The Media and its Impact on the Range of Understanding Identity in Essay

The Media and its Impact on the Range of Understanding Identity in Adolescents - Essay Example One should consider the gratuitous nature with which sex and sexual relations are discussed within the media. It is nearly impossible to turn on primetime television or read a magazine that does not seek to cheaply engage the reader with a type of frivolous and non-consequential understanding of human sexuality. A series of negative implications are glossed over to include the ever-increasing risk of STDs, pregnancy, emotional/psychological trauma, and the inability to form lasting and meaningful physical relationships due to a high premium being placed upon sex (Samson et al 283). Such common interpretations are no doubt one of the reasons that HPV is represented in one out of every 4 women between the ages of 14-30 within the United States. Likewise, it does not take a specialist to note that there is an ever-increasing incidence of violence in all forms of media. This cannot only be understood as a function of entertainment but also as a function of news programming which takes particular interest in some of the more gruesome elements of violence that exist within society. The representation of violence within the media in all its forms serves to relate an unrealistic view of the world model as it currently exists and no doubt has a profound effect on the way that adolescents view their surroundings. One study put forward that the average child will have viewed around 8,000 murders on television prior to finishing elementary school (Nelson 1). This fact in and of itself gives the reader pause when realizing the sheer size of the problem and demands a response to such an issue.

Developing Performance and Career Management in Talent Management Essay

Developing Performance and Career Management in Talent Management - Essay Example Performance examination serves to rate the performance of the employees and assess their commitment towards the organizational objectives. Assuming that the methodology of performance evaluations is formal and legitimately organized, it helps the employees to obviously comprehend their parts and obligations and provide guidance to the singular's performance. It serves to arrange the distinct performances with the organizational objectives and likewise supervise their performance. Performance appraisal takes into account the past performance of the employees and focuses on the improvement of the future performance of the employees. Performance appraisal is a piece of vocation advancement. The most recent mantra being emulated by associations over the planet being – "get paid as per your performance" – the center of the associations is turning to performance management and particularly to singular performance. Performance appraisal serves to rate the performance of the em ployees and assess their commitment towards the organizational objectives. ... Performance appraisal is likewise nearly joined to other HR courses of action like serves to recognize the preparation and improvement needs, advancements, downgrades, changes in the recompense and so on. A sentiment imparted in a positive way heads off far to rouse the employees and serves to recognize singular profession developmental arrangements. In light of the assessment, employees can advance their profession objectives, accomplish new levels of capabilities and outline their vocation movement. Performance appraisal sways employees to strengthen their qualities and beat their shortcomings. Career development is the amassing and growth of abilities and information that empower an expert to development or develop in the field of his or her decision. This can take the manifestation of instructive or scholastic courses, proficient affirmation and preparing, or commonsense, at work experience. In the field of mechanical building, one of the keys to career development is affirmation , a transportable impression of the way that a distinctive has accomplished a certain aptitude level. Performance appraisal & career development incorporates the territory of career development, which is an amazingly fascinating and essential region of word related brain research and one which offers an extraordinary arrangement of work fulfillment. Career development and performance appraisal might be more serious for associations and their employees when every framework draws on the quality of the other – the "now" introduction of performance appraisal and "what's to come" introduction of career development. To fulfill this commonly fortifying process, the two frameworks must be seen as helping the same objective – talent

Genetically Modified Crops Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Genetically Modified Crops - Essay Example The resultant organism would be referred to as transgenic. Similarly, genetically modified, GM crops would be created by changing the genetic material of crops though biotechnology. Techniques Various techniques have been used to introduce the needed genes in crops or inactivate the undesired ones. Bacterium Agrobacterium has the capacity to infect plants hence has been used as an appropriate DNA carrier. Its preparation would be conducted in a specialised solution that would make its cell walls even more porous. The desired gene would then be inserted into the plasmid of the bacterium – its extra chromosomal DNA molecule – and then dropped into the solution which would be heated to allow the plasmid to enter into the bacterium and express a new gene. The altered bacterium referred to as recombinant would be left to recover before being allowed to grow and probably make copies of the new gene. The bacterium would then be exposed to plant cells to deliver the new gene an d plasmid to the cells targeted for transformation (Adugna & Mesfin 2). With gene slicing, the restriction enzymes of bacteria would be used to attack foreign DNA, cutting it into accurate sections inhibiting it from insertion into the chromosome of the bacteria. Different bacteria produce varied restriction enzymes which cut DNA at different places. Molecular biologists use this capability to genetically engineer the DNA to be inserted into target cells for genetic modification. Another enzyme, DNA ligase, would then be used to fuse the sequences of the new gene into the chromosome. Alternatively, the new gene could be introduced into the bacterium’s plasmid which would invade the cell being targeted and deliver the gene. Carter, Moschini and Sheldon (15) give Agrobacterium tumefaciens as an example in this category. Other techniques include biolistics where the selected DNA would be attached to gold or tungsten microscopic particles and fired into the target cells by use of gas under pressure. In lipofection, liposomes would be used to carry the selected DNA and would be placed together with the target cells in a special solution causing a merger between the liposomes and phospholipids from the cell membrane giving in to the entry of the DNA into the chromosome. The viral carriers technique would involve use of a virus whose genetic make-up has the selected DNA added onto it to invade the target cells without causing death or damage thus adding the desired DNA to the target cells. In calcium phosphate precipitation, the selected DNA would be introduced to calcium phosphate creating tiny granules that would have the target cells respond by surrounding and ingesting the granules – endoocytosis – thus causing the granules to release the DNA into the host chromosomes. Examples of GM crops There are soybeans that have been modified genetically so as to make them tolerant to high levels of herbicides that could kill them, making them herbicide tolerant, HT. There are other crops including maize and cotton that have been engineered genetically to resist particular insect pests such as the toxin genes, Bt toxin extracted from Bacillus thuringiensis found in soil and introduced into the DNA of crops so as to make the crops produce specific toxins that kill the larvae of insect pests (Carter, Moschini & Sheldon 7). This would make such crops insect resistant, IR. The

Thesis driven essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thesis driven - Essay Example However, both of them are brief and to the point. Each segment of their discussion is terse and economical. They both present their ideas to the human race with a biblical tone. Although Machiavelli suggests that it is hopeless to change a rotten human society, Lao Tzu asserts that humanity can be modified for the better by following a natural moral view of life. Machiavelli quoted that any man who wished to pursue goodness at all times will not succeed when he is among evil people (224). Machiavelli claims that although a man may desire to be always good, he will not succeed given the multitude of the evil people. Instead of the person becoming better and changing others, the others will choke his goodness. The rotten society in which people live thus devours any good intention of an individual. However, Lao Tzu would respond differently to this statement. Lao Tzu explicitly says that a country should be centered around the Tao and render evil powerless. He says that although evil will always be there, people will be able to avoid its way. Evil will thus disappear if people do not give it something to oppose (Lao Tzu 208). A Tao is a way of becoming attuned to cycles of change. It is a state where one becomes consciously aware of his or her place in the life’s web. The person acts as per the principles of naturalness, spontaneity, and ease. Lao Tzu thus claims that even though evil is here to stay, people can escape from it by believing and acting according to Tao. Lao Tzu holds onto a belief that it is possible to change the atmosphere by centering people around Tao (208). Machiavelli, on the other hand, is of the opinion that this is not true. Machiavelli believes that people are naturally evil. When one man tries to be good, others become comparatively bad. Eventually, the world tends to be shaped by the society. If Lao Tzu stumbled upon Machiavelli’s quote, he would persuade him that people can embrace change if someone begins to

Adderalls Effects on the Body Essay Example for Free

Adderalls Effects on the Body Essay Adderall is an amphetamine based stimulant that targets your frontal lobe to increase productivity in cognitive thinking and learning. This drug was invented in 1986 and introduced into the market of prescription drugs four years later. There has been critical research and deep cross examination of the effects and effectiveness of this drug. This is an extremely sensitive topic for everyone all the way from the users to the top of the corporations that are marketing the drug to our youth including children as young as three years old. Studies show that such a thought enhancing drug should not be distributed to children because it may seriously alter a young developing nervous system in negative ways. Even though many concerns have been raised by pediatricians and nutritionists the big pharmaceutical companies accept the risk and encourage children to continue consuming this drug. This is a big problem because there is so much contradiction surrounding this drug and the caution flags are being ignored. A research analyst named Alex Chen performed in depth research into the effects of Adderall on frontal lobe activity and behavior alteration. See more: Strategic Management Process Essay Through his research, as shown in the article, he uses video games as an example. If someone very interested in any type of video game and is given Adderall, they would have little interest in playing the game that they normally would indulge themselves in and be much more attentive to abstract critical thought. On the other hand, if you give the same dose to a person who had little interest in video games they would show an abnormal amount of interest in the activity. This takes place when amphetamines are stimulating the brain. People that do not have ADD or ADHD tend to get the opposite effect of the drug because their brains are producing enough dopamine to maintain consistent attention and awareness without stimulation from the prescription. Amphetamines work by stimulating your inhibitory area in your hypothalamus. This region of the mid-brain has two areas. One side of the midbrain inhibits hunger and the other part stimulates it. Seeing that these two areas are stimulated would create the anticipated effect. The midbrain sends signals to the whole body that hunger is not a priority, this explains why there is never an urge to eat and food does not satisfy normally. Hunger, or the lack there of, is a huge issue when taking Adderall as a daily prescription. Doctors that prescribe this drug always lay heavy caution on the fact that this drug will virtually cut off your ability to be hungry. So when taking the drug for the first couple months you are required to take two day breaks every three days to allow your body to catch up. Exploring the long-term effects of Adderall it is difficult. Extensive long term research does not exist because there has not been a sufficient time period to make definite observations about long term effects. The drug has been out for less than 30 years so an entire generation cannot be examined. With all stimulants there are possible cardiac effects. Amphetamines act as a stimulant, increasing heart pressure and repetitions. Effects depend heavily on your potential for heart diseases, and whether the drug is being abused. It is very possible that people with ADD and ADHD are much more likely to acquire neurotoxicity because their receptors absorb significantly more than the receptors of those without Attention Deficit Disorder. This is the basis for long-term amphetamine neurotoxicity. Other serious long term side effects of Adderall include elevated blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, and sudden death. This drug has been recognized around the world by doctors and nutritionists as a very harmful and depleting drug. To this day, if you presented this information to your doctor they would most likely suggest that you keep taking the drug every day. Adderall is prescribed in 5 mg, up to 20 mg and amounts vary depending on the severity of the ADD or ADHD. Since Adderall stimulates your brain it is easy to become dependent upon this drug. â€Å"Adderall is basically a cocktail of various amphetamine stimulants and is often referred to as â€Å"prescription speed†. Because it is similar in makeup to illegal methamphetamines, it is highly addictive (Adams). †Over time like any other drug your body will build a resistance to it, making it necessary to either up your dosage or take it more often. This process is the stairway through which progression and can be horrifying to a erson who is prescribed Adderall and becomes dependent on the drug to be able to focus and retain information. On the other hand, Adderall is used by many people throughout the world and is a very useful and helpful drug to those who need it. ADD and ADHD are hyperactive disorders that make it nearly impossible to focus and pay attention in a school/university environment. In this case Adderall is a savior to most people and if used without abuse it can be controlled to a healthy, moderate amount. Adderall allows the user to become more focused, be calm, and suppresses activities that would otherwise hinder one’s ability to study. Necessities like drinking, eating, and sleeping are some of these activities that are overlooked once under the influence of Adderall. Depression is an area where Adderall is very effective as it increases activity in your frontal lobe, which increases brain activity and overall cognition. Working out on Adderall can be a fatal and very damaging thing to do to your body. It is a stimulant, which by definition induces temporary improvements in either mental or physical function. Stimulants slow your heart and increase brain function by a substantial amount. Since your heart has to increase its beats per minute when working out to get enough oxygen to your body, your heart can become strained and cause a heart attack, heart palpitations or sudden death if not preformed cautiously. The deeper I look into the side effects of this drug the more potentially fatal issues I discover. Overall this drug seems to be very dangerous but extremely beneficial to those who need it and can use it effectively without abusing it.

The Oruro Mask Dance Essay Example for Free

The Oruro Mask Dance Essay Culture is usually expressed through different mediums. Values, beliefs, and aspirations of a particular group of people are imbibed in culture. Thus, in order for these cultural traits to be represented in what social scientists call â€Å"the world of cultural relativism†, people express it through rituals, dances, and songs. Generally, these mediums are called â€Å"festivals. † Here in Bolivia, specifically, in Oruro, Santa Cruz, the Oruro Devil Dance is a famous festival. Eight days before the Ash Wednesday, people gather around the town’s plaza to perform a beautiful devil dance or diablada in Spanish (Hamre 1). The devil dance is a commemoration of our ancestors prior to the coming of the Spaniards; a sort of tribute to the dead. The escolas de samba chooses a new theme each year. These themes have one direction: they ought to relive the days of our ancestors. For one, our commemoration of the dead is a symbolic gesture of respect and magnanimity to the dead. Also, we recognize the efforts made by our ancestors in fighting foreigners. Their blood was spilled in the country in order to protect it from invaders. Thus, even with the prohibition of Spanish colonial officials from celebrating this dance, our forefathers danced it in the mountains, far from the contours of civilization. As one may note, diablada survived almost unchanged for many centuries. We, the Bolivians, are also proud of the colorful features of the mask dance. Hundreds of devils in monstrous costumes can be seen in the streets of the town. Some masks are heavy and to an American viewer â€Å"scary. † Other masks have bulging eyes and long hairs, just like the characteristics of the devil in Hollywood movies. I especially like devil masks wearing sparkling breastplates and golden spurs. Some masks are really light, connotative of the â€Å"spiritual origin† of devils. The devil dance is supplemented by a pacifying, rhythmic music from brass bands, pipers, and drummers. The colorful image of the festival as well as its solemn dedication to our ancestors makes it my favorite holiday here in Bolivia. Then the noise in the festival becomes loud and frenzied. Out of the devil dancers comes China Supay (Hamre 1). She is the devil’s wife who performs a seductive dance to attract the Archangel Michael. By the way, this dance was modified by the Spaniards to suit the predominant religion of Bolivia (Roman Catholicism). Then, members of workers’ unions carry small symbols of their union. This is done to show their support for the festival. Dancers in Inca costumes, with headdresses and symbols of the sun and moon on their chests, dance with the dancers dressed as black slaves. These slaves were imported to Bolivia by the Spaniards from West Africa to work in silver mines (operated by the colonial government). Then, family members appear. They are led by matriarchs dressed in yellow. The man of the household appears first (in red dress); then the daughters (in green dress). After which, the families go to the football stadium. Here the next celebrations take place. In the stadium, two plays are conducted (Hamre 1). The first play is about the conquest of Bolivia by the Spanish conquistadores. The second is about the victory of the Archangel Michael against the devil and the Seven Deadly Sins. Michael’s flaming sword is emphasized as the sword of light bound to defeat evil for all eternity. Then, the singing of the song of the Patron Saint of the Miners becomes the next event. They are also expressed in dance using a Quecha hymn. The purpose of the plays is very clear. The plays are a protest to the abuse of Spanish officials and clergy during colonial Bolivia. Although the festival is mixed with Christian tales and concepts, it still adheres to the pre-colonial ceremony of giving gratitude to the dead and the mother earth Pachamama (Hamre 1). The struggle of good and evil are emphasized and made clear through the actions of early Catholic priests pacifying an â€Å"already civilized† nation. Thus, it can be said that the mask festival, specifically the devil dance, is a characterization of our nation’s history. Such history is, of course, characterized by the struggle of good (justice) and evil (injustice by colonizers). The triumph of good signifies the break of our country from the bonds of colonialism, and its entrance to a new hope (the hope that the good will reign in the future). For days, the celebration of the carnival continues. The diablada dancers break into smaller group. Usually, huge bonfires are set to characterize the spiritual and physical unity of the country. Processions are then made and the church becomes a refuge for the homeless. Then, men from different families jointly consume large amounts of Bolivian beer and the very potent chicha (Hamre 1). Chicha is derived from fermented cereals and corn and liquefied in high temperature areas. Usually as the celebration ends, many people sleep in doorways. Others fall (because of drunkenness) sleep in the town’s plaza. The mask festival, most especially the devil dance, is my favorite festival among the festivals in both Bolivia and the United States. One reason is the character of the festival’s message. The redemption of humanity (a Christian concept) from evil is likened to the separation of Bolivia from Spanish rule. This festival presents the history of our country as it both experienced oppression and hope. My next reason has something to do with culture. Among all the festivals celebrated in our country, the mask dance is the most comprehensive; that is, it establishes the full personality of Bolivia. Note that in my description, the mask festival does not focus on one character of a Bolivian; rather it draws from past historical experiences to highlight the full character of a Bolivian. For example, Bolivians are known for being hospitable and diplomatic. This is shown in the mixed dance of the devil dancers with the Incas (a sign of friendship). This festival is really the life and character of my country, Bolivia. Works Cited Devil Dance. (2007). Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 30 October 2007 from http://www. britannica. com/eb/article-77638/Native-American-arts (accessed). Hamre, Bonnie. (2007). Oruros Devil Dance is unforgettable. 30 October 2007 from http://gosouthamerica. about. com/cs/southamerica/a/Carnaval_3. htm (accessed). Oruro Carnival. (2007). New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. 30 October 2007 from http://www. carnavalexhibit. org/bolivia. php (accessed).

How portfolio diversification can minimize or eleiminate exposure risks to portfolios

How portfolio diversification can minimize or eleiminate exposure risks to portfolios Portfolio diversification is the means by which investors minimize or eliminate their exposure to company-specific risk, minimize or reduce systematic risk and moderate the short-term effects of individual asset class performance on portfolio value. In a well-conceived portfolio, this can be accomplished at a minimal cost in terms of expected return. Such a portfolio would be considered to be a  well-diversified. Although the concepts relevant to portfolio diversification are customarily explained with respect to the stock markets, the same underlying principals apply to all types of investments. For example, corporate bonds have specific risk that can be diversified away in the same manner as that of stocks. In investment Risk and Return, it is assumed that all investors are rational and will therefore hold portfolios that are diversified to the point where specific risk has virtually been eliminated and their only exposure to risk is to that which is inherent in the market itself . Thus, the residual risk of a portfolio should be equal to market risk, which is systematic risk, and unsystematic risk. Unsystematic risk can be reduced by investing over a broader market, i.e., a larger universe. Portfolio diversification provides a good example of the effects of diversifying across asset classes. A portfolio invested 50% in domestic large-cap stocks and 50% in international large-cap stocks would have approximately half the residual risk of a portfolio comprised solely of domestic large-cap stocks, assuming that the investments in each market were sufficiently diversified to eliminate specific risk. CAPM and the Market Price Risk: The theory that investors are not rewarded for holding any diversifiable risk is taken to its logical limit in the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). This model is based on the evidence that all investors will hold portfolios which are invested in every single asset in existence. The rationale behind this is that if an investible asset is not included, then an opportunity for diversification, and therefore risk reduction, has been missed. According to the theory, investors will combine the market portfolio with a risk free asset (e.g. a short term government debt instrument). The proportion of the risk free asset held will increase the greater the investors risk aversion. The CAPM, which is concerned with pricing market risk, when determining what additional expected return is required for additional market risk. The only risk considered by a rational investor is market risk; we need to measure each securitys risk in these terms. The key elements here are as follows: The higher the weighting a security has, the greater will be its influence on the market return. The risk if measured in terms of market risk, the greater must be the compensating expected return. The higher the risk free rate, the higher will be the required expected return. http://www.investing-in-mutual-funds.com/portfolio-diversification.html http://www.investorwords.com/3083/modern_portfolio_theory.html Diversification works in the long run, despite rising correlations during extreme financial crises. From 1970  through 2007, a portfolio of 60 percent  SP 500 Index  and 40 percent  MSCI EAFE  returned 11.3 percent per year with an annualized  standard deviation of 13.75 percent. For the same time period, the SP 500 returned 11.1  percent per year with an annualized  standard deviation of 15.07 percent. Even when you throw a devastating and volatile year like 2008 in the mix, the benefits are still apparent. From 1970 through June 2009, the diversified portfolio had higher returns with less volatility than the SP 500 alone. The diversified portfolio returned 9.6 percent per year with an annualized  standard deviation of 14.6 percent, while the SP 500 returned 9.4 percent per year with an annualized  standard deviation of 15.6 percent. The conclusion from this data is not that diversification didnt work in 2008 and that it came back in 2009. The conclusion is that even though diversification is not a panacea for financial crises,  its the winning strategy for the long run. http://moneywatch.bnet.com/investing/blog/wise-investing/international-diversification-does-it-still-work/637/ How Does Diversification Work The concept is based on the fact that returns for certain types of investments, or asset classes, tend to move in opposite directions. As a result, poor stock returns may be counterbalanced by investments in bonds, and vice versa. You can diversify your portfolio by spreading your investments among different types of asset classes, such as U.S., international and emerging market stocks, bonds and also short-term money market investments. Exchange traded funds are an effective way to provide diversification since each individual fund holds hundreds of stocks and/or bonds. Diversification can substantially reduce the variability of returns without an equivalent reduction in expected returns. This reduction in risk arises because worse than expected returns from one asset are offset by better than expected return from another. But there is a minimum level of risk that cannot be diversified any way and that is the systematic portion. In volatile markets relationship among investments can become highly correlated, meaning returns for both types of investments move in the same direction, which reduces the effectiveness of diversification. Thats why a portfolio diversified among stocks and bonds still lost value during both recent bear markets. Its also why investments spread across U.S., international and emerging-market stocks didnt fare well either. All major investment sectors but one, government securities, declined. Its a good idea to see if your diversified portfolio still reflects your financial situation and goals.. If youve set up a 60/40 stock/bond investment mix but havent changed it in a year, you may need to rebalance your portfolio since your equity-oriented mutual funds likely fell in price more than your income-oriented mutual funds in the past year. In this case, if you want to maintain your 60/40 mix, youll have to sell some of your bond funds and invest the proceeds into equity funds. Diversification does help, however, and it always has even if, during extreme times, it hasnt been able to prevent losses entirely. Its true that, with the exception of government securities, all investment sectors were hit by the 2008-2009 declines. But investors with a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds lost a lot less than those with an all-stock portfolio even one that included international or emerging market stocks. Diversification also worked for investors during the first bear market of this decade: the 2000-2002 dot-com declines. The chart above is relatively easy to interpret; we consider the risk-free asset Rf with its corresponding Beta of zero and return of 8% and our stock with its Beta of 1.6 and its expected return E(RA) of 20%. When we connect the dots and measure the slope of the line (rise/run), we get a slope of 7.5%. From this graph, we can ascertain that our stock has a reward to risk ratio of 7.5% meaning that our stock has a risk premium of 7.5% for each unit of systematic risk. Obviously, the higher the reward to risk ratio, the better, meaning wed want to see higher E(RA) and/or lower Beta; either of which would increase the slope. In a final example, let us now compare our stock in the previous example (called Stock A) with a second stock (Stock B). Stock B has a Beta of 1.2 and an expected return E (RB) of 16%. When we construct our Security Market Line, we end up with a slightly different picture than we had with Stock A. The reward to risk ratio (or slope of the line) for Stock B is 6.67%. What this tells us (all other things equal) is that in essence, Stock A is a better choice than Stock B simply because it generates more reward for each unit of systematic risk undertaken. This analysis is especially useful when one is selecting portfolio components and wants exposure to a particular industry or sector, has multiple candidates, but doesnt want to include them all for fear of being overweight that particular area. In this manner, the candidates may be lined up and compared to see both visually and quantitatively where the best bang for the buck lies. http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article12274.html http://www.moneychimp.com/articles/risk/efficient_frontier.htm A closer look at the investment returns of a 100% U.S. stock index compared with a diversified investment mix of 60% stocks and 40% bonds between December 31, 2007, and June 30, 2009, shows that diversification was effective over that period. An investor in a diversified 60/40 mix lost 18%, or about half as much as the all-stock index, which lost 35%. International investors were hit hard as well: The MSCI ACWI (All Country World Index) ex USA, which doesnt include the U.S. market, lost 37% and the MSCI Emerging Markets Index declined 36%. For the 2000-2002 bear market, an all-stock portfolio fell 47.4% while the 60/40 mix declined only 16.8%. In fact, a diversified portfolio has helped investors weather market volatility over several different time periods. For the past three years, an all-stock portfolio lost 22.7% while the 60/40 mix declined only 5.4%. During the past five years, the stock portfolio lost 10.7% while the mix increased 4.7%. And as of June 30, 2009, over a full 10-year period, the stock portfolio lost 20.1% while the diversified mix gained 19.4% an almost 40% advantage over stocks. http://www.management-hub.com/portfolio-modern-theory.html As a conclusion I would say portfolio will work as long as the assets in the portfolio are negatively correlated and they are being taken from different markets and different kind of assets. Because if one asset returns drops still other assets return can increase. So portfolio diversification is still working. 2) The relationship between risk and return is a fundamental financial relationship that affects expected rates of return on every existing asset investment.   The Risk-Return relationship is characterized as being a positive or direct relationship meaning that if there are expectations of higher levels of risk associated with a particular investment then greater returns are required as compensation for that higher expected risk.   Alternatively, if an investment has relatively lower levels of expected risk then investors are satisfied with relatively lower returns. This risk-return relationship holds for individual investors and business managers.   Greater degrees of risk must be compensated for with greater returns on investment.   Since investment returns reflects the degree of risk involved with the investment, investors need to be able to determine how much of a return is appropriate for a given level of risk.   This process is referred to as pricing the risk. http://uwf.edu/rconstand/5994content2003/T1-Overview/T1-OverviewP04.htm http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/091/realestatemarkets.html Return Characteristics of  Public and Private Real Estate   Public and private equity real estate has been the relationship between these two markets in terms of risk and return characteristics. The most well-known private real estate performance benchmarks around the world are the NCREIF (U.S.), the PCA (Australia), and the IPD indices in various European countries. Pubic real estate benchmarks include NAREIT (U.S.), SP/ASX200 LPT Index (Australia), GPR (Global), and FTSE EPRA/NAREIT (Global). Taking these total return indices at face value, public and private real estate markets in the past have behaved differently, with public real estate showing greater volatility. Furthermore, correlation studies of private and public real estate indices show that, while both have low correlations with bonds and large-cap stocks, they also have low correlations with each other, and in general, public real estate displays a higher correlation with small stocks. As for the portfolio diversification effects of publicly listed real estate securities, the private real estate portfolios with 10 percent mixes of REITs resulted in higher risk-adjusted returns for all three countries (see below). The results imply that a holding in U.S. REITs would lead to improvements in portfolio performance even if the optimal portfolio already contains private real estate. Several other studies show similar results. According to a portfolio diversification study performed by Ibbotson Associates in 2006, adding REITs to a wide selection of diversified portfolios, from 1972 to 2005, enhanced risk-adjusted returns as compared with portfolios without REITs. Furthermore, research sponsored by the European Public Real Estate Association showed significant portfolio benefits to using real estate securities from six European countries GOLD. Risk in relation to gold is very high as it is a volatile asset as changes take place rapidly and its expected to have a high return. It can be seen that gold is more negatively correlated to U.S. stocks than any of the other asset classes. If an investor has a safe and physical gold, the cost of keeping the gold will be practically nothing. One other quality that makes gold a sound investment is its ease to liquidate. It is common that most businesses that sell gold will usually also buy gold, making gold one of the easiest assets out there to sell. One last characteristic that makes gold one of the greatest  investments  out there is golds intrinsic value and lack of counterparty risk. Other assets like a stock can become worthless overnight if the company was not run correctly or if its goods or services for any reason becomes obsolete; but because of golds intrinsic value and its lack of counterparty risk. Gold is unlikely to become worthless overnight. http://www.articlesbase.com/franchise-articles/gold-the-characteristics-of-gold-1374624.html#ixzz12gAMsAf8   http://www.articlesbase.com/franchise-articles/gold-the-characteristics-of-gold-1374624.html