Popcorn Lab Report

Biology 101 Popcorn experiment Lab partners Robert Barham Michelle hall Diva Mancada Kelley Pritt 1 Introduction Popcorn, or popping corn, is a type of corn which explodes from a kernel and puffs up when heated. It is a popular snack food, especially in movie theaters. Popcorn can be salted or sweetened. Air popped popcorn is naturally high in fiber, low in calories and fat, contains no sodium and is sugar free. This can make it an attractive snack for people with caloric or dietary restrictions. Large amounts of fat, sugar and sodium are often added to prepared popcorn tat can convert it into a high calorie snack. hypothesis Orvill Redenbacher has larger popped kernels and less un-popped kernels than Act II. 3 Material Method Two brand name popcorn packages are being tested. Act II and Orvill Redenbacher. Both are tested in the same microwave. The same time is being used (2. 5 Minutes). Both packages were weighed before and after the popping procedure, the results were recorded. Tot al cooking time was measured and recorded for both popcorn packages. 10 randomly selected popped kernels from each package were measured with a ruler and results were recorded. Average size for both were calculated and recorded. All un-popped kernels ere collected from each package and weighed in a dish. The weight of the dish was subtracted from the total weight to find the weight of un-popped kernels from each brand. The percentage was calculated and compared. 4 Results Weight before cooking Orvill Redenbacher – 104. 77g Act II – 97. 9g *Act II package is smaller tan Orvill Redenbacher by 6. 84g. Table 1 *Microwave timer was set for 2. 5 minutes ? *Table 1 shows that Orvill Redenbacher has a faster cooking time than Act II. Weight after cooking Act II 87. 6g O. R. 93. 85g *Act II package is smaller than Orvill Redenbacher by 6. 79g Table 2 ? (Calculations) 3. 14g/87. 06 x 100 = 3. 6% and 3. 42g/93. 85g x 100 = 3. 6% *The Results showed that the percentage of un-poppe d kernels in both packages was the same. Table 3 (Popped kernels in mm) ? Table 3 showed that the average size of popped kernels of Orvill Redenbacher was larger than Act II. 5 Discussion The results showed that Orvill Redenbacher brand had faster cooking time than Act II and weighed more overall. The experiment also showed that both brands had the same percentage of un-popped kernels. Since Orville Redenbacher weighed more than Act II we were able to determine that Orville Redenbacher had more un-popped kernels by weight The experiment also showed that the size of the popped kernels was larger in the Orville Redenbacher brand. 6 Conclusion The hypothesis was partially supported by the data. Orville Redenbacer brand has larger popped kernels than Act II. The percentage of un-popped kernels in both brands was the same but, the weight of the un-popped kernels in the Orville Redenbacher brand was more due to the higher un-popped weight of the package.

Alcohol and Society Essay Essay

Throughout history, society has engaged in taking substances such as alcohol, that alter our physical being or our psychological state of mind. There are many experiences and pressures that force people to feel like they have to drink in order to cope with life, but for many alcohol is a part of everyday life, just like any other beverage. Alcohol is introduced to us in many ways, through our family, television, movies, and friends’. These â€Å"sociocultural variants are at least as important as physiological and psychological variants when we are trying to understand the interrelations of alcohol and human behavior†#. How we perceive drinking and continue drinking can be determined by the drinking habits we see, either by who we drink with, or the attitudes about drinking we learn over the years. The chances of people drinking in ways that can harm others and ultimatley themselves can be seen by the correlation of educational lessons, cultural beliefs and the usage of alcohol. Looking at all the possibilities, the complex question we must ask is why do people drink? Is it through their defiance of law, the accessibility of alcohol, teachings of others or the values set in place in their society? Every society has its own views on how the consumption of alcohol should be handled and regulated. Their differences create a trickle effect of how it is used, and is distinctive to that culture or society. Many cultures drinking habits go hand in hand with religion, and social customs. Drinking alcohol is in many cases a part of extensive learned tradition, where people pride themselves with their ability to hold their liquor. In countries where alcohol is part of the â€Å"norm†, the outcomes of drinking habits or the effects of alcohol are much different, â€Å"A population that drinks daily may have a high rate of cirrhosis and other medical problems but few accidents, fights, homicides, or other violent alcohol-associated conflicts; a population with predominantly binge drinking shows the opposite complex of drinking problems†#. It has been observed that cultures with rich traditions and acceptance of alcohol use tend to deal less with the typical alcohol related problems, compared to the cultures who treat alcohol as an escape or something that will make them better in the eyes of others. In these societies, like the U. S. alcohol hasn’t always been present and grown to be accepted through rich tradition. The amount of regulations and negative views on drinking in the U. S. has led to abuse and deviancy, creating a high frequency of alcoholics. People drink in many ways, for many different reasons. We drink socially, to gain acceptance into a group. We drink alone to ease stress, to cope with our problems, or we â€Å"drink because we like the taste or how it makes us feel†#. Often drinking is a learned behavior, starting out as a social drinker; you quickly become psychologically and physically dependent. When someone reaches this stage they are often classified as an alcoholic. To an alcoholic, drinking becomes a compulsion; they cannot stop themselves from having another drink, like a social drinker can. In many cases alcoholics don’t even have to drink continuously in order to be an alcoholic. One the problems of alcohol addiction is that it’s something that doesn’t just effect the individual but it effects, friends and family as well. Spouse abuse, child abuse and dysfunctional family relationships can all be influenced by alcohol abuse. In the United States alone the drinking patterns throughout history have changed dramatically to reflect the times. Starting out in colonial times the usage of alcohol use was seen as a blessing, and harmless to society. It was acceptable to drink while at work, and during social events, however drinking alone was highly frowned upon. Many early religions believed that alcohol was a gift from God, â€Å"man should partake of God’s gift with out wasting or abusing it†#. To enhance and encourage the social aspect of drinking, Taverns were built as a meeting hall where people of all ages could go and drink; it was considered the center of social life. Even children in colonial times were coaxed into drinking as soon as they were old enough to drink from a glass. Parents in this time hoped to teach the children at this young stage to drink in small amounts so that later in life they wouldn’t misuse alcohol. Later on in the 19th century, the Taverns of colonial times eventually all changed into the more modern Saloon. A place where all men could gather to get away from their families. During the existence of the saloon the Christian church began to see the consumption of alcohol as an evil, and no longer accepted alcohol as the universal drink of the church. Today the effects of history are seen through the defiance of alcohol use and the probing reverence to abstinence, which is rarely practiced, but when it is, it goes largely un-respected by society. In many cultures through history, alcohol has been viewed to have positive influences in society. Its usage has been seen to enhance social abilities within a group, as well as increased relaxation and enjoyment in the company of others. The usage of alcohol extends further than social aspects, until the early 20th century alcohol had been used in medicinal practices and was a key ingredient in most over-the-counter medicines. Supporters of early alcohol use argued, â€Å"It gave courage to the soldier, endurance to the traveler, foresight to the statesman, and inspiration to the preacher. It sustained the sailor and the plowman. The trader and the trapper†#. In the United Kingdom for example, society favors drinking so much that bars in that country now attract people of both genders, through new legislations in that county social drinking is widely accepted, but heavy drinking and alcohol related problems remain in disapproval. To many, alcohol use is an aspect of their way of life, that if left out could possibly change their culture forever. Many people would argue that drinking is a learned behavior, however everyone learns about alcohol differently, causing different cultural and social views of acceptance. The U. S. treats alcohol as a substance that our children should never come in contact with. In many other societies it is believed that the earlier you encourage drinking among children the better drinking practices they will retain through out their lives. Italian culture allows their young to drink moderate amounts of alcohol as a part of everyday life, at family gatherings it is seen as a normal and natural food. Jewish culture treats alcohol as a sacred part of everyday life; their religion and rich culture create a continuous relationship with alcohol. Compared to the U. S. , there are many countries that do allow their youth to drink to start drinking at a young age, and they have seen decreased problems with violence, vandalism and drinking and driving. Children outside of the U. S. , who are introduced to alcohol as a part of their regular family life, learn to drink more responsibly and drink moderately while still young. Alcohol has been a part of Western Civilization for over 25 centuries. Over time there have been many governmental controls placed on the usage of alcohol in the U. S. When the need for control over this substance was demanded by a large part of the American population, the government responded with the Prohibition of alcohol in 1920. Largely influenced by religion and the temperance movement, many thought this measure would eradicate the use of alcohol. What they didn’t know was that laws couldn’t always be enforced. What did erupt out of Prohibition was an even higher demand for alcohol, which was met by the Mafia, who made millions by selling alcohol on the Black Market. Often time’s fear of something can be our biggest downfall. It effects our ability to move forward, to accept things the way they are and have the confidence that everything is going to be all right. When something such as alcohol is defined as bad or harmful to us, it becomes a psychological battle, to find good in it. So in our country the fear of alcohol gives it a negative image, it is rejected as a normal part of behavior because of its destructive effects, through peoples’ abuse of the substance. The negativity of alcohol in our country out weighs any potential to look at it the way other societies do, and change our views on it. â€Å"When, alcohol related problems do occur, they are clearly linked with the modalities of drinking, and usually also with values attitudes, and norms about drinking†#. We are stuck knowing, thinking and feeling the way we do about alcohol because that is what has been driven into our minds. If our society could look outside the box, we could see the effects of tradition, family and culture that have totally transformed how alcohol is used and seen in other societies. Lessons can be learned from the experiences of other countries but it would take a long time to effect them into our society and tradition. We have tried to educate our youth on the dangers of alcohol and problems associated with it. Through educational programs we have tried to teach them to stay away from this so-called drug, that we have enabled ourselves to label as dangerous. These programs such as D. A. R. E. have failed in every attempt because the information that is taught often contradicts beliefs and conduct seen everyday by these children in our society. Understanding that we have failed as a society in how we treat alcohol, leaves no question that we should look to evidence from other cultures and humble ourselves that our existing argument on alcohol needs to end. â€Å"It is apparent that certain ways of thinking and acting in respect to alcohol, ways that are consistently associated with drinking problems, might fruitfully be rejected, while others; those that correlate with unproblematic drinking might well be fostered. â€Å"# Our attempts of labeling alcohol as a â€Å"dirty drug,† a substance to be despised and shunned should change to â€Å"choose or not to choose. † We must teach children the modern practices of moderation, respect for alcohol and that you do have a choice in what you do. Damaging social and personal consequences stemming from alcohol abuse are not completely related to the prevalence of alcohol consumption, we know that cultural, historical and social comparisons truly show that alcohol has many uses, both good and bad. However, cultures that have a predisposition for low rates of alcohol abuse are more comfortable about the consumption of alcohol, and the behaviors seen as a result from drinking. These responsible drinking habits are taught at a young age as well as teaching that alcohol is a controllable a force that can offer pleasure and positive social experiences through implementation of successful cultural controls on drinking. Knowing how our society in the U. S. views the usage of alcohol, I believe that we should seriously reflect on the practices of the above mentioned cultures, and formulate a drinking model for alcohol that suits our culture and traditions, that gives a positive perspective on alcohol. This model would allow us to improve our way of living, teaching responsibility and respect, qualities needed in every aspect of life. Notes 1. Heath, D. B. (1982). â€Å"Sociocultural Variants in Alcoholism,† Encyclopedic Handbook of Alcoholism. New York: Gardner Press: 38 2. Heath, 429 3. Varley, C. (1994). Life Issues-Alcoholism. New York: Marshal Cavendish. 4. Rorabaugh, W. J. (1979). The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition. New York: Oxford University Press: 26 5. Levine, H. G. (1995). â€Å"The Good Creature of God and the Demon Rum,† International Handbook on Alcohol and Culture. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press: 115 6. Heath, 121 7. Heath, 436. Bibliography Claypool, J. (1981). Alcohol and You. New York: Franklin Watts- An Impact Book. Dolmetsch, P, and Mauricette, G. (Ed). (1987). Teens Talk About Alcohol and Alcoholism. New York: Dolphin Book. Heath, D. B. (1982). â€Å"Sociocultural Variants in Alcoholism,† Encyclopedic Handbook of Alcoholism. New York: Gardner Press. Hornik, E. L. (1974). You and your Alcoholic Parent. New York: Association Press. Levine, H. G. (1995). â€Å"The Good Creature of God and the Demon Rum,† International Handbook on Alcohol and Culture. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Rorabaugh, W. J. (1979). The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition. New York: Oxford University Press. Varley, C. (1994). Life Issues-Alcoholism. New York: Marshal Cavendish.

Sailing to Byzantium

Poetry means many things to people all over the world. Poetry is an outlet or artistic and creative way of telling a story or expressing your emotions. It is something that does not require a lot of skill, but imagination and feeling. â€Å"Sailing to Byzantium† written by William Butler Yeats is a poem that speaks of the craving for something one cannot have and the immortality of people, art and intellect, and greatness. â€Å"Sailing to Byzantium† is a poem based on the theme longing for something one cannot have. In this case the old man in the poem is yearning to be young and live on forever even when his time is up. To escape death and old age the man sails to Byzantium. Byzantium is the opposite of the old man. â€Å"The young in one another’s arms, birds in the trees† and â€Å"The salmon falls, the mackerel crowded seas† are lines from the poem that illustrate the youth and vibrance of Byzantium, the youth and viberance the old man desires. Throughout the poem there are lines that hint about the immortality of people and life. One can continue to live on forever spiritually or by being remembered for having a great achievement or a great impact. In the second stanza Yeats writes, â€Å"An aged man is but a paltry thing. The old man sees age as just a number. His body may be growing older, but his insides are youthful. In the third stanza Yeats writes â€Å"Into the artifice of eternity†. This line can translate into on the illusion of immortality. Finally, in the last stanza Yeats writes, â€Å"Once out of nature I shall never take my bodily form from any natural thing. † Yeats writes that once the old man has passed he will be remembered by a symbol or sculpture much like a royal emperor. He will be represented by any natural thing. In this poem it is important to the old man that he lives on forever in the magnificent paradise of Byzantium. In addition to the immortality of people, the continuous life of art and intellect were written about. In stanza one Yeats writes, â€Å"Caught in that sensual music all neglect, moments of unaging intellect. † These two lines illustrate the immortality of art and intellect. Though some may neglect the elders because the elderly seem to lose their intellect as they age, the older generations were basically bards of education and intellect. Intellect is something that is passed down from generation to generation, it is something that will live forever. â€Å"Sailing to Byzantium† is a poem largely associated with greatness. Byzantium was a paradise. It consisted of salmon-falls, mackerel-crowded seas, gold mosaic walls, Grecian goldsmiths, and a royal emperor. Byzantium was magnificent, just like the idea of immortality. I think Yeats wrote about Byzantium and immortality together because they go hand in hand. William Butler Yeat’s poem â€Å"Sailing to Byzantium† is a poem about greatness and all of its elements. Byzantium was a lively place where it seemed like anything was possible. It was a paradise to escape to. To me â€Å"Sailing to Byzantium† is a poem of inspiration. The poem seemed to make the idea of dying meager because one can live on forever, even past their time.

Cultural Competency Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural Competency - Research Paper Example The paper would primarily discuss the ways and means the school can help adapt the new students in the new environment. The school starts in two weeks time. Thus, creating a cultural proficiency within the school environment must become the priority of the educational leadership within the school. Sederberg (1984) claims that in organization the power belongs to those who can define or describe circumstances in ways that convince others that things are as they say they are. Educational leaders, who are endowed with effective communication skill and cultural understanding, have the capability to influence the cultural identity of the group within the institute thus facilitating changes in the institutional culture to adapt to the changing environment. Thus, the role of specialist teachers or teachers who are proficient in the language of the immigrant population becomes highly crucial. Learning the language and culture of the host country facilitates rapid adjustment. Hence, school administration and the teachers must take initiative in encouraging networking with immigrant population and their children so as to create awareness regarding the need to adapt to changes vis-Ã  -vis language barrier and cross cultural understanding. As a specialist teacher, I would facilitate their adjustment by organizing interactive session to familiarize them with new language and culture. The primary aim would be to teach them important words of English so that they are able to communicate with the rest of the students. Another aspect would be to create cross cultural understanding. This is a very important aspect of teachers as leaders. They are able to motivate the students coming from diverse background to understand each others culture and develop mutual respect. Indeed, educational leadership helps in the process of acculturation. Initial loss of

Nuclear Fuel Cycle Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Nuclear Fuel Cycle - Research Paper Example This paper discusses about the various stages of the nuclear cycle and the safety aspects present in it. Nuclear energy is a part of the world’s Energy mix. The nuclear fuel cycle is the series of different stages that lead to the production of Power from the Uranium in the nuclear power reactors. A secure and adequate supply of energy is required for the world and that is promised by the Nuclear power systems. The nuclear fuel cycle starts with the extraction of the raw materials from the earth. The process of conversion of the raw material into the primary fuel is the next step, followed by the production of the energy from the source. The spent fuel and the final waste are processed, conditioned and recycled to derive more energy form the fuel. Finally the spent fuel is disposed as waste into the geosphere. The spent fuel has the greater chance for emitting the radiations; hence utmost care should be taken for the proper disposal. The production of energy from nuclear fuels is increasing because of the amount of energy that uranium can produce (1 gram of nuclear fuel produces 9 x 10 13 joules of energy) and also from the reliability of the source and the recyclability of the fuel. For long term sustainable energy production, nuclear fuel is the best source. (OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, Trends on the nuclear fuel cycle). The cost for the power plants are very high, but when compared to the other power sources, the availability of the raw material land the future scope is more for this technology. The OECD Nuclear energy agency has given the various activities that together make up the fuel cycle as follows: 1. The mining and milling of Uranium. 2. Uranium refining and followed by the conversion to uranium hexafluoride. 3. Enriching the Uranium. 4. Fuel fabrication. 5. The reactor operation 6. Storage of the spent fuel. 7. Reprocessing of the spent fuel. 8. Decommissioning nuclear

Challenges of Information Technology Research Paper

Challenges of Information Technology - Research Paper Example Moreover, data management with enhanced high-tech security is an expensive undertaking. Network management in the organizational setting experiences both the positive and negative aspects of improved technology. Improved networks have made communication efficient and effective in and out of the organizational setting (Kuhn, 2008). Employees have been quick to exploit this realization, resulting in network management challenges. Use of smartphones and other devices on company networks have increased network usage costs, necessitated time to time maintenance, and threatened network security. To address these challenges, a company would need to have its employees subscribe to its network, or limit its network usage on personal smartphones and other devices. The company can also allow its employees to use their personal devices on its network, with a requirement to meet maintenance fees from time to time. Finally, where network security is threatened, administrative rights should be used to monitor and control company network usage by employees (Klein,

Marketing strategy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing strategy - Research Paper Example etting out a working marketing strategy which mainly focuses on customer satisfaction and customer awareness by selling, expanding or creating a new market line, branding, building awareness of new products and services and customer appreciation campaign. By focusing on the marketing strategies, the company will have created an elaborate distribution plan that enhances customer relations thus creating a competitive advantage over their competitors and an opportunity to investigate the competitor’s capabilities by assessing their reactions to their marketing strategy by differentiating itself. The main goals of this research are to study and assess the impact of Wal-Mart’s marketing strategies on the market shares of the USA as a leading retailer and to investigate the main role marketing strategies play in the enhancement and growth of Wal-Mart and how their strategies have aided them in staying different from its competitors. Wal-Mart is currently the largest retail store chain in the world and its profit margins have been increasing yearly thus enabling it to remain the most profitable retail store in the United States. Wal-Mart was founded in the late 1940s by Walton and has been dealing with all major products which are categorized into fourteen general categories, that is music and books, apparel and jewelry, electronics, furniture and home dà ©cor, outdoor living, groceries, health and beauty, movie, photo, medicines, baby care, sports and fitness, toys and video games. The retail store has received reputable fame due to its marketing strategies and profit gains over the years making it the most researched on retail store worldwide. This research is beneficial in the analysis of marketing strategies that Wal-Mart uses to remain atop the retail market as it demonstrated the benefits of marketing strategies in aiding companies reach their objectives. In today’s market, customers are increasingly demanding for satisfaction in terms of what they want,

Human Diversity and Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Human Diversity and Justice - Essay Example Another reason for exception is to give way for the cases in which the permissibility of abortion is in line with the argument. According to marquis, abortion is permissible if the continuation of pregnancy will endanger a woman’s life. Killing a fetus is wrong just as killing an adult human being. This is because killing denies us an opportunity to unleash our potential, achieve our dreams and reach a moment of self actualization. What makes abortion wrong is the fact that killing a human being deprives him/her the value of his/her future. There is what we value now, and what we would have to value later, so it becomes a serious issue to kill children and infants. The main objection to marquis argument is that fetuses do not have a desire to go on living and killing them is not wrong. He continues to argue that only victims can be wronged since they have sentience. An embryo is not a victim, it does not have sentience and, therefore, it is not wrong to have an abortion (Landa u, 2007). The most serious problem with this argument is the killing of embryos that do not have the sentience. Anti-abortionists claim that fetuses are both human and alive and human beings have a right to life. Therefore, fetuses have a right to life too. ... Abortion activists mostly appeal to the criterion of being human. In this sense, fetuses are clearly human; they do not belong to another species. A correct theory on the wrong of killing a fetus is similar to how it would be wrong to kill peaceful persons from outer space who come to pay a visit to our planet regardless of whether they biologically resemble us or not. If they are persons like us, they will have futures like ours so it would be wrong to kill them. For marquis, his stand against abortion is too absurd to be acceptable. His emphasis is on the value of life rather than a potential person. These arguments then are too absurd to be acceptable because they deem contraception as being wrong (Landau, 2007). Question 2 Most of Thomson’s arguments on the defense for abortion rely on the premise that a fetus is a human being - a human being from the time of conception. To her, the argument that the development of a human being from conception to childhood is not clear be cause there is no point for distinction between being a person at one stage and not a person on the other. Concluding that a fetus is a human being from the time of conception is not valid. She does not support the different stages of development of a fetus into a child. Her assertion is that the fetus is already a person well before birth. By the age of ten weeks, the fetus begins to acquire human characteristics like face, arms and legs as well as brain organs. A fertilized ovum is just like an acorn in an oak tree. Thompson gives an anecdote of a kidnapped person who wakes up to find himself attached to an unconscious violinist who has a fatal kidney failure. His circulatory system has been plugged to the victim for him to survive. Both have a right to life, but the victim’s

The Scientific Method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Scientific Method - Essay Example The message seemed to shift from â€Å"don’t drink alcohol† to â€Å"if you drink, drink in moderation†. More scientific study actually found that consuming some sorts of alcohol in moderation, such as one glass of wine per day, actually had healthy benefits for the heart. Now the message changed to â€Å"drinking certain types of alcohol in moderation can actually be good for you.† The most recent studies seem to now indicate that the consumption of alcohol is irrelevant to good heart health. The grapes provide the real benefit, not the alcohol; so drinking a small amount of grape juice can render the same beneficial effects as a glass of wine. These ever-changing messages we get about the consumption of alcohol and how it relates to human health is a good example of what science can and can not do. Following the scientific method is a great way to systematically answer scientific questions. But Science cannot provide the whole picture just from one exper iment. Multiple researchers and experiments need to be conducted to constantly add to our body of knowledge. Eventually, some things may become accepted as proof of one concept or another, but using the scientific method is no guarantee that causality or truth can be established.

Motivation and Leadership Effect on Job Performance Essay Example for Free

Motivation and Leadership Effect on Job Performance Essay Introduction Leadership and motivation traditionally play a very important role in the functioning of organizations. Nowadays, the role of leadership and motivation increases even more significantly because of the growing competition and the increasing significance of human resources for the progress of organizations. In fact, it should be pointed out that leadership and motivation are closely entangled concepts which constitute an important part of the success of an organization. It is obvious that the effective leadership and motivation can contribute to the progress of an organization, while poor leadership and the lack of motivation can weaken the normal functioning of an organization and lead to the crisis within an organization that will naturally affects its performance. In this respect, it is important to underline the fact that leadership and motivation affect considerably the organizational behavior and culture and they define the formation of the effective relationships between the personnel of an organization. In such a situation, it is necessary to fully reveal the significance of leadership and motivation in the current business environment in order to assess adequately perspective of the improvement of the effectiveness of leadership and motivation within an organization. At the same time, the analysis of theoretical framework only, it appears that insufficient for the understanding of the significance of leadership and motivation for the performance of an organization. Consequently, it is also necessary to pay a particular attention to the practical aspects of leadership and motivation  that means that it is necessary to analyze some practical examples that could reveal the significance of leadership and motivation for the performance of a n organization Review of Literature Motivation and Job Performance * The level of performance of employees relies not only on their actual skills but also on the level of motivation each person exhibits (Burney et al., 2007). * Motivation is an inner drive or an external inducement to behave in some particular way, typically a way that will lead to rewards (Dessler, 1978). * Over-achieving, talented employees are the driving force of all firms so it is essential that organizations try hard to motivate and hold on to the best employees (Harrington, 2003). * The quality of human resource management is a critical influence on the performance of the firm. Concern for strategic integration, commitment flexibility and quality, has called for attention for employee’s motivation and retention. Financial motivation has become the most concern in today’s organization, and tying to apply Maslow’s basic needs, non-financial aspect only comes in when financial motivation has failed. * According to Greenberg and Baron (2003, 2000) definition of motivation could be divided into three main parts. The first part looks at arousal that deals with the drive, or energy behind individual (s) action. People turn to be guided by their interest in making a good impression on others, doing interesting work and being successful in what they do. The second part referring to the choice people make and the direction their behavior takes. The last part deals with maintaining behavior clearly defining how long people have to persist at attempting to meet their goals. * Motivation can be intrinsic and extrinsic. Extrinsic motivation concerns behavior influenced by obtaining external rewards (Hitt, Esser, Marriott, 1992). Praise or positive feedback, money, and the absence of punishment are examples of extrinsic or external rewards (Deci, 1980). Intrinsic motivation is the motivation to do something simply for the pleasure of performing that particular activity (Hagedoorn and Van Yperen, 2003). Examples of intrinsic factors are interesting work, recognition, growth, and achievement. *  Several studies have found there to be a positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and job per formance as well as intrinsic motivation and job satisfaction (Linz, 2003). This is significant to firms in todays highly competitive business environment in that intrinsically motivated employees will perform better and, therefore, be more productive, and also because satisfied employees will remain loyal to their organization and feel no pressure or need to move to a different firm. * Deci and Ryan (2000) conducted and replicated an experiment that showed the negative impact of monetary rewards on intrinsic motivation and performance. A group of college students were asked to work on an interesting puzzle. Some were paid and some were not paid for the work. The students that were not being paid worked longer on the puzzle and found it more interesting than the students being paid. When the study was brought into a workplace setting, employees felt that their behavior was being controlled in a dehumanizing and alienating manner by the rewards. It was discovered that rewards would seriously decrease an employees motivation to ever perform the task being rewarded, or one similar to it, any time in the future. Another observation of the study was that employees would expect a reward every time the task was to be completed if the reward was offered at one time. Employees would require the reward in order to perform the job and would probably expect the reward to increase in amount. If the rewards were not increased or if they were taken away they actually served as negative reinforcement. * Deci and Ryan (2001), in collaboration with two of their colleagues, conducted a study to examine the effects of performance-contingent rewards on an employees intrinsic motivation. * (Cameron, Deci, Koestner, and Ryan, 2001). These types of rewards are very controlling since these rewards are directly associated with an employees performance of some task. In that respect, performance-contingent rewards undermine intrinsic motivation; however, if the reward given to the employee conveys that the employee has performed on a truly outstanding level, the reward would serve to solidify that employees sense of competence and decrease the negative effect on that employees intrinsic motivation. Also significant in the study was the importance of the interpersonal atmosphere within which the performance-contingent rewards were distributed. * When Cameron et al. (2001) compared the administering of rewards in a controlling climate and in  a non-controlling climate, they discovered that the performance-contingent rewards given in the more controlling interpersonal climate undermined intrinsic motivation. To prevent the decrease in employees intrinsic motivation, the interpersonal climate when distributing performance-contingent rewards should be more supportive. * Vroom (1964) proposes that people are motivated by how much they want something and how likely they think they are to get it he suggest that motivation leads to efforts and the efforts combined with employees ability together with environment factors which interplay’s resulting to performance. This performance interns lead to various outcomes, each of which has an associated value called Valence. * Adams (1965) on his part suggests that people are motivated to seek social equity in the rewards they receive for high performance. According to him the outcome from job includes; pay recognition, promotion, social relationship and intrinsic reward. To get these rewards various inputs needs to be employed by the employees to the job as time, experience, efforts, education and loyalty.He suggests that, people tend to view their outcomes and inputs as a ratio and then compare these ratios with others and turn to become motivated if this ratio is high. Leadership Effectiveness and Job Performance Leadership, or more specifically effective leadership, is every bit as crucial (if not more so) in African Organizations as it is throughout the world. African organizations are no different from others Worldwide in terms of striving for performance in order to be globally competitive. The South African situation, however, is incredibly complex as many organizations are caught in the middle of a web of authoritarian hierarchies and traditional leadership approaches, as well as bureaucratic hierarchies mixed with modern approaches to leadership * (Grobler, Wà ¤rnich, Carrell, Elbert and Hatfield, 2002). It is argued that effective leadership has a positive influence on the performance of organizations (Maritz, 1995; Bass, 1997; Charlton, 2000). Ultimately it is the performance of many Individuals that culminates in the performance of the organization, or in the achievement of organizational goals. Effective leadership is  instrumental in ensuring organizational performance. * (Cummings and Schwab, 1973; Hellriegel, Jackson, Slocum, Staude, Amos, Klopper, Louw and Oosthuizen, 2004). As a result, many leadership theories have been proposed in the last fifty years which are claimed to have influenced the overall effectiveness of the organizations where they have been employed. In the competitive world business environment it is vital that organisations employ leadership styles that enable organisations to survive in a dynamic environment. * (Maritz, 1995; Bass,1997) Performance has been defined by Hellriegel, Jackson and Slocum (1999) as the level of an individual’s work achievement after having exerted effort. * Cummings and Schwab (1973) and Whittenand Cameron (1998) believe that performance is ultimately an individual phenomenon with environmental variables influencing performance primarily through their effect on the individual determinants of performance – ability and motivation. * Behling and McFillen (1996) confirmed the link between high performance and leadership in the United States by developing a model of charismatic/transformational leadership where the leaders’ behaviour is said to give rise to inspiration, awe and empowerment in his subordinates, resulting in exceptionally high effort, exceptionally high commitment and willingness to take risks. It has been widely accepted that effective organizations require effective leadership, and organizational performance will suffer in direct proportion to the neglect of this (Maritz, 1995; Ristow, Amos and Staude, 1999).

Financial Management Midland Energy Resources Finance Essay

Financial Management Midland Energy Resources Finance Essay In the Midland Energy Resources case study we see that it has its operations divided amongst three separate divisions. All these three divisions have different functions and need a separate discount rate to evaluate its projects. Midland uses its cost of capital for many different ways. In order to discount Midlands cash flows we use the weighted average cost of capital. Here the cost of debt is easier to calculate by taking the bond yield plus risk premium approach. The Capital Asset Pricing Model is used to calculate the cost of equity. In case of CAPM, the calculation of beta requires significant judgment. We use the industry data to calculate the beta. Solution 1 Mortensens estimates are used for the following In case of asset appraisals for capital budgeting and financial accounting In case of MA proposals In case of assessment of performances In case of stock repurchase decisions at different divisions and business unit levels. Solution 2 Calculating rD In this case Mortensen computed the cost of debt for each of the three divisions by adding a premium over the US treasury securities of a similar maturity. In order to find rD, we do not use CAPM but we use the interest rate that we are currently paying on the new loans. Here we see that the consolidated spread to treasury is given as 1.62% Thus, rD = 30 year yields to U.S Treasury bonds + Overall Consolidated Spread to Treasury rD = 4.98% + 1.62% rD = 6.60% Calculating the Tax rate The tax rate is calculated on the basis on the Exhibit 1 as average over the years 2004, 2005 and 2006. Therefore the tax rate come out to be (Midlands Income Taxes / Midlands Income Before Taxes and the Average across 2004, 2005, 2006)= 39% Calculating EMRP Based on the exhibit in this case, we see that the traditional data showed is approximately 6.0% EMRP and the surveys show lower EMRP (2.5% to 4.7%) based on a research over the industry with the help from outsiders who have broader industry knowledge, which would result in a better and up-to-date EMRP. Researches in consultation with its professional advisors, bankers and investors, as well as Wall Street analysts covering the industry agreed on the current estimate of 5.0%. As the analysts on the industry, bankers and investors have broader information from different companies and executives, it can be concluded that the approach of outside consulting and the result of 5.0% estimate is appropriate. Â  Calculating rE Here we use 5.0% as its Equity Market Risk Premium. The corporate ÃŽÂ ² is publicly available, and as it represents corporate level ÃŽÂ ², well use 1.25 as it is for Overall Corporate WACC calculation. rE = rf + ÃŽÂ ²(EMRP) rE = 4.98% + 1.25 (5%) = 11.23% Calculating WACC Given + Calculated information: rE 11.23%, rD 6.60%, tax rate 39%, D/E 59.3%, E= 100units, D =59.3units, V=159.3units, E/V= 0.62774639, D/V=0.37225361 Using the formula we get, WACC =rE(E/V) + rD(D/V) (1-t)= 8.548% Solution 3 The company here, Midland, is a large enterprise and has diverse business units with different risks. In the case here we see that the Equity Beta represents the risk factor of those divisions. (Exhibit 5). We also see here that the risk profiles and different here as per the division and the hurdle rates for those divisions should also be different and calculated based on the ÃŽÂ ² of the division In this case Midland should not use single corporate hurdle rate as this will mislead evaluation of the investments, and will result on Midland invest on risky projects and will become risky a corporate by time But on the other hand if Midland invests on corporate level using the corporate level WACC. Solution 4 Calculating EP rE = rf + ÃŽÂ ²(EMRP) rE = 4.98% + 1.15 (5%) = 10.73% rD = rf + EP Spread to Treasury rD = 4.98% + 1.60% = 6.58% rE =10.73% rD =6.58% tax rate= 39% D/E= 39.8% E=100units D=39.8units V=139.8units E/V =0.715308 D/V= 0.284692 WACC for EP= 8.818% Calculating RM rE = rf + ÃŽÂ ²(EMRP) rE = 4.98% + 1.20 (5%) = 10.98% rD = rf + RM Spread to Treasury rD = 4.98% + 1.80% = 6.78% rE= 10.98% rD= 6.78% Tax rate= 39% D/E= 20.3% E= 100units D= 20.3units V= 120.3units E/V =0.831255 D/V= 0.168745 The value of WACC = 9.825% The business units all these industries of Midland operate on are different and thus they have different risk profiles and ÃŽÂ ²s and also different credit ratings. Also as a result the EP and RM have different WACC values. Solution 5 In order to calculate the cost of capital in case of Petrochemical, we would search for the couple of companies which focus only on Petrochemical industry and then use their fact sheet in order to get an average on their ÃŽÂ ² and D/E ratio. By taking into account the data available to us (exhibit 5) and using the arithmetic averages on D/E ratio and ÃŽÂ ² we can calculate cost of capital for Petrochemical division. Corporate ÃŽÂ ² = Average (EP ÃŽÂ ², RM ÃŽÂ ², Petrochemical ÃŽÂ ²) 1.25 = Average (1.15, 1.20, Petrochemical ÃŽÂ ²) Petrochemical ÃŽÂ ² = 1.40 rE = rf + ÃŽÂ ²(EMRP) rE = 4.98% + 1.40 (5%) = 11.98% rD = rf +Petrochemical Spread to Treasury rD = 4.98% + 1.35% = 6.33% Corporate D/E = Average ( EP D/E, RM D/E, Petrochemical D/E) 59.3% = Average (39.8%, 20.3%, Petrochemical D/E) Petrochemical D/E = 117.8% rE= 11.98% rD= 6.33% Tax rate= 39% D/E= 117.8% E= 100 units D= 117.8 units V= 217.8 units E/V= 0.459137 D/V= 0.540863 The value of WACC = 7.589%

Self Harm And Suicide In Prison

Self Harm And Suicide In Prison Although specific explanations have been put forward by those attempting to explain self harm and suicide, they can each generally fit into one of two main larger theories. The first, that the individual characteristics of inmates themselves are explanatory variables and that their susceptibility to self-harm and suicide is essentially imported into prison. The second, that it is the environmental factors characteristic of prison which actually act as a causative link between prisoners and acts of self-harm or suicide. The ideas behind these explanations are informed by an even larger theoretical debate around how people adjust to prison generally; the two contrasting arguments are known as the importation and deprivation models. The first point to examine is the validity of argument that individual characteristics are indeed what primarily predisposes prisoners to self-harm and suicide. Such arguments stem from the importation model, which supports the notion that prisoners already possess certain characteristics making them more likely to self-harm before they are even in prison. According to Irwin and Cressey (1962, p.145) a clear understanding of inmate conduct cannot be obtained simply by viewing prison culture or inmate culture as an isolated system springing solely from the conditions of imprisonment. The factors researchers have tended to focus on include; gender, age, psychiatric, history, offence-type, legal status and sentence length. Zamble and Porporino have outlined adverse life events, negative interpersonal relationships, social and economic disadvantage, alcohol and drug addiction, contact with criminal justice agencies, poor educational and employment history, low self-esteem, poor problem-s olving ability, and low motivational drive (cited in Liebling,1995,p. 181) as the characteristics of prisoners which can be relied upon in identifying risk factors. In a recent study conducted by Humber et al (2011), prisoner characteristics of suicide victims were in England and Wales were examined. They suggested that amongst the prison population there are particular groups more likely to be suicidal. This included; female prisoners, those who have been identified as being at risk of self-harm/suicide, those with a psychiatric illness and those with a history of violence. As has been discussed above, a vast amount of international research on prison suicide and self-harm has sought to understand this behaviour through focussing in on the individual characteristics of inmates. Due to the fact causes of suicide have been so strongly aligned with personal attributes of prisoners, public policy has often been structured with an emphasis on the prediction, prevention, and treatment of suicidal prisoners (Hayes ,1999). However, in focussing solely on the prisoners alone ignores a significant component of prison and that is the harsh environment and constraints which it enforces upon inmates. If the notion of imported vulnerability is relied upon in explaining suicide, it is assumed that one already exhibits certain traits before they were put in prison, such an assumption raises several questions of doubt. Prison suicide rates are commonly compared with those of the general population and this has highlighted that prisons have a higher number of suicides re lative to their population than that of mass society. It must be asked then if people already have certain characteristics before they get to prison then what is that leads them to suicide in prison and not in the outside world. The importation model also fails to explain those who have previously never suffered mental illness or any characteristic associated to being susceptible to suicide, but yet once imprisoned begin self-harming or even commit suicide. Rather than thinking of suicide as an individual issue, perhaps it should be approached from an institutional perspective which looks to its own walls for answers and not just at those who inhibit it. Liebling (1995, 1999) has repeatedly emphasised that concentrating studies exclusively on the individual is conceptually limited and she has stressed the need to approach prison suicide from an institutional perspective. Such discourse aligns with the deprivation model of thinking, originating from the work of (Clemmer,1940), (Goffman,1961) and (Sykes,1958). The deprivation model purports that it is the pains of imprisonment or deprivations suffered in prison, that primarily influences ones response to imprisonment. Sykes (1958) described; deprivations of security, autonomy, sexual desire, liberty, and goods and services as being central to the construction of such an environment. He suggested that prisoners could display self-centred and egotistical alienative modes of behaviour that arose from being forced to conform to roles commensurate with prison regimes and having to fit in with prison social life( Sykes,1958 p.295). More recently, De Viggianni (2007) and Ireland (2000), have also looked into incarceration and consequential suicidal behaviour. They drew correlations between such behaviour and the socio-environmental factors specific to prisons such as, a lack of support the presence of gang culture, and the prison code and its enforcement. It would therefore appear that the deprivation model is proposing that the more severe the consequences of the institutional regime are, the greater the likelihood of suicide occurring in prison. Huey and Mcnulty (2005) drew the conclusion that it is overcrowding so commonly experienced by prisons which plays a pivotal role in deprivation and consequently on prison suicide. A prison which is overcrowded and under staffed is undeniably more likely to have a decrease in standards. Services such as medical care, and unfavourable dynamics like staff-offender ratio, limited activities, a lack of food and clothing, unwanted interactions, and fluctuating social structures within the prison can all stem from overcrowding and all contribute to an increased risk of self-harm and suicide (Anasseril,2006). Lieblings (1992) study, involving interviews with prisoners who had attempted suicide whilst inside indicated that a prisoners vulnerability to suicide is also extremely relative to the suppor t and contact received from family and friends on the outside. She found that a scarcity of visits, written communications, and contact with community release/probation programs can detach a prisoner from the outside world and thus induce self- harming acts. She has also associated the use of time and opportunities available to prisoners with the likelihood of suicide. Believing that the ways in which inmates serve their sentences, can dramatically affect their mental state, she highlights inactivity as a crucial aspect of this. In New Zealand, the prison population is approximately 8698 people, with the imprisonment rate having increased by 53% in the last decade. (Department of Corrections, 2012a). Within his work calling for prison reform, Director of Rethinking Crime and Punishment, Kim Workman has alluded to the importance of values in prison. He suggests New Zealand needs to create a humane, just and workable prison system that attempts to reduce the pain of imprisonment(2009, p.18) and if a move can be accomplished from managing risk to creating a system supporting inmates to achieve their best, then that will be a major achievement. Although of course all prisons vary and some more than others would display the institutional paradigms as discussed above. Evidence suggests that prisons generally are lacking, at least on some level in providing the services needed and to the extent needed to ensure the health and well being of prisons is addressed and thus suicidal behaviour is reduced. What deprivation based theories could be critiqued in ignoring though, is that the prison environment can in some instances have a positive influence on inmates and work in improving peoples lives, leading them away from self- harm and suicide. In New Zealand numerous programmes exist to enhance the rehabilitation of prisoners, including; motivational programmes; rehabilitation programmes; education and employment programmes; and reintegration programmes. A recent example of the success these programs occurred this month when a group of prisoners at Auckland Region Womens Corrections Facility were the first to graduate from the Sma ll Motors Engineering course(Department of Corrections,2012b). Additionally, just as the importation model can be critiqued for its failure to see the prison itself as a problem, the deprivation model could arguably be seen to not fully engage the personal traits of the individual inmate. It would appear that the deprivation and importation models are rarely considered in unison, however it is beginning to become acknowledged that an integrated model of prison suicide could be the most sufficient method of furthering research and consequently preventing self-harm and suicide (Dear, 2006; Liebling,2006; Towl, Snow and McHugh, 2001). Through considering both models simultaneously a more and realistic and practical grasp on the occurrence of suicide can be ascertained, as more often than not both the environment somebody is confronted with and their own personal traits act combine together in influencing their resulting behaviour and well-being. Preventing Suicide Throughout research attempts, no one trigger has been able to conclusively identify the reasoning behind why people commit suicide in prison. It can thus be assumed that no single solution will successfully achieve the goal of suicide prevention and a multi-disciplinary approach is required if an effective outcome is ever going to be reached. In conjunction with this there must be a commitment from the prison and department to actually adopt and apply prevention strategies, because no matter how complete a strategy may be, it is worthless without implementation. In looking to the research which has been done on suicide prevention, it has been found that when comprehensive prevention programs have been implemented considerable decreases in suicides and suicide attempts have been accomplished (Cox and Morschauser, 1997, Gallagher and Dobrin, 2005; White and Schimmel, 1995). It must be noted however that the specifics of these programs should be relevant to local resources and inmate needs, for example a prevention program designed in America for a maximum security prison would not have a positive preventive effect if enforced on a smaller medium security prison in New Zealand. Konrad et al, 2007 have comprised an outline of several key components they believe necessary to any prison suicide prevention strategy. The first aspect outlined is training, specifically of correctional officers whom are the ones with the inmates on a constant basis, mental health professionals will never be available at all times to all prisoners and thus officers mus t be trained to develop an intuitive sense about the mental state of the inmates under their care. Training must also be kept constant, they suggest at least once a year. Screening is the second preventative tool they refer to. Suggesting that screening should take place immediately as they inmate arrives and if possible screening should be carried out within the context of an intake medical and psychological assessment, conducted by relevant professionals. Where it is the responsibility of correctional staff they should have specific training. Communication is also a vital factor and records of such screening should be kept so as all staff can become aware of at risk prisoners and not just the one person who did the screening. If a prisoner identifies as high risk this should not be ignored and immediate professional help should be provided. They stress that screening should not just be a one off measure, but must take place regularly to be effective as suicide prevention involves on-going observation. If an inmate has been recognised as suicidal, Konrad et al emphasise that they should not be left alone and adequate monitoring is essential as suicide can happen within minutes. They further the importance of human contact by including social interaction as a key preventative aspect. Referring to the success of a social support system which has been provided through the use of specially trained inmate buddies or listeners. In terms of the more physical elements of the prison itself the authors outline that a suicide-safe environment is necessary. In building on these key components, it is also necessary to consider the prison atmosphere in general in relation to the pressures and harsh mentality it exerts. Prison has been described as an intrinsically non-therapeutic environment (Department of Corrections, 2008), yet we are frequently sending people there who exhibit severe mental illnesses and numerous other vulnerabilities. Of course some people are a danger to society and it cannot be expected that these people are simply excused from prison due to certain characteristics, however, the environment inmates are living in, could be changed. Instead of focussing on locking people up with no stimulis or contact with others, the focus should be on giving prisoners the chance to change and we cannot expect this from taking everything away from someone. Just by being in prison one has given up any liberties and power but by taking away even the smallest of luxuries like the ability to exercise or go outside or even have a pen and paper is not only depriving but also preventing growth within that person. Self-harm and suicide will inevitability continue to occur if people are completely deprived of any sort of life except simply existing within four walls. The system must gain the ability and willingness to identify the vulnerability of each prisoner, provide the necessary supervision and support, and create an atmosphere in prison where the opportunity exists to cope with and reduce emotional distress which commonly develops into self-harm or suicidal behaviour Conclusion This paper has considered the concerning issue of self-harm and suicide in prisons. Numerous existing explanations for this behaviour have been explored within the two main theoretical spheres of the importation and deprivation models. The latter part of this essay has focussed on possible preventative strategies aimed at counteracting the causative factors forming the varying explanations for self harm and suicide. In drawing all the components of this paper together, prison is a place which comprises of a number of more vulnerable population groups coupled with an environment which is more commonly designed to be harsh, punitive and for adult men who are sound in body and mind. This combination of factors ignores who is really in our prisons and fails to aid the aims of prisoner safety and rehabilitation. As a result of these imbalances, self-harm and suicide occurs and in order to combat this, an environment which offers more than the luxury of just existing must be sought.

Toulmin Analysis of Attraction Essay -- essays research papers

Toulmin Analysis of â€Å"Attraction†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In â€Å"The Mystery of Attraction,† Harville Hendrix claims that attraction between human beings is based on a number of factors that ultimately leave human beings baffled on exactly how humans experience such intense emotions as seen in romantic love and why so many couples tend to have complementary characteristics. He supports this claim by explaining several theories of attraction. His biological theory of courtship states that â€Å"we instinctively select mates who will enhance the survival of the species† (483). This theory suggests instinctive evolutionary attraction such as a female’s rosy cheeks on a slender frame and a male’s muscular physique are the features which take paramount importance in mate selection. Another theory, which he calls the exchange theory, emphasizes that â€Å"we select mates who are more or less our equals† (483). This theory proposes the act of mate selection as being a game of weighing the po sitive and negative characteristics in hopes of attaining equality in all aspects of both mates. His final idea, which is called the persona theory, â€Å"maintains that an important factor in mate selection is the way a potential suitor enhances our self esteem† (483-484). Attraction as it pertains to this theory places emphasis on what others think and the image of how others perceive someone with a certain mate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hendrix’s argument has one warra... Toulmin Analysis of Attraction Essay -- essays research papers Toulmin Analysis of â€Å"Attraction†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In â€Å"The Mystery of Attraction,† Harville Hendrix claims that attraction between human beings is based on a number of factors that ultimately leave human beings baffled on exactly how humans experience such intense emotions as seen in romantic love and why so many couples tend to have complementary characteristics. He supports this claim by explaining several theories of attraction. His biological theory of courtship states that â€Å"we instinctively select mates who will enhance the survival of the species† (483). This theory suggests instinctive evolutionary attraction such as a female’s rosy cheeks on a slender frame and a male’s muscular physique are the features which take paramount importance in mate selection. Another theory, which he calls the exchange theory, emphasizes that â€Å"we select mates who are more or less our equals† (483). This theory proposes the act of mate selection as being a game of weighing the po sitive and negative characteristics in hopes of attaining equality in all aspects of both mates. His final idea, which is called the persona theory, â€Å"maintains that an important factor in mate selection is the way a potential suitor enhances our self esteem† (483-484). Attraction as it pertains to this theory places emphasis on what others think and the image of how others perceive someone with a certain mate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hendrix’s argument has one warra...

Harry S. Truman :: essays research papers

Biography: During his few weeks as Vice President, Harry S Truman scarcely saw President Roosevelt, and received no briefing on the development of the atomic bomb or the unfolding difficulties with Soviet Russia. Suddenly these and a host of other wartime problems became Truman's to solve when, on April 12, 1945, he became President. He told reporters, "I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me." Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri, in 1884. He grew up in Independence, and for 12 years prospered as a Missouri farmer. He went to France during World War I as a captain in the Field Artillery. Returning, he married Elizabeth Virginia Wallace, and opened a haberdashery in Kansas City. Active in the Democratic Party, Truman was elected a judge of the Jackson County Court (an administrative position) in 1922. He became a Senator in 1934. During World War II he headed the Senate war investigating committee, checking into waste and corruption and saving perhaps as much as 15 billion dollars. As President, Truman made some of the most crucial decisions in history. Soon after V-E Day, the war against Japan had reached its final stage. An urgent plea to Japan to surrender was rejected. Truman, after consultations with his advisers, ordered atomic bombs dropped on cities devoted to war work. Two were Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japanese surrender quickly followed. In June 1945 Truman witnessed the signing of the charter of the United Nations, hopefully established to preserve peace. Thus far, he had followed his predecessor's policies, but he soon developed his own. He presented to Congress a 21-point program, proposing the expansion of Social Security, a full-employment program, a permanent Fair Employment Practices Act, and public housing and slum clearance. The program, Truman wrote, "symbolizes for me my assumption of the office of President in my own right." It became known as the Fair Deal. Dangers and crises marked the foreign scene as Truman campaigned successfully in 1948. In foreign affairs he was already providing his most effective leadership. In 1947 as the Soviet Union pressured Turkey and, through guerrillas, threatened to take over Greece, he asked Congress to aid the two countries, enunciating the program that bears his name--the Truman Doctrine. The Marshall Plan, named for his Secretary of State, stimulated spectacular economic recovery in war-torn western Europe. When the Russians blockaded the western sectors of Berlin in 1948, Truman created a massive airlift to supply Berliners until the Russians backed down.

A Message from Disadvantaged Children of Friends for Street Children in Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam

A message from disadvantaged children of Friends For Street children in Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam Ladies and Gentlemen, Ho Chi Minh City is an economic city of Vietnam, with a population of more than 8 million. Attracted by the rapid economic expansion of Ho Chi Minh City, a large number of migrants from many parts of the country is coming. However, they mostly are poor in material, education, professional skills which leads to unstable jobs and low salaries. They live together with many other family’s members in a temporary houses or narrow rental rooms. They cannot earn enough for living.It becomes so difficult for these parents to manage school fee for their children; even they need financial help from their children. Many children of these families have to support financially by selling lottery tickets, newspapers, shoes polishing, or begging. Why we help disadvantaged children? The reality of early labors and dropping out of school of migrant children in Ho Chi Mi nh City is so common. Adding to these labor migrant children is poor children of Ho Chi Minh City who live in slums. They are also the target for child labors, illiterate and many social issues.Facing with the reality that many children cannot access school and their rights are neglected, Friends For Street Children Association was established in 1984, purposely to assist the disadvantaged children in their studies. The Association organizes seven Development Centers to serve about 1200 children studying from Kindergarten to Grade 5. What do children benefit from your help? With the help of donors, sponsors, individuals and groups, and organizations for disadvantaged children at cities of development countries like Vietnam, we can prevent and resolve little by little the basic issues such as: Preventing the dropping out of the school of children. – Reducing illiterate. – Resolving child labor. – Reducing child malnutrition. – Increasing child self-confide nt and self-esteem due to lacking social integrating environment. – Encouraging respect of child basic rights. – Providing a good environment for education in order to reduce social crime concerning children. Your support will help us to organize what activities? Your support will give children chances to access a good education. In FFSC system, we organize free education for children from 5 to 15 years old included Pre-school and Elementary School classes.This is a very important step to support all children to excel certain knowledge in order to integrate public schools. Without supporting, it will be impossible for poor and labor child to access further education. – At the center, we also organize language classes such as English, Japanese for children; – Vocational training courses such as sewing, embroidery for girls; – Building up child self-confident and social understanding through life skills and life values courses; – Improving chi ldren’s creativities through recreation programs according to age such as circle games, drawing; Improving their health through outdoor body exercises; – Healthcare, teeth care and providing milk; – Sponsorships for poor children who study at public schools to prevent dropping out due to financial reason; – Supporting children and families psychologically through home visits. What’s impact of our support for children? Our purpose focuses on and enhances well-being and a better future of disadvantaged children. – These disadvantaged children will have chance to access and integrate the public school and to develop their talents. Some girls who are trained can earn living in the future. – They are served better in nutrition and health. – They will gain a balance on psychology. – They have chances to have fun as any other children. – These poor children can proceed higher education in order to graduate from high scho ol and college. – They are provided necessary knowledge and skills to live healthily, happily and usefully in future society. Our dear guests, we would like to express our deepest gratitude for your kind presence here today. Thank you for your attentive listening.

Digital Life – How Technology Has Changed Us

Digital Life Every day people are hit constantly by a bombardment of online media. It used to be that people would see billboards, TV commercials and magazine, but with advancement of technology people remain wired into the internet 24/7. â€Å"Smartphones† are a great example of a device that promotes constant connections. It enables people to be connected to online media at all times. The effects that this constant connection has had on people in general are life changing.We can certainly agree that the lives of everyone who has access to these connections will change over time. The primary change that is happening in everyone’s life is the way we communicate with each other. Just 10 years ago cellphones were starting to become more and more popular. They evolved from big briefcase sized machines to something that can easily fit in your pocket. Even then though, calling someone was the primary way of communicating over distances. That has changed and is no longer the case.With advancements in Email, texting and social networking, they have all moved to a more popular position than making calls. Whether people need to relay small pieces of information or have a long conversation, texting and emails tend to be what they use. While this may not seem like a big deal to most people, one can argue that it is making the people that use this form of communication over calling or face to face interaction become stumped at interacting with people and sometimes have trouble communicating face to face at all.An interesting issue connected to this is that as a result of real life communications not being a primary skill, some people resort to purely online relationships. Particularly online gamers who play games like World of Warcraft or other Massive Multi-player Online games. These relationships range from simple friendships to as far as marriages which take part online entirely, but sometimes turns into something in the physical world. There have actually been many cases of people who met playing games online, then decided to meet in real life and ended up getting married.While the presence of online dating has been around for a while with sites like eHarmony, these sites still primarily run on face to face interactions and people have an idea of the interests and likes of the people they attempt to form relationships with. In the worlds of online gaming, one can argue that even though it is formed by two people, it is to a great extent mostly anonymous. On eHarmony you know what the other person looks like while in online games, you only know who the other person wants to look like.The person someone falls for online can be the exact opposite of what the other person believed they were getting into. All of this stems from the fact that some people who become to accustomed to the online world and online media turn out to have severe communication issues in the real world that causes them to turn to the people they interact with onli ne. Increasing the rate of socially inept people is not the only effect that the internet is having. Due to the massive daily usage of Social Networking websites people take part of everyday, a problem with narcissism is arising.The problem with this is that if people have problems with things like self image, they resort to these networks. Facebook promotes negative parts of the personality directly linked to disruptive forms of narcissism, which was promoted by a study done by Christopher Carpenter. The study stated that among other aspects that are promoted by online social networking, â€Å"a sense of deserving respect and a willingness to manipulate and take advantage of others† is highly promoted. Pearse 1) It is thus clear that there is various social problems that arise from online media, not just social ineptitude. While the previous drawbacks of the connected world were looking at the social sense, something occurs in the person that hurts their sense of being alone . Since people are constantly on their internet enabled devices, they lose a sense of the things around them. They forget about the beauty of nature, among other things. Since humans by nature seek companionship, they make the life altering choice to remain connected at all times.In doing so one loses the knowledge of the beauty of being alone outside. Like Sherry Turkle said on a radio interview â€Å"If you don't know how to be alone, you'll only always know how to be lonely. If you're always reaching for the device, the cell, the Facebook, the sharing, you lose that. † (Tippet 1) What she is trying to say is that because of our fear of loneliness, we remain connected to online media all the time thus losing our ability to embrace being alone and absorbing the wonders around you. Another huge change it has in our life is in the cognitive sense.When people need to know a bit of information they used to go to the library or find it in the newspaper among other sources. Over t ime it got to the point where it was as simple as â€Å"googling† for it. Currently it has gotten to the point where people rely on a small number of sources for information. The biggest one being â€Å"Wikipedia. org,† which is a free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit and is maintained by other people. While there used to be a process that makes you think and search for information through stacks of books and articles, today it is not as interactive as it was then.The result is a slump in many habits like studying and similar queries of knowledge and the increase in bad habits like laziness and reliability in sloppy sources. An undeniably great change that happens to people with constant online media is in the way they think. This relates to the changes in how people hunt information as well. Advertisement is probably the biggest part of online media. It is what fuels it as of the online world is funded through advertisement. While there is undoubtedly good pro ducts still in production today, it is not uncommon to see bad or unreliable products become successful.The reason for this is that people are bombarded by online advertisements so much more often now that they assume a product is the best if it has a huge advertising campaign. The more a product advertises, the more people it reaches and sells to. Thanks to companies like Google and Facebook, it has become easy for any company to reach millions of consumers ready to give their money away. Most consumers have the idea that they need to buy things to make them happy or more complete. This is implanted in them by the massive amounts of online media they face everyday.One of the issues with this is that many consumers do not bother to do research on products they buy. They simply buy them because they are popular or because they have been advertised heavily. The same way that people have gotten lazy at hunting down information and learning, they have also become susceptible to having t heir ideas and thoughts molded by big business advertisements. The presence of technology and online media can definitely make some people forget they are human, but only to an extent.If we connect some of the negatives the online world has brought along as it developed, we can see that some human qualities are lost as well, or at least weakened. Curiosity is one of the parts of humanity that is waned thanks to the internet. Due to information being readily available at the click of a mouse, the human desire to learn has lessened in many people. While they still go to school and get degrees, most people no longer absorb information around them or that available to them in libraries, for example.People don't take in stories and knowledge and hold them dear simply because if they are ever needed, they can be instantaneously looked up or downloaded. Another way that the internet can help people forget they are human is by allowing them to become anyone they want to be. This is a by lar ge the main reason people play video games. Online games allow people to become anyone they would ever want to be from a warrior to a hero. There is nothing to stop them from achieving what they want online except time, and so very much time goes into achieving their online goals.People become so immersed into their online persona that they completely forget about their real life responsibilities among other things they ignore. Not only do some people build marriages and friendships online, but in doing allow their online personas to become their main one. Their online lives become more important than their physical lives. It is undeniable that humans are now evolving alongside technology. The further that technology evolves, the easier it is for humans to stay wired into the internet. People can now be connected at all times so of course it will have an effect on how humans evolve.I believe humans will instinctively always know that they are only human. However this will have an ef fect in that more people will turn to the internet and online media to direct their lives, since many people believe others will know how to do things better, and seek out that wisdom online, but we run into a big issue here. We can already see how online media is making people multitask badly and how it severely decreases focus amongst many. Nicholas Carr speaks of a subject called Neuroplasticity which talks about how our brain is constantly changing and evolving.Due to online media, it is being trained to â€Å"take in information very, very quickly in a very interrupted, distracted way little bits of it come at us all the time. â€Å"(Carr 1) Therefore we are actually evolving in such a way that we are gradually losing focus. One can argue that over time, with the growth of online media, focus is the main skill that may be lost almost entirely. Nicholas Carr states in an Interview on PBS News Hour that the because the internet serves distractions at all times of the day, that our focus is the target of it. What we're losing is the ability to pay deep attention to one thing over a prolonged period of time. † (Carr 2) We are evolving away from deep thought, because information is so readily available, and it presents itself to us in in the form of hundreds of small distractions every day. With online media constantly distracting people with Facebook and Twitters, some researchers wondered what life would be like for a person that would be abruptly disconnected from this constant link to the web. A group of scientists decided to put this to the test on themselves.The scientists were all shocked at what happened on the third day of their experiment. Richtel, a journalist who followed the scientists on a vacation, stated that â€Å"You start to feel more relaxed. Maybe you sleep a little better. Maybe you don't reach for your phone pinging in your pocket. † (Digital 1) After just three days of being disconnected, the sense of extreme urgency that was causing the scientists to sleep less and constantly check their phone had faded away to a certain degree. It was obvious there, that there is something positive in disconnecting even if you do it just for a small amount of time.In conclusion, online media will constantly try to take our attention off other things, and this trend shows absolutely no sign of stopping. It has undeniable effects on peoples social lives as well as their minds and how they think. As was stated by people like Carr and Carpenter, it is not a good direction in which things are evolving. While these problems are constantly growing, very few things are being done to stop them and even fewer are successful. As long as this trend continues, the chance for people to turn it around and begin using their brains as they were used before gets lower with time.It is up to the people what powers they give to online media, but trends point to them gaining more steam. The choice to disconnect is completely in the han ds of the user, but users will most likely stay online. Works Cited Pearse, Damien. â€Å"Facebook's ‘dark Side': Study Finds Link to Socially Aggressive Narcissism. † The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 17 Mar. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. . â€Å"Nicholas Carr's: The Shallows. † PBS. Ed. Jeffrey Brown.PBS, 27 Aug. 2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. . Tippet, Krista. â€Å"On Being. † Transcript. American Public Media, 7 Apr. 2011. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. . â€Å"Digital Overload: Your Brain On Gadgets. † Npr. org. PBS, 24 Aug. 2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. .

Supersize me Essay

In the documentary Supervise Me, Morgan Spurious embarks on a Journey to eat McDonald's fast food for every meal for an entire month. One of the main reasons for choosing McDonald's Is that this company represents 43% of the entire fast food market. There are a few rules, including that he has to eat every Item on the menu at least once and If they ask to supervise the meal, he must say yes. The purpose for this experiment was to see if fast food companies are too blame for the obesity epidemic going on in America right now.Some don't agree that obesity is that big of a deal, but sixty percent of Americans are either overweight or obese. I would call that a major issue. The fast food industry is most definitely partially to blame for obesity in the United States. Some people believe that it is not the companies' faults that people are becoming obese because that person chose to eat fast food. In a way, I do agree. But it is the fast food companies' responsibilities to make It known h ow unhealthy the food they are serving Is. To burn off a superseded Coke, fry, and Big Mac, you would eve to walk for seven hours straight.In addition, Spurious found that most McDonald's around the country did not have nutrition facts available for reference In the restaurant. Morality plays a major part in this issue. The Catholic Social Teaching of life and dignity of the human person is what is at stake. For every child born in the year 2000, one third will develop diabetes. This will cut anywhere from seventeen to twenty- seven years off your life. During the documentary, Spurious loses muscle and replaces it with fat because of all of the Junk he is putting in his body.His blood pressure was raised, and he was at stake of getting seriously ill. If a person eats too much fast food, they will become sick. It is very possible for an obsession with fast food to lead to obesity, which is linked to many other fatal diseases. A person's life may be at stake, which Is not morally righ t. In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are viewed as Individuals. Therefore, they have the right to express their pollen, advertise to anyone they please, and have total control over their business. The average child sees 10,000 TV DSL per year.This means that companies are talking to children just as much, if not more than, their parents. If they were responsible with this power, then I would not have a problem with it. I think that there is a line between selling a product and doing whatever it takes to sell a product. If a company, like McDonald's, was appropriate in their advertising and kept the dignity of people in mind, then I don't think obesity would be a major issue anymore. This ties in with the Catholic Social Teaching of rights and responsibilities.In conclusion, I think that the fast food Industry Is partially to blame for obesity In the united States. Everyone does have a responsibility for their own health, but fast food companies have their own respon sibilities. They have the responsibility to make the Ingredients In their food known, and have healthy options. We as a country should hold them to this responsibility. With obesity rates rising, it could soon be the to our bodies and the fast food industry needs to realize that they need to do a better job of helping obesity rates decline.

Information Technology Ia

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