Impacts of Negative Leadership Essay

Leadership carries considerable influence and responsibility within any organization. Leaders are challenged daily with how to manage this influence effectively. Communication plays a key role in this approach and can have significant impacts to the leader and their staff. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impacts of negative leadership behavior regarding communication and effects on the team as well as the overall organization. Experience with Negative Leadership Behavior Over my career, there have been negative leadership behaviors experienced with both direct mangers and senior management. One of the most destructive is lack of communication. Recently, an executive manager was going to be out of the office for an entire week. This leader has four direct reports of which three are group leaders. The executive manager casually mentions to one of the direct reports that she will be out of the office the following week at a seminar. The direct report appropriately relays this information to their team supervisor to address any concerns or open issues in advance of this absence. The same communication was not made to the remaining three direct reports, in any form, by the executive manager. As the business week of the absence began, the other three direct reports incur an issue & require assistance from the executive manager. These managers were rendered unproductive and left wondering when the leader was going to be in the office so that they can discuss the problem at hand. During subsequent discussions, the team supervisor aware of the absence is the one to notify the other three direct reports that their direct manager was out for the week. The gap in communication impacted the teams noted but also other service partners and finally the client due to the delays in resolving the issue timely. It is also important to note that this is not an isolated incident but had happened previously having similar impacts to the same parties noted above. Analysis of Leadership Behavior The leadership behavior described in this experience appears straightforward at the surface but is far reaching in its impact to the firm. The leader showed consistent lack of personal integrity as well as respect and empathy for her staff by not relating her accessibility on a regular basis. It impacts the morale of the direct reports and deteriorates their working relationships & ability to collaborate. The leader did not inform all direct reports of her absence. Without a collective knowledge, a subset of the larger reporting team was less effective and efficient during this time. This also created a gap in escalation when issues arose. Lastly it weakens the culture of inclusion. By being excluded, part of the management staff experienced a decrease in satisfaction subsequently affecting their overall performance. Attrition is a by product as well of this negative behavior. Supporting Research of Negative Leadership Behavior â€Å"For it is character through which leadership is exercised, it is character that sets the example and is imitated in turn†¦. The more successfully tomorrow’s manager does his work, the greater will be the integrity required of him†¦. No matter what a man’s general education or his adult education for management, what will be decisive above all, in the future even more than in the past, is neither education nor skill; it is integrity of character† stated Drucker (1954) reiterating the important of reliability in leadership positions. Leading by example creates the ability for the team to tangibly see this character on a daily basis. Additional leadership duties like consideration and management of emotions are becoming more important in the leader-membership interaction per Meike, Jacobs & Soares (2012). As these duties increase so will the need for leaders to develop empathetic skills with regard to their staff. This will include appreciation, trust and open communication. Per Fuller and Green (2005), leaders are responsible for embedding strategy in the organization by developing an excellent team, picking the right roles and allowing the rest of the team to make the strategic moves. This requires teams that can function in unison with high level of collaboration. Lack of communication will cause a disjointed approach affecting the vision of the organization ultimately impacting the firm’s success. Hoffman, Bynum, Piccolo and Sutton (2011) noted that transformational leaders are able to articulate a vision that emphasizes the way in which collective goals are consonant with follower values, causing followers to regard organizational goals as their own and submit extra effort toward goals and accomplishments. This sets the groundwork for a culture of inclusion within an organization. When strong unified behavior, values and beliefs have been developed, a strong organizational cultures does emerge per Tsai (2011). Leaders have a primary role in growing and upholding the firm’s culture. It encourages performance and leads to long lasting job satisfaction. When this is not present, organizations will see increased conflict, reduced dialogue between managers and teams and a progressively dysfunctional environment. According to social identify theory, unfair treatment from supervisors may arouse a negative identification which in turn leads employees’ negative behaviors in organizations as outlined by Duan, Lam, Chen and Zhong (2010). This emphasizes the pattern of negative leadership behavior that has the ability to funnel throughout the entire organization is not addressed. Recommendation for Strengthening Leadership Behavior Leadership is a dynamic, ever changing role and requires the leader to be aware of her own behavior and the potential impacts of this behavior on the team. In this situation, the leader needs to understand the value of leading by example. For the team to utilize the leader for her depth of knowledge and broader perspective, a level of reliability needs to be established. From a time management standpoint, simple steps like sharing the leader’s calendar with direct reports could alleviate this issue on a go-forward. This type of planning and organization will benefit the leader as well as the staff’s perception of her abilities and character. Interpersonal skills like active listening, feedback and conflict resolution are critical as well for any leader. Being able to engage her direct reports and the larger staff in a meaningful way will allow for the team dynamic to shift to a positive state. These relationships can be developed through mentoring and engaging the direct reports in projects or other work the leader is responsible for providing insight to her managers of the next level and current challenges of the firm. This end to end view develops the direct reports as well as building a more full bodied relationship with the leader. The impact to the organization also needs a voice n acknowledging the effects of this negative behavior. The leader is accountable for the resulting impacts of any action they take while representing the firm. In this case, the lower performance and higher attrition are concrete costs to the organization. The leader needs to answer for the consequences ofher behavior to a higher power like senior management, stock holders or similar. Conclusion Negative leadership behavior comes in many forms and lack of communication is one of the most pervasive. This paper provides an example of this type of negative leadership and the effects to the staff and organization. It also provides an outline of productive steps to modify the leader’s behavior and limit the adverse impacts in the future. References Duan, J. , Lam, W. , Chen, Z. , & Zhong, J. A. (2010). Leadership justice, negative organizational behaviors, and mediating effect of affective commitment. Social Behavior and Personality, 38(9), 1287-1296. doi: 10. 2224/sbp. 2010. 38. 9. 1287 Drucker, P. (1954). The practice of management. New York, NY: Harper & Row. Fuller, J. N. , Green, J. C. (2005). The leader’s role in strategy. Graziadio Business Review, 8(2). Retrieved from http://gbr. pepperdine. edu/2010/08/the-leaders-role-in-strategy/ Hoffman, B. J. , Bynum, B. H. , Piccolo, R. F. , & Sutton, A. W. (2011). Person-organization value Congruence: How transformational leaders influence work group effectiveness. Academy of Management Journal, 54(4), 779-796. Meike, S. , Jacobs, K. , Soares, M. M. (2012). Emotions and leadership. Reason and impact of emotions in the organizational context. Work, 41, 5671-5673. doi 10. 3233/WOR-2012-0915-5671 Tsai, Y. (2011). Relationship between organizational culture, leadership behavior and job satisfaction. BMC Health Services Research, 11(1), 98-106. doi: 10. 1186/1472-6963-11-98

Coastal management involves developing strategies Essay

Coastal management involves developing strategies that are designed to protect and preserve the coastal environment. The actions of humans have altered the operation of the natural coastal processes. During our fieldwork we have learned the key issues of coastal management and their strategies and the way they address them at Cronulla Beach. The three key geographical processes that shape the coastal environment are erosion, transportation and deposition. The key issues relating to coastal management at Cronulla beach are Pollution, Tourism, Introduced Plants and Population Growth. Pollution is one main key issue at Cronulla beach because people are littering they are eating on the beach. There are factories near the beach which is very bad for the environment as the smoke from the factories is going into the water is not safe as all the toxic will be in the water and it would not be safe for people to swim. Tourist come to the beach as it is a very popular destination for the residents and tourist. During holiday times the population of these areas can double, placing pressure on the infrastructure and environment of the area. Recreational activities like four-wheel driving places pressure on the coastal environment if it is not carefully managed, large dune areas and beaches where vehicles are given access can be highly susceptible to erosion. Population growth is the overdevelopment and rapid growth of coastal areas occur due to the current Australian trend for people to move from large cities to smaller coastal towns and villages where the lifestyle is more relaxed. Introduced plants have areas along east coast which have become invaded by introduced plants. The bitou brush or Chrysanthemoides Monilifera introduced in Australia in 1908. This plant can overtake native vegetation and this would not offer sand dunes have same protection against wind erosion as it is covered by native vegetation. The management strategies used to address the issues at Cronulla Beach is Seabee wall, fencing and signage/ rubbish bins. Seabee walls are used to minimize the impact of erosion behind the wall and protect road, paths and residential area. The slope encourages the wave to move back out to sea. Where it is reducing the speed of the wave and the lip redirects the wave back out to sea. The holes are to trap the water so the wave slows down and  depthposion bought the sand. There are no sand dunes at Elouera or Wanda in Cronulla because they have sand dunes there and the sand dune would protect what is behind it. Fences are a useful management technique used to ensure adequate access to beach for people while protecting the vegetation that stabilizes the sand dunes. The advantage of fence is that they secure the beach, it shows where people are allowed to walk. Signage is very important when it come to beaches as it tells people what you can and cannot do on the beach basically tells you what you are allowed to do on any beach but the signage stops bad things from happening to the beaches and what you are meant to do on the beach. Rubbish bins are just as important it keeps all the litter away from the beach and makes sure that it does not harm the coastal environment and keeps the beach looking neat and tidy and that it is not going into the water and harm the sea creatures that are in the water. People should not have to go and tidy up after other people who dump their rubbish on the beach. In conclusion, there are many things that we can do for the coastal environment and the issues that relate to beaches and how you can management them through strategies and it is also for the future generations it is to preserve and conserve for them so there is still a beach by the time it is the future.

History and Evolution of Health Care Economics Essay

History and Evolution of Health Care Economics - Essay Example Formation of these institutions has struck the government’s interest hence leading to regulation and control of the facilities. This has lead to growth of businesses such as insurance which benefit largely from health care facilities (Dranove, 2009). Managed care has also been implemented which has resulted to people having easy access to health care. Services such as Medicare have also seen to it that there is easy access to healthcare considering the fact that it has become really costly nowadays to access health care (Dranove, 2003). Dating to early 1900s, many did not see the need for insurance policies in health which rapidly changed as the population grew. In recent days, insurance has helped people who have incurred large bills to pay their bills and this is one of the major changes in health care that can be seen over the decades. This has been so because medical costs have recently been on the all time high and most people do not have enough funds to get the best medi cal care. Evolution of health care economics has reduced the risks involved during attention of patients, for example, during the early days those who were considered professionals such as midwives helped their patients at home with little or no care which increased the risk of both the baby and the mother. Serious diseases were not treated effectively because of norms and beliefs which lead to death due to pain. The government has built more facilities such as hospitals, which are equipped with qualified personnel and resources to help in attendance of patients lowering the risks involved. Improvement of equipments has been helpful in making sure that contraction of diseases between patients is avoided. In the early days, some complications such as a patient being in a coma were considered fatal or hard to treat but with the help of a life support machines, the rate of deaths of those badly injured has reduced in a big way. Invention of vaccines has helped spread and also prevent s pread of diseases such as polio, chicken pox (Dranove, 2009). In the early days, barrenness was considered as incurable but due to technology, services such as tube fertilization has helped many. Compared to the early days where medicines were direct from either trees or herbs and were administered to a patient without proper caution, evolution in the health sector has brought better and easy to administer drugs as a result of technology. The trees and herbs used to create medicines have been improvised to introduce tablets, syrups and other forms of medicine. This makes it easier to identify and administer. Medicines are also easily transported hence are available in bulk in different health centers easing the work done by the health professionals. The use of internet by doctors to diagnose their patients online has helped reduce the population in the centers and also made easier to identify specific diseases with the help of x-rays and scanning machines. This has increased efficie ncy in service delivery. Formation of doctors’ union has also helped in improvement health facilities and inventions, for example, in 1900s the American Medical Associations brought in more doctors. Doctors come together and agree on more important matters such as which medicine and inventions is both useful, not harmful and economical to the patient and the American

Individual essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Individual - Essay Example In this argument, I will use the example of Aboriginal children taken away from their â€Å"country† and how it impacted them as individuals and their culture. I will also argue that free will in choosing one’s cultural identity is under the influence of many factors. One’s cultural identity raises some interesting sets concerning the choice, for instance, how one defines his/her cultural identity and whether these definitions are imposed or chosen. Stuart hall discusses colonial experience and its traumatic nature by suggesting that expropriation of culture deforms and cripples that races that have been colonized are subjected to domination and will that is imposed through subjective conformation and compulsion to the norm (Hall 218). These people are projected unfairly as â€Å"others†, which means that cultural identity is a positioning rather than essence. Hundreds of children of Aboriginal were uprooted from their families in Australia and brought up away from their natural environment. They then became what were referred to as a stolen generation. One member of this generation who was adopted at 13 into a non-indigenous family and claims that he went through a crisis of identity. His identity was whom he was and where he was f rom, claiming that he and his Aboriginal wife were attempting to break a cycle of shattered families (Hall 220). He contended that they would make sure they stuck together and raise their children know their heritage. The other Aborigines were products of imposed interracial marriage whose children spent their lives attempting to fit since they were not white or black enough (Hall 222). This highlights the uniqueness of the situation that multi or bi-cultural live in. This situation does not make it any less valid than an identity that is fixed. Another example is the Australian cultural studies teacher and author Ien Ang who was born to a Chinese family in Indonesia and studied in Holland

Place, Promotion and Price Strategies. ZTE Computer Tablet Market Research Paper

Place, Promotion and Price Strategies. ZTE Computer Tablet Market Entry in the US - Research Paper Example This makes the product life cycle management a very important function of the business. The ZTE Corporation is a global company; they are providers of telecommunication equipment and networking solutions. The company was founded in 1985 and has come a long way to become China’s largest listed telecom equipment provider (ZTE official website). ZTE has a very comprehensive product portfolio that provides â€Å"end-to-end† solutions. They aim at providing high quality innovative products that are also affordable. They have operations in more than 140 countries globally. The tablet market is a fast growing one; some even predict that soon tablets will take over the PC market too. But that day is not very close for the general masses because tablets are expensive and the greater the offering, the higher the cost. ZTE has a devised a very successful approach towards tapping this market. They aim to product economically feasible tablets and make them accessible and available in everyone’s reach. The company started off with the ZTE Pro Light and Light and now aims to offer the ZTE Light Plus. Market Introduction Stage for ZTE ZTE Corp, China’s second-largest manufacturer of cell phone and related equipment is expected to launch their tablet in the United States the following year (Kharif, 2011). Presently the key players in the tablet market are Apple Inc. and Amazon. They intend to sell the tablet through the US phone company Lixin Cheng. ZTE has an already established image in producing low-cost devices. The market segmentation of the tablet PC is very complex because everyday someone discovers a new and innovative way to use the tablet PC. The introduction phase of the product primary involves it launch into the market, the aim at this stage is to ensure that the marketing is most impactful. ZTE believes that by 2015, it the tablet users will grow from the present users of 26 million to 82.1 million markets (Market Watch, 2011). The US market is expected to be the biggest market for tablets and smart phones, and they expect to sweep the market with their afforda ble prices. Product Strategies This is currently challenged by Amazon’s Kindle Fire whose recent performance in the market is predicted to dethrone Ipad’s leading position in the market. â€Å"According to leaked screenshots by an Amazon source of its internal inventory management system Alaska, and published by the Cult of Android, the Kindle Fire is on its way to outselling even the Apple iPad† (Barbara, 2011). This can also come as good news to ZTE, to depicts that the market is rip for affordable tablets. However, for proper execution at this stage, they need to conduct market research. They need to understand the customer requirements of product features, design, servicing and pricing. According to Liu the backside of the tablet supports the Google logo depicting that the product supports Wifi and

Media and Organizations that influence Politics Essay

Media and Organizations that influence Politics - Essay Example On both sides of political wall the United States, the web appears to be a developing field for arranging and voicing contradiction. However our political organizations are fairly altogether dug in thus long as there isnt assembly for emotional social transform theyre very impervious to the incremental requests of discontents. Historically this has regularly been generally advantageous, and the intrinsically deliberative nature of our presidential framework doesnt generally fit quick political change. Yet, as conventional associations are undermined by their own particular delay to adjust, innovative deficiency, and enactment focusing on them, the inquiry remains exactly how Americans ought to impact their lawmakers more oftentimes than with every new decision cycle. The capability to sort out individuals productively, rapidly, semi-secretly and without dependence on conventional media has absolutely altered individuals capacity to act politically, it is not so certain what amount of this capability has affected the structures of bringing on institutional change. A mass of bodies, firm requests and the influence to compel foundations to offer into those requests appears to be as discriminating as ever. The United States’ media in is manned by the private division and confronts no political control by the administration. There is a solid custom of autonomous daily papers, magazines, TV, radio, and different manifestations of media publicizing changing assessments, both basic and steady of government arrangement. The media serves no less than three vital capacities in affecting open arrangement. Initially, arrangement producers are under consistent examination by the far reaching media industry. Open authorities understand that just about whatever thing they do or utter even in secrete can show up in the media,

Industry Analysis Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Industry Analysis Paper - Assignment Example Competitive advantage is also taken for improving organizational performance and then it enables the company to return in asset and increase sales. Researchers argue that competitive advantage is able to predict the variance in the performance of a business and then explain the organizational consequences (Ismail, Rose, Uli & Abdullah, 2011). It is moreover the representation of a major determinant of corporate success or failure, if an organization is not capable to analyze its competitors’ strengths, weaknesses and strategies. This inability leads to the suboptimal performance in business (Sohel, Rahman & Uddin, 2014). For that purpose, analyzing the competitors is the critical need for the company’s strategy formulation and implementation of its competitive advantage. In the recent decades there appeared new techniques that help to formulate and implement strategy. Some of the popular is the Five Forces of Porter. In the following report, such analysis will be impose d to the well-known brands, companies with the world name, a Swedish multinational retail-clothing company H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) and Spanish clothing and accessories retailer Zara. The report will analyze and contrast the competitive strategy of these two companies and develop a competitive profile for each business. H&M is a Sweden-based company that operates in forty countries of the world and is known for such brands as H&M, COS, Weekday, Monki, Cheap Monday and Other Stories. The company sells products online through catalogue in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Finland and the UK. The recent launched store in U.S. (in 2013), the company has expanded its online operations to Australia (Business profile, 2015). According to H&M Group income statement, consolidated statement of comprehensive income (H&M Annual report, 2013), the company’s profit for 2012 was estimated in $ 16,867 m, while in 2013

Debt to Equity Ratio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Debt to Equity Ratio - Essay Example This essay discusses that  the calculation of the debt to equity ratio is as straightforward as its definition. The ratio is computed by taking an entity’s total liabilities and dividing it by the company’s equity. The total liabilities and equity used are got from the statement of financial position of the company on discussion. A company’s equity is the amount of capital the shareholders or owners of the business have put in the business. It is determined by subtracting the total liabilities from the company’s total assets. It is best if the debt to equity ratio is kept within a reasonable range. If the ratio is very high, it is an indication that the business can be in a financial distress and maybe in leverage problem where it can find it had to offset its debtors. On the other hand, if the ratio is to low, it implies that the company is heavily relying on the entity’s equity to finance its operations.  According to the report findings  lo ans acquired from lenders come with an interest payment, which must be paid together with the principal loan amount. The advantage of financing a company’s operation through debt finance is that the company can deduct the interest payments in its tax returns. On the other hand financing the company’s operations through equity makes the company at an obligation to earn return and increase the shareholder wealth. Company’s should therefore strike a balance between the debt and equity use to run the operations of their businesses.

Policy research memo Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Policy memo - Research Paper Example ld Left Behind Act was meant to assure the quality of education and develop accountability it seems that its goals are attainable and beyond the scope of the law. The No Child Left Behind Act meant to model education among children from disadvantaged backgrounds and to ensure that irrespective of race, colour or health status, each child had the right to access to quality education. The policy required that the performance of the students be assessed from time to time to ensure that children performed well between 2rd grade and 8th grade (Olivert 23-27). The ability of the policy to set the standards of education and find ways of measuring performance is an important aspect of ensuring that all students become responsible citizens. To ensure that all students, including those from struggling families performed well, the policy stated that all student who do not attain the minimum score be provided with extra tuition or have their study time extended. This would go on until they attain they attain the benchmark grades to proceed with their education. This is crucial in ensuring that all students get good grades to acquire employment despite an y economic constraints. To maintain accountability, the Act required that the teachers regularly report on the performance of students and provide results at the each of year. The Act achieved accountability by compelling the teachers to account for the performance of the student throughout the learning process. The teachers had to monitor the students’ results every time to ensure that all children achieve good grades (Roberts 12). The Act required that the schools and the district boards provide detailed report cards to the parents reflecting the performance of every child. Secondly, the NCLB Act required that strict measures be taken against teachers who do not deliver in terms of education performance in schools. The extreme measures include the change of the worker structure in the learning institutions. The policy

How to enhance expatriate motivation and effectiveness within a Term Paper

How to enhance expatriate motivation and effectiveness within a cross-cultural organization - Term Paper Example ................. 4 1.4 Structure ...................................................................................................................5 2. Theory Review.......................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Work motivation ...................................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 Definition of motivation ........................................................................................ 6 2.1.2 Motivation theories............................................................................................... 6 2.3.1 Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..6 2.3.1 Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ..8 2.3.3 Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension Model†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..10 2.1.4 Limitation of motivation theory ........................................................................... 12 3. Case Analysis: Nokia in China †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 13 4. Discussion and Recommendation.......................................................................... 13 5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 14 References........................................ ... In the modern world, it is common to find people from different countries and cultures working in the same environment. It is important for these organisations to improve effectiveness so as to better their competitive advantage so as to cope with the mounting competition in the global market. Employees are always willing to realise their goals in the work place. Thereby motivation factors are a concern of the employees and the human resource management. This boils down to the questions on whether employees from different cultural organisations are motivated in different ways and how management can improve overall effectiveness in cross- cultural organisations (Becker, 2000:33). In point of fact, there could be many problems arising in these organisations such as communication difficulties and cultural differences which might negatively impact on the efficiency and cause major problems for the HR department. It is therefore important for the HR department to maintain a motivated work force. Even though, firms face related HRM problems, the duty for culturally diverse organisations is far more intricate than that of their single- culture equals. In order cross- cultural companies to develop a motivate work force it is important for organisations to have a developed understanding of motivation factors (Becker, 2000:35). It is of great importance for companies to find out how employees from different cultural settings react to similar motivating factors, as culture has been found to have a an intense impact on human behaviour (Matic, 2008:94). Recent studies have revealed that people want more than money from work. There are five important issues including the link between work and life, relationship between

Pollution Effects and Counter Measures Essay Example for Free

Pollution Effects and Counter Measures Essay The impact of human activity on our environment cannot be denied. Many aspects of today’s environmental problems are only now coming to light as scientists explore the causes and effects of human impact on the world around us. Today’s generation has seen both unwarranted skepticism and exaggeration on both sides of the debate on how close we are to an environmental catastrophe. Although, as Frederick Buell wrote, as of today our world â€Å"has not ended; eco-apocalypse hasnt happened. Yet people today also accept the fact that they live in the shadow of environmental problems so severe that they constitute a crisis† (xii). While it is easier to understand the problems we face today by classifying human activity and its consequences into neatly defined, cause-and-effect relationships, it is important to realize that all of these causes and effects interact in a complex web to bring about an environmental crisis. That said, pollution is one of the most widespread results of human activity, encompassing a broad range of substances with pervasive effects. The effect of pollutants on our environment is one of the most widely publicized factors contributing to its degradation. And deservedly so; pollutants are diverse, and pollution takes many forms, but the effect of unchecked pollution is rapid, extensive, and often dramatic in its visual manifestations. Finally, in many cases pollution defies geographical and political boundaries, making it an international concern, and controlling it will require the involvement of citizens and organizations from all levels of society. Pollution involves the introduction of pollutants into the environment, and it is commonly organized into major categories – air, soil, and water – based on which component of the environment is affected. Other forms of pollution are classified based on the nature of the pollutant, and these include radiation pollution, biological pollution, and noise pollution. Scientists have developed many ways of gauging the level of pollution, or of a specific pollutant within the environment, but when one considers the direct impact of pollution on human health, it is exposure that matters more than the concentration of pollutants. In the environmental pathway, exposure to a certain concentration of a pollutant is what determines the actual dose of the pollutant in the exposed individual, and this is what leads to possible health consequences (Akbar et al., 62). In many cases, pollution is an occupational hazard, posing the greatest danger to people who suffer the most exposure as part of their daily lives. With some pollutants, however, the effects are indirect, not affecting an individual’s health, but impacting a society’s resources and economy in subtle ways. Even with the increased environmental awareness in modern society, it is surprising how many people still see nothing wrong simply because they are not directly affected by pollution. The purpose of this research is to give an overview of the different classes of pollution, how they affect society on different levels, and some of the measures that can help to prevent or reduce its spread. When one thinks of air pollution, perhaps the first image that comes to mind is that of a smog-filled skyline of a major city, through which a hazy sun barely shines. However, exposure to the outdoor smog in a polluted city is not the main source of pollutant dosage. Most of the actual human exposure to air pollution occurs indoors, simply because that is where most people spend most of their time (Akbar et al., 61). Just as the health risks of polluted water can be minimized by treatment, the risks posed by polluted air (namely, cardiovascular and respiratory disease) can be lessened by using proper filters within homes and offices. While it is possible to keep the indoor air quality under control, improving atmospheric air quality will require a collective effort on a much larger scale. Major sources of worldwide pollutant emissions are industrial operations, power plants, road vehicles, forest fires, and the incineration of refuse. Vehicular emissions are not only limited to exhaust, but also include emissions from the wear of tires and brakes and the road surface itself, which makes it difficult to come up with an accurate estimate of total vehicular emissions. Many of these sources of emissions are similarly difficult to quantify, but the overall statistics show that air pollution trends are higher in developing countries, and above the national average in megacities (Akbar et al., 36). This reflects a general trend of better environmental awareness, and environment protection programs that have been implemented for a longer time in well-developed, industrialized countries. For some pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide – a product of the combustion of fossil fuels – the global trend shows a decrease, but for other emissions there is no such evidence (Akbar et al., 49). Clearly, although industrialized countries like America have been consciously reducing some emissions for a longer time than other countries in the developing world, there is much that still needs to be done on an international level. Former United States Vice President Al Gore sums up the nature of the problem regarding the public attitude: †¦Our continued dependence of imported oil†¦is connected to the same pattern that leads us to put 70 million tons of global warming pollution into the earths atmosphere every 24 hours around the world, as if it was an open sewer. And pretending that that doesnt have consequence, when theres signs to tell us it definitely does†¦that’s really the essence of this problem. But because its so pervasive, in order to change it, we really have to have a sea change in public opinion in this country and around the world before the politicians and the government leaders in every nation will have the courage to do what really is necessary. (Interview with Al Gore, 2007) The second major category of pollution is soil pollution. The composition of soil is an important factor in an ecosystem, affecting what types of vegetation are able to take root and survive, and by extension, what species of animals will thrive in the area. Soil also retains water, and pollution of the soil often spreads to ground water tables. When soil is contaminated by pollutants – usually in the form of heavy metals that disrupt the balance and composition of the soil – it is often harder to detect, and difficult to determine the extent of the pollution. Such contamination typically results from direct deposition of pollutants into the soil. Landfills and waste heaps contain pollutants which gradually leach into the soil, and some of the particles in polluted air fall to the ground, where water runoff and seepage can spread the pollutants and lodge them into the soil. Operations in the mining industry, when improperly managed, can cause long-term damage to the soil, and to the environment as a whole. Jared Diamond cites Montana as a case study of the damage that the mining industry can do to the environment, saying it has â€Å"about 20,000 abandoned mines, some of them recent but many of them a century or more old, that will be leaking acid and†¦toxic metals essentially forever† (36). In most cases, these mines have no surviving owners, or the owners are financially unable to reclaim their property and manage its wastes. The relationship between the soil and the rest of the environment is complex, and much remains to be understood before a standard set of indicators and benchmarks can be used to monitor the quality of all soils. While these subtle relationships and interactions are being actively studied by scientists, land management can be improved and better implemented to lessen the impact of activities such as agriculture and mining, by regulating waste disposal and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. As an example, many farmers practice plowing their fields close to the edge of rivers or streams, and letting their livestock graze at the edge. This practice actually contributes to the erosion of riverbanks and diffusion of agricultural wastes into water. Careful management of land and soil resources can prevent soil erosion, which in turn will lessen the deposition of silt in freshwater areas that may be important habitats or breeding sites for species like salmon. (Environment Agency). Public pressure is necessary for the government to pass laws that will enforce mining companies to take charge of cleaning up their mines; the main responsibility lies with the American public, to be more active and vocal in protecting the environment (Diamond, 38). Water’s properties as a solvent are familiar to everyone, thus it should not be surprising that water is particularly vulnerable to contamination. The flow of bodies of water, as well as water runoff from precipitation, can disperse a high volume of pollutants over the course of a year. Water’s cycle in the environment has unique implications for the spread of pollution, and the various pollutants and contaminants of water comprise the third major category of pollution. Bodies of water can be polluted by point sources, such as sewage treatment plants, or they may be polluted through diffusion. Diffuse pollution can come from misconnected drains in households, leaching of surface wastes into groundwater, or runoff of toxic substances that have been deposited on land. Inland precipitation (in the form of rain) creates water runoff, which drains into larger bodies of water, carrying with it some deposited pollutants from the atmosphere and many untreated wastes that have been improperly disposed of. Oil from roadways and motor vehicles, excess agricultural fertilizer, and assorted litter from the land, can be washed into rivers and out to sea, where the scale of dispersal makes it very difficult to treat the pollution. In fact, the volume of pollution deposited by water from runoff can exceed that of an oil spill. In Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest, for example, each year from 2000 to 2006 roughly 22,580 metric tons of oil and petroleum products are deposited by runoff, compared to less than 1,000 metric tons from direct oil spills (Dodge). The deterioration of water quality leads to obvious consequences for human consumption. Freshwater with excessive levels of certain pollutants becomes unsafe to drink, and seawater can lose its ability to sustain biodiversity, negatively impacting the fishing industry. Agricultural runoff contains nitrates and phosphates, which are important nutrients for many organisms, but in excessive concentrations in bodies of water they lead to explosions in the population of certain microorganisms (a phenomenon sometimes known as â€Å"algal blooms†). This leads to an overall decrease in dissolved oxygen content in the water, which harms other species, mainly fish, by disrupting spawning and breeding patterns, and can lead to massive deaths in certain species when oxygen levels are depleted (Environment Agency). Thermal pollution of water can occur when a large volume of water is used for cooling purposes in processes that release large amounts of heat. Electrical stations use water for this purpose, and subsequently release it into the environment. This water is considerably warmer than the rest of the water in the environment, and brings a corresponding rise in temperature to the entire body of water where it is released. This again reduces the capacity of water to hold dissolved oxygen, with the same effects described above (Lourenco and Neves). With most point sources of water pollution under regulation, the biggest source of water pollution is diffusion. If the source of pollution cannot be pinpointed, the processes that create or contribute to diffuse pollution have to be more strictly managed. Since 2003, European legislation has created a Water Framework Directive (WFD) to actively assess the standards of water usage with chemical, biological, and physical tests. The WFD monitors all bodies of water (including ground water reserves and artificial reservoirs) with the ultimate goal of reducing water pollution in the United Kingdom and all EU member states by 2015. The United Kingdom’s Environment Agency summarizes some of its recommendations: Key policy issues, such as the control of diffuse water pollution, land-use planning, the designation of heavily modified water bodies and the role of wetlands†¦must be addressed by relevant authorities. Particular emphasis should be placed on the diverse sources of diffuse pollution†¦These include discharges from agriculture and also from other land-uses such as urban developments, transport infrastructure and abandoned mineral workings. Those who manage the land may have to do things in a different way to ensure that they do not cause water pollution. (1) Some forms of pollution are not classified by the sphere of the environment that they contaminate, but by their nature and properties. Our planet is constantly bathed in radiation originating from outer space, and there are trace amounts of radioactivity scattered throughout the earth’s crust. These do not constitute radioactive pollution; typically, this form of pollution originates from nuclear power processing, or from equipment used in nuclear medicine and radiography, although nuclear fallout from bombs and disasters, such as the 1986 Chernobyl incident, is perhaps the most striking example of nuclear pollution. In the case of Chernobyl, flawed design of the nuclear reactor, combined with personnel errors, led to an explosion which released around 5% of the reactor’s core of radioactive material into the atmosphere. The wind carried fallout composed mainly of the radioisotopes iodine-131, cesium-134, and cesium 137, from the reactor across the former Soviet Union. Among the most heavily affected countries were Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. The radioactive pollution’s immediate effect resulted in the death of 30 people, injury to over a hundred other individuals, and the immediate evacuation and relocation of over 200,000 affected citizens. One of the most studied long term effects of the disaster is a significant increase in the number of cases of thyroid cancer among generations of exposed individuals, due to the accumulation of radioactive iodine-131 in the thyroid gland (International Atomic Energy Agency). It should be noted that Chernobyl was a rare nuclear disaster that is not representative of the more common forms of radiation pollution; rather, it serves as an example of the potential scale and duration of pollution’s ill effects. Much more commonly encountered are the radiation-related risks in the medical field, where exposure to X-rays and radiotherapy practices can lead to an increased risk of developing certain cancers among some groups of patients. However, for the most part, properly observed medical standards will ensure that the risk of developing cancer from medical radiation is low – an estimated 0.05% per rem of radiation. The amount of exposure depends on the medical procedures involved, and although the increase in the risk of cancer induction is small (from zero to one percent), there is no threshold of radiation exposure below which it is absolutely risk-free. Thus, all procedures involving radiation exposure should be decided on the basis of risk versus benefit to the patient (Classic). Homo sapiens is the only species that has succeeded in domesticating other species, and with the spread of human civilization, we have carried our pets (and pests) to new lands. Introduced species constitute a form of biological pollution – when a non-native species establishes itself in an ecosystem, displacing certain native species that play a vital role in that ecosystem, and possibly causing economic damage, they are considered invasive. In ecology, the â€Å"rule of tens† states that one in every ten introduced species becomes invasive (Boudouresque and Verlaque, 1). The most significant direct consequence of biological invasion is the extinction of native species that are not adapted to compete with invaders. Such is the case with the Nile perch (Lates niloticus), a popular commercial fish species that was introduced to Lake Victoria in East Africa around the year 1962. The Nile perch disrupted the lake’s ecosystem by predatory activity, feeding on many native fish species, and spreading parasites which it carries in its gills. An estimated 300 fish species native to Lake Victoria were driven to extinction by the 1980s (Blake). While the Nile perch and some other invasive species have at least had some marginal economic benefit (a boost to the commercial fishing industry and local employment), in many cases the effect of biological invasion has been a complete economic disaster. Australia’s plague of introduced European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has not only threatened native animals as the rabbits outcompete them for food and shelter; the rabbits have threatened the ecosystem itself by decimating vegetation, causing the soil (arid and fragile over much of Australia) to erode. This in turn has greatly reduced the available land for sheep and cattle grazing – two of Australia’s major industries. Efforts to reduce rabbit populations have only increased the economic cost of the rabbit invasion, as Australians have tried to use poison, traps, dynamite, and expensive biological control agents in the form of diseases such as myxomatosis and the calicivirus (Diamond, 392). Managing an invasion is very difficult once the invasive species has become established. As noted by Oregon State University biologist John Chapman, â€Å"Unlike other contaminants in the world, introduced species dont have a half-life, they can spread from a single point source, and they have a potentially infinite life span† (qtd. in Reiber). An introduced species becomes established when conditions in the new environment are favorable, and it has little to no competition, and natural predators are lacking. Too often, strategies devised to control populations of invasive species backfire – the myxomatosis disease used to exterminate rabbits in Australia did succeed in bringing down the rabbit population by 90%, but the survivors then developed a resistance to the disease (Diamond, 392). Biological or chemical control agents used to eradicate invasive species often are detrimental to native species as well. In most cases, the safest way to remove invasive species from the environment is manually, which can be highly labor intensive and needs to be organized at the local or community level. Increased sound levels in our surroundings can constitute a form of noise pollution. While some people would classify certain genres or styles of music as noise, the most common form of noise pollution comes from transportation and industrial activity. Extreme levels of noise pollution can lead to a deterioration and eventual impairment of the auditory function in humans and other organisms. Noise pollution also affects individuals in other ways that may be less easy to measure or quantify; increasing levels of stress and annoyance, for example, or disruption of normal sleeping routines. States such as Maryland have implemented some form noise control; in Maryland, the Noise Control Program was passed into legislation in 1970, to provide technical assistance and enforcement regarding noise related issues across the state. It has been de-funded since July 2005, as the duty of regulating noise-related issues has been passed down to local government. There are many other forms of pollution that do not fit neatly into this broad classification, and to fully understand the effect of every pollutant would often require time-consuming research into various case studies. The interaction between different types of pollution often contributes to a complex effect acting on a larger scale, such as global warming, which is a phenomenon created by the interaction between the increased levels of various gases (known collectively as greenhouse gases). Pollution affects us on a global scale, but it can be reduced or remediated by efforts at the local and personal level. The easiest way to start contributing to the effort to reduce pollution is to minimize one’s own pollution of the environment. It is this diffuse type of pollution which is much more difficult to catch and trace. Individual citizens not disposing of their wastes properly, or households with misconnected drains, all have a small effect on pollution levels, and collectively this adds up to a large increase in pollution if unchecked or unreported. This is the pollution whose source is often unnoticed, and it is up to each individual to eliminate himself or herself as a source of this anonymous, unaccountable pollution. Many nonprofit organizations and agencies concerned with the welfare of our environment are engaged in activities to counter pollution and its effects. Participating in local community clean-up events can help to not only reduce the level of pollution in a community, but also heightens the awareness of people regarding pollution issues, especially if the organizers have invited an environmental expert to deliver a talk about problems relevant to the community. Recycling gadgets instead of throwing them away is a solution that helps both the consumers and the manufacturing industries. Sony Electronics, Inc. has a recycling program that accepts old or non-working Sony branded products free of charge, and even products of other companies for a small fee (On a higher level, government environmental agencies monitor the major point sources of pollution such as wastes disposed by large factories and industrial companies. With pollution’s far-reaching consequences, nations must help each other to remediate the worst polluted areas. An estimated 1 billion people are affected by pollution issues, and a majority of those people are in the developing world, where a general lack of awareness and local regulation of pollution has reduced the overall life expectancy and quality of life (Hanrahan et al., 2). With minimal financial investment, a number of remediation measures can be carried out in some of the worst polluted areas in the developing world. These measures will help save lives, particularly of children, at an estimated cost of only one to fifty US dollars per person each year. However, implementing such measures often takes a back seat to the basic needs of education and primary health services that local governments often must prioritize (Hanrahan et al., 2-4). This is why it is important to have international intervention and cooperation, not apathy and the selfish attitude summed up by ‘it’s someone else’s problem, let them take care of it’. In dealing with pollution it is important to keep in mind that many of the sources contributing to pollution are industries upon which modern society is dependent. Mining and agriculture are two examples of ancient activities that have helped men to develop their civilizations. Mining enabled us to build better shelters and construct the tools and implements that we use in everyday tasks. Agriculture and the potential to store surplus food has taken us from the lifestyle of hunter-gatherers and brought humans together in the first settlements, which eventually grew into cities and states. Pollution is a byproduct of these activities, and the effort to reduce or prevent pollution is not trying to destroy major industries or cease the production and development of new technology. It is an effort to make the producers and consumers responsible for the regulation of wastes created by these activities, and their proper management and disposal. We live in an age of awareness, and thanks to our awakening and gradual realization of how we affect the world around us, today’s environmental crisis has increasingly become a fact of life in the modern world. Modern governments should no longer be intent on debating the validity of environmental concerns, but focused on finding and implementing solutions. The root of these problems – human degradation of the environment and exploitation of its resources – has been at work ever since the dawn of the civilized age. The environmental crisis of the present, on both the global and local levels, is not a burden that we have borne for only a few generations; it is a result of centuries, even millennia, of human exploitation of available resources without the guidance of modern environmental science, accelerated by the industrialization brought about by developing technology, and abetted by attitudes and sensibilities that have developed in ignorance of how we impact our surroundings. The inertia of these outdated attitudes and accelerating industrial processes is huge and cannot be so easily stopped; it may take decades to realize the full extent of the damage we have done to the environment in every aspect, and perhaps longer to reverse the trend. But for many of us, the fundamental error in thinking has, at least, been corrected. Environmental problems elsewhere in the world are no longer just someone else’s concern. With modern globalization, what we do in our part of the world affects everyone else, and if we continue to act and think with that in mind, the environmental problems facing all of society will be managed by society as a whole. Works Cited â€Å"A slow-moving oil spill.† Ed. John Dodge. 01 December 2007. The Olympian. 04 December 2007 http://news.tradingcharts.com/futures/5/7/101611775.html Akbar, S. et al. World Health Organization. Air Quality Guidelines Global Update 2005. Germany: Druckpartner Moser, 2005. Boudouresque CF, Verlaque M. Biological pollution in the Mediterranean Sea: invasive versus introduced macrophytes. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2002 January; 44(1):32-8. Buell, Frederick. From Apocalypse to Way of Life: Four Decades of Environmental Crisis in the U.S. New York: Routledge, 2003. Diamond, Jared. Collapse. New York: Penguin Books, 2005. Environment Agency, 2003. The Water Framework Directive – not only a question of quality. Bristol: Environment Agency. Environment Agency, 2004. Soil, the hidden resource. Bristol: Environment Agency. Environment Agency, 2007. The unseen threat to water quality. Bristol: Environment Agency. Hanrahan, D. et al. Blacksmith Institute. Cost Effectiveness and Health Impact of Remediation of Highly Polluted Sites in the Developing World. 2007. International Atomic Energy Agency. Chernobyl’s Legacy: Health, Environmental and Socio-economic Impacts and Recommendations to the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Austria: IAEA, 2006. â€Å"Interview of Al Gore.† Larry King Live. CNN. 05 July 2007.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Invasion Biology Introduced Species Summary Project.† Ed. Jennifer Blake. 10 January 2005. Columbia University. 02 December 2007 http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/Lates_niloticus.htm John, E. M. et al. Medical radiation exposure and breast cancer risk: findings from the Breast Cancer Family Registry. International Journal of Cancer: 2007 July; 121(2):386-94. â€Å"Link Between Climate Change and Biological Pollution could Harm Northwest.† Ed. Derek Reiber. 02 July 2001. Sightline Institute. 02 December 2007 http://www.tidepool.org/derek/invasives.html â€Å"Noise Pollution Control.† 2007. Maryland Department of the Environment. 05 December 2007 http://www.mde.state.md.us Path: Programs; Multimedia Programs; Noise Pollution Control. â€Å"Pollution and its effect to the environment: Interview with Ricky Clancy of Sony Electronics Blog.† 27 September 2007. 05 December 2007. http://bdpollution.blogspot.com/2007/09/interview-with-ricky-clancy-of-sony.html â€Å"Risk/Benefit of Medical Radiation Exposures.† Ed. Kelly Classic. 04 December 2007. Health Physics Society. 04 December 2007 http://hps.org Path: HPS Publications; Articles. â€Å"Thermal Pollution.† Ed. Silvia Lourenco and Rute Neves. 05 December 1996. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 04 December 2007 http://www.rpi.edu/dept/chem-eng/Biotech-Environ/Environmental/THERMAL/tte1.htm United States Environmental Protection Agency. Noise: A Health Problem. Washington, 1978

Analysis Of Nosotros Los Pobres Film Studies Essay

Analysis Of Nosotros Los Pobres Film Studies Essay In the 1948 film Nosotros Los Pobres the representation of maternal and paternal figures confirm Octavio Paz theories of the Mexican identity crisis as well as ascribe to the stereotypes described by Monsivà ¡is. Octavio Paz states the Mexican race is subject to gsuspicion, dissimulation, irony, the courtesy that shuts us away from the stranger, all the psychic oscillations with which, in eluding a strange glace, we elude ourselvesh. To Paz the Mexican race is an oppressed one, a servant race hiding behind masks and smiles. The Mexican is of the subservient worker mentality, he/she always thinks of being brought down by external forces. These forces are not external gthey are impalpable and invincible because they are not outside us but within ush. For Paz the totality of the Mexican existence is that gonly when they are alone, during the great moments of life do they dare to show themselves as they really areh. To both Paz and Monsivà ¡is the Mexican (male) is a person of many con tradictions a person who is sensitive, angry, arrogant, wise, ignorant, dedicated, womanizing, distant, and emotional. The Mexican holds all of these things in himself at once and in extreme moments bursts out. Monsivà ¡is makes the connection between the poor and the need for drama or melodrama; gthe audience could forget its own economic woes with the discovery that so many shared its own misfortuneh. For the Mexican female and male, the world and life makes the most sense when they are suffering. There is probably no better representation of this suffering, the trials of life, the melodrama, the extreme emotional contradictions of the Mexican than in Nosotros Los Pobres. By isolating the paternal figure to the character Pepe, we can examine how he is a textbook representation of the contradictory Mexican male in an identity crisis. Pedro Infante as Pepe comes to be the archetypical Mexican male. Monsivais describes this male as alternatively and simultaneously brave, generous, cruel, rakish, romantic, obscene, able to make the greatest sacrifice, family-oriented and a friend until death. Pepe as a father is a both times generous and cruel, this is evident throughout the film in various scenes with his daughter. Pepes dedicated paternalism comes out any time he has to console his daughter and reassure her that he will never replace her mother. His sweetness comes out in the scene in which he apologetically croons his daughter with a birthday song. His crooning for his daughter just comes after one of his cruelest moments in the film in which he slaps his daughter in response to her accusing him of killing her mother. In slapping his daughter Pepe lit erallizes Paz quote, his daughter becomes the person who suffers this action is passive, inert, and open, in contrast to the active, aggressive and closed person who inflicts it. Pepe is of course arrogant, prideful and closed, all because he wants to spare his daughter of the shame of knowing who her real mother is, by slapping his daughter Pepe all at once trying to protect is daughter and suffers from a moment of emotional outburst where he in Paz terms becomes the chingà ³n. To say whether Pepe is a chingà ³n is a paper topic in and of itself, for now his moments of being a chingà ³n can be considered as part of himself, part of the bigger whole that is the Mexican identity, just one more part of the contradictory Mexican. Pepes chingà ³n comes out in one other scene, the scene in which his sister reveals herself as the girls mother (to the audience) and begs for Pepes forgiveness. As presented his sister doesnt seem to deserve the hatred and unforgiving emotional torment th at Pepe heaps on her. It is as if his own pride, arrogance, and all-around Mexican identity keeps him from forgiving his sister. Pepes unforgiving of his sister can be chalked up to serving the melodrama of the film. The Mexican romantic in Pepe comes out in any scene Pedro Infante shares the screen with the many women who adore him. Pedro Infantes natural talent of singing comes into play as well. The whistling scene between him and his sweet innocent pure love interest Celia Pepe at his most romantic. Pepe reveals himself to be a man of honor and dedication when resists the advances of La Que Se Levanta Tarde, sometimes Pepes verbal sparring borders on cruel. The scene in which La Que Se Levanta Tarde forces Pepes face into her bosom through comic action is of course played for laughs. The last facet and stereotype of the Mexican male is that of machismo. Pepe displays this machismo in the films later half which shows Pepe in prison and literally fighting for his life. Pepe violently beats the criminal responsible for the crime Pepe was accused of. Although this resolution is simplistic, it nonetheless serves the purpose of the melodrama, Pepe proves his innocence by beating the crap out of the other guy. By showing all these facets of the Mexican identity and male, Pepe fits the stereotypes suggested by Paz and Monsivà ¡. Pepe through all his contradictions and variety as a man, he comes to represent the whole of the Mexican identity crisis. The female that comes to represent maternity and the female stereotypes is the character of Celia. Celia is all at once pure, sweet, vulnerable and mistreated. To Paz, Celia comes to present the chingada, female, who is pure passivity, defenseless against the exterior world. Celias passivity comes out in a small scale in two scenes. The scene in which her father forbids her from seeing Pepe or being courted by Pepe, her response is of course emotional openness which makes her vulnerable and ineffective against her father who holds power over her. The other scene in which Celia is passive and open is the scene in which she confront Pepe for the truth. Again, Pepe shows his emotional contradictions in this scene, as Celia through her love and openness is simply trying to get Pepe to tell the truth of Chanchitas mother Pepe in turn treats Celia cruelty. She is vulnerable and once again Pepe is a chingà ³n, prefers to be in solitude rather than be open and vulnerable to Celia, and Celia is the one suffer from it, she even throughly expresses her love and care for Pepe, who in turn in only unreceptive not because he is because he is trying to save Celia as well. Through his emotional cruelty Pepe is saving Celia from being with him, sparing her of being with the complex man who would rather be anyone but himself. Both Pepe and Celia come to represent a sketched portrait of a people: generous, prejudiced, and more emotional than rational; pious and fanatic; an enemy of bigotry and more liberal than it seemed; inhibited by Lord and Master. The people of Nosotros Los Pobres, whose nicknames define their personality traits, are people of a community suffering from the Mexican identities, all these facets at one. It comes as now surprise why Nosotros Los Pobres is considered on the best Mexican films of all time. It is a representation of universal truths specific to the Mexican and one of the finest examples of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema.

Marketing plan of LOreal Melbourne Fashion Festival

Marketing plan of LOreal Melbourne Fashion Festival Listed as a not for profit organisation since 1996, the Melbourne Fashion Festival Ltd, now known as the LOreal Melbourne Fashion Festival, has always been at the forefront of the fashion world. Over the years, the LMFF has become one of Australias top fashion events and focuses on target markets that are fashion oriented, social oriented and a mixture of both. The events success can be recognised by the efforts made by many individuals and businesses that have been with the organisation for many years. On March 14, 2011, the LMFF launched Fashion Full Stop: Decades of Australian Fashion, an event that celebrated designers, along with many labels and styles that have shaped Australias history in fashion. With tickets ranging from $79 to $39, 4000 fans filled the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centres plenary auditorium. Due to this, the event has been deemed a large priority in future shows and an extremely important opportunity to raise the profile of the organisation (LOreal Melbourne Fashion Festival Pty Ltd, 2011) Therefore the main objective of this event is to be recognised both nationally and internationally as the leading event of its kind and stimulate activity across the retail, clothing, footwear, and creative sectors. The purpose of this marketing plan is to identify LMFFs many strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats ; and these must be used in union with several marketing strategies, actions and a budget of $47 200 to eventually achieve the overall objective. Although the companys strengths and opportunities outweigh the organisations weaknesses and threats, the growing competition within the fashion industry and changes in the marketing environment need to be of focus. For the event to be a success, the organisation must modify or maintain the strategies and actions to directly reflect these changes. Event Information The aim of the Fashion Full Stop Opening Runway event is to celebrate and promote iconic designers, labels, styles and moments from the 1960s to today, stimulate sales and present Melbourne as a precinct full of design superiority. Assessment of the Marketing Environment Internal Environment Strengths: Since the LMFF initiated in 1996, the unique LOreal brand image has flourished Created brand awareness, recognition and emotional value to its target audiences Has built a reputable media profile Has been able to grow and produce a diverse range of activities Showcases many strong brand names and sponsors Sales within Melbourne and other parts of Australia have skyrocketed Increased staff attitude towards the event, opinions about the event, and expertise and experience during the event Weaknesses: Certain markets are not focused, e.g. low income earners. This may be intentional as the event focuses on exclusivity. Due to the lack of detail about the event in regards to online advertising, television advertisements and more, previous customers may have a perception that the event may be similar to the previous year or be similar to competition. External Environment 3.21 Micro-Environment Competitive analysis and Venn Diagram Direct competitors (offer similar, but somewhat differentiated events) include: Location Prices Target Market Offerings and/or Sales Date and time Rosemount Australian Fashion Week Sydney Similar Same Similar Different Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival Brisbane Similar, but offer free events Similar Achieved an increase of 61% on ticket sales and 33% on attendance in 2008 (Lindsay Bennett Marketing, 2010) Different Motorola Melbourne Spring Fashion Week Melbourne Nearly all events are free Similar Very similar Different Perth Fashion Festival Perth Similar Same Very similar Different New Zealand Fashion Week Auckland (outside Australia) Very similar Similar Very similar Same Similar offerings Party Eclectic Well known SOCIAL HIGH PROFILE INTERNATIONAL Indirect competitors (seek to provide the same benefits to the consumers, but in a different form) include: Port Fairy Folk Festival Future Music Festival Moomba Festival 3.22 Macro Environment PESTE Analysis Political forces/legal and regulatory influences The LMFF is required to uphold and adhere to many political and legal regulatory practices and the most important include: Drinking laws: all underage visitors must be accompanied by an adult in bars and dining rooms (LOreal Melbourne Fashion Festival Pty Ltd, 2011). Entry: refused entry is given to any person that is affected by alcohol/drugs, behaves aggressively or reduces the reputation of the LMFF or any organisation associated with the LMFF (LOreal Melbourne Fashion Festival Pty Ltd, 2011). Intellectual property: in the interest of all the stakeholders, registered designs, trademarks, patents, and copyrights all need to be respected by using intellectual property laws. It encourages technological innovation and artistic expression in industries (Commonwealth of Australia , 2010). Economic trends In economic troubles, fashion, the arts and entertainment often get sacrificed because of a decrease in disposable income. However, the slowdown within worldwide expenditure due to the impact of the global economic crisis has had a little effect on the LMFF. In fact, consumers are still spending a large amount of income, visiting the festival on an annual basis, and sponsorship is still going strong. Socio-cultural trends According to Easey (2008), fashion is ultimately about change.many of these changes are brought about by designers trying to create something new to satisfy customers, but others are because of influences beyond the control of designers or manufacturers.some are within a companys control and others are way beyond it. Therefore, the LMFF opening runway show will have to focus on the current needs and wants of the target market and find a way to satisfy them. Technological trends In several industries, the development and utilisation of new technology gives the opportunity of improving a consumers experience. Recently, designers such as Alexander McQueen and Alexander Wang used technology to stream their fashion shows live online (Moore, 2010). The brand DKNY has also started using a barcode technology for invitations and seating arrangements for its fashion show (Moore, 2010). This type of technology could be developed for use in the LMFF opening runway show. Environmental trends Recently, an ethical fashion forum has developed a mission to support  and  promote  sustainable practices, facilitate  collaboration, raise  awareness  and provide the  tools  and  resources  needed to reduce poverty, reduce environmental damage and raise standards in the fashion industry (Ethical Fashion Forum, 2011). Therefore, the push to become green is fairly large on fashion shows and designers. SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES Established in 1996 Unique LOreal brand image Not for profit organisation Stimulates sales within Melbourne and several brands Presents Melbourne as a centre of design superiority Diverse range of activities Unique Strong brand names Good reputation Popular shows created annually/positive track record Staff attitude and opinions Staff expertise and experience Existing media profile/reputable media partners or sponsors Location Celebrity attraction Although variety of offerings, certain markets are not focused on Perception that customers may already know whats of offer Lack of detail Current marketing campaigns are shallow and not environmentally friendly OPPORTUNITIES THREATS Increase visitors and attract tourists Boost retail sales and economy Exposure for sponsors/volunteers Upcoming designers and existing designers to showcase talent Build reputation of Melbourne Opportunities for the LMFF to create something different Competition/growth of other tourism areas in Melbourne Limited finance Infrastructure renewal due to increase of visitors Safety and security Major events throughout the year that target market prefer to spend time and money on Hard to create niche products/services due to continuously changing environment Increase in push to become green Target Market Consumer Information There are three types of target markets: Primary: approximately 50% of attendees, require a small amount of marketing costs, go for the fashion and are loyal to the event. Secondary: approximately 30% of attendees, require a slightly larger amount of marketing costs, use the fashion event as a social experience. Tertiary: approximately 20% of attendees require a large amount of marketing costs; go as its an event close to home. Target Markets and Market Segmentation Market Research For the purpose of improving the LMFF event and in order to determine the characteristics of the primary, secondary and tertiary target markets, secondary research has been used. This information has not been directly extracted from the audience, but instead from a variety of sources. A useful way in identifying the reasons why several target markets visited LMFF was to create a brand bullseye, which takes into account a variety of emotional and functional perceptions, opinions and hot buttons (Skildum-Reid et al, 2007), see appendix 1. Consumer Segmentation The primary target market are associated with the fashion world and are visiting the event to connect with designers, musicians, consumers, and retailers. In other words they are high profile guests who have been actively engaged with the festival throughout its history and continue to support LMFF into its future (LOreal Melbourne Fashion Festival Pty Ltd, 2011). The secondary target market enjoys socialising, spending a large amount of disposable income and are easily influenced by peers and the media. The tertiary are people that are interested in the arts, but use location and convenience to satisfy their needs and wants. Demographics Variables Target Market Primary Secondary Age 21 50 18 30 Gender Female and Male Female and Male Marital Status No No Education Yes Yes Children living at home No No Income Middle to upper class, large amount of income, between $50 000 $110 000 Lower class, large amount of disposable income, equal to or less than $30 000 Internet use/ type High/Broadband High/Broadband Online buying habits Medium High and know how to buy online tickets, etc Television viewing preferences Pay television Pay television and free to air television Transport use Private Public and Private Beverage and food preferences Expensive and prefer alcohol and tea/coffee Cheap and prefer alcohol and sweet drinks Employment status/occupation Employed, usually in the fashion industry Student, unemployed or new worker Location Both domestic and international Domestic and urban/metropolitan areas (Information collected from EIT Inc, 2005; Frankie, 2011; Fashion TV, 2011) Psychographics Variables Target Market Primary Secondary Lifestyle City prone Enjoys shopping Quality oriented Frequent buying behavior Interested in the arts music, dance etc Upscale and well-off Trendy Globetrotters Value-for-money oriented Social status activities No major responsibilities City prone Big spenders Personality Independent/Opinion leader Brand and fashion conscious Very sensitive to advertising Competitive Always searching for the newest trends and products representative of their social image Influenced by peers Outgoing Opinion formers Street-smart (Information collected from EIT Inc, 2005; Frankie, 2011; Fashion TV, 2011) Objectives Overall Business Objective The overall business objective of this event is to be recognised both nationally and internationally as the leading event of its kind and to stimulate activity across the retail, clothing, footwear, and creative sectors. SMART marketing objectives The objectives below conform to marketing standards of setting objectives which are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results oriented, and Time bound (Skildum-Reid et al, 2007). To obtain international and national prime time stories on channel FTV, various advertisements on national radio station NOVA, and a major advertising campaign with a colour photo in the magazine Frankie, one month before the event. To increase ticket sales domestically and internationally by 10% compared to the previous years opening runway event. To increase awareness and recognition of the brand LOreal in Australia from 20% to 35% by February 2012. To obtain five more sponsors prior to the event in order to increase funds by $150 000. Marketing Strategies Link to objective Rationale Strategies Measurement mechanism 1 This will achieve a large market penetration in the target markets and will encourage ticket sales before the event 1.1 Provide digital footage of highlights of last years event to various television and radio stations Number of televised stories that use the material 1.2 Create opportunities for video and audio interviews with designers of the event Number of interviews 1.3 Create and distribute press kits to local and international media Quality and acceptance of media kit 2 This will achieve market growth and showcase the event as being popular and well-known 2.1 Release early bird tickets at a discounted price to loyal customers Advance ticket sales and/or revenue, customer database 2.2 Provide online ticket purchases through connection of event website and ticketing company Ticket sales and/or revenue, customer database of event and ticketing company 2.3 Cross-promote with the event designers, singers and dancers through various advertising campaigns Number and quality of cross promotions 3 This will boost ticket sales and product sales before the event due to brand loyalty and recognition 3.1 Offer and provide samples of LOreal products to customers Number and frequency of customer purchases, customer opinion and satisfaction 3.2 Cross-promote event with LOreal advertisements Number, quality and success of cross promotions 3.3 Start an online social page e.g. facebook to discuss the brand/product/event Number of visits/hits/comments/likes/followers 4 This will allow the event to produce better offerings in regards to the exclusivity of the event and will increase the events profile 4.1 Create a sponsorship proposal and press kit that stands out from competitors Acceptance of proposal and number of responses, number of proposals from competitors Action Plan Actions Action Officer Time Frame (months before event) 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Strategy 1.1 Action 1.11 Contact FTV and NOVA representatives to find out deadline Public relations/media team Action 1.12 Collect and compose footage of event and audio interviews Public relations/media team Action 1.13 Send to FTV and NOVA by deadline Public relations/media team Strategy 1.2 Action 1.21 Develop an interview script Public relations/media team Action 1.22 Contact agents of designers or designers directly and set up a meeting to interview Public relations/media team Action 1.23 Collect and condense interview data into clear information Public relations/media team Action 1.24 Send to editor of magazine by deadline along with press kit Public relations/media team Strategy 1.3 Action 1.31 Contact media representatives to find out deadline Public relations/media team Action 1.32 Write media release and information Public relations/media team Action 1.33 Develop press kits to send to magazine Public relations/media team Action 1.34 Send to editor by deadline Public relations/media team Strategy 2.1 Action 2.11 Contact ticketing company to inform them of intention to sell tickets to event, with prices and discharge information Marketing team/Ticketing manager or assistant Action 2.12 Create online flyer to advertise event and early bird discount Marketing team Action 2.13 Send flyer to ticketing company database and event database through both mail and e-mail Administration Strategy 2.2 Action 2.21 Liaise with marketing team of ticketing company about website link Marketing team Action 2.22 Create link within current event website with information and prices of tickets IT team, marketing team, ticketing manager or assistant Strategy 2.3 Action 2.31 Develop a partnership agreement Public relations, marketing team Action 2.32 Contact agents and set up a meeting to propose potential partnership  arrangement Public relations, marketing team Action 2.33 Create and edit advertisement/promotion Marketing Action 2.34 Inject cross-promotion into public Marketing Strategy 3.1 Action 3.11 Contact LOreals sales and marketing team and set up a way to receive an x amount of samples Sales and Marketing team Action 3.12 Contact various intermediaries such as makeup counters, hair salons, fashion magazines to inform about samples Marketing team Action 3.13 Distribute samples to intermediaries to implement in marketing campaigns Sales and distribution team Strategy 3.2 Action 3.21 Develop a partnership agreement Public Relations, marketing team Action 3.22 Contact LOreals marketing team and set up a meeting to propose potential partnership  arrangement Public Relations, marketing team Action 3.23 Create and edit advertisement/promotion Marketing Action 3.24 Inject cross-promotion into public Marketing Strategy 3.3 Action 3.31 Create a user login on facebook.com IT Team Action 3.32 Organise and disseminate information and media on profile page with links to several other pages and event website IT Team, media team, marketing team Strategy 4.1 Action 4.11 Write a marketing plan Marketing team Action 4.12 Identify competitors and sponsors Marketing team Action 4.13 Write a sponsorship proposal and press kit Marketing team Action 4.14 Send sponsorship proposal and press kit to identified sponsors Public relations, marketing team Contact sponsors and decide on sponsorship funds Marketing team Marketing Budget The marketing budget was based on a calculation of 20% of the total price of 4000 tickets sold in 2011. Ticket cost Total $79 x 4000 $316 000 $59 x 4000 $236 000 $39 x 4000 $156 000 $708 000 Average $236 000 Total Marketing Budget after 20% $47 200 Objectives Need Description/Calculation of Costs Cost 1 Advertising/publicity costs for Frankie and NOVA and FTV Frankie: 3 x Full Page, W: 210mm x H: 275mm @ $4670 each (Frankie, 2011) $14010 NOVA: 20 x 30 second ads over 7 days, 6am 6pm prime time @ $50 each (Australia Trade, 2010) $1000 FTV: 10 x 15 minute shows over 7 days, 7pm 7:15pm @ $20 cost per thousand (CPM) of 50, 000 (Boone, 2009) $10 000 Total $25 010 2 Mailing costs 5,000 x letters @ $58c each (Australia Post, 2011) $2900 Ticketing commission 4000 tickets x 10% increase = (4400 x $79) x 0.01 commission $3476 Printing costs 2 colour copy flyers per A4 page = 2500 x A4 pages @ $38c each (Officeworks, 2011) $950 Website development Overall cost (Cmather, 2011) $495 Website maintenance 30 hours @ $30 per hour (Cmather, 2011) $900 Advertising and promotion for cross-promotion with designers Billboard 6m x 3m for 8 weeks @ $1500 per 4 weeks and a one off $300 installation cost à · 2 (halves with cross-promotion) (GOA Billboard, 2011) $1650 Total $10 371 3 Samples cost 20 000 samples @ $10c each $2000 Advertising and promotion costs for cross-promotion with LOreal 25 x national light weight bus stop advertising @ $690 each à · 2 (halves with cross-promotion) (Adshel, 2011) $8 625 Social Website Usage is free $0 Distribution costs Covered by LOreal $0 Total $10 625 4 Printing costs 20 pages x 100 booklets = 2000 colour pages @ 0.38c = $760 + 100 booklets x $1.95 each for binding = $195 (Officeworks, 2011) $955 Mailing costs $1.20 x 100 booklets (Australia Post, 2011) $120 Total $1175 Overall total $47 181 Monitoring and Evaluation Objective 1: Measurement and evaluation mechanisms include: Number of televised stories that use the material Number of gained interviews Quality and acceptance of media kit Continuous partnerships with companies Objective 2: Measurement and evaluation mechanisms include: The difference in the number of ticket sales and/or revenue collected in prior year and current year Customer database increase and loyalty Number and quality of cross promotions Employee satisfaction LMFF annual review statistics Objective 3: Measurement and evaluation mechanisms include: Number and frequency of customer purchases/ LOreal annual review Number and frequency of sample intake Customer opinion, satisfaction, perception, and behaviours through surveys Number, quality and success of cross promotions Number of visits/hits/comments/likes/followers on facebook page Increase in ticket sales for LMFF overall events Objective 4: Measurement and evaluation mechanisms include: Acceptance of proposal Number of responses from sponsorships Number of proposals from competitors to sponsors Number of contracts signed with sponsorships compared to previous years, see appendix 2 Sponsorship funds increase and resource availability Sponsor reliability, efforts made, and perception of event Conclusion and Recommendations The LMFF has repositioned one of its most recently popular events called Fashion Full Stop: Decades of Australian Fashion. This popularity is proven by creative director, Grant Pearce, who stated in previous years, there hasnt been a show on opening night, theres just been a small presentation but this is a major theatrical show (Merhab, 2011). This success has been assisted by creating numerous objectives, marketing strategies, and an action plan that concentrates on increasing advertising, sponsorship and sales. The LMFF needs to continuously check and track the success of their initial objectives and modify or maintain the strategies and actions accordingly. These changes need to directly reflect the target markets and their various needs, wants and demands. Appendix Appendix 1. Appendix 2. Principal and Government partners: Loreal Paris, State Government Victoria Major Partners: Herald Sun, David Jones, Sofitel Luxury Hotels, Pacific Brands, Centralpier Spirit of Docklands, SpecSavers, Paper Stone Scissors, Eye Media, Westfield, City of Melbourne Event Partners: Marie Claire, 565 Lasoo, City of Stonnington, Peroni Italy, Colonial First State Global Asset Management, Woolmark, Sportsgirl Official Product Partners: Champagne Devaux, Yering Station, Lavazza, Lexus, Raffaello, Chambord, Sanpellegrino, Toll Ipec, Nine west, kikki.K, Synergy, Steve Madden Platinum Partners: Chadstone, Deloitte, Victoria Racing Club, Wilson Parking Gold Partners: Middletons, Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Deutsche Bank, MyCatwalk.com, Melbournes GPO, Fashion Weekend Melbourne, Image Box, The Just Group, Collins 234, Nikon, QV Melbourne, Kookai Media Partners: Artichoke, WGSN, Frankie Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Vogue Australia, 3AW 693, FASHIONTREND, FashionTV, Harper Bazaar, Grazia, Nova 100.3FM, InStyle, Madison, Avant Card, Hoyts, Yen

The oddyssey in popular culture Essays -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many forms of popular culture today are inspired by themes, characters, and other references in various types of classical literature. John Denver’s song â€Å"Calypso† parallels with a number of the themes in Homer’s the Odyssey. The Odyssey’s themes involving Odysseus’ journey back home and the aid of gods and goddesses directly influence â€Å"Calypso.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first stanza in Calypso is influenced by Odysseus’ journey to back to his homeland. The first couple of lines compare a dream to sailing on the ocean where at times it is crystal clear and calm while other times like riding on the â€Å"crest of a wild raging storm†. Denver uses the dream metaphor as a means to show that a dream can be like a nightmare or a fantasy. This metaphor is influenced by Odysseus’ good and bad times on the sea. There are many instances where Odysseus faces struggles on the ocean. Whether Odysseus has to fight a huge storm like the one that washes him up on Kalypso’s island or he has to elude dangerous monsters such as Skylla and the whirlpool Kharybdis on the sea, the ocean can be a very dangerous place. Odysseus also encounters times where the sea is very forgiving to him. The storm that washes him up to the land of Phaecia, a fairy-tale fantasyland, results in a safe and smooth passage home along with num erous treasures. The next couple of lines refer to working in the service of life and living trying to find the answers of the unknown. Odysseus ...

Objectives of Economic Growth and Development Essay -- Essays Papers

Objectives of Economic Growth and Development Economic growth is defined by, among other things, material capital formation, human capital formation and the creation of innovation. Put another way, economic growth is determined by the amounts and types of capital and labor that are invested, and how they are utilized for production. The objective of economic growth through economic policy is not necessarily GDP or GNP maximization but maybe enhancing and improving quality of life or other values that cannot be measured by GDP. If we limit our outlook to economic growth itself, the questions of what to assume as the objective of economic growth and how to measure it is decided by people. It is possible and desirable, to have a scheme wherein issues that are not easy to quantify, such as quality of life, are taken into account when policy choices are prepared and decisions carried out. The idea here is only that no matter what kind of economic society one visualizes, the issues of investment of capital and available resources are of extreme importance. This is to say while the objective of economic policy is improving the welfare of citizens, it will primarily be dependent on resource investment and productivity, no matter how that improvement may be defined. Whether looking at GDP or quality of life, different levels of attainment have been achieved from nation to nation. The enormous cross-country differences in economic development and growth have led to research interest in the determinants of economic growth. Three main competing explanations exist with regards to stunted economic development and growth. The first explanation centers on the role of increased international trade. The basic idea here is that an ... ..., from the objectives of the people that live within, to its geographic location and resource holds, to the level of economic prosperity and involvement it attains, and must be treated as such. References Acemoglu, Daron (2003): Root Causes, Finance and Development quarterly magazine. Vol. 40 #2. June, 2003.(Washington:IMF) Barro, R.J. (1991): Economic Growth in a cross section of Countries, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 106 (May). Frankel, Jeffrey A., and David Romer (1999): Does Trade Cause Growth? American Economic Review, vol. 89. Rodrik, Dani and Subramanian, Arvind (2003): The Primacy of Institutions, Finance and Development quarterly Magazine. Vol 40 #2. June, 2003.(Washington:IMF) Sachs, Jeffrey (2003): Institutions Matter, but Not for Everything, Finance and Development quarterly Magazine. Vol 40 #2. June, 2003. (Washington:IMF)

dynamics of founder effect :: essays papers

dynamics of founder effect Populations are divided by geographic boundaries, confining a specific region/group of people to share and distribute its genetic traits within themselves without outward influence. The size of these populations is dependant upon whether certain mountains, rivers, deserts, oceans, or other extreme geographical, cultural, or technological conditions determine the tendency for isolation or migration. Most modern populations were originally settled by a relatively small handful of people that for whatever reason migrated to a new uninhabited area, and then multiplied. The genetic code of those founding individuals largely determines the genetic code of future generations, making that area distinctive having it’s future generations genetic code modeled after the original founders. Analyzing the founders of populations requires written or physical evidence to identify any possible founder of a population. So to analyze modern founding fathers is relatively easier in comparison to older founding fathers because of a lack of physical evidence for older populations. For a recently founded population such as the French settlers that migrated to the Chicoutimi region of Quebec, Canada in the 1940’s there is a collection of written knowledge about it’s inhabitants over that time. That information can identify the specifics person/persons that might have founded that population. Other populations that we have a large collection of knowledge regarding its founders include white Australians, African-Americans, as well as certain Caribbean populations. In contrast, trying to determine the founding fathers whom settled North America from Asia about fifteen thousand years ago is much more difficult because there is so little recorded evidence and knowledge o f that time period. This makes it difficult to determine the founders of the large populations we know today. Equatorial Africa was occupied by mostly Bushmen and Pygmies until about two thousand years ago, when the Bantu speaking people of the Congo region developed agriculture, iron, and domesticated animals. Following those advances the small number of Bantu multiplied until they overran half the African continent, pushing the Pygmies and Bushmen into areas unsuitable for farmland. The Bantu peoples thereby founded the entire gene pool of subequatorial Africa anew a mere 2,000 years ago. Europe’s founding fathers came largely within two migrations: one being farmers form the Near East about eight thousand years ago settling largely along the Mediterranean; the second being from Southern Russia about six thousand years ago populating northern and western Europe. The genetic traits of the founders of a population can be positive, negative, or neutral.

Bible Defines Human Nature Essay

                    According to the book of Genesis, man was created in the image of God. â€Å"God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.† Genesis 1:27   This means that man’s nature is godly. Because our almighty God is a holy God, man is also expected to be blameless before Him. But how come sin became inevitable to human nature? Isn’t it that man by nature is greedy and self centered? Other than that, the New Testament says that all have fallen short to God’s standard. Does it mean that the bible contradict itself?                  Meanwhile, western philosophers believe in the concept to tabula rasa. It’s a thesis that says that human beings are born without an inborn personality. Human personality is just a product of pile of experiences and is influenced by his surroundings. If a man doesn’t grow up in a good environment, it follows that his nature is not that good too. In other words, man was born as innocent creature without any sense of morality. We can say that being innocent is close to being blameless. Does it mean that the idea of tabula rasa supports the famous idea taken from Genesis?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When we look at the Christian concept of salvation, we can conclude that the Gospel presents a clear explanation regarding this long time debate. Although the bible gives a seemingly contradicting explanation regarding the nature of human beings, still it supports each other when view it from Christian perspective.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When we were born, we can’t deny the fact that we are innocent. Just like Adam and Eve, we don’t have any knowledge of sin. And as we look back on the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve became aware that they were naked when sin entered their life. Therefore we can conclude that our sinful nature starts when we lose our innocence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As we grow old, our values are being by our family, community, church and media. Other than that, our personalities were shaped by our experiences. For those people who experienced rejection, they are more likely to develop pride and insecurities. It is also inevitable for them to hold grudges and bitterness. As we look at the bible, we can see that pride and bitterness are sin. Like pride and bitterness, greed is also a product of life experiences as well as family background and community involvement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It means that sin is an inevitable part of life. As we grow old, they more we can acquire sin which is too far from having a godly nature. But the good news is that God made a way so that human can return to their blameless nature. He sent Jesus for us to be like his image again. Because of Jesus’ blood that was shed on the cross, we are forgiven of our sin and purified to become new creations. â€Å"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.†Ã‚   2 Corinthians 5:17  Ã‚   This idea of Christ’s way of salvation supports the concept of sanctification.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   But sanctification is not a one time experience for Christians. They are experiencing a lifetime of sanctification as they grow in their relationship with Christ. If experiences can cause us to sin, our experiences can also be used by God to mold our characters. Our life is a preparation of our character, a way of sanctification until we meet Christ. It is the reason why the bible always compares Christ and church relationship with that of a groom and a bride. Bibliography The Bible League. The Devotional Study Bible. USA: Zondervan Corporation, 1987.