Natural Resources Essay

Natural resources are useful materials or substances that exist in the environment like land, water, sun, trees, oil, minerals, etc. Natural resources are generally classified as renewable resources and non-renewable resources. Resource depletion means exhaustion of natural resources in a certain region. When the rate of consumption of these resources exceeds the rate at which they are restored, depletion of resources occurs. The utilization of natural resources has increased considerably due to the rapid growth in population. Improvements and advancements in science and technology have resulted in overutilization of natural resources. Some of the major causes of depletion of natural resources are as follows: Overutilization or exploitation of resources. Partial allocation of resources. Population growth. Advancements in technology. Deforestation. Soil erosion. Mining. Depletion of non-renewable resources (water, minerals, oil, and gas) has a serious impact on world economy and can c reate an imbalance between different nations. Overutilization of resources can cause disruption and destruction of the ecosystem. Overexploitation of water has caused drying of water bodies like lakes and streams. Therefore, we must utilize these resources carefully to maintain a balance between nature and mankind and also for the sustenance of life on earth. – Overutilization of natural resources has caused serious imbalance in nature. Various environmental issues like Greenhouse gases, global warming, and pollution have cropped up due to overuse of natural resources. According to the environmentalists, some of the non-renewable resources like oil, petroleum and gas will be completely extinct in the near future if we do not carefully use and conserve them. Conservation of the natural resources is not an easy task especially due to the fact that we are heavily dependent on these resources for our daily needs. However, we can adopt the following simple ways and strategies to save our environment: We should use paper products that are recycled and also practice recycling of paper. Unnecessary use of paper should also be prevented. Read more:  Essay on Conservation of Resources We should plant a tree and take part in plantation programs organized by the Government. Reforestation should be encouraged and practiced. We can save water by fixing any nozzle or tap that is broken or cracked. When bathing it  is better to use a bucket or tub than the shower. We should employ proper waste disposal techniques like composting. Dumping of wastes in lakes, rivers and the seas should be stopped. We can harvest rain water by installing rain water harvesting systems in homes and offices. The rain water is useful for gardening and cleaning purposes. We should try to restrict the use of vehicles as much as possible. If possible we can choose to walk or use a cycle. In this way we can save oil and gas. A hybrid car is always a better option because it runs on both electricity, and small quantity of gas. We can save energy by switching off all the electrical appliances that are not in use and also by using those products that consume lesser electricity. We can save electric ity and natural gas by using solar energy. Many appliances like solar cookers, solar heaters use solar energy instead of electricity. Photovoltaic can be used to generate electricity from solar energy.

Existentialism and Waking Life Essay

Existentialism is a type of philosophy that was very trendy in France after World War II as made popular by the quintessential philosopher, John Paul Sartre. A suitable introduction to existential ideology, The Stranger is a novel written by Albert Camus, a novelist and existentialist alike. Films that exhibit existential philosophy are the rotoscoped Waking Life by Richard Linklater and I Heart Huckabees by David O. Russell. The work that best conveys the ideas of existentialism is The Stranger due to its brevity and how it is so well written. I will start with the inadequate works of existential ideas. The 2001 rotoscoped film Waking Life was fun to watch, but incredibly boring once you get past the effects. I can’t imagine trying to watch that film without rotoscoping, I do not think I would have made it through. That being said, I do not think this film worked as an existential learning tool because of it’s lack of an overarching message. It may have been just me, but the thought that he was continually waking into another dream never crossed my mind until it was brought up at the end. Frankly I was otherwise occupied trying to follow the â€Å"plot† if you could even call it that. The movie felt like a documentary masked by a teenager plodding around questioning everything. The existential ideas were present but incredibly underdeveloped, it seemed as though they did not delve into any of the ideas they presented. They presented one thought provoking idea, and then he moves on. It felt like they had too many ideas crammed into one movie and failed to execute it well. This film just should not have been made. I feel as though out of the three works we studied Waking Life comes in last place due to it’s utter lack of a plot and underdeveloped existential ideas. The film I

Mentoring and Counseling in the Workplace Essay

Mentoring and Counseling in the Workplace - Essay Example Thus, obtaining in-group status may be a prerequisite for subordinates to receive mentoring from their supervisors (McManus). The most critical cycle for effective counseling is the 4Es cycle - Enter, Empathize, Empower and Exit. At a workplace, if people need to share their problems and if they need to go back with a sense of relief, then the most important requisite for a mentor or counselor is that the mentor or counselor needs to build a trust based relationship quickly that could actually help the aggrieved person. Some of the essential characteristics that a mentor or counselor needs to possess as an individual are strong yet effective communication, make an objective assessment of situations, the ability to call a spade a spade and communicating this reality to the person opposite in a way to empower them in their current situation and give feedback effectively. Empathy is one of the soft skills that any person would need to be an effective counselor. Empathy actually means affection clubbed with passion touched by the quality of suffering. This particular characteristic is viewed by many professionals as the most important one in a helping relationship. ... The following are the most important yet critical values that a mentor or counselor needs: 1. A professional qualification with consistently high academic performance. 2. Have the required soft skills to be an effective counselor providing support services to people. 3. Last but not least, needs to have mastered the 4E counseling cycle. Empathy is one of the soft skills that any person would need to be an effective counselor. Empathy actually means affection clubbed with passion touched by the quality of suffering. This particular characteristic is viewed by many professionals as the most important one in a helping relationship. "Empathy is often viewed as conveying sensitivity to the client and trying to understand what "walking in the other guy's shoes" may feel like. The counselor need not necessarily have undergone the experiences of a person who is actually having a problem in order to understand the former's feelings (Brooks/cole - A division of Thomson learning)." Genuineness is another important aspect that any person who intends to take up a counseling profession needs. Genuineness is the expression of true feelings. "To be a genuine mentor or counselor, one must avoid role playing or feeling one way and acting another. Genuine counselors do not take refuge in any specific role, such as therapist. Genuineness involves self-disclosure. It implies a willingness to be known to others (Brooks/cole - A division of Thomson learning)." Balanced Objectivity or Subjectivity - This refers to private, personal and unique ways of experiencing situations. Both these characteristics have their own disadvantages when not balanced properly at a workplace which actually is a collection of various kinds of

Slavery During American Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Slavery During American Revolution - Essay Example The Arawaks also provided food, gifts and water to Christopher Columbus and his crew upon arrival in the territories of America. All these humane care and concern as displayed by Arawaks to Columbus and his group were senseless in ensuring continued peace and freedom among the communities of the Arawaks. These events as faced by Arawaks marked the sad the beginning of the slavery and American Revolution. Derived from the meek nature of the Arawaks, Columbus and his group developed mechanisms and ideas of converting innocent and peasant community into their slaves (Zinn 1). In the reports of Zinn (1), Columbus and his group were pleased with the good bodies of the Arawaks and the fact that they lacked dread weapons earned Columbus and his group much confidence to pursue and subdue the Arawaks in their own land. Zinn (1) connotes Columbus saying, â€Å"They have no iron. They got spears made of cane†¦they would make fine servants†. Columbus and his group had well wedged iro n weapons, which they even witnessed, cut one of the Arawaks when he received the weapon from the Columbus by holding the sharp edge. Columbus was also coined arguing that the ignorance of the Arawaks is the reason as to why the cut themselves with the iron. Columbus and his group on realizing that Baham island s were rich in precious gold, he resorted to engage forced slavery in the extraction process of the gold (Zinn 1). In order to enhance the power of his crew, Columbus travelled back to Italy with elements of gold to convince king to add him some other personalities to help him utilize the Arawaks in mining of the gold. Zinn (1) confirms that Columbus used his boosted force to compel the miserable Arawaks work in the mines and obtain him gold under slavery. Much work with insufficient food led to suffocation of the Arawaks thus leading to their death in large numbers. According to Zinn (1), Columbus also seized and enslaved a population of Indians in the Caribbean Island after he recognized that they were equally non-brutal. The enslaved Indians worked in the gold rich mines to excavate gold that were later transported to Europe. Many Indian however faced death due to their stubbornness to the Europeans. Those who could not work as slaves harmed and killed. Zinn (1) also confirms that Columbus picked 500 strong men among the Indian and Arawak communities to load gold into the ships and journey to Europe. Some of the slaves boarded on the ships in the reports of Zinn (1) died on the way to adverse cold weather in the ocean. Those who managed to reach Spain were sold as slaves to the rich households in Spain. Indians were forcibly compelled to gather gold in the depleted gold mines. Failure to collect sufficient amount called for mistreatment. Zinn (1) further reports that, the massive murder was directed to the Arawaks who tried to rebel against the Europeans. In addition, Indian and Arawaks under imprisonment faced merciless hanging by the Spaniard armie s (Zinn 1). In the views of Zinn (1), Pizarro one of the successors of Columbus conceded vehement killing of Indians whom he considered as scarifies to his gods. Indians would resist the domination of the Europeans to convert them into slaves. Indians’ resistance made Europeans to advance numerous attacks against the Indians, which included destruction of crops and death of people and animals. Zinn (2) reports that the white settlers in Virginia indulged in large

APPRASING THE EVIDENCE Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

APPRASING THE EVIDENCE - Assignment Example The study has no clear indication of whether the researchers accurately measured the exposures and outcomes. Hence, it gives us no solid evidence to determine whether the researchers were biased or not biased in their data analysis. The study accounted for all confounding factors and they used the stratified research design to ensure all confounding factors are considered in the data analysis. It is hard to tell if the follow up was complete as the article does not address whether some respondents dropped out of the study. However, the follow up in general was long enough to ensure conclusive results. Results from the study show that tobacco smoking causes lung cancer. To be precise according to the study it decreases the life span of a person up to 10 years. The loss of year’s increases as one smokes for a long time, it is somehow time dependent. I do believe the results are valid and tobacco causes lung cancer. However, the quantification of the number of years it reduces is not appropriately measured as people usually have different immunities and smoking habits thus the effects would be different from one person to the

Law Enforcement Response to School Violence Essay

Law Enforcement Response to School Violence - Essay Example This includes elementary school, colleges and even universities. This means that the child is prone to violence in school regardless of which level of education he is at. Some people view this phenomenon as a manifestation of the failing standards of the public health. It is a form of antisocial behaviors that could have originated earlier in the life of the child. It continues to young adulthood. School violence takes place when the youth, or the child, takes these anti social behaviors to the school. It comes in many forms. The child may bully his school mates. He might use physical violence and even weapons on his victims. The child in school can be the perpetrator or the victim of this act. He may also be a mere victim. Whichever way you look at it, the child is the most affected by school violence. School violence has many effects. It can result to death or even persisting effects like trauma. That is the reason why society has always tended to respond to this phenomenon. One such kind of response is the application of law enforcing techniques. This is mainly by the authorities concerned, may it be the school or police authorities. There are various ways to determine whether violence is school based or not. It has to meet certain thresholds for it to be labeled school violence. It has to occur on the school property (Guthner, 2002). Alternatively, it could have occurred on the way to the learning institution. When it takes place on the way to or from a school sponsored occasion, it can also be called school violence (Malinowski, 2003). In looking at the law enforcement response to school violence, we will look at how they respond to both the victim and the perpetrator. The school administration is the first line of response to school based violence (Kimberly, 2004). This involves the teachers and the school security apparatus. Remember that school violence can be perpetrated by the students or from an outsider to the school. Then the other fall back is the law administrators. There are various ways to respond to this form of violence. There is the strategy that is used when the violence has already taken place. This is called the intervention strategy. 0It includes evacuation of the victim. The victim of violence is taken to a medical facility. This is if he had acquired injuries (Russell, 2005). The school should be having a medical facility on the property. This is a dispensary or a school based health provider. This goes a long way to save the life of the victim. Arrangements could be made to take the victim to a professional doctor using ambulance or any other form of school transport. Counseling is very important if there is evidence that the victim could have experienced psychological problems. The perpetrator is then taken by the school administration for interrogation. It is the responsibility of the administration to find out why the perpetrator resorted to violence. If he is a student, counseling or expulsion from the school are some of the strategies employed by the school administration. He is apprehen ded by the school administration if he is from outside the school. Another response is to prevent the occurrence of the violence (Tonkin, 2006). This includes the process of identifying sources of threats and neutralizing them. The law enforcers should be

Marketing Systems and Structures, Tesco in the United Kingdom Assignment

Marketing Systems and Structures, Tesco in the United Kingdom - Assignment Example The first store by the name of TESCO opened up in the year 1929 in the north part of London (Tesco PLC- About Us 2010). Tesco has expanded its number of stores widely around the region of UK as well as around the world. They offer retail services according to the need of the customers. The main aim of the grocery retail store is to â€Å"serve the customer†. It is important for any retail store to make sure that their customers are satisfied with them. For the retail stores to be successful, it is necessary that customers make repeat visits to the store, in this case, the grocery retail store Tesco (Tesco PLC- About Us 2010). Focusing on customer satisfaction may allow the grocery retail store to become highly cost-effective as they then would be able to attain a large customer base. The focus of the retail stores should be highly revolving around the issue of customer satisfaction by meeting the demands of the customers (Reichheld 1996). Tesco in the UK alone has around more than 2200 stores. The product range of Tesco includes the groceries, general merchandise, electrical goods, the aspects of banking and insurance services and others of such types (Tesco PLC- About Us 2010). The type of customer that is going to be examined in this specific case is the loyal customers of Tesco. Customer loyalty can be a very important and strategic factor of allowing the organization to become highly successful in the competitive market. Tesco has demonstrated in many areas that they work on developing loyal customers for their grocery retail store. Some of their schemes have been discussed ahead. Tesco has worked on making their outlets a one-stop shopping place for their customers. Now by just visiting Tesco, all the needs of the customers may be fulfilled and this way more customers may be interested in visiting Tesco for their groceries and other needs being fulfilled accordingly.

Denial of service attacks (DoS) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Denial of service attacks (DoS) - Essay Example Additionally, DoS attack is sometimes called distributed denial-of-service attack  (DDoS attack). This sort of attacks (denial of service attack) may target users in an attempt to stop them from creating links on the network. However these connections may include outgoing transmission. In addition, a DoS attack may also target a whole corporation. In this scenario, it can stop incoming traffic or to prevent outgoing traffic towards network related applications. In this way this attack tries best to stop the victim from being usage of network links. Moreover, denial of service attack is straightforward in accomplishment as compared to gaining managerial access to a specific system from distant location. That’s why DoS attack gains popularity on the Internet (Chan et al., 2010) and (Tech-FAQ, 2011). DoS attacks can easily halt our computer machine or our network connection. However, it totally depends on the overall enterprise nature; it may efficiently disable our corporation network that may result in overall network failure. Thus it is true fact that some of the DoS attacks can easily be executed through inadequate possessions beside a huge sophisticated environment. We can clarify this situation with an example of an attacker having old personal computer along with a deliberate modem (that might be internal or external). This slow modem may perhaps be capable to halt our personal computers machines, hardware and sophisticated networks in a short time. Therefore we categorize this sort of attack as an asymmetric attack. Moreover, it totally depends on the attacker that which type of standard technique he/she adopts for the attack. For instance, if the attacker is a skilled person then he will create more problems for the firm. In this scenario, one of the major techniques that an attacker can use is about email messages which are known as spam. These phenomena will result in similar attack launching on our electronic mail account. In this situation, i t does not matter that whether the e-mail account we are using is provided by our company or we got it from a complimentary service that is provided to us by Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo. In this scenario, another important factor for attacking on our computer is that sometimes services like Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo provide us a limited storage (specific quota) which restricts the quantity of information that we can store in our account according to organizational rules and regulations. Hence storage space perhaps will be different at any certain time. In addition, this storage space will be consumed in a short amount of time as a result of sending a lot of large e-mail posts to the account; In this way an attacker can devour our storage space (specific quota), that prevents us from getting valid, useful or useful mails (TechTarget, 2007; Carnegie Mellon University , 2001; McDowell, 2009). Modes of attack A DoS attack can appear in different forms and varies in multiplicity of services. H owever, we can discuss modes of attack in following terms: Attacks due to Buffer Overflow Buffer Overflow is one of the most common types of Denial of service attack. It works simply by sending extra traffic towards a network. A thing that is necessary to define here is that networks are basically sophisticated in nature.

Completing the Audit Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Completing the Audit - Assignment Example The auditor may qualify audit opinion, if the effect of management’s refusal to provide written representation is material but not pervasive. However, if the effect of such refusal is pervasive, the auditor may disclaim his/her opinion. The auditor may also withdraw from engagement if he thinks it appropriate and the legislative authority permits him to do so. All events occurring after the date of Financial Statements are referred to as subsequent events. Subsequent events that occur after Financial Statements date but the condition existed at the Financial Statements date are called adjusting events. Those events require adjustment in the Financial Statements. Subsequent events that occur after the date of Financial Statements but the condition did not existed at the date of the Financial Statements are called non-adjusting events. Auditor is required to perform cut-off procedures to evaluate subsequent events effects. He may also obtain management’s representation regarding subsequent events. The auditor may also perform other audit procedures such as inquiring entity’s personnel, reading latest available interim Financial Statements and reading minutes of meeting of Board of Directors. 1. Interim Standards Copyright. Auditing. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Inc, 2003-2013. Web. 15 April. 2013.

Big Families Essay Example for Free

Big Families Essay For any child I believe it is better to have a big family because you will have someone to talk to, someone to work with and new experiences every day. I know how you feel for example you might think a small family is better because you are the only child and you will get anything you want. So what is you had a problem who will you talk to if you had a small family .But if you had a big family you will not have just one person to talk to you will have many. Another example is when you’re doing homework and you need help who will help you? And if you had a small family who will help you if your parents are working. On the other hand if you have a big family you will have someone to explain your homework as well. If you have a small family and you win a prize to go somewhere are your parents do not want to go. But if you had a big family and you have a older brother or sister who want to go you will be able to enjoy your prize with your brother or sister. If you never been to that place you will have new experiences every day. In conclusion , I think a big family is better because you will have new experiences everyday , you will have someone to talk to and someone to work with .Please consider my reason when making your decision because a big beautiful family is better than a small family, think of what would happen if you where the only child you would be very bored without anyone to talk to.

Does Music Have Any Effects On The Brain?

Does Music Have Any Effects On The Brain? Music can have a very strong influence; is it strong enough to affect your brain? Music is an art of sound that expresses ideas and emotions through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and colour. The power and influence of music on individuals is a psychological process involving the human ears, body, brain, and nervous system. Besides its pleasing effects to the ears, it has been established that music can have an influence on our emotional state of being. People listen to music for different reasons and at different times. In recent years, however, a question has been raised with regards to music and its effects on the brain: Does listening to music help improve our physical and mental abilities? Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (the most popular American Poet in the 19th century, 1807-1882) wrote Music is the universal language of mankind. It brings us together as a society and unites people of different cultural backgrounds. It is a very important element which can be used for many purposes such as entertainment, sleeping aid, pain relief, relaxation tool, eliminate stress, emotional purposes, provide means of self-expression, aid develop the skills necessary at workplace, home or general environment and so much more. It is also used for special occasions such as funerals, weddings, graduations, soldiers marching off to war, sporting events, prayer, romantic dinners and parties. Music is mostly used in these types of events because it has the influence to change our atmosphere and provide us with a sense of pleasure, comfort and happiness. It also enhances teamwork skills and discipline in churches and in bands where all team members involvement and participation is required to produce a good song. Research shows that certain types of music such as classical music, yoga music or nature music creates a calming effect on us which helps reduce our heart rate. This may enable us conquer anxiety and gain self confidence. Music can help us communicate with each other when languages are different. Before the invention of mails and telephones, certain tribes use to contact each other with drumbeats. Sound travels at about 350 meters per second in dry air at 20 C (68 F) and this was quicker and efficient in getting a message across to each other in the Ancient times which required some skills and knowledge. There was a sender and a receiver who would interpret the me ssage to the Leader of the village. This was mostly practised in Africa and Asia and is still practised in some parts of the world. The drawbacks were messages could be interpreted wrongly by the receiver or conveyed wrongly by the sender which caused inconvenience. There are many uses and benefits of music which are yet to be discovered. In recent years, scientists have been astonished by the effects music has on children. Babies are mostly lulled to sleep with lullabies due to its known calming effects on the brain and body. Experiment has proven that introducing toddlers to good music genres such as classical at an early age enables them become more creative, increase their level of imagination and their ability to obtain and develop different skills in later life. During childhood we are all expected to learn nursery rhymes reason being music is known to be a kick-start to learning and known to offer long life benefits. Also as individuals we all need diversity in our lives to broaden our knowledge and develop strong relationships in life. On Sunday, 21 February 2010, one of the major British newspapers The Guardian, which has a certified average daily circulation of 358,844 copies, published an article on music and its power to shape a chil ds mind. (Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/music-has-the-power-to-shape-a-childs-mind-1905967.html).The article discusses some of the profound effects of music on the nervous system and encourages schools to make it a core subject. Schools which fail to make music a core subject are making a mistake, because it has advantages for the growing brain and would help all children, including those with dyslexia and autism, neuroscientist Professor Nina Kraus said. Professor Krauss team at North-western University in Chicago, Illinois, have shown that the nervous system responds to the acoustic properties of speech and music with sub-millisecond precision. The effectiveness with which the nervous system interprets sound patterns is linked to musical ability. Scientists have been amazed by some of effects of music can be have individuals. This has led to the establishment of a field of health care known as Music Therapy. Therapists use the benefits and positive effects of music to improve and maintain their patients emotional, physical, aesthetic, mental, social, and spiritual well being. Those who practice music therapy are finding it very useful and effective which enables them live a normal life. It is used to help patients with cancer, neurodevelopment disorders such as dementia, children with ADD and autism. A National Autistic Society spokeswoman explained how many children with autism respond well to music. It helps children in communication and interaction. It also creates a calming effect on the patients which enables them express some level of emotion. This has resulted in many patients overcoming certain illnesses. Hospitals are also beginning to use music and music therapy to help with pain management. In some hospital theatre s such as Bay Medical Center located in both Northeast Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (America), music is used to help ward off patients depression and ease muscle tension. Many patients reacted positively to especially classical music as it generated a comforting environment and calmed patients which enabled doctors progress during operations. However, it could be argued that music can be an addiction and if not constantly played to these patients could cause further depression in some cases. Scientist have conducted further research and found that music with a strong beat can stimulate brainwaves to resonate in sync with the beat, with faster beats bringing sharper concentration and more alert thinking to the listener. Slower music genre such as classical helps promote a relaxed and meditative state (source: http://www.brainskills.co.uk/MusicTherapy.html ). Over the years scientist have been looking at some other benefits music can offer. Athletes such as cyclist and marathon runners are known to find music very useful during training sessions. Most of these athletes consider music as a motivation and a relaxation tool which helps prepare the body and mind for a lengthy workout. There are believes that fast music can help athletes train faster and better during training, leading to a good workout. To determine the actual effects of music on the performance of athletes, Scientists at St. Scholastica College in Duluth, Minnesota conducted a test with six men and five women on a 15 minute treadmill at 5.5 mile per hour on each runner. The runners were categorised into a group of three. Group1 and 2 consisted of two males and two females and group 3 consisted of two males and one female. Group 1 were made to listen to a fast pace beat, group 2 were made to listen a slow beat and group 3 listened to no music. This was observed for 15 minutes and in the study, it was discovered that group 1 burned 10 extra calories over 15 minutes, an extra 40 calories per hour. This may seem a small gain but if practised constantly over just three hours a week, you may be capable of burning an extra 2 pounds of fat in the course of a year. This will help towards the individuals stamina and be of great advantage to his/her mental health. This research also suggested that music if combined with appropriate imagery can have either a calming effect on the individual during physical training which helps improve the cardiovascular system by maintaining adequate circulation of oxygenated blood around the vascular network of the body. However, there is no firm evidence that suggest that the tranquilising effects of music can promote better performances when athletes listen to the music before performing. The research, however, implies that listening to music during training sessions can certainly improve workout quality. (Effect of Up-Beat Mus ic on Endurance Performance, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, volume 27(5), Supplement, #853, p. S151, 1995 and The Impact of Music and Imagery on Physical Performance and Arousal: Studies of Coordination and Endurance, Journal of Sport Behaviour, volume 15(1), pages. 21-33, 1992) Music is mostly divided into genres and subgenres. Some of the main genres are Rock/Pop, Jazz, Hip hop, World, Nostalgia, Blues, Country, Easy Listening, Folk, Ethnic, Metal and other subgenres. Classical music is one of the oldest genres encircling a broad era from roughly 1750s to date (source: http://www.musiclessonsonline.co.uk/ClassicalMusic.html ). It has inspired and influenced other genres such as hip hop and RB. It is accepted by nearly every generation ever since its establishment. Researchers have come across some rather amazing benefits of classical music. It holds one of the largest listeners due to its calming effects which aid the mind and its ability to inspire its listeners. Amongst the results it was found that classical music has the ability to reduce crime. British Transport Police supplied classical music into London Underground stations in 2004 in some of the areas most dangerous neighbourhoods. After playing the music for six months, robberies were cut by 33 percent, staff assaults decreased by 25 percent and vandalism went down 37 percent. This was not the first time classical music had been used in preventing crime. In 2001, police in West Palm Beach, Florida installed a CD player and speakers on an abandoned building in a crime-ridden neighbourhood. After playing classical music mostly Mozart, Bach and Beethoven 24 hours a day for about three months, shootings, thefts, loiterers and drug deals decreased. (Source: http://hypography.com/forums/music-studies/14554-help-me-describe-why-music-education-5.html ) It was also discovered that if you walk into a store thats playing classical music you are likely to spend more. It is used as an instrument to get you to purchase more items, as consumer advocate and columnist Brian Vaszily entertainingly explains in How Stores are secretly using music to lure their customers. Music can help shape customers time perception, lower sales resistance and increase willingness to spend, says James Kellaris, a marketing professor at the University of Cincinnati. The complexity of classical music makes your brain work harder, causing it to overcompensate and make you feel like youve been in the store for less time than you actually have. Meanwhile, the music can make it more difficult for shoppers to use critical thinking in deciding whether to buy a product. The end result is spending more time in the store, buying more, and spending more money. (Source: http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/10/05/how_classical_music_can_reduce_crime_benefit_your_mood_and_ increase_your_spending.htm) All these events reveal that music can control our brains and has the capability to change our live style and behavioural patterns. Scientists wanted to prove scientifically how listening to a song helps develop the brain. Several experiments were conducted to find out which side of the brain is activated and improved when we listen to music. Mozarts music and baroque music, with a 60 beats per minute beat pattern, activates the left and right brain. The simultaneous left and right brain action maximizes learning and retention of information. Reading activates the left brain while the music activates the right brain. Also, activities which engage both sides of the brain at the same time, such as playing an instrument or singing, causes the brain to be more capable of processing information. According to The Center for New Discoveries in Learning, learning potential can be increased a minimum of five times by using this 60 beats per minute music. For example, the ancient Greeks sang their dramas because they understood how music could help them remember more easily. A renowned Bulgarian psychologist, Dr. George Lozanov, designed a way to teach foreign languages in a fraction of the normal learning time. Using his system, students could learn up to one half of the vocabulary and phrases for the whole school term (which amounts to almost 1,000 words or phrases) in one day. Along with this, the average retention rate of his students was 92%. Dr. Lozanovs system involved using certain classical music pieces from the baroque period which have around a 60 beats per minute pattern. He has proven that foreign languages can be learned with 85-100% efficiency in only thirty days by using these baroque pieces. His students had a recall accuracy rate of almost 100% even after not re viewing the material for four years. Music has also been used by Doctors to heal the human mind and also cure diseases. It has been used as a means of overcoming depression and reducing chronic pain. Music can be described as a tool used to capture and transmit emotions. One of the advantages of music is its ability to achieve more than one objective at a time. Elevating music can divert the mind and revive the soul. Sad and soulful music can offer solace, encourage and support psychological work and set free emotions. When exposed to the worlds dilemmas, some depend on drugs and others relate to music to help overcome these obstacles. Some of these dilemmas can lead to Depression which reduces the activities that occur in our brains and obstructs the minds capability to arrange and carry out responsibilities. The lack of the neurotransmitter and Serotonin leads to a depressed state of mind. It has been discovered by scientist that listening to music could help reduce chronic pain and depression by a quarter (http://www .sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060524123803.htm). People react to music in different ways. Singing and dancing to your favourite music is known to help increase the flow of serotonin in the brain by bringing about pleasure and excitement to the individual. I was greatly astonished by some of the experiments and discoveries mostly carried out by scientists, therapist and authors involving this topic. This influenced me to create a questionnaire to discover how music influences its listeners and what music genre generates the most effects. This is a summary table of the research questionnaire I created and handed out to a sample audience of fifty. To obtain varied and reliable results I decided on a 50 percent male audience and 50 percent female. i.e. Every bar in this graph is out of a 100%. This is because I designed my questionnaire so people could tick many answers for a particular question. I then counted the number of people who listened to music for entertainment purposes out of number of audience I have and multiplied it by 100%. This enabled me convert all my figures into percentage. I decided on a 50 sample audience as it is large enough to obtain varied results, to help structure my graph and in order not to obtain decimal figures when converting to percentage. This was prepared to achieve reliable results. The data also indicates that 46 (92%) of the sample audience listen to more than 1 type of music. This proves that music is universal and its effects are not limited to one genre of music. As seen in the graph 82% of my sample audience listened to music for entertainment purposes. This proves that music provides stimulation and entertainment at the most fundamental level. 60% of my sample audience listened to music to help eliminate stress. This shows that music helps takes your mind temporally away from problems and it has the effect of eliminating tension from the mind. 30% of my audience listen to music for emotional purposes. This proves that music can help provide solace to its listeners. Four of my sample audience listened to music whilst studying and two suggested it helped improve their grades at school. Finally one person suggested it helped them gain confidence. My questionnaire also generated a link between music for entertainment purposes and stress elevation. Majority of my sample audience who listened to music for entertainment purposes also suggested it helped in eliminating stress. As shown in figure 2 above, modern music genres such as Hip hop and Rock/Pop is the most listened to probably due to its relatable lyrics. An analysis of the data by age groups also shows that 71% of the under 18s age group listen to music for entertainment purposes. 91% of the 18-21 age group that is 10 out of 11 people also listened to music for entertainment purposes. Of the 22 years and above age group, 17 out of 31 representing 55% listened to music to help eliminate stress. An analysis on gender shows that out of 25 females the influence of music is high amongst 5 representing 20% of the sample audience, 6 of them (25%) found the influence of music to be low. However, majority of them that is 12 (48%) indicated the effects of music to be medium. Out of 25 people in the male group, 5 representing 20% found the effects of music to be high and 12 representing 48% found it to be medium. This shows that music on an average has a medium effect on both male and female. Of the unemployed group of 4, three indicated the effects of music to be low. This may suggest that they need more than just music to entertain them and relieve stress. Writers mostly consisting of neurologist have published several books on the subject of music and its effects on the brain. Musicophilia is a highly recommended book, a New York Times bestseller. Written by Oliver Sacks (Author) and published by Picador on the 2nd of November 2007. It has been awarded one of the Best Books of 2007 by the Washington Post and the editors of Amazon.com. According to Oliver Sacks, Music can move us to the heights or depths of emotion. It can persuade us to buy something, or remind us of our first date. It can lift us out of depression when nothing else can. It can get us dancing. But the power of music occupies more areas of our brain than language does humans are a musical species. In this book Oliver Sacks tells interesting tales of individuals affected with the worse case of neurological conditions but are perfectly capable of memorising and composing songs on the piano. This has in effect changed the way we view the human brain. In Musicophilia, he cautiously explores the influence of music through the individual experiences of patients suffering from Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers or amnesia, stroke and many more. It also involves musicians, performers and normal individuals who have been greatly affected by music. There are also scenarios of people struck by lightning and are suddenly motivated to become pianist, to an entire group of children with Williams syndrome who are hyper musical right from birth. Oliver Sacks scientifically explains why music is at times haunting, memorable and irresistible. The extraordinary neural robustness of music is also brought out in the following letter I was sent, about a well-known pianist. The pianist is now 88 and has lost language but he plays every day. When the Mozart is read, he points back and ahead well in advance of the repeats. Two years ago he recorded a complete four-hand repertoire of Mozart that he had recorded in the 1950s (Page 336). Whiles his language has began to fail him, I love his recent playing and conception even more than the earlier recording a colleague stated. Another letter was written to Oliver by one man briefly explaining how his wife was diagnosed with a brain disorder but still plays the piano on a daily basis. Although my wife has Alzheimers diagnosed at least seven years ago-the essential person miraculously remainsShe plays piano several hours daily, very well. Her present ambition is to memorize the Schumann A-minor Piano Concerto (Page 337). Alzheimers is a progressive and fatal brain disease. Alzheimers destroys brain cells, causing memory loss and problems with thinking and behaviour severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. Alzheimers gets worse over time, and it is fatal. Today it is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States. Alzheimers disease accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases. And yet this woman who is, in most other spheres, grossly forgetful and disabled memorises plays full songs on the piano. Music can survive the most devastating brain damage. A herpes infection left Clive Wearing, a musicologist and musician, with a memory span of no more than a few seconds. His entire life form was overturned. But, confronted with a piece of music, he would first insist he had never played it before and then play it flawlessly. The process of making the music overcame his handicap. His wife wrote to Sacks of Clives at-homeness in music . . . where he transcends amnesia and finds continuum. Or there is the case of Tony Cicoria, a man struck by lightning in a telephone box. A few weeks later, he was overcome by an insatiable desire to listen to piano music. He bought CDs and sheet music and began to resurrect his childhood piano lessons. Then, involuntarily, he began to compose music in his head. A torrent of notes came, he said, from heaven. Cicoria now lives in music. Oliver Sacks concentrates on stories written or told by the victim or the victims relative rather than theory; he does not come to a definite conclusion about music in his book but our intuition is reinforced by elaborate analysis of particular situations. Music genres such as hip hop, rock and pop has been known to help promote crime. Violence, racism, homophobic behaviours or sexist lyrics in much of todays popular music could have an impact on impressionable young people who are just developing a sense. Numerous studies indicate that a preference for heavy metal music may be a significant marker for alienation, substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, suicide risk, sex-role stereotyping or risk-taking behaviours during adolescence. (Source: American Academy of Pediatrics, 1999) In conclusion music is a very powerful tool that creates a connection to the human soul, body and mind. As shown in my work music is used to entertain, as therapy in hospitals to relieve stress, help in communication, express emotions, enhance concentration and maintain alertness and vigilance. It is also used in stores to promote sales and to motivate the workers.

Racism - After The Civil War Essay -- essays research papers

The conclusion of the Civil War in favor of the north was supposed to mean an end to slavery and equal rights for the former slaves. Although laws and amendments were passed to uphold this assumption, the United States Government fell short. The thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments were proposed and passed within five years of the Civil War’s conclusion. These amendments were to create equality throughout the United States, especially in the south where slavery had been most abundant. Making equality a realization would not be an easy task. This is because many problems were not perceived before and during the war. The reunification of the country would prove to be harder than expected, and entry into a new lifestyle would be difficult for both the freedmen and their former oppressors. The thirteenth amendment clearly prohibits slavery in the United States. All slaves were to be freed immediately when this amendment was declared ratified in December of 1865, but wh at were they to do? Generations of African-Americans had been enslaved in America, and those who had lived their whole lives in slavery had little knowledge of the outside world. This lack of knowledge would not be helpful in trying to find work once they were released. Plantation owners with a lack of workforce were eager to offer extremely low pay to their former slaves. In addition, the work force of the plantation would often live in the same quarters they did while enslaved. These living condition...

The Impact of Technology Upon Education Essay -- Mainstreaming Technol

The Impact of Technology Upon Education As the years go on, technology has become such a necessity to everyday life in the average person’s life. Whether you live here, there, or anywhere, technology is apparent and has become such an integral part of everyday life to the point that we cannot imagine life without it. Technology is used in both the private and the public life of every person. In private lives we have our computers, our microwaves, our palm pilots, ovens, TVs, cell phones, VCRs, DVD players and much, much more. In our public lives we have checkout scanners, security cameras, security alarms, car alarms, and so much more. What many of us do not realize is that another benefit of technology is helpful with the growing rate of inclusion. There are so many products out on the market today to help disabled people to integrate with the mainstream and have the same benefits as we do. One of the most interesting pieces of technology that I have found for disabled people is iCommunicator. This product is mainly used for the deaf and hard of hearing so that they would not always have to have a translator. It gives them more independence in the workplace or at school. It also has been used with children as young as preschoolers to determine the literacy development and as an early diagnosis for hearing loss in young children. This program converts speech to text, speech to video sign language, speech to computer-generated voice, text to computer-generated voice or video sign language. This program has a speech -to-text translation rate of a 90% greater accuracy in less time than its predecessors. [1] Its remarkable features include auto save, menus, on screen buttons, a vocabulary library that includes m... ...udents. The children whether they be blind, deaf, learning disabled etc now have ways to connect with other people and will be able to fit into the rest of society much easier and finding a job when he or she gets older will not be such a big problem. So many of the original obstacles have been overcome due to the increase of technology. Technology has become a great asset to teaching others and aiding people to do things they had never thought possible, whether it be a blind or deaf person getting an office job, or getting an ‘A’ if you were a learning disabled student. I never knew that there were so many products available on the common market to help those people to integrate with the mainstream population both in school and at the workplace. Technology has definitely become a positive tool for not only the mainstream public but for the disabled as well.

Flaxseed to reduce plasma cholesterol and the formation of atherosclero

Regarding the study â€Å"Flaxseed reduces plasma cholesterol and atherosclerotic lesion formation in ovariectomized Golden Syrian hamsters†, the research question for Lucas et al. (2004) study is: Can flaxseed reduce plasma cholesterol and the formation of atherosclerotic lesion in women who are deficient in ovarian hormones or menopausal women? According to the study, in menopausal women, the deficiency of ovarian hormones will increase the level of plasma cholesterol and the risk of plaque formation which lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Previously, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was used to solve this problem. However, it is related to an increased risk of some serious diseases such as ovarian cancer and breast cancer; therefore, a lot of women are turning to a safer way to deal with this problem. Recently, functional foods, foods which have the potential for health protection, are considered alternatives to use for reducing CVD risks, and flaxseed is one of those which is used to lower factors that cause CVD. Since it is rich in lignans, ÃŽ ±-linolenic acid (ALA) and soluble fiber which can lower cholesterol level, flaxseed would be beneficial for decreasing CVD risks in postmenopausal women. From previous animal and human studies, we know that flaxseed has the potential to reduce concentrations of cholesterol. Moreover, it can also prevent atherosclerosis by interacting with the vessel wall. However, the effect of flaxseed in reducing plasma cholesterol and atherosclerotic lesion formation associated with ovarian hormone deficiency has not been investigated (Lucas et al., 2004). For these reasons, this study focused on the dose-dependent effect of flaxseed on cholesterol concentrations and atherosclerotic lesion formation. S... ...study and methods to measure and analyze data. Ovariectomized hamsters were proper representatives of postmenopausal women, since after ovariectomy, their plasma cholesterol and the formation of lesions were also increased. Moreover, the authors referred to related studies to develop the experiments and this also provides information about the importance of the project. However, samples collected during the study had to be kept and analyzed later; therefore, this may affect their condition and an accuracy of the results. Works Cited Lucas, A. E., Lightfoot, A. S., Hammond, J. L., Devareddy, L., Khalil, A. D., Daggy, P. B., Smith, J. B., Westcott, N., Mocanu, V., Soung, Y. D., Arjmandi, H. B. (2004). Flaxseed reduces plasma cholesterol and atherosclerotic lesion formation in ovariectomized Golden Syrian hamsters. Atherosclerosis, 173, 223-229.

Determining the Concentration of Calcium Carbonate in an Unknown Substance through the Methods of Titration Aim Essay

Determine the concentration of the unknown ethanoic acid solution by titrating with a known concentration of sodium hydroxide Equipment and Materials * Unknown ethanoic acid * 50cm3 burette * 250cm3 Erlenmeyer flask * 100cm3 beaker (for CH3COOH) * 200cm3 beaker (for NaOH) * 100cm3 beaker (for waste) * Standardized sodium hydroxide solution * Burette clamp * Retort stand * Phenolphthalein indicator * 50cm3 graduated cylinder * Distilled water (to rinse the flask) Procedure: To begin with, obtain approximately 200 cm3 of sodium hydroxide solution. Then, set up the retort stand and burette clamp as indicated in the diagram below. Using two 10 cm3 aliquots of the NaOH solution, rinse the burette twice. Next, fill to above the 0.00cm3 mark and drain down to below the 0.00cm3 mark in order to remove any air bubbles. After that, transfer 50 cm3 of the unknown acid into the 250cm3 flask. Into the same flask, place 2 drops of the phenolphthalein indicator. Finally, add sodium hydroxide from the burette until you reach the endpoint. Procedural Notes To accommodate for the sodium hydroxide that splashes to the sides of the flask, distilled water was used. Using the distilled water on the sides of the flask was rinsed down to bring the sodium hydroxide to the rest of the solution in the flask. Also, when dropping a half-drop into the flask, the following procedure was used: First, a half-drop was made at the tip of the burette. Then, using the flask, the half-drop was collected to the flask’s side. Finally, using the distilled water, the half-drop was rinsed down to the rest of the solution. To make it easier to recognize the endpoint of the reaction, a white paper was put under the flask. This way, it was easier to see when the solution changed color. Observation (Data Collection): Quantitative Data Measurements Recorded During the Experiment Trial 1 2 3* 4* Initial Burette Reading (ml?0.02ml) 0.20 0.42 0.10 0.23 Final Burette Reading (ml?0.02ml) 45.70 45.93 45.39 45.30 Volume of Ethanoic Acid Used (ml?0.04ml) 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 *To increase the results, trial 3 and 4 was taken from another group to get more data, thereby increasing the accuracy of the data. Qualitative Data Descriptions of the Substances Used and Produced Sodium Hydroxide Clear solution, low viscosity, slippery Ethanoic acid Clear solution, acidic, Phenolphthalein indicator Clear solution, comes in bottle, add as drops Solution Produced (NaCH3COO(aq) + H2O) Clear/pink throughout, trail 4 was the most successful as it was closest to clear than all other trails. Volume of trial 1 was greatest as a lot of water was used in order to wash down the sodium hydroxide stuck to the side of the flask. Data Analysis The neutralization reaction between sodium hydroxide and ethanoic acid is Sodium Hydroxide + Ethanoic acid –> Sodium Ehthanoate + Water Therefore, the molar ratio is 1 mole of sodium hydroxide to 1 mole of ethanoic acid. Sodium hydroxide is known to have a concentration of 1.003 mol dm-3à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.004 mol dm-3. Consequently, the following represents the calculations to determine the concentration of ethanoic acid in trial 1: Using similar calculations, the concentration of ethanoic acid for trials 2,3, and 4 were calculated as well. The following table represents the results. Results for the calculations of the concentration of ethanoic acid used in each trial Trial Concentration of CH3COOH / mol dm-3 CH3COOH Uncertainties / % 1 0.913 1.3 2 0.913 1.3 3 0.909 1.3 4 0.904 1.3 Average 0.910 1.3 Conclusion: In conclusion, the result of this lab indicates that the concentration of CH3COOH is 0.910 mol dm-3. Using this value, and the actual value of ethnoic acid, 0.9190 mol dm-3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.0004 mol dm-3, percent error was calculated as follows: With this, we see that the percent of uncertainties is greater than the percent error. The percent of uncertainties represents the random errors, in which the measured value can either be bigger or smaller than the accepted value, due to an imprecise measurement. To improve these random errors, it is necessary to use more precise equipment and/or repeat measurements. One example of this would be to use a pipette instead of a graduated cylinder, especially because ?0.4 cm3 is a relatively large uncertainty. Consequently, the use of such equipment led to the percent of uncertainties being greater than the percent error. This means that the random errors cover for the errors in this lab. However, there are a couple potential systematic errors that should be appointed in this lab. The biggest one would be that it is hard to get to the endpoint, where the solution is barely pink. In all trials, the solution became clear pink. However, it was only in trial 4 that the solution was truly ambiguous to whether it was slightly pink. The difficulty of getting to this ambiguous clear pink is definitely a systematic error as it always leads to a larger volume of sodium hydroxide used to react. One way to improve this may be to perform the lab in a longer time span. When I performed the lab, I felt pressured to get a sufficient amount of trials done within the class period. By stretching the time span of the lab, it may be possible to take more time and get better quality results. A more realistic improvement may be to record measurements more frequently when approaching the endpoint. This would give us two measurements that the endpoint lies within, helping us estimate where the endpoint actually is. However, improving this error would lead to a smaller volume of sodium hydroxide, a smaller value for the concentration of ethanoic acid, which would make the observed value further from the true value. Another systematic error in this lab is the sodium hydroxide splashing to the sides of the flask. Although using water to rinse the sodium hydroxide down was aimed to cover this, another way to improve this may be to use equipment with a wider mouth, such as a beaker, instead of a flask. Once again, improving this error would lead to a greater percent error for the same reasons as the difficulty of getting an ambiguous pink color. Next, although it most likely did not affect the results in this lab, there is a question to whether rinsing the burette two times is sufficient. To improve this, it may be suggested that rinsing the burette 4 times is more sensible, even though it is time consuming. A final systematic error comes when transferring the ethanoic acid from the graduated cylinder. When this happens, some of the ethanoic acid may be retained in the graduated cylinder. This is a systematic error as this always leads to a smaller volume of ethanoic acid than measured. To improve this error, one may pour a tiny bit more than 50 ml of ethanoic acid, and measure that as 50 ml of ethanoic acid. Improving this error leads to a larger volume of ethanoic acid, a lower concentration of ethanoic acid, and once again, an increase in percent error. All in all, it is very interesting how knowing the amount of one substance can help determine the amount of another substance, although it is a topic that appears frequently in chemistry. In this case, knowing the number of moles of sodium hydroxide enabled us to know the concentration of the ethanoic acid. Furthermore, this lab helps one enhance their knowledge on the difficulty of setting up a lab. By reviewing and understanding the errors to a lab, one can relate the improvements to future labs. In a nutshell, this lab exemplified the process of titration, and how useful it can be.

Organic Foods Can Be Dangerous Essay

Do you know about the food that you are eating or how it is being grown? Genetically modified foods is the way scientists can make food crops stay fresher, grow bigger, and have the crops create their own pesticide. Sounds good right? Wrong! Genetically modified foods need to be monitored and removed from everyday agriculture because of the threat they pose to human health, the environment, and the impact on the global economy. Organic food can be a hazard to human’s health. There are three natural chemical’s contained in some organically grown foods that can cause a risk of cancer to people. DDT, DDE, or Alar, these are 3 pesticides that are banned in the U. S. and other countries (Silver, 2006). Rotenone is a neurotoxin that is used by organic farmers that has been known to be used to kill fish and it has been linked to Parkinson’s disease. Another pesticide used by organic farmers, pyrenthrin, it is known to be used on the day crops are being harvested, can result in breathing problems when it is inhaled (Silver, 2006). In 1989 it was reported that dozens of Americans died and several thousand were impaired by a genetically modified food supplement known as L-trptophan and it created an ailment known as (EMS) eosinophilia myalgia syndrome. The GMO was released without being tested. A settlement of 2 billion dollars was paid out by the manufacturer (Batalion ND, 2009). Planting organic crops can be very damaging to the environment. People would think that because the food is organic it would mean less chemicals and it would be better for the environment but that is wrong because the natural pesticide rotenone-pyrethnin is very toxic and it is dangerous to our aquatic life and fish. It is also said that not all organic soil additives and pest-controls are non-toxic and that toxic residues remain on the organic food. In my research I also found that genetically modified Bt endotoxin remains in the soil for at least 18 months and it can be transported to wild plants causing super weeds that are resistant to such organisms as butterflies, moths, and beetle pests which will disturb the balance of nature. By carrying genetically modified pollen by wind, rain, birds, bees, insects, fungus, bacteria- the entire chain of life becomes involved. What needs to be known is that once it is released, there is no recall or cleanup possible. Whenever delivering organic foods to the market it can cause higher food prices as well as causing some countries to have more assets than others. One of the reasons it is so expensive to deliver organic foods to the market is because of post-handling of small quantities of organic foods causes higher prices because of the mandatory segregation of organic and conventional produce. Marketing and the distribution of organic foods is inefficient and volumes are small and that is another reason for higher costs. As for why rich countries profit more from organic foods than poor countries do, there seems to be numerous reasons. The world’s richest nations, especially America and Europe, deliberately pay their farmers to produce too far much food at low prices to prevent the world’s poorest farmers from being able to compete. Did you know that the average family pays $1000 each year in taxes to the world’s most wealthy farmers, while farmers in poor countries suffer in poverty? Another disadvantage of organic foods is that most organic food have a shorter shelf life than non-organic food products. Preservatives are not used in the processing of the organic foods, so it spoils more quickly. Organics have a shorter shelf life and retailers often take huge losses by having to trim organic produce, adding more to the final consumer price. With organic foods not having anti-bacterial agents, the pathogens have already started to multiply in organic foods and invading the cell walls of the plants tissues within hours of harvesting. The inevitable signs of organic foods having a shorter shelf life is the diminishing quality such as shrinking, fading, drying and changes in the texture and the color that make the foods look less appealing to the customer. Even though organic foods have their disadvantages, there are still some advantages to using organic foods. I personally think that by planting organic foods that there would be a chance to help third world countries feed their own. If organic farming can produce super foods and make larger yields of crops and make crops grow faster then I believe it would be what we need to stop world hunger. It would require a lot of experimentation I am sure but, would it not be worth it if it would stop some of the world hunger that is starving people to death? Another advantage of organic foods is that they help people from ingesting regular amounts of pesticides and insecticides commonly found in commercial products. Organic foods also protect the planet. Organic farming ensures that bio-diversity remains available in the foods we eat. Organic farming is considered to be sustainable farming. The farmers and workers are not exposed to dangerous toxins or bad living or working conditions. Sustainable farming protects humans, animals, and the environment. Increasing the demand for organic products will help people to want to use this type of farming and by using organic we are ensuring that the food our children are eating is healthy. With healthy foods there is a chance of stopping the obesity epidemic that is all over the world today. In conclusion, the environmental issue of organic foods is a very complex one. Organic foods can cause possible risks and harm on human’s health as well as the environment, furthermore it brings an impact on the global economy, and for these three reasons, organic food should be researched further or completely banned. If it could be researched further and organic farming could help with world hunger then it would be something that could help our third world countries and then it would be considered to be an advantage.

Dreams In Of Mice and Men Essay

â€Å"Of Mice and Men† was written by John Steinbeck in 1937. He wrote many other books such as Tortilla Flat, The Red Pony, East of Eden, The Grapes of Wrath, Cannery Row and The Pearl. His most famous was the Grapes of Wrath. At the time Steinbeck wrote the novel, men were the main workers on farms and ranches but during the 1930’s machinery began to take over and by 1938 Combines harvested half of America’s grain. George and Lennie, the two main characters in the story, are examples of migrant workers who farmed 800 miles across the state planes. All ranch workers travelled around America looking for jobs. They worked in very poor conditions and were paid two to three dollars a day plus very basic food. Everyone had their own dream but many people came from other countries to live the â€Å"American Dream† all believing that through hard work they would have the opportunity to live a comfortable life. It is possible that Steinbeck wrote the novel based on his own experience as he used to work on a ranch. He knew what these workers had to go through and had the desire and belief to show other people what was actually happening at the time. It could be argued that Steinbeck focused on ranch life for a storyline as he lived near a ranch and he recognised the loneliness and pain of the workers and what they had to do to keep themselves occupied. Steinbeck uses an arrangement of techniques to form a feeling of reality for the reader by using similes e.g. † A water snake slipped along the pool, its head held up like a little periscope†. This is a good example as it shows Steinbeck’s imagery that he uses to describe the scenery and surroundings. This particular simile is symbolic for the reality of life for animals and humans. The snake is on the look out for food whilst at the same time being wary of any potential attackers. George and Lennie’s life is a constant battle for survival, the same as the snake. Steinbeck structured the novel like a play so that the reader isn’t distracted by other things happening around in that particular scene. The story is spread over about three to four days during which George and Lennie travel to the new ranch until the ending in which George kills Lennie. This helps us to focus on the various aspects of the book where we are able to concentrate on one character at a time or an event at a time. Steinbeck can describe more thoroughly the event or character instead of telling a long story. This is a very effective method of writing and keeps the readers interest who is able to build a clear image of the character. At the start of chapter six Steinbeck’s description is almost poetic â€Å"The deep green pool of Salinas River was still in the late afternoon. Already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes of the Gabilan Mountains, and the hilltops were rosy in the sun. But by the pool among the mottled sycamores, a pleasant shade had fallen†. This is an intense description of the setting that the characters are in and enables the reader to develop a clear image of the surroundings. It is an example of Steinbeck’s imagery. Steinbeck uses a lot of Colloquial language and dialogue as the ranchmen speak a lot during the story and it is often grammatically incorrect with slang or swearing. This adds vividness and colour to the description. There is a lot of characterisation through dialogue as each character speaks differently. Steinbeck also uses dialogue to inject humour e.g. â€Å"His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, he looked kindly at the two in the bunkhouse. It’s brighter’n a bitch outside†. Steinbeck also uses intense descriptions in the novel, for example â€Å"The Dream†, Lennie and George’s dream of a small farm, a little bit of land and independence, is the same for all the ranch workers. The â€Å"American Dream† can be seen to be interwoven and the hope of being free and being themselves. We should realise that Steinbeck is trying to illustrate a universal truth and that most people wish to have better lives which gives them freedom, rights and personal fulfillment. Similes and Metaphors are used very often and they are usually describing nature. The book is rich in unusual imagery as Steinbeck describes very thoroughly. As well as Similes and Metaphors, Onomatopoeia is used e.g. â€Å"The red light dimmed on the coals. Up the hill a coyote yammered, and a dog answered from the other side of the stream. The sycamore leaves whispered in a little night breeze†. The best example of a metaphor is â€Å"On the Sand banks the rabbits sat as quietly as gray, sculptured stones†. Emphasising again animals constant waryness of all around it Animal imagery is used to describe Lennie e.g. â€Å"Lennie dabbled his paw in the water and wiggled his fingers†. This shows us Lennie’s build and the way his body moves as bears have paws and they move steadily with slow large movements. Lennie always talks about rabbits and this relates back to Lennie being described as an animal. Steinbeck uses sound well in his descriptions adding a further level of imagery for the reader. † Clang of horseshoes in yard, far off shouts of Lennie’s pursuers† help us to feel that we are witnessing events not just reading them. Light is also used effectively in descriptive passages and the light on the Gabilan Mountains is a recurrent image to give the idea of vastness and timelessness. Every ranch worker has his own dream but most are very similar as they want to have freedom and to be an individual. Lennie’s dream is to† Live off the fatta the lan an hav rabbits† These dreams are part of the â€Å"American Dream† and ranch workers think that that some day it might come true. The phrase â€Å"The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft aglay.† is from the poem by Robert Burns and this is the moral of the story. This is translated into modern English as â€Å"The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry† meaning in George and Lennie’s case that no matter how hard they try to plan ahead and work for their dream something can always go wrong and in this case, it does. In the novel Steinbeck writes about many different issues that still exist today, one of which is racial prejudice. This is illustrated in Crooks as he is denied human companionship because of the colour of his skin and this is part of the larger theme of loneliness. Another issue is Ageism. This is illustrated by Candy who has outlived his usefulness. This is also a part of loneliness and is emphasised by his relationship with his dog and the way in which he is upset when it is shot. The final and main issue is loneliness. George and Lennie are able to get away from loneliness with their relationship but there are many people who cannot fend it off such as Crooks and Candy as they become cynical and bitter. It ends up killing Curley’s wife as she cannot stand being on her own any longer. Steinbeck uses imagery to illustrate many reasons such as realism to symbolise deeper meanings and to portray society. He portrays loneliness as a human condition that we either succumb to or fight. Steinbeck doesn’t state a way of fighting loneliness but just illustrates the problem as we begin to realise that we may never find a solution.

Ebay Strategy

Short history of eBay Pierre Omidyar launched the first online auction in 1995 under the name ‘Auctionwatch’ under the domain name of www. eBay. com with the intention of creating a person- ­? to- ­? person trading community based on a democratized, efficient market where everyone could have equal access through the same medium, the Internet. The initial concept was to attract neighbours and other interested in the San Francisco Bay area residents to the site to buy and sell items of mutual interest. From there, the business grew to succession year after year. 1996: Jeffrey Skoll became co- ­? president and director of eBay. 997: Margaret Whitman became CEO of eBay. 2004: eBay acquired a share in Craigslist. 2005: eBay acquired Rent. com and Shopping. com. 2006: Acquisition of Skype. 2007: eBay acquired Stubhub. com. 2008: Margaret Whitman resigned as CEO. John Donahoe was her successor. During the years 2006- ­? 2008, eBay experienced a drop in gross merchandise sales to - ­? 12% and a reduction in number of auctions listed to - ­? 15%. This signalled a downturn in business for eBay, and a need to overcome the challenges which it now faced. Between 2006 and 2008 : eBay’s share of the US e- ­? commerce market had fallen from 19% to 17% (Amazon market hares, same period: from 3,7% to 5,3%). In 2008, John Donahoe took over the firm. Donahoe was a man who liked change. He believed that the firms marketplace sector had reached its maturity and a change in strategy was needed for the firm to move forward. In other words, he believed that the emphasis should no longer be put on the market place sector of eBay but on expanding the business by providing an array of other services. Question 1: Porters’ five forces: When eBay was first set up in 1995, it was the first business in the online auction industry. Since then, the industry has grown significantly. eBays competitors includeAmazon, uBid, Yahoo, and Google. Due to the incre asing interest in the online auction industry, eBay is now facing competition from a number of different rivals, most importantly Amazon. 1. Bargaining Power of buyers: Medium Buyers have the power to negotiate a price which suits them through setting their preferred bid. There is no pressure on buyers to surpass their preferred price limit. However, the number of buyers in the market is vast therefore their power is limited. 2. Bargaining Power of Sellers: Low As a result of endless number of sellers in the market, the bargaining power is low as there are many alternatives which an offer buyers good value and at a low price. Unless dealing with high end items or collectibles, which may be rare, the bargaining power of suppliers is low. 3. Existing Rivalry among competitors: Medium: The online auction industry is oligopolistic in the sense that there are a few large companies who own a large proportion of the market shares (eBay, uBid). However eBay is facing competition from severa l online retailers (Amazon, Overstock). 4. Threat of Substitutes: High Many consumers still prefer to use traditional methods for purchasing and selling items such as in- ­? store purchases. Consumers prefer to use this ype of purchase for many reasons. Firstly for security purposes, there is no risk in giving cash- ­? in- ­? hand to an establishment as opposed to giving credit card details online. Also, buyers have the opportunity to check the value of the good they wish to purchase. Many retail outlets have also extended their market to an online level. 5. Threat of new entrants: Medium The threat from new entrants is medium. As a result of low barriers of entry into the market, it is not difficult for businesses to be created. Businesses find it difficult to generate regular customers, as they must build up a reputation of having a safe nd secure website. In this sense, eBay has a competitive advantage as it has created a strong, trusted environment for its customers. Risin g competition in the market will, in turn, cause improvements in product quality and innovation. Also in order to generate good profits, eBay must focus on the sector of suppliers which regulates the most profits, this being the suppliers of high end items such as collectible products. EBay can differentiate by specialising in the market for collectible goods. Question 2: PEST Analysis:  §? Political: The internet is a tax free environment. EBay is not affected by the governments’ laws on axes. However, eBay is affected by certain policies considering the sale of certain products in different countries. For example, the CNIL in France. Economical: As a result of the economic crisis, consumer behaviour is changing. Consumers have less disposable income to spend caused by problems associated with the economic downturn such as rising unemployment rates, inflation rates etc. Sociological: Consumer behaviour has changed dramatically in recent years. Consumers want a quick and co nvenient way to source their products/services; the internet provides this through online retailers and auctions. The number of internet sers has amplified (insert statistics later? ). Technological: The internet has revolutionised, its range of activities has expanded with time. Along with offering search engines to quickly find products/ services, internet now makes it possible to quickly make transactions between buyers and sellers (PayPal).  §?  §?  §? The combined aspects of political, social, economic and technological will strengthen competition in the industry. In reference to economical, the economic crisis will cause companies to differentiate and work harder to find a competitive advantage over its rivals. In relation to technological, the use of e- ­? ommerce is becoming more and more popular; it has transformed the market place. Changing demographics has meant the internet and e- ­? commerce has become a more prominent force in the lives of consumers. E- ­? commerce is appealing as a more attractive industry as opposed to traditional retail outlets. It is less expensive for companies to create a business online as they can avoid the cost of employing a sales workforce. Also, as technology progresses, there will be the opportunity for firms to globalize, therefore expanding their market reach into different countries, and increasing their consumer base. Online businesses ill be able to target a larger number of consumers worldwide. In the current economic crisis, people need to increase their cash flow. This is an advantage for online auctions such as eBay as people can sell items that they no longer use. It creates a larger market for second- ­? hand items such as worn- ­? once clothing. Question 3: Key Success Factors: Online auctions and retailers †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ These key success factors apply to both online retailers and online auctions. However, in the case of the online auctions, a key success factor w ould be the necessity to create a community of trusted buyers and sellers. Online auctions uch as eBay emphasise the importance of good values among their users such as honesty and trustworthiness. A second key success factors for online auctions is the importance of attracting and keeping sellers as without sellers supplying the items, the market would not exist. It is essential that online auctions are made attractable to sellers. This can be done by offering suppliers the option to set a minimal price for their products, further advertisements of their products e. g. eBay will display sellers products on their homepage for a minimal fee. As shown, there are specified key success factors for online auctions. †¢ Necessity to create a community Necessity to attract suppliers Expertise in technology Brand name Generate traffic to the site: by attracting and keeping customers Overcome internet users nervousness about using the internet for e- ­? commerce Security of payment Que stion 4: Our strategic map conveys that this is an oligopolistic market. There are two main competitors who hold strong positions in the market, those being eBay and Amazon. Both businesses have a strong reputation in the market combined with a wide variety of auctions/product categories. EBay is a household name when it comes to online auctions. The map shows hat eBay holds the strongest position in the market. Amazon lacks in number/variety of auctions compared to eBay but it still managed to hold a strong position in the market through its well- ­? established brand name. In comparison with eBay, Yahoo holds a weak position in the market. It lacks in brand recognition as an online business. Yahoo also has a limited variety of auctions paralleled with the market giants eBay and Amazon. Question 5: Swot Analysis  §?  §?  §?  §? Strengths: Global brand for online auctions (Brand awareness). Quality and Quantity of products. Community spirit. Payment security (Paypal). Oppo rtunities:Acquisition of new business. Develop a market in emerging countries (India, Brazil†¦). Increase in online shopping.  §?  §?  §? Weaknesses: Model opened to fraudulent activities. System breakdowns. Increasing customer demands Threats: Substitute products (stores, online shopping web sites†¦). Success attracts competition. Interest and foreign currency exchange rates. Consumers’ fear of fraudulence  §?  §?  §?  §?  §?  §?  §? The SWOT analysis reveals that eBays strengths outweigh its weaknesses. eBays most promising strength is its globally known brand name. EBay has been established as a household name with its continued success in the - ­? commerce industry. It is still possible for eBay to expand and grow in this industry due to the increasing interest in online shopping. A notable weakness of the online commerce industry would be its systems openness to fraudulence. This has been faced by many businesses in the market including eB ay. Even though eBay was subject to controversy over this problem it has still emerged in a strong position nevertheless. Question 6: After computing the current ratio, we found that the company is able to pay its liabilities with its assets. 2005 2006 2007 Current Assets Current Liabilities 3990993 1266792 4970586 2518395 7122505 099579 Current ratio = current 3,15 1,97 2,30 assets /current liabilities It means that in 2007, the company can reimburse its liabilities with its assets 2 times. We noticed that the net income is decreasing (- ­? 70%). In fact, the gross merchandise sales are decreasing (- ­? 20%) and the auction listed too (- ­? 14%). The working capital shows us that eBay has enough cash available for the firm day to day operations. Working capital = current assets- ­? current liabilities 2005 2006 2007 2724201 2452191 4022926 The average collection period in 2007 is about 22 days. That means the company wait just 22 days before receiving the

Integrating Business prespictive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Integrating Business prespictive - Essay Example To bridge this gap that exist between the job graduate job seekers and potential employers the app we have initiated will be crucial. With this program, graduates can connect with incredible companies that are potential employers. This program is specially designed for graduates to come in contact with employers, and it’s open to all graduates possessing a great attitude and wanting a new job. The program will offer unemployed graduates with an opportunity like no other. Through this program graduates develop job skills, earn training and make fruitful business and personal connections (Horie, 2004). The program is distinctive in the sense that it gets the graduates working. Through this project, graduates earn the much-needed experience in the job market. This project gives the perfect opportunity for the graduates to enter the workforce as well as earning some money. Besides, our program enlightens graduates on the wages that the various industries offered for diverse careers. With this program, graduates earn valuable work experiences, training to enhance once employability and job skills. It also grows their resume and connections with relevant organizations that could be helpful in the future. Since our main objective to solve the unemployment among the graduates, intend to reduce the number of unemployed graduates every year. The problem of labour market mismatch in supply and demand will be our main objective (Wasmer & Weil, 2000). The project starts the process of connecting graduates with the job market right at the various institution of higher learning. Finalists are the key targets of the projects as well as freshly graduated individuals. To ensure equality, a similar number of graduates are picked from various institutions of higher learning and absorbed into the program every year. The main source of revenue for this project is the subscription from various graduates

The Importance of Development, Communication, and Learning in Teams Essay

The Importance of Development, Communication, and Learning in Teams - Essay Example Importance of Team Development Team development is important because it produces a productive workforce. Team work inspires solidarity among employees and it also helps build trust (Mackin, 2007). This way everyone in the company carries out their duties effectively since they have the support of everyone else. For example, when a company encourages team work among its employees, they will be able to trust each other, communicate better and learn to work together to achieve the company’s objectives. Effective Training Principles For effective team development, the following team principles are necessary: leadership, communication, trust, problem solving and decision making capabilities (Midura and Glover, 2005). In a company scenario, when team members are trained to work as a team, they not only enhance their leadership skills, but they also learn how to trust and communicate more effectively. This helps them solve problems and make decisions that are beneficial for the proje ct at hand. Stages in Team Development The five stages of team development proposed by Bruce Tuckman are: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning (Sugars, 2006). At the forming stage, the team members get to know each other better, they exchange personal information and they also make new friends. It is at this stage that members get a scope of the task at hand. Example: when team members get together to know each other’s names and interests, that is forming. At the storming stage, each team member has different ideas of the project at hand. It is at this stage that the team decides which problems to solve and how to solve them. Example: there may be differences on the reporting time for the team project, but when the members sit and agree on a specific time, the issue is resolved. At the norming stage, the team comes up with a single goal and a plan for carrying out activities. For example: a team might decide that the goal is to build new software in two month s and everyone should take the responsibility in ensuring that that happens. At the performing stage, the team members are actually working together to finish a project without any conflicts. Example: team members working on the algorithms of software can be said to be performing. Adjourning is the final stage that involves the dissolution of the team after a task has been finished. For instance, when a team comes up with new software, there is no more work to be done by the team and so it is dissolved (Midura and Glover, 2005). Communication in Teams Communication in a team helps individuals to achieve what they set out to achieve when they formed the team. When there is communication within the team, the team members are likely to be more efficient in carrying out their duties, and therefore they end up being more productive (Sugars, 2006). Teams communicate when individuals share information about the projects that they are working on. Communication also occurs when each member l ets the others know what his role is and what he expects to get from the team work. Communication allows the team members to develop trust and find ways of resolving conflicts that may arise (Lumsden, Lumsden and Wiethoff, 2010). An example of team communication is when members know each other so well that they are able to help each other out and compliment each other’s efforts without a problem. Team Learning This is the organizational process that involves individuals working

Assignment2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment2 - Coursework Example The customer noticed that there was a problem with his skin and he starts making a research about the perfect cure for that by searching online, consulting a doctor, or asking a group of friend. After that, the customer can make a decision about what he wants. Next is the actual purchase of the facial product and finally, a post-purchase evaluation. When the customer was asked why she bought the facial mask she replied, â€Å"For treatment.† When asked why the mask is important to her, she says the product will treat black head and even tone making her to have a better skin and appearance. By having a better skin and appearance, she replied that she would be beautiful, healthy, and bright. Therefore, we know something about the features of the facial mask and her perception of the benefit which she has gained by that product’s feature (good health, beauty, and brightness). On the other hand, when asked â€Å"How do you feel when you are using the mask?† she repli es â€Å"Relax and calm.† In this case, it can conclude that the benefit of using the facial mask for treatment is crucial to this customer since it results in the valued end state of self-esteem. In this regard, the customer responded that the benefit of using the facial mask was self-esteem (relaxed and calm) as well as for beauty, brightness, and good health. The process of establishing links between features, benefits, and valued end states is termed as a laddering interview. It involves asking a customer repeatedly to identify the reason why something is important to her. As cited by Kuester (2012), a brand delivers the benefits which the customer truly desires. Branding also assists the customers to remember the product. The customer bought a facial mask of the Clearance brand not because of the product’s attributes but because of those attributes, combined with the brand’s image and many other intangible and tangible factors that created an attractive whole. In the same way,

JAPANESE CIVILIZATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

JAPANESE CIVILIZATION - Essay Example The sense of commitment to never be defeated in anything, even at the point of death is a guarantee to obtain success and wealth. In the words of the writer, â€Å"if one is aroused, heaven and earth will move in response,† (Hagakure, 476). This is a justification enough to put everyone in total focus of their goals, without any thought of failure, which ensures that they can achieve anything. The obligation of daimyo to the land (bakufu) is to constantly fight for it, staying in the state of preparedness at all times to engage in a fight to protect the land, even to the point of death. â€Å"I have found that the way of samurai is death. This means that when you have to choose between life and death, you have to quickly choose death,† (Hagakure, 479). This obligation influences samurai’s life and that of his family to total devotion towards the protection of their role in leadership model. The expectation of the people, regardless of their categories, whether as merchant, commoner, artisans or samurai is that bravely and victory should be exuded at all times. This serves to give daimyo the confidence to handle all challenges and triumph at all

Joint Venture entry mode of Marks and Spencer in China Essay

Joint Venture entry mode of Marks and Spencer in China - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that entering into a new market has been commonly accounted as one of the major challenges faced by companies seeking the benefits of internationalization market expansion. In its course to diversify in the global plethora, the company needs to deal with many barriers including cross-border trade regulations, cultural paradoxes and various other socio-economic factors that are deemed to influence business operations in the targeted host country. Contextually, entering into the market of China also posed considerable challenges to Marks & Spencer (M&S), which is a renowned British multinational retail chain. Critics have thereon argued that it is fundamentally owing to lack of market understanding and appropriate strategies adopted by companies to mark its failure in Asian countries like China. Several challenges and problems encompass the entry of M&S in the market of China. With the opening of their first outlet in the Chinese market, the company experienced a dip in its performance, which was accounted as considerably lower than the expected level in the Chinese market. The outlets opened by M&S, at the initial phases of its operations in the Mainland China, failed to satisfy the needs of the Chinese local customers owing to the company’s lacuna to identify customers’ preferences in the market and offer services accordingly. For instance, the M&S stores were unable to provide garments of smaller sizes, as preferred by the customers in China. (Wood, 2012). Reportedly, the supply chain of the company was also lacking its usual effectiveness, which further inhibited the reputation of the company in the Chinese market, at its introductory phase. Additionally, it was also known that the management of the retail chain was implementing its strategic experiences gained from its operations in Hong Kong, irrespective of the fact that the consumer buying behaviour are found to be considerably distinct in these two regions. This again depicts the lack of market survey of the company taking into account the tastes and preferences of customers in the host country (China Retail News, 2009). In addition, the decisions taken by the company for not collaborating with any of the local firms in China, i.e. ignoring the benefits of JV also barricaded the utmost efficiency of its strategies by restricting the cooperation of local firms to a certain extent. It was thus considered as a mistake made by M&S, which retarded its smooth entry in the Chinese market. However the company focused on concentrating on its size and range of services offered to the Chinese customers as its major Unique Selling Propositions (USPs). Subsequently, the first shop of the company was opened in the Mainland and was propounded to be one of the biggest shopping centres in Asia. Nonetheless, this decision of the company came as a surprise for many investors in the stock market, as opening of the store came just after the global economic turmoil that kept investors wondering regarding the finances of M&S. It has also been noted that competition level from the local marketers were observed to be quite h igh in this area, as the local retailers are more competent in serving the customers in the market providing products preferred by customers of lower age groups and lower income groups. On the contrary, it would be vital to mention that the products

Substitution and Income Effects Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Substitution and Income Effects - Research Paper Example The objective of this paper is to analyze the fluctuations over the purchase behaviors of individuals with relation to the ‘income effect’ and the ‘substitute effect’ when the gasoline prices go high. Theoretical Perspective From a theoretical perspective, the substitute effect essentially refers to the effect over the purchase decisions which take place as a result of the changes in terms of price of the commodities. When the price of a particular commodity increases, the individuals tend to purchase the substitutes of that commodity which would cost them less than the earlier one. One of the major impacts is on the purchasing power of the individuals which seems to be lower when the price of the commodities rises. This can be regarded as a consequential effect to the fact that the fixed budget is less flexible than the prices changes of the commodities which, in turn, tend to determine the consumption capacity of that particular individual or household. In this context, though the budget of the consumer does not alter, the increase on the prices tends to present a circumstance as if the individual has lowered his/her budget with similar consequences to a decrease in the income of the individual. Therefore, the individual responds according to the fluctuation in the purchasing power which is termed as the income effect (Samuelson, 1980). This particular relationship between the budget, substitute and price changes can be apparently witnessed from the diagram represented below: Source: (Iowa State University, 2012) As can be witnessed from the above diagram, q1 and q2 represent the original product and the substitute products respectively. The graph represents that for purchasing 18 units of product q1 and q2, the individual has to spend 8 units and 4 units respectively increasing the probability to consume q2, provided all other factors such as quality are assured (Iowa State University, 2012). Discussion The discussion henceforth wil l address the critical situation over a year when the prices of gasoline have been assumed to increase by 100%. 1. You drove less and purchased less gasoline The reduction in the driving distance is expected to result in a lesser consumption of gasoline. Over a year, with the speedy hikes in the gasoline prices, i.e. by 100%, it becomes quite likely that a budget constraint shall be witnessed. Consequently, as substitute of gasoline, especially in the case of automobiles that are quite constricted, an apparent occurrence of income effect is bound to take place. It is in this context that by reducing the driving distances, the expenditure in terms of gasoline can also be reduced substantially mitigating the constraint of lowered budget due to rapid price increases. 2. You ate out less often In this situation, the consumer responds to the increase in gasoline prices by avoiding gasoline consumption needed to travel with the purpose of having food outside. In this context, the reaction of avoiding travel for outdoor fooding can be regarded as a result of income effect. It is in this context that by avoiding extra gasoline consumption for such luxurious or rather such recreational causes, savings can be augmented proportionately and, likewise, the budget flow can be made flexible by a certain extent. 3. You spent less to