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Rhetoric Of Protest Songs Essay Example For Students

Monday, December 30, 2019

The Miracles Of St. James - 1291 Words

There were also stories about St. James retaliations against non-believers who questioned his power. Constable translates a story about Saracens who took over Compostela, and by divine retribution, some of them were afflicted by looseness of the bowels, and shot whatever they had in their bellies out through their back passages. Others lost the sight of their eyes and wandered blindly about the church and the city. This account demonstrates what could happen if one did not show proper respect towards St. James. This served as a warning to whoever had evil intents towards the cathedral. Later in the story, Al-Mansur claims that if St. James restores him to his earlier state of health then he would renounce Muhammad and will not come again to the land of great St. James bent on taking booty. The story has evolved into a conversion story. This showcases the power of Roman Catholic saints against non-believers, and how saintly actions can so powerfully affect individuals. Like the pre vious stories about the miracles of St. James, this would have been written for a Christian audience, as it has such a negative attitude towards the Saracens. Constable also translated a part from the Guide du Pelerin where two penniless pilgrims returning from Compostela tried a whole street of houses before they were finally offered lodging. During the night all the houses in that street were burned down, apart from the one in which the pilgrims had spent the night. This storyShow MoreRelatedEssay on Images of Christian Devotion in Late Antiquity and Byzantium945 Words   |  4 Pagesshowing Abraham’s sacrificing his son shows that he is going to be save and his son is going to be angel since he is sacrificing his life for god. The importance of Peter and Paul made apparent that two major churches were the Church of St. Peter and the Church of St. Paul. I think that the sarcophagus contains content for all ages. The wheat and grates represent the wine and bread of the Euc harist. The toga was used as symbol of high social status. The Ceiling of the Mausoleum of Galla shows ChristRead MoreEssay on Movie Review of Stigmata1666 Words   |  7 PagesIntervention, and the authenticity of many cases of stigmata are questioned. Several different web sites state St. Francis of Assissi is know as the first true case of stigmata (Stan Griffing, Workers for Jesus; Miracles vs. Forteana; Is Stigmata For Real?; Joe Nickell, Skeptical Inquirer; Absalom Coutinho, The gospel truth; R. Biot, The Enigma of the Stigmata) this much is undoubtedly true, however, St. Paul wrote ...I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus,(Galatians 6:17) so he could have beenRead MoreAnalysis Of Mark s Poem Mark 1449 Words   |  6 PagesWithin this passage in Mark, he relates a story where Jesus performs two miracles. In Mark’s literary style, he sandwiches the healing of the hemorrhaging woman in between the beginning and the end of the resurrection of Ja’irus’ daughter. Mark inserts the healing of the hemorrhaging woman to emphasize the role faith has in receiving God’s healing grace. The hemorrhaging Woman for fear of disobeying Mosaic Law, (which forbade her from touching anyone or anything because according to the Judaic lawRead MoreThe influence of religion in Society949 Words   |  4 PagesClap Your Hands if You Believe Every Sunday in churches across America, kids hear this story of a special man in the Bible- Jesus. They hear the famous story of this miracle man who healed people and rose from the dead. Sounds like an important person, right? Well, besides the miraculous stories taught in Sunday school and his impact on today’s religion, Jesus actually had and still has a major influence on today’s society too. Jesus was an influential person because of his impacts on religion,Read MoreEssay on The Legend of King Arthur606 Words   |  3 Pagespassed and Merlin decided it was time for the kingdom to discover its rightful King. Merlin went to the archbishop of Canterbury and counseled him to gather all the great Lords in London at the upcoming Christmas celebration. There at St. Paul’s cathedral, a miracle would occur that would reveal the identity of the rightful King. After the great congregation of Lords, Thomas Malory noticed something strange in the church courtyard. â€Å" a great stone four feet- square, like marble stone, and in the midstRead More The Decline of Education: Social and Economic Inequality Essay1193 Words   |  5 Pageseducational system. If the educational system fails, than we will become no better than our ancestors in that we will have no education, and therefore people would be back to the starting block positions of hard manual labor. However, according to James Loewen’s â€Å"The Land of Opportunity,† even the educational system is slipping, stating that when he asked questions like, â€Å"why are people poor?† he got woefully inadequate response s. In both â€Å"The Land of Opportunity† and â€Å"Lies My History Teacher ToldRead MoreMovie Review : St. Ignatius And Imagination By James Avaar779 Words   |  4 Pagessome vital aspect of leadership, I have been thinking about James Cameron, Avatar. I remember seeing this movie when it first came out in while I was living in Seattle. I am not a science fiction movie person, but this movie had an element that was more than a science fiction flick. It has a lot of layers and messages, but the one thing that stood out to me was how one could change and become a better person. After reading about St. Ignatius and Imagination there are parallels that I see areRead MoreEssay about The Gospel of Thomas1536 Words   |  7 Pagesdown by St. Didymus Jude Thomas, but nobody knows if St. Didymus Jude Thomas wrote the sayings down for sure, it is just said that he did. St. Didymus Jude Thomas was said to be Jesus’ twin brother, assumed by a few early Christians. Thomas is actually Hebrew for twin, and Didymus is Greek for twin as well. According to saying twelve, the disciples said to Jesus, â€Å"We know that you will depart from us. Who is to be our leader?† Jesus said to them, â€Å"Wherever you are, you are to go to James the righteousRead MoreColor of Water972 Words   |  4 PagesThe Color of Water: A Black Man s Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride Discussion questions Discuss Ruth McBride s refusal to reveal her past and how that influenced her children s sense of themselves and their place in the world. Why was she reluctant to tell her children about her background? How has your knowledge—or lack thereof—about your family background shaped your own self-image? Do you get a sense of life under the old Jewish traditions? How does that compare to theRead MoreAnalyse the Argument of the Existence of God from Religious Experience1171 Words   |  5 Pagesreligious experiences? Theologians have struggled for centuries trying to define what a religious experience is, with many believing a religious experience to be a sort of revelation, meaning that God reveals some part of hi nature to the experient. St Thomas Aquinas believed that to be his Revealed Theology, where truths cannot be made known without some sort of experience, usually attributed to God. Martin Buber argues that God reveals himself to people on a personal level as they experience Him

Sunday, December 22, 2019

The Definition of Cyber Attack - 618 Words

The Definition of Cyber Attack The most important thing that needs to be done before taking the debate on the status of cyber attacks under international laws of war any forward is to specifically define a â€Å"cyber attack†. Scholars generally use the terms such as â€Å"information warfare†, â€Å"cyber warfare†, â€Å"cyber threats†, â€Å"computer network attacks†, etc as alternatives for â€Å"cyber attacks† without a reference to any particular definition or limitation of scope. Perhaps this is done on a supposition that a standard definition of this term is already prevalent. This unfortunately is not true. Speaking specifically about the literature on cyber attacks, the term is comprehended primarily in two ways: while some talk about technology and computer networks as instruments of the attack, others use computers and information technology networks as the objects of the attack. The difference in the perceptions of cyber attack is rather complicating because it makes the nature of the operative term â€Å"cyber† all the more ambiguous, causing serious vagueness in any use-of-force or armed attack analysis. This becomes particularly problematic when applying any leading models on the assessment of use of force because these models employ instrumentality, target and effects as the basis for analysis. Moreover, there must be an understanding of what exactly is a cyber attack before discussing whether it falls under the use of force notion or not because it will not only affect the value andShow MoreRelatedThe Threat Of Cyber Warfare1631 Words   |  7 Pagesinformation with the malicious intent to sabotage. Conversely, there are those who are not quite sure if cyber warfare is an actual threat. This will also provide an ample answer to questions such as: What is cyber warfare? And will answer the question of, what is the history of cyber warfare? And wi ll answer the question Is there any real way to protect ourselves from a cyber attack? Cyber warfare has been around since the beginning of human creation, when the serpent told Eve to eat from theRead MoreCyber Warfare Between The United States And Russia901 Words   |  4 Pagesbook Cyber Warfare states that â€Å"The U.S. military does not have a definition for cyber warfare today† (53). While this work was published in 2014, it is still a fair assessment into today. According to the CCDCOE, again on their webpage â€Å"Cyber Definitions,† cyber warfare as agreed between The United States and Russia is defined as â€Å"cyber attacks that are authorized by state actors against cyber infrastructure in conjunction with government campaign.† The two nations also define cyber attacks in theRead MoreThomas Rid’s Arguement on the Impossibility of Cyber War Essay862 Words   |  4 Pagescontention that cyber war will not happen is that cyber war is completely misplaced if not entirely misunderstood. He argues that the concept of cyber war is not in tandem with the historical definition and understanding of what constitutes ‘’war’’. Rid’s definition of war, borrowed from Carl von Clausewitz, is that war must constitute three elements: violence, instrumental and political. (Rid, Cyber War Will Not Take Place, 2012) Therefore, his main argument against the possibility for cyber war is premisedRead MoreThe United States Is Ill Prepared For Cyberwarfare1375 Words   |  6 Pagesthe use of computer systems in all walks of life, we citizens have been becoming systematically and increasingly more exposed to the possibilities of cyberattacks and by extension all out cyberwarfare. Is our country adequately prepared to prevent attacks upon these and other systems? If not, are we prepared to quickly heal the damages of such an instance and stop further injury? It is important to recognize that actors who may decide to attempt to disrupt our lives may be working under the sanctionRead MoreThe Data Breach At Opm1297 Words   |  6 Pagestake an in-depth view of the current cyber threat and will explore the current efforts taken by the United States in combating the rapidly growing cyber threat. The research conducted will revolve around recent piece of legislation that are said to be the answer to combating cyber-crime. This paper will also look at past efforts and explore their failure and compare with the new piece of legislation to see if it will actually be effective. There are many cyber security techniques which have beenRead MoreDescription Of Issue And Problem Statement1497 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"act of war† for cyber-attacks that involve damage or death that would be similar in nature to a kinetic attack. The problem that arises is when a cyber-attack is considered an unlawful use of force.1 and what that means for when the victim state can respond and to what level are they allowed under international law. As cyberattacks continue to change and increase in nature the US government needs a coordinated and well thought out approach that is able to deter future cyber-attacks that are consideredRead MoreCyber Warfare And Global Affairs1543 Words   |  7 Pagescan steal information. Even countries are using the cyber domain as a separate battlefield to fulfill their missions and acquire information. Cyberwar is relatively a new term to describe: an Internet-based conflict involving politically motivated attacks on information and information systems. But the definition is constantly evolving with time and the more knowledge the public acquires about these conflicts. Although the idea of explaining cyber warfare is far too vast and bound to only readily availableRead MoreEssay on Cyber Attacks1182 Words   |  5 PagesOn April 27, 2007 cyber-attacks began crippling key infrastructures of banks, ministries, and newspapers. These attacks took place, in part, because of a statue. This statue is not just a two-meter tall man holding a helmet; this individual represents and symbolizes the lives lost in the Second World War. The statue has been under a lot of speculation and has torn the population of the country in half. Some believe the status is a symbol of Soviet, formerly Nazi, while some see this statue as symbolRead MoreTerrorism : Terrorism And Terrorism1035 Words   |  5 PagesOver the past Century, terrorism has advanced from random killings to enormous plans for terrorist groups. To understand terrorism you must first define it. Terrorism as we all know it is hard to define and understand, and has many different definitions as it is used widely. The word terrorism stems from the word terror, which means to instill fear in. People become terrorists when they take the actions towards instilling fear and terror upon people to prove a certain point or agenda. Some terroristsRead MoreThe World and The Age of Technology Essay731 Words   |  3 Pagesfor patents over technical skills, arousing so- called cyber war. In modern age, cyber-attack has been a continuous problem as it gets more advanced and harder to stop. As seen in the Chart on the side, the number of reported cyber-attack incidents grew continuously since 2006. It is no more an ignorable issue as it brings significant damages daily to the corporations and even the government agencies. These severely detrimental cyber-attacks also bring out an ethical dilemmatic question: Should the

Saturday, December 14, 2019

My worse day ever Free Essays

My worst day ever was the day my brother fell out the window, and almost died. My brothers name is All. He was born on January 9, 2004 and Is the fourth child in our family. We will write a custom essay sample on My worse day ever or any similar topic only for you Order Now He was eight and a half years of old. It all happened on Tuesday September 11, 2012. My day began Like any other day not knowing what was hidden for me, I thought that this was going to be a great day. I had no Idea that my brother was going to fall from the second floor window and almost die. In this essay I will be informing you about how my day began, to how he fell and what happened at the end. I went to school like always and came home. When I arrived home we were told that guests might come over, so I cleaned the house and got dressed. After we completed cleaning we had our dinner. During the meal the children had made quite a mess under the table so I went upstairs to grab the vacuum. My room was next to the room where all the boys slept. There were five boys that slept in that room since we lived with our cousins. It was impossible to have beds so they had five mattresses on the floor but because we had to vacuum we put three against one wall and parallel to that wall and put the other two under the window. As passed through the rooms I noticed my brother All and cousin Mustang were throwing themselves and Jumping on the mattress from one wall to the other. As I grabbed the vacuum and left my room in the corner of my eye I saw my cousin Mustangs face. His face was red and he look like he was scared. I’ve never in my life seen a young child scared in that way. I sensed something wrong so, I began to look for All but, there was no sight of him. All I saw was the open window and oddly, the screen was half ripped off. I let go of the vacuum and ran to the window. I barely saw anything, al I saw was his arm, I felt my heart drop. If someone to hit me at that moment there would not have been even a single drop of blood that’s how ice cold and shocked I was. As I ran down the stairs I was at a loss for words. Without thinking I swallowed and yelled†All Fell Out The Window Yummy!! â€Å". My sister summer and I said It at the same time because she was down stairs and saw him from the downstairs window. My mother was In the kitchen doing the dishes, when she heard her face changed In color and she fell to the ground In tears not knowing what to do. My Aunt quickly ran stairs to tell my uncle who has just entered the shower after a long hot day at work. Everyone in the house was crying as if he had died. All was in the backyard laying face down on the concrete floor. No one wanted to go outside and see him for the fear of him being dead. I couldn’t Just leave him out there so I ran out. I opened the backyard door and went next to him. I began to cry as looked at him laying there. I felt as if the world had ended. I remember telling my self Hess alive. I felt him breathing but he was unconscious. Suddenly he woke up and began to try to get p so I picked him up in my arms and opened the door. SSL entered the house his forehead and his nose began to bleed. I went towards the living room and sat on the table with All In my lap and soon he began to cry because he saw everyone crying. My mother was hysterical so I yelled at her, and told her to get a towel and wipe the blood of his face. She did that while my uncle called the ambulance and my father. Hurt? â€Å". All replied in tears and a weak voice â€Å"l don’t want shots! I don’t want shots! â€Å". Through all that pain his only fear was to get shot. The police arrived and, a few seconds later the ambulance did too. They came in and wrapped All in a bed and took him. My mother went with, I wanted to go with her but the police kept asking me questions. They assumed that this had been purposely done and they wanted to keep us under surveillance. I had to tell the police everything and show them everything till they understood what happened and left. I was alone at home with all the kids, who were up stairs hiding in my room and crying from fear that All could have been dead. I went upstairs to comfort them and to tell them that All was â€Å"Okay’ ND to Just make dud for him to come home soon. After a long time of waiting impatiently my mom finally called my aunt and told her everything. My aunt looked different and her face became pale but she tried to act normal. When she ended the call I asked her what happened. She told me that All broke his back, neck and, cheek bone and that he might not be ever able to walk again. I began to cry then she asked me not to tell the kids or anyone. She also said that the doctors will be taking one final x-ray to decide the outcome. That night I spent it entirely making dud and exiting everyone I know to make dud and ask others to make dud. That night was extremely long, I couldn’t wait till morning to hear what happened. Morning came and no one called. I sat on the couch looking out the window and Just imaging All coming home all better then suddenly the phone rang. My uncle this time answered and he looked amazed for some reason. I waited till he hung up and then looked at him waiting for him to say something. Then he said â€Å"All is fine and is coming home tonight†. I looked at him and said â€Å"How? What do you mean by finer. He replied † Its a miracle ! Interrupting him I said â€Å"what is? â€Å"After the second x ray the doctors found nothing broken but his wrist. No one believed it, they had five doctors come in and check. â€Å". I was amazed † Allah had accepted our duds! † I replied. I felt that the time was going by slowly. They said they’ll be here befo re seven but it was now seven thirty. We waited till eight and then they finally came. When I saw my brother I began to cry my aunt asked me to stop so I went to wash my face and came back down stairs and, spent time with my family. That was my worst day ever. I guess it ended up alright since my brother didn’t die. How to cite My worse day ever, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Operations Management Assignment †Free Sample & Example

Question: Identify and describe any three (3) operational issues/challenges facing the organisation and how these issues may impact on the organisation and the supply chain. You are also required to critically review the identified issues and suggest recommendations to overcome these issues. Answer: Introduction: The whole world runs on different information systems. The functionality of information system is elevating and becoming a necessity rather than an option. Robustness and security of a structure are equally significant to make sure the systems confidentiality, availability and also integrity. The two most significant challenges faced by an organization in the present days are the operational challenges and the technical challenges. These issues should be addressed from the first in order to ensure that the software projects turn to be victorious. Operational Excellence is defined as a philosophy of teamwork, leadership and problem solving leading to continuous up gradation throughout the business by targeting on the requirements of the client, optimizing the business activities and empowering employees. There are barriers or challenges that limit an organization from achieving such operational excellence. The main challenges related to operations that an organization faces are the lack of collaboration, poor planning of the process execution, lack of quality, poor product designing, outdated technology, human resource, scheduling and maintenance, inventory resources, location selection, etc (Ageron et al. 2012). Samsung is a South Korean multinational company and the head quarter is situated in the Seoul. This company comprises of a number of subsidiaries and other affiliated business which comprises the tag of the Samsung brand. Samsung involves eight companies with extremely diversified operational actions in areas such as consumer electronics, construction, shipbuilding, financial services and also medical services. With the rise of the new organizations such as Micromax and existing organizations such as Motorola and Apple, there are certain challenges in that needs to be identified by Samsung and the operational challenges needs to be addressed properly in order to compete in the market. In this report, the various challenges experienced by Samsung and recommendations would be discussed in order to progress in the long run (Beamon 1998). Challenge 1: Goods and Service Design The mobile division of Samsung has proved to be a great success in the last few decades. This sector of the organization has also tried to resolve the adverse trade environment that was faced by the organization. Around forty percentage of the profit revenue of the organization comes from this sector. Despite the strong performance in the recent past the mobile division has experienced challenges in the operational segment. The most significant issue is the good designing challenge. According to Henzer, the design of products and design relates a great deal of the transformation procedure. The factors of cost, human resources, and quality must be made at some point in the stage. Operation management of goods and services is also diverse since unlike feature and tangible or intangible characteristic (Bititci et al. 1997). Although the organization has shown a strong performance in the technological sector, there are problems that the company might face due to increasing in the completion in the Chinese local market. There is a rise in the manufacturing cost with regards to the goods designing. For example, the Galaxy S5 that was more of an iterative improvement, although with striking hardware components like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and few new sensors. Conversely, the hardware stipulations race comes at a noteworthy cost. As regarded by IHS, the S5 has an invoice of materials esteemed at approximately $256, involving built-up costs, while Apples flagship iPhone 5S price an anticipated $207 to manufacture. Higher expenses in the crest end of the market United with the chance of declining standard selling prices would be probable pressure the organizations gross margins moving forward. Such operational decisions can be a big challenge for the company (Gunasekaran and Ngai 2012). Industry observers have stated that the achievement of the S4 might pivot on a supply back up plan meant at preventing a repeat of costly problems encountered in the launch of its premium smart phone last year. Supply shortages often plague the global launches of popular smart phones. I-Phone buyers once routinely waited weeks or even months to receive their purchases (Hill and Hill 2012). Some analysts predict the new Galaxy could top 10 million unit sales in the first month after its launch, so any hiccups in the smooth delivery of core components could be disastrous. The risks are high. A simple manufacturing error involving the unsatisfactory design of handset cases cost Samsung 2 million units of lost sales in just a month after it launched the S III in May last year. There are three things to know for the producers of the phones of Samsung in order to meet the challenges regarding the goods and service design. The first and the foremost thing is to make the understanding of the social and the cultural trends of people in order to make the development of the proper strategy of the mobile device. The producers of devices of Samsung have to keep in mind that the device plan should be subject to change and alteration in different forms of market in different countries. The requirement and the demand of people may differ and vary in different parts of the world. Hence, the plan to produce device should also subject to differ in many countries (Houlihan 1985). The next element of consideration in order to meet the challenge of goods and service design is that the researchers of Samsung Company must engage themselves in conducting the interviews that are contextual to make the understanding of the local culture and making the observation of activities of the user of mobile. The developers of the Samsung mobile device must also produce different types of phones for different part of the countries in accordance with the requirement of the customers, and such requirement is available through the produce strategy that has to be c conducted by the developers of the Samsung device (Johnston et al. 2004). For instance, the example of the fact of giving Experientia the right to conduct the research of the requirement can be taken into context. There has been the research conducted to make the assessment regarding the requirements of users and their cultural trends by the Samsung Company in Senegal and South Africa. The primary motive and objective of conducting such research are to develop the mobile device strategy of Samsung and also make the capture of the market. In making the research, a team was sent on the behalf of the Samsung group to Senegal and South Africa. The primary challenge in making any device of mobile and service is relating to the production of the device according to the requirement of the customers and the giving of a reasonable cost to such product. The term reasonable cost refers to giving of that cost to the devices that falls within the purchasing capacity of the buyers in those areas where the product is aiming to do the market. Hence, for making attaching the proper cost to the devices there is the requirement of making the assessment of purchasing capacity of the people of that area where the produced and subject to the market (Kennerley and Neely 2002). Challenge 2: Quality There are several challenges that are faced by the producers of Samsung that are related to the quality of the products. For making the assessment of the challenges that are posed by the issues of quality, there is the need of making the discussion of the term quality products. The term quality products refer to those products that make the fulfillment of the expectations of the customers. In case any product makes the fulfillment of the expectations of the customers, the customers would be pleased and make the consideration that such product is of very high quality and is acceptable by them. In case, the expectations of the customers are not fulfilled; the customer would make the consideration that the product is of low quality. Hence, from the discussion it can be said that the term quality of any product may be defined as the ability of any product to make the fulfillment of the expectations and the needs of any customer (Krajewski et al. 2013). There is a requirement that the term quality must be first defined in the terms of feature or parameters that is subject to vary from one product to another. For instance, in the case of electronics and mechanical products the parameters are reliability, performance, appearance, and safety. In the case of the pharmaceutical products the products the parameters are chemical and physical characteristics, toxicity, medicinal affect. For the foods product, the parameters of judging the quality are properties relating to nutrition, taste, and texture (Melny et al. 2004). In this report, we are dealing with the challenges relating to the quality of electronic devices of the Samsung Company. Since, the devices that are produced by the Company are electronic in nature, the qualities of the products are to judged from the parameters of reliability, safety, appearance and performance. The primary task that has to be performed by the employees of Samsung for the improvement of quality is to make the fixation of the specifications of the products. The term specification refers to the minimal requirement in accordance to which any producer makes the delivery of the service or product to its customers. In making the fixation of the specifications, the following elements are to be taken into consideration: The needs of the customers or the users The requirements that are related with the safety of the product and the health hazards that can emerge from the usage of the electronic products of Samsung in the form of regulatory and statutory requirements The requirement that is given in the international and the national standard of producing electronic products are to be followed by the Samsung Company. There is also the requirement to make the consideration of the specification of the products of the competitors for getting the advantages regarding the marketing of such products. For example, the producers of the Samsung Company must keep a track of the specifications of its competitors such as Nokia Company in order to get the benefits relating to marketing (Oke 2013). The next step that is involved in improving the quality of the products of the Samsung Company is to make the preparation for the manufacture of their products. The important factors of manufacture of any product depend on several elements. The primary element is making the decision of the method that is to be involved in making the manufacture. In making the manufacture of the products of the Samsung Company, that method of production is to be taken into consideration that enables that the product to emerge in the easiest, quickest form, without making the comprise of the factor of quality. Hence, it is to be said that the Samsung Company must indulge into any process of making the manufacture of their products and device but at no cost shall the quality is to be comprised. The primary importance of the manufacture is to be given to quality (Otley 1999). The next step that is attached in producing the quality products by the Samsung Company is making the corrections that are attached with the deficiency of quality. It is often seen that despite making all the efforts of involving that procedure that are involved in the manufacture of best quality devices by the Samsung Company, the desired quality is not reached. This would denote and mean there is something that is not reached and attained that was required to maintain the quality. It also denotes that are certain deficiencies regarding the planning of the quality. The primary concern for the developers of the producers of the devices of the Samsung Company is to make sure that the quality deficiencies are not repeated in the future (Peng and Lai 2012). The last step that is involved in improving the quality of the devices by the producers of Samsung Company is enhancing the level of coordination between the employees. It is the obvious fact that every employee starting from the sales clerk, designers to the staff of production are responsible for the quality of the product of the Samsung Company. It is also regarded that the maintaining the quality is the responsibility of every member of the Samsung Company. Challenge 3: Process and Capacity Planning The third challenge that is involved in making the production of the devices of the Samsung Company is the manufacturing process and the planning of capacity that is involved in such production. The challenges regarding the process and capacity planning in the Samsung Company can be redressed in the following ways: Making the decision on the process of manufacture: the methods of manufacture must be devised in such manner that enhances the Company to make the product involving he easiest and the quickest methods of production by making the compliance to the standards of quality. For instance the Samsung Company must make the involvement of such techniques and steps that will consider the production of the best quality electronic devices that is will be in accordance to the expectations of the people and the needs of the customers (Renwick et al. 2013). Making the provision of those machineries, tools, and equipment: it is a common factor that the things that are required for the manufacture of the best quality devices must be selected by keeping in mind all those elements that is required by the customers. The process of manufacturing the electronic devices must conform to all the requirements of the customers that is obtained from the said researches. Getting the satisfactory materials for production: if the Samsung Company makes the usage of unsatisfactory raw material in the manufacture of the electronic devices then the product that is produced shall not be a good one. Hence, the material that is required for the manufacture of a good device, the Samsung Company must make the specification in writing the requirement of the particular goods that would be used by them in the manufacture process of such devices (Renwick et al. 2013). Training and obtaining the operators that are suitable: the Samsung Company must obtain those operators that are willing and are capable to doing their work in a manner that is regarded as satisfactory. Such operators are also to be given the amount of adequate training do that they comply with the quality and the requirements of the Samsung Company. The training is given to the staff in order to making them adjust to the work environment (Slack 1994). Making the planning for the inspection and the controlling the shop floor quality: the higher authorities of the Samsung Company must make the planning for conducting the activities of inspection. The plans for the activities of inspection must be made and the appropriate workplaces must be provided for the staff that is related with the inspection. The procedures of inspection must be made in writing. The inspection must be conducted on the equipments and the products that are used for the manufacture of the devices. By the act of making more inspection, the authorities of the Samsung Company should never make the assumption that the problem relating to the quality shall never be redressed by that. The next step that is to be involved by the Samsung Company in redressing the challenge relating to the process and the capacity planning is regarding the factors of human in the production. It is a common belief that the major problems of quality and other problems of manufacture of the devices of the Samsung Company can be directly attached with the care and interest on the part of their workers that is involved at the time of making the production. However, in several instances it is not the worker that is regarded the sole cause for the failure to meet the requirements of manufacture. It is because most often the conditions that are required for the workers of the Samsung Company do not exist. For instance, there may be inadequate instructions relating to manufacturing process, there may be defective materials that are incoming for the use in production. It is evident that these conditions are not in the control of the worker. These factors can also lead to the faulty production of devices by the Company (Slack 2015). In the Samsung Company, the maximum portion of the problems of production and the quality of the devices of the Company are due to the poor and faulty design of product and the use of wrongful or defective raw materials in the manufacture process. The problems of the faulty production of devices of the Samsung Company are also based on the errors that are made at the time of manufacture (Slack et al. 2013). Conclusion and Recommendations In the conclusion, it can be said that the Samsung Company must follow the procedure of producing their devices in the most ethical manner. The sole objective of the Company must besides, the factor of profit maximization be the satisfaction of the consumers. The needs and the preferences of the customers must be given the top priority. The employees of the Samsung Company must indulge themselves in producing those devices are in demand and are required by the customers (Stone 2013). The Company should not indulge into unethical competition with their competitors and by engaging into unethical competition should not indulge themselves in the manufacture of those products that lack the quality. The primary objective of the Company should be to maintain the quality of the products. The maintenance of the quality by the Company would result in the keeping the good name of the Company in the market of electronic products intact (Subramanian and Ramanathan 2012). The goodwill of the Compa ny is of immense importance as the Samsung Company is an electronics Company. The last recommendation for the Company shall be that the Company must make the use of proper raw materials and the proper method of manufacture of their devices (Taghavi et al. 2014). Reference List Ageron, B., Gunasekaran, A. and Spalanzani, A., 2012. Sustainable supply management: An empirical study.International Journal of Production Economics,140(1), pp.168-182. Beamon, B.M., 1998. Supply chain design and analysis:: Models and methods.International journal of production economics,55(3), pp.281-294. Bititci, U.S., Carrie, A.S. and McDevitt, L., 1997. Integrated performance measurement systems: a development guide.International journal of operations production management,17(5), pp.522-534. Gunasekaran, A. and Ngai, E.W., 2012. The future of operations management: an outlook and analysis.International Journal of Production Economics,135(2), pp.687-701. Hill, A. and Hill, T., 2012.Operations management. Palgrave Macmillan. Houlihan, J.B., 1985. International supply chain management.International Journal of Physical Distribution Materials Management,15(1), pp.22-38. Johnston, D.A., McCutcheon, D.M., Stuart, F.I. and Kerwood, H., 2004. Effects of supplier trust on performance of cooperative supplier relationships.Journal of operations Management,22(1), pp.23-38. Kennerley, M. and Neely, A., 2002. A framework of the factors affecting the evolution of performance measurement systems.International journal of operations production management,22(11), pp.1222-1245. Krajewski, L.J., Ritzman, L.P. and Malhotra, M.K., 2013.Operations management: processes and supply chains. Pearson. Melnyk, S.A., Stewart, D.M. and Swink, M., 2004. Metrics and performance measurement in operations management: dealing with the metrics maze.Journal of operations management,22(3), pp.209-218. Oke, A., 2013. Linking manufacturing flexibility to innovation performance in manufacturing plants.International Journal of Production Economics,143(2), pp.242-247. Otley, D., 1999. Performance management: a framework for management control systems research.Management accounting research,10(4), pp.363-382. Peng, D.X. and Lai, F., 2012. Using partial least squares in operations management research: A practical guideline and summary of past research.Journal of Operations Management,30(6), pp.467-480. Renwick, D.W., Redman, T. and Maguire, S., 2013. Green human resource management: a review and research agenda*.International Journal of Management Reviews,15(1), pp.1-14. Slack, N., 1994. The importance-performance matrix as a determinant of improvement priority.International Journal of Operations Production Management,14(5), pp.59-75. Slack, N., 2015.Operations strategy. John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. and Johnston, R., 2013. Operations management. Stone, R.J., 2013.Managing human resources. John Wiley and Sons. Subramanian, N. and Ramanathan, R., 2012. A review of applications of Analytic Hierarchy Process in operations management.International Journal of Production Economics,138(2), pp.215-241. Taghavi, N., Adams, C. and Berlin, C., 2014. Social sustainability KPIs in operations management: a gap between the reactive and the proactive stance. InSwedish Production Symposium 2014, SPS14.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Efficacy of Antibiotic Therapy and Appendectomy

Validity It is necessary to note that choosing the most appropriate research method can be a challenging task but the validity of the research depends on this choice and, hence, evaluation of a research plays an important role (Picardi and Masick 10). The article in question dwells upon the efficacy of antibiotic therapy and appendectomy in patients with uncomplicated acute appendicitis (Salminen et al. 2340).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Efficacy of Antibiotic Therapy and Appendectomy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To evaluate the article, it is possible to consider its face validity that will show the way people see the test (McQueen and Knussen 144). It is possible to assume that the research seems valid due to its attention to two types of treatment. It involves quite a significant number of patients who were chosen randomly. There seems to be no bias or inconsistency (McBurney and White 185). At the sam e time, the article’s validity is quite doubtful as the correlations were not totally free of confounds. The research in question is characterized by certain degree of bias as the third variable interferes with its results (Nestor and Schutt 49). Thus, the health issue is similar to all the patients but health conditions are all different. However, the age of participants ranges from 18 to 60 and it is clear that these age groups are characterized by certain health conditions that could have a considerable effect on the efficiency of antibiotics. Lifestyles of patients (their diets, bad habits and so on) were not taken into account and this aspect could have a significant impact on efficacy of treatment as well. Importantly, patients’ lifestyle after the treatment was not considered and it could affect the results of the research. Therefore, it is possible to note that the validity of the research could be doubtful even though it seems to address the research question and it is based on the right research method. Statistical Methods The researchers used categorical variables characterized by percentages and frequencies. They applied the Pearson χ2 test. This statistical method is quite relevant as it is aimed at revealing the likelihood of the difference between certain things, events and so on. The researchers hypothesize that the difference between efficacy of the two types of treatment will be 24% and the test helps them check their hypothesis. Furthermore, the researchers also tried to eliminate any inaccuracy through addressing the variables. The researchers utilized the Mann-Whitney test. The Mann-Whitney test is employed when a non-parametric test is necessary. It enables researchers to test the median of groups of participants.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As far as the research in question is concerned, the participants were characterized by different features (including different leukocyte count, creatinine and hemoglobin level, their age, gender and so on). Hence, the test helped the researchers to trace the median of the two groups of participants. Finally, it is necessary to add that modern researchers may utilize various types of statistical software that helps them avoid any bias or inaccuracy (Stangor 343). It also saves a lot of time. The researchers also employed technology as they used SAS version 9.2. Hence, it is possible to state that the research is based on solid statistical analysis of major data. The researchers use the statistical analysis that are consistent with their research questions and the purpose of the research. It is possible to state that the research is quite valid as it is based on efficient statistical tests. Works Cited McBurney, Donald, and Theresa White. Research Methods. Belmont: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. McQueen, Ronald A., and Knussen, Christina. Introduction to Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology. Essex: Pearson, 2006. Print. Nestor, Paul. G., and Russell K. Schutt. Research Methods in Psychology: Investigating Human Behavior. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2014. Print. Picardi, Carrie A., and Kevin D. Masick. Research Methods: Designing and Conducting Research with a Real-World Focus. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2013. Print.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Efficacy of Antibiotic Therapy and Appendectomy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Salminen, Paulina, Hannu Paajanen, Tero Rautio, Pia Nordstrà ¶m, Markku Aarnio, Tuomo Rantanen, Risto Tuominen, Saija Hurme, Johanna Virtanen, Jukka-Pekka Mecklin, Juhani Sand, Airi Jartti, Irina Rinta-Kiikka, and Juha M. Grà ¶nroos. â€Å"Antibiotic Therapy vs Appendectomy for Treatment of Uncomplicated Acute Appendicitis: The APPAC Randomized Clinical Trial.† JAMA 313.23 (2015): 2340-2348. Print. Stangor , Charles. Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences. Belmont: Cengage Learning, 2014. Print. This essay on Efficacy of Antibiotic Therapy and Appendectomy was written and submitted by user Eric Pickett to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Effects of Parenting and Peer Pressure on Adolscent Sexual Activity

Effects of Parenting and Peer Pressure on Adolscent Sexual Activity Free Online Research Papers What prompts adolescents to engage in sexual activity in regards to peer pressure, parental guide and religious beliefs? Approximately one in every five adolescents have had sexual intercourse by his/her fifteenth birthday. Recent studies have shown that peer pressure has the strongest impact on adolescents decision making towards sexual activity. Parenting and religion have been found to be less influential. For that reason, adolescents as well as parents need to be informed about the effects of peer pressure on sexual decision-making. Literature Review: Adolescent Development Adolescence is a time in development when children become mature in age, physical appearances and the beginning stages of sexual maturation. There is no specific age range for adolescent; it can range from elementary to senior-year in high school. Physical appearance is the main predictor when a child transitions into an adolescent. Adolescent males experience voice change, height and weight spurts, growth of facial and body hair and their first ejaculation experience. Adolescent females experience menstrual cycles, breast development, widen hips, and height and weight spurts. These physical changes are called puberty, or sexual maturation. The onset of puberty varies between age and gender. There is a strong impact on early and late puberty in adolescent males and females. Adolescent females that reach puberty early are sometimes embarrassed and ashamed of their newly shaped body. Most of them appear older and sexually ready in the eyes of younger and older men. According to Paludi (2002) these females are physically ready for sexual activity, but mentally and emotionally they are not. Adolescent males that reach puberty early are satisfied with their body change. They are taller and muscular, which enables them to perform better in sports. These males tend to become sexually active; they are accepted by peers and become popular with females because of their â€Å"adultlike† appearance (Paludi, 2002). Late maturing females feel left behind; they feel that they do not get the same attention from males as the early matured females. Their self-esteem is higher and they perform better in sports. Late maturing males are shorter and skinnier from the rest. They have extremely low self-esteem, peers ridicule them, they tend to shy themselves from others, and they avoid any sports. Adolescents face many obstacles in life and within those obstacles they must learn how to achieve them successfully. According to Paludi (2002), adolescents deal with identity development, building and maintaining friendships, physical appearance, and sexual activity, because at this time in development â€Å"everybody’s doing it.† Sex is the primary focus on almost every adolescent’s mind. Their peers are having sex, so they want to join the â€Å"club† and have sex as well, despite the consequences. Adolescents have many questions and concerns regarding sexual activity. â€Å"What does it feel like,† â€Å"If I do it, my friends will like me more,† â€Å"My friends are doing it, so why can’t I have some fun,† â€Å"My boyfriend/girlfriend would LOVE me if I do it.† Most adolescent engages in sexual activity because they need and want to be accepted by their peers and/or their significant other. Some adolescents are curious about sex and want to find out what the big deal is about it. Adolescents have sex for the wrong reasons and don’t think about the consequences that may follow. In a study done by Prinstein and LaGreca (2004), reported that only 10.9%, of their sample of 148, reported never using birth control and 14.5% reported that they never used protection against STD’s. This study proves that adolescents are not concerned about the consequences of sex, just the pleasure and social acceptance. Although adolescents are engaging in sexual activity, many don’t. Despite the pressure from peers, adolescent that lives in a religious home or with parents that educate them about sex and the consequences, tend to wait longer to have sex. Not saying that these adolescents wait until marriage to engage in sexual activity, but there is a delay. What prompts adolescents to engage in sexual behaviors as related to the influences of parenting, religion, and peer pressure? Despite the strong and positive relationship between parent and child and/or the high religious beliefs, peer pressure has the strongest influence toward adolescent sexual behavior. This essay will discuss the three influences and how each can directly or indirectly affect sexual decision making in adolescents. Influential Factor: Peer Pressure Could it be the effects of peer pressure that elicits sexual activity in adolescents? Being accepted from peers is very important in adolescence. Having high social preference and a healthy friendship offer benefits, such as opportunities to develop appropriate emotional regulation skills, practicing appropriate interpersonal behaviors, or receiving friendship support (Prinstein LaGreca, 2004), decreases the chances of adolescent sexual activity. Engaging in sexual activity among adolescent is not to gain experience, enjoyment, or curiosity, it’s mainly to fit in some sort of peer group or â€Å"club.† Peer rejection is the number one reason adolescents engage in any risky behavior, particularly sex. Adolescents teased about not being sexually active, usually had sex to stop the teasing. Adolescents reported that if most of their peers are having sex; they are more likely to engage in sexual behaviors (Norman Romer, 1998). Adolescents want to gain respect from their peers, so they will do anything to get that respect. Adolescent boys will more likely engage in sex to gain respect. Adolescent males that are not sexually active reported higher intention to initiate sexual intercourse within the next school year (Norman Romer, 1998). Adolescent believe that if they don’t have sex, they would be ridiculed and stigmatized. Adolescents with low social preference are more likely to engage in sexual behaviors to gain respect and boost their social skills. Most adolescents have sex for many wrong reasons, seeking acceptance from peers, seeking love away from home, and curiosity. Adolescents that perceive their peers to be initiating new behavior tend to alter their own behavior to reflect their perception of the normative behavior. Adolescents that are not receiving any love or attention at home will seek love and affection elsewhere. Adolescents that look for love elsewhere have to deal with the pressure of not being loved, looking for love, and keeping that love. Once they found love, they have to deal with pressure from their significant other. The significant other may pressure them like saying, â€Å"I will love you if you do it,† or â€Å"You must not love me if you don’t.† With the feeling of being wanted and loved these adolescents will do anything to keep their love interest and make them happy. Some adolescents are curious about sex. They want to know more about it, they want to be apart of the group that is sexually active. Adolescents have sex to kill their curiosity. Acceptance is so important that adolescents overlook the consequences of sexual activity. Adolescents don’t care about the consequences concerning sexual activity, like STD’s or pregnancy. Consequences are far from their minds; they feel that no harm can come their way if they have sex for the first time. Most adolescents that engage in sexual activity don’t use any type of birth control or protection from STD’s. In one study they reported that 10.9%, of a sample size of 148, reported that they never used birth control and 14.5% reported that never used any protection against STD’s (Prinstein LaGreca 2004). Peer pressure toward sex is the same across different cultures. In Musaka, Uganda being sexually experienced is important not just from the enjoyment, but also for the sense of belonging to an informal peer group or club (Kinsman, Nyanzi Pool, 2000). Within the group or club one can share experiences, knowledge and opinions about sex. Like in the United States, adolescents in Uganda that are sexually experienced were seen as better people and demanded more respect at school. Adolescents that weren’t sexual active were ridiculed and looked down upon. To reduce these negative actions they soon became sexually active. Future research should better describe how perceptions of peer norms are constructed, communicated and internalized by young adolescents. By educating families about the roles of peer influence, this may encourage parents to address their child’s perception of peer norms. Peer pressure is a strong motivating factor in regards with sexual behavior in adolescents, but parenting skills can also influence adolescent sexual behavior. Having an opened parent-child relationship can reduce early sexual activity in adolescents. The effects of Parenting Parent-child closeness is associated with reduced adolescents pregnancy, postponing intercourse, having fewer sexual partners and the use of contraceptives (Miller, McCoy, Olsen , Wallace, 1986). When the parent/s are opened about sexual information, adolescents are less likely to engage in sexual activity at an early age. Although having an open parent-child relationship delays’ sexual activities in younger adolescents, older adolescent are more influenced by peer pressure no matter how opened the parent-child relationship is. Parent-child relationship is important to adolescents’ decision-making, especially when it comes to sex. Adolescents don’t make the right choices about sex because they are unaware of the consequences with sex. Peers talk about all the positive outcomes about sex, the feeling, gaining power and respect. None of the negative outcomes about sex are told such as pregnancy, STD’s, disrespect to parents and self. Parents have to be opened with adolescents about sexual information so their curiosity is killed, and they are aware of both positive and negative outcomes regarding sex. A stricter parenting style leads to early sexual activity in adolescents. One study found that Mormons, which are strict parents and have stricter views about sexual activity, reported higher permissiveness in adolescents (Miller, McCoy, Olson , Wallace, 1986). Stricter parenting rules affect adolescents plus parents that have no set rules. Adolescents become more permissive when the parents lack rules about dating. When the adolescents have no rules about whom they date, where they go, and the arrival time back home, tend to be more sexually active (Miller, McCoy, Olson , Wallace, 1986). Parents’ attitudes and values about sex do influence adolescent sexual activity. If a parent is opened about sex and explains the positive and negative outcomes of sex, adolescents will respect parents’ views about sex and postpone sexual activity. Forming a close parent-child relationship is the best way to delay adolescent sexual activity. Adolescents that wait to have sexual intercourse usually get positive responses from parents about how proud they are, or the parents would speak highly of them. To reduce the effects of peer pressure on sexual decision-making parents can have open conversations with their teens about sexual intercourse. Parents should allow their children to be open and have their own opinions about sex. Having parent-child communication about sex will reduce an adolescent’s curiosity about sex, and they will be aware of the consequences of sex. Open parent-child communication will also reduce the effects of peer pressure on adolescent sexual decision-making. Adolescent will be aware of the types of peer pressure, and they will be able to avoid the pressure from peers, especially in regards with sex. Although positive response from parents has a delay in adolescents’ sexual behavior, peer pressure is more influential. Parents influence younger adolescents, but as they get older they ultimately shifts from parent to peer (Norman Romer, 1998). Parenting does not have a directly influence adolescents’ decisions about sex, but parenting does indirectly affect adolescents. For example, the types of peers the adolescents involve themselves with and the timing of their sexual debut, indirectly affect adolescents. Religion Religion is another factor that delays early sexual behavior in adolescents. It has been found that having high levels of religion reduces early sexual behavior in adolescents. Religious involvement may deter adolescent sexual behavior because most religious institutions hold norms contrary to the act. Like parenting, religion affects the onset of sexual activity in adolescents, but the pressure form peers are more influenced. There are differences between religion and spirituality. Religion involves a set of institutionalized and beliefs and spirituality are the experience, the way an individual expresses their relationship with others, the world around them and God (Rostosky, Regenrus, Comer Wright, 2003). There are eight dimensions of spirituality church attendance frequency of attendance, religion importance, intrinsic motivation, a built-in motivating force of an individual decision-making, extrinsic motivation, how religion is pursued as the external social influences, belief in God degree to which an individual adheres a notion of a divine persona, divine support, self support components of an individual relationship with God and how it is positively related to self-esteem, and spiritual interconnectedness, supportive components between family and friends. Out of the eight dimensions of spirituality, only spiritual interconnectedness among friends is the only dimension that seems to delay sexual activity in adolescents. Adolescents who had friends who attended church were more likely to delay sexual activity (Rostosky, Regnerus, Comer , Wright 2003). Having strong spiritual interconnectedness among friends delays sexual activity in both male and female adolescents. Adolescents that follow the same beliefs about premarital sex will influence other adolescents not to engage in premarital sex. In addition, religiosity delays the onset of sexual activity in females, but there is no effect in males. There were significant gender differences in religiosity and attitudes toward sexual behavior. Females that are more religious sought more negative outcomes in sexual activity emotionally and health concerns (pregnancy and STD’s). Males were more positive about emotions concerning sexual activity and negative outcomes concerning health related issues. Despite the importance of religion and beliefs, having multiple romantic partners increased the likelihood to engage in sexual intercourse, for both males and females. Having a religion with beliefs and rules helps control sexual behavior among adolescents. Strong beliefs of religion delays sexual initiation indirectly in older and younger adolescents. Religion indirectly affects adolescents with the anticipation of the negative consequences such as guilt, loss of respect, embarrassment of pregnancy, and/or upsetting parents. Religion also affects the onset of adolescent sexual activity as referred to demographically connections like gender, age, ethnicity, etc. African-American adolescent males that were more religious were more likely to engage in sexual activity than White non-Hispanic males and African-American males that were less religious. To conclude, peer pressure is the strongest influential factor with sexual activity in adolescents. Good parenting and beliefs in religion delay the onset of sexual activity in younger adolescents. As they get older, adolescents stray away from religious beliefs and parents’ wishes and follow their peer’s actions. Being accepted by their peers is important for adolescents, being sexually active before getting married is not a concern when it comes to sex. Being ridiculed about being sexually inactive is something adolescent experience in middle school and high school. Most adolescents want to be apart of the sexually active group, so they can share ideas, opinions and excitement about sex. Those that are not sexually experienced by the time they reach high school, intend on having their first sexual encounter soon before the year of high school ends. Ultimately, sexual decisions are personal value choices. Yet they are molded and shaped by many social contexts in which adolescents develop. There may not be just one main factor that ultimately causes or deters sexual behavior in adolescence, but there is a whole host of influential factors, in which some are stronger than others. Throughout this research, peer pressure appears to be the strongest motivating factor in whether or not an adolescent decides to engage in sexual behaviors. The best combination seems to be religiosity and peer interconnectedness, with parenting being the least influential. Though that does not discount the effects parenting has on adolescent sexual decision-making, a positive parent-child relationship does have some influence on sexual initiation and type of peer group orientation. Ways to reduce the strong effects peer pressure is to have open parent-child communication about sexual intercourse, the good and bad outcomes of sexual intercourse, and opinions about sex. Adolescents involved in youth groups at church become aware of opinions of peers their own age about risky behaviors, especially sexual behaviors. Youth groups and parents that speak positively and openly about sexual behavior are great opportunities for adolescents to be aware of the pressures of sex and other risky behaviors. To effectively reduce sexual risk taking among adolescents, programs need to be designed that address multiple social contexts and promote contradictory sexual ideologies. References Hardy, S.A, and Raffaelli, M. (2003). Adolescent religiosity and sexuality: An investigation of reciprocal influences. Journal of Adolescence, 26, 731-739 Holder, D. W., Durant, R. H., Harris, T. L., Henderson-Daniel, J., Obeidallah, D., Goodman, E. (2000). The association between adolescent spirituality and voluntary sexual activity. Journal of Adolescent Health, 295-302. Kinsman, J., Nanzi, S., Pool, R. (2000). Socializing influences and the values of sex: The experience of adolescents in rural Musaka, Uganda. Culture, Health, and Sexuality, 2, 151-166 Meier, A.M., (2003). Adolescents’ transition to first intercourse, religiosity, and attitudes about sex. Social Forces, 81, 1031-1053. Miller, B. C., McCoy, J. K, Olsen, T. D Wallace, C. M. (1986). Parental discipline and the control attempts to adolescent sexual attitudes and behavior. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 3, 502-511. Norman, S. B., Romer, D. (1998). Early sexual initiation: The role of peer norms, 102. Paludi, M. A. (2002). Human Development in Multicultural Contexts, (4), 134- 146. Prinstein, M., La Greca, A. (2004). Childhood Peer Rejection and Aggression as Predictors of Adolescents Externalizing and Health Risk Behaviors: A 6-year Longitudinal Study. 72, 103-112. Rostosky, S. S., Regnerus, M. D., Comer, M. , Wright, L. (2003). Coital debut: The role of religion and sex attitudes in the health survey- Journal of Sex Research,40. Shah, F., Zelnik, M.(1981). Parent and peer influence on sexual behavior, contraceptive use and pregnancy experience of young women. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 43, 339-349. Teyber, E. (2001). Helping Children Cope With Divorce. 210-219 Wills, T. A., Gibbons, F. X, Gerrard, M., Murray V. M., Brody, G. H. (2003) Family communication and religiosity related to substance use and sexual behavior in early adolescence: A test for pathways through self control and prototype perceptions. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 17, 312-323. Research Papers on Effects of Parenting and Peer Pressure on Adolscent Sexual ActivityInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseResearch Process Part OneEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Spring and AutumnRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThe Fifth Horseman

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Financial Analysis of the Company Diageo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Financial Analysis of the Company Diageo - Essay Example This essay stresses that Diageo is a leading firm which is spread globally and conducts premium drinks business with a varied collection of outstanding labels. Diageo is mainly concentrated in business regarding beverages. The firm, based in UK, manufactures its products in different countries of the world like Britain, Ireland, United States, Canada, Spain, Italy, Africa, Latin America, Australia, India, and the Caribbean. Based on research, it is seen that they sell their products approximately in 180 markets throughout the world. Diageo is an established firm and, thus, has its own authority in the production and sale of wine. Diageo manages 17 out of 100 of the top world’s spirit brands. The firm emphasizes its prime focus on developing its international brands in order to capture a giant market share. Diageo is listed in the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and for its American depositary receipts it is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange (DEO). This paper makes a conclusion that sales, accounts receivable and number of days outstanding or the turnover ratio provides a more or less indication of the firm’s current and future prospects. Economic recession has negatively impacted on the customer’s confidence and, thus, this has brought about a little negative diversion in business and its profits. â€Å"Diageo strength has driven competitive advantage in premiumisation†. Diageo faces competition from small and artisan wineries which also pose a greater threat to its market. An increasing competition from other drinks outside the wine industry is another threat for Diageo. Analysis of the Key Personnel within the Company: Diageo has more than 20000 talented people working with the firm. Diageo has a diverse workforce which corresponds to its widespread network throughout the globe. The staff of Diageo is committed in serving their customers, as customer satisfaction is the highest priority for Diego. The pr ime motto among employees is ‘

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Health Risks and Benefits Associated with Energy Drinks Essay

Health Risks and Benefits Associated with Energy Drinks - Essay Example Unfortunately, due to the interchangeable use of the words â€Å"sports drinks†, and â€Å"energy drinks†, these young consumers are exposing themselves to the adverse effects of overindulging in the latter. In addition, the lax regulatory policies also make it easier for younger consumers to access energy drinks. In response, some institutions have called for stringent regulations that prohibit the sale of such products in schools. Discussed below are the health risks and perceived benefits associated with intake of energy drinks.   One of the main ingredients used to make energy drinks is caffeine. Caffeine is a highly addictive substance; as such, its use in the manufacturing of any food or beverage is likely to result in users’ addiction to the consumed substances. There are two major categories of energy drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic energy drinks. A high percentage of consumers of energy drinks are unaware of the adverse health risks associated with the consumption of non-alcoholic energy drinks, as they operate under the assumption that the alternative form (alcoholic energy drinks) poses a greater danger. Research by various scholars contradicts this assumption stating,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦caffeine’s neuropharmacology effects might play a role in the propensity for addiction† (Arria & O’Brien 2012, p.601). Reissig et al. (2009, p. 4-6) postulate that lack of regulatory oversight resulting from lax regulatory requirements especially in countries such as the US increases childr en and adolescents’ vulnerability to developing caffeine related disorders, which include caffeine intoxication.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Strategic Position of McDonalds in the Fast Food Industry Essay

Strategic Position of McDonalds in the Fast Food Industry - Essay Example According to Derdak and Pederson, McDonald’s Corporation is the leading hamburger fast-food restaurant chain in the world. Maurice McDonald and Richard McDonald initially started the company in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant but Ray Kroc later brought it in 1995; Kroc was initially a franchise agent of the restaurant and he is the one who initiated the global expansion of the restaurant chain.According to Derdak and Pederson, McDonald’s Corporation is the leading hamburger fast food restaurant chain in the world. Maurice McDonald and Richard McDonald initially started the company in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant but Ray Kroc later brought it in 1995; Kroc was initially a franchise agent of the restaurant and he is the one who initiated the global expansion of the restaurant chain. Presently the McDonald’s Corporations has its own restaurants that it manages and there are licensed franchisees and affiliates that operate under the corporation’s portfolio. The refore, the net income of the company is attributed to sales from its own restaurants, licensing fees from franchisees, and royalties. The present headquarters of the corporation are in Oak Brook, Illinois in the United States, and it has presence in over thirty four thousand locations across the world. Among the popular dishes served at the McDonald’s restaurants include French fries, hamburger, Chicken, coffee, milk shakes, soft drinks, salads and desserts.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Techniques for Understanding Human Walking Motion

Techniques for Understanding Human Walking Motion Introduction Multimedia is a term that collectively describes a variety of media content available in various forms of text, speech, audio, still images, video, animation, graphics, 3D models and combinations of them used to capture real time moments. Over the recent years the technological advances have enabled wide availability and easy access of multimedia content and much research was dedicated to perform automated computational tasks for a wide spectrum of applications such as surveillance, crime investigation, fashion and designing, traditional aerospace, publishing and advertising, medical applications, virtual reality applications to name a few. The volume of multimedia information is so huge now that the improvement in various tasks of representation, analyzing, searching and retrieving process has become the need of the hour. Among all the available types of media, video is one of the prominent forms, widely used for analyzing multimedia content. Several types of videos can be captured by various recording devices but then even the most suitable types of devices used for acquiring videos have to deal with two important problems- sensory gap and semantic gap. The sensory gap being- the difference between the real world and its representation. â€Å"The sensory gap is the gap between the object in the world and the information in a (computational) description derived from a recording of that scene† [Smeulders, A. W. M., Worring, M., Santini, S., Gupta, A., and Jain, R. (2000). Content-based image retrieval at the end of the early years. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 22(12):1349–1380.]. The semantic gap being- the difference between the behavior description by human vision and the computational model used by the human activity/behavior analysis systems. â€Å"The semantic gap is the lack of coincidence between the information that one can extract from the visual data and the inter pretation that the same data have for a user in a given situation† [Smeulders, A. W. M., Worring, M., Santini, S., Gupta, A., and Jain, R. (2000). Content-based image retrieval at the end of the early years. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 22(12):1349–1380.]. Many researchers have proposed to build computational models of the human visual system to represent as close as possible to the reality. A major development was the framework proposed by David Marr at MIT, who used a bottom-up approach to represent scene understanding [D. Marr,† Vision: A Computational Investigation into the Human Representation and Processing of Visual Information†, Freeman, san Francisco (1982)]. Later, various state-of the-art methods evolved but, the technology that helps people to integrate the content of multimedia, for meaningful expression is still lagging behind. Within the realm of multimedia content analysis, computer vision methods and algorithms have been used as foundation and the coupled relation between multimedia analysis and computer vision is a well-known challenge. Currently, the most popular research performed by various researchers is the human movement analysis. Several types of activities that are performed by humans can be captured by various recording devices and the human motion analysis systems were built with respect to context of applications. The aim of human movement analysis systems is to automatically analyze and transform the input video sequences into semantic interpretation of them. The recognition of human activities has been studied by computer vision for quite some time but is far behind the capabilities of human vision. In human visual system- when a person moving is observed, human’s brain recognizes that person’s action by analyzing the transition of postures adopted or interprets behavior by tr acking the person’s transition of postures and noting the intent of action. This analysis is complex for computer vision systems. Since the human body is non-rigid, deformable, articulated, a person can have a variety of postures over time. The works on human activity analysis have not provided satisfactory results yet. To solve problems relating human movement analysis using videos, the paradigm of data fusion is recommended. Multimedia data fusion is a way to integrate multiple media, their associated features or integrate intermediate decisions to perform an analysis task. According to B.V Dasarathy, â€Å"Combining Multimedia data fusion is a formal framework in which are expressed means and tools for alliance of data originating from different sources for the exploitation of their synergy in order to obtain information whose quality cannot be achieved otherwise.† [Dasarathy, B.V. (2001) information fusion- what, where, why, when, and how? Information fusion, 2, 75-76]. In the existing literature several contributions are made to research on data fusion techniques used in multisensory environments and multimodal fusion with the aim of fusing and aggregating data obtained from multiple sources. Video data has a significant characteristic of multimodal content. Combining the information gat hered from multiple modalities is valid approach to increase accuracy. [ P.K Atrey, M. a Hossain, A.E Saddik and M.S Kankahalli. â€Å"Multimodal fusion for multimedia analysis: A Survey. Multimedia systems 16(6): 345-379, 2010] Multimedia fusion is useful for several tasks such as detection, recognition, identification, tracking and a wide range of applications. This research work presents multimedia analysis in combination with computer vision and data fusion perspectives to understand human walking motion in video sequences. This kind of research is challenging. Motivation From the view point of data fusion this research work is motivated by the observation that all living organisms have the capability to use multiple senses to learn about the environment and then the brain fuses all the information to perform a decision task. Human observer can easily and instantly recognize action. But, the main limitations with the visual sensory of humans are, limited range of visual perception, limitations and compromises of human brain. Whereas, automatic systems can work 24 hours a day and 7 days a week allowing accurate event detection and their cost is lower to maintain. On the other hand, from the view point of computer vision, algorithms and techniques are yet to improve performance for analyzing humans walking found in videos. Computer vision systems are far behind the capabilities of human vision and have to deal with two important problems- sensory gap and semantic gap. The sensory gap being- the difference between the real world and its representation and the semantic gap being- the difference between the behavior description by human vision and the computational model used by the human activity/behavior analysis systems. A promising strategy consists in integrating different techniques of data fusion and computer vision in a unified framework to enhance the performance of the tasks associated with analyzing human walking motion and overcoming the drawbacks. 1.3 The Goal The aim of this research work is to conduct a detailed investigation of currently available tools and techniques for understanding human walking motion and develop a generic framework where data fusion and computer vision perspectives are used to analyze human walking actions in context to real life applications. During the process of fusing, correlation of activities and patterns of activities can be detected to predict intent. Finally, performance will be evaluated for true positives, false positives and misclassifications. Summary of contributions Our work in the thesis is focused on the following significant contributions: Design of a unified framework, for combining data fusion and computer vision methodology to improve the performance of automatic analysis of human movements in videos. Tasks of detecting moving humans and related sub-problems in video frames using unsupervised techniques. Efficient technique to handle occlusion in the task of tracking walking humans. New strategy for accomplishing the task of correlation and predictions during detection and tracking of humans. Noticing and Interpreting stances change in walking movements. 1.5 Outline The thesis is organized as follows Chapter 2 –presents background and related literature review on various existing strategies and approaches of data fusion and computer vision while providing motivation for the proposed approaches used for the work in this thesis. Chapter 3 Provides detailed explanation on the unified framework. Show how the frame work helps in accomplishing the tasks of analysis in multimedia content for correlation and prediction along with a comparison of proposed frame work to JDL, Dasarthy data fusion model. Chapter 4 Presents an overview of state-of-the art methods for detection of humans in videos, the proposed novel work, experiments and the evaluations. Chapter 5 Presents an overview of state-of-the art methods for tracking of humans in videos, the proposed novel work, experiments and the evaluations. Chapter 6 Automatic interpretation of changes in stance changes in human walking. Chapter 7 Conclusions, future directions and related open issues are discussed. References: Smeulders, A. W. M., Worring, M., Santini, S., Gupta, A., and Jain, R. (2000).Content-based image retrieval at the end of the early years. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 22(12):1349–1380 D. Marr,† Vision: A Computational Investigation into the Human Representation and Processing of Visual Information†, Freeman, san Francisco (1982) Dasarathy, B.V. (2001) information fusion- what, where, why, when, and how? Information fusion, 2, 75-76 P.K Atrey, M. a Hossain, A.E Saddik and M.S Kankahalli. â€Å"Multimodal fusion for multimedia analysis: A Survey. Multimedia systems 16(6): 345-379, 2010

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

How Intelligent Are Dolphins? Essay -- Aquariums Intelligence Essays

How Intelligent Are Dolphins? There is something about dolphins that fascinates me. They are some of the most intelligent and beautiful animals that I have ever seen. Their faces are so cute that every time I look at a dolphin it looks like it is smiling at me and wants to tell me something. The noises they make represent some kind of language and it makes me wonder if they can really communicate. I also want to know what kind of feeling they have and whether they have emotions. This is why I chose to do this I-search project on dolphins; the different kinds of dolphins there are, the places that they can be found and their mental abilities. I remember sitting at a dolphin show when I was six years old. I felt like the dolphins were my friends; I felt like I could go to them and tell them all my stories, laugh with them and share my thoughts. They seemed innocent and sweet to me. After the show I went down to the water where the dolphins were with my mother and we asked if I could just play with them for a little. The trainer let me. There are no words to express my excitement. I went to the dolphin and I hugged him I gave him a fish and them I started telling him a story. I do not remember what I said anymore because I was really young at the time. What I do remember is that the story was funny and I was laughing and then the dolphin started making these noises as he was laughing with me. Then he splashed me with water. Years later when I thought about that experience and I did not know whether it was just my childish imagination or if the dolphins actually understood. I wanted to find out if that they possess great int elligence, sense of humor and if they can really communicate with each other. Regina Blackstock is a ve... ...someone next to them. They have families. Lastly they have great sense of humor. Dolphins are one of the most intelligent mammals on the planet earth and I am glad that I have realized that. Works Cited Blackstock, Regina. Dolphins and Man†¦ Equals? May 1970 Kirby, Sally. Dolphins. 20 Sept. 1997 Kodat, Rebecca. What is dolphin echolocation? 2002 Lori’s Mishmash Humor Page. â€Å"Dolphin Intelligence† MIT Sea Grant College Program, Do dolphins sleep? < http://web.mit.edu/seagrant/dolphinsleep/questions/dolphins/sleep.html> The day I was rescued by dolphins.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Medical Tourism Promotional Action Plan

Promotional Action Plan Medical Tourism Marvin Wilcox Saint Leo University Our marketing plan for 2013 will focus on several mediums that are aimed at providing detailed information on the company and services provided, reaching new targets and offering incentives to previous clients and maximizing exposure. Five venues were chosen to take full advantage of our budget of $100,000 . The following is a synopsis of each venue: 1. Building a website 2. YouTube videos 3. Social Media 4. Mass Mailing 5. Local Business Networking with AmbassadorAction Plan #1 * Action Item:A fully functioning professional website based in the U. S with search engine optimizing (SEO) at a cost of $25,000 to be implemented March 1, 2013. * Objective:With 87% of travelers using the internet for a bulk of their travel planning, medical tourism needs to take advantage of this opportunity to capture consumer attention. Increasing our search engine optimization (SEO) makes it more likely that someone will find you r business online. This will be our broadest advertising measure targeting that 87%. Description:Our website will be equipped with a language translator with languages relevant to the geographic chosen. The website will present a strong brand by stating who we are, why we are better and the quickest means of contact. It will also present testimonials to provide credibility and build familiarity and trust based relationships. * Target Market:250 million underinsured Americans and the 20% of 250 million Americans that have pre-existing conditions. in addition to the 750,000 Americans that already travel abroad for medical and dental services.Also the 38% of Americans that is open to health care abroad. * Metric:For the first 90 days of the website, we expect further inquiries of 35% of all site visitors, 50% registration to a free monthly newsletter and 68% of those visiting partnered tourism sites to be redirected. Action Plan #2 * Action Item:Monthly uploads to YouTube beginning Mar ch 1, 2013 in support of the official website. The service is currently free of charge. * Objective:To convey credibility through video testimonials consisting of 3-5 min in length.To present information about tourism, the forgotten half of medical tourism and to create familiarity and confidence through a personal connection. * Description:The videos will show satisfied and happy clients reporting the variance in cost between domestic and international medical procedures and how the money saved can be used towards vacationing in the same locale. Also, the videos will contain information about destinations, things to do, restaurants and attraction to enjoy the full experience of being abroad. Target Market: The 92% of consumers around the world that say they trust recommendations from family and friends above all other forms of advertising. The 85% of 30- to 50-year-olds and 51% of 65- 75-year-olds that are active social media users. * Metric:The method will be proven successful if we receive booking from 20% of the viewers. Another measure is for 65% of the viewing public follow the link to the official website and 50% of that number result in hard inquires, bookings or subscribers to the newsletter. Action Plan #3 Action Item:We will engagement potential clients on a personal level via Skype. The service will cost $168 for one year of unlimited international use. * Objective:To make potential customers feel they are receiving individualized and attentive care by a brand they can trust before they even step a foot in a hospital. Also, it is important to us to strengthen relationships and trust. This will provide a light consultation with professional to provide answers and resources for some the most frequently asked questions. Description:This medium provides presence or the availability and willingness of our professional to communicate. We will use it for high quality of voice and especially for its free PC to PC service. Other supporting features include video conferencing, SMS, voicemail, long distance conferencing and inexpensive calls during travel. * Target Market: There are 500 million Skype users worldwide with 40 million users logged on during peak hours. Our target market are generally individuals between 45-65 who have a medical need for surgery and are looking to save money by travelling abroad.The secondary target is those that request a face to face question and answer session via Skype and have been redirected by our website. * Metric:Optimization will be recognized when 25% of site visitors and 5% of peak users request a professional consult session and of that number a minimum of 25% booking. Action Plan #4 * Action Item:Our firm will engage in local business networking with ambassadors. This service requires hiring two individuals specializing in international tourism and medical administration at a total of $75,000 per year. Objective:To facilitate procurement of visas, booking travel and airport pick up and drop of f. We also wish to broker consultations with professionals, accommodate for post-operative recuperation and arrange travel insurance. * Description:Our ambassadors will be responsible for networking with travel agencies, medical and dental professionals and insurance companies. They will act as liaisons on behalf of the firm to foster relationships with supporting organizations. Their main goal is to streamline the process of informing and preparing a client for participation in our program.They will also develop a working relationship with local medical professionals for redirection of the underinsured. * Target Market: There are 2466 travel agencies in Virginia available for a mutually beneficial cooperation of professionals. Also, healthcare providers seeking to lower costs by 80%-90% in India or 50%-70% in the middle-east. * Metric:Realization of our efforts acceptable when sales from networking opportunities for the period of one year reach 6 times the cost of the action item. Action Plan #5 Action Item:We will run a direct mailing campaign with promotional rewards for referrals and a budget of $1500 to begin March 15, 2013. * Objective:We will attract customers by introducing our company, informing the public of our products and services, generate customer loyalty and make sales. Offer invitations to visit a local office, official website or webinar of our firm. Finally, we will offer discounts on first time bookings and referrals. * Description:Our firm will conduct our direct mailing through USPS.The main visual content will be of a popular Asian or Middle-Eastern vacation resort and a medical professional in uniform. We will offer a message of physical recovery in peaceful fun surroundings. The emphasis of the material will focus more on the vacation aspect than the medical procedures therefore inscriptions referencing entertainment and amenities will be larger than those concerning medical practices. Also, the material will include a picture of a gro up of Westerners (Americans and Europeans) in ordinary middle class attire to symbolize the affordability of our products and services. Target Market: Primary for this venue will be ordinary working Americans with a median income of $60,000 yearly, adequately to slightly under-insured between the ages of 45-65. Secondary for this venue are those with ongoing medical issues that travel abroad at least once every 5 years with incomes upward of $100,000. * Metric:Progressive indicators will be an increase in call volume, website visits and return request forms for more information. The expected result is a 10% verifiable response volume that results in either referrals or bookings.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Malaria Research Paper essays

Malaria Research Paper essays Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that lives both in mosquitoes and humans (9). Malaria lives in tropical and sub-tropical areas such as Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Haiti, India, The Dominican Republic, Africa, Papua New Guinea, and Central and South America (3). Malaria is one of the largest diseases around the world. About one out of every 20 people on earth, almost 300 million people, suffer from malaria yearly. Almost 2 million of those 300 million people die each year. Many new drugs are being tested to prevent malaria but no sure vaccine has been discovered (1). Malaria has terrorized this earth since the mid-Pleistocene age. No one knows just when malaria showed up in the Western Hemisphere however. Many say that malaria roamed the New World before the Europeans came over. Yet others will tell you that the Western Hemisphere had no contact with malaria until the end of the fifteenth century. Many other diseases similar in destruction as malaria were brought over from the old world from Europe and Africa (5). Malaria limited colonization all over the world. West Africa and Northern Australia were major hot spot for malaria attacks during the colonization of those areas. Malaria also resulted in many casualties in wars form Ancient Greece to Vietnam and present (2). The Old World supposedly gave malaria to the New World. However, the New World found the first effective treatment for the disease. In 1632, a piece of bark form a Peruvian Tree was taken to Europe by a Spanish priest. The bark was soon found to be a remedy to the constant feve rs. Malaria was extremely active in Ancient Rome and Europe. However, it is proven that the malaria back then was much less destructive than it has been in recent centuries. This is because P. falciparum, the most deadly type of malaria, was not present back in Ancient Europe. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the History of malaria is unknown for quite some time in Ancient E...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Theory Of Evolution Essays - Evolutionary Biology, Charles Darwin

Theory Of Evolution Essays - Evolutionary Biology, Charles Darwin Theory of Evolution TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ............................................... 2 DARWINIAN THEORY OF EVOLUTION .............................. 4 THE THEORY OF BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION: CONTRIBUTING ELEMENTS ....................... 7 WALLACE'S CONTRIBUTIONS ................................... 13 HARDY-WEINBERG PRINCIPLE .................................. 15 COMPARISON: LAMARCK vs. DARWIN ........................... 16 DARWIN'S INFLUENCES ....................................... 20 METHODS OF SCIENTIFIC DEDUCTION ........................... 23 LIMITS TO DARWIN'S THEORY ................................. 25 MORPHOLOGICAL & BIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS ....................... 27 BIO-EVOLUTION: POPULATION vs. INDIVIDUALS ................ 29 MECHANISMS FOR GENETIC VARIATION .......................... 31 GENETIC VARIATION AND SPECIATION .......................... 35 DARWIN'S FINCHES .......................................... 37 SPECIATION vs. CONVERGENT EVOLUTION ....................... 39 CONCEPT OF ADAPTATION ..................................... 41 PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM .................................... 43 VALUE/LIMITATIONS: THE THEORY OF BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION .... 45 ALTERNATE EXPLANATIONS OF BEING ........................... 47 CONCLUSIONS ............................................... 48 INTRODUCTION Theories explaining biological evolution have been bandied about since the ancient Greeks, but it was not until the Enlightment of the 18th century that widespread acceptance and development of this theory emerged. In the mid 19th century english naturalist Charles Darwin - who has been called the "father of evolution" - conceived of the most comprehensive findings about organic evolution ever . Today many of his principles still entail modern interpretation of evolution. I've assessed and interpreted the basis of Darwin's theories on evolution, incorporating a number of other factors concerning evolutionary theory in the process. Criticism of Darwin's conclusions abounds somewhat more than has been paid tribute to, however Darwin's findings marked a revolution of thought and social upheaval unprecedented in Western consciousness challenging not only the scientific community, but the prominent religious institution as well. Another revolution in science of a lesser nature was also spawned by Darwin, namely the remarkable simplicity with which his major work The Origin of the Species was written - straightforward English, anyone capable of a logical argument could follow it - also unprecedented in the scientific community (compare this to Isaac Newton's horribly complex work taking the scientific community years to interpret ). Evolutionary and revolutionary in more than one sense of each word. Every theory mentioned in the following reading, in fact falls back to Darwinism. DARWINIAN THEORY OF BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION Modern conception of species and the idea of organic evolution had been part of Western consciousness since the mid-17th century (a la John Ray) , but wide- range acceptance of this idea, beyond the bounds of the scientific community, did not arise until Darwin published his findings in 1958 . Darwin first developed his theory of biological evolution in 1938, following his five-year circumglobal voyage in the southern tropics (as a naturalist) on the H.M.S. Beagle, and perusal of one Thomas Malthus' An Essay on the Principle of Population which proposed that environmental factors, such as famine and disease limited human population growth . This had direct bearing on Darwin's theory of natural selection, furnishing him with an enhanced conceptualization of the "survival of the fittest" - the competition among individuals of the same species for limited resources - the "missing piece" to his puzzle . For fear of contradicting his father's beliefs, Darwin did not publish his findings until he was virtually forced after Alfred Wa! llace sent him a short paper almost identical to his own extensive works on the theory of evolution. The two men presented a joint paper to the Linnaean Society in 1958 - Darwin published a much larger work ("a mere abstract of my material") Origin of the Species a year later, a source of undue controversy and opposition (from pious Christians) , but remarkable development for evolutionary theory. Their findings basically stated that populations of organisms and individuals of a species were varied: some individuals were more capable of obtaining mates, food and other means of sustenance, consequently producing more offspring than less capable individuals. Their offspring would retain some of these characteristics, hence a disproportionate representation of successive individuals in future generations. Therefore future generations would tend have those characteristics of more accommodating individuals . This is the basis of Darwin's theory of natural selection: those individuals incapable of adapting to change are eliminated in future generations, "selected against". Darwin observed that animals tended to produce more offspring than were necessary to replace themselves, leading to the logical conclusion that eventually the earth would no longer be able to support an expanding population. As a result of increasing population however, war, famine and pestilence al! so increase proportionately, generally maintaining comparatively stable population . Twelve years