Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 6

Art History - Essay Example Long time ago, pottery vessels would be used mainly for four functions. These functions include; eating, drinking, cooking and storage purposes. With respect to the artwork under analysis, the Red Figure Column Krater is one form of pottery that has an outstanding history rooted in the culture and lifestyles of the Greeks (Museum of Fine Arts). The Column Krater is made out of ceramic clay, and was mainly used by the Greeks to mix and drink wine. The Column Krater was valued as a special vessel, thus it was used majorly in households to serve wine to esteemed guests. The vessel is estimated to have come into existence around 470BC (Museum of Fine Arts). This paper will contextualize the Red Figure Column Krater within the parent culture. The red figure column krater originated for Greece. It should be understood that Greeks started engaging in pottery as early as the 7th Millennium BC (Museum of Fine Arts). Original use of pots specifically happened at the eastern peninsula of the Me diterranean Sea, in the Neolithic era. There have been various pieces of evidence which suggest that Greek culture might have been the starting point of all form of pottery. Pots made in the era range from the clay-made vessels to bronze-aluminum vessels. Most signatures of the artists behind ancient Greek artistic works have been found either on the vessels themselves are where they were found. Currently, signatures can be seen in ancient pots kept in most of the archives and museums in the world. Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words Art History - Essay Example The video considers a variety of early 20th century artists that implemented African art techniques, and argues that it was these early Western artists that in great part shaped the way later Western artists would use and implement African sculpture. The video goes on to demonstrate through side-by-side comparisons ways that Western artists appropriated African sculpture within their own work. It argues that in this appropriation Western artists oftentimes misinterpreted the African art. One such example comes in terms of a sculpture of an African face, and its appropriation in a Western painting. One of the weaknesses of the video is that it takes a somewhat pedantic view of influence in criticizing Western appropriation of these African sculptures. For instance, the video never gives an in-depth explanation of how the artists misread the African art. It also neglects to note that it may not have been the intention of the Western artists to accurately interpret the African art, but instead to implement its structural or artistic dimensions as a means of influence. Perhaps some of the most engaging elements are the video are the biographical footage it contains into the lives and apartments of early 20th century artists. These photos provide the viewer with direct insight into the lives and habitats of these Western artists.

Six Basic Strategy Essay Example for Free

Six Basic Strategy Essay A Broad Differentiation strategy maintains a presence in both segments of the market. Competitive advantage is gained by distinguishing products with an excellent design, high awareness, and easy accessibility. RD competency is developed that keeps designs fresh and exciting. Products keep pace with the market, offering improved size and performance. Prices are above average. Capacity is expanded as higher demand is generated. Mission Statement Premium products for the industry: our brands withstand the tests of time. Our primary stakeholders are customers, stockholders, management, and employees. Tactics †¢ Research Development: We will keep our existing product line, and introduce at least one more line, maintaining a presence in both segments. Our goal is to offer customers products that match their ideal criteria for positioning, age, and reliability. †¢ Marketing: Our company will spend aggressively in promotion and sales in both segments. We want every customer to know about our superb designs, and we want to make our products easy for customers to find. We will price at a premium. †¢ Production: We will grow capacity to meet the demand that we generate, avoiding second shift/overtime when possible. After our products are well positioned, we will investigate modest increases in automation levels to improve margins, but never at the expense of our ability to reposition products and keep up with segments as they move across the perceptual map. †¢ Finance: We will finance our investments primarily through stock issues and cash from operations, supplementing with bond offerings on an as needed basis. When our cash position allows, we will establish a dividend policy and begin to retire stock. We are somewhat adverse to debt, and prefer to avoid interest payments. We expect to keep assets/equity (leverage) between 1.5 and 2.0. We measure performance in terms of market share, market cap, ROA, and profits.

George Eliots Silas Marner Essay -- George Eliot Silas Marner essays

George Eliot's ‘Silas Marner’ The novel, ‘Silas Marner,’ is considered to be a moral fable. The author, George Eliot placed parental responsibility as one of the book’s main themes. She writes of two different parenting styles, along with the happiness and responsibilities that come with this through two characters, Silas Marner and Godfrey Cass. At the beginning of the narrative the character, Silas Marner, is a completely different person from the one he was later to become. The book starts by explaining how Silas Marner left his original home- ‘Marner had departed from the town,’ because of a false accusation that his best friend had made about him. The church deacon was extremely ill, and whilst looking after him Silas was accused of stealing the church’s money. The religious sect that he belonged to, a strict Calvinistic sect, drew lots to decide whether Silas was innocent or guilty. ‘The lots declared that Silas Marner was guilty.’ The lots where superstitious and one of the supertitions was that they believed that their results where God’s will. Marner is over come by a sense of betrayal, as it was his best friend who has committed such a cruel, untrustworthy deed, Marner looses all his faith in God. Marner leaves ‘Lantern Yard’ and moves to a small place named, ‘Raveloe.’ This new place is a completely new environment for Marner; it was as if he had travelled abroad in comparison to our day and age, we can tell this because in the text it states, ‘ he left his own country and people and came to settle in Ravaloe.’ Sadly Marner looses all his trust in people, he moves into a cottage in the forest, isolating himself from human contact. He works his loom producing linen, when he sells this li... ...that where to special to be destroyed by finance and inanamte objects. This shows that Godfrey was too selfish and self centered to realize what a strong relationship Silas and Eppie had. ‘ it had never occurred to him that Silas would rather part his with life then with Eppie.’ Godfrey finally suffers for all his years worth of mistakes, realizing that he cannot separate them, they have the same bond as all GOOD fathers have with their children, with deep compassion. The novel shows the need to love and feel compassion, with out it life appears to have no meaning. What we understand by the term ‘Parental Duty,’ is to support a child, not just financially but emotionally and to bring up the child in a kind and understanding manner, making sure that the child has respect for other people also, growing up to be a considerate and gracious person.

Melancholy Hamlet Essay examples -- Essays on Shakespeare Hamlet

Melancholy Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In Shakespeare’s tragic drama, Hamlet, the multi-faceted character of the hero is so complex that this essay will enlighten the reader on only one aspect of his personality – his melancholy dimension.    Our understanding of the true extent of the protagonist’s melancholic mental state needs to be informed. A.C. Bradley in Shakespearean Tragedy presents convincing evidence regarding the true depth of the hero’s melancholy sentiment:    Hamlet and Horatio are supposed to be fellow-students at Wittenberg, and to have left it for Elsinore less than two months ago. Yet Hamlet hardly recognizes Horatio at first, and speaks as if he himself lived at Elsinore (I refer to his bitter jest, ‘We’ll teach you to drink deep ere you depart’). Who would dream that Hamlet had himself just come from Wittenberg, if it were not for the previous words about his going back there? How can this be explained on the usual view? Only, I presume, by supposing that Hamlet is so sunk in melancholy that he really does almost ‘forget himself’ and forgets everything else, so that he actually is in doubt who Horatio is. (370)    The depressing aspect of the initial imagery of the drama tend to underline and reinforce the play’s melancholy. Marchette Chute in â€Å"The Story Told in Hamlet† describes such imagery of the opening scene:    The story opens in the cold and dark of a winter night in Denmark, while the guard is being changed on the battlements of the royal castle of Elsinore. For two nights in succession, just as the bell strikes the hour of one, a ghost has appeared on the battlements, a figure dressed in complete armor and with a face like that of the dead king of Denmark, Hamlet’s father (35... ...ven Press, 1999. Rpt. from Introduction to Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Philip Edwards. N. P.: Cambridge University P., 1985.    Levin, Harry. General Introduction. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974.    Mack, Maynard. â€Å"The World of Hamlet.† Yale Review. vol. 41 (1952) p. 502-23. Rpt. in Shakespeare: Modern Essays in Criticism. Rev. ed. Ed. Leonard F. Dean. New York: Oxford University P., 1967.    Rosenberg, Marvin. â€Å"Laertes: An Impulsive but Earnest Young Aristocrat.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Masks of Hamlet. Newark, NJ: Univ. of Delaware P., 1992.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos.   

Dickens’ Hard Times: His Penchant for Romantic Principles Essay

Hard Times is a rare example of fiction spun out of very prosaic materials. Yet it possesses certain romantic characteristics of brooding tenderness and deep sympathy for the neglected and the underprivileged which became hall mark of Charles Dickens’ novels. It also displays a grieving melancholy, a mournful reflectiveness and a quantity of self-indulgent sentimentality. The American scholar A. O. Lovejoy argues that â€Å"the word ‘romantic’ has come to mean so many things that, by itself, it means nothing at all. It may seem that repetition has wrung the life out of the term, yet it still appears to be as potentially sustaining as a twist of pemmican. It is a word at once indispensable and useless. F. L. Lucas has counted 11,396 definitions of romanticism. (Cuddon. 767). But we are more concerned with the definition of â€Å"a tendency to exalt the individual and his needs and emphasis on the need for a freer and more personal expression. †(Cuddon. 769-70) The entire novel in three parts is built up on the romantic and nature imagery of sowing reaping and garnering of harvest. It is an illustration of the biblical saying â€Å"As you sow, so your reap. † The first book of â€Å"sowing† begins with the seeds of wrong education by Mr. Thomas Gradgrind: â€Å"In this life, we want nothing but Facts, sir; nothing but Facts! † (Hard Times. 3) But as the story develops, we find that it is this education of hard facts which runs riot and destroys the happiness of his own children, Tom and Louisa. Dickens creates a poignant novel out of misplaced affections and social exploitations. Ironically, his son and daughter, Tom and Louisa, are misled by their father’s unimaginative education. They get along with the wretched Sissy Jupe, the daughter of a poor circus worker and suffer at the hands of the hard-hearted school master. Sissy is forced by circumstances to leave school and work as a household companion to Tom and Louisa who prefer the world of imagination so vehemently denounced by their father. Louisa’s first blunder is to run into an incompatible marriage with a man of fifty when she is just eighteen. It turns out to be a marriage of convenience with a highbrow aristocrat named Joshia Bounderby who unabashedly declares: â€Å"I have watched her bringing-up, and I believe she is worthy of me. At the same time – not to deceive you—I believe I am worthy of her. † (Hard Times. 84) The reason for such odd marriage is her brother Tom who seeks a position in Bounderby’s bank. Dickens exposes the hypocrisy behind the veneer of Victorian idealism. Interwoven with it is the sub-plot of unfortunate Mr.  Stephen Blackpool who jumps from the frying pan into the fire by his attempt to run away from his alcoholic wife. His love for Rachel is frustrated as he gets no help from anyone to divorce his wife. Moreover, he is witch hunted for a false charge of robbing the bank which is actually masterminded by than Tom. Throughout the novel Dickens explores the conflict between the world of facts and imagination in children and its effects in their later life, as the New Testament says: â€Å"by their fruits ye shall know them.† (Matthew 7. 20) Being a drop-out Sissy is lucky to have escape Gradgrind’s soul-destroying education and proves its futility. Dickens’ story depicts the suffering of victims, especially women, for whom we feel great sympathy. The underdogs include Sissy and his poor father Mr. Jupe, the unhappy Blackpool and Mrs Pegler. Rachael is romantically attached to Blackpool and spends sleepless night to be with him, but it is an irony of fate that she has to serve Stephen’s sick wife in impoverished lodgings. Like Sissy, she is an angel who lives for others. In Victorian society her relationship with a married man can hardly be expected to be respectable. In a moving speech she reveals her feeling of guilt for her misjudgment. Mrs Gradgrind first carries out her husband’s philosophy only to realize late its folly and advices Louisa to pay heed to Sissy. Mrs. Pegler is another victim of wrong education. Her megalomaniac son, Bounderby, tries to prove how he has succeeded despite his neglected childhood, but his allegations are proved to be false. The romantic interest in the story is sustained in Hard Times by Louisa Gradgrind. Against her father’s warning, she peeps at the circus and comes to her brother’s defense by asserting her curiosity. Because of her immaturity she is exploited by James Harthouse; yet she shows considerable wisdom by being very sensitive to her mother in death bed. Harthouse has his charm of personality, particularly for the people he likes. Mr. Harthouse’s romantic affair with Louisa is marred by the jealousy and suspicion of Mrs Sparsit. Sissy Jupe is associated with the heavenly ‘ray of sunlight’. In spite of the halo, she is down-to-earth and she makes a last attempt to hide Tom in the circus when he is implicated in robbery. It is touching to see her consoling Rachael when she waits for Blackpool. There are also victims of incompatible marriage like Louisa and Bounderby, as well as Blackpool and his drunken wife. Louisa’s marriage is a sacrifice to provide her brother with a job, but he repays this sacrifice with utter ingratitude by robbing the bank that provides him with livelihood. Most of them are victims of wrong education imparted by Thomas Gradgrind’s ‘model school’. Failed marriage is a recurrent theme in Dickens’ novels. In David Copperfield, for example, the marriage with the sweet doll-like Dora crumbles to make way for a sensible marriage with mature Agnes. Dickens himself was romantic like his hero and had an incompatible marriage with Maria which broke up in 1833 when he became free to marry Catherine Hogarth in 1836. Though she bore thirteen children, her marriage broke up in 1858 when Dickens developed a romantic affair with actress Ellen Ternan. Dickens spins a memorable tale out of the sordid industrialized life of nineteenth century England – Coketown with its blackened factories, downtrodden workers and polluted environment. Dickens gives a vivid picture: â€Å"It was a town of red brick, or brick that would have been red if the smoke and ashes had allowed it; but as matters stood it was a town of unnatural red and black like the painted face of a savage. .. It has a black canal in it, and a river that ran purple with ill-smelling dye, and vast piles of building full of windows where there was a rattling and trembling all day long..†(Hard Times. 18) His concern for Nature being substituted by man-made machines is expressed in no uncertain terms: â€Å"A special contrast, as every man was in the forest of looms where Stephen worked, to the crashing, smashing, tearing piece of mechanism at which he laboured. Never fear, good people of an anxious turn of mind, that Art will consign Nature to oblivion. † (Hard Times. 54) This horrid picture of an industrialized town presupposes a romantic nostalgia for the natural beauty of the pre-industrialized era. The plot of Hard Times hinges on the ‘stick-to-hard-facts’ education imparted by Mr.  Gradgrind: â€Å"Herein lay the spring of the mechanical art and mystery of educating the reason without stooping to the cultivation of the sentiments and affections. Never wonder. †(Hard Times. 39) But his philosophy is defeated by his own children who secretly wondered â€Å"about human nature, human passions, human hopes and fears, the struggles, triumphs and defeats, the cares and joys and sorrows, the lives of death of common men and women! †(Hard Times. 39) Herein lies dickens’ romanticism – the triumph of the mind over matter.

THE SEA AROUND US essays

THE SEA AROUND US essays This book is about information on how they think the oceans were formed. There are several theories on how the ocean was started. One of the theories is that a chunk of the earth was knocked out and made the Pacific Ocean. Another is that when the world was formed the oceans were just there after the worlds temperature cold down. Another topic in the book is that the moon is the earths child. They think that while the earth was being form the moon came in to play after a comet hit the earth. Than it cause the moon to go into our atmosphere and made it that go in orbits of the earth. That is what makes waves in the oceans. This is what the first chapter basically is talking about. The one weird thing about this book is that they say the moon can fit perfectly in the area of the Pacific Ocean. They also took rock from one side of the moon and rock from the bottom of the ocean, and they compared them together. They found out that both of the rocks are the same. That is why they thing the moon and the Pacific Ocean are the same and the missing piece in the ocean is actually the moon in space. If the moon is apart of the earth how comes the moon and the Pacific Ocean doesnt have a thin granite layer instead of the same materials of the inner layer. The other topics that are opened in the book are about how the if the moon is apart of the earth how comes the moons mass is not the same as the earths. The moons mass is between 3.3 and 5.5. That is what is confusing some of the scientist that is doing research on the planet and the oceans. Also another topic in the book is how they think as the world changed over the years they ocean change with it and the pacific oceans missing piece was pushed out when the land was moving around to different parts of the world. The second reason is that when the earth was first made it was a really volcano place that they also thing that a super volcan ...

Excited State Definition in Chemistry

Excited State Definition in Chemistry The excited state describes an atom, ion or molecule with an electron in a higher than normal energy level than its ground state. The length of time a particle spends in the excited state before falling to a lower energy state varies. Short duration excitation usually results in release of a quantum of energy, in the form of a photon or phonon. The return to a lower energy state is called decay. Fluorescence is a fast decay process, while phosphorescence occurs over a much longer time frame. Decay is the inverse process of excitation. An excited state that lasts a long time is called a metastable state. Examples of metastable states are single oxygen and nuclear isomers. Sometimes the transition to an excited state enables an atom to participate in a chemical reaction. This is the basis for the field of photochemistry. Non-Electron Excited States Although excited states in chemistry and physics almost always refer to the behavior of electrons, other types of particles also experience energy level transitions. For example, the particles in the atomic nucleus may be excited from the ground state, forming nuclear isomers.

Objective Case in English

Objective Case in English In English grammar, objective case is the case of a pronoun when it functions as one of the following: the direct or indirect object of a verb or verbalthe object of a prepositionthe subject of an infinitivean appositive to an object The objective (or accusative) forms of English pronouns are me, us, you, him, her, it, them, whom and whomever. (Note that you and it have the same forms in the subjective case.) The objective case is also known as the accusative case. Examples of Objective Case This land is your land, this land is my land,From California to the New York island;From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters,This land was made for you and me.(Woody Guthrie, This Land Is Your Land, 1940)Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. . . .(Emma Lazarus, The New Colossus, 1883)Please dont eat me. I have a wife and kids. Eat them.(Homer Simpson, The Simpsons)And I think both the left and the right should celebrate people who have different opinions, and disagree with them, and argue with them, and differ with them, but dont just try to shut them up.(Roger Ebert)The listeners decide whether they like us, believe us, trust us, and perceive whether we are secure in ourselves and confident in what we are saying.(Kevin Daley and Laura Daley-Caravella, Talk Your Way to the Top, 2004)I cant liveWith or without you.(U2, With or Without You. The Joshua Tree, 1987)She rushed across the room at him, thick legs pumping, knees flexing, elbows c hopping back and forth in the stale sickroom air like pistons.(Stephen King, Misery, 1987) Cousin Matthew talked with his wife for a time about what had happened to him and to her during his absence.(Sarah Orne Jewett, Lady Ferry)To survive in this world, we hold close to us those people on whom we depend. We trust in them our hopes, our fears.(Mohinder Suresh, Heroes, 2008)The man for whom time stretches out painfully is one waiting in vain, disappointed at not finding tomorrow already continuing yesterday.(Theodor Adorno, Minima Moralia: Reflections on a Damaged Life. Translation published by New Left Books, 1974)The strongest influences in my life and my work are always whomever I love. Whomever I love and am with most of the time, or whomever I remember most vividly. I think thats true of everyone, dont you?(Tennessee Williams, interview with Joanne Stang. The New York Times, March 28, 1965) Correction Mr. Cameron’s first visit to Washington as prime minister was meant as a way for he and Mr. Obama to tackle a series of issues vital to the two countries, in particular the war in Afghanistan and steps toward a global economic recovery.As many readers were quick to point out, this should be for him and Mr. Obama to tackle. (The subject of an infinitive in a construction like this is actually in the objective, or accusative, case: I want him to go, not I want he to go.)(Philip B. Corbett, Everything Old Is Hip Again. The New York Times, Sep. 7, 2010) A Handful of Pronouns In Present-day English the contrast between nominative [subjective] and accusative [objective] is found with only a handful of pronouns. At earlier stages of the language the contrast applied to the whole class of nouns but the inflectional distinction has been lost except for these few pronouns.(Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum, The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge University Press, 2002) The Lighter Side of the Objective Case: The Death of Me I have been planning a piece on personal pronouns and the death of the  accusative. Nobody says, I gave it to they, but me is almost dead, and I have heard its dying screams from Bermuda to Columbus: He gave it to Janey and I.(James Thurber, letter to literary critic Lewis Gannett. Selected Letters of James Thurber, ed. by Helen Thurber and Edward Weeks. Little, Brown, 1981)Cheers,† she said as I left, â€Å"and dont forget  youre seeing Matt and I  on Monday.I thought for a moment shed said matineye, an East End  pronunciation of matinee. Was I meant to review it?Then I remembered Matt was the production editor.Me wont forget, me muttered as me went downstairs.(Sebastian Faulks, Engleby. Doubleday, 2007)Excuse me, he said, but is any of you gentlemen named- he stared at the envelope- Gervase Fen?Me, said Fen ungrammatically.(Edmund Crispin [Bruce Montgomery], Holy Disorders, 1945) Pronunciation: ob-JEK-tiv case

Learning from failure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Learning from failure - Essay Example This paper will therefore, discuss various perspectives associated with knowledge and innovation management. Knowledge management entails, capturing, disseminating, developing, sharing, and using of the organization knowledge. Managing knowledge in an organization is very critical in achieving the set goals and objectives. In addition, it improves the competitiveness of the business in the market. This plays a significant role in maintaining a constant flow of revenue. In addition, it motivates the employees to aim high, an aspect that is replicated in the overall performance of the business (Malhotra 2000). Innovation management is the practice of managing the processes involved in innovation. Most organizations anticipate the future based on the experiences. When the past is suspended, and the future is envisioned, it becomes easy to recognize the forces of growth and change (Pauleen 2007). A holistic view of the anticipated future experiences has a better impact on the innovation than placing emphasis on the past. It is crucial to develop a hypothesis for the future rather than predicting it. Breakthroughs rarely survive without a strong and working decision making model. This model should differ with the model used in incremental innovation. It has become increasingly clear that old models rarely work (Dess 2012). Technology dependent decision making systems have the weakness of failing to engage the vital stakeholders. Automation in decision making causes consensus to be hard to obtain. Therefore, a health decision making system seldom works without a champion who can engage teams and make decisions to enhance mutual progress. The products life cycle is drastically becoming smaller with time in comparison to the past. It is quite notable that in the technological devaluation of the products is moving at a high speed especially in the information technology industry. In a short span, a lot of changes are evident, and this

America and the Great War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

America and the Great War - Essay Example In discussing the participation of United States, the paper pays particular attention to the reasons of America’s neutrality between 1914 and 1917 and eventually examines the specific events that led to US joining of war. Finally, the paper evaluates the contributions of USA to the war and to the extent; their entry resulted to the end of the war. I will briefly analyze the events that resulted that to the defeat of the Versailles treaty with particular attention to the role of President Woodrow Wilson during and after the war. Introduction When historians deeply analyze the cause of World War 1, we find that it was more complicated. The eruption of the war was not only caused by immediate chain of events but also some deep root causes (John, 2010). The paper tends to analyze the major events that led to the cause of World War 1. Emergence of Defense Alliances An alliance is a formal agreement negotiated between countries to assist each other in event of need. The signatories in an alliance are called Allies. Pre World War 1 saw the signing of many alliance agreements between countries. It was noted that the years preceding the World War 1, European countries made defense agreements which were mutual (Ross, 2008). This drew them closer to battles. According to Martin (2012), in these alliances, the agreements were that if one of the countries were attacked, the countries, which were allied to them in the alliances, were to come to their defense. Some of the notable alliances formed before the World War 1 according to Michael (2009) include the following: 1) The Dual Alliance of 1879 between Germany and Austria Hungary. 2) The Austro-Serbian Alliance of 1881 between Serbia and austral Hungary. 3) The Triple Alliance of 1882 between Germany, Austria Hungary and Italy. 4) The Triple Entete of 1914 between Britain, Russia and France. 5) The Franco -Russian alliance of 1894 between Russian and France. 6) The Anglo-Russian of 1907 between Britain and Russia. 7 ) Entente Cordiale of 1904 between France and Britain. In their article, History of the world wars, BBC (2013) states that the commitment to the alliances was seen Russia went to defend Serbia, her alley when Austria- Hungary attacked Serbia. When Germany saw Russia mobilizing her war artillery in a bid to come to the assistance of Serbia, the Germans declared war to Russia. This drew France to the war against the Germany and Austria Hungary. The unfolding events saw the Germans attacking the French through Belgium. This drew Britain also into the war. The entry of Japan into the war was seen at this moment in a bid to assist her ally, the Great Britain. United States and Italy later joined the war on different sides of the existing allies. Imperialism Imperialism can be defined as the state where a particular country multiplies their wealth and powers by colonizing many territories and bringing them under her control. Before the emergence of World War 1, imperialism was rampant amo ng many European countries. Some parts of Asia and Africa were the main centers up for grabs among the European countries. This was so because of the availability of the raw materials in these regions (John, 2010).

An Alternate Feministic Ending to Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Term Paper

An Alternate Feministic Ending to Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper - Term Paper Example While I was on top of him, John wrestled against me with his hand grabbing my hair but my hands squeezing his face and mouth. We rolled and rolled and rolled until I was under him trying to lock his neck with my strong arms. As he struggled to free himself from my grasp, he bit me in the arm and I screamed as blood spurted out of the cut where his sharp teeth buried. While I screamed, he pushed me with his head towards the wall behind me and when I banged my head on the wall with a loud thud, I growled in pain and consequently I loosened my grasp, and he twisted and turned towards me while grasping and squeezing both my wrists with his tight fists and never letting me go. â€Å"You whore! How dare you do that to me! What makes you think you are stronger than me? And what makes you think you can get away, huh!† John was screaming at me in a rhythm that corresponded to the thudding that my head made on the wooden floor. All the while I was right! Although I thought once that Joh n loved me very dearly, now I realize that it is never true. That is why I knew I was a little afraid of him, and that is why whenever he came, I had to put this away for he hated to have me write a word. I was momentarily dazed at this shocking realization and then I uttered a muffled cry as John finally grabbed hold of my neck with both hands and started choking the life out of me while I felt my weak legs helplessly kicking at him. Then, as I felt tears coming out of my puffy eyes and oxygen leaving my twitching chest through my gaping mouth, my eyes moved to the back of John as I smelled a familiar odor and witnessed a most horrid sight. My initial reaction was fear as I remembered I have always feared John. But when I saw the creeping women come into the room through the window and as many more came out of the yellow wallpaper from behind me, I knew the day of reckoning came. Their dark creeping shadows loomed around me and John, and I could see the expression on his face chang e from rage to horror. The creepers had long disheveled hair that hung around to cover some part of their dark, deathly yellowish pale countenance. The deep set eyes and dark circles were perhaps proof of the sleepless nights that they spent in struggling out of the yellow wallpaper. Their arms and legs were twisted perhaps from the pressure of having to shakes the bars of the patterns of the yellow wallpaper. Yet they smelled the same peculiar yellow odor that matched their yellowish skin and teeth. One of the crawling women twisted her bones and sinews several times in order to assume a standing position in front of him while he was there standing petrified in fear and he could feel his he could not move his sinews even a bit. All he could do was utter a shriek akin to that of a child whose head was banged to the wall just like how hard John banged mine several times just a while ago. I also heard from him the same muffled cry of fear that I let out while he was choking me, and my eyes moved to the wet spot in his pants that gradually grew wide as he kept wetting them in horror. As the terrifying figure loomed in on him, John finally screamed but before his instincts could make him punch the figure’s face, two other creepers from the back grabbed his arms and held them behind him. His fear seemed to have drained all the energy out of his body as he merely grimaced and twitched his neck upwards as if avoiding the face that was getting closer and closer to him.

Economics of Multinational Enterprise Assignment

Economics of Multinational Enterprise - Assignment Example One of the ways of addressing the risks is by use of operational hedging. This entails introducing a significant degree of flexible in the main operations of a firm. These include the supply chain, channels of distribution, financial positions, and marketing activities (Aghion et al 35). The objective of this strategy is to create adaptable operations that can rapidly respond to any change in the currency movement. This ensures that the fluctuations that may affect the revenues and the costs are offset. Firms can increase their profits by hedging by adopting various strategies. First, they can source materials thus lowering the costs of transportation resulting in increased profits. Another imperative way that the MNEs can adopt is the use of currency invoicing. This implies that the firm can choose a particular denomination that ensures the firm's prices, as well as those of the competitors, are affected by the exchange rate in the same way. This implies that for any firm to retain a competitive position in the market and attain sustainable profits, it can price its products using a volatile currency as long as the competitors use the same price. According to Grassman’s Law, MNEs should use a vehicle currency by considering their stability, low transaction cost, and liquidity. Based on the three aspects, the US dollar has been used as a vehicle currency for a long time by most of Multinational Enterprises. In their efforts to enter the emerging economies, the majority of MNEs undergo challenges that are associated with the legal process, legislative issues as well as technological factors. As a result, the investment flows from the rich countries to the poor countries are adversely affected. However, by initiating strategic economic policies, the investment flows can have similar effects to those of the free trade. One of the strategies that the host countries should emulate is to ensure that the home currency does not depreciate.

Methodology Review Form Section 2 and 3 Research Paper

Methodology Review Form Section 2 and 3 - Research Paper Example Generic qualitative studies are among the most common forms of qualitative research, and they draw from established concepts, theories or models in the area of study. This approach seeks to identify recurring patterns, factors and categories in order to further enhance the theoretical frame (Caelli, Ray & Mill, 2003, p. 6). The methods to be used shall include face-to-face interviews for respondents with whom a meeting may be set, written responses for respondents who could not be personally met, and a search of documents, news, and reports pertaining to the respondent firms, which may be found in the public domain. The qualitative relational model shown above is deemed suitable for investigating the crisis management systems of the gas and oil industry since various studies have identified the same general stages of pre-crisis mitigation and prevention, and crisis event management and post-crisis recovery (Kyhn, 2008; Bergstrom, Petersen & Dahlstrom, 2008; Wright, 2009). However, the above relational model details the components of each stage more specifically, many of which aspects were applied in a study investigating the adequacy of crisis management in the Exxon oil spill (Boin, 2008). The theoretical framework of this study is situated within Crisis Management Theory. The main constructs of the framework involve preparation, mitigation, response and recovery, which are provided for in greater detail in the model presented in Section 2. This study is expected to advance the scientific knowledge base by providing additional application and validation for the issue and crisis management relational model, which from a scan of related literature appears to display the most detailed taxonomy of crisis management activities. The study is grounded in the field of organization and management because it seeks to find commonalities among the prominent business organizations in the oil and gas industry.

Economics of Multinational Enterprise Assignment

Economics of Multinational Enterprise - Assignment Example One of the ways of addressing the risks is by use of operational hedging. This entails introducing a significant degree of flexible in the main operations of a firm. These include the supply chain, channels of distribution, financial positions, and marketing activities (Aghion et al 35). The objective of this strategy is to create adaptable operations that can rapidly respond to any change in the currency movement. This ensures that the fluctuations that may affect the revenues and the costs are offset. Firms can increase their profits by hedging by adopting various strategies. First, they can source materials thus lowering the costs of transportation resulting in increased profits. Another imperative way that the MNEs can adopt is the use of currency invoicing. This implies that the firm can choose a particular denomination that ensures the firm's prices, as well as those of the competitors, are affected by the exchange rate in the same way. This implies that for any firm to retain a competitive position in the market and attain sustainable profits, it can price its products using a volatile currency as long as the competitors use the same price. According to Grassman’s Law, MNEs should use a vehicle currency by considering their stability, low transaction cost, and liquidity. Based on the three aspects, the US dollar has been used as a vehicle currency for a long time by most of Multinational Enterprises. In their efforts to enter the emerging economies, the majority of MNEs undergo challenges that are associated with the legal process, legislative issues as well as technological factors. As a result, the investment flows from the rich countries to the poor countries are adversely affected. However, by initiating strategic economic policies, the investment flows can have similar effects to those of the free trade. One of the strategies that the host countries should emulate is to ensure that the home currency does not depreciate.

Sunrise model of Leninger's transcultural nursing theory Essay

Sunrise model of Leninger's transcultural nursing theory - Essay Example These factors are then used to formulate an individual’s structural and cultural dimensions. These dimensions overlap affecting a person’s view of their environment. This, in turn, affects their psychological, physiological and cultural health needs (Sagar, 2011). The theory accounts for the effects culture has on people. Culture is responsible for the way people define ailments and their response to the treatment they receive and its success. For instance, psychological disorders fall in either of two categories namely; peripheral or central disorders. This division is made on the basis of how these disorders manifest themselves in different cultural contexts. Peripheral disorders symptoms appear differently within different cultures, whereas central disorders symptoms manifestations are similar across all cultures (Murphy, 2006). The transcultural nursing theory takes into account such disparities and tries to reconcile the nursing profession with the existing different cultures. This has made it possible for nurses all over the world to practice nursing bearing in mind the cultural context. The theory is mostly credited for reconciling the different cultural influences in the training of nurses. This increases nurses’ flexibility when it comes to choosing employment opportunities all around the world. Patients receive the best care without fear of inconsiderate treatment from the nurses. This theory helps eradicate patients’ mentality whereby nurses are considered ignorant about their cultural beliefs especially when it comes to the treatment of their families and community as a whole (Sagar,

Classical Music and Jazz Music Essay Example for Free

Classical Music and Jazz Music Essay Music has always been an important element for the humanity. Exist many different kinds of music. For purpose of this paper I’m going to compare classical music with jazz music. This two types of music belong to the category of complex art music. A comparison of classical and jazz music yield some similarities and different and could also lead to an appreciation of this two important category of music. The music called classical, was found in stores and performed regularly by symphonies around the world, in the time of 1600 up to the present. Unlike jazz was found in the early 1900 as some dance band leaders in the southern U.S. began playing this type of music that combined ragtime and blues. Most of the major composer of the classical music until the 20th century were Europeans and the jazz was exposed first by two musicians. Both type of music were know on different parts of Europe. In classical music, both large orchestras and small ensemble are used. The largest part of the orchestra consist of the string section consisting of violins, violas, cellos, string basses and wind instruments. On the other hand jazz music can be played by small group of people. In jazz they use different instruments like clarinet, tuba, cornet, baritone, drums and piano. Similarly to classical music, jazz used some wind instruments. In addition we have a different of audience of this two kind of music. The jazz music attracts an really cultural and hip audience. This is because jazz concerts usually are in opens spaces around the world and in night clubs and you don’t need to pay a ticket to go and appreciate the music. Unlike classical music attracts more elite and rich people. This is because the concerts of classical music are on different amphitheaters and closed spaces and you need to pay for a expensive ticket. To conclude, we can say that this to types of music have their unique style, but both of them represents two approaches to Art Music. This two types of music are important and carry a great and special history. Also this to type of music, allow people to relax while hearing this music. If I need to pick between this two types of music, I prefer the jazz music because is more accessibly for us and it’s transmit more emotions.

Neurotransmitter and Hormone Receptors

Neurotransmitter and Hormone Receptors 1) Transcription of DNA and translation into protein are tightly regulated in Eukaryota cells. Give an account of the key steps involved. Gene expression is under continuous regulation. This regulation is differentiated between Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic organisms, especially due to matters of complexity. In Prokaryotic organisms the regulation of gene expression is happening only at the stage of transcription and includes one stage. On the other hand, the regulation of gene expression in Eukaryotic organisms is happening not only in transcriptional level, but also at post-transcriptional, translation and post-translation level (Latchman 2007). The figure on the right shows the steps of gene expression that can be regulated. In case where the regulation of gene expression happens in transcriptional level, then the levels of cytoplasmic mRNA and nuclear RNA should be paralleled. On the other hand, in case a gene is being transcribed in the same manner in all tissues, there will be a difference in the majority of tissues between the cytoplasm mRNA and RNA, due to post-transcriptional mechanisms. As a result, in order to distinguish post-transcriptional and transcriptional regulation the first approach is to see if there are changes between the RNA levels in the tissues (Latchman 2007). Initiation of transcription In many cases where there is an increased level of transcription, this results from a high level of transcriptional initiation mediated by RNA polymerase responsible for initiating the process. This means that in a tissue that occurs an active transcription process, the RNA polymerases will be moving beside the gene continuously, and thus increasing the rate of transcript production. In contrast, in tissues where a gene is transcribed at low levels, the initiation of transcription will not be so apparent and the level of transcripts will be significantly low (Latchman 2007). Elongation Except of the initiation of transcription which seems to occur in the majority of the cases, there has been demonstrated that the regulation can also happen during at a post-initiation level by producing a shortened RNA than the full length one. In this case, the transcriptional control seems to happen by blocking the elongation of a newly formed transcript (Latchman 2007). DNA elements The expression of protein-coding genes is regulated also by specific DNA elements, which are located usually upstream of the initiation site of the gene. These DNA elements can influence positively or negatively the transcription of a gene. For example, DNA sequences such as insulators and silencers, suppress the genes transcription (Latchman 2007). Transcription Factors The transcription factors are also important modulatory elements of transcription. The binding of specific transcription factors on the DNA, can either activate or suppress gene transcription (Latchman 2007) . Although so far we discussed the transcriptional control of gene expression, which corresponds to the most abundant transcriptional control mechanism, there have been cases where even though the transcription rate of a gene doesnt change, changes in the synthesis of specific proteins have occurred. This control mechanism occurs between the translational and transcription control and includes splicing of the nascent mRNA, alternative splicing, and regulation of RNA stability. The splicing of the RNA is the process in which the protein coding regions are encoded by exons, after removing the intervening sequences which are named introns (Latchman 2007). The alternative splicing, includes the differentiated processing of RNAs in order to produce different RNA variants (Black 2000). The translational control of gene expression, corresponds to mRNA regulation and is also a very important regulatory stage. In the same manner as transcriptional control, translation can be affected either positively or negatively by altering the levels of specific translation factors, and most of the times it happens at the initiation of the translation process due to differences in the 5 untranslated region of the mRNA. During translation, the 5 un-translated region contains an AUG triplet of bases which is important to be located in a favorable context. This means, that if the ribosome is incapable of recognizing this triplet, then the initiation of translation is inhibited. For example, in a situation which is called leaky scanning, when AUG codons are located upstream, the ribosome has a difficulty to recognize them (Wickens et al. 2000). Furthermore, except of the recognition of the AUG codon, other coding regions seem to play an important regulatory role. For example, some frequencies which are located in the open reading frame of the mRNA (ORF) seem to cause a frameshift at a specific triplet both in viral and mammalian mRNAs (Wickens et al. 2000). Finally, another regulatory element of gene expression includes the post-translational control. This category composes of all the mechanisms that act after translation by modifying the protein levels. Such a mechanism is ubiquitination, which will have as a result the degradation of the ubiquitinated protein in the proteasome (Wang et al. 2013). In conclusion the transcription and translation are highly regulated processes and this take place due to the complexity of Eukaryotic cells, since strict regulation usually corresponds to high complexity. 2) Discuss the role of microtubules and their motor proteins in the motion of cilia and flagella. Microtubules are important elements for various cell movements, such as the chromosomal separation during mitosis and the motion of flagella and cilia. This movement, which happens along microtubules, is highly dependent on proteins that use energy from ATP hydrolysis in order to produce force and movement. These proteins are members of the kinesin and dynein families (Alberts et al. 2002). Cilia and flagella are plasma membrane projections dependent on microtubule formation, and are important for the movement in various eukaryotic organisms. In bacteria, the flagella structures are different from the eukaryotic flagella (Alberts et al. 2002). The movement of these structures has been extensively studied by using animal models, especially sea urchin models which appears to be a very powerful system for flagellar motility. Furthermore, the first scientists to observe this sliding mechanisms driven by dynein across the microtubules, were Summers and Gibbons by using dark-field microscopy (Hirose Amos 2012). In eukaryotic organisms the flagella and cilia are highly similar structures. Firstly, flagella are mostly found in sperm and many hair-like cellular projections with a core composed of microtubules (Cooper 2000). With their rolling motion they permit the cells to swim through liquid media. The cilia, are usually shorter than flagella but their organization tends to be similar. Their beating motion is like the breast stroke of the swimmers, and the cycles of adjacent cilia are quite asynchronous, thus producing the characteristic effect that can be observed through microscope (Alberts et al. 2002). The movement of both each flagellum and cilium is produced by the bending of each ones core, which is specifically termed as axoneme. The axoneme is a structure that is composed of microtubules in conjunction with their associated proteins in a regular and specific pattern. This pattern is composed by nine doublet microtubules which are fused together to surround a pair of microtubules. Th is formation is also known as the 9+2 pattern and is represented in the following picture (Cooper 2000). This type of arrangement is commonly seen in the majority of eukaryotic flagella and cilia forms. The length of these microtubules extends along with the length of the axoneme which can reach the 200 ÃŽÂ ¼m. At specific positions along the distance of microtubules, are located accessory proteins, providing with this a way a cross-bridging between the doublet microtubules. These molecules are dynein proteins, and are located around the perimeter of the axoneme (Cooper 2000). Dynein is a very large molecule (2000 kd), consisting of three heavy chains in conjunction with a variable number of intermediate and light polypeptides that have a weight ranging from 14 to 120 kd (Cooper 2000). The heavy chains are forming a globular domain which binds ATP and is responsible for moving along microtubules. The intermediate chains are responsible for the assembly of the dyneins. The light chains form two distinct groups, in accordance with the molecules that are related with. For example the first group is associated with the heavy chains, while the second group with the intermediate chains. In the cilia and flagella, there is also another specific dynein group, the intraflagellar transport (IFT) dynein, which is important for the association and disassociation of these organelles, and also have transport properties of either membrane proteins or even the IFT themselves (Hirose Amos 2012). The ciliary dyneins, are composed of a different set of arms, the outer dynein arms and a more complex set of inner dynein arms. Each one of this structures plays a different role in the ciliary movement. The outer dynein arms are responsible for the production of the majority of the force required for the ciliary movement, while the inner dyneins, are mostly providing a precise control of this movement (Hirose Amos 2012). Another important feature of the cilia and flagella, is that the minus ends of each microtubule are anchored in a structure which is named basal body. This is highly similar to the centriole, and is necessary for the arrangement of the axoneme microtubules. Each one of the doublets located in the outer part of the flagella or cilia, is formed by the extension of two of the microtubules of the basals body triplets (Cooper 2000). The movement of cilia and flagella is caused by the relative sliding of outer microtubules, driven by the activity of axonemal dynein, and the mechanism is represented in figure 3. The dynein bases attach with the A microtubules while the head of each dynein attaches with the B microtubule. With the green color is represented the nexin link, which binds the microtubules in the axoneme. When the one doublet of microtubules, bends along with the other one, the resulting movement is bending, which is the source of the beating movements of cilia and flagella (Alberts et al. 2002). Scientific evidence suggests that upon ATP hydrolysis the dyneins change their conformational state (Hirose Amos 2012). 3) Describe the most important classes of molecules that participate in common signal transduction pathways In signal transduction pathways, extracellular signals such as hormones or other molecules are registered by membrane receptors and the signal is being transferred inside the cell by a set of reactions. This signal transduction can be mediated by two distinct mechanisms. The first one includes the use of receptors, and other proteins including enzymes. The second one contains a set of molecules which are known as second messengers, that regulate the intracellular signaling (Boon 2009) . The intracellular second messengers, are signal molecules that reach their target by diffusion. They can be divided into two different groups, those with a hydrophobic character (diacyl glycerol or phosphatidyl inositol) and the hydrophilic ones. The hydrophobic messenger are located on the membrane and they can reach the proteins located on the membrane by diffusing through the plasma membrane of the cell. The hydrophilic messengers are located in the cytoplasm and their targets are located in the cytosol as well (Boon 2009). The most important second messengers include the cAMP, cGMP, inositol phosphates, calcium ions, diacylgrlycerol and phosphatidyl inositol phosphates. 3-5 cyclic AMP (cAMP) Is among the most important second messengers and regulates a variety of cellular functions, such as glycolysis, muscle contraction and ion transport. The intracellular concentration of cAMP is regulated by two factors, the adenylyl cyclase and the phopshodiestarases. The former is important for the cAMP synthesis while the latter for its degradation. The activation of adenylyl cyclase is dependent to G-protein coupled receptors and involves the participation of GÃŽÂ ± and GÃŽÂ ²ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ³ proteins. The degradation of cAMP mediated by cAMP phosphodiesterases, which are being regulated by Ca2+/calmodulin and also by phosphorylation (Boon 2009). In the majority of the cases, the target of the high cAMP concentration is the activation of protein kinases A (PKAs). Initially, in the absence of cAMP the PKA is organized as a tetramer, with two catalytic and two catalytic subunits, and the protein kinase is inactive. When cAMP concentration is increased by adenylyl cyclase, leads to the binding of two molecules to the regulatory subunit and the tetramer dissociation and activation of PKA (Boon 2009). cGMP In the same manner with cAMP, the 3-5-cGMP is extensively spread in the intracellular space. Like in the case of cAMP , the cGMP is formed by guanylyl cyclase from GTP. The cGMP can activate cGMP-dependent protein kinases, after binding to specific locations. In contrast to the PKA kinases, the activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinases is dependent to only one protein chain of these proteins. Specifically, the binding of the cGMP to the regulatory domain of the protein, activates it and permits phosphorylation of other substrates (Boon 2009). Inositol Phosphates The inositol containing phospholipids located in the plasma membrane, are the starting points for the production of many inositol messengers as a response to extracellular or even intracellular signals. The inositol phosphates are important players for the regulation of phospholipase C, which is a very important enzyme in the metabolism of phosphatide inositol. Another important function of these phosphates, is the recruitment of Ca2+ ions that are inside storage organelles, such as mitochondria. The calcium ions are among the most ubiquitous targets of second messengers, and regulate a vast array of actions (Boon 2009). Calcium ions The calcium ions can have a regulatory character in many ways, according to the time, frequency and amount of release rate. This feature, explains the complexity of Ca2+ signals. Still it is not understood how oscillatory calcium signals are regulating various processes. It has been suggested that CaM kinase II participates in the formation of repetitive calcium signals. The high intracellular concentration of calcium is temporary and usually a local phenomenon. The cell contains a variety of transport systems, which can transfer the calcium ions inside the storage locations. These transfer mechanisms are Ca2+ ATPases, which transfer calcium against the concentration gradient. Another mechanism, is the sodium-calcium exchange proteins which are mostly apparent in muscle cells (Boon 2009). Diacylglycerol and phospatidyl inositol phosphates The diacylglycerol is being produced by the metabolism of the membrane phosphatidyl inositol phosphate, after the effect of two distinct enzymes, the PLCÃŽÂ ³ and PLCÃŽÂ ². The diacylglycerol (DAG) is then responsible for activating the protein kinase C, which plays an important role in cell proliferation through phosphorylation of various substrate proteins (Boon 2009). Except of DAG, the metabolism of phosphatidyl inositol diphosphate, produces the inositol triphosphate, which increases intracellular calcium levels by binding to specific receptors (Boon 2009). Conclusively, signal transduction is a highly regulated mechanism, which permits the transmission of an extracellular signal inside the cell, and a subsequent cellular response. Among the most important molecules that are participating in this process, we distinguished some members of the family of the second messengers, such as calcium ions, diacyl glycerol and phosphatidyl inositol. 4) Describe the steps of neurotransmission. The process of neurotransmission can be divided into five distinct steps. The first includes the synthesis of the neurotransmitter, the second the storage of the neurotransmitter into transport vesicles, the third the influx of calcium and exocytosis of neurotransmitter, the fourth the binding of the neurotransmitter at the postsynaptic membrane and the fifth the deactivation of the neurotransmitter. The low weight neurotransmitters are synthesized in the cytoplasm of the cell, where enzymes act and convert them into mature neurotransmitters. These enzymes are produced in the neuronal cell body and are transferred to the presynaptic terminal via the slow axonal transfer system. When the new transmitters are synthesized in the cytoplasm, certain mechanisms need to follow for transporting them to the synaptic membrane. On the other hand, the neuropeptides which is the other category of known neurotransmitters, are produced in the neuronal cell body, and need to be transferred a long distance in order to reach the site of secretion. For this reason, they are transported from the soma of the neuron to the presynaptic terminal with the fast axonal transport (Hyman et al. 2009). The small-molecule neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine and amino acids, are stored into vesicles of 40-60 nm diameter. The primary characteristic of these vesicles, is that in electron micrographs they appear with a clear center area. The storage, requires specific proteins which are located in the membrane of the synaptic vesicles in the presynaptic neuron, the vesicle monoamine membrane transporters (VMAT). In contrast to the small-molecule neurotransmitters, the neuropeptides, are stored into synaptic vesicles with a larger size (90 to 250 nm). In electron micrographs, they seem to have a center relatively more dense than the synaptic vesicles of the small neurotransmitters (Purves et al. 2001). After the influx of calcium into the pre-synaptic cytoplasm, it begins the process of neurotransmitter release. The first step of this exocytosis, includes the docking of the synaptic vesicle membrane at the active zones plasma membrane. The second step is priming. This corresponds to an ATP dependent maturation of the synaptic vesicles that are being docked in the membrane of the active zone but cant be induced by Ca2+. The result of this maturation, is that the primed vesicles can immediately release their content after a Ca2+ influx. The third step of this process includes the fusion of the synaptic vesicle with the presynaptic membrane, which allows the exocytosis to happen. In this step, the function of the protein synaptotagmin is of high importance, since it senses the levels of Ca2+ and regulates with this way the fusion of the vesicles. The final step of this step includes the quantal release of the neurotransmitter with a mechanism of exocytosis. The exocytosis is synchroni zed with the influx of Ca2+ and its induction is controlled by the depolarization of the nerve terminal. After the release of neurotransmitter at the synaptic cleft, the membrane of the vesicle will be recycled with a process of endocytosis (Hyman et al. 2009). After the exocytosis, the neurotransmitter starts to diffuse across the synaptic cleft and targets the post-synaptic neuron and its receptors which are localized on the membrane. The binding of the neurotransmitter to the postsynaptic membrane, will cause both biochemical and electrical alterations. Specifically, an excitatory signal will depolarize the membrane and thus a positive charge will pass inside the cell. This depolarization is caused by the opening of sodium channels located on the post-synaptic membrane, which permits the influx of sodium ions across the membrane. On the other hand, an inhibitory signal will hyperpolarize the cell, and thus a positive charge will flow with a direction outside of the cell. This hyperpolarization is induced by an inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP) which cause the influx of chloride ions, which make the membrane potential more negative and the propagation of the action potential significantly more difficult (Hyman et al. 2009). When a neurotransmitter finishes its function, the next step is to be removed from the synaptic cleft. When the local neurotransmitter concentration falls, the neurotransmitter unbounds from the post-synaptic receptor. After this, the neurotransmitter can be either degraded by specific enzymes, or reuptaken by high affinity receptors. The latter corresponds to the most common way of neurotransmitter removal, and includes the reincorporation of the neurotransmitter into the pre-synaptic terminal by endocytosis. This permits the neurotransmitter to be recycled inside the cell. The remaining percentage of neurotransmitters, follows the other path of removal which corresponds to the enzymatic degradation. A characteristic enzyme is acetylcholinesterase (AChE) which degrades the neutrotransmitter acetylcholine into acetate and choline. Another examples of such enzymes include catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) and monoamine oxidase (MAO) (Naik 2015). 5) Describe with examples the major mechanisms of action of the different types of neurotransmitter and hormone receptors. In 1907, the physiologist Langley, introduced the aspect of receptor molecules, in order to explain specific properties of molecules on muscle and nerve cells. The neurotransmitter receptors are proteins located in the post-synaptic plasma membrane and contain an extracellular site, specific for the binding of a neurotransmitter. The neurotransmitters, have two distinct families of receptors. The first one, the ligand-gated ion channels or ionotropic receptors, combine the properties of ion channels by having also a neurotransmitter binding domain on their outer part of the membrane. The other family of receptors, are the metabotropic receptors, because the movement of ions depends on certain metabolic steps. The important difference of these channels with the ionotropic channels, is that they dont have an ion channel in their structure, in contrast they have a domain which affects the channels through activation of G proteins, and these receptors G protein coupled receptors (Purves et al. 2001). G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of membrane protein signaling molecules. The activation of these proteins can be achieved by various ligands, thus modulating the activity of a diverse set of signaling pathways (Kobilka 2007). Nowadays, it is estimated that the human organism contains approximately 800 unique GPCRs, and the 460 of them are assumed to be olfactory receptors (Fredriksson et al. 2003). Their main characteristic is that they contain seven transmembrane-spanning segments, which coordinate the position of the proteins N-terminus at the extracellular space and C-terminus at the intracellular space. Studies in neuromuscular synapse, have demonstrated in detail the neurotransmission mechanism. The binding of the acetylcholine to the postsynaptic receptors, leads to the opening of ion channels. Specifically, the binding of two Ach to a receptor, causes an influx of sodium for milliseconds. In real situations, when an action potential reaches a presynaptic neuron, millions of ACh molecules are secreted into the synaptic cleft. As a result, a high number of AChs will bind to numerous receptors, located on the postsynaptic membrane. The opening of these channels will cause the membrane to depolarize, and the opening of voltage-gated sodium and potassium channels (Purves et al. 2001). When the postsynaptic membrane potential becomes more negative even from the resting potential, the end plate current increases, and decreases when the membrane potential is more positive. At very positive potential, there is a reverse polarity which cause the current to convert form an inward to an outward one (Purves et al. 2001). The other category that we will discuss, the hormones, are produced most of the times by specific cells, and initiate a reaction in certain cell types. Only the cells that have hormone receptors, can be used as hormone target cells. These receptors, recognize certain hormones according to their chemical structure. The classes of these receptors are two, the membrane bound receptors, which are transmembrane proteins and the second category the intracellularly localized receptors which are intracellular receptors (Boon 2009). The membrane bound receptors have an extracellular domain which is linked with an intracellular one. The binding of a hormone are following the rules of noncovalent interactions. In general, signaling molecules for example adrenaline, binds to their receptors with a very high affinity, even higher than the one observed between an enzyme and a substrate. After the binding and the recognition of adrenaline by the receptor, this signal is converted into an intracellular signal, which targets the nuclear compartment. According to the type of the receptors which will bind, adrenaline can cause inhibition of insulin secretion, glycogenolysis and glycolysis (Boon 2009). Furthermore, the hormone insulin, uses for signal transduction a set of tyrosine kinases receptors. The receptors that have tyrosine kinase (TK) activity (RTKs), contain a specific domain for binding ligand molecules located on the extracellular side. Inside the lipid bilayer there is a single alpha-helical element, and inside the cytosol another part that harbors a TK domain. When the RTKs are not bound with the ligand molecule, most of them are in their monomeric state. The only exception of this paradigm is the insulin receptor and in general its family members. When extracellular stimulus is absent, in our case insulin, the kinase domain of the receptors remains in its inactive, auto inhibited state. In this phase, the receptors either have very low kinase activity, or they havent at all. After the binding of insulin on the receptor, the consequent transformational changes that lead to the activation of the TK domain. The activation process of TK includes a trans-autosphorylation of tyrosine residues at segments inside and outside of the TK domain. Then, the phosphorylated P-Tyr which is formed at the site of receptor, becomes a docking region for proteins that harbor phosphorylated tyrosine specific domains. Such proteins are SH2, phosphotyrosine-binding (PTB) and C2 .This signaling eventually leads to an increase of the number of glucose transporter 4 in the outer membrane of specific cells, and thus the increased reuptake of glucose from the blood (Boon 2009). Bibliography Alberts, B. et al., 2002. Molecular Biology of the Cell,   Ã‚   Black, D.L., 2000. Protein Diversity from Alternative Splicing: A Challenge for Bioinformatics and Post-Genome Biology. Cell, 103(3), pp.367-370. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867400001288. Boon, E.M., 2009. Biochemistry of Signal Transduction and Regulation, Available at: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/603489. Cooper, G., 2000. The Cell: A Molecular Approach 2nd editio., Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9833/. Fredriksson, R. et al., 2003. The G-protein-coupled receptors in the human genome form five main families. Phylogenetic analysis, paralogon groups, and fingerprints. Molecular pharmacology, 63(6), pp.1256-72. Hirose, K. Amos, L.A., 2012. Handbook of Dynein. In Handbook of Dynein. pp. 12-16. Hyman, S. et al., 2009. Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience, Second Edition. In Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience (2nd ed.). pp. 265-266. Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Molecular-Neuropharmacology-Foundation-Clinical-Neuroscience/dp/0071481273. Kobilka, B.K., 2007. G protein coupled receptor structure and activation. Biochimica et biophysica acta, 1768(4), pp.794-807. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17188232%5Cnhttp://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=PMC1876727. Latchman, D., 2007. Gene Regulation, Available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=4x3ZzLNyfDsCpgis=1. Naik, P., 2015. Biochemistry, JP Medical Ltd. Purves, D. et al., 2001. Neuroscience. 2nd edition. Sinauer Associates. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11166/. Wang, X., Pattison, J.S. Su, H., 2013. Posttranslational modification and quality control. Circulation Research, 112(2), pp.367-381. Wickens, M. et al., 2000. Translational control of gene expression. , 37(6), p.295.

Jerry Springer versus Oprah Winfrey Show :: Daytime Television TV

In the world of entertainment, TV talk shows have undoubtedly flooded every inch of space on daytime television. Many of us have seen and heard the often recycled topics found on such veteran shows as Geraldo and Sally Jessy Raphael. And anyone who watches talk shows on a regular basis knows that each one varies in style and format. One might enjoy watching the sometimes trashy subject matter found on Jenny Jones, while someone else might prefer the more serious and light hearted feel of the Maury Povich show. But no two shows are more profoundly opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest, than the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey show. Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of "trash talk." The topics on his show are as shocking as they get. For example, the show takes the ever common talk show themes of love, lust, sex, sexuality, adultery, cheating, guilt, hate, conflict and morality to a different level. In a vintage Springer show, one finds women who cheated on their boyfriends and are ready to confess. But the boyfriends are in for a bigger surprise. As it turns out that all the women haven't been secretly seeing other guys, but seeing other women, who also happen to be waiting backstage. Another episode tells of a John Wayne Bobbit type case, but with a more twisted plot. A male cuts off his own manhood because he claimed that his homosexual neighbor was stalking him. Shocking, indeed, but the list of talk material goes on from dangerous love triangles, broken homes, pregnant strippers, teenage prostitutes, adult film stars, devil worshippers and the ever popular talk show regulars, the members of the Ku Klux Klan. Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is a display and exploitation of societies moral catastrophes, yet people are willing to eat up the intriguing predicaments of other peoples lives. Oprah Winfrey was once a follower of the trash TV format, but her long running popular TV talk show has since been reformed. Like Jerry Springer, the Oprah Winfrey show takes talk TV to its extreme, but Oprah goes in the opposite direction. Oprah is probably the most immaculate talk show there is. It is unlikely that you will find guest on Oprah that have committed adultery, have sold their souls to the devil, or are part of a racist hate group. Instead, the show focuses on the improvement of society and an individuals quality of life. Topics range from teaching your children responsibility, managing your work week, proper etiquette, getting to know your neighbors and entertaining interviews with Jerry Springer versus Oprah Winfrey Show :: Daytime Television TV In the world of entertainment, TV talk shows have undoubtedly flooded every inch of space on daytime television. Many of us have seen and heard the often recycled topics found on such veteran shows as Geraldo and Sally Jessy Raphael. And anyone who watches talk shows on a regular basis knows that each one varies in style and format. One might enjoy watching the sometimes trashy subject matter found on Jenny Jones, while someone else might prefer the more serious and light hearted feel of the Maury Povich show. But no two shows are more profoundly opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest, than the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey show. Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of "trash talk." The topics on his show are as shocking as they get. For example, the show takes the ever common talk show themes of love, lust, sex, sexuality, adultery, cheating, guilt, hate, conflict and morality to a different level. In a vintage Springer show, one finds women who cheated on their boyfriends and are ready to confess. But the boyfriends are in for a bigger surprise. As it turns out that all the women haven't been secretly seeing other guys, but seeing other women, who also happen to be waiting backstage. Another episode tells of a John Wayne Bobbit type case, but with a more twisted plot. A male cuts off his own manhood because he claimed that his homosexual neighbor was stalking him. Shocking, indeed, but the list of talk material goes on from dangerous love triangles, broken homes, pregnant strippers, teenage prostitutes, adult film stars, devil worshippers and the ever popular talk show regulars, the members of the Ku Klux Klan. Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is a display and exploitation of societies moral catastrophes, yet people are willing to eat up the intriguing predicaments of other peoples lives. Oprah Winfrey was once a follower of the trash TV format, but her long running popular TV talk show has since been reformed. Like Jerry Springer, the Oprah Winfrey show takes talk TV to its extreme, but Oprah goes in the opposite direction. Oprah is probably the most immaculate talk show there is. It is unlikely that you will find guest on Oprah that have committed adultery, have sold their souls to the devil, or are part of a racist hate group. Instead, the show focuses on the improvement of society and an individuals quality of life. Topics range from teaching your children responsibility, managing your work week, proper etiquette, getting to know your neighbors and entertaining interviews with

Nuclear Power Plants :: essays research papers

Nuclear Plants   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The question of whether the U.S. should have nuclear power plants is very controversial. There are two sides that one can take; however, both sides have their own share of problems. If you chose to not have nuclear plants, then eventually all natural resources will run out. The oil supply will run out relatively soon, and all other sources will run out too. The natural resources that we have now are still harmful to the earth however. The gas which we use for our cars pollutes the air and considering the amount of cars the are driven each day, it is ripping apart the o-zone layer. However, if the U.S. does decide to use nuclear plants, then there is a great danger of toxic waste invading our rivers, and also the chance of a spill similar to Chernobyl. As we saw in the Chernobyl video, there is great danger when using nuclear energy. If this were to happen is the United States, the risk of mortality is much higher because the area’s in which there would be a plant such as a big city are very densely populated. Because of these facts, I do not think that the U.S. should renew its efforts to develop more nuclear plants.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The United States should put the money which they would have used in order to renew their power plants, and use it to research others ways of receiving power. For example, if the U.S. developed solar power more and made it less costly, as well are more convenient for the average person, then there would be no more problems. In the past century many advances have been made in terms of energy. Power plants became the main source of energy, and towards the end of the century, new advances have been made such as solar power. I predict that in the upcoming century, many new advances will be made which will benefit the human race enormously.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If these advances are made, than the U.S. will not have to spend billions of dollars towards building plants but rather use the money for more global issues.

Country Lovers: a Reader’s Response

Country Lovers, Nadine Gordimer TLC 25 November 2012 ? Nadine Gordimer dramatically depicts the theme of forbidden love in Country Lovers, but more than just the depth of this love, the forbidden relationship between races during the years of apartheid. Gordimer brings forward very early the fact of racial division, â€Å"the black children are making along with the bodily changes common to all, an easy transition to adult forms of address, beginning to call their old playmates missus and baasie little master†. Gordimer, 1975) This short story powerfully demonstrates the ever present desire for that which is taboo and the often very tragic end for all concerned in an overtly subjugated society, race notwithstanding. She sets the story in South Africa on the farm owned by the white Eysendeck Family, early in the childhood of their son Paalus and the young black girl, Thebedi.The vivid descriptions or Local Color are depictions of culture and landscape within this setting allow the author to depict the atmosphere that shaped the characters moral values of individuals in a particular region. (Clugston, 6. 4) The use of setting, in this case the time and place of the story also illustrates Milhauser’s opinion, â€Å"†¦ if you concentrate your attention on some apparently insignificant portion of the world, you will find, deep within it, nothing less than the world itself.The author also cleverly uses foreshadowing to allude to issues the characters may deal with, â€Å"The trouble was Paalus Eysendeck did not seem to realize Thebdi was now simply one of the crowd of farm children down at the kraal†. (Gordimer, 1975) The overwhelming sense of cultural taboo was evident throughout the story and was recognized by both characters in their need to be secretive in their meetings. The use of foreshadowing and setting strongly supported the themes in the story, allowing Gordimer to bring the reader closer to the heart to the story.Although Nadine Gordimer grew up in South Africa during the enforcement of apartheid and attempted throughout her years of writing to bring attention to the under privileged; she and many other writers did not have the ability or desire to discuss the unfortunate issues that generations of the often over-indulged and morally corrupt class also had to face, â€Å"I will try and carry on as best I can to hold my head up in the district. † (Gordimer, 1975) The characters throughout this story were strong and richly developed.Both Paalus and Thebedi were similarly portrayed as equally developing young people in the illustrations of their interactions with classmates and friends, an example being the gifts they exchanged on holidays and the joy they gained admiration of them. (Gordimer) Ms. Gordimer expertly executed the account of two young people that were lifelong friends and eventually secret lovers and the on pressures that society, class and race can have on those individuals.An incredible sense of despair is exposed in the passages discussing the issues faced by the characters, Thebedi and Paalus, both showed a feeling of loss of control of the situation when he stated, â€Å"I feel like killing myself†; she could not help but feel sadness for a man she likely still loved, â€Å"her eyes began to glow, to thicken with tears†. (Gordimer, 1975) This effort to bring the ominous mood to the reader is astonishingly effective. In the last portion of the story the dialogue of the main characters demonstrates the deliberate change in the characters.Paalus becomes very aware of the potentially catastrophic outcome of his and Thebedi’s indulgences. The shift in characterization was brilliantly executed with the seemingly formidable white man becoming the pariah in the district where his family was well respected. The conflict or struggle within both characters became what to do with the baby who was the product of forbidden love in an unaccepting society. Lastly, the reader is made aware of several shifts that have shift occurred. The first shift being for Paalus and the Eysendeck family by being lowered in status â€Å" left with his mother’s raincoat shielding his face from photographers†.The next obvious shift of the Judge in his statement in court actually raised Njabolu’s status, †by commending the honorable behavior of the husband†¦ and even provided clothes for the unfortunate infant out of his slender means. † (Gordimer, 1975) The final line of the story provides insight on the outcome by bringing to light the fact that the girl â€Å"in her own language stated that â€Å"it was a thing of our childhood and they don’t see each other anymore’’ The symbolic nature of this last line demonstrated the eventual movement forward of the young woman and her embracing her life as it was set in motion by time and society to be. REFERENCES: Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Milhauser, S. (2008). The Ambition of the Short Story. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www. nytimes. com/2008/10/05/books/review/Millhauser-t. html

Domestic Violence In Sports Essay

Throughout history, sports players have been in the public eye. They’re much thought of as the heroic figures to those who desire a career in the league or even the â€Å"die hard† fans who are dedicated. When thinking of the stereotypical traits of a heroic figure as someone who’s trustworthy, honesty and viewed to be an untouchable individual. But as we all know not every story is what some may call â€Å"picture perfect†. People fail to realize that their champion winning sports players we cheer on during game days are just like everyone in the world. The question being how can we establish a connection with ones that real side may barely be shown? In recent weeks, sports media has been booming with tabloids about domestic violence cases of well-known players in their leagues. As we the public become intrigued to see these players fall from their immortal status from committing such a crime thought to be impossible for them. As fans typically only take a glance of their lives on the field; I come to wonder if it’s more of a shock to them or a reality of everyone’s ability to be held equally. Would the standards be different if your position in society didn’t matter as much as the crime that has been committed should? An article published online in USA Today last week, states that even with the multiple controversies going on in the NFL and the nation, is taking much needed action towards players involved in the domestic violence convictions such as. Actions are also being taken in teams like the Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, was charged with a domestic violence case with an assault his then-fiancà ©e Janay Rice, who was left unconscious for in an elevator. Rice is known to have a clean record, after authorities released the video of Rice and his then fiancà ©e knocked out; the agreement between the NFL and the Ravens to end Rice’s contract following up with an indefinite suspension. This decision was reported by researchers- Erik Brady and Jim Corbett both journalist for USA Today. In addition to the NFL furthers taking action an article by researcher Will Brinson a Senior NFL Writer, writes weekly articles and directs videos for CBS Sports.com. Brinson quotes statement from a memo from Commissioner Roger Goodell to the 32 NFL owners â€Å"The NFL is hiring four women advisors in shaping the league’s stance on domestic violence†, The league is attempting to change the outlook of how it handles domestic  violence with the hopes of being looked at for an earnest effort towards change. Goodell wrote, â€Å"Because domestic violence and sexual assault are broad societal issues, we have engaged leading experts to provide specialized advice and guidance in ensuring that the NFL’s programs reflect the most current and effective approaches.† In addition to Goodell’s memo, he also stated a plan for the four women such as Lisa Friel, the former Sex Crime Prosecution Unit in New York County District Attorney’s Office to be one of the women to peruse the NFL’s efforts. Domestic violence is the behavior used by one person in a relationship to control the other. This violence takes place in many forms and can happen all the time or once in a while. Although both men and women are susceptible to abuse, the most common cases are known to be found dealing with women who have been in some form neglected or abused. In studies cases of domestic violence have been on the rise, meaning more cases of not just celebrities but people all around the nat ion. As the talk rises of domestic violence cases pertaining to sports people see this as tragedy and a new cause to crime that has been happening for decades. It’s taken little pity on the actual victim but more on the player who is at fault. In the SBNation article written by Stephen â€Å"Poseour† Blake, stating that most fans are leaning towards defending team players rather than raising awareness for those who have been emotionally and physically impacted by the crime done. When do we ask ourselves, is supporting something worth it? With a personal belief that we should live by the rules of treating everyone with fairness and honesty as fans indicate sports players to be. In conclusion, I think that athletes are treated to an alternate standard compared to everyone because more is invested into their successful than their downfall. More cases of domestic violence are becoming better known to the public; especially in sports mostly pertaining to players in the NFL league. My feelings towards this topic are that even with fame of being known for a talent is a very rare accomplishment that’s few get to achieve. People still need to realize that no matter how famous a person becomes their still accountable for their actions. Personally I think that more should be done to the person accused of the crime just as equally for someone who isn’t on the fame radar. Punishment shouldn’t have a limit just because this person is well- known. Alon g with fans treating the victims more like the criminals instead of the players. When in reality  being a â€Å"die hard† fan doesn’t always mean supporting what’s wrong.

Social Discount Rates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Discount Rates - Essay Example The discount rate which is used in financial calculations is usually chosen to be equal to the cost of capital. Some adjustment may be made to the discount rate to take account of risks associated with uncertain cashflows, with other developments. Evaluating an investment project can require the use of approaches designed to integrate the consideration of the flexibility and uncertainties associated with the investment opportunity under study (Robert Wilson, 1982). Regardless of the approach adopted, a project evaluation, based on deterministic hypotheses, is nonetheless inevitable at some given moment. The problem that arises is the choice of the 'conventional' method which helps to determine the project value with due integration of the financing related aspects. As Brealey and Myers (Robert Wilson, 1982) show it, various methods can be used, including standard WACC, Arditti-Levy, equity residual and adjusted present value. Historically, with certain assumptions, the consistency of these methods has been demonstrated by comparing them in pairs by Robert Wilson, 1982. However, this consistency could also suggest the existence of a single approach underlying these different methods, and from which they could all derive. The NPV is greatly affected by the discount rate, so selecting the proper rate - sometimes called the hurdle rate - is critical to making the right decision. The hurdle rate is the minimum acceptable return on an investment. It should reflect the riskiness of the investment, typically measured by the volatility of cash flows, and must take into account the financing mix (Ross,1976). Managers may use models such as the CAPM or the APT to estimate a discount rate appropriate for each particular project, and use the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) to reflect the financing mix selected. A common practice in choosing a discount rate for a project is to apply a WACC that applies to the entire firm. Some believe that a higher discount rate is more appropriate when a project's risk is different from the risk of the firm as a whole(Ross,1976). In capital budgeting the correct risk adjusted discount rate for future cash flows is independent of whether the flow is a cost or a revenue. Contrary to a widely disseminated view in some popular textbooks and elsewhere, costs are not especially safe (nor risky), and accordingly costs should not be discounted at especially low risk adjusted discount rates (Robert, 1998). Three Methods for Determining Discount Rates 1. The historical approach: One approach to find discount rates is to assume that the average rate which has been observed in the past will continue into the future. Typically, those who use this approach rely on the real interest rates which have been reported over a decade. What analysis of these rates indicates is that real rates were fairly stable over the period 1950-1970, at approximately 3 percent. During the oil crisis, of the early 1970s, real interest rat

Factors Affecting the Performance of Employees Research Paper

Factors Affecting the Performance of Employees - Research Paper Example The human resource policies and strategies of an organization are the key determinants of employees’ performance (Armstrong, 2006). For example, in my previous employment, there were various incentives such as Christmas bonuses to employees, which aimed at motivating employees. Despite the human resource policies and strategies, the interrelationships of various departments of the organization, inter-organizational relations, and demographic factors have an impact on employees’ performance. According to Armstrong (2006), human resources are valuable assets for an organization. Understanding the issues, which influence worker performance, may be key to enhancing employee’s productivity and morale. Organizations formulate strategies for providing an excellent work environment in order to attract and retain the best employees. These strategies should address those factors that affect the performance of workers. These factors may be within or outside the company, inc luding those factors emanating from the employee’s personal lives. The paper will discuss the following factors as determinants of employees’ performance. These factors include ability, knowledge and skills, feedback, environment, standards, and motivation.  Ã‚  Motivation is the key to an effective organization to sustain the stability of the work in a strong way and help the survival of the organization. Motivation is discovering a requirement inside the workers and assisting to attain it. Motivation enables employees to widen their skills to meet the organizational objectives. Motivation drives human beings to achieve their objectives and company objectives through each challenge and limitation they experience in their workplace. The need of accomplishment leads in a desire to put extra effort to have something done better and the desire for success. There are three internal forces that influence an individual’s behavior; direction, intensity, and persisten ce. In terms of direction, motivation is directed by objectives while in terms of intensity, it is the amount of effort allotted. In terms of persistence, it is the time and effort applied. The following are the five main approaches of motivation; Maslow’s need hierarchy theory, Adams’ equity theory, Vroom’s expectancy theory, Herzberg’s two-factor theory, and Skinner’s reinforcement theory (Herzberg, 1987). Maslow points out that there are five levels of employee needs; safety, physiological, ego, social, and self-actualizing. Maslow observed that employees are motivated when their low-level needs are satisfied first before the next high-level needs. Herzberg’s study classified motivation into two factors; hygiene and motivators. Intrinsic or motivator factors, such as recognition and achievement lead to job satisfaction. Extrinsic or hygiene factors, such as level of remuneration and degree of job security generate job dissatisfaction. Vro om’s approach is based on the idea that worker effort will result in performance, which will result in rewards. The rewards can be either negative or positive. The more positive the prize the more probable the worker will be extremely motivated (Armstrong, 2006). On the contrary, the more negative the prize, the less probable the worker will be motivated.  Ã‚  

Business Synoptic (reflective statment) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Synoptic (reflective statment) - Essay Example The learning outcomes are assured in business synoptic module because we get a chance of solving the problems demonstrated in the case study solely depending on our own knowledge gathered through the entire process of learning. Case study is an eminent means of reflecting various theoretical concepts learned through any module in practical situations (Monash University, 2010). The chart below provides a pictorial representation that I followed while solving the case study assignment. Firstly, I developed the methodology and then precisely, I followed those steps for arriving at a result. Most important stage of this methodology was to read the case comprehensively, again and again, so that every critical issue can be understood from the case. As a second stage, I really tried hard to identify the most crucial issues that I needed to handle for solving the case. Based on the issues identified, I formulated my strategy of researching various academic sources relevant in solving. Resear ch process along with understanding of the critical issues in the case helped me to a great extent in forming views about the main problems in the case. Based on the views formulated, reflective analysis has been made by me and concise solution has been presented. During the formulation of views about the case problem, the attendance that I made to the two workshops were of great help, the influence of which I could feel during writing solution to the case study’s questions. During solving the case, I came across a number of theories that I learned during my earlier classes. Here the integration of the knowledge became prominent for me when those were applied in the practical evidences provided in the case. The theories that I used are not many but whichever I have used were relevant to the case situation. The theories are emerging market analysis, performance analysis, corporate level strategy, mainly global strategy and multi-domestic strategy and the theory of management s tructure. Case study analysis provides the best results when sufficient strategic analytical tools are appropriately used in finding the results (Mind Tools, 2011). Figure 1 Answer to Question No: 2 It is evident that case study analysis provides us a wide scope of excelling in our areas of work, be it professional or academic. Through the module, I have developed various skills which I am sure will be beneficial in not only solving problems in my education career but also will help in gaining competitive position in the practical field (Lee & Et. Al., 2009). The following figure depicts the areas in which I have acquired skills through case study analysis. The most important skill that I gathered from the study is that of problem solving ability. The analysis demanded a lot of effort in solving the problems identified from thorough understanding of the case facts. The facts might even be wrong as I am not a perfect analyst but whatever knowledge I have in the area of strategy formu lation, I have applied in solving the problem (Raviv, 2003). The second most important skill that I acquired in the process is that of innovative thinking. Strategy demands innovation-I learnt this line during gathering education in this area and during the process of solution, I understood the real meaning of innovative thinking when I was bound to apply all my traits. This application process generated the