation : As we can see by the result = 5.694287179 * Degrees of Freedom = 8 2 = 6 * at 10% critical level i.e. prob ( ) = 0.9 * but observed value of = 5.694287179 * 5.694 is less than 10.645 * therefore, the value is not in the critical region (result taken from probability distribution table) Doms results fit into the geometric model, as the value is not in the critical region of 10%. We can assume that the geometric model was a good model to use for his results. We can again accept the assumptions as there is no evidence to suggest they do not fit into the geometric distribution. See graph above for an explanation of what the results shows. Both results are comfortably in the geometric distribution proving that they are reliable results/models and the assumptions made are valid. We can adapt Doms model so that five degrees of freedom can be used giving the same accuracy as Lees result. I am predicting that it wouldnt affect the results because there would need to be a dramatic increase in the value for it to be of any significance. Both performers have had their results analysed at the same number of degrees of freedom and there was no significant difference. It shows no alteration for the final conclusion and still no evidence is available to reject the models. Both results have shown X and Y can be modelled by the geometric distribution. By knowing this I could produce confidence intervals for any parameters I estimate from the distributions. However at this stage I will calculate the relevant parameter for this piece of coursework. I will estimate the expected number of shots required by Lee and Dom to score a basket. Expected Mean Values To find out the expected mean value for a geometric distribution it is defined as the sum to infinity of: all the probabilities, which are multiplied by the value of X (in Lees case), Y (in Doms case). This can be simplified conveniently to 1/p where p is the probability of scoring when X = 1 For Lee the expected mean value would be E[X] = = 3.3625 (4 d.p.) For Dom the expected mean value would be E[Y] = (4 d.p.) These results demonstrate the average amount of shots it takes until the performer scores. Lee, having a lower expected mean value than Dom, is shown to be the better free-thrower as he takes an average of approximately three shots to score, unlike four shown in Doms case. The total number of shots can be a very rough indicator of who seems to be the better free thrower. Lee took 269 shots and Dom accomplished 345 shots to score 80 baskets. Does this imply that Lee is more accurate? According to the expected mean values and the probabilities of scoring for each model it reinforces Lees success where all three tests are in his favour. There is a much higher chance now of Lee being picked for the game on Saturday. A factor of the investigation was whether taking constant shots at the basket improved performance. This may happen because training has occurred and the brain is learning from past mistakes. The question being asked is, were the five practice shots enough practice to enable an independent model to be produced or should it not have occurred? Raw data results were recorded in two stages; first 40 and second 40 and it suggests small decreases in many of the cells for 2nd 40 especially in Doms case. Lower values of X or Y become more frequent in the 2nd 40. This complicates results and so is a factor to consider if the coursework is completed again. The decreases in the higher X or Y values and the increases in the smaller X or Y values suggest evidence of fatigue, boredom, frustration etc. I can say now that skill level did not increase during the collection of the sample size but what is more likely to have occurred is the opposite. The explanation for Dom being more tired, bored or frustrated is probably because he shot a total of 345 baskets whereas Lee completed his in 269 shots. Two parent populations (X and Y) have been tested against geometric probability models and it so happens that they fit very snugly into them. Therefore, we can apply the knowledge that counting the amount of times before a basket is scored is modelled very well using a geometric distribution. There may be only two populations but they both show noticeable differences in their results and remain well within the statistical model. I will assume that it is highly probable for most other populations to fit into the geometric distribution on the basis that my models are very appropriate for the investigation. I have modelled the basketball situation in a real life atmosphere and the model was successful. Even though the situation is based on a theoretical distribution it was modelled appropriately. The club should now prepare for Lee having the role of free-thrower in this Saturdays cup final and accepting the fact that Dom is on the subs bench for the start of the game The data sampling was very organised and strict but not random. To have taken a random sample would mean: * Watching a random sample of club games throughout the season * Watching a sample of free-throws made by the performers from the game * Calculate who is most accurate A problem with this is time, as it would take a year to go through just one season, therefore it is impractical and illogical. The physical form of the player should also alter throughout the season so a random sample of more than one season would have to be made. A much better way is to watch all training sessions and take a general overview of who supplies the most points in miniature matches from free throws. This gives more of a view of consistency than on the day performance but during game situations the performer will be thinking more logically. A sample of eighty straight baskets is tedious and will affect performance. Modifications * Use a longer time period. The performers were rushed to collect their sample size within two hours as a result of school timetabling and so one of them had to rush his last twenty shots. * Use the same time period i.e. one performer did it one day and the other completed it the next day. Conditions may have been different and morale, energy etc may be variated for both Dom and Lee * Use foot-mats on the floor so that it indicates an exact position for the feet to stand instead of just using the line. This may be an insignificant difference but to improve the coursework it is better than no difference at all. * Using the same basketball. Half way through the sample collection the basketball was lost leaving us the trouble of having to use another basketball maybe of different weight, age etc and possibly affecting the results Improvements * I would like to calculate confidence intervals for both expected values (X and Y) to determine my degree of confidence in Lee being a better freethrower. * I would also like to be able to see if my result E[X] = E[Y] was statistically significant

Slavery and Racism Essays

Slavery and Racism Essays Slavery and Racism Essay Slavery and Racism Essay Jack O’Donnell Development of Western Civilization Dr. Carlson November 17, 2011 Slavery and Racism: Are They One in the Same? Aphra Behn was an extremely significant and influential English writer in the 1600s. One of her more famous works, Oroonoko, discusses the issues of slavery and racism in the Americas. Many people believe that slavery and racism go hand in hand. In fact, these two ideologies are awfully different. Slavery is the act of forcing humans to be treated property whereas racism is the belief that discrimination based on inherently different traits is justifiable. Behn, in Oroonoko, makes the fundamental differences between slavery and racism apparent. With the philosophical views of Rousseau and Trouillot’s analysis on the Haitian revolution, slavery and racism in Oroonoko can easily be separated and distinguished to show their dissimilarities. In the novel, Oroonoko is an African prince and war hero who enslaves many men from the various tribes he conquers in battle. Oroonoko believes this form of slavery is just and should be acceptable. Later in the story, Oroonoko is tricked and sold into slavery. He eventually works with many of the slaves he had sold to the Europeans back in Africa. Oroonoko considers this form of slavery to be incredibly unjust. The plantation owners did not â€Å"win† their slaves over in battle like Oroonoko, rather they barter or trade for them (Boeninger 9/26). The white males also treat Oroonoko as a lesser human being even though he is royalty. They constantly deceive Oroonoko into believing that his freedom is coming when in reality it is nowhere in sight. Because there was such an economic gap between the black slaves and the white slave owners, racism naturally became common custom (Behn). Racism in this case was derived from slavery; they were not the same idea. Behn depicts slavery and racism in this manner to show how different the two ideas are. In Africa, the slaves and the slave owners were of the same race. The color of their skin was not a factor in how they were treated. The fact that they lost in battle was the only reason they were slaves (Behn). In the Americas however, race had a much bigger role in the treatment of slaves. The large plantation owners were white and the slaves were black. Because of the racial divide in the owners and slaves, many forms of racism were justified (Boeninger 9/27). This also led to the discrimination of the free black men in the society. Behn purposely shows slavery in Africa and slavery in Surinam to point out the extreme differences between racism and slavery. Behn’s description of Oroonoko and Imoinda also show the inherent difference between racism and slavery. Behn describes Oroonoko as a beautiful person by stating, â€Å"His nose was rising and Roman instead of African and flat; his mouth the finest shape that could be seen, [†¦]. The whole proportion and air of his face was so noble and exactly formed that, bating his color there could be nothing in nature more beautiful, agreeable, and handsome (Behn 13). † The fantastic image Behn provides shows the reader that slavery and racism have different foundations. If they were the same idea, Behn would have never given such praise to a slave. She compares Oroonoko’s looks to those of a white man which would not have happened if racism and slavery were the same. The description of his beauty relays to the reader that slavery and racism can be two very separate entities. Even though Behn makes a clear distinction between slavery and racism in the novel, many people would disagree in how she got that message across. In Oroonoko, Behn’s message seems anti-racist but it appears that she does not have a problem with slavery. Her problem arises from how the slaves are treated, but slavery in general is acceptable for Behn. One philosopher in particular would have a problem with Behn’s message. Jean- Jacques Rousseau, if he were to read Oroonoko, would have some concerns. In Rousseau’s â€Å"A Discourse†, he discusses slavery and the rights of man. Rousseau believes that all men are born free and are equal according to nature. He would criticize Behn on her opinion of slavery saying that all men are born and should remain equal (Rousseau). Behn is very passive about her views on slavery where Rousseau is active in his writings. Even though he disagrees with Behn’s view on slavery he still believes slavery and racism are different. Rousseau would not dispute Behn over her view of racism. According to Rousseau, racism contrasts with his view on the rights of man. He believes all men are created equal; race should not be a reason to discriminate. He would also affirm what Behn has to say about the horrible treatment of Oroonoko by the white males throughout the story. They kept deceiving and leading Oroonoko on when they knew he would never be freed. Rousseau would say he should have received better treatment. The color of his skin should not matter in his given situation. Rousseau’s belief on the equality of mankind can be used to critique the works of Behn (Carlson 11/10). Even though there are disagreements between the views Behn and Rousseau, both see that racism and slavery are two different ideas and should be treated separately. The Haitian revolution also witnessed severe racism and slavery. In Haiti, slaves occupied about 85% of the population while the free men only occupied about 15% (Breen 10/31). The sugar plantations needed these slaves to run the production which was a gruesome process. Through this horrible procedure, many people made their fortunes. The rich white men would have children with their black slaves and eventually their heirs were of mixed race. When the white females came to Haiti to look for a partner, they noticed the white males were only attracted to the mixed race females. The hatred led to severe racism of the black community in Haiti (Breen 10/31). The stories of the beginning stages of Haitian revolution can easily be compared to the novel Oroonoko. In the Haitian revolution, many of the slave owners were of African descent. They resemble Oroonoko in Africa when he owned slaves of his same race. Racism was not a factor in either of these situations but slavery was. Because all parties were of the same race, slavery and racism did not go hand in hand. The problem in both cases was when the Europeans intervene. The racism was very prevalent in Oroonoko when all the white males were lying to him. They clearly did not respect the fact that he was royalty because of his descent. During the Haitian revolution, the European women’s jealousy caused racism to become prevalent on the island (Breen 10/31). The European jealousy also led to racism back in France. The European intermediates were one of the sources of racism in the early stages of the Haitian Revolution and in Oroonoko. The Haitian revolution was a power struggle amongst the white French and the black Haitians. Within this battle, many sects of Haitian rebel groups began fighting among each other. In Trouillot’s Silencing the Past, he discusses these fights among each other in the form of King Henry and Sans Souci (Trouillot). In his book, Trouillot talks about the race dilemma with the French and the Haitians. If Trouillot were to read Behn’s work, he would see similarities between the racism in Surinam and the racism in Haiti. In Oroonoko, the blacks are treated so horribly that they eventually revolted. That is very similar to what happened in Haiti. The Haitians eventually could not take the abuse and decided to revolt. In both cases they revolted for the racism and the slavery (Carlson 10/3). In Silencing the Past and Oroonoko during the revolts, it seems that slavery and racism are the same. In actuality the slavery and racist views stem about from different ideas. Even though at times it seems that slavery and racism are related, there are always underlying views that separate the two thoughts. Through Aphra Behn’s novel, the public can get a solid grasp of the differences between racism and slavery. With the help of Rousseau and Trouillot, the differences between slavery and racism only become greater and more distinct. Hopefully, people will come to realize how different these two ideologies actually are so they can get a better grasp of the past. Bibliography Behn, Aphra. Oroonoko. London: Penguin, 2003. Print. Boeninger. Notes. 9/26/2011-9/27/2011 Breen. Notes. 10/31/2011 Carlson. Notes. 10/3/2011, 11/10/2011 Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Rousseau: On the Origin of Inequality: Second Part.   Index. G. D. H Cole, 19 Oct. 2007. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. constitution. org/jjr/ineq_04. htm. Trouillot, Michel-Rolph. The Three Faces of Sans Souci.   Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History. Boston, MA: Beacon, 1995. Print.