Unit 1 – a Managerial Approach to Marketing

Kimberly Bell American Intercontinental University Unit 1 Individual Project MKT640 – A Managerial Approach to Marketing November 11, 2012 Abstract This paper reflects challenges brought on by starting up a new product, the effectiveness and efficiency of technology when marketing, and the battle of legal and ethical complication. Given are examples of different situation of each topic to demonstrate how each take place when starting a new product or service. The Marketing Scenario IntroductionWhen bringing a new product or service together there are certain aspects to be considered for a successful product or outcome. Those aspects may include target, sector, location, creating an effective marketing plans and advertisement strategies. There are also certain issues and challenges that may arise when bringing this new product or service into existence. Challenges in New Product Launches When bringing the new product or service into the market, without a plan in place for its t argeted consumers, sector, location, sales and distribution tactics there will be several issues and challenges to face.According to Bloom, if all these problems are anticipated and handled creatively, social marketing efforts can succeed (Bloom, 1981). Challenges: Target Market and Sector. One challenge that is very distinct is target consumers and sectors. These two challenges differ where ever you go. When bringing that new product into existence you must do the research of the market for the sector and target market. Therefore, realizing the market sectors as well as the target consumer can determine the difference that one or the other may cause for a major challenge.For example, 1990’s McDonald’s launched a product called Deluxe line to target the older people and launched a tag line â€Å"Especially for the grown up taste† to market it but the launch failed disastrously due to wrong selection of target market. Challenges: Effective Marketing Plan Another challenging task is creating an effective marketing strategy. Creating a effective marketing strategy when initiating a new product is all about keeping the consumers needs in mind. The information presented in the marketing should so explanatory that it gives precise information to the consumer about the details of the product.To give misleading information will cause product failure. Therefore, the marketing will be unsuccessful. For example, Levi Strauss came out with a product called type1 jeans with some different features in 2002 but the marketing and advertisements wasn’t properly devised and erroneously lead consumers in turn leading to failure of the product launch (Bonander, 2010) Challenges: Competition Another challenge is competition, when initiating a new product in the market because the market is constantly changing, entrepreneurs are constantly taking risks (ThinkQuest : Library).For example, in 1985 Coca-Cola launch a new version of the drink with a tag line â€Å"The best just got, better†, but the taste and quality of the new drink was not accepted by the consumers as the strongest competitors PepsiCo took the advantage and maximized its sales (POM final). Technology and New Product Development Marketing efforts can be enhanced by the use of technology. While sales and profits are progressing, it can also help the organization succeed in its marketing campaign. For example most companies are using social media and networking site like LinkedIn to market their business and services.These social networking sites can make the new product campaign even more effective. Technology: Distribution Technology can also allow way for distribution of products or services. Therefore, through desk top advertising, e-marketing, and online marketing, technology has led the way to easy access marketing (Herbert and Grace, 2008). For example, a software Gold Fire Innovator, developed by Invention Machine has three modules and comprises of tools that make use of value engineering and well formulated problem-solving methodology (TRIZ) to provide assistance to the users concerning the problem definition.Its second module called researcher Facilitates Engineers in executing semantic searches related with the powerful databases for finding appropriate resolutions and concepts (Frey, 2006). Technology: Efficiency and Effectiveness Technology also helps in the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of product data. For example, in the banking industry several models based on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) have been developed to help with the analyzing and processing of data (Yang, 2009). This process not only helps the organization to be more efficient but also more effective when servicing its customers.Technology: Display Technology can also help to display your new product in an arena for a big or small audience. For example, with a web page the new product can be advertised and sent over the internet, whereas it will be disp layed in a database to allow a professional and systematic presentation to a large audience and sharing the of a wealth of information on a continued bases. Legal and Ethical Implications in New Product Development Many legal and ethical implications are faced when launching a new product or service.For example, packing, labeling regulations, disclosures, and standards. There are difference regulations set forth in different countries. There is a must that organizations understand the responsibilities regarding regulations are crucial to ensuring worldwide compliance and sustained economic edge (Akin-Ogundeji, 2010). Legal and ethical implications: Packing and labor There are various countries, which have specific regulations regarding packaging and labeling. There are also stipulates on how and where the labels should be placed on a products.For example, in the US the PDP, is that portion of the package label that is most likely to be seen by the consumer at the time of purchase (G eneral Food Labeling Requirements). This PDP must appear on the front of the product. Legal and ethical implications: Advertisement or Display The media also creates controversy due to interpretations of the signage used to advertise. For example, baby food called Gerber, when it was launched in the France, it means stack or vomiting, which had very bad impression on the customers and led to the reduced sales of the product (Perlman, 2008).Legal and ethical implications: Media Advertisement and Display can really damages the launching of a new product because the audience can misused or misunderstand the given information. For example, when Coca-Cola entered china with the same name, the characters revealed the meaning as â€Å"Bite the wax tadpole† which was very unfortunate and misinterpreted by the people resulting in a controversy (Bite the Wax Tadpole). Conclusion It is to be concluded that from the above discussions that product development is extremely important.It als o determines the organizations success and failures. Therefore, it can provide a great advantage to the company success. However, in technology can provide a huge advantage and shorten the time of developing and marketing a product. Technology allows an organization to customize their product in the market. Lastly, the product should comply with the legal aspects to avoid problem with its success. References Akin-Ogundeji, D. O. Get Your Business Ethics Articles and Articles on Corporate Social Responsibility From Ethicsworld. rg. Get Your Business Ethics Articles and Articles on Corporate Social Responsibility From Ethicsworld. org. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://www. ethicsworld. org/ethicsandemployeesBhasin, H. (2010, January 22). Bite the Wax Tadpole – Why we chose a silly name. Web Development Ireland. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from http://www. bitethewaxtadpole. com/bitethewaxtadpole. htm Bloom PN, Novelli WD. Problems and challenges in social marketing. J Mark. 1981 Spring;45(2):79-88. PubMed PMID: 12280283. Retrieved November 11, 2012.Bonander, R. 2010. Top 10: Failed Product Launches. Retrieved on November 11, 2012 from http://ca. askmen. com/top_10/entertainment_100/139d_top_10_list. html Brand Failure – McDonald's Arch Deluxe. Marketing Strategy, Marketing Management, Marketing News, Advertising reviews. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://www. marketing91. com/brand-failure-mcdonalds-arch-deluxe/ Competition in the Market   The laws of supply and demand are bestevident in a competitive market. ThinkQuest : Library. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://library. hinkquest. org/C008486F/iiid. htm Frey, C. (2006). Goldfire Innovator takes product development, process innovation to the next level. Retrieved November 11, 2012 from http://www. innovationtools. com/Resources/ideamgmt-details. asp? a=147 General Food Labeling Requirements. U S Food and Drug Administration Home Page. Retrieved November 12, 2012, from htt p://www. fda. gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/FoodLabelingNutrition/FoodLabelingGuide/ucm064866. htm Herbert, H and Grace, A. (2008).Technology. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://www. npgoodpractice. org/Topics/Technology/Default. aspx Perlman, C. (2008). 10 marketing Faux pas. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://www. level2wo. net/? p=35 POM final. Scribd. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from http://www. scribd. com/doc/75844842/POM-final Yang, Z. Bank Branch Operating Efficiency: A DEA Approach. Bank Branch Operating Efficiency: A DEA Approach. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from www. iaeng. org/publication/IMECS2009/IMECS2009_pp2087-2092. pdf

International Trade Paper

Introduction to Management BU106 The Role of International Trade Harriette Sane-aka Herzing University The United States has been constant in keeping an open market for quite a while and that has helped the production of goods extraordinarily. The Open market was not always the norm, and for most of American history, the United States imposed sanctions on outside imports in an effort to protect those individuals that aim to produce their goods within the shores of the United States from foreign competition.International trade has a rich history starting with barter system being replaced by Mercantilism in the 16th and 17th Centuries. The 18th Century saw the shift towards liberalism. It was in this period that Adam Smith, the father of Economics wrote the famous book ‘The Wealth of Nations’ in 1776 where in he defined the importance of specialization in production and brought International trade under the said scope. David Ricardo developed the Comparative advantage prin ciple, which stands true even today. (Management study guide, 2008) International trade or world trade affects the entire American economy.The early industrial years of American the economy was based entirely on the exporting goods to other countries, and these exports created the revenue need to sustain the country. America would export more products than it needed this created a surplus in the GDP. This began to change in the 1930's when the trade began to change and the country began to import more products. This downward trend led the GDP its lowest point in history. In today's world trade market America's import percentage is somewhere in the mid-60%. The balance of trade in America today is running in a deficit.The U. S. government has created trade agreements the various countries that allow free trade between these countries. This means there are no tariffs, fees or taxes applied toward the good being imported or exported between the countries in the agreement. These countri es include Mexico and Canada that create the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and Israel. These agreements are not limited to free trade, but other countries such as Jamaica, that need assistance in order to grow economically America has lessened the amount of tariffs need to import good into America. Egmmons, 2005) Ever walked into a supermarket and been able to buy South American bananas, Columbian coffee, different spices from India, and a bottle of South African wine; well that is the role international trade plays in the American society. International trade is also the reason why when shopping for a new car, you can pick between a Japanese, German or American car. International trade is the exchange of goods and services between countries and the trades between different countries and continents have existed for decades.International trade lets us increase the market for foreign products, and bridges the gap between both the importer, and the exporter. As a result of international trade, the market is saturated with products, and merchants in turn have to lower prices of their goods which then allow the consumer to get things for a lesser price because of the availability. We have come a long way since the earlier times and International trade today has taken on new dimension. Today with the advancement of technology and impact of globalization has made it easy for all countries to engage in international trade for their survival.There are many factors of international trade but the most significant parts of international trade, in my opinion; are the history, and the advantages and disadvantages of international trade. According to Patel, they are various advantages are named for the countries entering into trade relations on an international scale such as: International trade enables a country to consume things which either cannot be produced within its borders or production may cost very high. Therefore it becomes cost cheaper to import fr om other countries through foreign trade.International trade helps a country to utilize its resources to the maximum limit. If a country does not takes up imports and exports then its resources remain unexplorted. Thus it helps to eliminate the wastage of resources. Imports and exports of different countries provide opportunities to the consumer to buy and consume those goods which cannot be produced in their own country. They therefore get diversity in choices. By making the size of the market large with large supplies and extensive demand international trade reduces trade fluctuations. The prices of goods tend to remain more stable.International trade enables different countries to sell their surplus products to other countries and earn foreign exchange. International trade fosters peace, goodwill and mutual understanding among nations. Economic interdependence of countries often leads to close cultural relationship and thus avoid war between them. [ (Patel, 2010) ] International trade does not always amount to blessings. It has certain drawbacks also such as the import of foreign goods foreign trade may lead to import of harmful goods like cigarettes, drugs etc. Which may run the health of the residents of the country?E. g. the people of China suffered greatly through opium imports. (Patel, 2010) International trade leads to intensive cultivation of land. Thus it has the operations of law of diminishing returns in agricultural countries. It also makes a nation poor by giving too much burden over the resources. Over Specialization may be disastrous for a country. A substitute may appear and ruin the economic lives of millions. (Patel, 2010). One of the serious drawbacks of foreign trade is that one country may gain at the expense of other due to certain accidental advantages.The Industrial revolution is great Britain ruined Indian handicrafts during the nineteenth century. Foreign trade may lead to war different countries compete with each other in finding o ut new markets and sources of raw material for their industries and frequently come into clash. This was one of the causes of first and Second World War. (Patel, 2010) International trade has a vast effect on trade as a whole because it brings nations together in such a way that had never been done before and it changed the complexity of the way homes and society was run.In Northern America for example, trade brought women out of the traditional roles, and into the workforce which for generations was a male only domain. This is evident even today as women in the workforce now carry roles that at a time were sinful to even think about. International trade is effective in situations like globalization where a country has a need and the other has the ability to negate that need with products that may be necessary to elevate the need or essentially draw the two countries closer.And although the trade agreement has been in place for centuries, they are still a lot of glitches that are st ill being fixed. In October 2011 Congress passed three long-awaited free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, ending a political standoff that had stretched across two presidencies. The move offered a rare moment of bipartisan accord at a time when Republicans and Democrats were bitterly divided over the role that government ought to play in reviving the sputtering economy.The approval of the deals was a victory for President Obama and proponents of the view that foreign trade can drive America’s economic growth in the face of rising protectionist sentiment in both political parties. They were the first trade agreements to pass Congress since Democrats broke a decade of Republican control in 2007. [ (New York Times, 2012) ] International Trade plays a major role in this picture because a country in need would most likely bend easier when situations get extreme or dire. This paves a way for countries that may have one time be neglected to now harness momenta ry bargaining prowess.Even things like Culture has also been affected by International trade because a country that was once self sufficient and as a result would likely never reach out for help now bargains with others that they once despised because the ability to do so is much easier after trade was open. International trade is essential for most countries to operate, or even progress. Most people in the United States wear clothes that were not manufactured here within the boundaries. This situation conveniently makes for a need from a country that was once looked down upon to have a chip to play with.The desire of the consumer usually makes the value of the provider to increase. Egmmons. (2005, May). Studymode. Retrieved January 24, 2013, from Studymode website: http://www. studymode. com Management study guide. (2008). Management study guide. Retrieved january 29, 2013, from Management study guide web site: http://www. managementstudyguide. com New York Times. (2012, September 17). New york Times. Retrieved February 13, 2013, from New York Times Website: http://topics. nytimes. com Patel, F. (2010, july 7). gess papers. Retrieved february 2, 2013, from guess papers web site: http://www. guesspapers. net

Critical Discussion: The Historical and Contemporary Uses and Notions of “Race”

Abstract This paper deals with the historical and contemporary uses and notions of the term ‘race’. The discussion is based on the dismissal of most contemporary scholars of the notion of ‘race; based on 19th century scientific taxonomies. Historically, the term has been intertwined with the notions of class, people, nation, etc. and is closely related to the concepts of ‘lineage,’ ‘caste’, etc. The term is also used to denote a biological idea, which evolved to mean human physical variations, ethnic identities, human genetics, and racist ideologies. The contemporary use of ‘race’ is focused on the integration and socialisation or re-socialisation of people with other groups of different origin with whom they identify, regardless of age, gender, ethnic identities, religion, etc. Introduction This brief aim to discuss critically the historical and contemporary use(s) and notions of the term ‘race’, taking into account that most contemporary scholars dismiss the notion of ‘race’, as exemplified by the 19th century scientific taxonomies. According to Donald and Rattansi (2005), ‘race’ refers to social meanings characterised by instability and decentralised ideas, with occurrences of constant transformations from political struggle. Montagu (1997), on the other hand, has referred to it as the most dangerous myth, indicating the relevance of the needed work for this concept. He further surmises that ‘black’ and ‘white’ must no longer be used to describe society or certain groups of people. The existence of race is said to be an experience rather than an imagined or even real phenotype (qualities produced by the effect of environment on genes). Montagu states that the reason why the feeling of ‘race’ is sustained is because of the geographic segregation of people on the levels of community, society, and world-systems. The historical and contemporary use(s) and notions of the term ‘race’ are discussed below. Historical Uses and Notions of ‘Race’ In its original conception, ‘race’ pertains to a group of people with common descent and is closely related to the concepts of ‘caste’, ‘lineage’, etc. ‘Race’ has been used to differentiate people of color and Caucasian ones to reflect the construction of classes, which embody very detailed classifications. It has been presented to conduct a systematic analysis of theoretical problems and political ideas (specifically ‘race’ ideas) and the contributions of these ideas to the formation of communities and race-state interrelationships (e.g. Donald and Rattansi, 2005). Voegelin (1998) states that the study of the notion of ‘race’ has spanned a period of around a century and a half, beginning from the late 17th century to mid-19th century and claims that the development of modern history serves as the context for the emergence of the notion of ‘race’. Historically, the notion of ‘race’ is one that interweaved with the concepts of class, nation, people, ethnic group, and the like, and is expressed through its diverse use, such as in the depiction of ‘human race,’ superior race,’ English race,’ etc. ‘Race’ has appeared in southwestern European languages (Spanish, Portuguese, Italian) and has likewise been used widely amongst European countries (England, France) (Llobera, 2003). It has already existed in earlier periods of history and in different cultures. In fact a strong link was demonstrated between the European slave trade and the rise of racism in the West; however, Llobera (2003) claims that slavery is not a sufficient explanation for the existence of racism during this period. The notion of ‘race’ had already existed amongst Greeks and Romans during the ancient period, as they distinguished whites from blacks. However, such distinction did not bear any signifi cant social or cultural impact (Llobera, 2003), indicating the difference with how it was classically perceived and how it was perceived in its later notions, such as the 19th century scientific taxonomies. From the 14th century to the mid-17th century, the definition of ‘race’ altered the expression of kinship relationships and genealogy towards an emphasis on physical appearance and skin colour. These multiple understandings of the notion of ‘race’ can be summed up as being associated with a transitional period during which a move took place from a definition of ethnicity in which several definitions co-existed with a monolithic modern concept of race. During the renaissance period, the use of ‘race’ was used to denote bloodlines or lineage, such as the concept of a royal bloodline. In addition, religious conversions were able to transform blood identity; for example, a Christian who was a pagan by birth obtained a new racial identity upon conversion to Christianity (Spiller, 2011). Indeed, as have been clarified by many scholars (e.g. Spencer, 2006; James, 2011), the historical notions of ‘race’ in the early modern era is character ised by overlapping and even opposing concepts of religion and ethnicity. Historic events such as the slave trade and ‘scientific racialism’ (Spiller, 2011:2) clearly seem to have changed European attitudes toward race and identity. Ethnic identities have been used to understand the initial modern notions of ‘race’ (Spiller, 2011). In the mid-18th century, increasing knowledge of the different appearances of the human being ensued, so that ‘race’ began to be understood in terms of human physical variations. As such, human beings (in the variety of physical forms the human body takes) were seen as parts within a larger systematic structure, which is nature (Voegelin, 1998). It must be noted that as early as the 15th century, biological unity has already been assumed in the notion of ‘race’, as seen in the expression ‘unity of blood’ in the Iberian Peninsula (Llobera, 2003). In the 20th century, specifically when the Nazi regime came to existence, the notion of ‘race’ has been presented as an extremely controversial term. It includes a range of situations affirming the superiority of one ‘race’ over another. Due to its link to extremely negative moral issues, the word ‘racism’ elicits abuse and must be used with appropriate caution (Llobera, 2003). One can therefore see here that ‘race’ has transformed gradually from one that depicts the classification of classes, ethnicity, religion, etc. to one that functions as a device to evaluate superiority and inferiority. The notion of race is influenced by suggestions that it should be understood not as a reflection of biological fact but as a reflection of prevailing racist ideologies (e.g. Ferguson, 2013; Beidler and Taylor, 2005). A worthy argument is that if ‘race’ originates as a category that provides hierarchical privileges to a ruling status, thereby making other groups inferior, then those considered inferior, such as people of colour, are apparently pushed into this derogation (Beidler and Taylor, 2005). Contemporary Uses and Notions of ‘Race’ The uses and notions of ‘race’ have trailed a different direction in the contemporary understanding of the term. The change in the concept is illustrated in Korean children who grew up in largely black and Latino communities in Los Angeles and who had more in common with their black and Latino peers than with other Korean students. The same is seen amongst black suburban children in largely white communities who have identified more with the cultural values of their white peer group than with their ethnic brothers and sisters (Montagu, 1997). Despite their different phenotypical characteristics, people can assume the identity of another group (‘race’) through socialisation and re-socialisation. This is contrary to the historical notion of ‘race’, which dealt largely with bloodlines or lineage, or with biological components, or with the perception of superiority and inferiority (e.g. Llobera, 2003; and Spiller, 2011). ‘Race’ is called an ‘experience’ in its contemporary use because of the increasing multi-racial movement worldwide that depicts its existence (Tattersall and DeSalle, 2011). For example, a growing number or Americans have insisted on being regarded as belonging to more than one ‘race’ and maintain their public and private transnational identities. These movements are a reminder that single racialised categories only oversimplify the complexities of culture and ethnicity (Montagu, 1997). According to Donald and Rattansi (2005), when issues of age, gender, class, and religion are made to integrate to culture, ethnicity, and multiculturalism, a realisation that would ensue is that the extent of single-race categorisation (being a dangerous myth) will promote disparaging prejudgments that attach irrelevant distinctions on people. Apparently, this argument is parallel to the idea that it is through socialisation and re-socialisation with different gr oups that people can assume a new ‘race’ or a new identity (Montagu, 1997). Montagu (1997) presents the United States as one that brings the notion of ‘race’ as an increasingly dysfunctional way to distinguish human beings. This is because of the presence of economic, political, and demographic factors that demand people to become competent interculturally (e.g. Donald and Rattansi, 2005). This propensity for intercultural competence blurs the distinction of people based on skin colour and other forms of identity. This is parallel to recognising the cultural and social integration of people of various origins as the new way of their cultural and social belongingness (e.g. Llobera, 2003; Spiller, 2011). Whitmarsh and Jones (2010) suggest that race and ethnicity function as categories of racial relationships, such as certain racial dualities where fine skin colour distinctions are dominant. Anthropological research (e.g. Whitmarsh and Jones, 2010) reveals that ethnic identities are incongruous and numerous in ways that cannot be reduced to racial classifications. Racial and ethnic categorisations are arbitrarily interwoven with gender and class in various discourses. These contemporary uses of ‘race’ have produced overwhelming accounts of racial disparities, ranging from income, education, punishment, medical treatment, and so on, thereby leading some theorists to suggest that the notion of ‘race’ needs to be understood in the context of the related notion of social justice (Whitmarsh and Jones, 2010). This is contrary to the use of ‘race’ as an outcome of socialisation and re-socialisation to a new culture, which Llobera, (2003) has earlier described. In Lively and Weaver‘s (2006) view, however, racial classifications (without regard to their purpose) tend to stigmatise. Despite efforts to correct the past, notions of racial inferiority may still be present, thereby leading to a politics of racial hostility. However, the current ways to discuss the notion of ‘race’ are through remnants of earlier ways of understanding this concept, making it easy to understand contemporary discussions about itself as a pale reflection of its more vigorous discourse (Ernest, 2009). Understanding ‘race’ would inform of the fact that there are only trivial physical and biological differences between groups referred to as ‘races.’ There is no convincing empirical case that allows the ascription of common intellectual, psychological, or moral characteristics to individuals based on skin colour. There is certainly no good ethical case to serve as a justification of inequitable treatment on such illogical basis (e.g. Montagu, 1997). This is seen in the current understanding of this concept based on people’s integration to a different social and/or cultural group, with whom they identify. It has been broadly acknowledged that problematic stances can ensue if the contemporary notions of â€Å"race† are applied to the early modern period. This is the reason why the term is usually enclosed with quotation marks and is highlighted by qualifications (e.g. Beidler and Taylor, 2005). Conclusion This paper has provided a critical discussion of the historical and contemporary uses and notions of ‘race’. The term is characterised by unstable and centralised social meanings, within which constant transformations frequently occur. An examination of 19th-century iconography revealed that the historical notion of ‘race’ reflect the construction of classes. The Renaissance era indicated bloodlines or lineage for the term ‘race.’ Religion and ethnicity also characterised the historical notions of ‘race’ in the early modern period. The modern era, on the other hand, saw the development of this notion as one that originates from the human genetic diversity paradigm to the typological racial model. ‘Race’ as an experience is demonstrated in today’s increasing multi-racial movement in various parts of the world. Disparaging prejudgments that attach irrelevant distinctions on people would be the result of the integration between issues of gender, age, class, and religion on one hand, and culture, ethnicity, and multiculturalism on the other. ‘Race’ is a dysfunctional way to distinguish people because of the presence of economic, political, and demographic aspects that require them to develop intercultural competences. Moreover, the contemporary notion of ’race’ indicates that there is no convincing empirical and ethical case that justifies ascription of certain qualities to some individuals and treat them inequitably as a result. ‘Race’, in its contemporary use, can mean a result of socialisation and re-socialisation of people with other groups with whom they identify, regardless of age, gender, ethnic identities, and the like. References Beidler, P. D. and Taylor, G. (2005) Writing Race Across the Atlantic World: Medieval to Modern. NY: Palgrave MacMillan. Donald, J. and Rattansi, A. (2005) Race, Culture and Difference. London: The Open University. Ernest, J. (2009) Chaotic Justice: Rethinking African American Literary History. North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press. Ferguson, M. (2013) ‘Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko’ in M. Hendricks and P. Parker (eds.) Women. â€Å"Race,† and Writing in the Early Modern Period. NY: Routledge. James, P. (2011) Religion, Identity, and Global Governance: Ideas, Evidence and Practice. Toronto: University of Toronto Press Incorporated. Lively, D. E. and Weaver, R. L. (2006) Contemporary Supreme Court Cases. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Llobera, J. R. (2003) An Invitation to Anthropology: The Structure, Evolution, and Cultural Identity of Human Societies. NY: Berghahn Books. Montagu, A. (1997) Man’s Most Dangerous Myth: The Fallacy of Race. CA: Altamira Press. Spencer, S. (2006) Race and Ethnicity: Culture, Identity and Representation. NY: Routledge. Spiller, E. (2011) Reading and the History of Race in the Renaissance. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Tattersall, I. and DeSalle, R. (2011) RaceDebunking a Scientific Myth. First Edition. Texas: Texas A&M University Press. Voegelin, E. (1998) The History of the Race Idea: From Ray to Carus, Volume 3. Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press. Whitmarsh, I. and Jones, D. S. (2010) ‘Governance and the uses of race’. In I. Whitmarsh and D. S. Jones (eds.) What’s the Use of RaceModern Governance and the Biology of Difference. Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Medical Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

Medical Innovation - Essay Example Let us see how they differ. The word 'Technology' can be defined as - "The application of knowledge to meet the goals, goods, and services desired by people [3]. The word "Innovation' can be defined as - "The introduction of new ideas, goods, services, and practices which are intended to be useful. The main driver for innovation is often the courage and energy to better the world. An essential element for innovation is its application in a commercially successful way [4]." To be clearer, Technology introduces useful goods, services etc., by making use of existing techniques whereas innovation is actually bringing out something which is entirely new. The field of healthcare and medicine is rapidly evolving. Lots of developments are taking place in this field on an every day basis. Innovation in the field comprises of introducing new ideas, methods of treatment, drugs, and medical devices, keeping in view the overall people's health status and the different kinds of disease that are also cropping up competitively with the technology improvement. In today's rapidly developing and advanced world, innovation in the field of health care and medicine has taken a completely new and faster pace. Simultaneously, the number of diseases, primarily 'lifestyle-related diseases' such as diabetics, hypertension etc are also becoming very serious problems. Myocardial infection, cerebral apoplexy etc, are certain crucial illnesses that are the results of these life-style related diseases. For such illnesses to be tackled in a better way or even to be prevented, daily healthcare has got a very crucial part to play. Daily healthcare can be attribu ted to exercise, proper and balanced diet, stress etc. Though there is a lot of technology development and innovation happening in this field, certain kinds of diseases like diabetics etc. do not have specific care etc for their treatment. General care like diet care and regular exercising

Why did the Oslo Peace Process fail Dissertation

Why did the Oslo Peace Process fail - Dissertation Example It marked the initial face-to-face agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The activities surrounding the agreement arose from the Madrid Conference of 1991, carried out in Oslo, Norway, supported by the Fafo institute and cleared on the 20th of August 1993 (Brown, 2003). The Accords were then officially set to writing and signed during a public ceremony in Washington, D.C on the 13th of September 1993 before Yasser Arafat (PLO Chairman), Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin, and President Bill Clinton of the United States of America (Brown, 2003). The documents were also supported and signed by other official signatories, including Mahmoud Abbas for the PLO, Shimon Peres, foreign minister for Israel, the US Secretary of State Warren Christopher for the US as well as Andrei Kozyrev, the foreign minister for Russia (Brown, 2003). The Accord supported the establishment of a Palestinian interim self-government, including the Palestinian National Autho rity (PNA). This PNA was set to bear responsibility for the management of the territory within its control (Brown, 2003). The Accords also supported the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from various regions of the contentious Gaza Strip and the West Bank. It was expected that the arrangement would cover a five-year interim period where later a more permanent arrangement would be established, especially on issues like Jerusalem, Palestine refugees, Israeli settlements, and borders (Weinburger, 2007). This Oslo I was followed by Oslo II. In both accords, no independence was anticipated for Palestine. In general, the agreement emphasized the withdrawal of Israel personnel from different areas of the Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank. It also supported the right of Palestine for self-governance in these regions through the establishment of the Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority (Weinburger, 2007). The term of the Palestine was set to last for five years, at whi ch time, more permanent arrangements would have been established for the two territories. Major problems, including the issue of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, as well as security and border issues were to be managed in other negotiations and arrangements (Weinburger, 2007). Israel was ready to grant an interim self-rule to Palestine in stages. Aside from the principles, the two groups put into writing the Letters of Mutual Recognition, as the Israeli government supported the PLO to be the legal representative of the Palestinians and the PLO also supported the right declared by Israel to exist (McMahon, 2009). The agreement also rejected and condemned terrorism, violence, and activities set to destroy Israel. The goal of the Israel-Palestine talks was to secure a Palestine Interim Self-Government Authority, for the people of the Palestine region in the West Bank as well as the Gaza strip, during the transitional 5-year period (McMahon, 2009). Before Palestinians could manage thems elves based on democratic principles, general elections were set for the Council. The coverage of the Palestinian Council was the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Exempt were issues which would be managed during the permanent negotiations (McMahon, 2009). The two parties perceived West Bank and Gaza to be single territorial units. The five-year transition period would be seen with Israel withdrawing from the Gaza Strip and the Jericho area. Permanent status talks started soon enough between these territories (Quandt, 2001). A transfer of authority was also set between the Israel Defense Forces to the Palestinians on matters relating to education, culture, health, social welfare, taxation, and tourism. The Council would

Methodology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Methodology - Essay Example Interpretivism approach argues that there is far too much, ever changing complexity to be defined by "laws" (Saunders et al., 2003, p.84). The dissertation will consider both philosophies since "the practical reality is that research rarely falls neatly into only one philosophical domain" (Saunders et al., 2003, p. 85) as well as the combination of both is common in research. Inductive reasoning is when data is collected first and then theories developed as a result of the data analysis. This associates mostly with interpretivism. Deductive reasoning is the development of a theory and hypothesis (or hypotheses) and design of a research strategy to test the hypothesis" (Saunders et al., 2003, p.85). This mainly associates with positivism. The dissertation will consider both processes of reasoning. Exploratory studies are a valuable means of finding out what is happening; to seek new insights; to ask questions and to assess phenomena in a new light (Robson, 2002, cited in Saunders et al., 2003, p.96) and will be considered for the purpose of this study. This is particularly useful as the researcher wishes to clarify the understanding of a problem, namely the best option for intervention with children exhibiting conditions of ADHD. There are three basic types of questions that a research project can address: causal (to determine whether a variable causes or affects another), relational (to look at the relationships between two or more variables), or descriptive (to describe what is going on or what exists). This dissertation will be an exploratory study to find out whether mainstreaming and inclusion are the best options for schooling children with ADHD. Methods of Data Collection Having provided a theoretical framework upon which this dissertation is based to guide the research investigation, two forms of data will be gathered: (1) Primary research data in the form of semi-structured survey results from various respondents - teachers, parents, and students; and (2) Secondary research data in the form of reference literature on the research topic. Survey Questionnaire Design and Respondents The Appendices (A to C) contain the questionnaires used for the cross-sectional survey and interviews to collect data for the purpose of

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Reflection - Essay Example In such a way, this author will define forgiveness within the organizational context as not only understanding that what was done had unexpected/unintended outcomes but also realizing that people are only human and that such situations occur within life. Additionally, this brief essay will also try to show the ways in which forgiveness within the organization is able to benefit overall efficiency, trust, and further realization of human nature. Finally, the essay will point to two distinct ways in which the ethical leader can try to instill the ideas of love, forgiveness, or trust within the organization, business, family or community. The first benefit that trust and forgiveness can have with regards to an organization is with respect to the greater level of stakeholder appreciation and buy in that it can affect. In such a way, an individual who is a member of an organization that puts a high level of emphasis upon trust and forgiveness will begin to understand that the culture of t his organization and/or business prizes these aspects above personal ego or profitability. All too often in the business world, profitability takes the lead role and other aspects or ethics fall by the wayside. However, if an organization shows that they comprise these aspects, the individual stakeholders will also come to appreciate them as well as. An obvious secondary benefit is with regards to the way in which forgiveness and trust emphasizes and appreciation within the organization that no one is perfect and all can make mistakes. This may seem as something quite obvious, however, by engaging in trust and forgiveness within the culture and human resource practices of an organization, community, or family, a culture of human understanding develops that does not place any ego above error. All too often, individuals within the higher structure of an organization or community set themselves up to have something of an infallible approach. The final level of benefit is with regards t o efficiency. Due to the fact that fewer feelings are hurt and fewer frustrations and anger is exhibited, it is possible for a far greater level of work to be accomplished without personal differences or frustrations aggravating the way in which work takes place. Although it cannot be said that the incorporation of a culture of trust and forgiveness means that full efficiency will be realized, it is an extremely helpful than that by which an organization, community, or family can help to encourage further efficiency without sacrificing any form of ethics or personal rights. With regards to two ways that an ethical leader can hope to encourage a greater level of trust and forgiveness within an organization, community, or family, it must be understood that these are primarily leading by example and by attempting to promote a culture of forgiveness and trust from the top down. Leaders from all organizations have understood throughout management experience that regardless of the level o f controls or guidelines that they engage their employees/stakeholders with, these are all but useless unless leadership by example is engaged. In short, even if a firm has a very solid human resources Department and a good product or service that they are offering, the level to which truth and forgiveness can be encouraged within this entity will be all but nonexistent if this same process is not engaged and shown to be appreciated from

International marketing entry strategy for Cow & Gate in China Essay

International marketing entry strategy for Cow & Gate in China - Essay Example Recognizing that China has huge potential for baby food, C&G aims to enter and market its products in China. An evaluation of the business environment and market potential would help decide international marketing for China. 2.0 PEST Analysis of China 2.1 Political China’s political and social landscape is stable because of decades or opening up of the economy and the reforms that have been brought about. The Communist Party of China (CPC) has improved governance according to the needs of the people. Political stability has been achieved as people were invited to participate in politics (China Daily, 2011). The voices of people have been heard and their interests safeguarded. The Chinese people seek stability, improvement in the standards of living and enhancement of national strength. There are apprehensions whether under new leadership of Xi Jinping decentralization and liberalization would continue unchanged (Huang, 2013). Protests have become the natural form of expression due to lack of direct elections and a string civil society. As such, the provincial leaders take steps they consider appropriate to promote growth and maintain political stability. However, discretionary action is required as force can lead to violence and leniency can encourage protestors to extract even more from the system. The top authorities however, work in the interest of the people. Nevertheless, the nation lacks accountability at the bottom level and this, needs to be changed. 2.2 Economic Economic reforms in the country have been in place since the 1970s when the economy started moving from a centrally planned one to a more market-oriented one. It has opened up the economy to the world and its accession to World Trade Organization further accelerated the process of integration into the world economy. As a result China became the world’s largest exporter in 2010. State-owned enterprises that are considered important to ‘economic security’ are given supp ort. The restructuring of the economy has led to ten-fold increase in GDP which currently stands at $8.26 trillion (CIA, 2013). China was the second largest economy in the world in 2012 but still per capital income is below the world average. In 2005 China revalued its currency and moved to an exchange rate system that references several currencies. Unemployment rate in China is 6.1 percent and inflation rate is 3.2 percent (Sharma, 2012). China has a labour force of 815.3 million as of 2010, of which 43 percent are in the service sector. China’s economy has experienced a strong annual GDP growth rate of ten percent in the past five years (Bharat Book Bureau, 2012). The drivers of growth of the Chinese economy include high rate of savings, abundance of skilled labour, and urban growth. Inward FDI has been a strong driver of economic growth in China. Leading MNCs in every sector have been making inroads in China which has positively impacted the local manufacturers. It encoura ged innovation and consequently led to low-cost production. Economic reforms and simplification of tax laws and FDI procedures have made China a very attractive destination for investment and growth. 2.3 Social China has a population of over 1.3 billion of 16.6 percent are in the age group of 0-14 years. The literacy rate is 92.8 percent and the main religion followed is

The End of the Cold War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The End of the Cold War - Research Paper Example One of the causes was the fact that they differed a lot in ideologies in that the United Nations was capitalist while the Soviet Union’s was socialist. The United Nations was ruled by democracy and they valued freedom, while the Soviet Union was under dictatorial rule where the interests of the state were put first as opposed to those for individuals. This led to the two nations having too many differences as each was antagonistic to the other. In the communist they were ruled majority being oppressed by the minority. On the other hand the capitalist had freedom of liberty, expression and speech, and they were free from political oppression. The other factor that contributed to the fallout between the two former allies was the resentments of the history whereby United States had joined with Britain in 1918 and tried to tear down the Russian revolution and so the Soviet Union feared the same to happen again. On the other had the United States did not forget the Nazi-soviet pact that Stalin had signed with Germany in 1939. This led to a lot of strain to their relationship which led the two becoming rivals (Harper, 46). The other cause of the cold war was differing aims. This was attributed in the fact that the USSR wanted huge compensations from Germany to create other more friendly nations to protect itself from being hit once again. On the contrary the United Nations wanted to protect democracy and also wanted to help Germany to recover from the effects of the world war. Having too many differing ideologies between the two they never trusted one another and viewed everything in a different way thus making it inevitable for the cold war. The other cause of the cold war was the remarks made by Churchill Winston who was a British leader and also an anti-communist. Given the political climate his speech tensions rose which further worsened the relationship between the two. He said â€Å"From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an â€Å"Iron Cu rtain† has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe all are subject, in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and in some cases increasing measure of control from Moscow† (Harper, 54). The two nations had never been involved in any conflicts but with all those challenges in their relationships made them develop enmity. It was evident in that the two were no longer friends and they eventually started developing bombs which were meant for each other though it was indirectly. In 1949 the first atomic bomb was developed by the soviet unions and that showed that the enmity had escalated to another level. Another cause why the United States of America was involved in the war was due to the undisclosed telegram sent by German ambassador then in Mexico by Germany ambassador, asking Mexico to assail America from the north. Germany promised Mexico that they could retriev e their lost provinces, including Arizona and Texas. Afterwards, Wilson urged the Congress to employ the rule of armed neutrality. They sent merchant ships to secure their boundaries in opposition to their opponents. They also connected the war due to terror of economic despair if the allied power lost. United States had role to enhance free trade, democracy and peaceful coexistence. America finally became part of the cold

Language processing capacities and learning abilities Dissertation

Language processing capacities and learning abilities - Dissertation Example Lust and Foley (2004) indicate that the rapid progress in the field of L1 acquisition, combined with the challenge of increasingly interdisciplinary literature, has turned into an overwhelming challenge to all scholars in the field. Their volume contains research into the philosophy and science of language acquisition. Articles include discoveries about the way children acquire abstract systems combining discrete symbolic elements in a language. Lust and Foley’s selected readings have an emphasis on linguistic theory, and they assert that theoretical positions in the field have often become polarized. Theoretical disputes are interpreted as a sign of vitality in the field.Johnson (2004) focuses on a review of traditional cognitive approaches to second language acquisition research, and offers a more sociocultural perspective. Her work reviews behaviorist, cognitivist, and information processing approaches to SLA. The author makes an overview of Vygotsky’s theory, includ ing discussion of inter- and intrapersonal interaction, the proximal development zone, and the role of language in mental processes development. She emphasizes the need to explore local second language ability, in terms of social environment, local genres, and institutional contexts.Bialystok et al. (2008) performed two studies to investigate lexical access in bilinguals. In the first one, monolinguals performed better than bilinguals on tests of naming and letter fluency, but not on category fluency. No differences existed with regard to vocabulary size

Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Responses to Warm Whirlpool Treatment Article

Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Responses to Warm Whirlpool Treatment - Article Example The human body in normal conditions has a temperature set point of 37 degrees Centigrade, which may get altered during the circadian rhythm, after sleep loss, during hypobaria, and subsequent to dehydration. The stability in temperature that the body maintains is achieved by maintaining a balance between the rate of heat production that occurs mainly through metabolism and rate of heat lost or gained from the environment. Normal rules of thermodynamics are involved in this transfer of heat from the body and to the body. Differences between the temperature the skin and the environment is the governing factor in the thermodynamics involved (Lloyd, 1994). The thermodynamics involved in the attempt of the body to maintain the setpoint temperature of 37 degrees Centigrade is responsible for the thermal stimulus on hemodynamics, and it is for this reason that causes Ishijima and Togawa, 1999, to maintain that bathing in hot water puts stress on the heart.  The human body in normal condit ions has a temperature set point of 37 degrees Centigrade, which may get altered during the circadian rhythm, after sleep loss, during hypobaria, and subsequent to dehydration. The stability in temperature that the body maintains is achieved by maintaining a balance between the rate of heat production that occurs mainly through metabolism and rate of heat lost or gained from the environment. Normal rules of thermodynamics are involved in this transfer of heat from the body and to the body. Differences between the temperature the skin and the environment is the governing factor in the thermodynamics involved (Lloyd, 1994). The thermodynamics involved in the attempt of the body to maintain the setpoint temperature of 37 degrees Centigrade is responsible for the thermal stimulus on hemodynamics, and it is for this reason that causes Ishijima and Togawa, 1999, to maintain that bathing in hot water puts stress on the heart.   According to Press, 1991, this stress on the heart originate s from the increased pressure from the water causing vasodilation, profuse perspiration leading to a decrease in the extracellular volume of blood, increase in hematocrit levels with shortened clotting times, and an increase in the consumption of oxygen, due to the conditions of the environment saunas, spas, and hot tub baths. This raises the possibility of cardiac arrests resulting in patients during their use of saunas, spas and hot water tubs, with particular emphasis on individuals with a history of cardiovascular problems (Press, 1991). Such an understanding of the hemodynamics associated with an individual in the environmental conditions of hot tub baths, has caused physicians to warn individuals with elevated blood pressure levels and cardiac problems on the possible risks they face in hot water baths (Shin, Wilson & Wilson, 2003). Nagasawa, et al, 2001, points out that there is the risk of sudden death from hot water baths as such deaths have been associated with bathing in hot water.   This study aims to answer the question of how heart rate and blood pressure changes during a full body warm whirlpool treatment. The purpose of the study is to observe changes in the heart rate and blood pressure that occur with a warm whirlpool treatment as against the heart rate and blood pressure at rest and hypothesize the reason why certain special populations are advised precautions in the use of warm whirlpool treatments or hot tub baths. The study revolves around the hypothesis that heart rate will increase with warm whirlpool treatment and there will be a decrease in blood pressure.

Downfall of our public schools Essay Example for Free

Downfall of our public schools Essay As much as we would like to be able to assert that American public schools are the best in the world, time and time again we have been proven wrong, at least partially. The American system of public schools is failing those it serves. It has failed to provide equal educational opportunities to all students, it has failed to train them to take jobs and advanced careers, and it has failed to secure the future of American prosperity by failing utterly to create the kind of necessary professional and skilled labor balance that is critical to our continued prominence as a nation. On structural, financial, and curricular levels, the system is not designed to succeed. What it does do well is prepare a very small number of people who come from wealthy families to have any opportunity they want to take advantage of and leaves the vast majority of the nation to fend for itself – often without the tools, support, or ability to do so. The American public system of education bases its curriculum on several overarching principles: generalization, focus on the liberal arts, and an emphasis on individual achievement and self-selection (meaning that individual students determine the course of their own education and career path rather than being funneled into specific schools and programs as is common in other countries). Each of these, philosophically, is designed to help students achieve the greatest level of self-reliance and independence while providing the broad liberal foundation that can be, theoretically, applied in any situation, in any calling. Those are the benefits of a liberal foundation, but the detriments are that without specialization in education, students aren’t able to focus intensely upon their particular subject area until as late as college, and perhaps a small amount in high-school. The result is that students focusing on a general education for 12 years are allowed only 4-5 years of specialization (Browser, 10). Other nations, notably Japan and Germany, employ a system of education that, as early as elementary school, begins to identify potential school types and careers for students and puts them through specialization 4-6 years earlier than the US (Browser, 10). This results in many of these nations excelling in math and science where the U. S. falters. But, this is not the only point of failure of the U. S. system, the 2005 study of reading and mathematical proficiencies of 4th and 8th graders nationwide found that less than 40% of all students tested were grade-level proficient in those subjects (Standard Poors, pNA). This figure gets worse when the schools are dominantly African-American or Hispanic in Graduation Graduation rates are similarly dismal – only 69. 7% of American high school students matriculate (â€Å"High School Graduation Rates in the United States†, pNA). The American public school curricula is failing its students. There are a variety of opportunities throughout the continuum of public education to directly assist students in determining the career path that best suits not only their individual skills and needs, but those of the nation as well. In my own experience, I witnessed high school programs that taught industrial arts, and job-related programs that had been designed to provide students who would not be going to college with the skills necessary to enter the workforce upon graduation get cut out of the curricula entirely. The reasoning given was that the school wanted to focus on achieving higher levels of college entrance, and to increase the numbers of college-prep courses available. This, on paper, sounded great, but in reality it left many students completely without post-high school support. If the American dream requires college, then we are absolutely failing our students by allowing (in some districts) more than half of the population to fail out of school entirely. If we take a realistic look at how students could benefit from industrial arts, business training, home economics, and other job-related training, providing intensive specialization in high-school would allow for a much higher success rate and a higher graduation rate. Our system is failing its students in terms of investment in their present and their future. Schools get the majority of their funding from locally levied taxes with additional state and federal support. It should be no surprise, then, that the districts with the largest tax base to population ratio results in a much larger amount of money available for schools than in districts with a low tax to population ratio. For example, in Nevada, there are two primary sources of funds for schools – property tax and gambling revenue taxes. In districts with the highest value of homes, the tax base is very high, resulting in significantly more money per pupil available than in districts with less expensive homes or those dominated by apartments and low-income housing which do not pay nearly as much in property tax per resident than do the more affluent communities (â€Å"America Goes Back to School†, pNA). The impact, then, is not only significant regional differences in the amount of money available per student, but these differences can be found at the district by district level throughout the entire country. Not surprisingly, those schools with the highest per-capita spending capability are also among the highest ranked schools in the nation (there are no inner city urban public schools in the top 100 high schools in the nation). Therefore, by failing to provide a balanced financial opportunity for every school district, we are pre-determining the level of success, graduation, and career opportunity for entire swaths of students. The poor, the Black and Hispanic, and the otherwise disadvantaged will remain so because they (as a community) will never be able to catch up in terms of opportunity and performance with the more successful communities until we balance the amount of money spent per student throughout the entire nation. On a structural and statistical level, in terms of money and curricular focus, our public school system is failing its students and the communities it is supposed to serve. Despite a continual â€Å"focus† on education, our graduation rates and basic skills passing rates are absolutely dismal. Our generalist curricula has absolutely failed to contribute meaningfully to reducing the massive gaps in our workforce. Finally, the severe imbalance in spending and available funds from district to district and community to community has led to a near permanent state of success and failure for the entire student population in each of those districts. Ultimately, then, the system has failed and is continuing to fail to properly educate, support, and allow our students to contribute to the betterment of society and our success in the international community. References Browser, Jack. Educating America: Lesson Learned in the Nation’s Corporations. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1989. United States Department of Education. â€Å"America Goes back to School† www. ed. gov/Family/agbts/index. html. Online. Internet. Info Acc March, 2007. Standard Poors. â€Å"United States Public Schools Districts: How Students Performed on National Reading and Math Tests†. SchoolMatters. com Online. Internet. Avail: http://www. schoolmatters. com/app/location/q/stid=1036196/llid=162/stllid=676/locid=1036195/site=pes. Info Acc March 18, 2007. Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. â€Å"High School Graduation Rates in the United States†. Manhattan-Institute. org. Online. Internet. Avail: http://www. manhattan-institute. org/html/cr_baeo. htm. Info Acc March 19, 2007.

Demarcation Of Science And Pseudo Science Philosophy Essay

Demarcation Of Science And Pseudo Science Philosophy Essay introduction Please give a short summary of all three articles [1-3] taken together as a discussion of the difference between science and pseudo-science in general, and particularly astrology as example pseudo-science. The pseudoscience comes from a Greek prefix pseudo which means false. Pseudoscience pretends to believe in practice of methods which are not scientifically proven but appears with high probability. Pseudoscience obligation on some figures and facts are not appropriate evidence, proofs and practical tests. Science is making life of people easy and eliminates sophistication. Some people with little knowledge of science try to convince their idea without proper scientific methods in scientific domain. The following are some characteristics of pseudoscience Use of vague, exaggerated or untestable claims Over-reliance on confirmation rather than refutation Lack of openness to testing by other experts Absence of progress Personalization of issues Use of misleading language Astrology pretends to justify their work to scientist, astrologer and clients. Experiments of astrologers never be predicted and what kind of facts they will accept. Astrology tends to rely on client satisfaction arguing that if their clients are satisfied because astrology is accurate. Astrologers try to escape themselves from procedures and methods of science by saying that they can only help and guide people about their personal and hidden abilities, points that can have positive effect on their life and they can lead a better life by choosing right paths in their destination. However, science requires scientific evidence. Pseudoscience is a methodology, belief or practice that is claimed to be scientific or that is made to appear to be scientific, but it does not adhere to an appropriate scientific methodology. The word pseudo means false. The good way to find false predictions is to check it properly with best practices of scientist and researchers. Demarcation of science from pseudoscience is quite necessary. Due to high status of science, people try include their non scientific and pseudoscientific claims into scientific domain. Therefore demarcation issue is always on the pressing. Demarcation issue is important in many practical applications such as: Healthcare, Expert testimony, Environmental policies, science education etc. According to many authors, pseudoscience is a non-science claiming to be science. They also believe that to be pseudoscientific, an activity or claim has to satisfy following criteria: it is not scientific, and its major proponents try to create the impression that it is scientific. According to Popper, the theory be falsifiable, or more precisely that statements or systems of statements, in order to be ranked as scientific, must be capable of conflicting with possible, or conceivable observations. Kuhn disapproved Poppers theory of demarcation he criticized Popper for characterizing the entire scientific enterprise in terms that apply only to its occasional revolutionary parts. Paul states a two points criterion for a theory or claim to be pseudo scientific. One of these is that the theory fails to progress, and the other that the community of practitioners makes little attempt to develop the theory towards solutions of the problems, shows no concern for attempts to evaluate the theory in relation to others, and is selective in considering confirmations and disconfirmations (Thagard 1978, 228). Many authors have put forward a list of criteria as a demarcation criterion. One such list is as under: Belief in authority. Nonrepeatable experiments. Handpicked examples. Unwillingness to test. Disregard of refuting information. Built-in subterfuge. Explanations are abandoned without replacement. Why is it important to distinguish science from non-science? Describe the problem of demarcation and its significance for science according to Sven Ove Hanssons article [1] It is in general discussion that pseudoscience is non-science as brain Baigrie says what is objectionable about these beliefs is that they masquerade as genuinely scientific ones. Authors and researchers predict about two criteria. It is not scientific, and Its major proponents try to create the impression that is scientific. It is quite inevitable to distinguish between science and non science in many ways. For example, in Healthcare, Expert testimony, Environmental policies, Science Education etc. In Healthcare Pseudoscience activities can be dangerous for patients health and life. Accurate facts and figures are required in court cases. Judges decision should be based on best available knowledge. Sometimes litigants try to present non-science claims as solid science. Therefore, justice should be able to distinguish between science and pseudoscience. Environmental experts also need to differentiate between science and pseudoscience. Best available knowledge will help them to make decisions when there are valid but yet insufficient evidence of environmental hazard. State and school authorities should take measures to protect curricula from unreliable and disapproved teachings. Sconce is our most reliable source of knowledge in daily life, its quiet inevident to differentiate science from pseudo-science. Due to importance of science, some people attempt to exaggerate the scientific status of various claims, teachings, and products. In order to tackle this issue, demarcation of science is necessary. What are the characteristics of pseudoscience according to [2] Pseudoscience has following characteristics as mentioned in article. Use of vague, exaggerated or untestable claims Over-reliance on confirmation rather than refutation Lack of openness to testing by other experts Absence of progress Personalization of issues Use of misleading language Give a short account of astrotest [3] and its results. The Article was intended to proof weather astrologers can predict or not. Author invited astrologers to take part in an astrotest. He gave the astrologers the birth data of 7 anonymous test subjects and they also receive 7 questioner filled by the test subjects. They have to match each birth chart with the corresponding questionnaire. Author offered 2500 dollars for the astrologer who matched all 7 birth chart with the corresponding questionnaire. Then he looked for suitable test subjects that are not between two ascendent or if the subject was born 5 minutes late or before the registered birth date they would have been on different sign. So he rejected such subjects to avoid ambiguity for the astrologers. The astrologers sent 10 questions each and he made 25 questions and added 24 multiple questions to it and he gave the questions to 10 experienced astrologers to give their opinion on it and none of them had a big objection to it. All 50 participants were given 10 weeks to complete the astrotest and 44 participants completed the test. Many of the participants had experience in astrology. And they were asked about their expectations and half of the 36 participants who responded the questions said they expected that they have matched all correct. But the result was very different from their expectation the most successful participant only manages 3 correct matches and half of the participants didnt score a single hit. And there were a lack of similarities between the answers of the participants. There was also a difference in response to the results between the astrologers some were surprised by the lack of agreement and others admitted that the possibilities of astrology were more limited then they had thought and others say astrology only works in actual practice and sixteen still believe science can still prove astrology right. And they gave reasons like horoscopes are too much alike, the answers of the subjects were often similar, the questions were not always answered truthfully and some said about incomplete information of subjects. Astrology and science are in conflict since astrology says its methods are testable and science focuses on astrology where as astrology focuses on client satisfaction and use words that cannot be falsified What are your conclusions on science contra pseudo-science discussion? Pseudoscience is extremely dangerous for our society. Science on other side is supported by proper methods, proofs and logics. Mankind is relying more and more on scientific methods and practices in routine life. Therefore, work should be done on emergency basis to eradicate and prevent pseudoscience entrance in the demarcation of science. In my opinion, people try to take pseudoscience too easy or as a source of amusement or fun. This can at certain times be very dangerous and Quakers are encouraged by this attitude. For example: Our political system can be sabotaged by the pseudoscience. Our education system can also become a victim of pseudoscience, and can be disastrous for our youth. Hundreds of people lives can be lost if not provided appropriate treatment in time, healthcare department should be prevented from pseudoscience. Instability can be introduced in our routine life by asserting pseudoscience in the religion A very important responsibility lies on media as electronic and other kinds of medias influence are increasing day by day in our routine life.

Is a Metatheoretical Psychologist a ‘Cowboy Builder’?

Is a Metatheoretical Psychologist a ‘Cowboy Builder’? Abstract Personally, I feel that Metatheoretical psychologist are not a â€Å"cowboy builder†, as I uses the progression of behaviourism as an example and further elaborated how the approach leads to the discoveries and progression of the theories, using explanation of russian physiologist known as Ivan Pavlov, followed by American Psychologist called John B. Watson and Edward Thorndike, and lastly, another fellow American Psychologist, B.F. Skinner. Ivan Pavlov, who started the earliest toward the study of behaviourism, he discovered classical conditioning which demostrated how behaviours can be learned via through classical associations. John B. Watson, who further defined behaviourism through â€Å"little albert† experiment and lastly, B.F. Skinner, who further explains behaviourism using his concept of operant conditioning, illustrating behaviour through punishment and reinforcement. These three examples have rejected the idea that of a ‘cowboy builder’ as these experimentalist using each and individual experiment to reinforce and further build up understanding of behaviourism and its importance and definition. Is a Metatheoretical Psychologist just a ‘Cowboy Builder’? Psychology is not simply definable, and be even characterised easily. Even till today if one were to define or characterised, it will end up render the effort indequately the very next day. Psychology is what the philsopher and the scientists of various persuasion have come out with to try fulfilling the needs towards understanding of humans’ mind and behaviour from the most primitive to complex level (Reber, Allen, Reber, 2009). From a philosophical point of view, The term ‘psychology’ took its to another level of problems concerning the mind, will and knowledge, where it has been defined as the ‘science of mind’ ,’the science of mental life’, these definitions reflected the prejudices of the definer more than the actual nature of field (Reber et al., 2009). Metatheory, in this case defined by Reber et al. (2009), a term which used to cover the theoretical discussions about the construction of scientific theories, hence, the role of a metatheoretical psychologist is to perform metatheoretical research, which includes sorting of theories, analysing of literatures, they played an important role in search of a set of interlocking principles in which are acceptable or not for the theories (Rozeboom, 2005; Wallis, 2010). An experimentalist stated that metatheoretical are like ‘cowboy builders’ where they are able to identify and breakdown mistakes and problems of works done by others, but they are not able to give opinions to help strength that particular approach in psychology. However, I disagree what the experimentalist mentioned, as I believe that metatheoretical psychologist, no doubt , they are the ones who are capable of developing and combining of theories, and looking at aspects of applying and analysing of the theorems to unveil the underlying assumptions about theory and the process of theorizing with reinforcement of empirical evidences (Wallis, 2010). Hence, the aim of this essay is to furthe r elaborate my points of in which that metatheoretical psychologists is not a ‘cowboy builder’, using a psychological approach in which leads to a numbers of theories which is able to support my views towards this statement. To strongly prove my point on metatheoretical psychologists not being a ‘cowboy builders’, I would like to start off with first example right before the birth of behaviourism. It is understandable that in 1913, John B. Watson pioneered new psychology approach known as ‘Behaviourism’ (Watson J. B., 1994). where Behaviourism is defined as a natural science that takes the whole field of human adjustments as its own. It is the business of behavioristics psychology to predict and control human activity.Behavioristics psychology has as its goal to be able, given the stimulus, to predict the response or, seeing the reaction. (Watson Kimble, 1997). However, this discovery and understanding of behaviourism would not have happen without work of an American psychologist, Edward Thorndike. Thorndike shows how behaviours could be modified by its consequences by doing an experimental work on hungry domestic animals, as they were placed individually in the puzzle boxes, a nd if the animal exhibit any escaping behaviours to the door of the puzzle box, it would then be opened allowed the animal to gain freedom. This experiment allow Thorndike to conclude that while the animal exploring the box, the animal exhibited the first instance of an appropriate behaviour unit by chance and that, across trials, escape latencies would decrease systematically as it is able to learned that pressing the latch will allow it to escape. (Gewirtz, 2001). Therefore through this experiment, he looks at the connection of stimulus and response in the experiment, which eventually created a concept of the law of effect, which he explained that greater the satisfaction, the greater the strengthening, and the greater the dissatisfaction, the greater the weakening, of the bond (Gewirtz, 2001).This work of Thorndike allowed a Russian Physiologist, Ivan Pavlov, to continue his work on physiology of digestion (Gewirtz, 2001; Clark, 2004). Pavlov, who have won the Nobel Prize in 1904 , credited Thorndike for being the first researcher to show accurate approach to the immense task of objective research on animal learning (Gewirtz, 2001). He did an experiment in his chamber which the dog is presented with the food, at the same time, saliva is collected through a tube implanted into the salivary gland of the dog, enabling him to study the saliva’s role in digestive process, which his prediction is that the dog salivate when food is placed in the mouth which is a discovery he deemed that its importance in the study of digestion, known as salivary reflex (Windholz, 1997). Overtime, this lead to him realising that the even right before the food comes, the dog will salivate in the presence of the food attendant and the sound of the door (Windholz, 1997). He carried on with the experiment by pairing the bell and the food, and after several tries, he successfully uses the bell alone to create a salivary response from the dog. This discovery can be explained in whi ch the bell, a neutral stimulus which trigger no natural response in the dog (salivation) is paired with food which is the unconditional response. This pairing causes the response to the unconditioned stimulus (food), the unconditioned response (salivation), to transfer to the neutral stimulus (bell). Hence, in order for response to occur again, only the bell is need, food may no longer have its importance. Pavlov realised that the response is a learned but unnatural, hence it is a conditioned response and neutral stimulus will transformed into conditioned stimulus. The bell tone in Pavlovs experiment is the neutral stimulus which is paired the unconditioned stimulus of food. The unconditioned response of salivation became a conditioned response to the newly conditioned stimulus of the tone (Beecroft, 1966; Windholz, 1997; Bitterman, 2006). This phenomone is known as classical conditioning. As we can see this is one of few classic examples which demolish the experimentalist view on psychologists, this research has just show us not only it is a psychological endeavour but it also influence a lot of students known as the pavlovians-graduate students to continue this study of salivary reflex conditioning. (Windholz, 1997). Ivan Pavlov is able to conduct and build up an experiment, and bringing it up to the next level, not only looking at the digestion process which is a physiological, but at the same time, discovered a psychological aspect which is the salivary reflex and subsequently build up to theory of classical conditioning. The progression of Ivan Pavlov’s experiment was done by an American psychologist known as John B Watson where he further elaborated and adopted Ivan Pavlov’s work and claims that classical conditioning in animals is important as it is able to explain all human aspect of psychology (Watson J. B., 1994; Rilling, 2000). Watson uses the measurement and analytical techniques of Pavlov’s experiment and applied them to the humans in terms of adaptive forms of behaviour, so he and his assistant (Moore, 2011), an experiment known as â€Å"little Albert†, he simply transfer the same concept of Pavlov’s work, while Pavlov conduct his experiment using food and animal, Watson uses a baby known as little albert, and inflict of fear to it in order to demonstrate classical conditioning in humans (Watson Rayner , Conditioned emotional reactions, 1920). Using white rat as Neutral Stimulus, before the start of the experimental trials, the rat is shown to little Alber t, but little Albert does not show concern about the rats. Watson’s aim for this experiment is inflict an anxiety response to little albert using the rat. So the Unconditioned Stimulus in the experiment is the used of an iron bar and a hammer to create a loud noise just behind little Albert, which he find annoyed about (Watson Rayner , Conditioned emotional reactions, 1920). During the experiment, the noise is created as the rat is presented to Albert. After subsequent experiments, without the noise when the rat was presented, Albert would started crying. This produced a conditioned reflex similar to Pavlov’s dog able to associate a neutral stimulus with Unconditioned Stimulus (Rilling, 2000). Further experiments on Albert, has shown that rats are not only the one that give Albert the similar response, it also start to generalised to other while furry objects which look similar to the white rats (Watson Rayner , Conditioned emotional reactions, 1920). This example of the â€Å"little Albert† experiment, shows that how behaviourist like Watson, able to work on and progress through using Pavlov’s physiological theory of salivary reflex and extract the psychological elements, which is the theory of classical conditioning in an animal, and show that even humans can learn through conditioning, and initiated the study of behaviourism (Moore, 2011). Therefore, as what we can see above that Watson improvised Pavlov’s experiment, which he applied to the humans and which he end up discover a higher order of condition, where generalization took place in the little Albert experiment, this second example shows that how the rise of the behaviourism were strengthen by theory like classical conditioning, which build up to another level, where the use of different test subject will lead to a different and new outcome of understand of behaviourism, which I feel that Watson in his experiment has shown us simply that they isn’t a cowboy builder who simply just agreed upon thing without doing their research. However, Rilling (2000) stated that Watson rejected Thorndike’s law of effect in the midst of working on classical conditioning theory, he felt sceptical about Thorndike’s assumption and explanation of the trial and error learning where Thorndike stated that successful act is pleasant and unsuccessful act is unpleasant (Watson ,1914; Rilling, 2000) and so the Thorndike’s experiment inspired Watson, he conducted an empirical test for the study of learning in animal, simply to test Thorndike’s law of effect. The purpose is to prove that if Thorndike is correct about his theory then pleasure from immediate reward would be greater than dissatisfaction from delayed reward. The experiment was conducted with rats and sawdust boxes, and Watson (1916a) compared the learning curves for one group of rats getting the immediate reward and the other with delayed rewards. The result is puzzling as two group of learning curves were nearly similar (Rilling, 2000) which thi s data cause classic behaviourist to be sceptical about Thorndike’s law of effect. The attack on Thorndike by Watson seems to be rhetoric. Never the less, it does not mean that one rejected all have to reject it, as Moore (2011) stated that Watson’s behaviourism proved inadequate and many of the researchers took another approach which analysed by B.F. Skinner (Moore, 2011). Skinner proved his own definition by studying on Thorndike’s law of effect which provided him the basis of operant learning theory (Schwartz Lacey, 1982). He conducted an experiment which resemble Thorndike’s puzzle box and an input of a lever, which he want to find out how the rats learned to press the lever. The difference between the two experiment done, is based on the determiner on frequency of the experiment, which Thorndike is based on the experimenter and Skinner is based on the rats themselves (Iversen, 1992). Each time, the rats press the lever, the food will immediately be released. This resulted in the learning of the rat to press the lever to receive rewards. However, when Skinner replaced the food with shocks, the frequency of the lever being depressed leads to an immediate stop of the action due to punishing consequences (Iversen, 1992). He concluded from the result that the behaviour influenced by the law of effect is known as operant conditioning due to the behavioural change or operated of the organism on the environment. In the experiment, there is no environmental stimuli that create a response from an organism as compared to organism in classical conditioning experiment done by Pavlov. Mischel (1993) stated that skinner also concluded that Operant conditioning consists of two important key components, the operant and the consequence. If the consequence is a positive reinforcement, then the likelihood of another similar response is more as compare to if the consequence is punishment. Similar results were produced by accidental when the pellet dispenser had jammed, it stops the positive reinforcement of food altogether in a process called extinction, this situation was noticed when the r at continue pressing the lever even though no food were received, at the start the behaviour becomes rapid than usual, then slowly the frequency worn off but the operant conditioned response decreased at a much slower rate than when punishment was used (Iversen, 1992). Similarly, operant conditioning like this also appear in child, when either rewarding or punishing with disciplinary actions. This kind of operant conditioning occurs in the rewarding or punishing discipline action taken towards a child (Schwartz Lacey, 1982). As we can see from all of these example above, how behaviourism can lead to two theories of learning, as Watson hypothesized that â€Å"behavioristics psychology has as its goal to be able, given the stimulus, to predict the response or, seeing the reaction take place to state what the stimulus is that has called out the reaction† (Iversen, 1992), However this stimulus–response psychology was soon to be overthrown by Skinners work (Iversen, 1992). Even though he called his lever pressing action as an investigatory reflex and referred it to eliciting stimuli which is measured due to the influences of the work of Pavlov’s and Watson’s (Iversen, 1992). In the later part of his research, Skinner later moved away from the Stimuli and response tradition as he discovered operant conditioning with the aid of Edward Thorndike, and commented that the result that happen immediately after the response is more important than incident happen right before, and the extinction that he accidentally found out indicated that there is no role in eliciting stimuli for that behaviour to happen. Lastly, the final form of the conditioned response is deem as the most important as it did not even exist prior to the conditioning, therefore no elicitation is involved. This successful method of shaping help in generating behaviours that have not been seen previously in range of behaviours in the experimental subject. Which Iversen (1992) sta ted that skinner’s work in the early stage completely contradict Watsons â€Å"no stimulus, no response† rule. So all in all. We can see that the build-up progression of behaviourism and the two learning theories, are not of a style of a cowboy builder. Instead the build ups of the theories, not only involves criticism of theories, to improve another, for example, Watson rejected Thorndike’s law of effect, place more work in Pavlov theory, to improve the theory of classical conditioning through empirical evidence, and also involves influences of theories, just like how skinner inspired by Thorndike’s law of effect, created similar experiment, and initially followed Pavlov and Watson’s work, and realised issues and rejected it to form its own learning theory, operate learning theory. These examples resulted that and prove to these experimentalist that once again, Metatheoretical psychologist are not a â€Å"cowboy builder†. References Bitterman, M. E. (2006). Classical Conditioning Since Pavlov. Review of General Psychology, Issue: Volume 10(4), p 365–376. Clark, R. E. (2004). The classical origins of Pavlovs conditioning. The Official Journal Of The Pavlovian Society, 39(4), 279-294. Gang, J. (2011). Behaviorism and the Beginnings of Close Reading. The Johns Hopkins University Press, ELH 78(1), 1-25. Gewirtz, J. L. (2001). J. B. Watsons Approach to Learning: Why Pavlov? Why Not Thorndike? Behavioral Development Bulletin, Issue: Volume 10(1), p 23–25. Henriques, G. R. (2004). Psychology Defined. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Vol. 60(12), 1207–1221. Iversen, I. H. (1992). Skinners Early Research: From Reflexology to Operant Conditioning. American Psychologist, Issue: Volume 47(11), p 1318–1328. Moore, J. (2011). BEHAVIORISM. The Psychological Record, 449-463. Reber, A. S., Allen, R., Reber, E. S. (2009). The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology: Fourth Edition. New York: Penguin. Rilling, M. (2000). How the Challenge of Explaining Learning Influenced the Origins and Development of John B. Watsons Behaviorism. The American Journal of Psychology, Vol. 113, No. 2, pp. 275-301. Rozeboom, W. W. (2005). Meehl on metatheory. Journal of Clinical Psychology, Volume 61, Issue 10, pages 1317–1354. Schwartz, B., Lacey, H. (1982). Behaviorism, science, and human nature. New York: Norton. Wallis, S. E. (2010). Toward a Science of Metatheory. INTEGRAL REVIEW, Vol. 6, No. 3. Watson, J. B. (1914). Behavior: An introduction to comparative psychology. New York: Holt. Watson, J. B. (1916a). The place of the conditoned reflex in psychology. Psychological Review, 23, 89-108. Watson, J. B. (1994). Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It. American Psychological Association, Issue: Volume 101(2), p 248–253. Watson, J. B., Kimble, G. A. (1997). John B. Watsons Behaviorism: A Retrospective Review. American Psychological Association, Volume 42(1), p 23–28. Watson, J. B., Rayner , R. (1920). Conditioned emotional reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 3, 1–14. Windholz, G. (1997). Ivan P. Pavlov: An Overview of His Life and Psychological Work. American Psychological Association, Issue: Volume 52(9), p 941–946.

Free College Essays - Struggling for the Dream in A Raisin in the Sun :: A Raisin in the Sun

Struggling for the Dream in A Raisin in the Sun  Ã‚   Set in a cramped apartment in poverty-striken Southside Chicago, Lorraine Hansberry, through realistic slang, accounts the struggles of five black family members battling against racism to attain middle-class acceptance during 1959. After Walter Younger's business "partner" skipped town with a portion of the family's $10,000 inheritance money, the desolate son returns home to break the news to his family that their hopes for the future have been stolen and their dreams for a better life were dashed. Redeeming himself in the eyes of his family, Walter refuses to sell-out his race to the prejudiced white Clybourne Park spokesman Karl Lindner, who offers to pay off the Youngers to stop them from moving in the neighborhood. Hansberry highlights the different values of a black and white culture by attempting to alienate the Youngers from the affluent white community. The attributes of pride and prejudice are assigned to Walter and Karl, respectively to define their stereotypical society's assumptions. The play opens with Mama Younger awaiting the coming of a $10,000 insurance check from the death of her husband. Mama sees in this legacy the chance to escape the ghetto life of the Chicago Southside and decides to use part of the money as a down payment for a house in an all-white neighborhood. Her brilliant daughter Beneatha views the inheritance as a chance to live out her dream and go to medical school. Her son Walter becomes obsessed with business, ever since he learns of the $10,000 insurance check. Desperate to become higher in society and believing the money will solve all of his economic and social problems, Walter has a plea that is difficult to ignore. Thirty-five year old Walter sees this as his last chance to carry out his dream business deal and invest with some friends in a liquor store. By doing this, it might quadruple his money, and he thinks that will make him a worthier man. Walter promises that if he can just have the money, he can give back to the family all the blessings that their hard lives have denied them. Against her better judgment, Mama gives in to the desire of her son. She has to admit that life's chances have never been good for him and that he deserves the chance that money might give him. As soon as he invested the money, his so-called "friend" skips town with it.

Hinduism Essay -- essays research papers

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 19, 1997 By Jordan Bruins Buddhism/Hinduism Comparison Report Hinduism is the oldest known religion and is very rich with literally hundreds of gods, symbolistic rituals and beliefs. It is believed to have been established around 1500 B.C. but no one person founded Hinduism as it evolved over a long period of time. Buddhism on the other hand has a definite founder, Siddhartha Gautama who is otherwise known as the Buddha or Enlightened One who lived from 565 to 483 B.C. Both these religions originated in India. Siddhartha Gautama was a Hindu who found Hindu theology lacking and after years of searching for truth created a religion now known as Buddhism. Because of these basic similarities, the two religions have much in common, but in the same light they differ immensely. The concept of a god or gods in Buddhism is almost void and therefore in the eyes of some not even a religion. Hindus have many gods governing different aspects of Hindu life. The three main gods in Hinduism are Vishnu who is the sustainer, Brahma is the creator and Shiva the destroyer. Collectively referred to as Trimuti. Most Hindu gods are associated with animals and therefore Hindus feel that being a vegetarian is vital. Cows are sacred in Hinduism and are worshipped as the divine mother, making eating beef taboo. Buddhism involves meditation and prayer. In Buddhism, one must understand the four noble truths and a...

The Biology of Wetlands

The term â€Å"wetlands† is often associated with the image of the coastal marsh – a muddy area that is teeming with a variety of animal life and emergent vegetation such as mangroves, rush and cord-grass. But wetlands are actually areas that are characterized by the formation of hydric soils and the existence of flora and fauna due to the presence of standing water during all or part of the year (Spray and McGlothlin, xiii). Some wetlands cover hundreds or thousands of square kilometers and are therefore homes to a wide variety of plant and animal life.General Biology Ii Study Guide (Online Class) Examples of wetlands include the Florida Everglades, the Hudson Bay Lowlands, the Mekong Delta and the Danube Delta (Van der Walk, 1). At present, there is no universal classification scheme for wetlands. However, wetlands are usually categorized according to their hydrologic flow regimes, vegetation types and hydrogeomorphology. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for instance, classifies wetlands according to four major types – marshes, swamps, bogs and fens. This basic but simplified scheme was intended to â€Å"(promote) understanding (of) the diversity of wetland ecosystems† (Spray and McGlothlin, xiv). Marshes are regions whose soil is either periodically or continually inundated with water. Mashes are classified into two types – tidal and non-tidal. Tidal marshes are found in areas that have erratic soil moisture due to ocean tides but do not experience heavy wave action. Tidal marshes can be freshwater, brackish or saline. Non-tidal marshes, on the other hand, are freshwater or brackish marshes that undergo episodes of drought (Spray and McGlothlin, xiv). Swamps are wetlands that are characterized by saturated soils during the growing season and standing water at other times of the year. Consequently, swamps are home to many species of plants and animals. The Great Dismal Swamp, a 109-acre forested wetland situated between northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, is dominated by bald cypress, tupelo, red maple and black gum. It is likewise the habitat of animals like the white-tailed deer, river otter, bats, raccoons, mink, black bear, bobcat, snakes, turtles and at least 200 bird species (Spray and McGlothlin, xv). Unlike marshes and swamps, bogs are wetlands that possess various types of soil and vegetation. Some of the substances found in bogs are peat deposits, acidic water and sphagnum moss. Furthermore, bogs derive their hydration mostly from precipitation instead of from groundwater, streams or runoff – they are therefore sometimes referred to as precipitation-dominated wetlands. Examples of bogs include pocosins (evergreen-shrub bogs located in the southeastern United States) and northern bogs (found in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions of the United States) (Spray and McGlothlin, xv). Akin to bogs, fens are wetlands known for their peat deposits. What differentiates fens from bogs, however, is that the former receive their water supply from groundwater inputs instead of from precipitation. Furthermore, fens have less acidic water and higher nutrient levels than bogs (Spray and McGlothlin, xv). Wetlands play many important roles in preserving the Earth’s ecosystem. Scientists refer to wetlands as the â€Å"kidneys of the Earth† – they filter the water that moves through them of pollutants such as toxins and organic and inorganic nutrients. Wetlands therefore have high levels of sediment-water exchange and mineral uptake, which, in turn, render it suitable for plant and animal life. Wetlands likewise acquire sediments and particles by decreasing the flow velocity of the running water which enters them (Spray and McGlothlin, xvi). Other functions of wetlands include providing flood control, preventing coastal erosion and serving as a critically important habitat for plants and many endangered species. As of 2000, wetlands made up about 3. 5% of the land area of the United States and were the primary habitat of around 50% of the 209 animal species that were listed as endangered 1986. Scientists and environmentalists thus argue that the preservation of wetlands is crucial for environmental health – wetland ecosystems are neither artificially created nor easily regenerated (Spray and McGlothlin, xvi). Wetlands are home to many species of plants – the former are sometimes classified according to the types of hydrophytes present in them. There are three kinds of hydrophytes – submersed, emergent and obligate. Submersed refers to plant species that are completely submerged. Emergent (also known as terrestrial) is identified with plants whose stems and roots are found underwater, but reaches to or above the surface. Obligate (also known as facultative) pertains to plants that thrive both in wetlands and in certain upland habitats (Dennison and Berry, 57). Wetland plants play a key role in the survival of wetland ecosystems. Most wetland animals, as well as many non-wetland ones, depend on wetland plants as their primary food source. Wetland plants also assist in the thermoregulation of many wetland animals and provide cover from predators. When wetland plants undergo decomposition by fungi and bacteria, they immediately become a source of nutrients for animals and other wetland plants (Dennison and Berry, 59). Wetland plants, specifically seed-producing ones, are very important in the regeneration of wetlands after periods of drawdown and drying. Read also Lab 2 Biology Other groups of organisms that inhabit wetlands, such as algae, fungi and bacteria, are also crucial for the survival of wetland ecosystems. Apart from making nutrients available to other organisms by decomposing dead plant and animal material, they likewise enable wetlands to survive certain weather and climatic conditions. The blue-green algae, for instance, may form a â€Å"periphyton† mat which has the capacity to withstand prolonged periods of drought. Consequently, the presence of a periphyton layer is considered as a possible sign that an area is a wetland (Dennison and Berry, 60). During the winter, many wetlands are transformed into valuable wildlife habitats. Evergreen forested wetlands (cedar swamps), for example, are the winter homes of deer and moose. Black ducks live in northeastern coastal marshes during the winter, while other waterfowl consider bottomland hardwood swamps as their winter refuge. In the Upper Midwest, migratory waterfowl start arriving in pothole wetlands even before winter starts. Male red-winged blackbirds are among the first migratory birds that return to freshwater marshes in the Northeast for the winter (Tiner, 28). In the winter and early spring, floodplain forested wetlands become important fish habitats. During these seasons, various fish species use the flooded wetlands either as spawning areas or nursery grounds. Some amphibians, however, start breeding in vernal pool wetlands in the northeastern United States even before winter begins. At the start of the year, the Jefferson salamander is the first amphibian to breed in vernal pools. According to animal experts, it â€Å"migrates over the snow on rainy nights in late winter to slip into the pond (vernal pool) through cracks in the ice† (Tiner, 28). But there is likewise significant breeding activity even before the start of winter. Marbled salamanders, for instance, migrate to dry vernal pools in the Northeast from late August to October. Males leave sperm sacks at the bottom of the pools for the females to fertilize their eggs with when they later arrive. The fertilized eggs are then left beneath leaf litter or rocks in the pool. The eggs hatch in the fall, with the larvae feeding on aquatic invertebrates (Tiner, 28). The pitcher-plant bog crayfish is another animal species which share the same type of life history requirement. They are active from late fall to late spring – periods when Mississippi’s pitcher-plant bogs are flooded. Pitcher-plant bog crayfishes begin to mate in the late spring, with the females retaining the fertilized eggs before depositing them in the flooded bogs in the winter (Tiner, 28). Apart from the suitability of breeding sites, other factors that control the distribution of animals within wetlands include the level of protection from predators, the speed of travel within a certain area and the availability of particular food sources (Galatowitsch and Van der Valk, 19). Some wetland animals thrive in most wetland habitants. Examples of these are the tiger salamanders, American toads, painted turtles and snapping turtles. This flexibility is required in order to meet changing requirements over their life cycles (Galatowitsch and Van der Valk, 20). Some animals, however, require very specific environments for feeding or nesting. Wet prairies, for instance, have tall and dense grass vegetation. In addition, they thaw and dry up earlier than deeper wetlands. Consequently, wet prairies are characterized by an abundant food supply and a grass cover that provides excellent protection against predators. Birds that live in wet prairies include ground-nesting birds like the northern harrier, short-eared owl, savannah sparrow, swamp sparrow and the common yellowthroat. The short-tailed shrew and the Franklin’s ground squirrel, meanwhile, are some examples of the mammals that live in wet prairies (Galatowitsch and Van der Valk, 20). Sedge meadows thaw early and remain moist even in summer, turning it into another early source of food and protection. Large sedges and grasses provide a close canopy but an open understory, allowing animals to move about more freely while keeping them protected from predatory birds (Galatowitsch and Van der Valk, 20). The aforementioned wet prairie birds can also nest in sedge meadows, along with other birds such as American bittern, common snipe, sedge wren, marsh wren and LeConte’s sparrow (Galatowitsch and Van der Valk, 21). Other mammals are likewise drawn to sedge meadows because of the latter’s reliable invertebrate populations. The masked shrews and the pygmy shrews, for instance, feed on plants and seeds that inhabit sedge meadows. Meadow voles, on the other hand, can be found on the moist parts of the meadow due to their diet of rushes, sedges, grasses, insect larvae and fungi. Meadow jumping mice have a diet that adapts to seasonal changes – invertebrates in the spring and seeds, fruits and fungi during the summer. Although chorus frogs thrive in different wetland habitats, they breed only in those with a lush growth of lushes, sedges and grasses – the vegetation effectively conceals their mating call against predators (Galatowitsch and Van der Valk, 21). Shallow emergent marshes are characterized by dense vegetation and prolonged standing water. As a result, they provide effective concealment and reliable source of food. Shallow emergent marshes are inhabited mostly by birds that build nests that are either floating on water or are anchored on emergent vegetation. The horned grebe, eared grebe, least bittern, Virginia rail and American coot are some examples of birds that inhabit shallow emergent marshes (Galatowitsch and Van der Valk, 21). It is often said that everything in this planet is interconnected. A seemingly â€Å"useless† insect may actually turn out to be an important cross-pollinator. A huge, leafy but fruitless tree might be the only source of food for animals in the forest during the summer season. A bacterium living in the ocean could have the capacity to filter the latter of pollutants. Thus, it is very important that wetlands be preserved. Although they may appear to be large mud puddles with lush vegetation, wetlands are in truth home to various organisms that depend on each other to sustain life on this planet. The extinction of wetlands, therefore, will spell the end of many plants and animals on which humans are dependent on for survival.