Saturday, August 31, 2019

Time Conflict Between Work and Family

The relationship between the individual and work and family has changed dramatically over the years. Jobs and families both demand enormous commitments of time and energy, especially during peak years of family formation and career growth. Today, jobs usually consume a third of a person†s day. Americans put more hours in at work to support their families, creating more stress at home, which results in a work/family conflict, pushing parents into actually seeking more time spent at work to escape these pressures and tensions in the home. Juggling work and family life, particularly undesirable domestic chores, childcare and the increasing uncertainties and pressures of home life, are a few reasons for this battle for time spent between work and family. More effort and time is also put into work to achieve greater autonomy and job satisfaction in the workplace. This upward mobility work ethic is the heart of the American Dream. This work/ family conflict and the need for job satisfaction/autonomy in America is consequently fueled by this fast and furious pace of attaining the American Dream. These are some of the issues that are clearly depicted in the books Rivethead by Ben Hamper and The Time Bind by Arlie Russell Hochschild. Less time spent at home and more time spent at work creates a vicious cycle that is eating away at our home lives. These tendencies have become trends of an entire generation that may be placing more value on work-related achievements than on the necessary nurturing experiences of family life. The issues of family/work conflict and autonomy/job satisfaction are important issues in the sociology of work today because of the continuous social and economic changes that occur in our society and effect the welfare of American workers and their families. The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home & Home becomes Work by Arile Russell Hochschild investigates the work/family conflict. Hochschild spent three summers doing field research at a company identified only as a Fortune 500 firm that Hochschild renames Amerco, which had also been credited on several different surveys as being one of America†s 10 most â€Å"family-friendly† corporations. Hochschild research consists of interviewing all employees in the company from the top executives to factory workers by observed working parents and their children throughout their hectic days. She followed six families through a whole day and much of a night, and sat on the edge of Amerco†s parking lot to see when people started work and when they left. This study raises disturbing questions about the impact of time on contemporary lives. The excessive demands of work create stresses at home because there is insufficient time to do everything. This is especially hard on women who bear the brunt of housekeeping chores, and on children, whose emotional needs require time with parents. Except for some older men, the people Hochschild interviews are aware of and concerned about the implications of this ‘time bind†. What is surprising, consequently, is their failure to take on reduced workloads, flex time, and other components of the company†s effort to help employees balance the demands of work and home. While supporting the existence of these policies, only a few employees take advantage of them. Fears about job security and career advancements are present, of course, but many employees were uninterested in such options because they perceived work, not home, as the less stressful and more emotionally fulfilling environment. With the employees family†s on the brink of disaster and parents feeling perpetually out of control of their children†s lives and their own, the office or factory floor ends up providing a sense of accomplishment, fulfillment, camaraderie and overall job satisfaction to these workers. Unfortunately, after uncovering this surprising reversal of standard expectations, Hochschild buries it by simply assuming it is a passion. By escaping from the home by going to work reflects a dynamic with costs, but it also suggests a need to reconsider common conceptions of what constitutes a satisfying life. Hochschild†s solution is a â€Å"time movement,† and organized grassroots movement that would join feminists with labor activists, professionals with the factory workers, men with women. Hochschild proposes that the coalition begin by pushing companies to judge on merit rather then time spent at work, to move to a 35-hour work week and to give workers across the board greater job security would begin to create a better family and work balance for its employees. Rivethead, by Ben Hamper, is Hamper†s description of his career as a General Motors factory worker in Flint, Michigan. A fourth generation â€Å"shoprat†, Hamper explains how an irresponsible father, numerous siblings, and his own tendency for laziness, drugs, and drinking pointed directly to a future in the factory, despite his inclinations toward poetry and music. This book is a glimpse into the life on the General Motors car and truck assembly line, showing the lived experiences of people that have now become transparent voices in mainstream American society. In 1977 he reluctantly began working in the cab shop at GM. Ranging from his experience to his retirement ten years later, Hamper writes of the monotonous blue-collar work of factory labor in a very dark humor manner. Hamper describes his factory job as very monotonous, filled with repeated layoffs and call-backs. Hamper and co-workers participate in extensive daily on-the-job alcohol and drug consumption in attempts to pass the time of their mind-numbing, repetitive nature of work. Hamper is perceptively critical of American business management, practice, and values throughout the book, and nearsightedly finds little worth or integrity in his fellow workers as in himself. The lack of desire to climb the career ladder, even finding ways to avoid work altogether, is quite prevalent throughout the book as he seeks to please no one, not even himself, even though he succeeds beyond even his expectations. The major issues in Rivethead that are to blame for this type of worker behavior is the lack of job satisfaction along with work/family conflicts. Besides Hamper†s quest to go bowling with GM chairman Roger Smith, Hamper is constantly displaying a need for an easier and more rewarding job. Other issues not related to actual job duties affect worker job satisfaction as well, such as the desire to more comfortably combine work and life. The work/family conflict is seen through the time constraints that limit him and other factory workers from spending time with family. These time constraints create added stress at home on top of the existing problems that cause for a dysfunctional family. These stresses push parents/spouses into escaping these home ridden tensions by working longer hours in the factory. The less time spent at home and more time spent at work creates a vicious cycle that is eating away at all American families. The two major issues of work that I am going to analyze from a sociological standpoint are the work/family conflict and autonomy/job satisfaction. In The Time Bind and Rivethead, the issue of job satisfaction is seen through Hochschild†s and Hamper†s depiction of the priority levels of the employees† jobs and their families as seen in their lives. In The Time Bind, Hochschild†s sample was small and all her subjects worked for the same company, she found that both mothers and fathers were choosing work over home. The couples she observed regularly chose not to take advantage of the company†s policies regarding family or personal time, and they had come to find the workplace more comforting than the tensions of home and family. There is a terrible lack of support for families in the workplace in general, and work is perceived as more pleasant than home because at least at work parents are supported and know when they are doing the right thing or the wrong thing as opposed to home. Even though the job satisfaction factor varies between levels of responsibility, the accomplishments felt in the workplace versus the home is quite large. In Rivethead, the issue of job satisfaction as depicted by Hamper is seen through the effects if shiftwork on the factory workers families and social lives. Plagued by constant exhaustion and obsessed with not getting enough sleep, factory workers suffer from high levels of irritability, mood swings, and stress. All of these create complications in family relationships. Factory workers often work long hours and either conform to their family†s routine, or follow a routine of their own, otherwise they are forced to live to some extent, independent of their families as in Rivethead. The working conditions in factories play a large role in the lack of job satisfaction, â€Å"†¦ hen someone works hard all day in a smoky chamber full of sludge, noise, armpits, beer breath, cigar butts, psychos, manic depressives, grease pits, banana stickers, venom and gigantic stalking kitty cats†¦. â€Å", (Hamper:116). These work conditions are quite disturbing and inhumane to the welfare of the worker. The constant need for job satisfaction and feelings of accomplishment and autonomy is quite evident throughout the book. â€Å"There were so many of us shoprats that we were all just part of some faceless heard. â€Å", (Hamper:40). Because job satisfaction differs between levels of work and responsibility, other contributing factors, such as work and family conflict, can affect job satisfaction. Hocschild†s and Hamper†s books depict the work/family conflict as though the family is gradually being shoved out of the mainstream of American social life. Hocschild points out that the battle for time is definitely present. She raises questions like how we should be judged, either based on the hours of work we put in or our accomplishments while at work, â€Å"The time a worker works in and of itself, has to count as much as the results accomplished within that time. Time is a symbol of commitment†¦. whether time mattered more than results was a key point of contention. But it became buried in the company†s rhetoric. † (Hocschild: 69). The ultimate effects of long work hours on our lives have long term consequences on home life that become difficult to justify to our families. As in Rivethead, work seemed to function as a backup system to a destabilizing family, â€Å"My marriage to Joanie was quickly beginning to crumble. Between my nightly beer-bombing over at Glen†s and our continual teetering on the brink of poverty†¦. here was only one antidote to our marital woes; finding me gainful employment†¦. she was the breadwinner and I was the louse. The parallel between my behavior and my old man†s was something that didn†t escape me. â€Å", (Hamper:26-28). In the past decade, socio-economic conditions have contributed to the need for dual incomes for families. Dual incomes call for both parents to work, hence, no one is home with the children. In the past, it was the norm for women to stay home having a more expressive role in the family; taking care of children and providing emotional support for the family. Presently, women tend to feel that their traditional roles as child bearers and homemakers must be supplemented with a sense of achievement outside the home. This need for achievement through job satisfaction for men and women can have positive and negative effects on children. A child who observes the competent coping abilities of a working parent learns how to cope with life†s problems. The parent is then perceived as a positive role model. It can render a child to be more emotionally mature and competent in dealing with responsibility as needed for schoolwork and extra curricular activities. The negative connotations hard working parents and their children experience are much more drastic on the worker and the family. The aspects of parenting that are affected when faced with longer work hours are quality, quantity and content of time spent at home. The pressures and stresses may be created by ourselves in our home-life and only reinforced by the workplace. Different economic, social, and political surroundings foster our stress that set the stage for an overall reduced quality of life as seen in The Time Bind and Rivethead. Because society has changed, the family†s function within society has changed as well. Work/family conflict and the need for job satisfaction/autonomy have required parental and family roles to become modified to meet these changes. Jobs and families both demand enormous commitments of time and energy on the worker, especially during peak years of family formation and career growth. These controversial issues are clearly depicted in the books Rivethead by Ben Hamper and The Time Bind by Arlie Russell Hochschild. Less time spent at home which creates work/family conflict and more time spent at work in an attempt to develop more job satisfaction/autonomy creates a vicious cycle that is depleting family values and home lives. Sadly these trends are becoming more popular of an entire generation trying to compete in a global market where higher value is placed on work achievements, struggle for upward mobility and job satisfaction rather than on the satisfaction of family life and concerns. This work ethic has always been the heart of the American Dream, to work hard, move upward in your job, and be financially sound. Yet, the positive motives for success in our jobs is to blame for the negative consequences of the difficult task of creating an equal balance between work and very important satisfactions of family life. The demands and effects that society place on every American worker to keep up with the rate at which our society is competing in a fast paced global economy raises the question as to where our priorities lie, in the family or in the work? â€Å"Work may not ‘always be there† for the employee, but then again, home may not either. † (Hochschild:201).

Friday, August 30, 2019

Growth of Real Women

Education, voting, working were three things women could not do. Before the late 1800's women had mimited rights. As the years past by women slowly gained priviledges that men already had. Although women cant handle some of the tasks that men take on, women have many other advantages. In the early 1900's few women attended finishing schools called Female Seminaries. Later on the women who did attend state universities around 1863 had to live with being discrimintated against and being ridiculed. By the end of the 19th century female docotor and lawyers became more common. By The New Nationalism women got the right to vote in elections. Today womens rights have prgressed emensly. From not being able to tend school and get an education and not being able to have a job or vote women have gained all those rights. Now women are able to have higher paying jobs, full educations and vote for whoever they want. As apposed to long ago when they could only stay at home and cook. Now women are moving up in the ranks of the job industry. Some making more pay then males and being at higher rank. For example the Us has women comprise about a quarter of the UA facitlity. They are also moving up the rank to higher-paying staff posisions, more than 10 years ago. Although there are still more males, the women have increased tons over the last century. And as the studies show the women will still be rising in the future. From the past to the future women have gained more power over the years. From going to no rights at all women have gained as many rights as males have. Although some jobs are made for a man to work, women have the right to try and work there if that what they want to do. From reading the text book and reading the news article it is shown that we can make things happen. As women progressed over the years and fought for their rights as females, they won. I dont think anything will change in the future for women because they are already treated to the equal amount that men are. People across the US should know about this so they know they too can make a difference in the future.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

How and Why the Nazis Rose to Power

In this essay I will explain how and why the Nazis rose to power, elaborating on the circumstances of the great depression, the Weimar republic, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. Hitler and the Nazis were not prosperous in gaining power from up to 1928, this is because people thought all Nazis were brutes and believed that Hitler was a big joke. Nobody was interested in the Nazi ideas or plans and plus, Germany wasn’t quite ready for them. But Hitler soon came into power in many different ways. He promised to undo the Versailles Treaty which Germany had to reparation to England and France.He also promised to restore hope and to deal with the depression. Hitler also blamed the Jews for inflicting tragedy to Germany. Everyone soon agreed to the Nazi plans for getting rid of democracy and started to follow his ways. In 1929, the American stock exchange collapsed and caused an economic depression. America called in all its foreign loans, which destroyed Weimar Germany. Unemployment in Germany rose to 6 million. The German companies collapsed, the unemployment rate was extremely high, everyone resulted to violence and farming was a crisis because of the low food prices.The government didn’t know what to do so in July 1930 the chancellor cut wages and unemployment pay which had to be the worst thing to do during the depression. The anger and bitterness helped the Nazis to gain more support; in 1928, the Nazis had only 12 seats in the Reichstag and by July 1932 they had 230 seats and were the largest party. The Weimar Republic was after WWI when Germany became a democratic republic after the Kaiser fled. German citizens were allowed to vote, hold meeting for trade unions and would only be arrested if they broke the law which was all fair.There were many problems with the Weimar Republic which was the high unemployment, hunger, poverty; hyperinflation and the leaders were blamed for signing the hated Treaty of Versailles. The Weimar Republic lasted until 1 945, when the German government was finally dissolved because of the Second World War. The main reason why he became chancellor was because of the great depression advantage he had but Hitler was also a great speaker, with the power to make people support him. The depression of 1929 created poverty and unemployment, which made people angry with the Weimar government.People lost confidence in the democratic system and turned towards the extremist political parties such as the Communists and Nazis during the depression. The SA also attacked the Nazis opponents. The Nazis were clearly all Fascists because they all had very extreme right wing views which were racist and nationalistic (e. g. getting rid of Jews/ perfect race). There are many reasons why Hitler had come to power. Germany had just been through a war and had lost. The Treaty of Versailles made a contract for Germany which made living in Germany very hard.The people of Germany were poor and where upset with the Treaty. They wanted someone to help them out of the hole they were in. So Hitler offered them everything they wanted, the people of Germany were brain washed with posters, radio, newspapers and leaflets. Hitler's speeches where strong and effective, the Germans liked the idea of having one strong leader. The Nazis were organised and smart, people liked that; in 1930 The Nazis pulled 6,500,000 votes. Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Hindenburg on 30th January 1933 which was 1/3 of the total votes an outstanding 13,500,000.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 10

History - Essay Example Judy Morley asserts these districts were created more to make money than to preserve historical sites. Both motives are involved in creating historical districts. As American towns and cities grew and changed urban planning became necessary. Buildings and houses were torn down to create new business and houses. Soon as the cities became bigger and bigger a need to create historical sites became necessary. Some of these neighborhoods were planned; others had natural benefits to the creation. The Old Town District in Albuquerque was merged into the town solely to become a historical district. The LoDo District in Denver was planned due to it being the oldest part of Denver. Pike Place Historical District was created due to Federal funding. Whatever the reason all three cities created a historical district for one reason or another. The Old Town District in Albuquerque was originally formed around the San Felipe de Neri Church. Settlers built homes around the church (Morley 22). In the 1800s, trade created stores and outposts in the Old Town District. Morley points out that like most Western towns, Albuquerque’s Old Town was by the railroad tracks (11). This helped settlers, supplies, and other goods to be delivered. The only main transportation in the beginning was the train. Roads and interstates were not even imagined during this time. As the town spread and transportation evolved, land expansion grew. When Albuquerque grew a New Town emerged that was distinctly separate from the Old Town. Only after the growth in the 1940s did the New Town want to merge with its historical past of the Old Town. New Town was made up of whites; where as Old Town was made up of Latinos. The annexation of the Old Town was done for the sole purpose of creating a historical district. This was a purposeful move on the part of the New Town. As the city continued to grow, Albuquerque moved beyond

Case study for nursing-heart disease-myocardial infarction Essay

Case study for nursing-heart disease-myocardial infarction - Essay Example This is an emergency situation and she needs immediate medical attention. An appropriate dose of bronchodilator, preferably in combination with a corticosteroid can reverse the condition. This is the rationale for the administration of 3 doses of salbutamol through a metered dose inhaler. This is aimed at reducing the bronchospasm. Salbutamol is a selective ÃŽ ²2 adrenergic receptor agonist which predominates in lung tissue. When administered in inhalant form, the drug exerts immediate action on the bronchial smooth muscles. It hastens the relaxation of the bronchial smooth muscles. Oxygen therapy has been suggested as she has suffered this exacerbation for quite some time now and although the SpO2 and SaO2 levels are within normal limits; oxygen therapy will hasten her recovery as lung efficiency is presently compromised. This will also prevent any ongoing imbalance within the arterial blood gases and aid in better oxygenation of the blood which is to be carried to the vital organs. Patients in status asthmaticus usually have elevated plasma antidiuretic hormone levels and this can disturb the water and electrolyte balance. This is the reason for the suggested administration of N/2 saline. Fluid therapy will restore the electrolyte balance and bring about homeostasis in the body. Ipratropium is a mast cell stabilizer and will prevent the further release of histamine and other mediators which contract the respiratory smooth muscles. Prednisolone is a potent corticosteroid which has a marked anti inflammatory action and is therefore prescribed for three days in order to suppress further inflammation within the respiratory tract. The dosage needs to be continued for a short period of three days or more and can be suddenly stopped although corticosteroids are known to suppress the normal synthesis and release of glucocorticoids by the

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Criminal Justice Opinion Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Criminal Justice Opinion Portfolio - Essay Example Be it the declaration of Independence or the United States constitution, sovereignty is always placed in the hands of the common man. The civil state is beholden to protect the rights of the individual. According to the Fourth Amendment, one has freedom from search and seizure, absent warrant when there is a justifiable requirement of privacy. Currently, it is Fourth Amendment that actually defines the common privacy rights enjoyed by US citizens. Respect to a person’s reasonable expectation of privacy must be maintained according to a 1967 Supreme Court ruling. The state can take any measure to ensure the safety of its citizens. On grounds of suspicion of ‘unusual conduct’, the state can resort to Stop and Frisk measures. But, it must be done after accumulating specific and articulable facts drawn from rational inferences. This can protect the right to privacy from undue interference of the state. Without a warrant there cannot be a seizure on a person, his home or personal property. This includes brief detention when the government is actually encroaching upon the possessory interests of the person to accumulate evidence. It is actually the exceptions that can result in a conflict between the interests of the state and the right to privacy of the respective individual. Even momentary detention is allowed under specific circumstances when the government has no other means to attain its objective. It can be in the form of the brief detention of the motorists or the immigration checkpoints or creating roadblocks to nab a fleeing criminal or locating a suspected bomb. This is to uphold the requirement of the society which is of greater interest. The lives of the citizens and the state’s information assets must be secured, under the current threat of terrorism. With transparent international borders it is indeed a ceaseless strife to maintain an effective balance between

Monday, August 26, 2019

MySofa.co.uk digital marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

MySofa.co.uk digital marketing plan - Essay Example These are some of the most critical aspects that have the potential to bring critical challenges in the company’s expansion plan. Among these factors some are controllable or manageable (like selection of local vendor, supply chain and logistics) while others are uncontrollable (like government restrictions). In the present situation we are required to create a digital marketing plan for the brand â€Å"My Sofa† by the renowned sofa company of UK, Stokers. Sofa reflects the taste and preference of the users and thus it makes significant furniture among others. Whenever a visitor steps into the house, he or she faces the drawing room first where they are offered seats. These seats leave an impression in the person’s mind about the owner of the house as well as about the other members of the house. Thus it is of utmost importance to place a suitable sofa in the drawing room that would help the outsiders to have an impressive inkling about the people staying within the house. My Sofa is a luxury brand that aims at capturing the attention of the aged generation who mostly prefer a traditional, classic and sophisticated look in their drawing room. The digital marketing plan would create an online platform for the buyers and sellers where the customers will be able to choose the perfect sofa for their house without even visiting the store. The main aim of the website is saving the time and effort of the modern customer base that mostly remain busy with their professions. The online platform would also prove to be helpful for the sellers since the transactions will get recorded automatically that would save their time and effort and this platform will also provide the sellers with the opportunity to offer customized products and service to their customers. A situation analysis and clearly defined objectives The furniture and furnishings sector of UK is a significant industry. It accounts for ?9.4 billion to the nation’s GDP, which is equiva lent to 1.7% of the manufacturing yield, and provides job opportunities to almost 116,000 people inside  8,180 firms. In addition, the business  recruits 17,000 people in dedicated furniture and furnishings wholesale and retail, 7,000 in leasing, 2,000  in repair and a section of the 42,000 listed professional designers (The British furniture Confederation, n.d.). The Sofa Market is estimated to be worth ?2.8b annually by industry insider reports. Of this it is thought that 30% (?850m) are ‘quality seekers’. These are aspiring consumers who are proud of their home. This group of consumers can be split into 3 sub-groups according to their family, age, income status and their relationship with children: 1. Young established shoppers within the age group 25 to 35. These shoppers mostly do not have kids. The audience size is 3.4 million. The sofa market size is 230 million pounds. This group is basically considered to be the youngest among the three groups with urban lifestyle and modern outlook. Their choice

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Play (The Zoo Story) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Play (The Zoo Story) - Essay Example It didn’t make a lot of sense to me. I had trouble understanding the way that Jerry talked. It seemed like he was crazy and abstract. I wanted him to get to the point. I sympathized a lot more with Peter. He seemed to be a character that was a lot more like me. I often find it annoying when strangers strike up conversations with me about nothing. In the course of these kinds of conversations, I often try to figure out what the other person wants. In this play, I kept wondering what Jerry wanted. Nothing he was saying had any kind of point. That for me was disorientating at first. After finishing the play, I began to understand that Jerry is really seeking fellow feeling and understanding. He is trying to create a narrative of his life that will help him find meaning. He is obviously not very good at this, and the surprise ending at the end of the play, where Jerry is impaled on the knife is the best example of this. In a way, Jerry is so out of tune with the world that he can’t live in it anymore. He seeks friendship and understanding—and so he has to die in this way. He can’t simply kill himself alone—he needs to have that human connection. I think that is why, in part, he makes sure that Peter picks up the knife. The idea of the zoo is important. It is clear that the author of the play thinks that people are too often trapped in their own cages by social norms and unable to escape and actually talk to one another in a normal way. I found this to be an interesting and thought-provoking play. It surprised and challenged me. I would like to read more works by Edward Albee and read other playwrights from this era in American history. Overall, I enjoyed this course. I found it invigorating and stimulating. In general, the professor was extremely approachable and it was clear that he had a real appreciation and interest in the subject matter. I now see things in a different light and I intend to go to the theatre for pleasure.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Low Grade in a Class Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Low Grade in a Class - Assignment Example They need to capture all details, especially if the subject coverage never lasts long enough. It should measure the needed aspects; therefore, teachers need to ensure they teach subjects accordingly. In a matter under taught subjects, the teacher could base one standardized test on the learning covered. Later, he should give another test after teaching the remaining part and find the average. This would increase the value of the test and at the same time, would allow looking after the welfare of students in the case of harming them with untaught tests. Raw scores represent totals put across a table to show the correct responses as per results in a test. Compare students’ performances in a table. These students could be rated by age or any other factor. It could also be used in comparing the results of one student in many tests. A percentile would be used in the comparison of students rated at a nationwide norm. It shows a difference with percent because it represents the perfo rmance of a student in a large group. Percentile would not be a very good method for measuring student growth. The reason behind this would be that the student achieving physical growth might remain at the same percentile level. Percent describes the opposite of percentile. In this case, a test might have answers with scores that could be correct or incorrect. The number of questions answered in the correct manner would be multiplied by a hundred and later divided by a total of questions tested. Grade equivalent reveals the actual score as a result of the correctly answered questions. It represents students who earn the raw score on average. The ranks go according to their score. Such scores would mean different performances though, in conclusion, they could be put to... Raw scores represent totals put across a table to show the correct responses as per results in a test. Compare students’ performances in a table. These students could be rated by age or any other factor. It could also be used in comparing the results of one student in many tests. A percentile would be used in the comparison of students rated at a nationwide norm. It shows a difference with percent because it represents the performance of a student in a large group. Percentile would not be a very good method for measuring student growth. The reason behind this would be that the student achieving physical growth might remain at the same percentile level. Percent describes the opposite of percentile. In this case, a test might have answers with scores that could be correct or incorrect. The number of questions answered in the correct manner would be multiplied by a hundred and later divided by a total of questions tested. Grade equivalent reveals the actual score as a result of t he correctly answered questions. It represents students who earn the raw score on average. The ranks go according to their score. Such scores would mean different performances though, in conclusion, they could be put to one. Instruction depends on which one explains better the performance of a student. Here, the teacher would be able to make the parent understand the level of performance that his or her child holds.Students need to know their level of assignment and how far they could go if they put in effort.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Organisational behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Organisational behaviour - Essay Example The research is focused on the aspects of the relationships and human behavior inside the organizations. Organizational behavior can be defined as the study of the way people, individual and groups relate in the organizations. Organizational behavior is extremely important, and managers should understand the behavior of their employee in order to build good relationships, and achieve the objectives of people, organization, and the social objectives. Organizational behavior entails the learning human behavior and the way they relate in the work place. A theory is concerns ideas used to explain the relationship of a phenomenon. These ideas are used to expound on the relationships about some aspects in the world. Human behavior is learnt in the societies through the various relationships that human beings engage in their environment. There are various theories used to explain human behavior (Griffin, 2011). The theories of human behavior are explored herein. Social exchange theory was c oined by theorists such as George Homans, John Thibaut, Harold Kelley, and Peter Blau. This theory emphasizes on how people minimize costs and maximize rewards through social exchange. This theory was developed to help understand the social behavior of humans in the economic realm. Another theory of human behavior is the social learning theory. Here, ideas by Albert Bandura as one of the scholars who wrote on social learning theory will be explored. According to Bandura, people in the society learn from each other.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

James Madison Essay Example for Free

James Madison Essay James Madison, Federalist Paper #51, 1788 In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered by the people is first divided between two distinct governments, and the portion allotted to each subdivided among distinct and separate governments, Hence a double security rises to the rights of the people. The different governments will each control each other, at the same ume that each will be controlled by Itself. Note: Madisons Idea of division of power between central and state governments is known as Federalism, Specific power divisions can be seen in the chart below. Document Analysis 1. A compound is something made of two or more pieces. What are the two pieces that make up Madisons compound government? The central/national government and the state governments 2. What word ending in ism is another word for this kind ot compound government? Federalism . How does this compound government provide double security to the people? The central and state governments will check each others power. Also, the branches within each level of government will provide checks and balances. 4. Using the chart above, can you see a pattern In the types of power the Constitution reserved for the State governments? States seem to have power over the more local and personal issues (school. marriages ). These personal liberties were too important for the framers to put into the hands of the national government. Governments closer to the people (the state overnments) would be more in tune with the feelings and cultures of their arem 5. How does federalism guard against tyranny? By distributing certain powers between the central government and the states neither could tyrannize (gain absolute power) over the nation or the nations people. Document

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Character of Curley Essay Example for Free

Character of Curley Essay Candy joined the attack with joy Glove fulla vaseline ; he said disgustedly I didnt wanta; Lennie cried. I didnt wanta hurt him. Ques : Explore how the language in this extract influences your view of Curly? The language used in the extract shows Curley to be hateful, violent and angry. The extract describes a scene where by Curley is attacking Lennie, and it begins mid-attack. From the beginning of the extract it is clear that Curley is in an angry mood from the way that he â€Å"glared† at Candy when Candy joins the attack. Steinbeck uses a simile to describe Curley – â€Å"Curley stepped over like a terrier.† This comparison to a terrier works on two levels because a terrier is both small and aggressive, and Curley’s small size and aggressive nature are theme not only in the extract, but also throughout the book. When Curley speaks to Lennie, he uses obscene language and such as â€Å"bastard† and â€Å"son-of-a-bitch.† This further gives the reader the impression that Curley is rude and aggressive, and also that he dislikes Lennie. Curley attacks Lennie, punching him in the face and stomach, but at first Lennie does not fight back or defend himself. However, Curley continues to attack him. At this point, the reader feels sympathy for Lennie and feels that Curley is the guilty aggressor. This feeling is shared by Slim, who jumps up and calls Curley a â€Å"dirty little rat.† The language used here creates a very negative portrayal of Curley, as rats are very dirty animals But then when Lennie does finally fight back, we see a different and weaker side to Curley. Lennie is much bigger and stronger than Curley. Lennie catches Curley fist with ease and Curley is left â€Å"flopping like a fish on a line.† This use of simile shows Curley to be weak and defenceless and shows that Lennie has caught him out. There is a sudden transition from Curley being violent and aggressive (like a terrier ) to him being beaten up and defeated â€Å"Curley was white and shrunken by now†¦ He stood crying.†

Product Life Cycle In The High Tech Industry Marketing Essay

Product Life Cycle In The High Tech Industry Marketing Essay Posits that, as the pace of change has accelerated rapidly and created unprecedented uncertainty in the markets of this decade, many companies have needed to dispense with existing, once reliable, practices in order to remain competitive. Suggests that the efficacy of one particular marketing tool, the product life cycle model, has been questioned, by various writers in the academic and business press, with regard to the general applicability and validity of its assertions and the claim it makes to be able to predict the marketing strategies that should be applied at different stages of a products life. Explores the arguments for and against the validity of the product life cycle model as a marketing tool in this present, dynamic environment. Introduction the product life cycle model Since its adoption by marketing, the product life cycle (PLC) has achieved universal acceptance because of its appeal and wide application. In the 1950s and 1960s, when markets concentrated on consumer goods and were characterized by simple segmentation, comparatively stable technology and relatively unsophisticated communications, the product life cycle model was an acceptable assemblage of market dynamics (Wood, 1990). Despite the fact that no two life cycles are the same, the model was proffered, with support either from experience or from empirical research in the fast-moving consumer goods sector, as a predictive tool to anticipate marketing requirements and aid long-term planning of product strategies in advance of each stage of the cycle. The concept was analysed so frequently in marketing literature that it became given to many executives. The product life cycle represents a core element of marketing theory and has done for four decades. According to marketing literature, every product or service has, by definition, a life cycle and how this is managed is key to survival in business. The product life cycle model describes how most products pass sequentially through four stages: introduction, growth, maturity and decline (see Figure 1). Each of these phases requires different strategies relating to promotion, pricing, distribution and competition, to maximize the products value and profitability. The principal components of the model are changes in sales, stage identification and sequential sales behaviour. The concept proved to be exceptionally durable and was explicated eloquently. According to Dhalla and Yuspeh (1976), its use has added lustre and believability to the insistent claim that marketing is close to becoming a science. The product life cycle theory has been exposed to comparatively little reproach with very few writings contesting the assumptions it makes, although Mercer (1993a) emphasizes that substantiation of the concept has seemed surprisingly difficult to uncover. However, the dynamic markets of the eighties, bore little resemblance to the relatively simply defined and stable markets of the early sixties (Wood, 1990) and with this the validity of the product life cycle was brought into question. Dhalla and Yuspehs article is the one most quoted as the premiss for recent scepticism over the product life cycle theorys general applicability (Mercer, 1993a). The validity of the product life cycle model The product life cycle theory draws an analogy with the life cycle of human beings, in that every product in a market is mortal. In the world of biology, each stage in the cycle is fixed, with one stage following on from another in both an invariable and irreversible order. In the marketing world, however, neither of these circumstances is typical, the length of different stages of the life cycle tending to differ from product to product. For example, certain products have scarcely any growth stage, while others introductory and maturity stages are barely discernible (Dhalla and Yuspeh, 1976). Not all sequences of stages in actual sales are consistent with the expected sequence of the model. The expected time pattern for each stage is often dismissed on the premiss that it depends on the product itself. Polli and Cook (1969) explain how most graphic representations of the cycle ignore the stage of decline, inferring that the introduction and growth stages make up half of the products life. This leads us to assume the life cycle curve is symmetrical at the middle of the growth stage. Furthermore, this implies the introductory and growth stages amount to the same length of time as periods of slow growth and maturity. The model presumes the existence of some rules indicating the movement of the product from one stage to another. However, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ no such rules can be objectively developed (Dhalla and Yuspeh, 1976). Wood points out that the phrase life cycle itself contradicts the evidence by insinuating absolute inevitability and irreversibility (Wood, 1990), the evidence demonstrating that products can move in different time scales and in different sequence throughout their life. Polli and Cook (1969) conclude that this presumed sequence of sales characterizes the weak assumption of the product life cycle model and that in addition the expected proportion of time spent in each stage represents the strong assumption of the product life cycle model. Similarly, a products life cycle differs to that of a human beings as it is usual for products to attain a second life or to be reincarnated as a result of promotion. Likewise, numerous brands have been seen to go from maturity back to rapid growth (Dhalla and Yuspeh, 1976). Hiam (1990) believes it is dangerous to presume that products have a life cycle, since anything with a life cycle dies. Although it appears obvious that every product will ultimately be replaced, at a frequency that is dependent on the specific industry and market, there is the problem that this assumption of death will prove a self-fulfilling prophecy. Hiam (1990) states that many products can be revitalized and that maturity simply reflects saturation of a specific target market with a specific product form. If the form of product is varied and the target market expanded, new growth can sometimes be created, such that only when a company has exhausted all alternative ways to reposition the product has the produ ct to die. Hiam (1990) believes it is a myth that products have a predetermined life-span. Wood (1990) concurs that, by establishing the prospect of decline, the product life cycle may become a self-fulfilling prophecy with valuable brands being prematurely discontinued. Dhalla and Yuspeh (1976) substantiate this rationale with their research, which found many cases where a brand was dropped because management, on the basis of the product life cycle theory, believed the brand had reached a dying stage. For instance, where a brands success had dwindled for a few years, because of factors such as poor advertising, management believed the product had reached the decline stage and subsequently redirected funds from this product to new products, rather than seek corrective measures. As the brand continued to deteriorate, new products were launched and the brand was considered to be in decline purely on the basis of the product life cycle concept. One example was that of a US toothpaste, Ipana, which was marketed until 1968, then abandoned and replaced by new products. However, a year later, two businessmen picked up the brand name and created a new formula, keeping the original packaging. With virtually no promotion and limited resources, sales turned around in the first seven months, and within three years the toothpaste was still being used by over one million people. Had the original company kept the product and provided suitable marketing support for it, the brand may have been in an even stronger position in the market (Dhalla and Yuspeh, 1976). Dhalla and Yuspeh (1976) also identified several other problems with the product life cycle model. First, it is often difficult to determine, with any accuracy, at which stage of the cycle the product actually is. As the four stages of the cycle are not clear-cut, it is possible to assume a product is at a particular phase when the opposite may in fact be the case. For instance, a product may be seen to have reached maturity, when in actuality it is merely at an ephemeral plateau. Considering variations can take place year-to-year, it is also difficult to foresee when the next stage of the life cycle will appear, how long it will last, and to what levels sales will extend (Dhalla and Yuspeh, 1976). In a similar vein, Levitt highlights some shortcomings of the practical application of the product life cycle concept, on the presumption that the purpose of the concept is to establish the stage of ones product in the cycle and then select the strategy befitting that stage. The major problem which Levitt identifies is that, in order for the model to have any practical use, the marketing manager needs to know the answers to three key questions: how and to what extent the shape and duration of each stage can be predicted; how one can determine what stage a product is in; and how the concept can be used effectively. Answering these questions is difficult. If basic marketing information is not held, the shape of the curve is irrelevant and positioning the product on the product life cycle curve becomes reduced largely to a matter of guesswork (Wood, 1990). Mercer (1993b) also points out that in many markets the product or brand life cycle is longer than the actual planning cycle of organizations. Even where companies look to the product life cycle, they will be basing their plans only on the small section of the cycle in which they reside at the time, rather than covering the entire life of the product. As a result, the theory can offer only few, if any, benefits. In Mercers (1993b) survey, 49 per cent of managers attached the value of the product life cycle to new products and a quarter attached it to the decline stage, while none referred to the mature stage. As a result, the theory has little value for the majority of organizations whose products are at the mature stage. Mercer sees its use as dangerous for such organizations because it may entice managers of thriving mature products prematurely to expect the move into the decline stage. Similarly, the product life cycle concept has led top executives to over-emphasize new product introduction and neglect older brands, despite the belief that the odds are four to one against new products being successful. While Dhalla and Yuspeh (1976) believe work on new products should proceed, they see that it is on todays products that a companys profits normally depend. In parallel, Goldberg (1994) states that too many executives in the industry think building new products is the answer, when it is often not. He maintains that companies need to be creative and refresh and create excitement around products to avoid the costs that occur with brand new products. He believes responding to short cycles is a key part to todays hyper-competitive market and doing this the wrong way is bound to cause you major problems. Most writers proffer the product life cycle concept as an ideal framework, but neglect to establish the difference between product class (e.g. cigarettes), product form (e.g. filter cigarettes) and brand (e.g. Winston). Many product classes' life can extend into centuries, e.g. automobiles, radios, soft drinks. Many appear in the absence of technological breakthroughs, to be almost impervious to normal life cycle pressures, provided they satisfy some basic need. When supporters talk about the life cycle of a product, they are invariably referring to product forms. The Marketing Science Institute also carried out research in an attempt to validate the product life cycle concept for product classes and forms. Over 100 product categories in the food, health, and personal care sectors were inspected and the number of cases that did not follow the sequence of stages on the product life cycle concept were recorded. Research concluded that the product life cycle concept had some reason for being, in that it explained sales behaviour better than a chance model could, however, the authors expressed doubts about its general validity. The authors concluded that their findings suggest the life cycle concept, when used as an explicit model, is more likely to be misleading than useful (Dhalla and Yuspeh, 1976). With regard to brands, the product life cycle model has been shown by Dhalla and Yuspeh (1976) to have even less validity. They believe that even when a brand survives the introductory stage, the model in most cases cannot be used as a planning or a predictive tool. Evidence for the product life cycle concept is not assuring because brands tend to have different patterns of sales, and therefore the product form curves cannot indicate what sales will be like (Dhalla and Yuspeh, 1976). Polli and Cook (1969) also believe the model to be more appropriate for examining the life of product forms than of product classes, while Wood (1990) suggests that, as the product life cycle concept is being related purely to brands, the use of the theory is encouraging an unhealthy myopia and brand/product focus. Mercer (1993a) also carried out research into the life cycle of brands, using data collected by the British Marketing Research Bureau, in which 929 brands were tracked within 150 market segments from 1969 to 1989. He found that the majority of those brands which were leaders in 1969 remained brand leaders in their respective markets in 1989. Only 7 per cent had declined below fourth place and only 1 per cent had been discontinued (Mercer, 1993a). This research shows there is a clear lack of evidence of the end stage of the life cycle, which itself weakens the assumption that the product life cycle theory is applicable generally. The research illustrates that the most important characteristics of most life cycles is that-for all practical intents and purposes-they do not exist (Mercer, 1993b). Mercer (1993b) believes, therefore, that the product life cycle of brand leaders is one of continuity and that it is a tautology that products are created and later die. Consequently, Mercer (1993b) questions the practical use of the product life cycle theory to the marketing manager. Since his findings suggest the average length of a brands life exceeds 20 years, the product life cycle concept may do little to satisfy the needs of the marketing manager whose objectives are likely to be contained within two years. This problem was also highlighted in discussions with the Public Relations Manager for the IT sector of Insight Marketing, Jo Bethell, who expressed difficulty in following the product life cycle model when marketing high-tech products. The difficulties arose primarily when developments in the industry forced Insight Marketing to take reactive action, contrary to the action predetermined by the product life cycle model. Polli and Cook (1969) concur that it is wrong to deduce, even from an extensive period of sales stability in a general product class, that saturation has been reached necessarily and that the product life cycle model, despite its other merits, cannot be invoked to support this supposition. They believe saturation is reached only if new product forms are not practicable with existing technology and if new uses for existing forms cannot be found. Both these forces can increase dramatically the level of market acceptance for a product class, with changes in past sales failing to predict their effects. Polli and Cook (1969) conclude that the maturity stage for a product class can be construed as saturation only by taking as given the state of technology and applications for existing product forms with the product class. In addition, they suggest it is not sound to conclude, from the detection of a few periods of decline after prolonged sales stability, that sales of a product class will continue to fall. Their findings propound that, while continued decline is possible, it is uncommon for a product class and the most likely outcome of such a period of decline will be fall in the maximum sales level and a renewed period of sales stability or maturity. They deduce, therefore, that a decline in the acceptance of a product class does not mean it is a dying market opportunity. Some suggest the maturity stage of a product is associated with stability of market shares within that product. With regard to the market share of product forms that are within a general product class, Polli and Cook (1969) found this to be inapt. They illustrated that, even during maturity of the product class, acceptance levels of product forms can change significantly. For example, in their research, plain filter cigarettes (a product form) experienced rapid growth to a high level of sustained demand, whereas the product class (cigarettes) stayed in the maturity stage for more than 40 years. Nevertheless, Dhalla and Yuspeh (1976) argue that, where consumer tastes and values change, or preferences move to new and improved competitive products euthanasia has to be quietly performed so that the companys capital resources can be used profitably in other ventures. The existence of product feature cycles and upgrades in features of products which are referred to as product life cycles also confuses the issue. Nevertheless, the brand that contains these ephemeral components is often still the dominant element of the overall product and is very long lasting. Mercers (1993a) evidence shows how the theory has little import in most markets and should be used only in special circumstances. Nevertheless, the major lesson of the PLC-that change is to be ignored at the marketing managers peril-still holds true (Mercer, 1993a). The product life cycle model has also been criticized for its lack of empirical backing. Wood (1990) refers to research by Polli and Cook to point out that only 17 per cent product classes and 20 per cent product forms exhibited a sales behaviour essentially consistent with the product life cycle and that 83 per cent product classes and 80 per cent product forms did not fit the classical PLC shape. Some supporters of the product life cycle concept have attempted to validate the theory by introducing alternative curves appropriate for different situations. Many shapes, durations and sequences have been revealed, yet explanations for such differences have not been researched, despite this understanding being crucial for development of strategy and well-informed forecasting (Day, 1981). Variations in the product life cycle are inescapable if Levitts premiss is believed, i.e. that the basis of the concept is that the life-cycle can be managed (Wood, 1990). Dhalla and Yuspeh (1976) believ e such endeavours to substantiate the product life cycle concept leave much to be desired and that it would be better to admit that the whole PLC concept has little value in the world of brands. Yet another element of question in the validity of the product life cycle is that the sales changes of a product differ in relation to the actual definition of the product. In support of this, Polli and Cook (1969) explain that, although cars and mentholated filter cigarettes are both products, cars include components more heterogeneous among themselves than filter cigarettes. Thus, this general problem must be acknowledged to avoid error Polli and Cook (1969) concede that the product life cycle concept has not been tested systematically as a model of sales behaviour, probably because of the inclination not to take the concept very seriously, because of its degree of validity. However, they profess that several writers have used the product life cycle model as a basis for recommendations about the composition of marketing programmes at the various stages of the life cycle, for instance to formulate advertising campaigns and so on. These marketing programmes are based on the underlying presupposition that the product life cycle is independent of a companys marketing practice. Polli and Cook (1969) point out, however, that, while it is possible that amendments to advertising may not affect the life cycle of a product, this ought to be clearly established before it is accepted as a basis for planning. Polli and Cook (1969) carried out extensive research to evaluate the performance of the product life cycle model and attempt to verify it empirically as a descriptive model of sales behaviour. Their principal aim was to evaluate the consistency of the model with actual records of sales of product classes, product forms and brands. They compared the number of stages that deviate from the presumed sequence of the life cycle model with the number of inconsistent observations in 100 simulated sequences, which are stages generated by a chance process. For a detailed explanation of their test procedures, see Polli and Cook, 1969. They found that the concurrence between sales performance of product forms and the life cycle model was good and that changes in sales for product classes, product forms, and brands were all concordant with the product life cycle model. When testing the performance of the life cycle their findings showed that, in essence, 44 per cent of all products displayed sales behaviour consistent with the life cycle and that, for 96 per cent of products, the inconsistent observations were fewer than the mean number of inconsistencies. However, they do stress that any inference from their research results should consider ones personal assessment of what compounds a good enough fit, which depends on the definition of product used and the influence of demand and supply on sales. Nevertheless, Polli and Cook (1969) contest that their results strongly suggest the life cycle concept, when tested in a given market and found valid, can be a fairly rich model of sales behaviour and that, even with refer ence to brands, the product life cycle model is strong enough to merit its use in that category and further testing in other categories. Polli and Cook (1969) conclude that, while the overall performance of the model could be disputed with regard to its general applicability, its appeal, the existence of a theoretical foundation in the adoption process, and their own research results point to the model being valid in many common market situations. The product life cycle concept is a verifiable model of sales behaviour, particularly in market situations where different product forms compete for the same market segment with a general class of products, and can be helpful in planning marketing and forecasting sales. Quarterdeck Office Systems, a small computer software firm in Santa Monica, California, USA, also profess the validity of the product life cycle, the use of which they claim saved the companys neck. The company exists through serving a niche created by Microsoft. When Microsoft launched Windows 3.0, which incorporated the features of Quarterdecks products, Quarterdeck would have been ruined were it not for managements knowledge and use of the product life cycle concept. They identified the various life-cycle stages of their products and continually assessed the strategies Microsoft was following. They found that their product worked more efficiently with older computers and for a large segment of users who struggle to learn new programs and would rather not upgrade to new hardware. On the other hand, Microsofts Windows worked better with newer computer models and with software requiring more memory. On this basis, and considering the fact Microsoft was aiming their product at the introduction and growth stages, Quarterdeck positioned its own product at the mature and declining stages of the life cycle. Through creating such a niche in these stages of the life cycle, the company identified the only way it could succeed (Paley, 1994). Paley (1994) believes marketing managers generally are starting to administer product life cycle strategies to extend the sales life of their product, find a market position in which they can avoid conflict with strong rivals, and organize their salesforce to achieve greater productivity. He sees introducing the product life cycle strategy as a resourceful way in which to forge competitive advantage and that its implementation could make the difference between life and death of a company when confronted with overwhelming competition. Attempts to validate or rebut the life cycle concept on an empirical basis have been restricted by the lack of a definition as to which life is being examined, since different writers have different understandings of the product life cycle concept. No satisfactory empirical ratification of the concept exists and furthermore, by following sales over time, what are being observed are the consequences of different management strategies on the life cycle. To exemplify, Wood (1990) refers to Cox who identified six types of life cycle curve, which would imply a cycle-recycle pattern where sales do not decline following maturity of the product, but begin the old cycle again as a result of a push in promotion. Despite such criticism, the product life cycle has become accepted and valued as an element of basic marketing theory and has become a block on which management theory has been built. Mercer (1993a) points out that, from the evidence taken from his literature searches, the product life cycle seems still to be a dominant component of marketing theory. Nevertheless, he devotes much of his paper to augmenting the evidence that the product life cycle has only limited applicability. Conclusions Serious doubt as to the validity of the product life cycle model as a marketing tool has been raised. The model has been widely criticized, by writers in the academic and business press, for many reasons. For instance, not all sequences of stages in actual sales are consistent with the expected sequence of the model, and products have been seen to experience second lives, a concept not acknowledged by the product life cycle model. Furthermore, many writers have criticized the model since it is difficult to determine at which stage of the cycle the product actually is. The model has also been open to reproach on the grounds that it does not establish the difference between product class, product form and brand. Moreover, products themselves differ according to levels of innovation and price, changes in technology, consumer needs and tastes, and changes in economic circumstances, all of which can influence the life cycle. Although the product life cycle concept has not been tested systematically as a model of sales, probably as a result of this abundance of criticism and subsequent tendency not to take it too seriously, some writers have used the model and based marketing strategies on the assertions and recommendations it makes for each stage. Polli and Cook (1969) offer probably the most thorough examination of the validity of the concept and one of few that actually finds that the concurrence between sales performance and changes in sales of products were concordant with the product life cycle model. Nevertheless, it has been the significance of these factors-which have been raised by critics of the concept-which has led to the questioning of the efficacy of the product life cycle concept as a tool to predict marketing strategies. Evidence set out here suggests that the product life cycle model is useful to monitor sales but its expediency in deciding the fate of products has been strongly challenged. Kotler himself was reported by Wood (1990) as now accepting that the value of the product life cycle for forecasting is limited, while Wood (1990) suggests the product life cycle has fulfilled its purpose. He contends that the product life cycle concept is failing to perform effectively and that in the 1990s the PLC will have little, if anything, to offer marketing education and that teaching the concept will actually constrain marketing management thinking. Mercer (1993a) goes as far as to say that the product life cycle should be eliminated from the marketers vocabulary and is in effect a fallacy (Mercer, 1993b).

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Ramayana: Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa Essays -- Valmiki, Rama, Lakshmana

One of the most striking relationships throughout the entire RÄ mÄ yaá ¹â€¡a is that between India's epic hero RÄ ma and his half-brother Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a. What is interesting about this affair is Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a's pure fidelity toward his brother and all his goals. While RÄ ma is the king on leave throughout most of the Hindu epic, Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a acts more or less as his royal servant and bodyguard of his most prized possession, that being RÄ ma's wife, SÄ «tÄ . Interestingly enough, Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a is very much an intelligent being himself, and one who revels in the longevity of his brother's interests and aims. This paper will deal with how these Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a creates himself as the most loyal of companions within the first book of the RÄ mÄ yaá ¹â€¡a. In the BÄ la KÄ Ã¡ ¹â€¡Ã¡ ¸ a, VÄ lmÄ «ki sets forth the ideal relationship between the brothers, which only grows stronger and allows the story to finish at the termination of t he Uttara KÄ Ã¡ ¹â€¡Ã¡ ¸ a. In order to understand Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a, we have to understand that he, like RÄ ma, is an avatar of Vishnu, and again, like RÄ ma, is sent forth into the forest with the sage ViÅ›vÄ mitra in order to conquer the demons that inhabit the land. Therefore, Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a is a royal and legitimate heir to the throne, although he is the youngest of all of the King of AyodhyÄ 's sons. Seemingly, his most striking characteristic is that of not only loyalty to RÄ ma, but to dhà ¡rma as well. Dhà ¡rma, aside from being the "right course of conduct in every dilemma," is a social contract for all human beings to follow. With the rise of the demon RÄ vaá ¹â€¡a and his dispensation from BrahmÄ  of a boon of invincibility, RÄ ma and Laká ¹ £maá ¹â€¡a vow to help save the kingdom and the world from this evildoer and henceforth, to promote and uphold dhà ¡rma. This, although truly heroic indeed, is le... ..." Works Cited Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online, s.v. "Dharma-shastra," http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/160730/Dharma-shastra (accessed May 3, 2011). V. Raghavan, The Two Brothers, Rama and Lakshmana, (Madras: Raghavan, 1976), 5. V. Raghavan, The Two Brothers, Rama and Lakshmana, (Madras: Raghavan, 1976), 5. G.S. Ghurye, The Legacy of the Ramayana, (Bombay: Popular Prakashan Private Ltd., 1979), 98. Swami Venkatesananda, THE CONCISE RÄ€MÄ€YAá ¹â€ A of VÄ lmÄ «ki, (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1988), 13. G.S. Ghurye, The Legacy of the Ramayana, (Bombay: Popular Prakashan Private Ltd., 1979), 98. V. Raghavan, The Two Brothers, Rama and Lakshmana, (Madras: Raghavan, 1976), 21. Merriam-Webster Dictionary, s.v. "adharma," http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adharma (accessed May 4, 2011).

Monday, August 19, 2019

Cloning :: science

Cloning Introduction Today’s technology develops so quickly that many impossible things become true; the cloning technology is the example. What is cloning? Cloning is a process used to create an exact copy of a mammal by using the complete genetic material of a regular body cell. Different from the common propagate, cloning need only one cell and without sex. In 1997, the great news shocked the whole world that the British scientists created a lamp named Dolly from a single cell, miraculously; the cell had been taken from the udder of adult sheep, which show the first cloning experiment was successful. The history of cloning About the cloning history, we trace back to 400 million years BC, the plants could clone themselves but not to long. The human found the cloning 200 years ago, the first person who did the cloning experiment is a German biologist named Han Spermann, he uses the egg white to clone chicken in 1938 but it was failed. Until 1981, Kal Illmensee and Peter Hoppe report that they clone normal mice and embryo cell; it was a huge progress of the cloning history. After 2 years, the embryologists in UAS first cloned the human’s cells; they put 32 cells into a surrogate mother, and then have cloned 4 extra same cells. In 1997, Ian Wilmut and his colleague Keith Campbell cloned a new adult sheep called Dolly. (Will, April 2002) So human spends long time on cloning research. The process of cloning The cloning has two main parts, one is the plant cloning and the other is the animal cloning. One type of plant cloning naturally occurs when a plant grows a runner. The runner grows horizontally across the ground forming a carbon copy of that same plant at the end. Eventually the runner dies and the daughter plant is separated from the mother plant. Another is when you cut a branch or leaf off of a plant and plant it. It will grow another identical plant. That method is called a cutting. Such as stolon, it is a weak branch of a plant, when it falls over and the tip touches the ground. The tip swells and roots are formed so that growth in the plant can continue. The other kind of cloning in animals is nuclear transfer cloning. Nuclear transfer is when the nucleus of one cell is implanted into another cell that has had the nucleus taken out. Cloning :: science Cloning Introduction Today’s technology develops so quickly that many impossible things become true; the cloning technology is the example. What is cloning? Cloning is a process used to create an exact copy of a mammal by using the complete genetic material of a regular body cell. Different from the common propagate, cloning need only one cell and without sex. In 1997, the great news shocked the whole world that the British scientists created a lamp named Dolly from a single cell, miraculously; the cell had been taken from the udder of adult sheep, which show the first cloning experiment was successful. The history of cloning About the cloning history, we trace back to 400 million years BC, the plants could clone themselves but not to long. The human found the cloning 200 years ago, the first person who did the cloning experiment is a German biologist named Han Spermann, he uses the egg white to clone chicken in 1938 but it was failed. Until 1981, Kal Illmensee and Peter Hoppe report that they clone normal mice and embryo cell; it was a huge progress of the cloning history. After 2 years, the embryologists in UAS first cloned the human’s cells; they put 32 cells into a surrogate mother, and then have cloned 4 extra same cells. In 1997, Ian Wilmut and his colleague Keith Campbell cloned a new adult sheep called Dolly. (Will, April 2002) So human spends long time on cloning research. The process of cloning The cloning has two main parts, one is the plant cloning and the other is the animal cloning. One type of plant cloning naturally occurs when a plant grows a runner. The runner grows horizontally across the ground forming a carbon copy of that same plant at the end. Eventually the runner dies and the daughter plant is separated from the mother plant. Another is when you cut a branch or leaf off of a plant and plant it. It will grow another identical plant. That method is called a cutting. Such as stolon, it is a weak branch of a plant, when it falls over and the tip touches the ground. The tip swells and roots are formed so that growth in the plant can continue. The other kind of cloning in animals is nuclear transfer cloning. Nuclear transfer is when the nucleus of one cell is implanted into another cell that has had the nucleus taken out.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

A Night To Remember Essay examples -- essays research papers

The RMS Titanic; A Tragedy Based on Class. In April, 1912, the so called "unsinkable" Titanic set sail to New York. The great ship was as big as five city blocks, and weighed thousands and thousands of tons. Everyone who was everyone grabbed a room on the luxurious ship for the trip of a lifetime. On April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg an sank into the icy depths of the North Atlantic. People were shocked at the news of the "unsinkable" Titanic sinking and this disbelief was due to the 19th Century’s reliance on science and industry to solve problems. When people set eyes on the most luxurious and biggest ship ever, they easily presumed it unsinkable. The Titanic, along with it’s size, had watertight doors and could keep afloat if four of it’s bottom compartments were fully flooded. So people safely assumed that they had overcame God’s power and that their great science and industry reigned supreme. This type of thought led to the quote, "God himself could not sink this ship!"(A Night to Remember p. 31) Other things that contributed to the reliance on science and industry were inventions in the Industrial Revolution, such as steam power. Steam power revolutionized transportation and brought about great changes to the dependability on ships such as Titanic, which used steam power. Also, during the Industrial Revolution, science was used to solve many problems and help out the birth of many great inventions. These inventions solv...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Gender Roles Essay

â€Å"We’ve begun to raise daughters more like sons†¦but few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters,† (Gloria Steinem, American feminist). Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex in the context of a specific culture (Wikipedia). Gender roles are expectations of how an individual should act, dress, talk, walk, etc. based on their sex, which is biological. Gender roles shape the pressures and expectations society places on male and female individuals. For instance in the old American culture men had to be the main source of income in the family, while women were expected to stay home take care of the children and do the domestic housework. In the short story â€Å"Girl† Jamacia Kincaid illustrates the feminine roles her mother taught her growing up and the expectations she needs to meet as a women, a wife, and a mother. In contrast with Kin caid, Michael Kimmel’s essay â€Å"Bros before Hos: The Guy Code† explores the code of masculinity that young men are expected to follow. Traditional gender roles influence many individuals in a positive or negative aspect as they grow and either resist or give in to the expectations within society. Growing up as little girl, my mother would always teach me the social expectations of the feminine roles associated with our tradition. I would always be playing with dolls, dressing in skirts, putting bows in my hair, pretending to be a princess and acting like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz always clicking my sparkly red shoes. However, the pressures and expectations of the gender roles associated to your sex are more profound as you grow into an adult. As I grew into a young woman the expectations I had and still to this day have to meet are much more demanding and expected. Kincaid states, â€Å"This is how you set a table for dinner; this is how you set a table for dinner with an important guest; this is how you set a table for lunch; this is how to behave in the presence of men who don’t know you very well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (385). Kincaid explains some of the feminine demands and expectations  her mother would teach her growing up. Similar to Kincaid experience, my mother would also establish the feminine roles and demands that I needed to accept and fulfill from the expectations that have been set forth from generations of women. However, the expectations I needed to meet to fulfill the duties as a wife and mother conflicted with my expectations of not wanting to be a wife or mother at all, but to establish and purse a stable career for myself. The view of femininity in the culture I was raised with compared to old American culture of the 50’s and 60’s. Women were seen as objects, accessories. Femininity was viewed as being fragile and weak, as well as having a â€Å"natural† mother like instinct. Women in my culture are defined as being dependent on a man, stay home do the groceries shopping, clean the kitchen, prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner, iron their husbands shirt and pants, â€Å"wash every day, even if it’s with their own spit† (Kincaid 385), keep the household in order, and be the perfect wife, mother, and women or at least pretend to be. However, these traditional views of what feminine roles are defined as conflict with the mainstream American culture of today’s feminine expectations. Women in today’s culture are defined as either the main source of income or contribute the equal amount of income with their spouse. Women are seen as independent and many women have established stable careers. In â€Å"Bros before Hos† Kimmel asked a female college student what it means to be a women she stated, â€Å"’Nobody can tell me what it means to be a women anymore’† (462). In modern American society being a woman has no concrete formulated expectation or role that she is expected to fulfill. Although in today’s modern American society views women differently as they once did, my culture still views women in a more traditional aspect. These conflicts or being independent or dependent, pursuing a career or being a domestic house wife and mother affect both expectations I have to meet with my family culture and the culture I was born into. Being one of the youngest girl in my family I would observe my cousins and see them being pressure of the roles and expectations that where concretely defined in my cultures view of femininity. Their decisions of following the domestic housewife role  affected me to resist these pressures, while they did not and gave me the courage to fulfill my and modern American society’s expectations of what being a woman is and not just stay at home and spend all my husbands’ money because I have nothing better to do. Gender roles have always been a social issue that shape the way we think of others. These roles perceive women as fragile and weak, while men are seen as aggressive and show little to no emotion. Gender roles can vary from one culture to another and have different expectations associated with masculine and feminine roles individuals have to obtain. Gender expectation such as women have to stay home and do the domestic housework, while men are the source of the primary income can either conflict or reinstate the expectations of you. These roles can affect an individual either in a positive or negative ways, whether or not they want to override the social norm of what society says is acceptable or give into the pressure of the roles society established for each gender. The gender roles one’s culture establishes or society establishes becomes more overwhelming as we grow older, enforcing these expectations further. Also, your culture’s view of masculinity or femininity may conflict with mainstream American culture and a rise conflicts for an individual. It’s up to them whether they want to endure the pressures or resist the pressures of traditional gender roles or modern American gender roles. Word Count: 1,025 Reference Page Kincaid, Jamaica. Girl. Boston, Mass.: Bedford/St. Martin’s, (2013): 384-386. Print Kimmel, Michael. Bros before Hoes: The Guy Code. Boston, Mass.: Bedford/St. Martin’s, (2013): 461-471. Print.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Dettol Antiseptic Liquid

INTRODUCTION * Dettol was first used in leading UK maternity hospital in the early 1930s. Shortly thereafter, in 1933, with the endorsement of medical profession, Dettol was launched to the general public. * Dettol is a brand of Reckitt Benckiser and has stood for its trusted production in India since 1930. * The brand is endorsed by the Indian Medical Association and has been voted among India's Most Trusted Brand in recent years. Reckitt Benckiser (India) Limited, formerly known as Reckitt ; Colman of India Limited, has many brands in India, namely â€Å"Dettol, Veet, Harpic, Mortein, Robin Blue, Cherry, Lizol, Colin, Dispirin, Brasso, Mansion and others. PRODUCTS PORTFOLIO * Antiseptic Liquid * Hand Sanitizer * Medicated Plaster * Saving Cream with fresh fragrance * Body Wash * Soap – Original, Skincare, Cool, and Re- Energize * Liquid Handwash- Original, Skincare, Sensitive and Fresh * No Touch Handwash- Original and Cucumber PRODUCTS UNDER BRANDPRODUCTS UNDER BRAND APPRO VED BY INDIAN MEADICAL ASSOCIATION ANTISEPTIC LIQUID DETTOL ANTISEPTIC LIQUID Dettol Antiseptic Liquid is a proven safe and effective antiseptic that kills various bacteria and provides protection against germs which can cause infection and illness. It can be used safely for gentle antiseptic wound cleansing and also for personal hygiene. Dettol Antiseptic Liquid gently cleanses the skin and helps protect against infection from cuts, scratches and insect bites by killing germs. Dettol Antiseptic Liquid can also be used n the wash to freshen linen and nappies and in the bath to leave skin feeling hygienically clean and refreshed (kids older than nine months). SALIENT FEATURES * Dettol Antiseptic Liquid is a product, which has many uses for protecting the family from germs. * Use with mopping water, to disinfect floors, completely. * Use in washing laundry to disinfect the clothes. * For first aid and personal care uses, Dettol Antiseptic Liquid must always be used, dilute in water. * Available in wide range of sizes from 5ml to 5 litre.PROS AND CONS OF DETTOL ANTISEPTIC LIQUID PROS: * Versatile * Disinfectant which kills bacteria and provides protection against germs. *   Dettol is use to cleanse cuts and stings. CONS: * Be careful how you use. * Toxic BUYING MOTIVE OF A CONSUMER * Emergency antiseptic product. * Secondary uses in the form of bathing, cleaning floor, and shaving. * Cuts and bruises healer. * Concentrated antiseptic disinfectant which kills bacteria and provides protection against germs. REFERENCES * www. google. com * www. dettol. co. in * www. wikipedia. com

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Columnist Analysis: Mitch Albom

Kristen Chesmore Hall AP English Lang 3-3-13 Name of Columnist: Mitch Albom Title of Column: One Day, Coming out Won't Mean Leaving. Publication: Detroit Free Press Access of Info: March 2, 2013 Albom, Mitch. â€Å"One Day, Coming out Won't Mean Leaving. † Detroit Free Press 17 Feb. 2013: n. pag. Web. 2 Mar. 2013. Summary: Robbie Rogers is a talented 25 year-old soccer player from southern California. He won the NCAA championship and has played on the U. S. national soccer team. Needless to say, soccer was his life and he was very successful.On February 5th, 2013 he came out to the public that he was gay. Almost immediately after he shared this news, he retired to discover himself away from soccer. He gained much support from fans, media and teammates, but none were able to convince him to keep playing soccer. Mitch Albom discusses this news in his column and the gives hope of a male professional sports player that is brave enough to admit to being gay, and stay to play the ga me for a change. Rhetorical Square: Audience: Alboms Audience would be those who are interested in the news of soccer and other professional sports leagues.He is also targeting men who are in those professional sports leagues and are gay, to be the first to admit to it publicly and continue to play. Persona: The author takes on the persona of a person who supports the gays and has hope for them to be able to be open about their sexual orientation. Purpose: The purpose of this column is to convince future and current gay professional athletes to publicly state their sexual orientation and not let fear or the judgment of others convince them to step away from their dreams.Argument: Albom argues that instead of being scared to be open about being gay, these professional athletes should overcome that fear and be a role model for others who want to be a professional athlete but are afraid that being themselves will get in the way of achieving their dreams. Rhetorical Devices: Albom start s this column with creating a picture of a young and very successful soccer player named Robbie. He does this by describing how young he is and how many major teams he has been on and major championships he has won.By creating this image for the audience it makes it more shocking that he threw all of that success away because he thought people would judge him after he openly admitted that he was gay. This is an appeal to pathos because the audience will sympathize with the story of a successful athlete pushed out of his sport from fear of what society would think of him. When he is describing how Rogers left his career he uses short chopped up sentences. By doing this he is showing how abrupt the decision was through sentence structure rather than verbally stating that his notice of leaving the sport was out of nowhere.This way the audience understands, visually, how shocking it was. Albom also uses direct quotes from Roger’s blog that exhibit how vulnerable and desperate he was. The quotes he uses include words like â€Å"fear†, â€Å"judgment† and â€Å"rejection† that have a negative connotation. These quotes appeal to pathos and make the audience sympathize with the soccer player that felt there was no other way to deal with this than to retire because he was so afraid of being treated differently. It makes his target, gay professional athletes, want to be the first to come out publicly and stay to play so that a situation like Roger’s doesn’t have to happen again.At the beginning and end of the column Albom describes the first man to be a publicly gay professional athlete. He describes him as â€Å"A brave man, a confident man†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , using positive adjectives that make this man seem admirable. This shows the audience that being openly gay and a person of higher power is a very respectable thing to be, not something that people show look down upon. This further convinces the audience to want to be honest w ith who they are. He also includes quotes from a 49ers football player, Chris Culliver, who as not afraid to show his homophobic side. The answers used from an interview that asked his opinion on if he had a teammate that was gay teammate were very bold and hateful. By using these quotes it is another appeal to pathos and is supposed to make the audience angry that someone would be so rude to someone over the sex that they are attracted to. it also makes the audience want more people to stand up for gay people and make society more accepting towards them. And ultimately that will start when the first male professional athlete publicly admits to being gay.

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill was a man-made disaster which had devastating effects on its surrounding environment, in particular the natural environment around the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig. Recovery efforts made by the local governments utilized Information Communications Technology (ICT) such as remote sensors and satellite imagery to track and monitor the magnitude of the oil spill. Further detail on how recovery efforts used ICT's to track and monitor the oil spill as well as its uses in the prevention of future oil spills, including the positives and negatives of the use of ICT will be discussed. Referring to sources such as the scholarly journal ‘Tracking Oil Slicks and Predicting their Trajectories Using Remote Sensors and Models', the magazine article ‘Satellite use Growing to Monitor Facilities and Map Spills' and the national commission report ‘Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling National Commission'. The focus reading ‘Organisations Aiming to Reduce Risk – Worth Broader Exposure' will be used as a comparison and reference to what other industries have done to prevent disasters in their industry from occurring again. Background. Recovery efforts during the Deep Water Oil Spill used Information Communication Technologies (ICT) such as remote sensor technology and satellite imagery technology. Such technology were used in order to monitor the magnitude of the oil spill giving recovery efforts visual data that they could work with as well as a method of being able to obtain the trajectories of the oil spill in order to prevent further spread of the oil in the water. Use of ICT's to assist in Recovery. The use of ICT's such as remote sensor technology and satellite imagery was effectively used by the petroleum industry in previous years prior to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill for exploration purposes. In the event of the oil spill recovery effort teams utilized this same remote sensor technology in order to determine how much oil was spilled, where it reached the shore, and which beaches might be hit next (Pope 2010). This technology allowed recovery teams to effectively survey the spread of oil a lot faster than if it were done through surveillance aircraft such as drones, satellite technology. In the event of the oil spill BP and the federal government utilized two types of satellites. SAR imagery satellites in order to cover large areas and determine the scope of the damage caused. Once the scope of the damage was determined, high-resolution satellites were used to make thorough assessments of the damage. Although satellite imagery we're predominantly used as methods of surveying the wreckage and spill, aircraft drones also played important roles in that they allowed recovery teams to monitor the wreckage from different angles and views. Use of ICT's in the prevention of disasters. Information Communications Technology has multiple uses in that it was able to explore and locate possible petroleum production locations through remote operated vehicles (ROV) attached with thermal imaging cameras and sensors, as well as survey the structural damage of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig through the use of satellite imagery and drone aircraft. It now has the task of surveying and monitoring oil rigs on a frequent weekly or even daily basis. The oil production industry using satellites similarly to how they were used in the in recovery efforts through, obtaining a wide view of the area through SAR satellite imagery and using high-resolution imagery in order to gain a detailed perspective of specific locations and aspects of oil rigs. The National Commission recommended improvements be made by the petroleum production industry as well as the national government in order to effectively plan for a large scale containment plan if another event like this we're to happen again, including coordinating with other government bodies and obtaining relevant information in regards to response measures. Measures taken into account include things like and sufficient amount of technical experts on the within the staff of the oil rigs in order to develop and approve response plans as well as providing mandatory funding to the petroleum production industry for research and development as well as incentives to the industry to perform research and development. Â   Similarly in the nuclear tragedy of Chernobyl the government funded the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (IPNO) programs to perform evaluations, training, assistance and peer reviews by experts. The uses of ICT such as computer programs and hardware are now used to analyse nuclear structures, making it easy to monitor and spot redundancies within the structure and prevent structural failure of the plants. Positives and Negatives of the uses of ICTs The use of ICT's during recovery efforts as well as use in the monitoring of oil rigging sites and prevention of structural failure. The use of ICT's over other methods such as aircraft surveillance has positive benefits which far out weight the negatives. Such satellite imagery can allow recovery teams to effectively and quickly survey the a large portion of the damage site through SAR satellites and gain detailed views of specific areas such as leaks, slicks and seeps through high-resolution satellites. With the use of satellites in combined with aircraft surveillance to gain views from different angles to view specific areas of the structure effectively allow recovery teams to survey and gather information in order to develop an effective containment and recovery plan. The use of ROVs also is a benefit as it allows recovery teams to survey the structure underwater and effectively gather information from places that would be too dangerous for humans to do to. Although ICT's do have their benefits, they also come with negatives as in that SAR satellites capture large views of the affected areas, this comes at a price of decreased resolution making it difficult to view smaller aspects of the image such as leaks in the oil pipe structure. This requires the use of high resolution imaging satellites which are rather costly and cannot be frequently called up due to its high cost. Conclusion The use of information communications technology in the petroleum production industry has had multiple uses before, during and after the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill. Before the disaster of the oil spill the industry used ICTs for exploration and location of possible drilling sites. With the use of satellite technology during the recovery efforts to survey the area and effectively develop a containment plan for preventing the oil from spreading and affecting the nearby beaches. Also in future prevention of possible oil spills through satellite monitoring of oil rigs and tankers. Along with the use of ICTs come the benefits which include allowing recovery teams to quickly and safely gather information which would have been difficult with old technology, but there were also costs in that it would cost large amounts of money in order to use high-end technology such as high-resolution satellites in order to gain clearer images of specific areas. Along with the uses of ICTs to help prevent future oil spills are the recommendations of the oil spill commission which recommended funding for research and development of oil spill prevention similarly to how the government funded the development of the INPO in the nuclear energy industry for training of nuclear engineers and evaluation of nuclear structures.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Brain Evolution in the Human Species

Brain Evolution in the Human Species Introduction Hominid evolution is marked by a very significant increase in relative brain size. Because relative brain size has been linked to energetic requirements, it is possible to look at the pattern of encephalization as a factor in the evolution of human foraging and dieting (Foley et al., 1991). Major expansion of the brain is associated with the Homo species rather than the Hominidae as a whole, where the energetic costs are likely to have forced prolongation of growth rates and secondary altriciality (Foley et al., 1991). Paleontological evidence indicates that rapid brain evolution occurred with the emergence of Homo erectus 1.8 million years ago and was associated with important changes in diet, body size, and foraging behavior (Leonard et al., 2007). Energy Requirements Extensive energy is required for brain growth and functioning. Parker (1990) analyzes intelligence and encephalization from the perspective of life history strategy theory, which is based on the premise that evolutionary selection determines the timing of major life cycle events-especially those related to reproduction-as the solution to energy optimization problems. Foley and Lee (1991) analyze the evolutionary pattern of encephalization with respect to foraging and dieting strategies. In considering the development of human foraging strategies, increased returns for foraging effort and food processing may be an important prerequisite for encephalization, and in turn a large brain is necessary to organize human foraging behavior. Dietary quality is also correlated with brain size. Foley and Lee (1991) first consider brain size vs. primate feeding strategies, and note that folivorous diets (leaves) are correlated with smaller brains, while fruit and animal foods (insects, meat) are correlated with larger brains. Overall, the genetic costs of brain maintenance for modern humans are about three times that of a chimpanzee. The first dietary shift is seen beginning within the genus Hom o, which began to include meat in the diet. It may be argued that meat-eating represents an expansion of resource breadth beyond that found in non-human primates (Foley and Lee, 1991). Therefore, Homo and its encephalization may have been the product of the selection of capable of exploiting energy- and protein-rich resources as the habitat expanded. While the evolutionary causes of the enlarging human brain themselves are thought to have been due to factors that go beyond diet alone (increasing social organization being prime among the proposed factors usually cited), a diet of sufficient quality would nevertheless have been an important prerequisite. That is, diet would have been an important hurdle, or limiting factor, to overcome in providing the necessary physiological basis for brain enlargement to occur within the context of whatever those other primary selective pressures might have been. Leonard and Robinson (1994: add page numbers for direct quote) conclude: These results imply that changes in diet quality during hominid evolution were linked with the evolution of brain size. The shift to a more calorically dense diet was probably needed in order to substantially increase the amount of metabolic energy being used by the hominid brain. Thus, while nutritional factors alone are not sufficient to explain the evolution of our large brains, it seems clear that certain dietary changes were necessary for substantial brain evolution to take place.