Basic Principles of the Marketing Research Paper

Basic Principles of the Marketing - Research Paper Example The researcher states that relevant example of an intangible product can be Australian Open Championship that offers its services for the purpose of satisfying entertaining needs of spectators. Its arrangement requires different kinds of assets, including financial, human and material resources. Sports equipment, food, and beverages for cafeterias, souvenirs play the role of tangible assets, meanwhile administrative and maintenance staff plays the role of human resources. Visitors buy tickets for the Championship, therefore this event has profit basis along with the social goal to develop sport around the country. Tennis Australia considers that the more people enroll in clubs, the more skillful and distinguished players can be trained and stand out. This will increase Australia’s chances to win awards on world championships, improve state’s reputation and attain international recognition of the country. Tennis Australia strives for raising people’s interest and attraction their attention to sports activities. Watching professional players, potential consumers are prone to follow their examples and become tennis players later on by themselves. Australian Open Championship can be considered as a brand due to its main purpose to promote tennis. Its biggest value is that people get closer to sports events and later on become more interest in it. Brand statement of Tennis Australia cannot be considered as useful one in a full way because, in my opinion, it does not display all the urgency and importance of organization’s mission. A brand statement should be more profound and all-embracing so that potential consumers have a clear presentiment about company’s direction and promotion campaign. The success of brand realignment can be measured with the help of the increased number of people who enroll in clubs after realignment. The main participants of the microclimate of air travel industry are competitors; companies that deliver raw materials; suppliers of integrated products; partners and distributors. For instance, if the prices for raw materials increase, the total cost of airplane grows also, therefore airlines which use modern airplanes will increase prices of tickets for preventing a situation from losing additional profits. Factors of macroenvironmental can be political, economic, ecological and legislative situation in the country. If the level of economic development in specific country drops, this decreases profits of the population, who consequently due to lower salary will prefer a less expensive method of transportation substituting jets for trains or buses. Decreased level of demand will influence on air industry’s profits. Finally, airlines will be compelled to review price policies for affecting ticket sales.

Campaign for Philippine Independence Essay Example for Free

Campaign for Philippine Independence Essay Balanced diet and Physical work out has a major role in attaining long healthy life. The increasing awareness of effects of foods on health has made us diet conscious and left us confused in the land of nutrition. We want to satisfy our palate and eat healthy as well. This often restricts our food choices. The major nutrients for the body are protein, carbohydrate, and fat. These provide the body with energy for various functions like beating of heart, activity of muscles and brain. In addition the body needs vitamins, and minerals for it’s optimal functioning. The importance of balanced diet are: * Optimal macronutrient intake * Total macronutrient intake * Hydration * Eat varied diet Picture of balance diet What is good posture? Posture is the position in which you hold your body upright against gravity while standing, sitting or lying down. Good posture involves training your body to stand, walk, sit and lie in positions where the least strain is placed on supporting muscles and ligaments during movement or weight-bearing activities. Proper posture: * Keeps bones and joints in the correct alignment so that muscles are being used properly. * Helps decrease the abnormal wearing of joint surfaces that could result in arthritis. * Decreases the stress on the ligaments holding the joints of the spine together. * Prevents the spine from becoming fixed in abnormal positions. * Prevents fatigue because muscles are being used more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy. * Prevents strain or overuse problems. * Prevents backache and muscular pain. * Contributes to a good appearance. Proper Posture Requirements Accessories A woman’s wardrobe can have an endless list of accessories, but there are few basics which cannot be missed out for anything. A classy narrow or broad leather waist belt for formal occasions and a fabric belt for casuals is a must. Footwear comprising of a pointed toe dress shoe in stiletto pattern, a semi-casual peep toe with medium heels, knee high boots, pair of sneakers in feminine shade and funky flip flops will suit every activity you plan to indulge in. B. Fashion and finesse considers the visual languages, politics, and poetics of personal appearance. Dandyism has been most closely associated with influential caucasian Western men-about-town, epitomized by the 19th century style-setting of Oscar Wilde and by Tom Wolfes white suits. The essays collected here, however, examine the spectacle and workings of dandyism to reveal that these were not the only dandies. On the contrary, art historians, literary and cultural historians, and anthropologists identify unrecognized dandies flourishing among early 19th century Native Americans, in Soviet Latvia, in Africa, throughout the African-American diaspora, among women, and in the art world. Moving beyond historical and fictional accounts of dandies, this volume juxtaposes theoretical models with evocative images and descriptions of clothing in order to link sartorial self-construction with artistic, social, and political self-invention. Taking into consideration the vast changes in thinking about identity in the academy, Dandies provides a compelling study of dandyisms destabilizing aesthetic enterprise. Example of Fashion and Finesse The Color Of Summer Revenge Fashion C. Perfume or parfum is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces a pleasant scent. The odoriferous compounds that make up a perfume can be manufactured synthetically or extracted from plant or animal sources. Perfumes have been known to exist in some of the earliest human civilizations, either through ancient texts or from archaeological digs. Modern perfumery began in the late 19th century with the commercial synthesis of aroma compounds such as vanillin or coumarin, which allowed for the composition of perfumes with smells previously unattainable solely from natural aromatics alone. Cologne is a toiletry, a perfume in a style that originated from Cologne, Germany. However, it has come be a generic term for scented formulations in typical concentration of 2-5% essential oils, or a blend of extracts, alcohol, and water.

Theories of Management :: Buisness Management

Management plays a significant role in how business operates. The diversity of approaches to the theoretical and practical background of management has come up with versions of what is meant by such key words as management and organization. The academia views expressed in relation to management theories take a different role than that prescribed to managers. There has not been any concrete definition of management even though the classic definition of Henri fayol still remains contention to be the preferred choice after eighty years. In the context of what is required I will like to elaborate on the following journals which I will vividly explain in assignment two. David J. Lemak (2004) explains clearly the path through that management theory jungle and how entangled theories have brought about conflict and confusion. It recommends using management discipline rather than trying to meander our way through the jungle of numerous theories and â€Å"schools of thought†. This approach was set by koontz and it explains the discipline of management. David lamond (2005) also touched on how to absorb the past in order to understand the present and enlighten the future. According to (Leonard et al, 2004) they explored on how great ideologies turn to become great works. The paper also explains how Frederick Taylor â€Å"spread the gospel† of scientific management. It also sites example and explain how the theory of scientific management came to being and how it used in both private and public organisation. In addition, Amandi et al, (2004) makes us understand issues related to leadership decision and also gives a clear overview on leadership theories. It clearly makes us understands the difference between a manger and a leader as well as the behavioural and trait aspect of leaders. Sahadevan et al, (2004) explains grounded theory approach to analyze the quality of responses from authors and to gain in depth knowledge from the authors of great works that might be helpful to scholars and practitioners involved in the process of developing fresh understanding in organizations.

Multicultural Education Essay

Multicultural Education is becoming important in our society, because of the big social change in the United States; Americans have been forced to look at the cultural change in the schools. We have had to address multicultural education and the educational needs of our students which continue to be a struggle for educators. Multicultural education programs could be put into three categories. Content-focused, student focused, and socially focused. Content-focused is known to be the most common type of multicultural educational. The students are taught in the curriculum about different cultures. For example holidays. Student-focused programs address the academic needs of the minority groups of students. This approach helps the students integrate into the main stream of the school system. Socially focused programs are designed to develop knowledge among the different cultures in our schools. There are different learning Styles. Every student that comes in your classroom gains and uses the information in different ways: this is done by seeing, hearing, touching, analyzing. As our students are different so are the teaching styles which also may vary from person to person. I have learnt that if a teacher does not try to understand the students in their class there will be a problem passing on the knowledge to their students. and the students will become bored if they are not interested in the subject, it is up to the teacher to make it interesting so they can reach all students. I feel as a teacher you should try to incorporate a variety of different teaching styles into your lessons to help engage all students that will enable them to learn more effectively. Philosophy of Education  I believe that each child is special and they need a secure, caring, and stimulating environment in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially. As an educator it is my duty to help students meet their full potential, and this can be done in by providing an environment that is safe, orderly, and invites a sharing of ideas. There are three ways that will help create such an environment in the classroom. †¢ the teacher acting as a guide †¢ allowing the child’s natural curiosity to direct his/her learning †¢ Promoting respect for all things and all people. The teacher’s role is to guide their students. If we give our student’s access to hands-on activities and allow them enough time to use materials that will reinforce the lesson we are teaching it will creates an opportunity for the students to find the information for themselves. Student life in school and at home Students usually separate their lives into different areas, doing the same things they do at home, and school. The things students learn during these various life stages will eventually be the foundation from which they can build their careers. Most students need to develop the skills they learn that they will use in their future professions. Almost every student in school will learn that the only way to get assignments done on time is by managing their time effectively. The Transition from elementary school to college is difficult for students, as they have to become independent quickly. Today’s classroom Class sizes have become too big in the America school system, and the people making the decisions are taking out the paraprofessionals that help the teachers in the classrooms. In my personal opinion I feel that the classrooms are overcrowded and this extends from the elementary schools to the high schools. Classes used to be smaller and the student teacher ratio helped achieve greater academic success. Some benefits of small class sizes are that the students receive more personal attention. Smaller class sizes will help a student that has a learning disability, and the needs of the other students would be met. A small number of students in the classroom can also help with less noise and disruptive behavior. Tracking Tracking seems to be a common practice in the United States, and allows a teacher to work with students that are on the same academic level. The Students are placed together in classrooms by using test scores. Tracking has been around for about a century and is used in most schools across the United States. I found out in my research that there are different types of tracks. For example there is high or low tracking, all the students in each class are on the same level. Tracking seems to be a good idea, but in reality it seems to be very complicated. One of the main problems is that the students in low tracks are largely populated with minority students, and the low tracks are not good for a student’s development. I also found out that it affects the teachers in different ways. Teachers teach in different styles to educate their students. The students in high track classrooms are taught the content of the curriculum and the students in the lower track classrooms just briefly cover different subjects. In other words the high track students are challenged and the low track students are not. Low track teachers seem to have low expectations of their students (Callahan 2005) and high track classrooms have a positive attitude which helps the students desire to learn (Hotter 2004) The classroom has become very culturally diverse with students from all over the world. I found out that the students who were in the low tracks were predominately minorities, and the high track students were Caucasians and Asians. The text book states† In a classic study done in the 1970s, Ray Rest Observed a kindergarten class in an all-black urban school. By the eighth day Of class, the kindergarten teacher, apparently using such criteria as physical Appearance, socioeconomic status, and language usage, had separated her students Into groups of â€Å"fast learners† and â€Å"slow learners. † She spent more time With the â€Å"fast learners† and gave them more instruction and encouragement. The â€Å"slow learners† got more than their fair share of control and ridicule. The children soon began to mirror the teacher’s behavior. As the â€Å"fast learners† Belittled the â€Å"slow learners,† the low-status children began to exhibit Attitudes of self-degradation and hostility toward one another. This teacher’s Expectations, was formed during the first eight days of school, and this shaped the Academic and social treatment of the students in her classroom for the rest of the school year. Records of the grouping that had taken place during the first week of kindergarten which was then passed on to the teachers in the upper grades, providing the basis for further differential treatment. † (Sadker, Zittleman pg. 106. ) This is true because working in the school system you here teachers telling other teachers about the students they have in their classrooms, and what to expect if they come into their classrooms. In conclusion I found out that tracking is not the main problem it has its positive and negative points. I believe that if all students had the equal opportunity of a good early education there would be more students excelling in our schools. For example if all students had the opportunity to attend preschool it would help the students from being put into high or low track groups as all children would have the same opportunity in education my opinion is that detracking would help all students work and learn from each other no matter what their level is in the classroom.

Operations Strategy Essay

The statement that â€Å"operations strategy is the total pattern of decisions which shape the long term capabilities of any type of operation and their contribution to overall strategy, through the reconciliation of market requirements with operations resources†, is true. First, define the words operations strategy, and operations strategy. Operations is what a company â€Å"does†. It is how it delivers its products or services to its customer. Operations is the case of a company’s business i. e. hatever that is, for example hospitality companies offer service, manufacturing companies make products, stockholders, purchase, store and distribute, which retailers procure, stock and supply the public with the goods. This definition can be applied to almost any organization. Strategy is a deliberate search for a plan of action that will develop a business’s distinctive competence and compound it. Organizations strategy describes how it intends to create value for its shareholders, customers, and the citizens. Operations strategy consists of a sequence of decisions that over time enables the business unit to achieve a desired operations, structure, infrastructure and set of specific capabilities in support of the competitive priorities. Operations strategy is concerned with matching characteristics of operations function with the requirements of the market in order to fulfill needs of the business. A proper approach of this process requires not only understanding of the ideas and methods used to develop operations systems but also knowledge of the techniques and principles involved in its implementation. Implementation requires knowledge of operations system and policies including those that relate to resource planning and activity control, quality, motivation and organization of people, performance metrics and continuous improvement. Operations strategy has several components that range from structure decision, categories to others. Decision strategies includes such things as capacity, which defines the size of the organization. Facilities available in the business unit also forms part of the structural decision categories of the operations strategy. Vertical integration is another aspect of the structural decision category. Technological trends in the organization is also part of the structural decision category. Infrastructural decision categories includes things like work place, organization, information and control systems. The conditions of the work place affect the infrastructure of the business unit. Information and control systems defines the infrastructure of the organization. Capabilities are also a component of operations. Each business has unique capabilities. For example a firm A may have the capability of providing higher levels of services than firm B. Competition priories are also part of the components of operations strategy. In this category cost is an important aspect and determines the competitiveness of a business organization. The other aspect in this category is quality. Here higher performance decisions are made and also maintaining consistence in quality. Time is also critical and on it emphasis is on fast delivery, on-time delivery of services and products and also the development sped. Flexibility is another aspect in the category of competitive priorities. There should be customization of services and also volume flexibility meaning that the business unit should be ready to serve even increased volume of clients. Operations is what a company does to achieve a set of four objectives. These are increasing customer satisfaction, increasing financial performance, increasing employee satisfactions and creating value for the citizens. Customer satisfactions levels is determined by the levels an quality of services, the value for their money, the speed of service, the behavior of the service staff, the atmosphere and theme of service. Customer satisfaction leads to increase in business hence margins go up. Financial performance as mentioned above depends on the sales volumes that depend on customer satisfaction. This is determined by checking the profit margins and the costs involved in doing a business. The task of the business is to gain more margins while minimizing the costs. Employee satisfaction results from the way the employees are treated by management. This treatment is based on the nature o work being performed and also the way the workers are enumerated. Employees’ satisfaction depends on levels of motivation that they get at the work place i. . being given challenging job tasks, being rewarded for excellent performance etc. Businesses should also create value for the citizens and this is mainly through practicing social responsibility. This involves giving back something to the community as an appreciation for benefits derived from doing business in that community. Example of this include building hospitals, homes for orphans and supporting other disadvantaged people in the community. It is through the operations of work done in the various functions or departments in a business unit that the above objectives can be met. There are three levels of strategy in an organization. These are the corporate level, business or divisional level and operations the functions level. Operations strategy ultimately contribute to the overall strategy key functional areas with an organization include the finance, human resources, marketing, product development among others. In each category there are several challenges encountered in achieving and maintaining a suitable operations strategy. Marketing of hospitability services is complicated by several features or characteristics of services marketing. First the services are intangible meaning that they cannot be displayed for customers. There the market has to use great skills to convince a customer to buy the service. The aspect of inseparability of services also complicates the marketing task. This means that the services also produced and consumed simultaneously. The other characteristic of services marketing is perishability meaning that services are perishable if not used at the time they are available e. g. a hotel room goes wasted if it is not used on a particular night. Variability is another characteristic of services. A service given to a guest in a restaurant may vary with similar service provided to the guest by another employee at the same restaurant. In the case of Wynn Macau’s casino and resort that is to open September this year the general manger of Wynn Resort Macau confessed that they faced some challenges in their marketing plan. First, they want to set up a gaming facility yet it is illegal to advertise and promote gaming in China. To counter this situation the company is trying to hook up customers with high growing levels of disposable income and who travel a lot. It is targeting people living on the eastern seaboard of China who represent 80% of Chinas wealth belt. Another challenge is that Macau receives few people from the western countries (who are more interested in gaming) Macau being a one-day trip market poses another challenge for marketers. This will call for targeting of people with high spending power. Another challenge facing the marketing staff as they try to develop operations strategy is the aspect of seasonality of the hospitability business. In this case you find different approaches being used at different times of the year. There is also the problem of money laundering in Macau among the agents poses yet another challenge. For this problem, Wynn Macau has created their own investigation team to look at the matter. In Macau most gaming revenues come from the VIP market yet, Wynn Macau is targeting the mass market. This means more marketing is to be done to attract the mass market in the gaming business. The finance function is also faced with several challenges in the hospitability industry. Finance department is involved in looking for or designing ways of getting money to do business. It is also involved in establishing the way revenue is generated or not generated in the organization. Finance function makes investment and diversification decision. Challenges may arise when a business opts to do diversity its operations in that you may find that revenue contribution from one kind of business e. g. gaming may differ from place to place. In the case of Macau, it is believed that the non-gaming assets are going to change the hotel chains penetration into the market. This will be finding more people interested in gambling and other activities that go together. Organizations have different ways of financing business. Among these is ploughing back some of the profits realized and this may conflict with the shareholders who want to be paid their dividends. These banks which fund hotels and other hospitability organizations sometimes ask for high interest in loans and give conditions that are too hard to abide by. These problems bring challenges to the hospitability businesses when they require funds for more investments. Other challenges like disperanities in revenues from similar businesses at different parts of the world also comes as a challenge to organization. It becomes difficult to predict the expected revenue fro the whole business chain. The issue of cost doing business varying in different parts of the world poses challenges to organizations wishing to go global. As in the case with Wynn Macau, the staff needs is not uniform. Higher-skilled workers are asking for more wages thus filling more pressure on the organization. It is also evident that the staff needs vary for those of the skilled employees to those of that at the introductory level who need to be trained. Salary scales are also different in different part of the world. As in the case of Wynn Macau, salaries in China are higher than is the case in Las Vegas and this has some financial implications. With increase in business more employees will be required thus building more pressure for wages. Although, diversification has succeeded for some organizations, it also involves a lot of risk taking. This is so because the organizations are venturing in unfamiliar grounds hence being in a position to face many challenges. The challenges may include issues of recession in such part of the country and also political instability, which can affect the financial well being of the business. Some examples of successful diversifications in the hospitability industry include that of Hilton hotels co-operation that went into a merger with the Grand casinos. In this case the Grand Casinos were given an excellent strategies opportunity to diversify their operations. Product development in hospitality industry means the process of coming up with new products or services. This has impacts on operations strategy in that, it is through the process new products and service come into being and helps in raising the customer’s satisfaction. New services or products development serves as a challenge to the employees hence raise their motivation. Challenges common in this function include lack of resources i. e. both material and human resources. Failure by management to encourage or recognize employee’s ideas may act as a hindrance to the development of new services or products. Another challenge comes from the customers who are not familiar with unusual quality of services. These customers are likely to avoid the services hence keeping the business low in terms of sales volumes. New products and services may sometime help in increasing customer satisfaction by giving a variety of services/products to the customer. The new products and services may also possess higher quality than similar services and products. Maintaining the new set standards may prove to difficult and expensive since it may call for more training of the staff. Another challenge facing product/service development is that some customers could be alienated by an unusual quality of service. This is due to conservations among some clients meaning they will be unwilling to accept new products. The human resources in any organization form the backbone to its success. Operations strategy poses a key challenge due to its symbiotic dependence on the organization structure. The organization is made up of human beings who are living things aggregating the skills complexities and the drivers of the people within them (the organization). These aspects impact and constrain operations strategy. In many cases organizations evolve rather than being designed and changes become adaptation of the former structure without revisiting the underlying strategy and operations (Schroeder Roger 1989). Comparing recruiting and training of workers in has Vegas and Macau you find that these processes are not different. Although these processes may not differ for two locations, culture differences pose major challenges for Wynn Macau Resorts and any other gaming companies planning to operate in Macau. Human resource recruiting has gone online with many applications for jobs at Wynn Macau being generated from an online service. This is a new trend which may mean that those who have started using it will benefit by getting a large pool of applicants and get the best candidates. Those who fail to adopt this may not benefit from getting high quality staff. Training materials for people in foreign places with different languages have to be translated into language of the targeted group. There are also hiring and work differences between different places in different parts in the world e. g. Las Vegas and Macau. This is a challenge for Hospitality Company like Wynn Macau which is planning to offer its services in the two different places of the world. Another challenge facing hiring of staff for a company like Wynn Macau is Chinese government’s tough immigration rules. This means neatly all management and staff at Wynn Macau will be Chinese. In some countries there no industrial or trade unions and this is a challenge to the human resources welfare. Although there may be strong governmental regulations related to employment, employees in such places are likely to be treated unfairly in organizations. Employee performance in a place with culture they are not used to may be another challenge facing the human resources function. As for Wynn Macau and Hilton Hotels Corporation venturing into overseas business, the way they perform in a different setting is critical to their survival in such places. This means they have to put a lot of efforts in staffing and training of their staff to cope up with challenges associated with the new locations. Another challenge facing human resources for Wynn Macau is the fact that workers are not used to working in hotels offering the level of service Wynn customers expect. Were it not for the Chinese government’s tough immigration policy, the company could import professionals who are familiar with the level of service of Wynn customers. Motivation of staff is one of the roles of human resource management; motivation among the staff can be achieved through giving challenging tasks, employee recognition for good work done, good enumeration among other things. Highly motivated employees will perform their duties well which in turn leads to high customer satisfaction. Employees being human beings can do a very bad job if they are not motivated. Keeping the employees highly motivated is a challenge to the organization since motivation comes as a result of mixing several variables (Schroeder Roger 1989). Employee turn-over is the other critical challenge to the human resources function in any business unit. Lack of motivation is the main reason for employee turn-over in organizations. Employee retention is an operation strategy that relates to the human resources function and therefore organization should endeavor to satisfy their employees and ultimately retain them. Remember employees are the implementers of any strategy in the organization and as such they should be rated as the most important component of the organization. Operations process also includes the functions of the purchasing and supplies department. This department is expected to develop and sustain supplier relationships. Companies enjoy significant competitive advantage from their established networks of superb supplier relationships. The objective is to lower the total â€Å"cost ownership† i. e. the cost of acquiring goods, materials and services. Challenges facing the purchasing and supplies function include competition in business. A business organization competing with another may go to the supplier of the latter and get a better deal for materials from the same supplier thus affecting supply to the former business organization. Instability of prices for materials and services poses some challenges to the purchasing and supplies function of the organization. Capacity is another dimension to the operations strategy. It entails growth as needed through additional business units, but capacity added carefully. An example of building a business capacity is that of McDonald’s that planned to add more stores its chain. The challenge is that increasing the capacity should be done carefully and in a calculated manner otherwise it may end up adding costs of business without or with little margins being recognized. Process/informative technology is a new age in business organization are forms an important part of its functions. Strategies relating to this include having a high degree of understanding of the latest advances in it (process/information technology). Another strategy for process information technology is that organizations seek to be leaders in IT in their specific industry. Challenges could include high costs of acquisition and maintenance of the information systems. IT is also viewed by conservative people as way of reducing staff from organizations and as such it is likely to face resistance from some employees. In the hospitality industries introduction of automated machines is a challenge in that it affects the â€Å"human† aspect of service. Customers prefer to be served by people and thus be able to enjoy the human contact created by the employee’s presence. Another dimension of operations strategy is the vertical integration. This focuses on partnership arrangements with other organizations. It also focuses on maintaining long-term relationship with suppliers in order to promote innovation and quality improvement. Some organizations may fear partnering with the others thinking that the other organization has intentions of â€Å"stealing: their business ideas. Operations strategy can be evaluated using two different approaches. One is checking its internal and external consistency. It entails consistency between the operations strategy and overall business strategy, between operations strategy and other functional strategies within the business among decision categories that make up operations strategy, and between operations strategy and business environment (resource available, competitive behavior, government restraints). The other approach to operations strategy evaluation is looking at contribution to competitive advantage. It involves making trade-offs explicit, and enabling operations to set priorities that enhance competitive advantage. It also involves directing attention to opportunities that complement the business strategy. The other thing is promoting clarity regarding the operations strategy throughout the business unit to realize its potential. Lastly it involves providing operations capabilities that will be required business in the future. Conclusion Looking at the operations strategy along the various dimensions discussed in this paper, it can be concluded that they are support the operations mission and ultimately contribute to the overall business strategy of the organization. This is so because all aspects of the operations strategy work together in a complex mix to give the overall results expected by an organization.

Storytelling in a modern world essays

Storytelling in a modern world essays We humans are all storytellers, or story-listeners, or both. That's a crucial element of our humanity. Passing down the generations, constantly changing under the pressure of altering circumstances, stories link humanity together in chains of narrative. Odysseus sets out on the wine-dark sea, fights ferocious monsters, endures endless hardships, and eventually finds his way home; and so does Tim OBrien in The Things They Carried; and so do many thousands of other heroes conceived in the 2,900 years between Odysseus and OBrien. Storytelling has been, since the earliest times, the way people have ordered their reality. It is the fundamental use of language, that which creates and defines reality. As James Baldwin said in his essay, If Black Language Isnt a Language, Then Tell Me What Is?, People evolve a language in order to describe and thus control their circumstances, or in order not to be submerged by a reality that they cannot articulate. . .What joins all languages, and all men [sic], is the necessity to confront life, in order, not inconceivably, to outwit death (37). Baldwins understanding of the use of language can be extended to the purpose of storytelling. By telling a story, not only do we create reality, we defeat death. This concept of stories as constructing reality is not unique to Baldwin. In Narrative Means To Therapeutic Ends, by Michael White and David Epston, the same ideas of storytelling are enumerated, In striving to make sense of life, persons face the task of arranging their experiences of events in sequences across time in such a way as to arrive at a coherent account of themselves and the world around them. . .This account can be referred to as a story... (47) Ours has been the storytelling century: never before have so many of us had the chance to absorb so many stories. Earlier centuries heard stories face-to-face, figured them out ...

Free Essays on Minimum Wage

The Minimum-Wage Controversy When receiving paychecks, most employees will agree that one can never be paid enough, however, their employers may disagree with that statement and believe that they are getting paid far greater than they are entitled to. Thus creating a conflict between minimum wages. Minimum wage is the least amount of money that an employer may pay their employees. The federal minimum wage that is experienced by many members of the United States, currently is at $5.15, and is under debate as to whether or not it should be raised an additional dollar per hour, to make the minimum wage $6.15 (1). As a result of dissatisfaction with the minimum wage, debates whether or not the wage should be lifted to please more workers are currently taking place. The process to finding the perfect minimum wage to please both employee and employer are still under way, and has been an important controversial issue for many decades. For many, a raise in minimum wage would be fantastic, ma inly employees. For others such as employers, they look down upon the idea of increasing the salary for their workers. The process for increasing the minimum wage would start by paying fifty cents more on January 1st of 2001, and adding the other fifty cents exactly one year later on January 1st of 2002 (1). â€Å"Through this proposal, it would allow for business tax breaks worth $76 billion dollars over ten years, which is down from $122.7 billion in an earlier House version of the bill† (1). As unemployment has reached a recent 30-year low, some employers are looking to change this fact around by hiring in greater numbers (3). But as employers may in fact do try to change this unemployment trend, this also means more money will be spent on trying to match the minimum wage. If they should try and match the minimum wage, the employer will be spending more money just to have more workers that he may not need. Say the minimum wage stayed the same for a while, ... Free Essays on Minimum Wage Free Essays on Minimum Wage It’s Time to Raise the Minimum Wage The current minimum wage does not allow a full-time worker supporting a two-person family to reach the federal poverty line. However, increasing the minimum wage is not a simple undertaking. There are many concerns and questions to address. Business owners are concerned about the expense of raising the minimum wage. Many legislators believe the majority of the minimum wage workforce is teenagers earning money for luxuries. This report will discuss the history of the minimum wage, exceptions to the regulation, demographics of the minimum wage workforce, real value of the minimum wage, and economic feasibility of raising the minimum wage. Based on my research, it is my recommendation that the minimum wage should be raised. The Beginning of the Minimum Wage: The Fair Labor Standards Act The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 set the work week and overtime guidelines, child labor restrictions, and the first minimum wage. Opponents of the act resented the governmental mandates on private business operations. Organized labor unions were concerned that the minimum wage would become a maximum rather than a beginning point. The proponents of the action wished to improve the living conditions of the working poor and create new jobs by shortening hours and setting overtime standards (Cong. Dig., 2000). The federal minimum wage is currently $5.15 per hour. Exceptions to the Minimum Wage Regulation Employers are allowed to pay only 50 percent of the minimum wage to employees who regularly receive $30 per month in tips. The employee must receive at least the minimum wage when the hourly pay and tips are combined. Several states wage/hour laws remove this exception from the law (Cong. Dig, 2000). This exception shifts the burden to pay employees from the employers, to the customers and employees themselves. Earning tips is difficult in businesses with fewer customers, low... Free Essays on Minimum Wage The Minimum-Wage Controversy When receiving paychecks, most employees will agree that one can never be paid enough, however, their employers may disagree with that statement and believe that they are getting paid far greater than they are entitled to. Thus creating a conflict between minimum wages. Minimum wage is the least amount of money that an employer may pay their employees. The federal minimum wage that is experienced by many members of the United States, currently is at $5.15, and is under debate as to whether or not it should be raised an additional dollar per hour, to make the minimum wage $6.15 (1). As a result of dissatisfaction with the minimum wage, debates whether or not the wage should be lifted to please more workers are currently taking place. The process to finding the perfect minimum wage to please both employee and employer are still under way, and has been an important controversial issue for many decades. For many, a raise in minimum wage would be fantastic, ma inly employees. For others such as employers, they look down upon the idea of increasing the salary for their workers. The process for increasing the minimum wage would start by paying fifty cents more on January 1st of 2001, and adding the other fifty cents exactly one year later on January 1st of 2002 (1). â€Å"Through this proposal, it would allow for business tax breaks worth $76 billion dollars over ten years, which is down from $122.7 billion in an earlier House version of the bill† (1). As unemployment has reached a recent 30-year low, some employers are looking to change this fact around by hiring in greater numbers (3). But as employers may in fact do try to change this unemployment trend, this also means more money will be spent on trying to match the minimum wage. If they should try and match the minimum wage, the employer will be spending more money just to have more workers that he may not need. Say the minimum wage stayed the same for a while, ...

Alkali Metals - Properties of Element Groups

Alkali Metals - Properties of Element Groups Learn about the properties of the alkali metals, one of the element groups: Location of the Alkali Metals on the Periodic Table The alkali metals are the elements located in Group IA of the periodic table. The alkali metals are lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, and francium. Alkali Metal Properties The alkali metals exhibit many of the physical properties common to metals, although their densities are lower than those of other metals. Alkali metals have one electron in their outer shell, which is loosely bound. This gives them the largest atomic radii of the elements in their respective periods. Their low ionization energies result in their metallic properties and high reactivities. An alkali metal can easily lose its valence electron to form the univalent cation. Alkali metals have low electronegativities. They react readily with nonmetals, particularly halogens. Summary of Common Properties Lower densities than other metalsOne loosely bound valence electronLargest atomic radii in their periodsLow ionization energiesLow electronegativitiesHighly reactive Metals  |  Nonmetals  |  Metalloids  |  Alkali Metals  |  Alkaline Earths  |  Transition Metals  |  Halogens  |  Noble Gases  |  Rare Earths  |  Lanthanides  |  Actinides

The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin Essay

The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin - Essay Example Composition of the narrative "Shot" belongs is very interesting and highly complicated by through its multilevel character that is created by means of several narrators usage and complexity of plot. On the top stage of compositional ladder is Pushkin by himself. ("A.P."), formally delivered the authorship to Belkin I.P. and accordingly turned himself into a publisher. We get to know about the late Belkin from the letter addressed to "A.P." written by Belkin's neighbor and elder friend who preferred to be nameless. Content of all 5 stories was told to Belkin by witnesses of the events one way or the other related to those people who participated in narrated events. All suggested for the reader correlated straight out with the true life. From the other side the story content may be essentially revised as all in all it is narrated by the third persons. Still the less implication of author's presence in narration and hence the superior social reliability and realistic portrayal of life dominate possible inaccuracy of facts. In Pushkin's stories the system of relationship between narrators looks like a pyramid: Pushkin A.S. Such a solution of composition and fixing up of imaginary authorship accounted for creation of multileveled text gives an opportunity to seize reality, to describe Russian folkway and to narrate about characters' destinies and being bent on more deeply and widely. First-hand narrators are not pococurante of what they are telling about as all the occurred events could easily happen to any of socially close to them person: understrappers, philistines, officers, provincial ladies etc.As a general rule the names of narrators and heros of stories, as well as the scene are not nominated. That is made in order to emphasize the breadth of narrative scene that expanded almost through all the Russian land.The feature of artistic method is as follows: presumptive picture of reality is represented out of the ordinary events background. Moreover out of the ordinary events themselves obey the laws of everyday reality. So here we have specific time and extent features. With an eye to understand in what way the narrator himself perceive people and events that he describes let us consider the correspondence of story and plot of the narrative "Shot" meaning that the story is a natural course of events and the plot is a course of their presentment.We can see that both the story and the plot are distinctly divided in two pieces. These pieces are compositionally repeated. Graphically it is designated by two chapters division. Artistic focuses of both chapters are represented by two duels that are symbolized by shots. Each chapter consists of three notional parts. In first part it is narrated about Silvio and officers'

Theoretical analysis & Critical design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Theoretical analysis & Critical design - Essay Example It will argue on the various natures of museums architectural features and whether the status as being an art or artefacts is influenced by taste and designs. Much emphasis will be placed on the museums external features than internal. This will enable the articles point of view to have depth. The museums that will be studied are those that have pre-purpose built features that represent the museums, not the ones that are used in the room somewhere. This will enable the article to bring taste and designs that aerated and the  objectives of this study to light. Museum is an architectural design of its own; with a rich past and typology of its own. The working together of the different aspect of museums architectural designs bring out the overall taste that describes the museum.1 The symbioses of all this activities shore-up the museums image, as a representation of art in that area. It may not come as a surprise as the two most essential modern works of museum theory, practice and cr iticism talk about an architectural image. This book titles Andre Malraux, the museum without walls and Douglas Crimps Un the museum, ruins refer to the opening of museum wrapper, the breaking down of the museums integrity.2 These two books summed the state of museum architecture in the modern era; they represent an attempt to try and break through the boundaries that try to separate the building from existence in terms class and ethic make up. The desire to breakdown the museum architectural fortifications were either literally or figuratively. It represents an indication to inhere the architectural designs of museums around the world, to render its boundaries nonexistent and hence, open the museum to the free flow of activities. The edges of the museums thus represent seclusion from the world’s reality and activities, the walls of the museums. Sign of the walls of museums is both are both it official expression and interface between the museum and the world. The internal pa rts of the museum are where the works of arts hang. The walls of museum act as a representation of the world. They act as protection between the physical world internal worlds.3 The design of the walls is an expression of how the museums walls are made to keep us out while keeps its rich heritage inside the walls. Museum is not just a place where items are displayed but also as a full sense of marvellous construction in the world. The museum is a representation old strong foundation. Museums that are a have survived the test of time are a description of what is the strength. Considering that most museums were made decades ago, and they still maintain the old structures, when museums address themselves in matters of taste they are faced with a dilemma, of what is historical fact affecting their taste right now. When describing the taste of a building whether people define it as being value free, or non partisan, or whether endorsing or contesting a particular pattern of preference th is shows that preference can be relative and absolute depending from your point of view. Taste becomes relative when it shows that a museums taste is just a symbolic description of what is valid to people at a certain time.4 When the structures of people’s language are considered then taste becomes absolute. People can describe a refurbished museum space to either be good, better or the best. When

The Chronicle Gazette Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Chronicle Gazette - Term Paper Example This newspaper agency is going through a tough phase with diminishing revenues. Both advertising and subscription revenues are decreasing. The main cause of this downturn is that readers are now using Internet to receive all the news content for free. This advancement has increased reluctance in people to pay for newspapers now. Global recession has also obligated people to go for internet and free news instead of newspapers. It has distanced the customers from the traditional system of newspapers and also the increase in price of newspapers. The publishing costs have increased and majority of newspapers have increased their prices too. Today, online newspaper websites have gained popularity among different people (The New Times Company, 2010). The main aim of this report is to offer the management of The Chronicle Gazette a strategic vision of where the newspaper publishing industry stands today and where it is headed over the next decade. Also, this report proposes strategies the newspaper can investigate to survive in the new business environment. It also analyzes the details of this company’s present and future performance. It also gives facts on factors which cause the turn down of this industry. The trends in newspaper industry are also analyzed with regard to strategies that leading companies of the industry follow. This report will also give details about the measures that different companies adapt to beat the losses of the industry. It will also offer details about the measures that most companies adapt to eschew the losses encountered. By considering the external and internal factors affecting industry and also the publishers, the report will give measures that The Chronicle Gazette should adapt to increase its revenues and customer base (The New Times Company, 2010). 2. State of the newspaper publishing industry today 2.1. Data on declining circulation and revenues The state of national economy is one of the basic drivers of industry of US newspaper. The economy has a distinct impact on both the circulation and advertising; Most of the costs that companies face are fixed. As a consequence, the profitability is achieved by marketing and sales. The companies need to be innovative and strategic in their market strategy to enhance the circulation and to increase profits. The bigger companies take the advantage of the economies of scale as they used variety of sources in publishing newspapers (Hoover’s Inc., 2010). The past few years have witnessed a decline in newspaper readership. More and more people are now using Internet so that they can view online and read for free. The innovations in Internet have given people the opportunity to log in and receive information twenty four ho urs a day. This news content is also available in genuine time and it is available everywhere all around the world all the time. Most of these news providers don’t even charge a fee. A result of this is numerous readers are not willing to pay for news content now and has an enormous impact on newspapers’ sales (Honnold, 2000). A huge reduction has been seen in the total number of newspaper in circulation in United States over a period of ten years. The number of newspapers circulated in 2000 was 115, 194,000 and now this number has been reduced to 97, 712, 000 in the year 2008. At the same time, the revenues of advertising have gone down during the past few years. The revenues have declined from $48,670 in 2000 to only $24,821 in the year 2009 as reported by Newspaper Association of America. The past decade has shown a constant downturn in profits and revenues for publishers of newspapers. This

Medical Costs For Prisoners In The Correctional System Essay

Medical Costs For Prisoners In The Correctional System - Essay Example Currently, about 10% of the correctional budgets are actually set aside for healthcare and this would amount $3 billion every year (Kaplan, 1999). The largest prison network in the contrary spends about $8000 for elderly inmates and about $1000 for younger inmates. The largest number of sick elderly inmates is lodged in the Men’s State Prison in Georgia (Chen, 2009). With the problems of the inmates only increasing every year, it is becoming very difficult to sustain the healthcare of inmates. For example, a greater population of inmates is increasingly suffering from chronic diseases, HIV/AIDS, getting older with serious health problems, hepatitis, terminal illnesses, and other problems (Kaplan, 1999). In the last 10 years, the population of prisoners has doubled and the number of women inmates has increased from 4 to 6 & (according to the Bureau of Justice). The number of prisoners above the age of 50 will increase from 11.7% to 16% in 2005. According to the Bureau of Justic e the percentage of prison population above the age of 55 years arose from 49000 in 1999 to 90000 in 2007. Recently a few health problems have been noted to have a serious impact on the health of the inmates. Some of the common terminal conditions that can affect inmates include cancer (Kinsella, 2004). The most common infectious disease noted in prisoners is Hepatitis C, which affects about 33% of the inmates in Texas, and 41% in California. The most common mean of spreading Hepatitis C in prisons is through contaminated blood or IV drug use with contaminated needles. $24000 to $30000 is spent each year on treatment for Hepatitis B. About 10% of the inmates are mentally ill (Kaplan, 1999), however recent figures suggest the figures could be as high as 16%. There were just very few prisons that were providing mental health facilities to the prisoners. Small percent actually receive mental treatment programs and an even smaller group receives medication to treat the condition (Kinsel la, 2004). Communicable diseases may not only be a problem for inmates when they are in the prisons, but also when they are released. About 2.5 to 4.5 % of all the inmates are affected with an STD. It costs about $475 to treat the STD’s. 2.2% of the inmates have HIV infection and about 0.6% have AIDS. The prevalence of the condition is about 3 to 4 times higher than the general population. About $195000 is spending each year for the HIV management of inmates (Kinsella, 2004). Several cost-saving measures can be initiated as an effort to lower costs in prisons. These include privatization of the healthcare services, having disease prevention and health promotion programs, inmates co-sharing healthcare costs with the government (copayments), using telemedicine facilities, and early release of those inmates who are sick, terminally ill, or very old. Prisons need to develop better healthcare policies in order to handle the crisis of rising healthcare costs, using greater innovati on (Kinsella, 2004). The other measures that have been suggested include reduction the costs of drugs, provision of healthcare services under managed care, etc (Kinsella, 2004) Part 2 I have chosen to study the HIV/AIDS populations that are imprisoned in Rhode Island, though I would compare it with other prisons in the US. I have chosen this because, the problem of HIV/AIDS is serious in prisons, and the model obtained from a few prisons are so good that they should be a

Unit Journal for International Relation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Unit Journal for International Relation - Essay Example Because of these changes, state sovereignty will never be absolute. State sovereignty means that the state has the absolute power to control over its internal affairs that happen within the boundary of its territory, free from outside state interference, and has the complete authority to govern its people (Wang, 2004)iii. Today, each country is obliged to observe the international laws. Therefore, there will always be some instances wherein a sovereign country should seek external assistance from outside sources before it can make a final political decision. For example, before China opened its door to international trading, this country did not bother to establish a close political and economic relations with Europe. Likewise, Europe was not interested in establishing international relations with China. Because of global trading, the is an on-going political and economic relations between these two countries. Therefore, neither one of these two countries should make political, socia l, and economic decisions that could hurt or weaken the relationship between the two countries (Taneja, 2010)iv. Question two: Define poverty. Can it be eradicated? The basic human needs are not limited to food, clean drinking water, and shelter but also education, access to health care services, and work opportunity. Once the basic human needs are not met, poverty is said to be present. With this in mind, poverty is actually referring to a poor living condition wherein people have insufficient basic human needs that are necessary for a higher quality of life (UNDP, 1997)v. Because of the continuously increasing population growth around the world, socio-economic problems related to poverty also significantly increases. Among the few well-know economic concepts that could clearly explain the increase of inequality in terms of income distribution and work opportunities is capitalism. Under a capitalized economy, business people in general gather a group of laborers in exchange with mi nimum wage. Since businessmen could earn a large sum of profit out of the lower income population, the gap between the rich and the poor increases over time (Botha, 2003)vi. Through education, poverty rate can be reduced but not totally eradicated. According to Bhalla (2006, p. 23), India and China are two of the biggest countries around the world that chose not participate in the global economy started to open its market outside the country since 1980s. Eventually, the active participation of Chinese and Indians in the global market resulted to a significant reduction on the number of people who are experiencing poverty. Since a lot of people who used to live below the poverty line were given the opportunity to work, the number of people who were experiencing poverty was significantly reduced from 1.3 billion in 1980 down to 500 million in 2000 (Bhalla, 2006, p. 22). Question three: Identify and explain the challenges for policy makers when dealing with population growth. Policy ma kers are facing challenges when it comes to controlling the population growth. One of the most common challenges involves the cultural and religious controversy with regards to the use of birth control methods. In line with this, Boadu (2002)vii revealed that the Catholic, Mormons, and Baptists religion are strongly against the use of artificial contraceptives.

Analysis of Sex Offences Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Sex Offences - Coursework Example This affects the issue of identifying them in that: If the plaintiff cannot prove that the acts resulted to harassment, alarm or distress, and it was to other people outside the accused person’s household and that an order is required to prevent further antisocial behavior, then the accused cannot be charged or granted the order. A good example of an order to prevent antisocial behavior is that of two Manchester teenagers, who were barred from wearing one hand glove, as it was a symbolic representation of belonging to a certain terror gang. The reporter can only be required to leave if the case at hand is very sensitive, for example, a case dealing with serious matters such as national security, rights of vulnerable children or crime victims. If the case is about any other issue, then the judge is not right to tell the reporter they are not supposed to attend (Banks and Hanna). The clerk can only refrain from giving such names of the magistrate if the case they are handling is of such a sensitive nature. Otherwise, they should provide the names and other relevant details, that are relevant and in the best of the public interest. The order to abolish the publication of any information that would disclose the identity of the victim is only valid if it was a sexual or criminal offense perpetrated against the victim, who is still alive (Banks and Hanna). For example, in the Watergate scandal, the name of the witness was barred, with him being referred as ‘Deep Throat. Since the victim was killed in our case, there is no reputation being preserved or any avoidance of victimization, and therefore the order given is invalid. The judges have issued opinions in conformity to this. As a journalist sitting on the press bench, I would challenge the validity of such an order. Â  

Unit Journal for International Relation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Unit Journal for International Relation - Essay Example Because of these changes, state sovereignty will never be absolute. State sovereignty means that the state has the absolute power to control over its internal affairs that happen within the boundary of its territory, free from outside state interference, and has the complete authority to govern its people (Wang, 2004)iii. Today, each country is obliged to observe the international laws. Therefore, there will always be some instances wherein a sovereign country should seek external assistance from outside sources before it can make a final political decision. For example, before China opened its door to international trading, this country did not bother to establish a close political and economic relations with Europe. Likewise, Europe was not interested in establishing international relations with China. Because of global trading, the is an on-going political and economic relations between these two countries. Therefore, neither one of these two countries should make political, socia l, and economic decisions that could hurt or weaken the relationship between the two countries (Taneja, 2010)iv. Question two: Define poverty. Can it be eradicated? The basic human needs are not limited to food, clean drinking water, and shelter but also education, access to health care services, and work opportunity. Once the basic human needs are not met, poverty is said to be present. With this in mind, poverty is actually referring to a poor living condition wherein people have insufficient basic human needs that are necessary for a higher quality of life (UNDP, 1997)v. Because of the continuously increasing population growth around the world, socio-economic problems related to poverty also significantly increases. Among the few well-know economic concepts that could clearly explain the increase of inequality in terms of income distribution and work opportunities is capitalism. Under a capitalized economy, business people in general gather a group of laborers in exchange with mi nimum wage. Since businessmen could earn a large sum of profit out of the lower income population, the gap between the rich and the poor increases over time (Botha, 2003)vi. Through education, poverty rate can be reduced but not totally eradicated. According to Bhalla (2006, p. 23), India and China are two of the biggest countries around the world that chose not participate in the global economy started to open its market outside the country since 1980s. Eventually, the active participation of Chinese and Indians in the global market resulted to a significant reduction on the number of people who are experiencing poverty. Since a lot of people who used to live below the poverty line were given the opportunity to work, the number of people who were experiencing poverty was significantly reduced from 1.3 billion in 1980 down to 500 million in 2000 (Bhalla, 2006, p. 22). Question three: Identify and explain the challenges for policy makers when dealing with population growth. Policy ma kers are facing challenges when it comes to controlling the population growth. One of the most common challenges involves the cultural and religious controversy with regards to the use of birth control methods. In line with this, Boadu (2002)vii revealed that the Catholic, Mormons, and Baptists religion are strongly against the use of artificial contraceptives.

Tourism and Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tourism and Economy - Essay Example However, domestic travel has been on the decline not just in Australia but the same trend persists in other countries such as the UK and New Zealand. Travel agents associate the decline in domestic tourism to the growth in the low-cost carriers (LCC) and also forecast that carriers such as Tiger Airways and Air Asia X would slowly kill domestic tourism. However, this may be just one of the factors responsible for the decline in domestic tourism. In fact, the LCC may also contribute to the economy by bringing tourists from overseas, thereby increasing the inbound tourists to Australia. Despite the global economic slowdown during the year ended September 2011 domestic tourism received a boost due to the strong mining sector, recovery efforts following the east-coast floods and stronger business confidence (Domestic Tourism Snapshot, 2011). The graph below confirms that there has not been a significant fall in domestic tourism over the decade. According to this report interstate holidays and visiting friends and relatives increased during this period but the focus was on short holidays. Not a significant growth in the domestic sector has been forecast but the reasons are more economic and not connected to low cost air travel. Source: Domestic Tourism Snapshot, 2011 However, some decline in domestic tourism has taken place. The reasons for the decline in domestic tourism have been associated with several factors. Outbound visitor nights have increased while there has been a fall in domestic weekend trips. Since 2004/05 a smaller portion of household consumption is bei ng allocated for tourism activity (Tourism Research Australia, 2007). The same trend was observed about 15 years ago when outbound travel grew by 6% while domestic travel increased by only about 1 percent per year. Therefore, the current decline in domestic tourism is not a new phenomenon. The driving factor for decline in domestic tourism in UK and New Zealand has also been associated with cheaper fares on short-haul flights. In the case of New Zealand the strength of the national currency has increased competitiveness for overseas holidays. In Australia consumer behavior and the attitude towards holidays has changed. Social, cultural and technological changes have resulted in lower tolerance (Tourism Research Australia, 2007). Australians prefer to spend their time and income on what makes them feel better now instead of deferring their holiday and obtaining gratification later. Domestic tourism has long lead times and lack of tangibility which places it a disadvantage compared to overseas holidays. It is intangible because of lack of communication and proper information. People want to experience their holiday and use it to learn through interactions. Domestic tourism in Australia is unable to fulfill the demands of the consumers who seek newer pastures. This has prompted the domestic tourists towards outbound tourism. Other factors include rising incomes and access to a range of destinations (TRA, 2011). Information and communication at the domestic level is lacking and none is willing to take responsibility. The drivers of domestic tourism are income and price while the drivers of outbound tourism are airfares and air capacity (TRA, 2011). As social and cultural changes have taken place, and as the dollar has become stronger, consumers find overseas travel much cheaper. The demand for outbound tourism has further been increased as cheap airfares and holiday packages are available. However, it is not just the costs but the excitement to experience somethin g different and to engage in activities and

Cybercrime in Indonesia Essay Example for Free

Cybercrime in Indonesia Essay Even if Indonesia has not ratified or signed the Convention on Cybercrime yet, officially Indonesia has implemented almost all cyber crime provisions set forth in the Convention. These provisions are set out in several articles in Law No. 11 Year 2008 on Information and Electronic Transaction. The seven provisions, among others; offense related to child pornography, illegal access, illegal interception, data interference, system interference, misuse of devices, and computer related forgery. The provisions of computer-related fraud and attempt and aiding or abetting are no longer regulated under this Act due consideration has been accommodated by the existing provisions in the Penal Code. Likewise, some offenses related to infringements of copyright and related rights are deemed to have been sufficiently set forth in the Law on Intellectual Property Rights. In addition to the above provisions, the Law No.11/2008 is the merely cybercrime statute in Indonesia, which also includes provisions on e-commerce and e-signature referring to the UNCITRAL Model Law and the EU Directives on such subjects. This is by virtue of the awareness of regulator about inevitable legal convergence of telecommunications, media, and informatics. By means of the principle of neutrality and efficiency, this product of law will be able to encompass the three specialties. Moreover, hacking, according to BATAN is defined as ‘infiltrating or breaching activities into an electronic system without rights, which usually aim to misuse or damage the system.’ Identical definition of hacking is also proposed by David S. Wall which is ‘deliberate unauthorized access to spaces over which rights of ownership or access have already been established.’ Therefore, hacking can be incorporated into illegal access provisions. In the Article 30, there are three paragraphs that organize illegal access, inter alia; 1. ‘Setiap Orang dengan sengaja dan tanpa hak atau melawan hukum mengakses Komputer dan/atau Sistem Elektronik milik Orang lain dengan cara apa pun.’ It means ‘any person intentionally and without right or unlawful access to computers and/or electronic system belongs to any other person in any way.’ 2. Setiap Orang dengan sengaja dan tanpa hak atau melawan hukum mengakses Komputer dan/atau Sistem Elektronik dengan cara apa pun dengan tujuan untuk memperoleh Informasi Elektronik dan/atau Dokumen Elektronik. It means ‘any person intentionally and without right or unlawful access to computers and/or electronic system in any way aim at obtaining electronic information and/or document.’ 3. Setiap Orang dengan sengaja dan tanpa hak atau melawan hukum mengakses Komputer dan/atau Sistem Elektronik dengan cara apa pun dengan melanggar, menerobos, melampaui, atau menjebol sistem pengamanan.’ It means ‘any person intentionally and without right or unlawful access to computers and/or electronic system in any way by infiltrating, trespassing, surpassing, and breaking through a security system.’ The first offenses are to be punished with imprisonment up to 6 years either with or without an administrative fine of up to IDR 600 million. Meanwhile the second offenses are to be sentenced by imprisonment up to 7 years either with or without an administrative fine of utmost IDR 700 million. The latter is to be sanctioned by imprisonment up to 8 years either with or without an administrative fine of up to IDR 800 million. During the past four years since enactment, a myriad of hacking incidents have taken place in Indonesia . However, only two cases were successfully expressed and processed in court. The first case is a case of hacking (defacing) the Election Committee website in 2004 by Dani Firman. While the second case is a similar case against the website of one Indonesias largest party, Golkar, by Iqra Syafaat. In fact, according to data from the Association of Indonesian Internet Service Provider (APJII), in 2003, it has recorded 2267 cases of network incidents and in 2004 there were 1103 such cases. It can be concluded that the cases which fails to trial far less. Furthermore, another concern is phishing, defined as ‘the pursuit of personal financial information that is subsequently used to defraud the victim and relies upon the recipient’s inability to distinguish a bogus email from a real one.’ Hence, it should be categorized into ‘computer related forgery’ provision. Article 35 states ‘Setiap Orang dengan sengaja dan tanpa hak atau melawan hukum melakukan manipulasi, penciptaan, perubahan, penghilangan, pengrusakan Informasi Elektronik dan/atau Dokumen Elektronik dengan tujuan agar Informasi Elektronik dan/atau Dokumen Elektronik tersebut dianggap seolah-olah data yang otentik.’ It implies ‘any person intentionally and without right or unlawful manipulate, create, delete, alter, or suppress any electronic document and/or information with the intent that it be considered as if it were authentic.’ Accordingly, this breach is to be sentenced up to 12 years in prison and a maximum fine of IDR twelve million. Unfortunately, there is no case hitherto which is brought to court proceeding. Finally, rare incidents of cybercrime exposed and processed in court trial as the aforementioned are caused by several factors, inter-alia; the lack of awareness among users, the absence of single identity number, the reluctance of victims to report, the limitedness of infrastructure or equipment and devices in the field of IT, and also the lack of law enforcement officers who have expertise in the field of IT. [ 1 ]. Indonesia Law Number 11/2008 about Information and Electronic Transaction, entry into force on April 21,2008 [ 2 ]. See (n 1) art 27 and art 9 in Convention on Cybercrime, Council of Europe, entry into force on July 1, 2004 [ 3 ]. See (n 1) art 30 and art 2 in Convention on Cybercrime, Council of Europe, entry into force on July 1, 2004 [ 4 ]. See (n 1) art 31 and art 3 in Convention on Cybercrime, Council of Europe, entry into force on July 1, 2004 [ 5 ]. See (n 1) art 32 and art 4 in Convention on Cybercrime, Council of Europe, entry into force on July 1, 2004 [ 6 ]. See (n 1) art 33 and art 5 in Convention on Cybercrime, Council of Europe, entry into force on July 1, 2004 [ 7 ]. See (n 1) art 34 and art 6 in Convention on Cybercrime, Council of Europe, entry into force on July 1, 2004 [ 8 ]. See (n 1) art 35 and art 7 in Convention on Cybercrime, Council of Europe, entry into force on July 1, 2004 [ 9 ]. art 8 in Convention on Cybercrime, Council of Europe, entry into force on July 1, 2004 [ 10 ]. (n 9) art 11 [ 11 ]. (n 9) art 10 [ 12 ]. Indonesia has several Laws on IPR such as Law No.12/1997 about Copyright, Law No.29/2000 about Vegetal Variety Protection, Law No.30/2000 about Trade Secrecy, Law No.31/2000 about Industrial Design, Law No.32/2000 about Layout Designs of Integrated Circuits, Law No.14/2001 about Patent, and Law No.15/2001 about Trademark [ 13 ]. See UNCITRAL Mode Law on E-commerce on http://www.uncitral.org/pdf/english/texts/electcom/05-89450_Ebook.pdf and UNCITRAL Mode Law on E-signature http://www.uncitral.org/uncitral/uncitral_texts/electronic_commerce/2001Model_signatures.html accessed September 28, 2012 [ 14 ]. (n 1) Explanation [ 15 ]. BATAN is an Indonesian government institution which constitutes one of consulting agents of ICT, http://www.batan.go.id/sjk/uuite.html accessed September 29, 2012 [ 16 ]. Wall, David S, ‘Cybercrime: The Transformation of Crime in the Information Age’, (Polity Press 2008) 53 [ 17 ]. (n 1)

Essay --

Formal Analysis Paper Claude Oscar Monet (1840-1926) was a French painter known for his use of bold color and unusual subject matter. In the 1860’s, Monet joined like-minded artists such as Edgar Degas; to create the movement that became known as Impressionism. Edgar Degas (1834–1917) was also French but born to a wealthy family. He benefitted from traditional training and was not comfortable with the label â€Å"Impressionist† due to this training. This paper intends to analyze Claude Monet’s "The Walk, Woman with a Parasol"(fig. 1), and Edgar Degas’ â€Å"The Little Fourteen–Year–Old Dancer† (fig. 2), through a consideration of composition, use of color, perspective, and brush strokes. Capturing the natural play of light and shadow was a signature theme in all of Monet’s work. In this painting, he positions the light to the right of the woman and boy which leads the viewer’s eye up. He then uses shadows in the parasol, the woman’s face and on the ground to lead the viewer’s eye back down the painting. The deliberate placement of the light and shade is an effective tool that he uses with a lighter touch in the boys clothing, the clouds and notably the grass. This piece showcases Monet’s use of color, which was another one of his signature themes. He uses cool colors to give the painting a tranquil feeling and to help emphasize his subjects, the woman and boy. He stays with the cool color pallet with use of blue in; the sky, the woman’s clothes, the grass and the boy’s clothes. He then incorporates warm colors into the piece with the use of white in the clouds, and in the models’ clothes, the parasol, an d even in the grass. Monet used the highlights of yellow and white to serve as focal points as well as natural highlights... ...al cloth. While the corset appears to be tailored loosely, the tutu seems to fit but it lies limp against the figure’s legs. Despite the use of mixed media, the dancers tights are actually sculpted, not fabric. The ballet slippers are actual shoes coated with wax; the same wax covers the entire sculpture, preserving her and the fragile elements. In Monet’s painting, "The Walk, Woman with a Parasol", the viewer is led through a journey of expressive brushstrokes, color, and the playfulness of light and shadows. He successfully uses his impressionistic brushwork to grasp the viewer’s attention and keeps their interest with his balancing of warm light and the shadowing cool colors. Degas uses his knowledge and study of the human figure to grab the viewer’s attention; he then follows up with his unconventional use of bronze and mixed media to keep their intrest. â€Æ'

FPL Group Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

DIVIDEND POLICY AT FPL GROUP INC Q.1 DIVIDEND POLICY AT FPL GROUP, INC In 1994 FPL Group, the parent company of Florida Power and Light Company, announced a reduction in its quarterly dividend from $.62 ($2.48 annual) a share to $.42. This was the first-ever dividend cut for a healthy utility, so the company did its best to explain to investors why it had taken such an unusual step. Table 1. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Year Dividend Earnings Dividend Dividend Earnings Dividend Dividend per share per share payout ratio payout (%) per share payout payout (%) before ratio extraordi- nary items ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1993 2.47 2.30 1.07 107.39 2.76 0.89 89.49 1992 2.43 2.65 0.92 91.70 2.65 0.92 91.70 1991 2.39 1.48 1.61 161.49 2.66 0.90 89.85 1990 2.34 (2.86) (0.82) (81.82) 2.64 0.89 88.64 1989 2.26 3.12 0.72 72.44 2.99 0.76 75.59 1988 2.18 3.42 0.64 63.74 3.12 0.70 69.87 1987 2.10 3.10 0.68 67.74 2.69 0.78 78.07 1986 2.02 2.90 0.70 69.66 2.90 0.70 69.66 1985 1.94 3.11 0.62 62.38 3.11 0.62 62.38 1984 1.77 2.62 0.68 67.56 2.65 0.67 66.79 Mean 68.23 78.20 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Analysing dividend policy of FPL Group we could track some major steps, which leads company to that decision. From table 1, the number shows that FPL has paid very high dividend comparing to the earnings. Dividend has been increased every year. Furthermore, from the record, this company has a 47 years history of dividend increases. We can see that in 1990 dividend payout ratio was increased sharply compare to the previous years. Also, we can see that FPL had a loss in 1990, but the company still increased dividend. Furthermore, in 1991 to 1993 dividend payout ratio was significantly high when compare to the historical data. These sharp changes ... ...pected in a rational market, within a month of the announcement, the stock price had more than recovered it's initial loss. Bibliography: 1. M.H. Miller and K. Rock, "Dividend Policy Under Asymmetric Information," Journal of Finance, 40:1031-1052 (September 1985). 2. J. Lintner: "Distribution of Incomes of Corporations among Dividends, Retained Earnings, and Taxes," American Economic Review, 46:97-113(May1956). 3. P. Healy and K. Palepu, "Earnings Information Conveyed by Dividend Initiations and Omissions," Journal of Financial Economics 21 (1988), pp149-175. 4. R. Comment and G. Jarrell, "The Relative Signaling Power of Dutch-Auction and Fixed Price Self-Tender Offers and Open Market Share Repurchases," Journal of Finance 46 (September 1991), pp 1243-1271. 5. S.C. Myers, "The Capital Structure Puzzle," Journal of Finance 39 (July 1984), pp 581-582. 6. M.H. Miller and F. Modigliani: "Dividend Policy, Growth and the Valuation of Shares," Journal of Business, 34:411-433 (October 1961). 7. R.A. Brealey and S.C. Myers, Principles of Corporate Finance, 6th Edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill, Chapter 16.

Abortion is too easy †Do you agree? Essay

There seems to be a common attitude shared even by some abortion rights supporters that abortions shouldn’t be too easy to obtain. People apparently feel that if abortions are easy to get, then they would be â€Å"abused† — as if women can’t be trusted to use abortion â€Å"correctly† or as if the meaning of pregnancy would be diminished. But can you imagine the outcry if people were told that they have a right to vote (arguably of equal importance to the decision to have an abortion), but that voting shouldn’t be â€Å"too easy† and that they have to go through several hoops to cast their vote? Aren’t efforts to make abortions more difficult to obtain a direct attack on the poor and working classes who can least afford to devote the time and money being demanded while technically and formally keeping abortion â€Å"legal†? Abortions will always occur because the situation will always arise where someone has an unwanted pregnancy. Therefore if abortions were illegal or even more difficult to obtain, people might have to resort to having an abortion carried out on the ‘black market’. Such a procedure might be carried out in unfit conditions by someone unqualified to do the job. The fact that it is legal in the UK means at least that it can be regulated and you can be sure that it is carried out safely, the same reason why prostitution is legal in America. Although Christian teaching on abortion is not simple, generally Christian’s belief in the sanctity of life means that they have serious concerns about abortion, therefore for the most part think that it should not be legal at all. Christian’s will always have a problem with abortion, however hard to obtain they are. For this reason making abortions more difficult to obtain would simply have the result of further infringing of the rights of women over their body and still would not appease the strict Christians. However abortion is still murder of an innocent human being who has done nothing wrong and who cannot defend him or herself. Abortion can simply be a selfish act because their child is an inconvenience and it is simply a â€Å"get out of jail free card†. Moreover, it is a traditional Christian belief that abortion is wrong and in the Didache it states that you should â€Å"not kill the foetus in the mother’s womb†. Also every person is sacred as God made us in his image and likeness and therefore it is wrong to destroy what is like God. As Mother Teresa said, â€Å"If a mother can kill her own child, what is there to stop you and me from killing each other†. Although abortion is unpleasant, it is necessary and it is a woman’s right to decide what happens inside her body. We know longer live in a time governed by religion and therefore I do not think religions have the right to change the laws on abortions. For these reasons, I don’t think that abortion is too easy.

Mediation †Practicum

What kept the two sides glued to the negotiating table was their mutual desire to stay out of court.   Although for different reasons, a court case would not help the causes of Manasseh Pulp & Paper Company (Manasseh) and Shawnee Power Company (Shawnee).   Manasseh had two reasons for wanting to settle the dispute out of court.   First, the company was not financially healthy.   It feared that the combined cost of taking down the dam and bringing Shawnee to court would dangerously drain the company coffers. Second, it considered Shawnee a big customer for their specialty papers and believed, correctly, that filing a suit would certainly mean losing a sizable amount of business. (Selig, 2002) Although Manasseh appeared adamant in its initial demand, I believe that the company was really hoping for a favorable out of court settlement. Shawnee, on the other hand, had its own reasons for avoiding a court case.   Even before the problem with Manasseh arose, the company had already received an order from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requiring it to clear the river of their toxic metal discharge.   The company counsel pointed out that a suit involving the same issue might work to their disadvantage in that it might force EPA to compel Shawnee to speed up its compliance with the clean-up directive. Shawnee would not want this to happen because it would mean an earlier cash outflow for the project.   Moreover, if Shawnee lost a court case with Manasseh (and the probability was very high because unquestionably, Shawnee was the source of the toxic metal in the river), the company counsel feared that such a ruling might cause a negative influence on the EPA regarding their directive on the toxic metal clean-up. (Selig, 2002) The aforementioned motivations compelled both parties to keep on discussing possibilities despite recurring impasses brought about by their conflicting interests.   The counsels of both parties played a significant role in maintaining interest in the discussion not only by their constant reminders about the undesirability of litigation, but also by their active participation in efforts to look for mutually-beneficial alternatives. It must be properly noted that during one of the lulls in the discussion, it was the remark of one of the legal counsels that â€Å"it would be a lot simpler and cheaper if we could repair the dam instead of having to take it down,† (Selig, 2002) that started the ball rolling again. Notice should also be made of the participants’ enthusiasm in following-up any new ideas that came from discussants from both sides of the table every time an impasse occurred.  Ã‚   When one of the attorneys made the remark about the possibility of a repair being cheaper, it was a Manasseh vice president who followed it up by asking â€Å"if we were to repair this dam, could we restore railway service over the top and also use it once again to generate electricity?† (Selig, 2002) Another constructive quality shown by the parties to the conflict was their readiness to look at the issue from all sides and take into account radical departures from their original demands and objectives in order to investigate all possible areas of agreement.   For instance, the final solution found by the parties – that of repairing the dam, restoring the railway service, and operating a turbine that would generate power (Selig, 2002) – was a far cry from their original plan of dredging the toxic wastes and dismantling the dam.   However, since both parties were determined to look for a solution, their discussions stretched that far. The successful resolution of the problem faced by Manasseh and Shawnee as shown in this case history, is evidence that if parties to conflicts adopt the correct attitude before embarking on conflict resolution processes, solutions that could benefit all parties involved are almost always available.   That attitude would include a determination to resolve the issue in a way that would benefit the two sides.   To achieve such an attitude, both parties are required to come prepared to open up, speak freely, patiently listen to arguments, empathize with the other’s situation, and be prepared to utilize all pieces of information arising out of the discussions to explore possible avenues of success. As a tactical move, it might help to stand firm on one’s position, but for the sake of a successful negotiation, one should never close the door on proposals from the other side.   In the case history presented, several issues stalled the discussion.   The first hurdle proved to be the differential amount of $2.2 million that Manasseh insisted must be paid by Shawnee and which Shawnee expectedly rejected. (Selig, 2002).   However, because both sides were decided to settle things out of court, that disagreement, and all other subsequent differences of opinions, did not deter them from seeing the process to its final conclusion. The Manasseh – Shawnee negotiation showed that in cases where the parties to a conflict are both intent on resolving their common problem, the mediator becomes redundant.   A mediator is someone who has no interest in the case, personal or otherwise, and his or her neutrality is supposed to afford him or her with an unobstructed view of the possible solutions to the conflict. However, in the subject case history where both parties were determined to cooperate in order to find a mutually-beneficial solution – out of court – their positive attitude was enough to provide them with a certain amount of neutrality that enabled them to stay focused on looking for possible solutions to their shared problem.   Of course, full realization of the dire consequences to both parties in case they failed to reach an agreement proved decisive.   Both Manasseh and Shawnee, for instance, were fully aware of the urgency of repairing the dam before it collapsed because they were advised by their respective counsels that they â€Å"would probably be held jointly and severally liable for the consequences of such a collapse.† (Selig, 2002) The six-month deadline fixed by the Corps of Engineers for the removal of the dam provided an added impetus for the two parties to stay on the negotiating table in spite of several impasses until a solution was finally found. (Selig, 2002)   Based on this case history, it would therefore be safe to conclude that given the proper guidance and control from the proper authority, it only takes total cooperation from both parties to render the mediator redundant. REFERENCES Selig, E.I. (2002). Mediation Principles: An Environmental Case History. Dispute Resolution

Anatomy and Physiology Essay

Define/Describe the following terms as completely and detailed as you can: 1. Inflammation- Inflammation is the bulging of skin, organs, or other body parts due to fluid buildup caused an injury. The fluid rushes to the injured area and that is what makes the puffiness. 2. High Fructose Corn Syrup- (HFCS) Composed of corn and lab chemicals. HFCS is found in processed foods such as salad dressing and soda. Your body does not recognize it as food so it shunts the HFCS to a fat cell and that is what causes weight gain. 3. The 4 parts of the vertebral column plus 1 â€Å"special† part- The four parts of the vertebral column are made up of twenty nine vertebrae each separated by an intravertebral disc which absorbs shock to the vertebrae. The first part is called cervical vertebrae, there are seven of them, they are the smallest vertebrae and they are at the top of your neck. The first of the cervical vertebrae is called the atlas and the second is called axis and it allows your head to turn side to side. Next are the thoracic vertebrae. The thoracic vertebrae are the next twelve under your cervical vertebrae. These vertebrae are larger and thicker than the cervical vertebrae. The next sets of vertebrae are your lumbar vertebrae which are the last five vertebrae in your lower back. Lumbar vertebrae are your biggest, strongest and thickest vertebrae. They need to be big and strong because they support the weight of your body. The sacrum is at the very end of your vertebral column. The sacrum is composed of five fused vertebrae. *Fun Fact: giraffes and humans have the same number of vertebrae.* The â€Å"special† part of your vertebral column is called the coccyx. The coccyx is located at the very end of your vertebral column. The coccyx has no real function. 4. Bone marrow and hemoglobin- Hemoglobin plays a big role in cellular respiration and oxygen supply. Hemoglobin carries oxygen. Bone marrow is a soft, netlike mass of connective tissue that is in the medullary cavities of bones classified as long bones. The marrow is housed in the spaces of the spongy bones. Spongy bone is most abundant in the proximal and distal epiphysis’s of a long bone.  There are two types of bone marrow, red and yellow. Yellow bone marrow stores fat and red marrow functions in the formation of red and white blood cells. Red bone marrow receives its color from hemoglobin because it stores oxygen which turns blood red. 5. The 3 layers of the skin- The integumentary has three parts; the epidermis is the outer layer and it lack blood, the second layer of skin is the dermis and it carries nutrients, the third and final layer of skin is called the subcutaneous layer and it is located under the dermis. The subcutaneous layer sits right Next to fat and it the most inside layer. 6. The 3 types of muscle tissue- Muscle tissue is broken down into three layers and a covering called fascia that covers everything. The first and most outside layer it called epimysium and it surrounds the muscle as a whole. The second layer of muscle tissue is known as the perimysium and it surrounds the bundles of muscle fibers. The final and most inner layer of muscle tissue is the endomysium and it surrounds each individual muscle fiber. 7. Type I and II muscle fibers- Smooth muscle in particular has two types of muscle fiber, multiunit and visceral. Multiunit muscle fibers are separated unlike visceral tissue that is made up of sheets and spindle shaped cells. Multiunit muscle fibers can be found in the irises of your eyeball and visceral tissue is common in hollow organ like the stomach. Cellular Metabolism 1. Explain the function of metabolism- Metabolism builds and breaks down particles. The main function of the metabolism is to synthesize, use and store energy. 2. Compare and contrast anabolism and catabolism- anabolism is the buildup of larger molecules from smaller ones which requires energy and catabolism is the opposite it breaks down large particles to produce energy. 3. Describe how energy in the form of ATP becomes available for cellular activities- Energy in the form of ATP is used for many cellular activities. To produce ATP, ADP has to combine with a third phosphate and that creates ATP for cellular activities such as glycolysis which is the first step in cellular respiration. 4. Describe the steps of protein synthesis- Information from DNA is transcribed into mRNA, which is messenger RNA, and then the mRNA is translated into a series of amino acids. The two steps are transcription and then translation. Integumentary System 1. Describe the structure of the layers of the skin- The epidermis is the top layer that you can touch and it lacks blood. Next is the dermis, the dermis carries nutrients and contains the hair follicles, it also contain your sweat gland ducts. The most inner layer of the skin is called the subcutaneous layer, it is not a true layer of skin but it helps to conserve body heat and it helps keep out unwanted heat from the outside. 2. Summarize the factors that determine skin color- Skin color is determined largely by melanin. Everyone has approximately the same number of melanocytes but genetics determine how fast and how much melanin the melanocytes produce. The more melanin you have the darker your skin is. 3. Describe wound healing- The wound and the area around it become swollen or inflamed due to fluid that leaked into the injured area. This is not a bad thing because it provides the area with more nutrients and oxygen which aids healing. If a break on the skin is shallow then the epithelial cells divide faster and the new cells fill the broken area. If the cut is deep into the dermis or subcutaneous layer to blood vessels form a blood clot and the dried tissue fluids help to form a scab. Cells work continuously to clear away dead cells and other remains and eventually it is all replaced with new cells under the scab and they scab will in time come off. If the wound is deep then extensive construction of collagenous fibers may create a raised portion of skin called a scar. 4. How can a person avoid developing skin cancer during their lifetime?- In order to avoid developing skin cancer a person should avoid exposing their skin to high-intensity sunlight, use sunscreens, examine skin regularly. 5. List two examples of modified sweat glands in the body and what they secrete- The two types of sweat glands are eccrine glands and apocrine glands. Eccrine glands secrete sweat that is carries through a tube called a duct and released at the surface of a pore. (Ex: Eccrine glands release the sweat that you feel on your palms when you get nervous.) The apocrine glands, become active when you hit puberty, secrete sweat as well but they release it when a person is emotionally upset, sexually aroused, scared or in pain. Sweat develops a scent when it interacts with bacteria. 6. What two specific properties of skin allow it to regulate body temperature?- In order to regulate body temperature the  skin needs to release heat as needed or conserve heat as needed. When the body becomes too hot it sends a message to your blood vessels to dilate and that allows blood to come in and heat to escape. When your body becomes too cold it sends a message to your blood vessels to constrict which does not allow heat to escape your body. Skeletal System 1. Explain how calcium levels are maintained in the blood and bone- Homeostasis of the calcium levels in bone is controlled by resorption and deposition of calcium into the bones. Also 3-5% of calcium in bones is exchanged each year. If you have less than 3-5% you would be a midget but if you have more than 3-5% then you would be a giant. Osteoclasts break down bone and osteoblasts build bone. 2. Explain why the shoulder joint and hip joints are more mobile than the finger joints- The shoulder and hips joints are ball-and-socket joints and are more mobile than your finger joints, which are condylar joints, because ball-and-socket joints are literally a ball like shaped bone that sits in a cup shaped cavity in anther bone. The placement and shape of these bones allows for rotation and movement on all planes. Condylar joints like the fingers are like puzzles everything fits together. But just like a puzzle you can bend them it but they don’t rotate. 3. List the active tissues in a bone- Bone tissue Cartilage Dense connective tissue Blood Nervous tissue 4. Distinguish between the axial and appendicular skeletons, and name the major parts of each- The axial skeleton consists of your thoracic cage which is your ribs, vertebral column, and sternum, and xiphoid process. The axial skeleton consist of your limbs(arms and legs), pectoral girdle(scapula and clavicles), and your pelvic girdle(coccyx, sacrum, ilium, ischium, pubis anterior and medial) 5. List six types of synovial joints, and describe the actions of each- Ball-and-socket- Movement in all planes and enables rotation. Condylar- Variety of movement in different planes but no rotation. Plane- Sliding or twisting. Hinge- Flexion or extension. Pivot- Rotation around a central axis. Saddle- Variety of movements, mainly in two planes. 6. List all 6 types of synovial joints and describe/explain each one. List one example for each- Ball-and-socket-Ball shaped head of a bone articulates with the cavity of another bone. (Ex: hip) Condylar-oval-shaped condyle f one bone articulates with egg-shaped cavity of another bone. (Ex: Phalanges. Excluding the thumb) Plane-articulating surfaces are almost flat or slightly curved. (Ex: carpals) Hinge-Convex surface of one bone articulates with a concave surface of another. (Ex: elbow) Pivot-Cylindrical surface of one bone articulates with the ring of bone and ligament. (Ex: vertebrae) Saddle-the surface of one bone fits the surfaces of another. (Ex: thumb) Muscular System 1. What happens to muscles when a weight lifter becomes sedentary? – when a weight lifter becomes sedentary his muscle mass is going to begin to decrease because he isn’t using them. His muscles are just going to keep shrinking and shrinking. This happens as quickly as two weeks. 2. Describe the sliding filament theory and steps of muscular contraction- Muscle fiber releases ACh. Protein receptors sense Ach being released. Green light (stimulus) is received by the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Signal to release Ca+. Ca+ is given to sarcoplasm. Ca+ interacts with your tropomyosin and triponin. Actin will â€Å"cross-bridge† (contraction) Ca+ returns to the sarcoplasmic reticulum so link is broken and muscle relaxes. 3. Describe the differences between slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers- slow twitch muscle give you the ability to do exercise for a  longer period of time because they fatigue slower and are efficient in the use of oxygen to produce more fuel or ATP. Fast twitch muscle fibers are good for fast bursts of exercise because they fatigue quickly and they can fire more rapidly than slow twitch fibers. 4. Identify the major parts of a skeletal muscle fiber, and the function of each- Myofibrils- they consist of actin and myosin and aid in the act of contraction. Myosin- Thick protein Actin- thin protein Sarcomere- units for muscle contraction -I bands- composed of actin -Z lines- 5. Explain how muscular contractions move body parts and help maintain posture-Muscle tone is a form of sustained contractions, which are contractions that occur even when we appear to be standing still. They keep our body upright a.k.a. posture. These contractions are responses to nerve impulses that come from the spinal cord and stimulate the muscle fibers to move. If our body loses muscle tone then we would collapse. Which is what happens when a person is unconscious. Nervous System 1. Describe the general functions of the brain stem- the brainstem is nervous tissue that connects the cerebrum to the spinal cord. The brainstem has three separate parts. Midbrain- reflex centers associated with the eyes and head movement. Pons- transmits impulses between the cerebrum and other parts of the nervous system. Also helps regulate breathing Medulla Oblongata- transmits all ascending (to the brain) and descending (away from the brain) impulses and contains several vital and non-vital reflex centers. 2. Why can a person still be alive even though they are â€Å"brain dead?†- You can still be alive and be brain dead it just means that your brain stem doesn’t work. When you are brain dead its like being in a coma. You can’t move anything or understand anything but you are still there. You would live in a hospital or have 24/7 monitoring and you would be living off tubes and wires. 3. Describe the coverings of the brain and spinal cord- the first layer of covering over the brain and spinal cord is dura matter. Dura matter is the outermost layer. It made up of tough, white, fibrous connective  tissue and contains many blood vessels and also nerves. The second layer is arachnoid matter. This matter is thin and does not contain many blood vessels and it lies right below the dura matter. The innermost layer and final layer is the pia matter. This matter is very thin and does contain many blood vessels and nerves to nourish underlying cells in the brain and spinal cord. 4. Name the cranial nerves and list their major functions- Olfactory- sense of smell Optic- vision Oculomotor- eye movement Trigeminal- controls facial expressions Vestibular- controls hearing and vestibular Glassopharengeal- controls tongue Vagus- longest nerve in the body Accessory- shoulders and neck movement Hypoglossal- tongue in speaking movement, swallowing, and chewing. Trochlear- eye movement Abducens- eye movement Facial- facial expressions Vestibulochlear- house hearing receptors 5. Distinguish between the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the autonomic nervous system- The sympathetic division are your fight or flight responses. If you are getting cornered in an ally you a have a set of responses that you may put forward. This division acts under stressful situations. The parasympathetic division is your responses for normal situations. This division activates under normal situations. The Senses 1. Describe how the sense of pain is produced- free nerve endings on your skin pick up stimulating from sensations of pain and send them to the brain. There are two different types, touch and pressure is contact to the surface of the body and deep pressure senses are impulses from pain in the internal tissues. 2. Explain the mechanism for smell- the olfactory nerve is the nerve in your body that controls the sense of smell. Your sense of smell is a chemoreceptor so it picks up and reacts with the chemicals that you smell. 3. Explain the mechanism for taste- Taste is also a chemoreceptor. The organs of taste are located in the papillae, which are otherwise known as your taste buds. You have 5 different taste cells, sweet, umami, bitter, sour, and salty. In order to taste the chemicals in food your saliva has to break down the chemicals and release them before your papillae picks up on the taste. 4. Name the parts and explain the functions of the outer, middle, and inner part of the ear-The outer ear is made up of our auricle and the external acoustic meatus. It simply picks up sound and funnels sound into the next part of the ear, which is the middle ear. The middle ear is made up of the tympanic cavity otherwise known as the eardrum. The ear drum is made up of three auditory bones in which the vibration pass through and create the sound that is sent to the inner ear where the auditory cortex interprets the sensory impulses. 5. Distinguish between static and dynamic equilibrium- static equilibrium senses when the head is still and maintains balance throughout and dynamic equilibrium senses when the body and head are moving and tries to maintain balance. Endocrine System 1. Explain how insulin and glucagon work together to regulate blood levels of glucose- Glucagon and insulin work against each other in the regulating of blood sugar. Glucagon stimulates the liver to break down glycogen and convert some noncarbohydrates, for example amino acids, into glucose to raise the blood sugar. Insulin on the other hand does the exact opposite. Insulin stimulates the liver to form glycogen from glucose. Also, the secretion of insulin encourages transport of amino acids into cells, increases the rate and time of protein synthesis, and stimulates adipose cells to synthesize and store fat. 2. Distinguish between endocrine and exocrine glands- the exocrine glands secret hormones into ducts and the endocrine system secretes hormones into body fluids. The Endocrine system has 5 parts, the pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, and pancreas. 3. Name and describe the major endocrine glands and list the hormones they secrete- Pituitary- hormones: pituitary gland which is at the base of the brain and it controls all hormones, the growth hormone uses carbohydrates at a faster rate in order to make your body grow, next is the thyroid-stimulating hormone which controls the secretion of hormones from  the thyroid but the hypothalamus controls the release of TSH, last is the anti diaretic hormone which forces the kidneys to conserve water. Thyroid- the thyroid gland is made up of follicles that store hormones and it is located in the neck. The thyroid gland releases Thyroxine and triiodothyronine, which increase the metabolic rate of cells, enhance protein synthesis and stimulate lipid operation. Parathyroid- secretory cells that contain capillaries. The parathyroid gland secretes the parathyroid hormone, which increases blood calcium and decreases blood phosphate ion levels. Adrenal- made up of the adrenal medulla, which secretes epinephrine and nonrepinephrine. The sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system controls the secretion of these hormones. The adrenal cortex also makes up the adrenal gland and it produces a number of steroid hormones such as aldosterone, and cortisol, and adrenal sex hormones. Pancreas- the pancreas secretes digestive juices and hormones. The pancreas is attached to the small intestine and it secretes glucagon and insulin. (See number 1) 4. Describe how the body responds to stress- Stress is caused by a threat to the maintenance of homeostasis. The hypothalamus controls the stress responses. These responses include your fight or flight responses such as raise in blood sugar, glycerol and fatty acids. Increased heart rate, blood pressure and an increase in the breathing rate, increase in epinephrine from the adrenal medulla (See answer 3). Digestive System and Nutrition 1. Identify each of the organs/structures of the digestive system and discuss how the function of each one contributes to the digestive process- Mouth- aids in the mechanical break down of food. This process begins digestion. Salivary glands- release an enzyme called saliva which begins the chemical digestion of food and produces the taste also. Pharynx- pushes food to the esophagus. Esophagus- pushes food the stomach Stomach- when the stomach receives the food from the esophagus it mixes it with juices and begins the protein digestion then to is sent to the small intestine. Small intestine- takes out the nutrients from the food and moves the waste to the large intestine. Large intestine- reabsorbs water to form feces. 2. Name and describe the many negative health effects and diseases associated with corn syrup/high fructose corn syrup consumption- Obesity- excessive weight gain is a result of the increase in consumption of HFCS. Your body cannot recognize HFCS as a food so it shunts it to a fat cell and you eat more because you don’t know your full. Liver- fructose can only break down in liver so it makes your liver fatty which can lead to diabetes Diabetes- high or low blood sugar in this case high because you consume so much FAKE sugar that your body secretes it into your blood because it doesn’t know what else to do with it. 3. In class, I used ketchup and processed-peanut butters as an example that not many people know contain corn syrup and high fructose corn sugar (among other sugars). List 4 products that contain corn syrup/high fructose corn syrup that would ‘trick’ a consumer- Bread Barbecue sauce Good (supposedly) cereals even ‘Special K’ Crackers Hamburgers