A story About Ghost and Vampires Essay

Life of Pi’ is a story that is mainly focused on the aspect of survival. Being trapped together with Richard Parker, a Royal Bengal tiger, Pi’s odds seem to have been pulverized to nothing. Yet as the story progresses, Richard Parker begins to give Pl hope and a reason to survive. Pi’s will to survive returns; If he can survive while living together with a Bengal Tiger, he can survive anything. Although seeming a huge threat to Pl at first, Richard Parker unintentionally takes on the role of ghost and rotects Pl against the vampires that he faces, glvlng him moral support, and thus the will to survive. At the beginning of the story In part two, Pl Immediately faces his first vampire: the hyena. Being trapped on a lifeboat together with an Injured zebra, an orangutan and a hyena, It quickly becomes evident to Pl who stands at the top of the food chain. It does not take long before this vampire starts to rejuvenate Itself by feasting on Pl’s companions. Right when the hyena has set its gaze on Pi, Richard Parker (the ghost) omes into play and kills Pi’s first vampire, unintentionally protecting Pi in the process. Though scared at first, Pi learns to deal with Richard Parker over time and eventually even becomes blessed with his presence. ‘It was Richard Parker who calmed me down. It is the irony of this story that the one who scared me witless to start with was the very same who brought me peace, purpose, I dare say even wholeness. ‘ – Chapter 57, page 204. Richard Parker proves to be Pi’s motivator again and again throughout the story, especially when Pi encounters his next vampire: the Pacific Ocean. The saying; the ocean gives and takes’, can be taken quite literarily in this book. The ocean has given Pi basic offerings, food and water mainly, but seeps the life force out of him simultaneously with its strong razor sharp winds, bone crushing waves, and scorching sun. The ocean tries to break Pi’s spirit several times. For example when Pi spots a cargo ship, resulting in the slightest of hopes only to have it all taken away again as the ship passes and does not notice him. Richard Parker is yet again the one thing that keeps Pi going by merely being there and giving Pi moral support In the arkest of times. â€Å"l love you! † The words burst out pure and unfettered, infinite. The feeling fluttered my chest. â€Å"Truly I do. I love you Richard Parker. If I didnt have you now, I dont know what I would do. I don’t think I would make It. No, I wouldnt. I would die of hopelessness. Don’t give up, Richard Parker, dont give up. I’ll get you to land, I promise, I promise! † – Chapter 86, Page 294. Even though Richard Parker does not know It, he yet again serves as a tremendous motivator to Pl. Last but not least Pl meets his last vampire in Its purest form: the algae Island. Pl becomes enchanted with the Island and It almost seems Ilke he falls under some sort of spell or glamour, luring him Inside with Its delicious edible algae and fresh drinking water. Pl decides to spend his nights on the Island Instead of the boat, yet Is scared that Richard Parker might attack him in his sleep. He therefore decides to sleep In the trees and makes the gruesome discovery that the island feeds on its inhabitants at night.

Water Microbiology

Alyse Rose Microbiology Lab Bacterial Unknown March 25, 2013 Bacterial Unknown Report Each student was given an unknown bacteria to figure out. I was given the unknown bacteria S38. Everybody is supposed to do all sorts of test to identify the bacteria. The first thing I did was smear my bacteria on a liquid medium. I then proceeded to incubate the medium for 24-48 hours. 1. GRAM STAIN The next step I took in finding my unknown bacteria was to gram stain it.This is used to differentiate the bacteria. The different staining reagents are: crystal violet, grams iodine, acetone-alcohol, and grams safranin. Under the microscope it was a pink color, which means Gram Negative. Also, the shape was a rod. 2. KLIGER’S IRON AGAR (KIA) The next step I did was the KIA slant. This is for the Negative bacteria to see if they are in the Enteriobacteriaceae group. There are many different results than can occur, like: 1.Yellow slant/yellow deep- (A/A) glucose & lactose are fermented; if the bu tt has bubbles in it or is displaced, the tube is gas positive. 2. Red slant/yellow deep- (K/A) glucose but not lactose is fermented 3. Red slant/black deep- (K/A) glucose but not lactose is fermented and H2S2 is produced. The deep is acid (yellow) 4. Red slant/ red deep- (K/NC) neither carbohydrate is fermented. Peptone is degraded aerobically My result was a red slant and black deep. When is H2S2 is produced. Read Chapter 8 Microbial GeneticsThe deep is acid (yellow). Glucose was fermented and lactose wasn’t. 3. UREASE HYDROLYSIS TEST This test is used to see if urea is used. Proteus can be determined because there fast urease activity. Proteus is the ability to utilize lactose. My test resulted in a positive result. It was a pink color. In my end result, my unknown bacteria is Proteus Vulgaris. Gram Stain| Positive Gram Stain| Negative gram stain| KIARed slant/black deep| Urease Test| Urease Positive| Urease Negative| Proteus Vulgaris|

Microprocessor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Microprocessor - Essay Example The 80286 contains a total of fourteen registers that are of interest to the application programmer. These registers may be grouped into four basic categories: General registers. These eight 16-bit general-purpose registers are used primarily to contain operands for arithmetic and logical operations. Segment registers. These four special-purpose registers determine, at any given time, which segments of memory are currently addressable. Status and Control registers. These three special-purpose registers are used to record and alter certain aspects of the 80286 processor state. For descriptive purposes, the 80286 instruction set is partitioned into three distinct subsets: the Basic Instruction Set, the Extended Instruction Set, and the System Control Instruction Set. The "hierarchy" of instruction sets defined by this partitioning helps to clarify the relationships between the various processors in the 8086 family . Five of the general- purpose registers are available for offset addres s calculations. These five registers, shown in figure 2-4, are SP, BP, BX, SI, and DI. SP is called a pointer register; BP and BX are called base registers; SI and DI are called index registers. The Basic Instruction Set, comprises the common subset of instructions found on all processors of the 8086 family. Included are instructions for logical and arithmetic operations, data movement, input/output, string manipulation, and transfer of control.... address lines, giving these processors one megabyte of addressability (2^20 = 1MB). The 80286, with its 24 address lines, gives 16 megabytes of addressability (2^24 = 16 MB). The 286 was designed to run multitasking applications, including communications (such as automated PBXs), real-time process control, and multi-user systems. The 80286 contains a total of fourteen registers that are of interest to the application programmer. These registers may be grouped into four basic categories: General registers. These eight 16-bit general-purpose registers are used primarily to contain operands for arithmetic and logical operations. Segment registers. These four special-purpose registers determine, at any given time, which segments of memory are currently addressable. Status and Control registers. These three special-purpose registers are used to record and alter certain aspects of the 80286 processor state. For descriptive purposes, the 80286 instruction set is partitioned into three distinct subsets: the Basic Instruction Set, the Extended Instruction Set, and the System Control Instruction Set. The "hierarchy" of instruction sets defined by this partitioning helps to clarify the relationships between the various processors in the 8086 family . Five of the general- purpose registers are available for offset address calculations. These five registers, shown in figure 2-4, are SP, BP, BX, SI, and DI. SP is called a pointer register; BP and BX are called base registers; SI and DI are called index registers. The Basic Instruction Set, comprises the common subset of instructions found on all processors of the 8086 family. Included are instructions for logical and arithmetic operations, data movement, input/output, string manipulation, and

Quebec before and after the Quiet Revolution Research Paper

Quebec before and after the Quiet Revolution - Research Paper Example The origin of the Quite Revolution years was the Duplessis regime characterized by social conservation, isolation and generally negative autonomist stands3. The hopes and energies unleashed during the period of Quite Revolution shook the very foundation of Canada and the impact is still being felt up to date. In his reign as the Prime Minister of Quebec and the leader behind the Quite Revolution, Lesage introduced a slogan known as "Maitres chez nous" (Masters in our own house) which best represented his years as the leader of Quebec. The fundamental belief in Quebec, during the period of Quite Revolution, was that the French Canadians should not be contented with playing a second class responsibility in political, social and economical matters and that the fundamental aspect of the community development rested in the utilization of the distinct tool which was collectively controlled by the French Canadians: the state of Quebec, and hence in the denunciation of the anti-statism of th e past. In this regard the government of Lesage became the tool and the symbol of a whole people on the road to self-assertion. The Duplessis regime is largely challenged by many social scientists today. However, there is no doubt that the end of Duplessis regime and the succeeding election of Jean Lesage as the leader of Liberal party, introduced a period of massive changes and activities, which later amounted to a Revolution. Quebec Before 1960 Prior to the 1960s, Quebec was governed by Maurice Duplessis. Duplessis was a conservative and the leader of Union National Party. During his tenure as the government controller, election fraud and corruption was eminent and common practices in Quebec. Even though he was not supported Catholic Church as a whole as some Catholic clergies and Unions criticized him, Duplessis enjoyed enormous support from small towns and rural clergies sometimes even quoting the Union dominant Slogan â€Å"Le ciel est bleu† (the sky/ heaven is blue), â €Å"l'enfer est rouge† (hell is red) - which referred to Union National colors (red) and the Liberals (red)4. The liberals were accused of being pro-communist by the Union. The newspaper Le Devoir, Radio Canada and political journal Cite’ Libre were intellectual forum for Duplessis critics5. Prior to the Quite Revolution, Quebec’s natural resources were mainly developed by foreign investors. For example iron mining was done by Iron Company of Canada which was based in U.S. in 1949 a group of asbestos miners engaged in a three month strike. The strike led to the formation of Quebecer miners united which opposes the foreign corporation nationalists system and the Catholic Clergies who backed the American company (l 1998). The voice of the miners did not go unnoticed and they received support from Monsignor Charbonneau, Bishop of Montreal, group of intellectual individuals, Quebecois nationalist newspaper and many other groups and individuals who were mainly oppose d to the Duplessis system of governance. Until the mid 20th century, quite a number of Francophone Quebec workers lived below poverty line and did not have an opportunity to join the executive class of businessmen in their province6. For some reasons, the death of Duplessis in 1959, followed by the death of Paul Sauve, his successor, elicited the start of the Quite Revolut

Descartes and God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Descartes and God - Essay Example Relying on the principle of clarity and distinctness, he argued that there were two things he could be sure about: the existence of himself and God. Being a devout Catholic, he wanted to make a contribution to understanding of Christianity. So in the opening statement to Meditations, Descartes claimed that there were two driving issues behind this work: proving the existence of God and the immortality of the soul through natural reason (Burnham and Fieser 2006). In fact, the necessary existence of God was the absolute truth for Descartes, perceived by him at the intuition level. Yet, he realized that it was necessary to provide clear logical arguments of this existence. Descartes provided three principal arguments of the existence of God: the causal, cosmological and ontological ones. The causal argument is most fully represented in Meditation III, it can also be found in the Discourse (Part I) and in the Principles (Part I  §Ã‚ § 17-18). Descartes distinguishes between the formal reality of an idea (its actual existence and degree of perfection as a mode of mind) and its objective reality (the degree of perfection it has with consideration of its content). Further the philosopher recognizes three degrees of perfection based on the capacity of a thing for an independent existence. God, being an infinite substance depending on nothing, is viewed as the highest degree of perfection. An individual body or mind (finite substances depending on God alone) is given the next degree. A property of a substance, that is a mode depending on the substance for existence, is considered as being of the lowest degree. Descartes states that â€Å"it is manifest by the natural light that there must be at least as much reality in the efficient and total cause as in the effect of that cause†. Thus there should be as much formal reality in the cause of an idea as there is objective reality in the

Obama and Romney 2012 campaigns Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Obama and Romney 2012 campaigns - Assignment Example The poster ad might not be very effective, since it is specifically targeted at the middle class, while negating all the other American economic classes. The image portrays President Obama smiling. The campaign poster has rows of texts that are inscribed atop of the image of President Obama, carrying different messages. The text on the first row states that because of Barack Obama, the combat mission in Iraq ended. The other texts states that it is because of Barack Obama that ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ is now history. There are also other texts stating that because of Barack Obama, there is a first Latina is in Supreme Court, while 32 million people will benefit from healthcare. The producer of this campaign poster targeted to deliver a message on the achievements that President Obama had made during his first term in office, and thus lure the voters into voting him once again back to office. The poster Ad is effective since it highlights some of the achievements that cannot be associated with any other USA president who served before, such as nominating the first Latina to the Supreme Court. The image is that of a Mitt Romney campaign Ad that does not carry his image, but only texts that are inscribed on a black-poster background. The texts on the poster are to the effect that there are still over 20 million young people in America who are still living with their parents. The other texts state that it’s the voters’ choice to move in with the parents or to take up one of 12 million new job opportunities. The producer of this poster Ad is specifically ridiculing the first term presidency of President Obama. The intent of the producer of the poster Ad is to show that President Obama is incapable of creating job opportunities for the young Americans. Thus, the Ad gives the young people a choice in Mitt Romney as the

Equal Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Equal Rights - Essay Example Was there really no means for him not to emulate Eve given the fact that he loved her? But we are no longer living on biblical times. The apple had been swallowed and the Garden of Eden is but a distant memory of our apparent disobedience from the commands of God in his paradise. An amendment pertaining to equal rights amendment, specifically, on gender equality has been long overdue. The drafted 1972 Equal Rights Amendment, with all its content and significance duly brought to notice the need for this statute. The clamor not only by various organizations that advocate its ratification can be viewed as nothing less than the legislative’s duty to bring about justice especially in this ever-changing society. It is by virtue of evolution that such changes are inherent to us as a nation. The righteousness of our democracy yields the empowerment of the people not only to be theoretical but must be realized in such a manner that it is in constant concurrence with the applicability of the manner of the times we live in. No longer are we, regardless of gender, mere audience to our own existence. The intent for which this amendment is based on gives supremacy to the need for substantial change that must be implemented. This conflict in the Constitution, the supreme law of the land, must be addressed with expediency. Over a century preceding the adoption of the Equal Protection Clause, it has yet to be given its ‘teeth’ so to speak in the decisions of the Supreme Court. In a 1983 law from the state of Illinois which prohibits women from practicing law, the court ruled that it was in accordance with the Constitution as such that no law was violated in its implementation. Furthermore, it had become more apparent that the courts cite in its opinion the prevalence of the belief that man should be the protector of women and that a woman’s primary duty not only in the eyes of the family but of the law, is to be a good wife and mother as such is the law of the

The United States African Development Foundation Research Paper - 1

The United States African Development Foundation - Research Paper Example Though US funds many of the international development programs via UN, but USAID (United States Agency for International Development) is one of the most prominent organizations working directly under the US government towards the goal of democracy promotions and economic development of various states. United States African Development Foundation was conceived by the US congress in 1980, as a complimentary organization to USAID and other functional programs directed at similar goals. However, this organization was developed with the focus over the impoverished states of Africa, to empower the marginalized population of the areas under focus. The groundwork for the USADF`s legislation is laid upon the model of the Inter-American Foundation, however the scope and background of both the organizations differ to a great extent. USADF is an independent, though federally run organization committed at the goal of formulating strategies specific to the African communities to assist the marginalized societies by granting economic as well as technical assistance at the grassroots level. Going into the history of the organization, the initiation period was quite shaky as it took almost four years to bring the organization into its functional shape. Right in the beginning the appointment of the board of governors for this organization were delayed and it wasn’t until 1983 that these appointments took place. Later in 1983, most of the high level staff resigned due to some issues which again made the functional capacity of the organization restricted to some extent. The organization again gained momentum when the General Accounting Officer (GAO) was asked to take over the look after the management needs of the organization. In 1984 however, the relevant officers presided over the desired positions and reforms in procedures took place to bring the organization into its current shape (Grassroots Development: The African Development Foundation).

Figuring out the truth Essay Example for Free

Figuring out the truth Essay Everyone has been lied to, mistreated or even betrayed at some point in their life. That feeling is awful, but to be the person that did so wrong should feel even worse because of the pain they caused to someone else. The meaning of this quote to me is very relatable in a lot of ways, being right out of high school I know what its like to have been lied to and feeling like an idiot because you probably believed something that someone told you, you thought was the truth then ended up finding out it was all a lie. People will always find out the truth even if you don’t tell them straight up. So why do we lie? We all have done it and we know its not right but we continue to do it. Do we think that we will always get away with saying something that’s not the truth? Where is lying going to get you in life? It gets you no where, telling the truth may not be the easiest thing but it’s the right thing to do even if you have done wrong and think you should look like a good person and tell a lie to cover up what you had done but telling the truth is actually the right thing to do. People will get in trouble for telling the truth if the truth isn’t what they want to hear and they will also get in trouble for lying because it was the wrong thing to do. The truth may not always be the prettiest but it’s not as ugly as lying about something that someone is going to find out eventually. One day. In the quote Brudzinski mentions that â€Å"one day the truth will emerge†¦Ã¢â‚¬  one day someone is going to find out all the truth. One day someone is going to regret not telling the truth and having to deal with the consequences of what they lied about. Why not just face the truth and get it over with instead of living with the fact that you made someone feel better by telling a lie and knowing that when they found out you didn’t tell them what really was the truth they will feel the complete opposite of when they â€Å"thought† you told them the truth but was really all a lie. This quote to me means that people need to fess up to what they have done right in the beginning then waiting for the truth to come around and having to explain yourself for doing wrong. It relates to me a lot with my friends recently. You really get to know who your true friends are when someone gets caught in a lie. I know I have lied before to my friends to maybe get out of doing something that they all wanted to do and I now think back to that and I know that wasn’t the right thing to do and not just that but all because I didn’t want to do something that everyone else wanted to do seems so selfish. When it comes to lying theres more than not just telling the truth, you can loose friends and family because of something you said wasn’t true. How will someone ever trust you after they find out that you’ve lied to them? This quote relates mostly to middle school and high school girls. It’s the stage where everyone has to fit in so they try there best to do so and a lot of it comes with lies. Trying to fit into the popular crowd in middle school is not an easy task and no body wants to be left out. You have to have the name brand clothes, all of today’s electronics, and not to mention you have to get the boys to notice you. Girls try so hard to fit in now days, if you aren’t this skinny we cant be friends with you, if you don’t go to that concert everyone will think you’re poor. Girls are cruel to each other now days so teenage girls try their best to do what they can to have all the friends they can and lies are tossed around all the time so they can be more popular. Where are the lies getting these girls? All they will ever know is that its ok to be fake and have a mask. Lies turn people into someone there not. Be happy with what you have, you don’t need to throw out lies to just â€Å"fit in†, if someone doesn’t accept you the way you are you wouldn’t want to be friends with them anyways. I believe finding out the truth is the hardest part after being lied to. The fact that someone had to come up with a story to get out of telling the truth is sad. It doesn’t hurt one person but it hurts both people, the one who told the lie and the one who got told the lie. It makes the person who had to come up with a story to avoid the truth look like a betrayer. Don’t be that person, stand up and face the truth, you’re going to have to at some point so why make up a false statement when you could tell the true one. This quote is simply about finding out the truth. Why do people lie? Most people think they will get by most of the time but in the end someone always finds out the truth which is like a corpse in the water, someone is going to find that body eventually and the story will all come together. Why lie when someone is going to find out the truth at some point. â€Å"One day the truth will emerge, like a corpse in the water. † Wieslaw Brudzinski. The other pages. http://www. theotherpages. org/quote-16. html. February 2, 2014.

Electrical Properties Quantum Transport in Nanowire Device

Electrical Properties Quantum Transport in Nanowire Device David S. Murdoch Nanowires are quasi one-dimensional rod-like nanostructures with diameters in the order of nanometres (10^-9m) and have seemingly unlimited length and a great degree of versatility. Nanowires form as monocrystals in a well defined crystal geometric direction. Nanowire geometry allows for easy contacting of the wires from two sides. Attention is devoted to geometry of nanowires because this is the feature that allows for easy control of electronic properties of nanowires.[1] Growth orientation (e.g. 100), the faceting arrangement (e.g. [100]) and the surface structure (Si(100)) are generally outlined in nanowire investigations and are a generally accepted notation to depict nanowires. A nanowire is thin and diameter is in order of magnitude far smaller than length of nanowire. As diameters gets larger, quantum effects become less significant against bulk material properties. Nanowires have thermoelectric properties, specifically that they have high thermal stability and low thermal conductivity. Quasi one dimensional Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) and nanowires are likely composite materials for future electronic devices.[1] Nanowires electrical properties are easier to control than CNTS, therefore are an attractive alternative to CNTs and naturally passivated when semiconducting.[1] Under scrutiny, experimentally grown nanowires always have passivated facets but further study of unpassivated (pristine) nanowires has demonstrate fundamental mechanisms at an atomic-scale. One of which being that passivation is necessary to obtain nanowires with those controllable electrical properties.[1] Semiconductor nanowires can form from materials such as: Silicon, Si Indium Arsenide, InAs Germanium, Ge Indium Phosphide, InP Gallium Nitride, GaN Zinc Oxide, ZnO Cadmium Sulphide, CdS Nanowires can also be made from metallic materials and oxidised to make insulators but semiconducting crystalline nanowires are ultimately more useful in devices. At the atomic-scale, although impurities are useful sometimes, small variations can cause serious unwanted alterations to electronic structure. [1] Semiconducting nanowires are often fabricated via growth mechanisms or synthesised by electrochemical etching. These processes are often done in an aqueous solution with HF acid. The most common method of nanowire growth is Vapour-Liquid-Solid (VLS) mechanism. VLS is a bottom-up process that starts with the dissolution of gaseous semiconducting materials with colloids of a metal catalyst, generally gold or silver [2]. The one-dimensional growth is evoked and dictated by the colloids. Once the colloids are supersaturated with semiconducting material, crystalline nanowire growth will start to occur at a boundary between solid substrate and liquidised material. This particular description was the growth of silicon nanowires. One example of EE is the use Ag catalyst on wafer-scale Si to fabricate a nanowire array. Ag+ ions are reduced in the solution after holes are inserted into the valence band of Si substrate. The reduced Ag nanoparticles dictate the extent of the etching and oxidation processes. Vertically aligned nanowires result from this synthesis.[3] After both methods of fabrication, nanowires remained anchored to substrates and are similarly dependent upon length of diameter for thermoelectric properties. However, wires from EE have much rougher surfaces than that of VLS. [Si nanowires yielded from EE have much rougher surfaces than typical Si nanowires grown via VLS and have less thermal conductance.[3] A heterostructures are the junctions between two different crystalline semiconductor materials essentially two different nanowire materials formed together to make one nanowire with unique properties. Heterostructures are commonly grown via VLS.[2] These heterostructures allow nanowires to have multitude of properties. What is a semiconductor and how does it work. By strict definition, a semiconductor has a conductivity between 105 and 10-5ÃŽ ©-1m-1. This is in contrast with insulators that have conductivity of approximately 10-24ÃŽ ©-1m-1 and metals that typically have 107 to 108ÃŽ ©-1m-1. On the face of them, these numerical values are rather meaningless but they do show that a semiconductor is separate from the other two, a true genuine third category of material.[4] How a semiconductor conducts is best described by a conduction and valence band. The conduction band rests above the valence band. The conduction band contains excited electrons and the valence band contains holes. In an insulator the two bands are a vast distance away from each other. In a semiconductor the two bands are much closer together, almost touching. If a bandgap is small enough, thermal vibrations may provide enough energy for some electrons to excite from the valence band to the conduction band. In a metal the two bands overlap, leading to a low resistivity in metals.[4] The diagram below depicts what the above description. An intrinsic semiconductor has a completely filled valence band, electron and hole populations are always equal. [4] An extrinsic semiconductor is doped. Midway between the two bands lies the Fermi energy. Below the Fermi energy. At absolute zero, no electrons we be able to excite past the Fermi energy.[12] In n-type and p-type semiconductors, the Fermi energy is adjusted to be closer to valence or conduction band.[12] Between the two bandgaps there is a sea of electron density. A transistor is a semiconducting electronic switch and are commonly found embedded in integrated circuits. Down-scaling of the gate length over the years has technological devices reduce in size has caused field-effect devices to having significantly less electrostatic control of a path of conductance; more capable device have been developed such as FINFETs, Trigate transistors and ultimately gate-all-around devices (GAA).[4] Nanowire devices can come in all shapes, not sizes. Examples of nanowire devices are Field-Effect Transistors (FETS), LEDs, Tunnelling diodes, Elementary logic gates, lasers and biochemical sensors.[4] There are a number of different FETs but Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) might be the most interesting or relevant in near-future technologies and are examples of GAAs. MOSFETs are extrinsic semiconductors where the doped material has been oxidised for some insulating properties. If a metallic gate anode were deposited you have the foundation of an electrical switch. [crystalline] Carrier charge density can be changed at the Fermi energy. If the semiconductor were p-type (i.e. abundance of holes in valence band) and a positive voltage is applied to the circuit then the electrostatic energy of the holes increases. Although holes are pushed away from the anode, any attracted electrons do not compensate for the decrease in positive charge. The switching effect is reduced if charge can be stored at the interface between the insulating barrier and the Si since the potential of the silicon will be less than that of the applied gate.[4] When voltage is increased beyond a certain point electron concentration at the surface of the Si will exceed the hole concentration. This creates the on/off switching effect. This gate voltage is large enough so that the bottom of the valence band moves down. The switching effect does not work with a metallic material because the valence band would be too high still and a Fermi energy could still carry current. The semiconductor band gap controls on/off electron currents.[4] Are nanowire MOSFETs superior? Smaller semiconductor gates allows speeds up operation from shorter distances, lower areas of capacitances and Larger fields but it is risky to store charge in a transistor so small and new quantum effects come into play at a nanowire-scale. One of the capabilities of these new technologies is to produce potentials which can confine electrons to the same scale as their Fermi wavelength. Nanowire MOSFETs can also be used in high frequency circuits. In Electron microscopy high energy electrons are fired at an object and reflected electrons are collected and computed into an image. Electron microscopy generally has greater magnifying power than optical microscopes. There are two main electron microscopes and they are Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). SEM uses secondary electron to help generate an image that gives the viewer an impression of 3D while TEM fires at thinner objects at produces a 2D image but while ultimately be more useful for imaging nanowires.[7] Larger batteries potential differences require more conductive metals. In recent years Lithium has grown popular as a cathode. Semiconducting Si could be an attractive anode for Li cathode batteries as both metals become more ubiquitous. Although Si has low discharge potential and charge capacity 10x higher than existing graphite anodes and even more so than oxide and nitride materials, Si anodes in bulk form have limited use because silicons volume is drastically altered during extraction and insertion of Li. Resulting in capacity fading and pulverisation after recharging cycles. This is depicted in the diagram below. [8] Anodes made of Si films have a stable capacity over many cycles but are not viable as a battery because they waste away over time. Nanowire are a superior alternative to bulk materials because of a piezoelectric effect: â€Å"Crystals which acquire a charge when compressed, twisted or distorted are said to be piezoelectric. This provides a convenient transducer effect between electrical and mechanical oscillations.†[9] Each Si nanowire is grown and electrically connected to a metallic substrate surface thus all nanowires contribute to the battery capacity. During Fossil fuel combustion 15 TW of heat is lost to the environment. Thermoelectric modules could potentially convert part of the heat waste to electricity.[3] As of 2008, Bi2Te3 in its bulk form was the most commonly used material for thermoelectric devices. However, it is difficult to scale bulk Bi2Te3 to large-scale energy conversion in power plants but fabricating synthetic nanostructures of Bi2Te3 for this purpose is even more difficult and expensive. Thus, Bi2Te3 is replaced with increasingly ubiquitous Si.[3] Ubiquitous Si, abundance with a low-cost and high-yield products thanks to economies of scale. Si also has advantages in thermoelectric applications. Critical spacings below 300nm in Si would reduce thermal conductivity since Si has larger differences in mean free path lengths between phonons (~300nm) and electrons (110nm) at room temperature.[3] InAs-based semiconductor nanowires can already provide a convenient basis for the development of more complex hybrid nanostructures and can contact Schottky barrier-free with metals.[6]The InAs superconducting nanowires are fabricated via catalytic process based on the VLS mechanism.[6] InAs nanowires can be grown epitaxially. Epitaxial growth means the deposited material continues to grow on the same crystalline lattice as its substrate.[2] A superconductor is material with with no resistance and generally operates at a lower temperature. Within semiconductors, there are electron pairs, separated by vast distance in comparison to the lattice spacing, are coupled. These so-called Cooper pairs can exhibit boson characteristics and condense to a ground state since their attraction produces a small pair binding energy similar to the Fermi energy level.[10] A supercurrent generates no waste heat or any other form of waste. The supercurrent can be switched on or off by the electron density acting like a transistor as described earlier. Nanowires acquire superconducting properties because of the proximity effect, a phenomenon that can occur as Cooper pairs of electrons from a superconductor flow into a normal conductor at a junction. Nanowires arent inherently superconducting or easy to make superconducting.[6] The proximity effect manifests itself through the appearance of a supercurrent, which can be viewed as a consequence of the diffusion of Cooper pairs throughout the entire length of the nanowire section between the two superconducting electrodes.[6] the proximity affect can only happen if the boundary between Superconductor and semiconductor allows electrons to move freely. Cooper pair tunnelling is an explanation of Cooper pairs where they are able to interact through quantum tunnelling. At a junction between two superconductors a nd a more resistive material i.e. S-N-S junction. Two Cooper pairs across from each other in two separate semiconductors, can feel an attraction and readily flow into the normal conductor dividing them. S-N-S junctions will also feel a Josephson effect. Cooper pair could be created in the superconductor electrons in the Fermi energy being reflected at the S-N boundary.[6] This could be because of tunnelling effects. But what of Tunable supercurrent? How can a hybrid superconductor-semiconductor device work to observe quantum phenomena? Josephson behaviour occurs at critical currents. The nanowires allows the critical current to be controlled by voltage at a gate, Vg. If this voltage is negative then electron density is reduced and nanowires perform as the weak links between tunable superconductors.[6] With the use of certain geometries, there is the possibility of controlling individual nanowires on the same IC. Majorana fermions are particles that are their own antiparticle.[13] Not much is still known about Majorama pairs, not all the theory has been made to explain them and their properties yet. They are also examples of non-Abelian anyons.[14] In the vicinity of a Zeeman field, semiconducting nanowires require strong spin-orbit to induce majorana pairing in between electron states. This proximity effect induces a topological superconductor. Majoranas can be detected by Tunnelling Spectroscopy. A superpostion of Majorana particles states will always be zero energy because the particle and antiparticle have opposite energy.[14] Said zero energy state can be found in a normal conductor acting as a junction.[11] How to summarise this dissertation? The task received was to research and review electrical properties and quantum transport in nanowire devices. This task down into an explanation of base nanowires, specifically semiconducting nanowires. Then, general devices such as transistors, batteries and thermoelectrics were reported on and how certain applications have taken advantage of nanowires in respective devices. Then analyse of quantum effects in Cooper Pairs in superconductors and Majorama fermions. Technology is advancing at an exponential pace. The smaller components can be the more attractive they to companies who manufacture and sell consumer products. The smaller a transistor is the more you can fit on an integrated circuit leading to smaller more powerful products. Majorama fermions and Cooper pair tunnelling probably wont be used in any consumer applications in the near future but nanowire semiconductors in junctions placed between superconductors show means of electrically me asuring quantum tunnelling. In the near future investigations of these particles will enhance fabrication and measuring techniques and eventually manipulate and control Majorana qubits. They are examples of non-Abelian anyons[14], quantum state after partilce exchange making them ideal for use in topological quantum computing.[13] References R. Rurali, â€Å" Structural, electronic, and transport properties of silicon nanowires†, Reviews Of Modern Physics, 82 427-449 (2010) Law, M., Goldberger, J., Yang, P. D., â€Å"Semiconductor Nanowires and Nanotubes†, Annual Review of Materials Research, 34, 83-122 (2004) Hochbaum, R. Chen, R. D. Delgado, W. Liang, E. C. Garnett, M. Najarian, A. Majumdar, P. Yang, â€Å"Enhanced thermoelectric performance of rough silicon nanowires†, Nature 451, 163-167 (2008) Crystalline Solids lecture notes http://cxs.phys.soton.ac.uk/mwf/mediawiki-1.21.2/images/7/70/2013_lecture_notes.pdf Egard M, Johansson S, Johansson AC, Persson KM, Dey AW, Borg BM, Thelander C, Wernersson LE, Lind E, â€Å"Vertical InAs nanowire wrap gate transistors with f(t) > 7 GHz and f(max) > 20 GHz†, Nano Lett. 10, 809-812 (2010). Y.-J. Doh, J. A. van Dam, A. L. Roest, E. P. A. M. Bakkers, L. P. Kouwenhoven, S. De Franceschi, â€Å"Tunable Supercurrent Through Semiconductor Nanowires†, Science 309, 272-275 (2005) C. T. K.-H. Stadtlà ¤nder, â€Å"Scanning Electron Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy of Mollicutes: Challenges and Opportunities† Modern Research and Educational Topics in Microscopy, 123 (2007) C. K. Chan, H. Peng, G. Liu, K. McIlwrath, X. F. Zhang, R. A. Huggins, Y. Cui, â€Å"High-performance lithium battery anodes using silicon nanowires†, Nature Nanotech. 3, 31 35 (2008) Piezoelectric Effect, HyperPhysics http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solids/piezo.html Cooper Pairs, Hyperphysics http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/Hbase/solids/coop.html V. Mourik, K. Zuo, S. M. Frolov, S. R. Plissard, E. P. A. M. Bakkers, L. P. Kouwenhoven, â€Å"Signatures of Majorana Fermions in Hybrid Superconductor-Semiconductor Nanowire Devices†, Science 336, 1003-1007 (2012). Fermi Level, Hyperphysics http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solids/fermi.html Leijnse, M., Karsten,F., â€Å"Introduction to topological superconductivity and Majorana fermions† Topical review 1-20 (2012) http://arxiv.org/pdf/1206.1736v2.pdf Enter the Majorana Fermion, Sciencemag.org, http://www.sciencemag.org/content/336/6084/989.full.pdf

India and UK Financial Insurance Industry Analysis

India and UK Financial Insurance Industry Analysis Chapter 1: Introduction The financial performance of insurance industry can be assessed by knowing either its strategies or by knowing its profitability. Knowledge of strategy will helps in examining internal and external position of a company. Comparative study of insurance sector is analysis of financial performance of any insurance company. This is directly linked with the earning potential and effectiveness of management strategies of a company. Choosing a wise insurance is very crucial because of, balance to the risks and returns. The reason for choosing Indian and UK insurance industry for the research is because of improved economical status of the country and increase in the value of insurance in the country during last several years. The UK Economy is the largest in Europe and is also ranked as the fifth worldwide as per the market exchange rates, in terms of GDP (Broadberry et al, 1992) were Indian economy is now improving and it is now booming growth in insurance companies were greatest effect of Indian economy during the last several years. This would need a grate deal of financial planning knowledge, as well as the knowledge about the current financial market thus it can compare the other to the insurance companies the analysis of different insurance companies from India and UK. Also insurance companies has to manage their investment in such a way that the principal amount should not erode, investor should get the assured returns those company has promised. This would involve a grate deal of knowledge about the portfolio management of the risk and return and comparative study of insurance industries. Comparative study of insurance is also a topic of hunger for many economists. Till date many researches has been carried out for comparative study of financial analysis in banking sector and very few research has been taken on insurance industry. The main purpose of the research is to find comparative study of insurance companies in India and UK. What characteristic will determine of insurance industry is the main thrust behind the research. Further research is carried out to know in depth relationship of various characteristics that will make up the of Indian and UK insurance industry. The main outline objectives of the research are as under; A Research Design is the framework or plan for a study which is used as a guide in collecting and analyzing the data collected. It is the blue print that is followed in completing the study. The basic objective of research cannot be attained without a proper research design. It specifies the methods and procedures for acquiring the information needed to conduct the research effectively. It is the overall operational pattern of the project that stipulates what information needs to be collected, from which sources and by what methods. Objectives of the research This research has been carried out to comparative study of insurance companies and analyzes financial performance between Indian and UK’s insurance companies. The main aims of the research are: To analyze financial performance of insurance companies in India and UK To evaluate factors that determine financial performance of insurance companies To carry out strategic financial analysis of insurance in India and UK The structure of the research paper is as follows: Chapter 2 reviews the literature on comparative study of insurance sector; Chapter 3 describes the subject matter of the research: the Indian and UK economy and insurance industries ; Chapter 4 outlines the methodology and data used in this study; Chapter 5 presents the analysis and Findings and Chapter 6 discusses the results obtained in the context of the underlying theory the findings of other empirical research; Chapter 7 concludes the research outlining the limitations of the current study and makes recommendations for further work. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Theory Insurance is, a contract in which one party agrees to compensate another party fir any losses or damages caused by risk identified in the contract in exchange for the payment of a lump sum or periodic amounts of money to the first party. In simple meaning facilitates recompense during crisis situations, insurance means promise of compensation for any potential future losses. Insurance is a form of risk management mainly used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. It is designed to protect the financial security of an individual, company or other entity in the case of unexpected loss. Insurance is defined as the realistic transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium. It is a contract between two parties the insurer (the insurance company) and the insured (the person or unit seeking the cover) in which the insurer agrees to pay the insured for financial losses arising out of any unforeseen events in return for a regular payment of premium. These unforeseen events are defined as risk and that is why insurance is called a risk cover. Insurance may be described as a social device to decrease or eliminate risk of loss to life and property. Under the plan of insurance, a large number of people correlate themselves by sharing risks attached to individuals. The risks which can be insured against include fire, the perils of sea, death and accidents and burglary. Any risk contingent upon these, may be insured against at a premium commensurate with the risk involved. Thus collective bearing of risk is insurance. Analyzing insurance companies is very different from analyzing corporate and thus presents unique challenges and industry specific issues. The ability of any insurance company to meet its policy obligations is the foundation of the industry. Absent the trust of policyholders in the financial integrity of any insurer and the industry as a whole, this risk transfer mechanism/industry would collapse. This truth is even more acute in the ES industry where no guaranty funds exist, except New Jersey. However, rapid growth of Insurance sector during the situation liberalization period is seen as the most significant event in financial sector hist. in view of the fact that then, lot of changes take place in the sector as it was exposed to new challenges of competitive competition. For the first time, the private and foreign players were given entry and thus the sector saw a wonderful rate of growth in its business. A well-developed insurance sector is needed for economic development for a rising economy like India as it provides long-term funds for physical and social infrastructure progress at the same time make stronger the risk taking ability. The investment supplies for India in the upcoming years are well-known. Thus, Insurance sector, to some extent, can enable investments in infrastructure development to help maintain economic growth of the country. In this backdrop, we raise two questions: what is the contribution of insurance sector growth towards economic development and financial intermediation in India and United Kingdom. Our study does not stop here as we take a step further to examine the financial and economic growth effects of Insurance sector reforms and the rate of growth of reforms. The insurance companies offer a comprehensive range of insurance plans. The most common types include: term life policies, endowment policies, joint life policies, whole life policies, loan cover term assurance policies, unit-linked insurance plans, group insurance policies, pension plans, and annuities. General insurance plans are also available to cover motor insurance, home insurance, travel insurance and health insurance. Due to the growing demand for insurance, more and more insurance companies are now emerging insurance sector all over the world. With the opening up of the economy, several international leaders in the insurance sector are trying to venture into the insurance industry. The comparative study of insurance sector, Analysis of ratios are calculated from companys balance sheet and income statement and are used to evaluate the performance of the company in a particular reporting period. Analysis of ratios can be compared to the previous years in order to assess trends or between the comparable companies across the industry in classify to get the relative performance estimation. It is very important that every ratio should have a reference point the industry (sector) average or median. The ratio analysis works better if comparing ratios not with the complete set of companies within a particular industry, but with a preferred subset of companies that share certain features, produce the similar product, and have identical macroeconomic and governmental factors affecting them. For the study of companies, operating in several industries it can be helpful to run a cross-sectional analysis to identify a group of firms, involved in the same mix of industries. In some cases a comparison to the economy averages can be meaningful, especially in successful or constricting economies. Therefore, stable margins may be a good indicator during the recession, while the industry and economy averages are declined. It is also important to that usually conclusions can not be made from reviewing one set of ratios. That creates a necessity of a complex analysis of one set of ratios against another. The classification of the objective ratio for the comparison may require a substantial amount of work and a good judgment in order to evaluate a range of achievable and acceptable values. Although the understandable simplicity, such ratios have certain limitations that often make them most useful at identify questions to be answered rather than giving answers to them. There are multiple factors affecting and limiting comparative study of insurance sector, in particular the actual comparability of the firms and different accounting policies used by them are among the most important ones. The issue of comparability may become one the critical aspects to pay attention to while performing the analysis. Various macroeconomic or legislative factors may apply to the companies in the same industry but in different countries that sometimes makes a direct comparison inappropriate. Comparisons with other companies may become even more difficult because of different accounting policies, especially outside the US. Thus different accounting methods may result in significantly different ratio values that require normalization by the analyst. 2.2 Classification of insurance sector There are mainly two types of insurance life and non-life (general) Life insurance is concerned with making provision for specific event happening to the individual, such as death whereas General Insurance(non-life) is more commonly concerned with provision for a specific event affects properly, such as fire, flood , theft, burglary etc. The major difference between Life Insurance and General Insurance is the Principal of indemnity. Indemnity means â€Å"making good the loss† i.e. for tangible goods, one can make good for the loss that has been caused due to reasons like – theft, fire or natural disaster. Here basically we can value the exact monetary value of a commodity, but in case of life insurance the principal of indemnity does not work, since we can not value in any way the value of human life. 2.3 There are five main sectors: Life Insurance Home Insurance Auto Insurance Health Insurance Disability Insurance Section 2 (11) of Insurance Act 1938 defines Life Insurance Business as follows: â€Å"Life insurance Business is the business of effecting contracts of insurance upon human life, including any contract whereby the payment of money is assured on death or the happening of any contingency dependent on human life and any contract which is subject to the payment of premium for a term dependent on human life and shall be deemed to include.† (Mukherjee and Hanif, 2007) In simple term we define life insurance as a contract in which the insurer in consideration of certain premium, either in a lump sum or by other periodical payments, agrees to pay to the assured sum of money , on the happening of specific event contingent on the human life. 2.4 Benefits of insurance industries Life insurance has long been a staple in basic estate planning. Life insurance  can provide an income tax-free death benefit* far in excess of the premiums paid. However, much of the life insurance proceeds can be wasted if the ownership and beneficiary designations are not properly structured. Superior to Any Other Saving Plan Unlike any other savings plan, a life insurance policy affords full protection against risk of death. In the event of death of a policy holder the insurance company makes available the full sum assured to the policyholder’s near and dear ones. Encourages and Forces Thrift A saving deposit can easily be withdrawn. The payment of life insurance premiums, however, is considered sacrosanct and is viewed with the same seriousness as the payment of interest on a mortgage. Thus, a life insurance policy in effect brings about compulsory savings. Easy Settlement and Protection against Creditors A life insurance policy is the only financial instrument the proceeds of which can be protected against the claims of a creditor of the assured by effecting a valid assignment of the policy. Administering the Legacy for Beneficiaries Speculative or unwise expenses can quickly cause the proceeds to be squandered. Several policies have foreseen this possibility and provide for payments over a period of years or in a combination of installments and lump sum amounts. Ready Marketability and Suitability for Quick Borrowing A life insurance policy can, after a certain time period (generally three years) ,be surrendered for a cash value. The policy is also acceptable as a security for a commercial loan, for example, a student loan. It is particularly advisable for housing loans when an acceptable LIC policy may also cause the lending institution to give loan at lower interest rates. Disability Benefits Death is not only hazard that is insured; many policies also include disability benefits. Typically, these provide for waiver of future premiums and payments of monthly installments spread over certain time period. Accidental Death Benefits Many policies can also provide for an extra sum to be paid (typically equal to the sum assured) if death occurs as a result of accident. Tax Relief Under the Indian Income Tax Act, the following tax relief is available 20% of the premium paid can be deducted from your total income tax liability. 100% of the premium paid is deductible from your total taxable income. When these benefits are factored in, it is found that most policies offer returns that are comparable or even better than other saving modes such as PPF, NSC etc. Moreover, the cost of insurance is a very negligible. The issue of comparability may become one the critical aspects to pay attention to while performing the analysis. Various macroeconomic or legislative factors may apply to the companies in the same industry but in different countries that sometimes makes a direct comparison inappropriate. Comparisons with other companies may become even more difficult because of different accounting policies, especially outside the US. Thus different accounting methods may result in significantly different ratio values that require normalization by the analyst. Seasonality may also affect the ratios if the business is a subject to seasonal fluctuations in demand, thus year-end values may not be enough representatives and should also be normalized. Most of the ratios are preferred to be within the industry averages or economy norms. For example, all turnover ratios belong to this category. However, for some ratios the extreme deviations from the industry averages may mean that the company is highly attractive for the investors. This is usually true for all ratios dealing with income or cash flows. There are different insurance companies that offer wide range of insurance options and an insurance purchaser can select as per own convenience and preference. Several insurances provide comprehensive coverage with affordable premiums. Premiums are periodical payment and different insurers offer diverse premium options. Insurance companies may be classified into two groups: Life insurance companies (which sell life insurance, annuities and pensions products) and Non-life, General, or Property/Casualty insurance companies (which sell other types of insurance). Life insurance is concerned with making provision for specific event happening to the individual, such as death whereas General Insurance(non-life) is more commonly concerned with provision for a specific event affects properly, such as fire, flood , theft, burglary etc. The major difference between Life Insurance and General Insurance is the Principal of indemnity. Indemnity means â€Å"making good the loss† i.e. for tangible goods, one can make good for the loss that has been caused due to reasons like – theft , fire or natural disaster. Here basically we can value the exact monetary value of a commodity, but in case of life insurance the principal of indemnity does not work, since we can not value in any way the value of human life. 2.5 Introduction of insurance sector India In India, the concept of insurance was never a serious thought as compared to other countries. People still are under insured, life insurance premium to gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio is a mere 1.4% as compared to a healthier rate of 8% amongst other developing with poor state of services provided. Presently in India, the insurance sector is nationalized, services are rendered by Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and General Insurance Company (GIC) along with its 4 subsidiaries .While LIC provides life insurance, GIC is concerned with non life insurance. – Motor, marine, fire, health and personal accident insurance. LIC employs people in various departments – publicity, public relation department , development department, personal department , accounts department, legal department ,investment department , inspection department, mortgages department vigilance department, foreign department, corporate planning department, building department etc. Of late, parliament’s nod for the insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) bill has changed the whole scenario. With the passage of the bill, entry of Private Indian as well as foreign companies, a long with existing players, in the insurance sector will add variety and quality to the present insurance services. The other positive impact would be on creation of new employment opportunities. Till now employment in the insurance sector was considered akin to any government job, but now with private participation, it will assume significance importance and probably become an exciting career option. UK’s The UK Insurance sector remains a crucial contributor to the UK economy after the public, banking and manufacturing sectors. The industry accounts for approximately 10% of total UK IT expenditure, and positive growth is expected to continue for the next few years as insurance firms begin to realize the benefits to be gained from IT investment. Although the United Kingdom (UK) insurance market is now one of the five largest in the world, relatively little is known about the practices of the major firms and policy-makers which influence its operations. In particular, whilst the determinants of rating agencies’ assessments of United States (US) insurers is well documented, published studies have yet to provide comprehensive evidence about insurance company ratings in the UK. (Hardwick, P and et al, 2000) 2.6 Current scenario of insurance industry Breaking of strict monopoly of LIC was not an easy task where to an audience who spelled insurance as LIC. LIC is working for last 50n years and caved its name for itself in the Indian psyche. Insurance being long term contract, an established name means feeling of security and more importantly LIC policies come with the safety tag-the most touted government guarantee. To enter private insurers with an altogether new agency force, all ready to hawk freshly designed insurance policies. and the market scene – a government owned established insurance entity-the Life insurance Corporation with a field force of over 6,00,000agents and more than 80 products to choose from. Purchase of Insurance is a decision that determine by a number of demographic as well as personal behavior factors. Main responsible factors include Age, Income, Education, Risk, etc. Some of the important determinants as review by different scientists in their research are as under 2.7 Risk and return in industry Risk seems to be a fact of life experienced by an individual as well as by a whole organization. This risk may be economic, physical or financial. There is an increase in unexpected losses caused by natural disasters as well as accidental damage. Wealth is subject to possible loss, and therefore everyone from individual to the whole financial firm desire to invest in loss prevention activities that reduce the probability of loss (Hoffman, 2007). A sense of security may be the next basic goal after food, clothing, and shelter. There are various forms of risk is exist in the market. All the risks are differed from each other. Some risks creates a quick big impact on a business while, the impact of some risks can be seen at a long run. The risk in business is always associated with losses. Prevention and management of risk is only possible after having sufficient information regarding its intensity. Preventing and managing risk is one of the burning issues for the corporate world. The management of any company is always looking for the thing that will reduce the risk on their investment and definitely gives some output on the account of their investment. The ultimate thing that will satisfy this need is the return. Return is the proportionate sum of capital given to the investors for their investment. In other words, return is some kind of security against the investment made for any kind a business. Figure 2.1 Risks management in business Asset Market Credit Operating Business Event Liquidity Catastrophe Non-Catastrophe Risk Financial risk is mainly divided in to 2 main categories i.e. Systematic or Market risks and Unsystematic risk. The risk associated with an investment can be broadly divided into two categories based on nature and occurrence of risk. Some risks are associated with the firm, and that risks are called as firm-specific, whereas the rest of the risk is associated with market condition and generally affects all investments in whole market. The firm specific risk can be further sub-divided in to various categories. Some firm specific risks are affect s project value that is called Project specific risk and in some cases projects value is affected by the nature of competitions and that type of risks are known as Competitive risks. Some risks are affecting the value of a whole industry and so known as Industry associated risks. In some cases, all the companies in a market will affect by macro economic factors and so that type of risk is known as Market specific risk (Friend and Bicksler, 197 7). Default risk is the risk fallen on the part of financial institution or a creditors for your investments i.e. weather they are able to make a monthly return on your asset or not. To achieve short term financial goals most of the investors preferred cash investments. The only limitation with use of cash investments is that, they are unable to produce higher returns over long term as compared to other financial options. The only reason for this is cash investments are unable to adjust inflation rates. In other words cash investments are not preferable source of investment for long term project. So, what are the other options that will satisfies needs for investment of long term project. 2.8 Empirical research Economic decisions are made on both the negative as well as positive issues. Positive issue studies on insurance gradually integrated these issues via assimilating developments in the field of risk and uncertainty following works by Arrow (1963), Lewis (1989), (1953) and others. The economics on insurance demand became more attentive on evaluating the amount of risk to be shared between the insured and the insurer rather than evaluation of life or property values. Economic value judgments are made on both the normative as well as positive issues. Later studies on insurance gradually incorporated these issues via assimilating developments in the field of risk and uncertainty following works by von Neumann and Morgenstern (1947), Arrow (1953), Debreu (1953) and others. The economics on insurance demand became more purposeful when determining the amount of risk to be shared between the insured and the insurer rather than evaluation of property values. Headen and Lee (1974) studied the effects of short run financial market behaviour and consumer expectations on purchase of ordinary life insurance and developed structural determinants of life insurance demand. Morris and Barbara A (2003) study about Risk Insurance and mean study related with a Wedge between Insurers and Reinsurers, authored by credit analysts and legitimate disagreements between insurers and reinsurers about the values attributed. Criteria and claims values, insurers and reinsurers are equally concerned with the Risk. Cole et al, (2008) theoretical in observed research related to the comparative analysis between property-casualty insurance industry, studies commonly focus on either insurers or reinsurers. Richard et al (2008) give article of features a presentation and discussant comments on hurricane and wind insurance organized by Richard A., for the American Risk and Insurance Association (ARIA) 2007 Annual Meeting in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Venard et al. (2008) determine in the article of analyzes Hungarys insurance sector as an important part of the countrys economic transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. It details the historic economic development of the Hungarian insurance market from a state monopoly to a competitive. Yu, Tong et al 2008) study about Intangible assets facilitates insurers capacity to retain existing business and attract new clients. In his study it can be shows that analyze how the incentives to protect intangible assets affect asset risk-taking behaviour of property and ability insurers. Browne et al. (1993) concluded that income and social security expenditures are significant determinants of insurance demand. They further concluded that inflation has a negative correlation with demand of purchasing for insurance. Beck and Webb (2003) identified the two main services provided by life insurance: income replacement for premature death and long-term savings instruments. They further found that demographic variables, higher levels of education and greater urbanization as independent factors in explaining insurance demand. Income has been found to be having a positive association with health insurance purchase decision consistently in different studies conducted in different countries Propper (1989) in UK: Cameron, Trivedi (1988) in Australia and Hurd and McGarry (1997) in USA. Health insurance choice essentially entailed a simple decision whether or not to purchase private health insurance (Barrett and Conlon 2003). Binary discrete choice models using either logit or probit has been used to analyse determinants of this type of purchase decision. Cameron and Trivedi and Cameron (1991) specified a conditional expected utility function that is associated with alternative health care regimes. The consumer chooses the regime that maximizes expected utility. Feldstein (1973) has argued that as the price of health care increases, the demand for insurance should increase as well because this causes an increase in the risk of net worth depletion and thus an increase in the demand for insurance. Healthcare expenditure largely depends on healthcare costs. Recent research has documented that most of the secular change in health insurance coverage can be attributed to higher health care costs (Cutler et al. 2002). Zietz (2003) and Hussels et al (2005) has studied about purchasing behaviour of a customer to purchase life insurance over a period of 50 years. The research further concluded that there is a positive association observed between increase in savings behaviour, financial services industry and demand for life insurance. Beenstock et al. (1988) noted that marginal tendency to insure i.e. increase in insurance spending when income rises by 1$, differs from country to country and premium rates are varies directly with real rates of interest. Browne and Kim (1993) found from his study that income and social security expenditures are significant determinants of insurance demand; however, inflation has a negative correlation with demand of insurance. Beck et al. (2003) found out the two main services provided by life insurance: income replacement for premature death and long-term savings instruments. They considered three demographic variables i.e. young dependency ratio, old dependency ratio and life expectancy, higher levels of education and greater urbanization as independent factors in explaining insurance demand. Income is positively co-related with purchase of health insurance product, concluded from various studies conducted in different countries by Propper (1989) in UK: Cameron and Trivedi (1988) in Australia and Hurd and McGarry (1997) in USA. Barrett and Conlon (2003) concluded from their study that choice of health insurance essentially entailed a simple decision whether or not to purchase private health insurance. Binary discrete choice models using either logit or probit has been used to analyze determinants of this type of purchase decision. Cameron and Trivedi (1991) specified a conditional expected utility function that is associated with alternative health care regimes. The consumer chooses the regime that maximizes expected utility. Feldstein (1973) noted that as the price of health care increases, the demand for insurance should also increase. This is because an increase in the risk of net worth depletion. Healthcare expenditure largely depends on healthcare costs. Nyman (1999) noted that higher healthcare costs may led to higher demand for insurance in the face of rising costs. However, people belonging to different income groups are likely to respond differently to these changes. Kronick and Gilmer (1999) argue persons with low incomes and few assets buy insurance primarily to protect their health. Van De Ven and Van Praag (1981) noted that, education and income are generally positively correlated. Higher income generally decreases the opportunity cost associated with the purchase of private health insurance. Overall, increases in both income and education would be expected to lead to an increase in the probability of buying the insurance. Some studies conducted in context with the financial performance of General Insurance Companies of India. The Researcher has studied those research works which are as follows: Performance of various plans marketed by Life Insurance Corporation of India – A case study of Rajkot Division, A dissertation by Mrs.Sonal Naina evalua

Nepal Essay -- Nepal Economy Culture Essays

Nepal Despite nine development plans spanning five decades, Nepal remains one of the world’s poorest countries. Nepal’s underdevelopment is a result of the historical effects of unequal distribution of assets and social and economic status among different groups, and effects of recent development efforts that have generated further iniquitous income and assets distribution. Understanding Nepal’s underdevelopment has become particularly pressing in light of the Maoist insurgency that began in 1996. In addition to the deaths of more than 6,000 civilians, instability has caused economic stagnation, discouraged foreign investment, and prevented the expansion of the hydropower and tourism industries. Nepal’s future depends on an understanding of how its institutions have created inequity, and how it will respond to the need for institutional reform. Culturally, Nepal is a patriarchal and hierarchical society. Caste is important in the world’s only Hindu nation. Gender, ethnicity, land ownership, and location are also historically important social determinants. Nepal’s history and geography have contributed to the perpetuation of these cultural values. Historically, Nepal has been very isolated. Situated between China and India, it is bisected by the Himalayas. The country is divided into three bands running from east to west – the Himalayas furthest north, the flat and dry Terai in the South, and the middle hills sandwiched in between. Extreme differences in topography, and a lack of roadways and efficient transportation, have meant that communities tended to remain isolated and distinct, closely linked to traditional cultural practices and norms. Industry has been slow to change this, as most Nepalese depend upo... ...astern Nepal, respondents reported that â€Å"society does not recognize the merit of physical work in agriculture; it encourages people to prefer leisure over work, and sees working people as belonging to the lower classes. So far, foreign aided projects have not been able to alter people’s attitudes towards physical work by providing alternate examples† (Shrestha, 41). Even as development efforts increase, rural people mistrustful of exploitation, and depressed by development failures, are growing harder to reach. Nepal’s political crisis is a response to social inequalities increased and hardened by recent development. Future development will require radical reform: redistribution of resources and increased rural development, weakening of traditional power structures, increased access to and transparency in government, and independence from foreign interests.

Science Run Amuck in Brave New World :: essays papers

Science Run Amuck in Brave New World Brave New World is a novel set hundreds of years into our own future. On Earth, the Nine Years War tore the planet apart in the year A.F 178. Eerily, anthrax bombs dropped from the sky killed scores of people, what we in the post 9/11 world fear the most. When the dust settled, mankind banded together to create a new world called the â€Å"World State.† Their motto is â€Å"Community, Identity, Stability,† and it is all too much present as you will see. This future is a severely different place. To stabilize the populace, mankind has cloned each other by the thousands. Babies are conditioned by a caste system, and everyone grows up to do a specific job. Cold and sterile science replaces religion, individuality, and risk. Everyone is encouraged to pleasure themselves (through promiscuity, recreation and drugs... soma,) but not to have a bad day. This is reminiscent of the â€Å"Roaring 20’s† and the â€Å"free love† movement of the 1960’s. In this future, to be monogamous, bond, or soul-search would single you out as a loner. Here, â€Å"everyone belongs to everyone else.† The years once noted by A.D (Anno Domini, or After Christ) are replaced by A.F (After Ford.) Ford’s philosophy became a religion, wiping out over two thousand years of Christianity from world history. Now there is no history, except that which existed After Ford, it was outlawed. As we all know, Henry Ford introduced the assembly line into modern society. In A.D, The assembly line was a more proficient way to produce the automobile. In the brave new world, however, the assembly line mass-produced human beings themselves. The brave new scientists discovered a way to progress the cloning process. They clone up to 96 embryos from a female ovum by Bokanovsky’s process. Embryos were then â€Å"bottled† and put on an assembly line that moved 33 centimeters a day. On the line, the fetuses were tampered with and they received early conditioning to be part of one of the five castes. â€Å"Alpha† was the highest class (think rocket scientist,) and Elipson was the l owest class (think gas station attendant.) These babies are not born of a mother’s womb, but â€Å"decanted† (unbottled.) They receive more conditioning and undergo â€Å"hypnopaedia† – a sleep teaching process where beliefs are inserted into their thoughts. Young children as young as seven years old are encouraged to be promiscuous and experiment with sex.

Crucible Belonging Essay

Individual Text Record Sheet for AOS: Belonging Title: Looking for Alibrandi Composer: Melina Marchetta Form and text type: Novel Publication date: 1992 Context: Set in 1992, Sydney, Australia, surrounding the secluded Italian community. Audience: Young adults Purpose: To educate young adults on the stresses and losses of life and how, through reflection, they can set you free. Brief synopsis of text: Looking for Alibrandi focuses on one girl and the shame her family’s indiscretions have brought on them. Throughout h HSC year, her father returns, she falls in love, loses a friend and discovers the truth of her identity. List four textual features that convey the concept of Belonging (techniques): 1. Humour: Humour is used in Looking for Alibrandi to convey Josie’s cultural connections to food such as pizza and pasta, as shown when Josie is having a conversation with her father who asks if she likes pizza to which she replies, â€Å"What a ridiculous question. I suppose you’re going to ask me if I like pasta next. The use of sarcasm by Josie, clearly demonstrates the humour in the novel by dismissing her father’s question as the answer should be obvious. This sets the foundation for the father-daughter relationship to develop. 2. Characterisation: In the novel the characters personalities are reflected through the use of stereotypes. This is best shown through Nonna and Jacob. Nonna is a stereotypical Italian grandmother, who strongly clings to her cultural herit age to the extent where all her furniture is Italian. Jacob, on the other hand, is the typical rebel. He is part of a gang, gets into trouble often and rides a motorcycle. The stereotyping of Nonna shows her strong connection to her Italian heritage whereas the characterisation of Jacob demonstrates his lack of connection to his Australian background. 3. Imagery: Imagery is used in Looking for Alibrandi after Josie’s friend John Barton commits suicide, where she starts to have hallucinations of seeing him, particularly at Central Station which was their meeting place. John’s death has had a huge impact on Josie as she begins to feel like she has no friends and thus isolated from people. She also experiences anger that he would kill himself instead of going to her for help. The imagery creates the connection that Josie feels to other people besides John Barton and begins to create relationships with other people. 4. Irony: In the novel, Nonna has a disapproving attitude towards her daughter due to Josie being born out of wedlock. This sets up the irony in the novel as Nonna cheated on her husband resulting in the birth of Josie’s mother making her very hypocritical. This is evident when Josie finds out â€Å"You’re a liar†¦ You slept with him. You slept with Marcus Sandford. † The use of irony causes the strain in Nonna and Christina’s mother-daughter relationship and sees Nonna taking special interest in Josie, forming a strong relationship between them as Nonna believes Josie will break the ‘curse’. Links to prescribed text in terms of ideas and techniques (synthesis): Humour is used in The Crucible to relieve the tension and convey the ridiculous situation at hand. The characters have a conversation with Parris, where he mentions the faction against him to which Proctor retorts, â€Å"Why, then I must find it and join it. This is similar to Looking for Alibrandi where the main character, Josie, hides behind humorous sarcastic remarks to deal with troublesome situation. Through the use of humour, both John Proctor and Josie Alibrandi are singled out and looked up to. The stereotypical characterisation of a theocratic society has been infracted by greed and dishonesty. This is unveiled in the sc ene where Putnam gets his daughter to accuse their neighbour of witchcraft so he can buy the land. However, the stereotypical characterisation in Looking for Alibrandi remains intact. This shows the conflicting of interests in religious communities and, how one mistake will have an impact on the entirety of the community. The use of imagery is accentuated in The Crucible through the only evidence received in the trials which is the girls’ word that the Devil has sent someone’s ‘spirit’ to harm them. When accusing Mary Warren, they shout, â€Å"Mary, please, don’t hurt me! † The use of imagery in The Crucible and Looking for Alibrandi, singles out certain characters as they feel weak and helpless, disconnecting them from their stronger friends and family. The irony in The Crucible demonstrates just how little the authoritative figures see as they allow good Christians to be hung on the words of manipulative children. This is indicted in Act One where Reverend Hale states that Rebecca Nurse looks, â€Å"as such a good soul should†, however, in Act Four, hangs her for the crime of witchcraft. Similarly, the situation with Nonna and Christina, Josie’s mother, is also ironic. This suggest a desire for the characters to believe in what they say and forget about how they act, wanting to be accepted for who they’ve become.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and How it can Help Jane

She is co-habiting with her fiance © of here months whom she plans to wed later In the year, although no date has yet been finalized. This client self referred to ‘Care In Crisis' as she had heard about the organization through a friend and felt she ‘needed to talk. ‘ During the initial assessment she disclosed that her mother had passed away as a result of cancer in March of this year, hence her reason in coming for counseling is to help deal with the bereavement issues surrounding this. Since loosing her mother she has felt very low and misses her terribly as they were very close.Furthermore, Jane also feels that t is starting to take its toll on other relationships in her life as she finds herself snapping at people. She also stated that she has low self esteem and has barely any confidence In herself. Her goals in coming for counseling are to be able to accept her mother's death as well as building her self esteem and confidence. Firstly I feel that some Cogni tive Behavioral Therapy approaches may work well in overcoming Cane's needs. â€Å"Psychoacoustics and normalizing Interventions are frequently used In ACT and CB. Bach & Hayes (2002) I can see that they are relational interventions because they involve teaching people new relations. I believe it would be beneficial to psycho educate her on the ‘seven stages of grief. ‘ My alma In doing so would be to help Jane make sense of the emotions she is going through and to help her understand that they are perfectly normal, in other words ‘normalizing. ‘ As well as using some CB approaches I would choose to remain faithful to the Integrative model which at the heart lies the person centered approach. One of the key concepts within this approach is self actualization.This is the belief that as humans we will pursue what Is best for us as Introduced by Mason In 1943 and his famous hierarchy of needs. ‘ He himself refers to self actualization as; â€Å"The desir e for self fulfillment, namely the tendency for him [the individual] to become actualities in what he Is potentially. This tendency might be phrased as the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming. † Mason (1943) Research does support the notion of self actualities tendency (Sheldon & Elliot 1999) and I can also recognize it in myself.In actual fact, recognition of my self actualities tendency has helped me understand some of my self destructive behaviors, which ere introduced in my younger self. I'm hoping that this will also be the case with Jane. I consider this client to be very self aware which will aid her in self actualities myself as the therapist needs to ensure that I am offering Rogers' core conditions of; empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard, in doing so I will be assisting her on her Journey. I will aim to be real and genuine and by doing so I hope my client will experience something of my â €˜real self. Furthermore I will try my most best to see things from their frame of reference without being influenced by my own feelings and experiences. In the first counseling session I contracted with Jane and explained the limitations with confidentiality such as disclosing anything which breaks the law or child protection issues. I also stated that I was a member of the BACK. By doing the above I feel that I was demonstrating safe work and professional practice. I used active listening skills as well as non verbal communication in the form of small nods to show that I was tentatively engaging with my client's story.The head nod is the most common gesture in listening â€Å"Small ones to show continued attention, larger and repeated ones to indicate agreement. Argyle (1992) I felt it important to show to my client that I was engaged with her telling her story as she mentioned in the initial session that she has never been able to open up to anyone before since her mum has pa ssed. The majority of the first session was spent just staying with my client and giving her the space she needed to talk out loud about what sort of a person her mother had been and the lead up to her death.As a counselor I used skills such as active listening, restating and paraphrasing to demonstrate this, as I felt these were the appropriate skills needed in order to meet he client's needs. It is safe to say that in this session I was safely following Cane's lead without prescribing any particular interventions. In session two my client reported a little change since our last session saying she had felt heard' and that it was a ‘release' as she had been keeping everything to herself.By following my empathic hunch it opened up a lot of unfinished business regarding my client wanting to share and tell her mother things but had not had the chance to. Therefore this prompted my decision to suggest the CB approach of writing a letter to her deceased mother n her own time and if she wished she had the opportunity of sharing it in the session. This is something Jane was very keen on doing and would maybe even consider doing it that week if she got the chance. I can see that the letter writing process is therefore collaborative and would enable her to work at her own pace while also facilitating client empowerment.This would be important in helping to build her self-esteem and confidence which are areas she is lacking in. In session three my client reported that she had written the letter to her mother and was eager to read it out. In the letter my client acknowledged many of her repressed feelings and by writing the letter she was maybe able to process them in a way she could not have in the therapy session. Zimmerman & Shepherd have stated; â€Å"We use therapeutic letters to help the patient to identify difficult feelings, processing them in another way than in a therapy session, with the chance of the patients to be finally free from these feelings.The letter writing can allow a physical way for the problem to be externalities, named and then confronted. † Zimmerman & Shepherd (1993) In the letter she also touched on the feelings she was experiencing now months after ere mother's passing. At this point I normalized them for her by telling her there is feelings we may experience after loosing a loved one. I felt it in Cane's best interest, which is in keeping with the ethical principle of beneficence to psycho-educate her on the ‘Seven stages of grief by giving her a sheet which had been given to me by my supervisor.This would help her make sense of how she is feeling and it would also provide hope for her as one of the later stages is acceptance. In the forth session Jane talked about her goals, both short and long term. She acknowledged that whilst t was her mother at first who pushed her towards loosing weight for various health reasons, she now wanted to pursue her own goal of trying to loose some weight for her wed ding day so that she could fit into her dream dress. I got a strong sense that the ‘configurations of self were being peeled back and the ‘real self was coming through, which Rogers theorized.By doing so she was closer to self actualization. In session five we explored Cane's lack of confidence and self esteem. It was evident that she had a low self concept of her physical appearance and dress sense. Although she ad received a compliment earlier in the week from a friend about how well she looked she perceived that the comment was made merely out of sympathy. As the therapist I got my client to explore this and by doing so we were able to get to the core of this view. It turned out that as a child she overheard her aunt telling her uncle that she had only told Jane her dress was lovely out of pity.It is said that; â€Å"Experiences are accurately perceived as meeting the needs of the core self or being consistent with the self concept and reinforcing it. † Acreage (2010) It is therefore fair to say that Jane could not accept the compliment from her friend s being genuine as she was being true to her self concept. I offered the concept of looking for evidence borrowed from Cognitive theory in order to challenge her self concept. It appeared that there was no other evidence to support her views that compliments were only given to her out of pity, apart from the incident with her aunt.When we looked into this further her aunt said this around the time her parents were not getting on which prompted the possibility that her aunt may have been saying it to comfort her in a difficult time. The client came up with this conclusion resell and I remained faithful to my integrative model which at the foundation has a profound respect for the client and their ability to construct their own views. Adapted from ‘The Theory and Practice of Counseling the ability to function and process experiences can result in being either low functioning or high fun ctioning.I considered Jane to meet the criteria for low functioning which means; â€Å"Low functioning people are out of touch with their valuing processes. In these areas their self concept is based on conditions of worth which cause them to ignore/deny or distort the experience. Nelson Jones (1992) Through challenging and looking for evidence I was aiming for Jane to become higher functioning. At the end of this session I talked to my client about the possibility of audio recording our next session if she agreed to it.I felt it was in her best interest to give some notice rather than asking her on the day of recording so that it did not come as a shock or disorientate her. Fortunately Jane agreed for our next session to be taped. It was the sixth session with this client that was recorded. I made sure to training purposes so that she did not think it was some sort of test on her. At this point I was demonstrating safe work as I wanted to provide a non threatening environment for her. At present I attend a supervisor who is based a few miles outside of the town I undertake my placement with.Firstly, her geographical location is convenient because when I am at placement I can call and see my supervisor when I am finished. This is beneficial as I find things tend to be much fresher in my mind if I see her on the day I have had clients. In additional her name was on the approved list issued by the college, this meant she was BACK approved to supervise therefore I to satisfaction from this knowing she worked ethically and had experience of supervision with students. Moreover because she was approved by the college meant she was familiar with the course requirements and as a result could effectively support my learning.Prior to choosing a supervisor I had some requirements including at least ten years experience of counseling and I wanted someone who worked from an integrative perspective, my supervisor met both of these. On first meeting my supervisor I feel tha t there was a connection so I instantly felt comfortable. Before commencing supervision I had the view that they would be like a joss, however now that I have been several times this view has been diminished and I consider my supervisor as someone to consult with.I get a strong sense of being facilitated and supported by my supervisor. For example while working with this client I had limited experience of working with bereavement so my supervisor gave me a book which would support my counseling, in addition I was facilitated by being given a sheet on the ‘seven stages of grief which I could give to my client. At first with Jane I was working from a person centered approach because I felt unfamiliar tit bereavement and felt this was a safe angle for me to work from.With the support and guidance I received at supervision I was able to change my approach with this client by being more integrative. I was able to bring in some Cognitive interventions which I do not feel I could hav e done confidentially on my own without the aid of my supervision sessions. My supervisor is quite directive in the sense that if I do something effective in the sessions she will acknowledge my style of practice and vice versa if I do something that may not have worked so well she will then encourage me to challenge this and look at alternatives.As a result of this my confidence has grown and I feel a little more competent in my role as a counselor to the point that I would trust my intuition with regards making appropriate decisions with my client work. By continuous supervision I hope to learn and grow as a counselor as well as developing new techniques and interventions and as a result improve the value I provide to my clients. Since working with Jane I feel that I have grown personally as I have increased awareness around death and bereavement.It is inevitable that I will loose a loved one at some point throughout my life. By hearing all about Cane's grief of loosing her mother I feel I will be more prepared if I am faced with the death of someone close to me. My own mother has battled with health problems for the most part of her life and has been under close supervision of the medical profession especially in recent months. Having worked with this client has brought me in sync with reality and now I can see that there is a chance I may loose my own mother soon.My work with Jane has prepared me a little if this does happen come with it. Furthermore working with Jane has taught me to appreciate the people I m close to in my life and I have learnt to cherish every moment with them as they could very easily be taken away. As a mother myself to a three year old boy, I feel I have made more time for him knowing how precious he is to me. Professionally I have also developed at a result of working with Jane.In order to meet her needs I took part in a one day course held at my placement organization which was based on bereavement. From this I learnt the various techniques and skills required when working with this client. Not only did this course help me when working with Jane but t will also help me when counseling clients with similar situation. Also a fellow peer in my placement shared a poem about loss with me. I was very appreciative of this and felt it may be of benefit to my client as she is artistic and creative.I shared it with Jane in one of the sessions and she informed me that she got great comfort from it. The following week she told me that had put it on her fridge so that every time she opens the door she can read it. I can safely say that support from my peers has helped with my client work and as a result helped me to develop professionally. In he first counseling session with Jane we engaged in contracting. A contract can be defined as â€Å"A mutual agreement negotiated between the client and the counselor prior to commencing counseling. Provence (2008) I made sure it articulated my responsibilities towards the client a nd also the client's responsibilities in the counseling relationship. I made sure to inform Jane about the strict confidentiality policy that counselors abide by and told her about the exceptions to this such as breaking child protection or the law as it would not be ethical for me to withhold this information. In addition to this if the client disclosed that she was of risk to herself I could not keep this to myself as this would not be in keeping with the Backs ethical principle of non-maleficent.By informing her of this I was hoping to provide a safe environment for her to share her story but at the same time letting her know the boundaries. I was also letting her know that I was obeying the ethical principle of fidelity. The importance of the contract became apparent in session four, in which my client disclosed that her mother had been one of the only women she had ever really gotten along with and that in general she did not get on tit women. This prompted my decision of using the skill of immediacy to establish what our relationship was like for the client with me being a woman.It was reassuring to learn that I was not like most other women she had encountered as I was not Judgmental or bitchy. This proved to me that I was working in an ethical manner and respecting my client's autonomy. When I first began keeping notes they were rather long and detailed, however now I have learnt to keep concise and factual notes. I recognize the importance of not noting opinions or Judgments in the notes n the off chance they may be called for in a court hearing.Each client's notes are kept in their own personal folder which is kept in a locked filing cabinet in a locked room and each client is identified with a seven digit code. This ensures maximum confidentiality which is in keeping with the ethical framework principle of fidelity. In an emergency for example if I died and client's notes needed to be accessed the receptionist could identify the client by searching the code on the computer system. Respect that the client has the right to be self governing which is in keeping with the ethical principle of autonomy.