Evaluating Vodafone's competitive position Essay

Evaluating Vodafone's competitive position - Essay Example In the United States, Vodafone owns majority control of the company Verizon Wireless giving them exposure to a wide range of competitors and customers. Vodafone also strives to acquire new markets and technology to offer the best to their customers. "We are reflecting the different approaches that will be required to continue to succeed, both in terms of our existing operations and in capturing new revenue streams for the future," said Vodafone chief executive Arun Sarin (BBC News April, 2006) With Vodafone companies spanning the globe, Vodafone has the ability to "respond to changing market conditions and seize opportunities," as they become available. (Gartner, May 2006)Vodafone is capable of wholesale buying around the world. This had the added advantage of setting global trends convincing buyers of the stronghold that exists within the company. In addition, a higher profit margin can be achieved when offering innovative service. Through cost leadership, Vodafone has restructured its leadership team in order to lower costs and integrate new technology. In April, Vodafone sold its deteriorating Japanese affiliate and made the president, Jim Morrow head of the new European market.

International Biz Management 4 questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Biz Management 4 questions - Essay Example The analysis of benefits and costs of moving the plant from US to Mexico are detailed below: Strategic Implications of Moving the Plant There can be a number of different reasons behind a company’s thought to move its operation, either completely or partly, to another country. As Plenert (2002) stated, out of various reasons for a company to relocate its operation, advantages of labor cost and total costs are the major drives for US companies to take wise decisions regarding relocations (p. 378). Moving to another country is strategically important as it helps a company gains more competitive advantages, build stronger brand worldwide etc. Benefits of labor cost and total costs are more evident in cases where companies decide to move from a developed country to a developing or under-developed country. Almost all major Multinationals have shown their place in China due to the availability of cheap labor that ensures increased productivity, greater accuracy and more effectivenes s in business operation. Relocating the plant from US to Mexico is not only driven by labor or total cost factor. ... und 50 % of Mexico’s total manufacturing assets are controlled by large Multinationals, mainly in border zones, making these border zones main cities of the country (Hamnett, 1999, p. 261). Moving company’s plant to Mexico thus helps the company gain greater advantages of labor and total cost, greater efficiency and increased productivity. But, if the company doesn’t decide to move, it may not be able to gain greater competitive advantages and ensuring the efficiency in its operation. Social Responsibility of the business in Mexico Social responsibility is perhaps one of the most important buzzwords of today’s business world. No matter whether the business stays in home or goes global, social responsibility is an extremely important factor that determines how good the business is and how far it can be successful. A business should never be a profit-only oriented business, but rather, it must seek to align its values, visions and strategies with needs, view s and perceptions of its various stakeholders, including employees, customers, government and wider social interests (Mallin, 2009, p. 1) When the company plans to move its plant from US to Mexico, it is highly important that its management must consider corporate social responsibility. An extensive market research may be required to recognize the tastes, specific requirements and interests of customers that it targets. As Kotler and Lee (2005) noted, social responsibility is a commitment to improve community well-being through discretionary business practices and contributions of business practices (p. 3). The proposed manufacturing plant to be established in Mexico and its operational activities should be able to add values to the community well-being. Business activities that are mandated by law or are

Hinduism And The Child Bearing Process Theology Religion Essay

Hinduism And The Child Bearing Process Theology Religion Essay Having a baby and changing your life with a new being is a very important part of life. Regardless of culture and traditions, it is a very special process for most mothers, fathers and families in all cultures around the world. This essay will look in depth into the ways the Hindu culture views child bearing, infant feeding, post partum beliefs and in general how their beliefs differ from our Canadian modernized culture. Child-bearing The Hindu religion in itself is a very tight-knit culture, relying a lot on the power of their Gods and finding enormous strength in the faith itself. The child-bearing process is no exception. Ceremonies are usually performed during pregnancy to ensure the health of the mother and growing child (Hindu, 2012). Initially at conception a ceremony called samskar is performed and this involves prayers of hope that a child will fulfill the parents obligation to continue the human race. There are rituals that the father practices with the mother such as the father parting the hair of the pregnant mother three times upward from the front to the back, this is believed to assure ripening of the embryo inside. Also, charms may be placed on or around the mother that ward off evil eyes and witches and demons. As the pregnancy advances there are a set of prayers that are held during a ceremony to continue the blessings of the mother and child. Between the fourth and seventh months of pregnancy a ceremony called Simantonnayana is held in which the father combs his wifes hair and expresses his love and support for her. Traditionally in the seventh month of pregnancy Hindus have another ritual that is performed which would be compared to a modernized Canadians version of a baby shower, this is called Seemantham. This event is organized by the family members and involves gift-giving and religious rituals. A prayer to fire is recited to sooth the expectant mother. Light instrumental music is played, and it is believed that this will refine the development of the babys ears (Hindu, 2012). During pregnancy the mother usually assumes a passive role and follows directions of the trained professionals (Leifer, 2011). During all examinations and the actual birthing process a female couch is usually preferred and they value the teachings of professionals. While the woman is in labour, her head is usually covered and if any examinations are to be done to the mother the husband must always be present. Rituals immediately following the birth of the child are practiced as well. Prior to the cutting of the umbilical cord, the father may touch the babys lips with a gold spoon or ring dipped in honey, curds and ghee. The word vak (meaning speech) is whispered three times into the right ear, and mantras (prayers) are chanted (Leifer, 2011). This ritual is normally called Jatakarma and is viewed as a sacrament or samskar. This ritual is given by the father to welcome and give blessings to ensure a long life, peace and to continue the generation of talent for the newborn child. After the newborn is delivered the sex of the child is not revealed until the placenta is delivered. This information is with-held to delay stress of the mother if the gender of the child is not of her preference until after the placenta is delivered. One of the last rituals in this category includes the performance of Namakarana (a ceremony done to name the child). This is held between the tenth and forty-first days of life. This particular ceremony marks the childs formal entry into his or her seat of Hinduism. Names are chosen according to astrology (BeliefNet, 2012) and a consultation is done in deciding the name of the child and usually names of Hindu gods or goddess are chosen and preferable. Hindus believe this tradition is special and a blessing because you will have an added benefit of remembering how your child was named. Infant Feeding Typically a newborn baby in the Hindu culture is breastfed; the belief is that by feeding the child breast milk, mothers are worshipped by the Hindu goddess Durga (the mother goddess). It is believed that breast milk is thought to have special powers which are in their religious text as the Sushrauta Samhita. These texts also recommend delaying breastfeeding until true milk comes in. (McKenna, 2009). Following religious beliefs a mothers colostrum and prelacteal feeding is discarded. Among some Hindus colostrums is discarded because of a belief that its thickness and viscosity may be difficult for the newborn to swallow. Also, there are beliefs that the first breast milk is stale or old from being stored in the breasts for the duration of the pregnancy (McKenna, 2009). Mothers ensure that their breasts are washed and all colostrums are discarded for the first day until the true milk comes in. Hindus also believe that by discarding the colostrum they are purifying the tubes of the mot hers mammary glands. Prior to the mothers giving their child the true milk, Hindus give prelacteals which their religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds state they are to have positive effects on the babys gastrointestinal and genitourinary systems. Hindus use prelacteals like honey and ghee, which are thought to evacuate meconium, reduce colic and act as a laxative (McKenna, 2009). When the infant reaches an age of six or seven months an Annaprasana ceremony is performed for the first solid foods. Annaprasanas meaning is anna= rice and prasana= to enter, thus the reasoning why rice is typically the first food given, and is given at this ceremony. The difference of the month for the ceremony depends on the gender of the child. A girl childs ceremony is held on an odd month, while a boys ceremony would be on an even month. When a baby gets solid food for the first time numerous prayers are offered to the child. It is believed with Annaprasana that the flaws that arise due to intake of impure food are removed. At the ending of this ceremony different articles such as books, fruits, toys and money are spread in front of the child. The baby is allowed to touch these items and it is believed that what the baby touches first will be his interest for rest of its life. Post Partum Beliefs Typically in most Indian cultures after a baby is born there is a lot of family support for the mother and many believe that the baby is to be handled as little as possible to allow its spine to grow normally. For the post partum women sponge baths are usually done (Leifer, 2011) in the Hindu culture. Usually the woman who delivered the child is kept in seclusion for 40 days postpartum (Leifer, 2011). This time of seclusion allows for bonding of the woman and child and immediate family. After this bonding time is complete then other family, friends and presents are welcomed into the home of the child. A traditional art of painting the skin with Henna is also performed on the woman after having a baby. Hennaing a woman after she gives birth is a traditional way to deter the malevolent spirits that cause disease, depression, and poor bonding with her infant. The action of applying henna to a mother after childbirth, particularly to her feet, keeps her from getting up to resume housewor k. A woman who has henna paste on her feet must let a friend or relative help her care for older children, tend the baby, cook and clean. This allows her to regain her strength and bond with her new baby (Cartwright Jones, 2002). Personal Reflection The process and importance of having a child in the Hindu religion really intrigues me. Although every culture finds importance and happiness in the process of a new child being welcomed into their family, the Hindu religion has opened my eyes into how special and meaningful this process can be. All the ceremonies and special activities that are done to embrace this beautiful time in life made me wish some of these special events were incorporated in modernized Canadian cultures. I truly believe that having this much culture and religious belief incorporated into having a child makes it even more special. It is very important as a nurse that you take the time and consideration to value all the different areas that cultures around the world celebrate and embrace different parts of life, such as having a baby. As a nurse you must be respectful of each and every persons beliefs and be culturally aware that every person regardless of race, color or culture may choose to embrace this part of life in their own way. It is the responsibility of the nurses and health professionals to make this the best possible experience for them and in turn being respectful to their wishes, regardless if they are different than your own.

To Live in a Vermin’s World: A Marxist View of Kafka’s The Metamorphos

To Live in a Vermin’s World: A Marxist View of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis One of the honors for ‘greatest theories’ in contemporary civilization has to be awarded to Marxism. Invented in late 19th century by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, Marxism has had great influences on the development of modern society. Despite its eventual failure, Marxism once led to numerous revolutions that working classes raised against the ruling parties in different countries. Consequently, it paved the way for the erection of the Berlin Wall, the formation of the Warsaw Treaties—communist camp confronting NATO, and the establishment of a world super power, the Soviet Union at the dawn of this century. Even decades later, after all those Marxist milestones have collapsed, China, with one fifth of world’s population, still faithfully believes in this theory. It is certain, then, Marxism’s effect on people’s thoughts is deep and profound. It is natural for people living in the birthplace and at the birth time of Marxism, Franz Kafka for i nstance, to have been affected by this theory to a greater extent. As an author, Kafka’s affiliation with Marxism was revealed in his novella, The Metamorphosis. It tells about a German travelling salesman Gregor Samsa, who awoke one morning only to find himself transformed into a bug. Thereafter, Gregor was soon deprived of his job and was no longer able to financially support his family as he had been. Confronted with this sudden change, the family members started to discard Gregor one after the other. Not only the father, who was eager to get rid of his bug-shaped ‘son’ right after Gregor’s disaster, his mother and sister finally retracted all their love and care as well. Ending with Gregor’s miserable death, ... ...ncy of interest lies in the fact that Gregor’s family members have to sacrifice leisure and go on work after his transformation while Gregor himself switches from a provider to a consumer. Thus, it is easy to observe a match between Gregor’s outcome and that of proletarians. Gregor is not a bug physically, but mentally he is. A story about his denial of a life in oppression, Gregor’s metamorphosis is as well a story about his pursuit of a life with fairness. Marked by Marxist characteristics, the transformation conforms to a proletarian struggle in that they have 1) like motives--unjust social and economic position; 2) like natures—both the target and the form; and 3) like outcomes--a wretched collapse. Though noticed and commented on by few critics, Marxist thoughts are clearly presented by Kafka in terms of Gregor’s decisive turning: to live in a vermin’s world.

Lex Cost of Capital

Lex Service PLC— Cost of Capital In 1928 Lex Garages Limited, at the time of public incorporation, had single garage in London. After 60 years, Lex Service PLC became a leading company in automotive distribution and leasing in the United Kingdom. In late 1950, Lex obtained from Volvo Car Corporation the exclusive franchise to import and distribute Volvo cars in the United Kingdom that ended in1992 four years before the scheduled termination date. This news dropped the share price of Lexto 30%.In 1970s, Lex started to expand its business into other services like transportation andleasing and for temporarily in hotel management business. By the end of 1983, Lex was structured around two principal groups ¶ i-e Lex Automotive and Lex Electronics Worldwide. From 1991 to 1993, Lex sold its major electronic business to Arrow Electronics, Inc. With theseries of acquisitions by Lex, finally it entered in the profitable business by acquiring acontrolling interest in the U.K importersh ip, Hyundai Car (U. K) in September 1993. Thisacquisition gave Lex management control of a three year rolling contract that Hyundai Car heldwith Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. In this case study, board meeting was scheduled in 1993 to review its cost of capital proceduresand to determine whether Lex Service PLC should use different hurdle rates for differentdivisions or should use cost of capital for the whole company.Lex Service PLC was concerned about its cost of capital in 1993 because from 1991 to 1993 Lexhad gone through many acquisitions and sales of assets that changed its capital structure in ahuge way. That change of capital structure included the sale of whole electronic division toArrow Electronice, Inc and acquisition of Hyundai Car (U. K). Moreover, they had cash toreinvest so Lex wanted to properly estimate its Cost of equity. Once new cost of capital is computed that will enable the firm to estimate its required rate of return on its investments.Ingeneral companies m ake use of CoC through discounted cash flow or share pricing method. To calculate cost of capital (equity), risk free rate and value of risk premium, calculations are asfollows:If Lex had no debt in its capital structure then the relationship between its levered equity betaand asset beta can be like: ? (asset) = E/V * ? (equity) And it also implies that interest and principal payments on the debt are fairly safe that makes the beta of debt to zero. If there is no debt then cost of capital will become the cost of equity.Moreover if Lex adds moderate amount of debt in its capital structure that means equity will become more risky and cost of equity will increase and so will the cost of capital. In order to fully evaluate future investment opportunities, Lex should single discount rate if the project is enough to represent the whole firm e-g in acquiring the very similar company. But Lexshould use multiple discount rates in evaluating the projects that replicates one of its divisions e -g investment in the automotive division should use the cost of capital of automotive division andsame goes for other divisions

Data Commentary on Obesity Essay

Introduction After reading and evaluating six articles written by experts on obesity, the data seems to imply that better educating people about how their behavioral lifestyle choices effect their future and current health is the best solution. The six journal articles evaluated and analyzed include: David Freedman’s article, â€Å"How to Fix the Obesity Epidemic,† published in Scientific American in 2011. Green Gregory’s article, â€Å"Physical Activity and Childhood Obesity: Strategies and Solutions for Schools and Parents,† published in Education in 2012. Micheal Wietings article, â€Å"Cause and Effect of Childhood Obestiy: Solutions for a National Epidemic,† published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association in 2008. George Blackburn’s article, â€Å" Science Based Solutions to Obesity: What are the Roles of Academia, Government, Industry, and Healthcare,† published in 2005 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. As well a s, â€Å"Obesity Solutions: Report of a meeting,† published in Nutrition Reviews in 1997. Kate Dailey’s article â€Å" Can Laws fix the Obesity Crisis,† published in Newsweek in 2010 Evaluation In his article, â€Å"How to Fix the Obesity Crisis† David Freedman explores topics such as how the US has blindly gone down the path of obesity, what researchers are doing currently to fix the problem, and how these solutions will pan out over future generations. Obese people cost the government millions in medical bills each year while the problem has not hindered. One problem with the research is that many findings challenge one another, which leads to contradicting solutions. Freedman focuses on weight loss programs, such as weight watchers, which have proved successful over recent years. As well as how they have been able to attain success. These programs have shed positive light on the issue, unfortunately there is no way to know if they can maintain success over time and larger populations. David Freedman is a senior editor at Forbes ASAP, and has appeared in many respected journals, such as The Harvard Business Review. The information and statistics stated in his paper are backed by research scientists from respected schools, such as John Hopkins University of School and Medicine, as well as the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Freedman also cites journals such as the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. He begins his arguments by stating facts or statistics from these credible sources, then explains how and why they are relevant, creating a non-biased argument on the issue. The article was written in 2011 and cites statistics as recent as 2010 making all information relevant to the issue as it stands presently. Some experts believe that it is partly the government’s responsibility to fix the problems associated with obesity. Kate Dailey explores this issue in her article, â€Å"Can Laws Fix the Obesity Crisis?† Movements in larger cities such as San Francisco put bans on restaurants, such as McDonalds for advertising high caloric food without also advertising the nutritional facts. These efforts are often shot down early by government officials because of the financial impact they have on corporations. Even when government funds obesity fixes their efforts are too often based on a â€Å"best guess† basis because results of an action are difficult to quantify. Kate Dailey utilizes actual actions governments have taken against obesity in American cities and explains the results that stem from these actions. Newspapers such as the LA Times and San Fransisco Chronicle are primary accounts finding first-hand how these experiments have faired upon implementation. Kate is a senior articles editor at Newsweek, and she reviews hundreds of articles on a broad variety of issues each week. In her article she states both positive and negative impacts of the government taking a stand on obesity, allowing readers to make their own conclusions on the issue. Adult obesity is often preceded by childhood obesity, Gregory Green explores this issue in his article â€Å"Physical Activity and Childhood Obesity : Strategies and Solutions for Schools and Parents.† The youth of today spend more time on passive sedentary activities than they do any others. This  leaves youth not only inactive but also exposed to the ruthless world of advertising by food conglomerates. Obesity does not merely hinder youth physically but mentally as well; once youth see themselves a certain way it is difficult to dissuade their thinking. Parents and schools can play a major role in assisting children by educating them and giving only healthy options when eating. Gregory Green is a Professor at Fort State Valley University where he teaches Health and Physical Education department on top of being the university’s Faculty Athletics Representative . Green consistently cites the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in his article, the leading center for all things disease related, as well as a plethora of articles written by his peers. Green utilizes facts to support claims throughout the paper, which allows him to leave personal opinion and bias out of context. Michael Wieting also explores causes to childhood obesity, and how it links to a lifetime of obesity. Obesity is a caused by â€Å"attacks† on multiple fronts, such as lack of education, genetic factors, and negative advertising by the food industry. Societal factors play large roles against obese children. In urban neighborhoods there is often a lack of open area for activity. Urban areas also lack supermarkets where the healthy food is located. Only in realizing the many causes of obesity is it possible to brainstorm solutions. Advocacy and regulation can play a large role in prevention of the problem while physicians consistently research medical solutions for the obese community. Michael Wieting is a professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Lincoln Memorial University where he is also the Dean of Clinical Medicine. Like Green, Wieting cites the Center for Disease Control and Prevention often throughout his paper. Wieting acknowledges different causes and solutions in his paper, and pulls information from many different scholarly papers written by his peers. His paper avoids bias by explaining multiple viewpoints on the issue, which allows the reader to interpret and make conclusions without any sway from the author. The article was written in 2008 and cites sources from the same year, making the statistics relevant  relevant and current information. George Blackburn reminds readers about the science behind the epidemic of obesity in his article, â€Å"Science Based Solutions to Obesity: What are the Roles of Academia, Government, Industry, and Healthcare.† Scientists are constantly researching reasons behind why some people are obese as well as possible scientific solutions that go beyond the everyday â€Å"go to the gym† solution. As obesity kills more and more people each year, medical institutions are making a point to study the biochemistry behind the issue. Blackburn is an expert in the field of healthcare and nutrition, he currently works as the Associate Director of the Division of Nutrition at Harvard University. Blackburn is on the cutting edge of healthcare information concerning nutrition, which is pertinent to the matter of obesity and fixing the effects obesity has had on the country. The article was written in 2005, however, none of the information in the article has been disproved since the time of publication, which means it is all pertinent to the issue. Blackburn also leaves personal opinion out of the discussion by stating proven facts and explaining why the facts are detrimental to our well-being. In 1997 a workshop entitled â€Å"Obesity Solutions† was held at St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City in order to address the problem of obesity spreading across America. Scientists had begun finding reasons for obesity which went beyond merely overeating and lack of exercise. Genes in the body and proteins encoded by those genes were found to be one of the many causes for obesity. While nutritional food intake and exercise could greatly impact obesity those new discoveries can yield freedoms to obese people they had never before experienced. This report was groundbreaking and paved the way for millions of dollars in obesity research over the decade that followed. Twelve medical professionals had input in the â€Å"obesity solutions† workshop, all of which were qualified by respected institutions to be part of the research. Although the research is almost fifteen years old it has been the  starting pad for larger discoveries and remains as relevant as it was when it was first discovered. Science remains immune to personal bias because results are not interpreted, they are stated. The scientists thoughts and opinions on the topic are absent, therefore having no impact on the paper. Synthesis The scientific and nutritional community agree that obesity needs to be put to an end as soon as possible for the benefit of all. Experts do not always agree as to the best possible solutions to the problem. They argue that certain solutions can bring about better results than others. Obesity may be solved through government lobbying and intervention, through medical intervention utilizing pharmaceutical drugs or surgery, or behavior modification of obese through healthy eating and exercise.. The government plays a huge role in American citizens’ lives even if most people do not notice or realize. The government regulates what we see on television, what the food industry can and can not do, as well as the curriculum American children are taught in school every single day. The government should be taking steps to end the biggest killer in America: obesity. Blackburn argues, â€Å"the need to update and refine school curricula as a key objective in the fight against obesity.† (Blackburn) This is pertinent to success in defeating obesity because there is an unacceptable health illiteracy in America currently. Kids are not taught how to eat healthy until they take health class in tenth grade in most school districts today. Not only are they kept in the dark when it comes to nutritional information, they are not given the opportunity to combat obesity through physical activity. Wieting cites the CDC, â€Å"participation in physical education has declined 30% in the past decade.† (Wieting) This is a direct result of government interference in Wietings opinion due to â€Å"state and federal pressure to improve performance on proficiency tests by reducing-or eliminating-time for recess and physical education classes.† (Wieting) This proves that governments are more worried about bringing tax dollars home than maintaining a healthy lifestyle within the community it serves. Some argue that the government is taking measures to â€Å"combat obesity† when  in reality they have no effect on the problem. Communities are different all over the country, and â€Å"it’s difficult to evaluate the success rates or determine whether what works in one place will play well in another.† (Dailey) In other words, this means it is difficult to implement the same plans in places where climate psychographics are drastically different. In order to succeed, experimentation will have to take place around the country and implementation of different solutions must occur in order to find out what the most successful approach is. The scientific community can gives a helping hand not only in research of the obesity cause, but also scientific solutions. Scientists are able to discover which types of nutrients are able to help the body shed fat. In 1997 at the â€Å"obesity meeting† in New York it was discovered that, â€Å"high protein diets provide the best short term results, however long term effects are similar, if not the same than most diets.† (Albu) This is important for those just beginning to diet, proving that encouraging beginnings to weight loss positively correlates to successful behavior modification. Scientists have discovered differences in the genotypes of healthy people compared to those of obese people. Genes code for different types of proteins in the body, which have specific jobs to do in maintaining health. the protein Leptin is meant to control the body’s food intake, to tell the body it is full when it has had enough to eat. The New York meeting discovered that â€Å"circulating leptin is reduced in obese subjects during times of hypocaloric intake.† (Albu) Obese people do not stop eating because their brains fail to receive the message that they are full; instead they continue to eat an unhealthy amount of food. Behavior modification and lifestyle changes continue to be the front runner as a cure to the epidemic. â€Å"Programs based on behavioral principles are more likely to help people take and keep off weight than other approaches.† (Freedman) This is the conclusion of a study that was funded by weight watchers, completed by an unbiased third party. The conclusions find that changes in lifestyle by consistently tracking calorie intake, keeping an exercise journal, and recording weight values weekly. are frontrunners the  cure for obesity. Weight loss does not happen quickly, but rather at a snails pace and long term change is critical. Today children are brought up into obese lifestyles which they have no control over. Often times obese children know nothing about healthy meal choices or the positive impact of exercise. â€Å"Today’s children spend hours participating in sedentary activities, and eat more fast food and vending machine food than older generations have in the past.† (Green) Green argues that the lifestyle that Generation Y is being raised in and the social norms that they have been taught are acceptable encourage obese behavior. Commentary It is clear that obesity is caused by a multitude of problems ranging from medical conditions which people have no control over, to lifestyle choices which obese people are encouraged to act proactively about. Continued scientific research allows the community to better understand what causes obesity in certain cases. Research may also lead to an end all be all solution to obesity that could save the lives of millions. It is also clear that taking an active part in changing lifestyle can dramatically improve the future wellbeing of the country. Actively teaching people about the negative impacts their choices have on their own lives could save many misinformed, uneducated people. The data seems to imply that better educating people about how their behavioral lifestyle choices effect their future and current health is the best solution. An education system that stresses healthy living through better eating habits as well as an emphasis on physical education could help to fix the behavioral problems seen in many obese victims. Work Cited Albu, J., Allison, D., Boozer, C. N., Heymsfield, S., Kissileff, H., Kretser, A., Krumhar, K., Leibel, R., Nonas, C., Pi-Sunyer, X., Vanltallie, T. and Wedral, E. (1997), Obesity Solutions: Report of a Meeting. Nutrition Reviews, 55: 150–156. Web. 2 Mar. 2014 Blackburn, George L., and Allan Walker. â€Å"Science-based Solutions to Obesity: What Are the Roles of Academia, Government, Industry, and Health Care?† The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 82.1 (2005): 2075-105. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. Dailey, Kate. â€Å"Can Laws Fix The Obesity Crisis?† Newsweek.com 16 Nov. 2010. Academic OneFile. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. Freedman, David H. â€Å"How To Fix The Obesity Crisis.† Scientific American 304.2 (2011): 40-47. Military and Government Collection. Web. 2 Mar. 2014 Green, Gregory, Brenda Hargrove, and Clarence Riley. â€Å"Physical activity and childhood obesity: strategies and solutions for schools and parents.† Education 132.4 (2012): 915+. Academic OneFile. Web. 2 Mar. 2014 Wieting, Micheal J. â€Å"Cause and Effect of Childhood Obesity: Solutions for a National Epidemic.† The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association 108.10 (2008): 545-52. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.

The Experts Guide to the AP Calculus AB Exam

The Expert's Guide to the AP Calculus AB Exam SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you taking the AP Calculus AB exam this spring and want to be well prepared on test day?The AP Calculus AB exam in 2020 will be held on Tuesday, May 5, at 8 am. Before you sit down to take the exam, though, it’s critical that you know how the Calculus AB test is formatted, what topics it covers, and how you’ll be scored on it. This guide will go over all of that information while also showing you official sample problems and giving you tips on the best way to prepare for AP Calculus AB. The exam was updated in May 2017, sothis guide will explain what changes have been made and how they might affect your review.The AP Calculus AB exam can sometimes seem overwhelming, but we're here to break it down into clear and manageable information for you. Let’s get started! What’s the Format of the AP Calculus AB Exam? The AP Calculus AB exam is three hours and 15 minutes long and has two sections. Both of these sections are divided into two parts (based on whether or not a calculator is allowed). Multiple-Choice Section Here is an overview of the format of the AP Calculus AB multiple-choice section: 45 questions total One hour 45 minutes total Worth 50% of your total score Part A 30 questions 60 minutes No calculator allowed Part B 15 questions 45 minutes Calculator required Note that the AP Calculus AB exam has had small changes made to its format. Previously, Part A of the multiple-choice section had 28 questions, and Part B had 17 questions. Free-Response Section Here is a rundown of the format of the AP Calculus AB free-response section: Six questions total One hour 30 minutes total Worth 50% of your total score Part A Two questions 30 minutes Calculator required Part B Four questions 60 minutes No calculator allowed This can all look a little complicated, but basically, the AP Calculus AB exam consists of four parts. The first two are multiple choice, and the last two are free response. You are required to use a calculator for the middle two parts (one each for multiple choice and free response), but you may not use a calculator for the first and last parts of the exam. What Topics Does the AP Calculus AB Exam Cover? Content on the Calculus AB exam can be divided into three main topic areas, referred to by the College Board as Big Ideas.Within these three Big Ideas are more specific topics called Enduring Understandings (often abbreviated as â€Å"EU†). Each Enduring Understanding contains both Learning Objectives and Essential Knowledge that the student should have learned by the time of the exam. As I mentioned, there have been some updates to the AP Calculus AB exam. Fortunately, they’re relatively minor changes that mostly have to do with how the course framework is structured, and this will affect instructors of the course more than it will you.The only significant change to the content of the AP Calculus AB exam is that L’Hospital’s Rule will now be included on it- and students will be expected to understand and apply it. I’ve listed each of the Big Ideas and their Learning Objectives below,since these are the most relevant for students looking for what the exam covers. For the sake of length and clarity, I left out the Enduring Understandings and Essential Knowledge. If you’d like to see these, as well as more detailed information on the content covered by the exam, check out the officialAP Calculus AB Course Description. Still, know that the information below will give you a solid look at what you’re expected to know for the exam. Learning Objectives are listed below Big Ideas. These Learning Objectives are skills that students are expected to know how to do for the exam. Big Idea 1: Limits Express limits symbolically using correct notation Interpret limits expressed symbolically Estimate limits of functions Determine limits of functions Analyze functions for intervals of continuity or points of discontinuity Determine the applicability of important calculus theorems using continuity Big Idea 2: Derivatives Identify the derivative of a function as the limit of a difference quotient Estimate derivative Calculate derivatives Determine higher order derivatives Use derivatives to analyze properties of a function Recognize the connection between differentiability and continuity Interpret the meaning of a derivative within a problem Solve problems involving the slope of a tangent line Solve problems involving related rates, optimization, and rectilinear motion Solve problems involving rates of change in applied contexts Verify solutions to differential equations Estimate solutions to differential equations Apply the Mean Value Theorem to describe the behavior of a function over an interval Big Idea 3: Integrals and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus Recognize antiderivatives of basic functions Interpret the definite integral as the limit of a Riemann sum Express the limit of a Riemann sum in integral notation Approximate a definite integral Calculate a definite integral using areas and properties of definite integrals Analyze functions defined by an integral Calculate antiderivatives Evaluate definite integrals Interpret the meaning of a definite integral within a problem Apply definite integrals to problems involving the average value of a function Apply definite integrals to problems involving motion Apply definite integrals to problems involving area and volume Use the definite integral to solve problems in various contexts Analyze differential equations to obtain general and specific solutions Interpret, create, and solve differential equations from problems in context AP Calculus AB Sample Questions Looking at sample questions is one of the best ways to get a feel for what the AP Calculus AB exam will be like. Here arefour sample questions, one from each part of the AP exam.Each of these questions was taken from the official AP Calculus AB Course Description, which you can look at for more complete answer explanations and additional sample problems. Multiple Choice (No Calculator) This question tests your ability to calculate derivatives. You'll need to use the chain rule to differentiate composite functions. The correct answer to this problem is B. Multiple Choice (Calculator Allowed) This question tests your ability to solve problems with rapid rates of change. You'll have to find the derivative in order to findthe rate of change of the temperature of the water. The correct answer is B. Free Response (Calculator Allowed) This question tests your knowledge of integrals. Parts A, B, and C are each worth 3 points. Free Response (No Calculator) This question tests your knowledge of multiple topics, including derivatives and integrals. You can receive up to 1 point for part A, 2 points for part B, and 3 points each for parts C and D. How Is the AP Calculus AB Exam Scored? As mentioned, the multiple-choice section and the free-response section are each worth 50% of your total exam score. For the multiple-choice section, you earn 1 point for each question you answer correctly. No points are deducted for incorrect answers, so you should answer every question! You can earn up to 45 points for this section. For the free-response section, each of the six questions is worth 9 points, so you can earn up to 54 points. Different parts of each question can beworth a different amount of points (for example, on one question you may be able to earn up to 1 point for part A, 3 points for part B, 3 points for part C, and 2 points for part D). After your points are added up for each of your sections, your AP Calculus AB score is converted to the standard AP scoring scale of 1-5.The exact formula for doing this can change slightly from year to year. However, in 2008, the process for converting raw AP scores to scaled scores involved multiplying the number of multiple-choice questions you answered correctly by 1.2272,and then adding that number to the points you received on the free-response section. This valueis rounded to the nearest whole number and becomes your composite score. Each AP score (from 1-5) corresponds to a range of composite scores. Below,you can see the conversion chart and score distributions for test takers from the 2018 Calculus AB exam: Composite Score Range AP Score % of Students Who Got Score 0-26 1 20.0% 27-38 2 22.4% 39-51 3 21.0% 52-67 4 17.3% 68-108 5 19.4% Source: The College Board 3 Tips for Preparing for the AP Calculus AB Exam Studying for the AP Calculus AB exam can be tough. Use these three tips to make your studying more effective and increase your chances of getting a great score. Tip 1: Memorize Important Formulas There are certain formulas for AP Calculus AB that you should have down pat.There's no formula sheet given on the AP exam, so you’ll have to memorize the formulas you'll need. Many teachers give out formula sheets for students to memorize. There are also various formula cheat sheets you can use to review before the exam. To find these, simply Google â€Å"AP Calculus AB formula sheet† and look at your options. In general, any formula you use regularly in class is a good one to memorize.Major formulas you should have memorized include those for limits, differentiation, and integration, as well as the fundamental theorems. Tip 2: Know How to Use Your Calculator You’re allowed to use your calculator for two of the four exam parts, and most of the questions in these two sections will be difficult, if not impossible, to solve without a graphing calculator. While it might seem obvious that you should know how to work your calculator, knowing exactly how and when to use its different functions can save you a lot of time on the exam and increase your chances of getting the correct answer. According to the College Board, the four calculator capabilities you’ll use the most during the AP Calculus AB exam and should easily be able to do with your calculator are as follows: Plot the graph of a function within an arbitrary viewing window Find the zeros of functions (solve equations numerically) Numerically calculate the derivative of a function Numerically calculate the value of a definite integral When you’re preparing for the exam, be sure that you know how to do each of these (completing practice problems can help!). Tip 3: Get Used to Showing All Your Work For most free-response questions on the AP Calculus AB test, the final answer to a problem is only worth 1-2 points out of a possible 9.This means that the majority of points are earned through intermediate steps of the problem- and if you don’t show how you reached those intermediate steps, you won’t get a high score on this section. Even if you get a correct answer by using your calculator, you have to write the setup (such as the equation being solved or the derivative being evaluated) as well as the answer in order to get credit for your work. You might be used to not writing down certain work that seems particularly obvious on homework and class tests. However, even if your teacher doesn’t mind, AP graders will. Remember that APgraders are more interested in how you reached your final answer than they are in what that final answer is, so get yourself in the habit of showing each step of your work well before exam time. Conclusion: What to Know About the AP Calculus AB Exam The AP Calculus AB exam can be intimidating if you don’t know what to expect.Knowing how the exam will be formatted and what types of questions it will ask can go a long way toward helping you feel more prepared and confident on test day. The exam has two sections, multiple-choice and free-response, which are each divided into two parts, based on whether or not you may use a calculator.Each of these sections is worth 50% of your total AP score. The exam itself covers three main topics: Limits Derivatives Integrals and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus In order to prepare for the AP Calculus AB exam in the best way, keep these three tips in mind during your review: Memorize important formulas Know how to use your calculator Get used to showing all your work What's Next? Now that you know what the AP Calculus AB exam covers, the next step is to practice!Read our guide to getlinks toevery Calculus AB practice test available online. Wondering how challenging other AP classes are? Learn what the easiest AP classesareand what the hardest AP classes are so that you know exactly what to expect! Not surewhich other math classes you should take? Math is often the trickiest school subject to choose classes for, but our guide will help you figure out exactly which math classes to take for each year of high school. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Independent Genitive †Definition and Examples

Independent Genitive s The independent genitive is a construction in which the noun following the possessive form is omitted (such as We stopped at Sams), usually because the context makes the meaning clear without it. English also has independent genitive pronouns  (also called strong  or  absolute  possessive pronouns):  mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours,  and  theirs. Unlike dependent genitive pronouns (or weak possessives), which serve as determiners in front of nouns, the independent genitive pronouns take the place of phrases. For example, in the sentence Thats her book, her is dependent on the noun book, while in the sentence Thats hers, hers is independent. Scholarly Examples and Observations Eternal blue neon, were never closed.When the world is asleep,Darling, come take a seat.You can always eat at Joes,Eat at Joes.(Gary Harrison and Matraca Maria Berg, Eat at Joes. Performed by Suzy Bogguss on Voices in the Wind, 1992)My mother learned that she was carrying me at about the same time the Second World War was declared; with the family talent for magic realism, she once told me she had been to the doctors on the very day.(Angela Carter, The Mother Lode. Shaking a Leg. Penguin, 1998)I like the dry cleaners. I like the sense of refreshment and renewal. I like the way dirty old torn clothes are dumped, to be returned clean and wholesome in their slippery plastic cases.(Fay Weldon, The Heart of the Country. Viking Penguin, 1988)Apples market share is bigger than BMWs or Mercedess or Porsches in the automotive market. Whats wrong with being BMW or Mercedes?(Steve Jobs, quoted by Jason D. OGrady  in Apple Inc. Greenwood, 2009)He crossed Fifth Avenue  at St. Patricks and   recalled walking through the church once - such a tourist thing to do - and watching Lois light a candle.(Rick Hamlin, Reading Between the Lines. Howard Books, 2006) Independent and Dependent Genitives An independent genitive is not followed by a noun: An independent genitive is often used in referring to relationships between people, as in these examples. Notice that this construction has a very specific meaning. The independent genitive a friend of Carolines does not mean the same as the dependent genitive Carolines friend: Independent: We met a friend of Carolines in Spain. Dependent: We met Carolines friend in Spain. The independent genitive means one of Carolines friends, who may or may not be known to the hearer. In contrast, the dependent genitive means one specific friend, who is assumed to be known to the hearer. Independent genitives are also used in reference to places and businesses: (Gerald Nelson, English: An Essential Grammar, 2nd ed.  Routledge, 2011) A friend of CarolinesA colleague of FranksAn old army pal of JimsShe stayed at Rebeccas Rebeccas houseI ran into Jim in Sainsburys Sainsburys supermarketI left my wallet in the barbers the barbers shop Independent Genitive Pronouns Note that most of the independent forms are distinguished from the dependent forms simply by the presence of a word-final -s. The exceptions are the 1st-person independent genitive (mine rather than *mys), and the masculine and neutral forms of the 3rd-person independent genitive (his, its), which are identical to the 3rd-person dependent genitive forms. These pronouns are often described as possessive forms. This is not the most useful label, since the meaning of these forms is not restricted to expressing possession. This is shown in the examples in (27), only the first of which can be said to involve the semantic relation of possession: (27a) I must clean my car. (27b) The professors were not surprised by his failure. (27c) Their hometown is Cambridge. (Martin J. Endley, Linguistic Perspectives on English Grammar. Information Age, 2010) There are four sorts of people. (1) He who says What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yoursthis is the average sort. (And some say, This is the sort of Sodom.) (2) Whats mine is yours and whats yours is minethis is a boor. (3) Whats mine is yours and whats yours is yoursthis is a truly pious man. (4) Whats mine is mine and whats yours is minethis is a truly wicked man. (Tractate  Abot 5:10.  The Book of Jewish Wisdom: The Talmud of the Well-Considered Life, ed. by Jacob Neusner and Noam M. M. Neusner. Continuum, 1996)

Migrations During the Dark Age of Ancient Greece

Migrations During the Dark Age of Ancient Greece Well never know exactly how Greece came to create colonies in Asia Minor and in southern areas of Italy, Megale Hellas, known better by the Latin name of Magna Graecia. Here is the modern theory followed by what the ancient Greeks thought had happened. The essence of what we think happened is that a Dark Age invasion of a people known as Dorians swept down from the North, settling first in the Corinthian Gulf and the northwest Peloponnese, then the south and east, and the islands of Crete, Rhodes, and Kos. These Dorians pushed the native Greeks out of their homelands. Eventually some mainland Greeks migrated to Ionia. The ancient Greeks had their own explanation of the Dorian Invasion.... Ancient Version of the Dorian Invasion Archaic Age Hesiod Perseus Theseus Heraclides Hercules Who Were the Dorians? Thucydides on the Greek Colonies Sixty years after the capture of Ilium, the modern Boeotians were driven out of Arne by the Thessalians, and settled in the present Boeotia, the former Cadmeis.... Twenty years later, the Dorians and the Heraclids became masters of Peloponnese; so that much had to be done and many years had to elapse before Hellas could attain to a durable tranquillity undisturbed by removals, and could begin to send out colonies, as Athens did to Ionia and most of the islands, and the Peloponnesians to most of Italy and Sicily and some places in the rest of Hellas.- Thucydides Greeks in Asia Minor During the Trojan War Bronze Age Sallie Goetsch Ionian Settlements Sources: [URL vislab-www.nps.navy.mil/~fapapoul/history/dorians.html ]Carlos Parada Heraclides[www.perseus.tufts.edu/GreekScience/Students/Ellen/EarlyGkAstronomy.html] Early Greek AstronomersIonians mingled with Lydians and Persians and sea-faring people. The Question of a Dorian InvasionThomas Martin Overview of Greek History in this section addresses both the question of the invasion and Greek chronology. Homeric Geography

Maritime Transportation Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Maritime Transportation Industry - Essay Example However, the maritime transportation industry could be considered as having reached its peak and is now falling out of popularity due to the many problems and challenges the industry is now facing. These problems are listed and discussed in the following: Unlike trucks and planes, ships operate in a much more extreme environment. The ship, exposed to highly-corrosive and oxidative seawater, develops rust easily and can have its parts heavily damaged in just one delivery especially if it encountered storms during the trip. Compounding the problem is the incrustation of ship hulls, particularly the underside, by bacteria, algae and other sea organisms. Incrustations destroy paint making it easier for the metal of the ship to corrode. A heavy layer of organisms increases drag and leads to higher fuel costs. It can also cause accidents, impaired navigational ability and even the loss of the vessel. These are grave problems unique only to the maritime shipping industry which makes it more dangerous than other transportation method. (GAO, 2002) One big problem with the maritime transportation industry is that it is very sensitive to instabilities in the industry. In the 1980s, the changing pattern of international trade combined with rapid technological developments resulted in many structural and technological changes in the world shipping industry (Sussman, 2002). The fast rise and fall of other industries that were sources of job orders of the maritime industry meant that there could be a rapid decline or surge in seaborne trade. A decline could wreak havoc in the maritime transport industry because the maritime transport fleet is unable to respond quickly as existing tonnage cannot be easily redeployed and contractual obligations for the construction or order of additional ships cannot be easily removed without substantial financial penalties. This characteristic of maritime transport could lead to excess tonnage situations such as what happened in the 1970s when seaborne trade started to diminish, especially in the pe troleum trades. The result was that there was a severe imbalance between supply and demand which peaked in 1983 when surplus tonnage amounted to 28.5% of the world fleet. This means that when there is a decline in maritime trade, the maritime transport would easily suffer from huge losses incurred in contract obligations and fall out of the industry which creates a void in suppliers of the service. (Department of Transportation, 2007; Pedraja, 1994) 2.3 Restrictive Shipping Practices According to Donn (2006), unlike air and land transport of goods,

Capitalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Capitalism - Essay Example In the political context, capitalism is the system of  freedom and legally it rules of law  opposed to rule of man. Economically men’s freedom is applied to the sphere of production. In the modern time, economists argue that capitalism works as a system of natural forces with the supply and demand that tends toward equilibrium. Governance here serves as the main distortion of capitalism and any opposition to capitalism is equal to the opposition to the markets. While Scott (2006) argues about the capitalism to be defined as an economic system with private actors to own and manage the use of property, the pricing mechanism coordinates supply and demand in the markets in the best interests of society. Government, in this view is responsible for tolerable taxes. In the simple word, Murray (2012) considers capitalism lifted the world out of poverty since it gave people to be richer as they create value and reaping the rewards. Thus, the concept of capitalism is perceived as th e indirect governance for economic, political and administrative relationship where organized markets exist with the set of institutional foundations with various rights and responsibilities that are created and regulated under the protection of a political authority (Rand, Branden, Greenspan & Hessen, 1986). While capitalism is taken for granted for many people, Wright (2007) states that certain behaviors of economic policies of the government may receive great criticism where capitalism as such is able to develop the negative consequences. Some bad effect of capitalism involves human misery and thwarted lives (Wright, 2007) and in general capitalism generates unnecessary human suffering. It raises the question of greed with exaggerated single-minded pursuit of self- interest which is in the context of capitalism to be the economic system that is driven by the profits.

Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 9

Accounting - Essay Example According to Bierman 24 besides building power plants, buying and selling of natural gas and electricity; the company also developed new markets like internet bandwidths, weather futures, pulp and paper business, water plants and oddball products which provided broadcast time for marketers which rocketed its financial incomes. Between the periods of 1995 to 2000, its revenues rose from $9 billion to an impressive $100 billion. The company won America’s most innovative company by Fortunes Most Admired Companies Survey for six years straight which added to its successful reputation. The accounting system required that the company’s future profits were to be estimated at present value based on the signing of its long term contracts. The system was introduced by the joining CEO Jeffery Skilling, who ordered the company’s reporting system to be changed from its actual sales and supply of its natural gas to the new system. The mark to market accounting estimations were in reference to the future net value of the cash flows which were often difficult to predict. This included estimated Enron’s projects’ incomes that were irrespective of whether they were received or not and if changes were made like additional losses or incomes, they would be incorporated in subsequent periods. Enron Incorporation was the first non financial company to be given approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) use the system. Due to the numerous discrepancies in matching their cash and profits; the shareholders were given false reports. Therefore, a strategy to appease the investors was created (Bierman 45). Based on Bierman 55 the company executed pressure on its traders in order to forecast low discount rates and high future cash-flows on long-term contracts with the company. In essence, the difference margin between the original paid value and the present calculated net value was the company’s profit. Contrarily, the estimated net

Reducing urban traffic congestion Research Paper

Reducing urban traffic congestion - Research Paper Example Having been faced by various divergent perspectives on policies and approaches for dealing with traffic congestions, what kind of recommendation can policy makers be given in order to ensure there are the best possible policy outcomes of transport? Traffic congestions in urban areas takes on numerous faces, takes place in distinct contexts, and is as result of various processes. Due to these reasons, there is no one particular approach to managing traffic congestions; and this paper is therefore is not dictatorial about specific management measures of traffic congestions in urban areas. Nevertheless, there are quite a number of things that policies for traffic congestion management should consider if they are to reduce traffic congestions in urban areas. With that regards, this paper seeks to address traffic congestions in urban areas, its causes, costs and impacts, and management measures and strategies of reducing traffic congestions (Fielding 239). It is very unlikely that vehicle automation or roadway construction will alleviate most major urban traffic congestion in future. ... ches and compare them qualitatively against different criteria: economic efficiency, effectiveness at reducing congestion, flexibility of access for urgent trips, and income distribution effects. There are also recommendations made concerning measures of capacity-allocation with prospective to increase economic efficiency and to minimize traffic congestion (Laian 178). Introduction Traffic congestion are the incremental costs originating from among road users’ interference. The effects are significant under peak urban conditions in which volumes of traffic approach the capacity of the road. The consequent traffic congestion minimizes mobility and increases vehicle costs, driver stress and pollution. Traffic congestion is considered as one of the primary urban transportation problems, with an annual approximated cost of $100 billion in the United States, comparable to other countries. For example, in 2000, in US metropolitan areas, the average driver endured 27 traffic delay ho urs, an increase from 7 traffic delay hours in 1980. Traffic delays are noticeably worse than in the United States in many other countries. In developing countries traffic congestion in urban areas is rising with alarming rapidity. For more than 5 decades, economists have been advocating pricing of traffic congestion as the way to manage traffic congestion in urban areas; however, in spite some successes, pricing of traffic congestion is still encountering substantial resistance politically (Paulley 176). Urban centers and traffic have simultaneously developed since the earliest massive human settlements. Similar forces drawing inhabitant to congregate in large cities and urban areas result into intolerable traffic congestion levels on city streets and thoroughfares. An effective governance of

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy - Term Paper Example   Significantly, there have been arguments in favor of as well as against the policy and a reflective analysis of the policy is required for a judicious judgment on the issue. â€Å"A Gall up poll taken in July 1993 found the public evenly split over both a â€Å"Don’t ask, don’t tell† policy and a question of whether homosexuality is incompatible with military service. Forty nine percent agree and 48 percent disagree with the statement â€Å"homosexuality is incompatible with military service† (National Defense Research Institute U.S. P.202). Therefore, this paper analyzes the various aspects of the policy â€Å"Don’t ask, don’t tell† to determine a careful position on the topic. Although there are several criticisms raised against the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, both in the Congress and among the general public, the military is not prepared for this drastic change as the positive re sults of the policy are several. Significantly, the policy DADT has already become a central element of the military policy regarding same-sex acts, a relaxation on the policy is not acceptable to the U.S. military. Therefore, I strongly agree with the idea behind the policy â€Å"Don’t ask, don’t tell† as this policy will help the U.S. military personnel in emphasizing the need for order and discipline in the army. The â€Å"Don’t ask, don’t tell† policy assumes greater significance as there is an imminent danger that the parents who are very much orthodox may not allow their children to join the army that it is lacking in high moral standards. A military unit would be sacrificing its reputation if it is lacking in discipline and unit cohesion. There are chances of internal disagreements and Soldiers may gather against the gay and lesbian groups and the military unit perishes under these circumstances.     

What did Malcom X do for Islam Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What did Malcom X do for Islam - Research Paper Example At the age of 20, Malcolm X was arrested and taken to prison for criminal offense (larceny, breaking, and entering). It was during his prison life that Malcolm X joined the Nation of Islam; a movement founded by Wallece Fard in the 1930s (DeCaro 76). He rose to the ranks to become a leader in the Nation of Islam. He opted for the name X on the belief that he had lost his true lineage following forced slavery on his African ancestors. For years, Malcolm X featured as the public face of this controversial Islamic group that believed and worshipped Allah and also lived to Mohammed’s teachings. In protecting the Nation Islam’s teachings, Malcolm X strongly advocated for Black-White separation, scoffed at the American’s civil rights movement, and espoused black supremacy by emphasizing on white-black integration (Kly 77). Following the mysterious disappearance of Fard, Elijah Muhammad ascended to the leadership of the movement. The Nation of Islam became very powerful and influential, especially among the African-Americans who had been released from prison and where in search of help and guidance (Turner 54). The group preached strict adherence to moral codes as well as relying on fellow African-Americans for guidance and support. The primary goal of this movement was not integration, but empowering the blacks to establish their own churches, support networks, and schools (DeCaro 85). After making his personal conversion to Muhammad, Malcolm X’s talents were recognized by Elijah, making to become the spokesperson of the Black Muslims. Having been disillusioned with Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X led repudiation to the Nation of Islam and its fundamental teachings (Sabrina 6-7). It was after this walkout that Malcolm X embraced Sunni Islam. Following years of Middle East and Africa n travels, Malcolm founded the popular Organization of Afro-American

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy - Term Paper Example   Significantly, there have been arguments in favor of as well as against the policy and a reflective analysis of the policy is required for a judicious judgment on the issue. â€Å"A Gall up poll taken in July 1993 found the public evenly split over both a â€Å"Don’t ask, don’t tell† policy and a question of whether homosexuality is incompatible with military service. Forty nine percent agree and 48 percent disagree with the statement â€Å"homosexuality is incompatible with military service† (National Defense Research Institute U.S. P.202). Therefore, this paper analyzes the various aspects of the policy â€Å"Don’t ask, don’t tell† to determine a careful position on the topic. Although there are several criticisms raised against the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, both in the Congress and among the general public, the military is not prepared for this drastic change as the positive re sults of the policy are several. Significantly, the policy DADT has already become a central element of the military policy regarding same-sex acts, a relaxation on the policy is not acceptable to the U.S. military. Therefore, I strongly agree with the idea behind the policy â€Å"Don’t ask, don’t tell† as this policy will help the U.S. military personnel in emphasizing the need for order and discipline in the army. The â€Å"Don’t ask, don’t tell† policy assumes greater significance as there is an imminent danger that the parents who are very much orthodox may not allow their children to join the army that it is lacking in high moral standards. A military unit would be sacrificing its reputation if it is lacking in discipline and unit cohesion. There are chances of internal disagreements and Soldiers may gather against the gay and lesbian groups and the military unit perishes under these circumstances.     

Woman in Black theatre review Essay Example for Free

Woman in Black theatre review Essay In June 2012 I had the pleasure of watching The Woman In Black in the Fortune Theatre. A spine-chilling adaptation of the 1983 novel by Susan Hill. The story explores a tale of a ‘woman in black’ who is said to haunt the living, when a young solicitor enters a town where the villagers are reluctant to speak anything of this ghostly character he ultimately discovers why. The play was first performed in 1987 in the Saint Joseph Theatre in Scarborough as a ‘Christmas play’ only to attract profits however it attracted more attention than was expected. Critics raved about the play and it went onto become a success, eventually upgrading to its present location at the Fortune Theatre in Drury Lane. The most remarkable thing about this play is the minimalism of it; there are just two actors throughout the whole of the play and a very minimalistic set, just a trunk, and a chair which the actors themselves have to maneuver in order to create different settings. The audience are initially introduced to the main characters; Arthur Kipps, assisted by a young actor to help him communicate the terrifying events that he faced when on a job in the small town of Crythin Gifford. This play uses the technique of a play within a play to relive Arthur Kipps’ memories. The young actor plays young Arthur Kipps whereas the old Arthur Kipps plays every other character he was faced with. The older actor was tremendous in carrying out his role and would have had to been; playing so many characters and displaying their dialect, body language etc perfectly was outstanding. What really stood out for me was the exceptional use of such simple effects. In each scene the simplistic setting would not be able to portray a realistic one so a simple use of layering and only lighting what you want the audience to see, with the added accompaniment of sound effects would give the intended audience reaction the director (Robin Herford) wants. Sound is one of the fundamental elements of this play. To create a sense of location such as a train station there are recorded voice-overs. However when portraying the scary and shocking moments of the play, unexpected, ear piercing volumes of screams retrieved the audiences most petrified responses.

The Meaning And Purpose Of Life Philosophy Essay

The Meaning And Purpose Of Life Philosophy Essay What is the purpose of life? What is the meaning of it? Why are we here? Is there a God or isnt there? Which religion is the most correct? Is there an afterlife? There are too many questions that people have struggled for millenniums to tackle. In fact, the way we answer these questions will provide the ultimate context for everything else we do with our lives (Pavlina, 2005). So if nobody knows his purpose of life, maybe, each one of us should choose it independently. Here is a trick I think we should define the purpose of life but not the goals, because our goals may vary and some of them may be reached earlier than the life will end. However, the sense, the meaning passes through the whole life. So, the purpose of life is the life of purpose (Leider). Im Christian and I believe we are created in Gods image for relationship with him. Being in that relationship is the only thing that will ultimately satisfy our souls (Pavlina, 2005). But admittedly, I dont realize what will end the emptiness in my life, what exactly will end such a lack of fulfillment. It is true when people keep God out trying to find fulfillment in something other than God, they will never get enough of that thing. Augustine summarized it in such a way: You [God] have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee. So there is something inside every human being that cries out for significance; something inside of us that wants to know that we are not just breathing air, not occupying space, but were actually here for a reason and were making a difference. Im convinced there was something in the mind of God when he made each one of us; something that he wanted us to do while we were here. So purpose is not the process of figurin g out what I want to do with my life, but it is really a matter of aligning me with what was in the designers mind. I believe the key is to make a relationship with the creator; so that he can reveal you who you really are, and what your purpose is. My overall religion has effectively become a religion of personal growth. Every day I continue to combine my beliefs trying to bring them into closer alignment with my best understanding of how reality actually works. I think people have been used for many noble purposes in order to recognize the one they were designed for. Children are flowers of life. This is the reason to live. They continue human race, save our life experience, bring infinite happiness to their parents, and at last take care of them when they are old. Loveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I think it is the most pure feeling, the source of persistent, unreasonable happiness. One more thing is altruism. Such an unselfish concern for the welfare of others (Eddy, 1998) is an ideal human life. So I consider all these purposes are intended to evaluate my progress and inspire further progress in the realization of my life purpose. I dont believe that money and power can be our purpose of life. Yes, money may satisfy your needs. Power can give you the right not to carry out someones orders. However, people who have money and power are always surrounded with hypocrisy, jealousy, evil and hatred. I know for sure that we didnt come to this world to buy things and die. We came here because each one of us has a unique purpose that gives us a unique drive. So here Im asking myself: what is it that I do naturally; what is it that I do the best. I believe if the person find such an activity, he will be content, fullfilled. Since early childhood I loved to be an actress. I was occupied with puppet-theatre for 8 years. So Id always dreamed when I grew up, I would enter the theatrical university. I knew it is the best thing I could do act. I woke up in the morning energized, excited about the day, excited about my life. Coming back from school even if that day happenned to be a challenging day with many problems, I was full of power, passion and excitement because I knew I had my purpose. But I had such dreambusters as parents, society who told me You should not do that, Youre not god in that, and Thats not a good way to be. So I was completely suppressed and forgot about my dream. A nd now Im here, at LCC International University where Im studying business administration. It was my choice. But Im not happy. There is something that I know Im not in the right place in life. I dont want to do my job just to pay the bills and to be unsatisfied because this is not in alignment with who I am. So, maybe the purpose is being in the right place in the right time doing the right thing. You are what your deep driving desire is; As your deep driving desire is, so is your will; As your will is so is your deed; As your deed is so is your destiny (The Upanishads). There is no one individual on the planet that is not extraordinary. Every person is unique. So there is a potential within us to make a huge difference in the world within our certain sphere of influence because each one of us has a unique purpose.

Aquired Dyslexia :: essays research papers

DISCUSS SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH RESEARCH IN ADULT AQUIRED DYSLEXICS HAS ENHANCED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PEOPLE READ. The use of language is one of the most complex tasks the human brain must carry out. The way in which children acquire language is studied very carefully. This acquisition is enhanced by teaching from skilled language users, but in itself acquired by the child’s own observation and learning. For this reason the acquisition of spoken language is perhaps more well documented then the taught acquisition of reading skills. It is hard to determine how the human brain deals with the task of reading the written word. It can not be determined by introspection or studying the human brain in action as this is not possible. The way Psychologists and Neuroscientists have developed to determine hoe humans read is to observe people who have suffered some form of brain damage and have thereby incurred some form of reading disability. This disability is known as acquired dyslexia. From the study of such patients several variations of a basic model have been developed to highlight the way in which the written word is processed in the brain. The model is subdivided in to two main processing routes, the Non Lexical Route and the Lexical route. A model produced based on theories from Coltheart (1981) shows that there are several routes to speech production in the brain. The eye first identifies the printed word. In the adult skilled reader the eye does not move in a smooth pattern but actually jumps to certain focus points in a sentence the brain itself actually fills in the missing words. It does this by top down processing in which the brain applies words to the sentence to make the overall meaning correct. The eye does not move smoothly but actually jumps from point to point. The term given to the period when the eye is stationary and focused on a particular point is called a fixation. It is at these fixations when the eye takes up the information. The jumping movements are known as saccades. Javal (1887) first used this term. This jumping in saccades allows information to be processed faster. However it is believed that little or no information is taken up during a saccade. This is known as saccadic suppression. Dodge ( 1900) and Holt (1903). In addition to this saccadic motion it has been discovered that in readers of English the perceptual span of the visual field is greater to the right of the fixation point. Aquired Dyslexia :: essays research papers DISCUSS SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH RESEARCH IN ADULT AQUIRED DYSLEXICS HAS ENHANCED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PEOPLE READ. The use of language is one of the most complex tasks the human brain must carry out. The way in which children acquire language is studied very carefully. This acquisition is enhanced by teaching from skilled language users, but in itself acquired by the child’s own observation and learning. For this reason the acquisition of spoken language is perhaps more well documented then the taught acquisition of reading skills. It is hard to determine how the human brain deals with the task of reading the written word. It can not be determined by introspection or studying the human brain in action as this is not possible. The way Psychologists and Neuroscientists have developed to determine hoe humans read is to observe people who have suffered some form of brain damage and have thereby incurred some form of reading disability. This disability is known as acquired dyslexia. From the study of such patients several variations of a basic model have been developed to highlight the way in which the written word is processed in the brain. The model is subdivided in to two main processing routes, the Non Lexical Route and the Lexical route. A model produced based on theories from Coltheart (1981) shows that there are several routes to speech production in the brain. The eye first identifies the printed word. In the adult skilled reader the eye does not move in a smooth pattern but actually jumps to certain focus points in a sentence the brain itself actually fills in the missing words. It does this by top down processing in which the brain applies words to the sentence to make the overall meaning correct. The eye does not move smoothly but actually jumps from point to point. The term given to the period when the eye is stationary and focused on a particular point is called a fixation. It is at these fixations when the eye takes up the information. The jumping movements are known as saccades. Javal (1887) first used this term. This jumping in saccades allows information to be processed faster. However it is believed that little or no information is taken up during a saccade. This is known as saccadic suppression. Dodge ( 1900) and Holt (1903). In addition to this saccadic motion it has been discovered that in readers of English the perceptual span of the visual field is greater to the right of the fixation point.

Blood Revenge In Julius Caesar :: essays research papers

“Et tu Brute?'; Caesar sputtered before falling into the darkness known as death. But this was not the end of Caesar however. Caesar returns to this world as a “shade'; or ghost form. In fact, in this form he exerts more influence over Brutus than he ever did in mortal form. “Caesar is more powerful in his spirit for to affect Brutus than in his mortal form. It is in this ghost form, Caesar full-fills his revenge on Brutus.'; (netessays.net) Revenge did not occur in the ancient world only in plays and stories. Revenge was a way of life, an every day belief of the ancient times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In ancient times, the times of the Greeks and Romans to be precise, the inhabitants believed that death was most certainly not the end. As a matter of fact, many of these people built entire religions around the prospect of life after death, such as the Greeks and the Romans. A strong belief of the Greeks was that the ghost or “shade'; was so extremely powerful that “many a time the murderer would mutilate his victim to flee the dead man’s direct revenge.'; (B-Revenge)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another strong belief in the idea of blood-revenge centered around native gods. The people of the time believed that the gods played an important role in blood-revenge, especially if one of their laws were defied. In the Odyssey, Zeus and Athena intervene on Odysseus’ behalf when Odysseus wishes to destroy the suitors that had plagued his palace for a number of years. Zeus intervenes after his sacred policy, his policy of hospitality, was violated and for that the suitors were punished. In Julius Caesar, there is no evidence of any specific gods interfering, such as dialogue or actions, but there are many supernatural occurrences. These omens show that something supernatural, be it a god or fate, knows what is going to occur in the near future. Therefore, the omens show evidence of god-like activity foreshadowing, either warning or maybe even sponsoring, the revenge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For every sin committed there is an unavoidable consequence, as is the case when the conspirators try to harness the future. Even though Brutus’ actions are noble, no one can ever hope to control history, those who try suffer a terrible fate. “Caesar, Brutus, and Cassius are all guilty of arrogance in believing they can control history; as a consequence, Caesar precipitates his own death and the other two merit the retribution that overtakes them.

Autobiography of a Classroom Essay

I am a very big classroom in a well-known public school. I cater to needs of the kindergarten class of the school, accommodating I think about eighty five children, a big number isn’t it? I understand that I am the best looking room in the school as, the very small children study here. I am very attractively decorated so that the little ones like to come here every day. The room that is me – is decorated with beautiful coloured pictures. The walls are a blend of some colours I do not know the names of. The furniture that is placed in the length and breadth of the room consists of small round tables to seat four children on each table, and the chairs are also tiny. That is not all, all the furniture is a mixture of many colours. When the children come inside the class they almost fight to sit on certain chairs. That makes me understand that they like the colours and fight for their favourite colours to sit on. At the top two ends of the length of the classroom there are two bigger tables and full size chairs for the teachers to sit. Since there are so many children there are two teachers while in other classes there is only one each. I am a treat for everyone to see. My pleasure knows no bounds when everyone who comes inside the class, admires me, appreciates my get up and the colours that don me. I have the twin advantage of being the most beautiful room in the school and also having the cutest of children coming to spend their time with me. Thus, my life is full of beauty, colour, noise and laughter and at times of course also crying and howling of the children. At times some new entrants to the school come to me with their mothers and, cry as if they had come to the slaughter house to be butchered. At such moments even by heart cries for the little ones and I wonder why man makes these little children come to study if they do not want to. I of course do not know how important studies are for human children, I only feel sad seeing the children cry. My life is full of a very busy schedule though very interesting. The routine of my daily life is so busy that, I do not get any relief for quite long hours. In the morning as early as 6 a. m. wo sweepers come open the lock of my room or rather me, and off they start working on me. They sweep my floor, squab it, dust each and every piece of the furniture in me. Thus, I get alerted as soon the room is unlocked. It is not even 8 a. m. when the little brats start pouring inside my body’s doors. At times they enter with so much noise that my whole body feels the rattle of it all. Their movements are so loud that now, I cannot even think of any rest. School bags get flung, tiffin boxes are strewn all about, water bottles are kept just anywhere and there is a lot of commotion all over. Soon the maid enters the room and keeps everything in order and my appearance at once improves and I look tidy and well kept. For these small ones the school hours are just three from, 8 a. m. to 11 a. m. These three hours is my duty time, and just is the time when I also get the day’s entertainment. Being a classroom for the Kindergarten children I get a great chance of hearing conversations between the teachers and the parents. Since this is the first time their children have entered school, parents devote a lot of time to talking about the school and its standards. At times I find that some parents are just too critical and, inspite of getting all the best in this school they always seem to be unhappy and dissatisfied with something or the other in the school. Such parents keep lecturing about things missing in the classroom, the school or even in the playground. When I hear such complaints, my heart sinks and I wonder if they will allow or not allow their children to come to me any more,. For such conversations I have understood that, these days parents pamper the children too much, and it seems that they can never yes, never be satisfied. I am quite surprised to see the vast difference in opinions. While on the one hand I, and also many parents think that I am very beautiful, well kept, and decorated, others of the same clan are always complaining of many defects in my appearance. This gives me a feeling of depression and I do wonder if I can do anything in the matter. After some thinking bouts, I realize that, I can do nothing to satisfy these unhappy parents. I am just here in the hands of the school authorities and stand here as and how they keep me. My working hours are just six, from 6 a. m. when sweepers enter to say 12 noon when I am locked after all children go. After my duty hours I just relax but also feel lonely. No matter what is said about me, I am thoroughly enjoying my life in the cute company of little children. Their company makes me also feel young though now I am quite old. Every summer vacation I am painted afresh, my furniture is painted, and, I am ready to welcome my little friends, new and old with a new look, new enthusiasm and renewed vigour. I pray that my life is forever allowed to remain so interesting and so relaxed. I just love all the children and teachers who come here to me, to work and play in the restricted area within my four walls.

Cultural and Cross Cultural Psychology Essay

Cultural psychology and cross-cultural psychology is no more new, as it has had its momentum picked up for the past few decades. Developmental psychology is something of the same kind and it was a buzzword in between at the turn of the century. The question is how is it possible to study human’s development though we intend to study. Human development is also reflected from the repeated efforts and interests on culture analysis in getting to know the interpretation of signals, code words and gestures. When it comes to testing, research and analysis in psychology related subjects it is quite difficult to understand the significant relation between the test samples and the findings. As there is never a reliable empirical formula. Cross cultural psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes, including both their variability and invariance, under diverse cultural condition. It’s primary aims are to investigate a) systematic relations between behavioral variables and ethnic-cultural variables, and generalizations of psychological principles. Cross cultural psychology is the science by virtue of the scientific principles and methods it employs. Cross cultural psychology is not primarily concerned with the comparative study of culture, that si the enduring characteristics that mark a culture apart from other countries. (Leonore Loeb Adler, Uwe P. Gieglen, Florence L. Denmark. Cross cultural topics in psychology – Second edition) â€Å"Cross-cultural psychology is the empirical study of members of various culture groups who have had different experience that lead to predictable and significant differences in behavior. In the majority of such studies, the groups under study speak different languages and are governed by different political units† (British, Lonner, Thorndike, 1973, p. 5 – John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen. Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition, p. 1) â€Å"Cultural Psycology is the study of the culture’s role in the mental life of human beings† (Cole, 1996, p. 1- John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen. Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition, p. 1) Cultural psychology is the study to examine ethnic and cultural sources of psychological diversity in emotional, social cognition and human development. (Richard A. Shweder, Maria A. Sullivan. Cultural Psychology: Who needs it? 1993 – Internet edition Cultural psychology is nothing but the practices, customs and beliefs we follow differs from place to place and ethnicity to ethnicity. It is the study of various cultural practices, customary traditions and beliefs that influence a particular sector of people, who decides to improve their society by improvising the existing practices and trying to reason few satisfactory logic to get convinced with the practices. The degree of variance is sometimes measurable and sometimes not. The most interesting part is to analyze how and to what extent the traditions, customs, practices and beliefs developed in a region based on something are made use in favor of personal purposes. Whereas cross-cultural psychology is the effort to establish a connection between psychology that is being framed on the basis of the customs and traditions practiced. It simply deals with the different set of experiences and different set of environment which shows a significant influence on the behavior of the person in a place. The cultural psychology stops with the traditions, customs, beliefs and practices in a system whereas cross-cultural psychology is deep about analyzing the effect of these cultural practices in the behavior and thought process of an individual in the system. For eg, the traditional practice of Sati (burning a woman alive after her husband’s death) was followed in India. Learning the practice and the origin of Sati and analyzing its logic, superstitious beliefs is the cultural psychology. Cross cultural psychology tends to explain why women in India are able to accept the practice and get convinced when it is not possible with the other women in the rest of the world. Critical thinking in the cross cultural psychology Cross cultural psychology is interesting to deal with, but actually speaking is highly uninteresting when it comes to experiment and research. It is difficult to format a methodology and bring it in practice, even if brought into practice it is not all that easy to interpret the results of the psychological tests and tasks. How can researchers make out the differences between the results obtained for the same tests from different groups though the questions are same and the groups are different based on the brought up and experience. Is it possible to exhibit a connection between the psychology and the culture with just the interpretation of the results of the tests conducted, and the fact being no one knows to what extent the interpretation falls right. The difference in the thinking may occur due to the difference in the culture influenced thought process, still it is difficult as there is no concrete or empirical formula formulated to decide on it. There is no assurance that the difference in thought process is because of the cultural difference, as there could also be reasons such as bewildered nature of the question, the puzzling nature of the tests, the mood and ignorance of the people and the literacy rate and understanding power of an individual. It does not stop with cross cultural psychology as developmental psychology also faced the similar kind of problem in formatting the research to get to know the exact demand of the scientists and the researchers from the test samples. In addition to that few man made minor errors in the research and process leads to an unexpected and unwanted finding and the errors are sometimes left undetected too. The methodology associated with cross cultural research When it comes to methodology of cross cultural psychology, it involves the qualitative methodology to analyze the practices, customs and habits of different cultures, on the other hand it requires quantitative methodology to compare, analyze and juxtapose the difference in psychology of different individuals influenced by the cultures and practices they follow. Psychological and cultural psychology experiments always require the need of qualitative analysis, as the cross cultural psychology is all about analyzing a huge mass of test sample quantitative analysis also comes into picture, perhaps the problem is sometimes the methods are treated mutually exclusive and the results are not compatible all the time. In addition to this, there is a report that researchers employ artificial and unfamiliar methods leading to ambiguous results. The issue is research is done based on the questions answered by individuals in a society rather than the collective answer from a society, that makes the major difference and inconvenience. Conclusion Though the subject is interesting, it is poignant to know the investigation methods have not taken the right direction. Conventional methods and sampling techniques are most desired all the times, perhaps when it comes to bringing out the difference between two cultures and the influence on the thought process of an individual because of the culture, it is advisable not to stop with these conventional techniques, as even previous literature works, media interviews, assumptions can be taken into significant consideration. Apart from all these standard quantitative techniques should be given the appropriate attention too, the results from the conventional sampling techniques and the standard quantitative techniques can be compared and related. This way a convincing analysis can be expected. Reference: Richard A Shweder. Thinking through cultures – Expeditions in cultural psychology John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen . Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition James W. Stigler, Richard A. Shweder, Gilbert Herdt. Cultural Psychology- Essays on comparative human development. Lumei Hui. (2003)Theoretical and Methodological Problems in Cross-Cultural Psychology. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen. Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition

An Inspector Calls- How Priestly Presents Arthur Birling Essay

Arthur Birling is a self-centred man intent on climbing the class ladder, even at the expense of his family and employees. He regularly uses his obsessive behaviour over status to invoke popularity or power within a particular crowd, which is evident in the very first scenes of the play when Birling says to Gerald: ‘It’s exactly the same port your father gets from him’, suggesting Mr Birling bought it in order to imitate a more prominent societal figure as well as to gain a rapport with Croft. Similarly, Birling tries this technique with the Inspector, however this time to gain leverage over him by asking if he sees much of ‘Chief Constable, Colonel Roberts’, following up his threat with a disclosure of his superiority; â€Å"He’s an old friend of mine†¦I see him fairly. We play golf together†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This was intended to make the Inspector feel belittled and impressed by Birling’s relationship with the Chief Constable, however Priestly makes this decidedly lost on the Inspector, because as a symbol of socialism, he wouldn’t care. One thing Priestly in particular was grateful for after the World Wars was the newfound merging of classes, reflected her in An Inspector Calls by the Inspector’s indifference towards Birling’s titles and wealth. It shows that Birling, regardless of how much money he has or who he knows, is still being investigated for neglecting his social responsibilities. This ultimately shows Socialism as uncorrupted when juxtaposed against the 1912 society where the belief was that if you were rich enough, you weren’t guilty of anything, which is why Birling is outraged by the Inspector’s visit; â€Å"†¦we’re respectable citizens and not criminals!† Despite the possibility that Mr Birling perhaps had an uneasy upbringing, occasionally indicated by his faux pars, which his wife readily berates him for (‘(reproachfully) Arthur, you’re not supposed to say such things-‘), Priestly leaves no room for the audience to sympathise with Birling because in doing so, Capitalism would be accommodated for. To remedy this, Birling is presented as a fool to the modern and 1945 audience by describing the Titanic as ‘†¦unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable.’ As well as wrongly predicting that there wouldn’t be war. As a result, the audiences, likely emotionally affected by these events, would be angered at Mr Birling’s stupidity, making him instantly unlikeable. Coincidentally, J.B Priestly transforms the illusion of grand Capitalism to one of supreme naivety at  Birling’s failure to see past his own self-importance. This sides the audience with what seems to be the only other option that they won’t condemn themselves to this 1912 attitude; Socialism. In essence, Priestly shows that Birling and people like him are a negative part of society because of their refusal to hold any responsibility for anyone other than themselves; â€Å"I can’t accept responsibility†. This in turn steers the audience away from Capitalism by using Mr Birling’s selfishness as a warning to us all: If we don’t accept the responsibility we owe to other people, then no matter who we are, or which walk of life we come from, we will be as foolish as Mr Birling.