Stoning Essays - Capital Punishment, Stoning, Torture, Saint Stephen

Stoning Of Stephen The Stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:54-60) With the stoning of Stephen we have the first martyr of the Christian church. The word martyr is defined as a person who dies rather than renounce a religion; a person who makes a great sacrifice for the sake of principle. Stephen was that and much more. Stephen was brought in front of the Sanhedrin on false charges by the high priest. The high priest were persecuting the apostles because they were spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. When the high priest asked Stephen about the charges him began to preach to them. They became extremely upset and decided to stone him. The men who were persecuting Stephen were said to be gnashing upon him with their teeth. Matthew Henry says that this denotes great vexation within themselves; they fretted to see in him such manifest tokens of a divine power and presence, and it vexed them to the heart. The wicked shall see it and be grieved, he shall gnash with his teeth and melt away, (Ps. 112:10). Gnashing with the teeth is often use to express the horror and torments of the damned. Those that have the malice of hell cannot but have with it some of the pains of hell. This shows that the men who were getting ready to stone Stephen knew that what Stephen was preaching was right. They felt conviction and in turn decided to stone him. Stephen was a man of God so he knew that God would do as he wished in this situation. Stephen was at piece while all this was going on. "While his hearers gave vent to their annoyance, Stephen remained calm, full controlled as before by the Spirit of God." He was not afraid because his God was in control. Henry says "As his persecutor were full of Satan, so was he full of the Holy Ghost, fuller than ordinary, anointed with fresh oil for the combat, that, as the day, so might the strength be." The Holy Spirit came upon Stephen in his time of need. Because Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit he looked heavenward. He was not interested in the men getting ready to stone him but he was interested in his Father. "They had their eyes fixed upon him, full of malice and cruelty; but he looked up to heaven, and never minded them, was so taken up with the eternal life now in prospect that he seemed to have no manner of concern for the natural life now at state." Stephen was looking forward to being home with his Father. Through all of this Stephen still kept the second greatest commandment. That is love you neighbor as yourself. In the midst of being stoned he still had the love of God in him for the people stoning him. He said to God in verse 60, " Lord, do not hold this sin against them." In these words we see how Stephen shows the character of Jesus. "There was yet another of our Lord's words from the cross echoed by Stephen. For, on his knees among the flying stones, he made his last appeal to the heavenly court?not this time for his own vindication but for mercy toward his executioners." In this story we as Christians have a perfect of example of what it means to be totally sold out to Christ. Stephen was doing the work of the Lord by spreading the gospel. When he was persecuted for it he did not back down or run into a corner and hide. Instead he stood boldly for Christ. He knew that he would face death but that did not matter to him because he could not deny Christ. In his time of need the Holy Spirit came upon him and anointed him with peace. We also see God's love for all in Stephen when he asked in verse sixty that the Lord not hold it against them. Stephen was truly a man of God.

If You Can’t Bless It, Change It.

If You Can’t Bless It, Change It. This season of the Jewish New Year brings much reflection on the past year and how we want to live our lives in the future. Most of us know that gratitude is key to living a satisfied life, and this holiday season my rabbi in Madison, Laurie Zimmerman, focused on this subject in her sermon. She related a story by Mitchell Chefitz in which a newly graduated â€Å"Officer of the Law† encountered a man in rags.  He commanded the man three times to Come forward! to no effect.  Finally the man in rags said, â€Å"I dont know what Im going to do with you. Do with me? the Officer of the Law mocked.  Do with me?  You dont do with me! I do with you!  I am an Officer of the Law, and I command you to come forward. Now I know what to do with you, the man in rags said, and as he spoke, he drew his sword.  A swordfight followed in which, after putting up a good fight, the man in rags lowered his guard, and the Officer of the Law’s sword mistakenly ran through him.  As the man died, he said, I put upon you the Curse of Blessings. Every day you must say a new blessing, one you have never said before. And on the day you do not say a new blessing, you will die. The man in rags closed his eyes and then disappeared, and the Officer of the Law wondered whether his experience were real. But as the sun set, he felt life leaving him and in a panic uttered a blessing over the sunset. Life flowed back into him.  From that day on, he said a new blessing every day, blessing abilities, then concrete things, relationships, and more. Word spread throughout the land that this previously pompous Officer of the Law was a source of blessing. He kept blessing the miracles of the world and found more and more things to bless. Finally, he was about to turn 120 years old and decided on his birthday not to make a new blessing but to recount some of the blessings he had made before. As the sun set, he felt a chill coming into his body and did not utter a blessing. Then appeared the man in rags. You! the Officer of the Law exclaimed. I have thought about you every day for a hundred years!  I never meant to harm you.  Please, forgive me. You dont understand, said the man in rags.  You dont know who I am, do you? I am the angel who was sent a hundred years ago to harvest your soul, but when I looked at you, so pompous and proud, there was nothing there to harvest.  An empty uniform was all I saw.  So I put upon you the Curse of Blessings, and now look what youve become! The Officer of the Law could not help but say, I feel blessed, dear God, that You have kept me alive and sustained me so I could attain this moment of insight. Now look what youve done! the man in rags said in frustration. A new blessing! Life flowed back into the Officer of the Law, and he and the man in rags looked to each other, neither of them knowing quite what to do. (Paraphrased from â€Å"The Curse of Blessings† in The Curse of Blessings: Sometimes, the Right Story Can Change Your Life by Mitchell Chefitz, 2006.) The rabbi also recounted a tale of the crossing of the Red Sea. In the midst of this great miracle, two people, Reuven and Shimon, did not celebrate, but rather cursed the mud, saying it was just like Egypt. â€Å"Their eyes turned downwards, while the greatest of miracles was happening all around them.† So often, like the pre-swordfight Officer of the Law, and like Reuven and Shimon, we don’t notice the blessings in our lives. We focus on what’s missing, on the negative. We become self-absorbed. This way of life drains the life from us, making us heartless and cold. In contrast, waking up and saying a new blessing, showing gratitude consistently, brings us warmth and life, carries us into the present so we’re not living in the past or the future, and draws people closer to us. We become someone people appreciate and want to be around. Marge Piercy’s poem, â€Å"The Art of Blessing the Day,† encourages us to create a life full of blessings: â€Å"Bless whatever you can / with eyes and hands and tongue. If you / cant bless it, get ready to make it new.† At this time of reflection, I encourage you to find and express the blessings in your life, and to live as much as possible in the present. And, if you can’t bless it, change it. For me, that’s the way to create a life I want to live. A life that inspires me to jump out of bed in the morning excited to bless something new.

Kroger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Kroger - Essay Example The exact number and details pertaining the businesses discussed above is as follows: (i) The company owns two thousand six hundred and forty one grocery retail stores all across 34 states in America. The stores are in formats that include multi-department stores supermarkets, supercenters and price-impact warehouses. All these stores contain all national brands and other merchandise (Operations). (iv) It operates 38 manufacturing plants that process food substances. This forms one the largest string of private manufacturers in the country. The companys private products manufacturing plants are thirty-seven in number operating in seventeen states (Operations). The company practices sustainability measures to ensure that it keeps up with the environmental standards. In addition, the operations conserve energy usage in all the sectors. Such measures have reduced energy usage in the retails distributed throughout the country (2013 Sustainability report). For the company to sustain a quick and steady growth it needs to follow the following measurers. It needs to improve the execution of the company infrastructure. A good infrastructure would maintain the management of a large company with distributions throughout the country. To achieve this form of infrastructure network, the firm should do away with departmental silos, using performance drivers that conform with the strategy at hand, and finally grooming leaders at all levels in the different outlets. Having well trained leaders facilitates good management in the whole company. For a firm with several branches such as this, it is advantageous to have leaders heading for the same goal to facilitate good growth (THREE STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING AND SUSTAINING GROWTH ). The second stage is identifying and implementing strategies that would be fruitful to the growth of the firm. To implement this, the first things is to concentrate in the core business. The

International HR Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International HR Management - Essay Example International human resource management builds on the tenets of human resource management by having a consideration on what the human resource concepts mean in different nations of the world. This has been necessitated by the fact that as companies and organizations become international in nature, the issues touching on national culture, institutions and systems can hinder a seamless or functioning human resource and employment relations that are present across the national boundaries (Edwards and Rees 2006, p.45). Therefore, it can be stated that the need for people involved in human resource management to adopt an increasingly international approach cannot be gainsaid. This is important not just to people involved in the big multinational enterprises but also to those running small and medium-sized enterprises that are present across national boundaries. ... India In 2009, India had the second largest population in the world with a population of 1.2 billion and it is the tenth largest economy world-wide in terms of the Gross Development Product (GDP) with the fourth largest purchasing power parity (Kohli and Singh 2013, p. 189). According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), India is ranked at number 141 in terms of per-capita- revenue basis based on the GDP and 130 in purchasing power parity in the year 2012. Being the third largest economy in the world when measured in terms of the purchasing power parity, India is a preferred destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) attracting inflows of U.S. $ 36.5 billion in the year 2011 alone. Soon after independence in 1947, India’s economy was based on both features of capitalism and socialism that entailed interventionist policies and other policies aimed at substituting imports that was to blame for the corruption and failure in the implementation of the policies. However, f rom 1991 India’s economy has been based on liberal and free-market economy policies that have led to the increases in per-capita incomes of India. It is important to note that the taker-off of the economy of India has been largely due to the infrastructural projects taken by successive regimes since 1991. The labour force in India is made of about 500 million people employed in the major industries such as agriculture made up of 52%, industries taking up 14% and services made up of 34% of those employed according to the estimates in 2009. Most Indians are employed in the major industries mainly in textiles, chemicals, food processing, cement, mining and petroleum while

Concepts Of The Seduced And Repressed Marketing Essay

Concepts Of The Seduced And Repressed Marketing Essay This essay will introduce the concepts of the seduced and repressed and explain what they mean in Baumans theory of consumer society The main body will consider how Baumans concepts: help us better understand how consumption fits into and affects our modern UK consumer society. fail to help us understand (what are their strengths and weaknesses ? what are their limitations as tools ?) feedback from TMA01: make it shorter (~10%) Main Body  (approx 1000 words) Introduce the concepts, explain what they mean Summarise Baumans theory (consumption replaces class in post-industrial consumer society as a means of classifying members of society). Explain what Bauman means by Seduced and Repressed as concepts within his theory. How the concepts help (try using Circuit of Knowledge) Question: How do the concepts help us better understand consumption in our society ? Claim: They enable us to create a clear, simplified description of a consumer society Evidence: Examples of what Bauman describes from UK society: Hetheringtons description of his street as an example of a typical UK street, show how the concepts help us describe contemporary UK consumer society as exemplified by his street, how they simplify/clarify the description. Claim: They offer an accurate (enough) explanation of why things are this way in a consumer society Evidence: Show how the concepts offer an explanation of why people shop as they do, using the description of Hetheringtons area. Jackson reached the same conclusion for retail park shoppers. How the concepts fail       Question: How do the concepts FAIL TO help us better understand consumption in our society ? Claim: Baumans theory is a bit out-of-date, patterns of consumption and opportunities for consuming have changed. Distinguishing by ability to consume or not is less meaningful if everyone can consume satisfactorily. We might need a new set of concepts to partition the new seduced, or a re-definition of Baumans concepts to address this. Evidence: Money is more freely available on easy credit terms/store cards etc. Online (ebay), high-street stores like Primark allow more people to consume successfully at different levels, not just a choice between consuming luxury or nothing at all. Rising affluence (chapter 3 evidence, spend on essentials as a proportion of all expenditure has dropped since 1986), Greater access to a wider range of cheaper goods (e.g. cheap clothes in supermarkets chapter 2).   Quote from V.Brown about how people in the UK have more stuff than ever before Claim: They over-generalise/over-simplify they dont explain lots of consumer types and how they behave. Choose from these examples of consumers who dont fit the concepts depending on wordcount: Evidence:: People who may not consume luxuries to fit in/portray a lifestyle normally, but who use occasional retail therapy as an escape mechanism from a stressful or boring lifestyle. They KNOW theyre being seduced, and indeed choose to be for relief. People who consume to reward themselves for working hard. People in both categories simultaneously e.g. may be heavily seduced whenever they spend on hobbies or interests, but begrudge every penny spent on other non-essentials;  Ã‚  Ã‚      People who consume goods and services aimed at the seduced, but who understand the manipulation and dont care People who choose not to consume in order to make a point (Chapter 1 Hetheringtons oppositional, and Audio CD1, Helen Rimmer (FoE) re. Tescopoly and other protesters) People who would be classified as repressed but are not, even though they have  a good income  (e.g. have high demands on their means) or they prioritise essentials over luxury Conclusion (approx 150 words) What has the essay discussed ? What conclusions have been reached ? NO NEW MATERIAL ! It has examined the concepts from the perspectives of how they help us better understand how consumption fits into and affects our society and where they fail to help us in this understanding It has concluded that the benefits outweigh the shortcomings, but that other concepts and theories are required to give a complete picture of the modern UK consumer society. So they leave a number of significant gaps, thus need to be augmented/extended to give a good understanding. References Add references at the end dont forget the CD reference David Byrne (PI: B0984954, DD131, TMA02 Task 2, Essay of not more than 1250 words) Discuss the role of the concepts of the seduced and the repressed for understanding the place of consumption in contemporary consumer society. Zygmunt Bauman has created an abstract model of the typical modern consumer society, as a way of describing this type of society and explaining why it might be so. He has invented a number of concepts to help with this explanation, and this essay will consider two of these that are closely related what Bauman calls the Seduced and the Repressed. This discussion will initially introduce these concepts and explain what they mean in Baumans theory. It will then explore their usefulness by considering each from the contrasting perspectives of how they help us better understand where consumption fits into our modern UK consumer society, and conversely ways in which they might fail to help our understanding. As noted by Kevin Hetherington (2009, p25), Bauman suggests that post-industrial capitalist societies are based on consumption, which he believes is a key characteristic of such societies. In a similar fashion to the class-based divisions in industrial society that group people by their positions in relation to the means of production, he proposes that societal divisions within consumer society are based on peoples ability to consume material goods, services and experiences, and offers the concepts of the Seduced and the Repressed to describe those groupings. The Seduced in Baumans model are those able to acquire the material goods that are valued as status symbols by their peers, and to live lifestyles aspired to by the group. As successful consumers, they are valued as members of society with a positive identity. In contrast, the constituents of the Repressed are those who are unable to access this way of life for some reason, for example because they do not have the disposable inc ome to spend on non-essentials, or cannot access the sites of consumption such as retail parks and high streets due to factors such as physical disability, age or lack of transport. These are seen as negatively-valued members of the consumer society, by the seduced and by those with something to sell. Baumans concepts can be used to describe and explain the different patterns of consumer activity in contemporary UK society. They distil all the subtly different attitudes to consumption held by the individuals in society down to just two consumer types, giving a simplified model that is much easier to understand than one incorporating all the individuals means and circumstances. Consider Hetheringtons account (2009, p13) of the businesses in his local area, a typical example of todays UK urban landscape that includes small local shops, bars and restaurants, and out-of-town supermarkets and retail parks. This society can easily be described using Baumans concepts, where the Seduced are likely to be those people Hetherington identifies as the night-time clientele of the bars and restaurants, and those who drive to the large supermarkets and retail park to shop, while the Repressed could include those such as the latest group of migrants to arrive that Hetherington mentions. Baumans co ncepts also offer a simple theoretical way to explain why those who shop in each of the different outlets in the area do so. They suggest that the shoppers in the local retail park are the Seduced, who shop there because they are buying into a lifestyle that emphasises acquisition of goods available in that environment, who have access to it by virtue of being car owners, and who can afford to shop there because they have sufficient disposable income. Those with sufficient disposable income to enjoy the bars and restaurants in the vicinity would also fit this category. In contrast, those local residents forced to settle for the limited range of goods on offer in the somewhat run-down local convenience stores because they cant afford to shop in the large out-of-town stores, or who do not have the appropriate means of transport to shop there, fit into the category of the Repressed. This explanation of current UK society offered by Baumans concepts is supported by practical studies suc h as Peter Jacksons survey of retail park shoppers (1990, cited in Hetherington, 2009, p45). However since Bauman first presented his concepts in 1988, new opportunities for consuming that they do not accommodate have emerged in the UK. Vivienne Brown (2009, p111) presents evidence from the ONS of rising affluence here over the last fifty years, with the most significant rises in disposable income and in real earnings occurring in the mid-eighties and early nineties, trends accompanied by increased access to credit facilities through loan companies, store cards etc. Giant multinational retailers such as Tesco and Primark, with their global supply chains and huge buying power have brought an ever-increasing range of cheaper goods to the UK market, and online stores and auction sites facilitate high volumes of trade in cheaper goods. This combination of increased access to money and wider range of options means that a growing proportion of people are able to access a level of consumption that satisfies them instead of just being able to either consume or not. As Brown observes : People in the UK have more clothing and shoes than ever before, eat a wider range of food than ever before, and increasingly their homes are fitted with appliances and facilities that would have been undreamed of or classed in the luxury bracket in the past (2009, p108). Baumans concepts distinguish people by whether they can consume or not, and are most effective when these distinctions are clear. When a majority of people are consuming satisfactorily, albeit at different levels, the differences between them as consumers narrow and the concepts may really only be useful for distinguishing between extremes. Additionally, without a baseline for comparison the concepts are hard to apply consistently: those considered Seduced from one perspective might equally be considered Repressed by those even better off. These gaps suggest that alternative concepts are needed to partition the contemporary Seduced in order to satisfactorily explain our society. While Baumans concepts simplify and clarify, they over-generalise and over-simplify. Many people in the UK today either dont fit neatly into the categories of the Seduced and Repressed, or move easily between these groups. Examples include those who do not normally follow a consumption-centred lifestyle but who use occasional shopping (retail therapy) to escape from stress or boredom, or as a personal treat or reward. They know they are being seduced, and indeed choose to be for their temporary specific purposes. Similarly, the concepts do not explain those that choose to not consume in order to make a point, who Hetherington (2009, p47) suggests might be termed the oppositional, such as those who select what they buy on the basis of environmental friendliness, trade fairness or other ethical grounds. Helen Rimmer (DD131, CD1) describes communities in a number of UK locations who have rejected new opportunities to consume by actively opposing the introduction of big supermarkets in t heir area because they object to the local economy being disrupted. The people in these examples are not  seduced, but neither are they repressed: their conscious choices of where and how much they consume compared to others do not impact on their status in society or on how others value them.  This again suggests that Baumans concepts may need re-definition to have more meaning in the context of our modern society. Having evaluated the strengths and the limitations of Baumans Seduced and Repressed concepts as tools in advancing our understanding of the role of consumption in contemporary post-industrial UK society, it seems that they offer a useful way of classifying many of the members of that society, and often help to explain their patterns of consumption. However this essay has presented a number of examples where the concepts fail to offer a satisfactory explanation because they are too generalised and/or simplified. The evidence that Baumans concepts leave important gaps in our understanding therefore suggests that while they are most useful in giving a big picture view of the role that consumption plays in modern UK consumer society, additional concepts and theories are required if we wish to understand the detail. (1331 words)

Recordkeeping System

CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM This chapter of the study presents the problems ascertained from the researchers’ gathered data, the objectives, the scope, delimitations and limitations, and the significance of the study. Introduction Record keeping system is a systematic procedure by which the records of an office/organization are created, captured, maintained and disposed of. This system also ensures the record’s preservation for evidential purposes, accurate and efficient updating, timely availability, and control of access to them only by authorized personnel. A record keeping system has four components namely the records, people, processes and tools. Records are the information resources which can be presented in any format and are the ones needed to document office or organizational activities. On the other hand, people represent the authorized personnel and record contacts who oversee the records management program. Processes are the procedures on how to manage records throughout their life cycle. And tools comprise the computer or software programs, shelving and file cabinets, folders, etc. , all of which keep the records organized. There are basically two procedures on how to manage records. One is manually and the other is through the use of computers and/or software programs. In manual record keeping a pen and paper could work adequately. Inexpensive and pre-formatted record books which are available at most office supply can also do the manual record keeping. While others may imply that manual record keeping are accurate for as long as manual records can be understood or explained if questioned, many others don’t seem to be convinced for several reasons. One, processing of data is slow in manual record keeping because one has to browse over the shelves and filing cabinets all day to search for a single file. Two, retrieving of records sometimes seem impossible because there are no back-up files. So once a record is lost it ends there. These are but few of the problems encountered using the manual record keeping system, both of which contributed to the rise of computerized record keeping. Computerized record keeping works on the same principles as a manual system. The only difference is that the computer automates the process so it is faster and more accurate, thus providing the user with records that are trustworthy. According to researches, trustworthy records are reliable, authentic, complete and unaltered, and usable. But to ensure that the records are trustworthy, the system must preserve the information within the records (content), the circumstances under which the records were created or received (context), and the relationship between the parts of the record (structure). All of which can be acquired preferably when using a computerized record keeping system. Having gathered all those concepts aforementioned above about record keeping, the researchers came up with the idea of proposing a computerized record keeping system for the benefit of the NSTP office since they are currently managing students’ records manually. National Service Training Program or NSTP is a program aimed at enhancing civic consciousness and defense preparedness in the youth by developing the ethics of service and patriotism while undergoing training in any of its three program components namely Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), Literacy Training Service and Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS). NSTP office is among the twenty offices in Kolehiyo ng Lungsod ng Lipa. It is currently headed by Dr. Armando Mendoza who is also the head of the PE Department. Yet the said office offers the two program components, the ROTC and CWTS respectively. And since all the freshmen in the college are required to take up NSTP as one of their subjects, it can be assumed that the said office handles a lot of student records, hundreds or even thousands depending upon the number of enrollees every academic year. Considering the number of records that the office handles or manages, a need to abide to the different changes such as having a computerized system is highly advisable. More so, having a computerized record keeping system will help the office or its head Dr. Mendoza itself to make trustworthy records and keep track of them and to avoid lost of students records. Statement of the Problem This states the problems ascertained from the researchers’ gathered data. 1. NSTP Office which offers two program components namely ROTC and CWTS manage students’ records using a manual record keeping system. 2. As a result of utilizing a manual record keeping in the NSTP Office, timely availability of files is often unattainable. 3. Employing a manual record keeping system in the NSTP Office cuts down the life cycle of the files because there are no back up copies, so there is basically no solution once a file is accidentally lost. Objectives of the Study This asserts the objectives that correspond to the ascertained problems. 1. The researchers aspire to develop a computerized record keeping system which will automate the process so it is faster and more accurate, providing the NSTP Office records that are trustworthy. 2. Moreover, the researchers also intend to assist the NSTP Office to attain the timely availability of files via the database incorporated in their proposed automated record keeping system. 3. Furthermore, the researchers aim to lengthen the life span of the files managed by the NSTP Office via a system which enables the user to create back up copies for his files. Scope, Delimitations and Limitations of the Study This part presents the coverage, exclusions, restrictions, limits and boundaries of the study. The system proposed by the researchers will focus mainly on the record keeping system of the NSTP office. The researchers intend to mitigate the possible solutions to the problems presented herein by means of developing a system that will assist the NSTP Head in matters that involves students’ records and its maintenance, user-convenience and retrieval. They will rely only on the gathered data and from there will start on reaching their objectives. The proposed system or program comprises a database system which will facilitate in an organized and efficient compilation of students’ records. In addition, the study will also cover the merging of the record keeping system of the ROTC and CWTS Office. However, the proposed system will provide separate modules for ROTC and for CWTS. Different security pin will be assigned for the two modules so that only the ROTC head can access their office’s records and only the CWTS Head can access their office’s records and vice versa. In spite of this, the NSTP Head will have access on both modules. Accordingly, time consumed in compiling, searching and transferring of records will be trimmed down. On the contrary, the study pays no attention to the grading system utilized by the ROTC and the CWTS Office. Thus, the researchers’ proposed system are not liable for the means of evaluation of the students’ grades done inside the office other than the inputting of final grades and the maintenance of students’ records. Furthermore, the study concentrates merely on automating the record keeping system of the NSTP Office which comprises the management of students’ records of all the freshmen who are taking up NSTP as one of their subjects as well as maintaining, and securing them via the proposed system. Significance of the Study This part affirms the importance of the study. The findings of this study are hoped to be beneficial to the following: The NSTP Office. The findings of this study are a concrete appraisal of the implementation of computer programs in their record keeping system. Likewise, the findings of this study could provide them useful and possible solutions to the problems presented herein; The institution. This study can be used as a guide in measuring how well students learned from their classes more specifically on research and application of other theories learned from various related subjects; and The researchers. This study will serve as a guide and reference material that can be used for future research work. The presentation of information provided in this study can be a basis for research students who will be doing research for the first time.

Index Funds and Mutual Funds

Whether money is be the root cause of evil or not, I don†t know. What I do know it that since the dawn of man, the concept of currency had been intimately intertwined with human society. It helps form the basis of governments, and most laws. The world stock market is where these global force that powers our atomic age society merges into a complex matrix of financial void; opportunity in it†s most complex form. The raw power of the stock market that can either bring a man to rapid success, or completely ruin him. Two of the prominent worlds of the stock market are the topic for this research paper: Index Funds and regular mutual funds. To my horror, these two terms are incredibly vague words and each have many different parts with their own specific characteristics. I will be comparing and contrasting the over shared characteristics of both kinds of stock market investing. Let us begin by explaining what both these terms actually mean. Indexing, in its simplest form, means buying all of the stocks, bonds or other instrument of a market, or asset class, instead of trying to pick winners and losers. Index investors are content with the average performance of a market. When they invest, they buy all an amount of all the stocks within the index with the knowledge that some individual stocks will gain and some will lose. The hope and assumption is when investing in index funds, that the overall net change of all the stocks in the index average out to a gain. This is usually the case as the normal trend for a market is to gradually climb. Index investors are skeptical that on average a money manager can improve on the average performance without raising risk. They are even more skeptical after fees are subtracted. The best known index, the Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500), is a collection of the top 500 major US stocks. However there are dozens of others, including the Euro Top 100, the largest European stocks; EAFE, a broad global index of companies from numerous countries; and the Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond Index, a collection of government and commercial bonds. Other names for index investing include â€Å"asset class investing† and â€Å"passive investing.† As the name suggests, passive investing is basically a no brainier. The philosophy is not to worry about what individual stocks will gain or lose but to place your risks on the market as a whole. An asset class is simply a category of investment, such as stocks or bonds. No surprises – You instantly know whether your gaining or losing as your profits are based on the overall conditions of the market, or at least the section of the market you invested in. With an actively managed mutual fund investment, you may not know until the very end that the fund manager just lost you or gained you a great deal of free money. Low maintenance – No thinking required. In this sense its kinda like a slot machine just on a much larger scale and on a slot machine†¦ you never win. There is no debating over which stocks to buy, for how long to keep them. Your money stays put; you always know where it is unlike mutual funds where its always being shuffled around. Low Taxes – Taxes on distributions among shareholders is significantly less with index funds as opposed to mutual funds. This saves time and money. Low Expenses – Stock managers charge money. The better they are, the more they charge which boils down to the more you make, the more is taken out of you profit. The average general stock fund takes 1.5% of your assets each year for expenses. Some funds charge much more. The average index fund charges only 0.46%, which means more of your money, is left behind. Lower risk – As you invest in an index, your stocks are generalized throughout the market. This diversification holds a lower risk then picking out individual stocks yourself. Average returns – Investing in an index fund means you'll never beat the market. You'll never even match it, since fund expenses will knock a little off your returns. And even though most actively managed mutual funds don't beat the market over time, a few managers have consistently posted outstanding performances. No downside protection – Mutual fund managers often increase their holdings of bonds and cash if they think the market is poised to fall. Index funds offer no such safeguards: If the market plunges, you'll go down with it. That's why most financial planners say index funds are best suited for long-term investors who can ride out dips in the market. High minimums – While index funds generally have low expenses, you may need a lot of money to get started. For example the Vanguard fund requires an initial investment of $3,000 to go into one of its popular index funds; other funds require $1,000 to $5,000. And once you're in, it might be expensive to get out: Many index funds charge a fee to investors who don't hold onto their shares at least a year, or more. No fun – Like I said, it†s a no-brainer. Which means you sit and watch your money travel up and down a little red line on you television screen while watching CSPAN. Not as exciting as getting the newspaper the next day and finding out your fund just quintupled. A mutual fund is a company that combines, or pools, investors' money and, generally, purchases stocks and/or bonds. Ideally, a fund's size and efficiency, combined with experienced management, provide advantages for investors that include diversification, expert stock and bond selection, low costs, and convenience. In terms of legal structure, a mutual fund is a corporation that receives preferential tax treatment under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. The most common type of mutual fund, called an open-end fund, allows investors to buy and sell stock in it on an ongoing basis. The mutual fund issues shares of stock to investors in exchange for cash. However, unlike most cooperations do, mutual funds don†t issue a set amount of shares; new shares are issued as each new investment is made. Investors thus become part owners of the fund itself, and thereby the assets of the fund. The fund, in turn, uses investors' cash to purchase securities, such as stocks and bonds. This makes up the majority of the assets that the fund makes for itself. There are two main types of mutual funds, a load and no-load fund. Basically speaking, a load fund is one that has a sales charge, and a no-load does not. Those that do have sales charges simply add them on to the net asset value of the fund, thus coming up with a new, higher offering price per share. The underlying values of the fund†s shares do not change. An investor selling shares will still receive only the net asset value. A no-load fund is simpler. The net asset value is used for both the purchase price and the selling price. Therefore, the two prices are always the same. Diversification – As opposed to independent stock investing. Your money is more diversified but not as Cost – Again, as opposed to individual investing. Funds usually have trading cost discounts and can spread internal cost over the large shareholder base. Professional Management – You have a professional fund manager who watches the stock and decides where it should go and when it should go there. Tax planning difficult – because the timing of taxable distribution is uncertain. You cannot choose the sale dates for yourself and therefore there is much uncertainty on when your taxable distributions are made. Uncertainty – For competitive reasons with other mutual funds, the funds usually don†t disclose the report of a transaction until after its been made. This leaves you constantly one step behind in knowing where you money is. Manager changes – A fund can all of a sudden change a manager which you will not find out about in a timely manner. You don†t know who†s handling your money and have little control over it yourself.