Environment and Public Works Essay

Redwood forests are filled with an assorted collection of animal and plant species. These forests are deemed as complex ecosystems wherein â€Å"the tallest trees in the world to the tiniest fungi are working systematically in a very delicate balance. † More so, the redwoods have been discovered to affect the â€Å"climate of the river canyons by transpiring moisture which keeps the humidity high† (Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association). Through this, it can be surmised that trees play a vital role in sustaining life in the biosphere. Because of this, it is mandatory that humans do everything in their power to protect and conserve the redwood forests. However, due to changing times, the biodiversity in the Redwood forests are being threatened particularly by illegal logging. Historically, illegal logging started over centuries ago as early as the Spanish colonization and still a continuous practice in the 21st century. Since then, almost 95% of the redwood forests had been destroyed (Berry). Moreover, illegal logging is caused by overpopulation and increase in demand for natural resources. Because of these demands, virgin forests are turn into urban housing to accommodate the growing population and timbers are being utilized for profit. As a result, the various California species are being endangered to the brink of extinction. If this will not be taken care of immediately, the ecosystem of the Redwood forests will soon be destroyed which can adversely affect the natural cycle of existence. To prevent this from happening, several actions must be facilitated such as information campaign, boycott and conservation efforts. The public needs to be aware of the current situation of the Redwood forests in order to educate and at the same time invoke their interest in saving the Redwood. More so, through the boycott of the products of companies that abuses the Redwood forests, people can help in decreasing the need for natural resources produced by trees and animals living in the Redwood forests (Gapsucks. org). Furthermore, practicing environment-friendly activities such as recycling paper and patronizing consumer goods that are safe for Mother Earth can alleviate the current negative effects of illegal logging which can cause floods, wildfire, extinction of plant and animal species and climate change. As a public political figure, I hope that you can help in disseminating information about how to lessen human impact on the Redwood Forests. Also, I hope that you can generate legislations that will protect and sustain the biodiversity of the Redwood Forests. Respectfully yours, Your name Works Cited Berry, Wendell. â€Å"Learn from the Past. † 2009. Bioweb. uwlax. edu. 13 May 2009 â€Å"Redwood Forest Ecology. † 8 October 1996. Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association. 13 May 2009 â€Å"Save the Redwoods, Boycott the Gap. † 18 January 2009. Gapsucks. org. 13 May 2009

Philosophy and Politics

Philosophy has enabled human life to study the general and everyday problems which concern many matters to include beauty, truth, mind, validity, language, existence, language and even truth. While Philosophy is a general term that is highly acceptable to address and answer questions by using systematic approaches and its credibility on the grounds of reasoned arguments, there is a tension that is apparent between Politics and Philosophy which Ancient Greek Origin means â€Å"love of wisdom†. Good governance needs laws that are mandated and initiated through Politics. The ways a society is being governed highly affects the kind of living the citizens’ experience. Politics are made up of group of people that formulate decisions for the betterment of the populace. It has also been palpable in many group interactions such as the religious, academic and even in the corporate world. Despite the fact that both exist to fulfill the needs of man for order, it is evident that a man in one point of his life or another might choose whether to live under the influence of Politics or Philosophy. The issues had been explored in Plato’s masterpieces â€Å"Apology† and â€Å"The Republic†. But although, the strain is perceptible, the end result for the mixture of both may lead to a more wonderful life to all mankind. The researcher wishes to address any reconciliation that may occur between the rivalries of the two approaches in human regulation, if Philosophy and Politics can be practiced at the same time. Philosophy and Politics in Plato’s Works Justice is necessitated by human in all walks of life. An individual is honed by the cultural and social norms that craft his totality as a whole. Many factors attribute on how a person behaves or acts. The life in the world has sought to deal on existence necessitated of man as man to survive and subsist. You may choose to live a political life or you can pursue a life that is committed in finding contemplation and truth. Apology The Apology by Plato is his version of Socrates’ speech during the time Socrates defends himself in opposition to the charges. The accusations against Socrates brought up were; living his life that refuses to adulate and worship the gods, corrupts the mind of the young and makes new deities. The main theme of the entire speech proposes that Philosophy instigates when one admits that he is ignorant. Socrates dramatically states that the wisdom he has, originates from his mere knowledge that he doesn’t know anything (23b, 29b). Politics in this part conducts a lawful proceeding that is made out of informal charges that only stanched out of gossips and prejudices against Socrates: â€Å"Socrates is committing an injustice, in that he inquires into things below the earth and in the sky, and makes the weaker argument the stronger, and teaches others to follow his example (18b-c)†. Socrates refuted the accusations through voicing out that he should not in any way be mistaken as a sophist or a scholar that is highly paid and wise. He then expressed his philosophical inspiration that he is poor and does not know anything that is good and noble. Socrates believed that the accusations against him rooted with his compliance with the oracle he received in Delhi. He had the mission of solving the paradox which is â€Å"the ignorant man could be the wisest of all men† (23e). It is apparent that Politics has an indirect connection to Philosophy because both aim to provide a good human life course. In this part reconciliation is quite evident since Politics is ruled out by people or humans that present the way to righteousness and lawfulness based on human perception enacted by the law while Philosophy which Plato deals with dwells more with the spiritual and divine intervention as the correct path to rectitude and uprightness. Socrates perceived that his questioning to many people gained him the reputation as an annoying person. His life mission interpreted in the speech that true wisdom comes from the gods while wisdoms of man together with their achievements have diminutive or are not valuable at all. It was greatly stressed that Socrates accepts as legitimate that the power of his lawful superior, may it be divine or human should be followed. But when there is a discrepancy or conflict between the two: Politics or Philosophy, he deems that the divine authority should take precedence and primacy: â€Å"Gentlemen, I am your grateful and devoted servant, but I owe a greater obedience to God than to you; and as long as I draw breath and have my faculties I shall never stop practicing philosophy† (Plato, Dialogue Part 1). Socrates articulated that he will not stop his aspiration for his fellow Athenians to have greater awareness of moral truth and goodness. Though, people might impede his questioning or arguing and even if they withdraw all the charges against him, Socrates put across his plan of not bringing an end to his inquiries for the pursuance of truth. Socrates was charged as guilty by a very small margin (36a). He was sentenced to death through drinking Hemlock. Though, Socrates can resort to emotive tricks to appease the juries. He relied ultimately to the truth in the presentation of his case. Socrates prophesied that the younger and harsher critics will pursue what he started that can aggravate them even more (39d). The Republic by Plato The Republic by Plato is also a Socratic dialogue. The main topic of the dialogue centers at the issue of who is happier between the just and the unjust man that was pictured through creating a make-believe city that is ruled by philosopher-kings. For most part, the dialogue tackles justice in different ways. Like in one part of the first book where two types of justice are presented but both were deemed inappropriate. First, talks about returning debts that someone owed while the second one embarks upon helping out friends at the same time harming the enemies. These were common definitions of justice that Socrates reckons to be derisory in isolated cases and as a consequence lack stringency stipulated of a definition, though he does not wholly decline them because each, in some way or another conveys a universal sagacity of justice. Justice when implemented with Philosophy encompasses goodwill to all mankind. This was evident in the end of Book I where Socrates approved Polemarchus insight that justice embraces helping out friends but the just man would never do any harm to anybody even an enemy. Thrasymachus on the other hand provides his perception of justice as â€Å"what is good for the stronger† (Book I), which reflects those people in Politics who have power over the society. This also echoes Thrasymachus belief that rulers are the primary resource of justice in every city where in they enact laws that benefit themselves the most. Philosophy is widely tackled in The Republic to influence Politics on what it should build within the society to provide a just community. In this dialogue, it can be seen that Philosophy and Politics can be reconciled though Philosophy still takes supremacy over Politics. Correspondingly, Socrates describes justice as â€Å"working at that which he is naturally best suited,† along with â€Å"to do one's own business and not to be a busybody† (433a-433b). He then continues by presenting how to sustain and perfect justice through three cardinal virtues to include Temperance, Wisdom, and Courage (433a-433b). Philosophy correlates with Politics through creating a society that divides people in to three distinct types which are the soldier, producer and ruler. Books II to IV mainly carry out that if a ruler can create just laws, and when the soldiers or warriors follow the orders of their rulers, and if authorities are obeyed by the producers, then it will formulate a society that is rightful and just, thus creating a happier life. Three arguments were presented by Plato why he sees that it is better to be just rather than for the individual to be unjust. The arguments were: An oppressor’s nature will allow him to incur â€Å"horrid pains and pangs† and that the conventional tyrant has a lifestyle that is mentally and physically challenging on a ruler which is the total opposite of a philosopher king that is truth loving (Book IX). Another argument in Book IX that Plato puts forward is that the Philosopher is the only type of ruler that can best run a society since he is acquainted to the Form of the Good. The last one that Plato contends is that â€Å"Pleasures which are approved by the lover of wisdom and reason are the truest† (Book IX). The Republic’s main ideology is to form the government and politics that is governed by philosopher-kings. In this, it is highly susceptible that Philosophy and politics could in some way or another worked hand in hand. Socrates believes that the four types of ruling such as timocracy, democracy, oligarchy and tyranny can lead to corruption of power. The Republic by Plato also contains his Allegory of the Cave where he elucidates how a former prisoner from a cave came to realize that the sun which illuminates the surrounding and which initially blinded him is the Form of the Good that causes the brightness. He also came to realize that it is the sun that made him see and appreciate the beauty and goodness in the things that surround him. Plato considers the caveman as the philosopher, who knows the Form of Good and therefore should educate others to spread the same light he achieved. The dialogue narrates conversations and arguments concerning an Ideal State by manipulating politics through Philosophical ideas and how other forms of governance could not properly and adequately sustain its ruling. Conclusion Though Plato’s â€Å"Apology† and â€Å"The Republic† mainly discuss how Philosophy or love of wisdom should be adhered over and above anything else, it also manifested that Philosophy and politics can reconcile to the betterment of the society. The â€Å"Apology† chiefly venerates Philosophy over politics but in some parts evidently address that people involved in Politics should be respected and followed, hence, when a clash between the two takes place Philosophy should win against the other. Plato’s â€Å"The Republic† on the other hand, points out a Political institution that is to be ruled by a Philosopher towards a just society.

High Level ETL and Data Mining Requirements Research Paper

High Level ETL and Data Mining Requirements - Research Paper Example It is important to evaluate the project keenly. Many people go for the expensive products without considering whether using a low-end or hand coding tool would be easy, fast or cost-effective. When buying an ETL product, especially a more complex ETL, it will still be essential to train the project personnel. Training is more expensive than buying ETL for a project and should be considered when comparing the buying and development costs. Business requirements are the functional requirements needed. They describe the needed solution in business terms. Gathering of information includes requirement interviews, workshop and enterprise objectives. The future comes with questions as to how much is to be charged for products when combined with other suppliers products. During the initial load improvement steps, all foreign key constraints are removed before executing the ETL stored procedure. The ETL stored procedure is called with a procedure that is truncated. ETL can be used to convert the data into a layout suitable for use in the new software. The initial load occurs in the analysis phase of the project. The timing to replace the tactical design choices is dependent on time on hand and the  business requirements. Successful implementation starts with asking questions as to whether it is worth building the software, while it can be bought and used diversely in different applications. If there is evident justification, then it is now appropriate to by the software. The company should buy the tool because it is fast and the tool can be reused in other projects. The amount of ETL development time will be significantly reduced. The tools will be of a wide range and can be reused for future projects. It is the practice of analyzing information from different dimensions and simplifying it in meaningful information (Clifton, 2010). It allows its users to examine data from many different proportions gives a summary of the

Regal Movie Theaters (marketing research) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Regal Movie Theaters (marketing research) - Essay Example There are people who finish late, go home for dinner and catch a late night movie. Hence post 6pm the theatres are crowded as compared to any other time of the day. There can be many strategies based on price strategy (giving discounts), privacy (giving priority seats with no body near you) or even family attraction deals (a form of discounting like 3 for 2 or 4 for 2). Privacy: Give couple seats which are not surrounded by people. And don’t allocate seats near them to anyone allowing letting them have a sense of privacy. Through this may lead to issues of nuisance that might happen with dodgy couples which remains to be tackled. Family deals: there are grand parents who might want to take their grand children out for a movie. Couples sometimes take leave from work for half a day work and can spend the rest of the half in a movie theatre taking benefit of this scheme. Tickets of Regal movie theatres are fairly priced as compared to its competitors. It’s slightly cheaper in few and slightly dearer in few. Regal movies do not believe in giving differential pricing between weekends and weekdays which they can try to create a market pull for weekdays. Regal is trying to give almost everything right form discounts, family schemes, cheap pop corns and candies to card points at a reasonable price. This is hitting their bottom line hard and there seems to be a scope of either increasing the prices or modifying the scheme to get more benefit out of it. It does not need any numbers or expert comments when it comes to gauge the success IMAX and 3D movies have had in recent time. Attendance and ticket sales are two major factors with which the industry measures its success or failures. In 2010 the attendance was down by 5.25% which might be considered as a devastating drop but thanks to the revenue from 3D films that gave the industry $10.5 Billion dollar ticket sales. The extra prices for 3D movies charged by

4.Review the main features of TWO welfare reforms passed by the post Essay

4.Review the main features of TWO welfare reforms passed by the post war Labour government 1946-1951 - Essay Example There were two main reforms that are still impacting the United Kingdom are the National Health Service and the National Insurance Act, both of 1946. The National Health Service (NHS) was a major achievement not only for the Labour government but also for the nation as a whole. This program allowed free medical treatment for everyone, not just the 21 million people who were covered by the National Health Insurance, the predecessor to the NHS. (Leichter 1979, p. 158) This program which was finally rolled out in 1948 was at first vehemently opposed by the majority of doctors who believed that this form of health coverage would end up ruining medical practices. The doctors who were originally opposed soon realized that their fears were unjustified and joined the ranks of those assisting the needy. The other major reform was the National Insurance Act which came into effect soon after World War II was officially over combined three already established insurance schemes into one. These three covered unemployment insurance, national health insurance, and the contributory pension. When the Act was put into place, it became necessary for all of the adult population to carry insurance, which was subsidized by the government and employers. (Barr 1993, p. 3) This ensured that all those of working age could receive care, therefore enabling more productivity. While not without issue, these two acts really changed the focus of how the United Kingdom saw assistance, and how individuals received it. Due to the recent conflict, the nation had already established a family allowance which in combination with the National Insurance Act and the National Health Service covered close to 100% of the population which was intended by the Labour Government as well as the driving force for the National Health Services, Aneurin Bevan. (Rintala 2003, p. 3) Although many liked the care, it was

Quantitative and Academic skills in learning Economics Assignment

Quantitative and Academic skills in learning Economics - Assignment Example Economics is a comprehensive that studies various aspects of the society and is divided into a number of branches explicitly, microeconomics, macroeconomics, normative, positive economics etc. In the past two decades the erudition of economics has been revolutionized and its theories and ideas have been applied to various other sciences and areas. Importance of Studying Economics Since the end of cold war and rise of capitalism Economics has been of the areas of study apart from nuclear physics and banking that has been greatly emphasized and a lot of importance has been attached to its research and study. Globalization of markets and rising populations have intensified the economic problem i.e. resources are scarce, and have forced the policy makers into making deeper inroads into the subject and extracting various ways of looking at an economy. Thus in the past few decades this extremely vital social science has immensely affected politics, culture, ethics, religion, social institutions and society at large. Hence with the degree of impact the subject has had on the world economy lately, it has seriously attracted the interest of the youth and the number of people enrolling for business majors and specifically Economics has significantly increased. Skills that hold critical importance in studying Economics Economics is a comprehensive subject that deals with the major issues of the world economy and unlike various other subjects incorporates the economic principles into a number of other areas in order to develop policies for a greater benefit and an effective utilization of the sparse resources. In order to this a wide array of skills is considered to be necessary in order to accomplish these tasks. Some of the extremely important skills that are required for the comprehensive study of the subject are the Qualitative and Analytical Skills. Quantitative Skills Economics is one of the few subjective areas that incorporate a huge amount of quantitative methods in order to explicate its concepts. It is an analytical subject that has a strong quantitative base and utilizes a great deal of mathematical and statistical tools to demonstrate economic phenomenon. Though economists do no use mathematics deliberately but a number of tool shave become extremely vital in order to attain the goal of understanding. Graphical representation of situations is one of the most common tools that is being extensively utilized in various concepts of micro as well as macro economics. Demand and Supply one of the extremely important and core theory of Economics revolves around the graphical representation of cases and quantitative modeling. Despite the fact that economic explanation underlines these graphs and models a certain degree of mathematical acumen is tremendously vital to comprehend the trends. Moreover the use of statistical models is a common for understanding other critical concepts like inflation and unemployment. These skills are extremely important to undertake the course and will be further transferred to the job market on completing the study of the subject. Analytical Skills By virtue of being a science Economist attaches serious importance to the need of analytical skills in order to comprehend the economic theories. As explained in the previous section that economic concepts pivot on the quantitative methods for the purpose of demonstration of a concept and its practical application. Similarly economic problems and cases are

Organizational Development in HRD (Case Study) Research Paper

Organizational Development in HRD (Case Study) - Research Paper Example Moreover, she also thinks that she was given an ultimatum by her boss when he coerced her to continue with the client as no one else was free to take up. Kindred faces major ethical dilemma. She was presented as an expert of CQI which she asserts misrepresent her competencies and which are not adequate to resolve the problems of the client. But with her first meeting, she had also earned the trust and confidence of the client and who had given positive feedback to her company’s President. She believes that the company needs someone with technical know-how which she lacks. They are dilemma because she is caught between the obligations to her company and ethics of OD which are founded on honesty and openness. She believes that she is not equipped with competencies despite her academic qualifications in the area and therefore rather than looking it as an opportunity, she thinks she is backed into making a decision that is ethically wrong. I would have continued with the current client and used it as a platform for widening my experience and exploiting my core competencies in OD to solve the problems of the firms. OD has wide scope and CQI is inherently linked to the organizational development processes (Cummings & Worley, 2009). Streamlining various interactive process are key elements of CQI which can be achieved through evolving practices of evaluation. OD underpins the principles of optimal performance through evolving organizational culture that relies on constant learning environment, strong teamwork, leadership initiatives etc. (Langley et al., 2009). The major thrust of the problem resolution is to find the root cause which is achieved through critical assessment of program and processes that are measured against the defined goals. CQI fundamentally relies on the organizational processes and mechanisms to face challenges of time with creative input, turning adversities into new opportunities of

Dropout Prevention With A New Method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Dropout Prevention With A New Method - Essay Example So, young people who continue the mathematics sequence throughout high school are bound to have additional career opportunities (Leder; Smith). What if these young people refuse to finish high school? What are their chances of having careers that they can consistently pursue? Perusing a second time the list of specialized workers that the nation sees as most important in terms of its Gross Domestic Product – is a reminder that high school and college dropouts working at McDonald’s and Walmart have no prospect of joining the ranks of those mentioned on the list. Lack of formal education is a roadblock. Yet, college dropouts make one of the largest and the fastest growing youth groups in America (Leonhardt). It may be that dropping out of college is becoming fashionable because certain highly successful and prosperous businessmen like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Michael Dell are all college dropouts. The author of an article published in 2005, ‘Men Want Retooled Coll ege Experience’ in USA Today, wrote: â€Å"In high school, I was told to watch for the guys who left school before graduating because they were the ones I’d be working for later.† It has been repeatedly said that geniuses do not always feel motivated by the idea of formal education. All the same, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Michael Dell have given speeches on the importance of education (Men Want Retooled College Experience). Perhaps they were referring to students with average intelligence; in other words, their potential employees. Research studies have shown that students from low-income backgrounds are more likely to drop out of high school or college. Andy Blevins from southwest Virginia dropped out of college where he was getting C’s and D’s, to work instead on the floor of a supermarket warehouse.  

Modern Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Modern Education - Essay Example Such reservations against the concept of personal autonomy is rooted in the thought that the idea of personal autonomy is laced by the threats of masculinist implications (Friedman, Autonomy, gender, politics, 2003), thus making them feel uncomfortable with such a notion. Over the years and especially in the past decade, those who felt such apprehensions had to face the overwhelming circumstances that place a needed sense of value to the concept of personal autonomy in terms of its critical and constructive aspects (Benson, 2005). With this, feminists have come to adhere to the concept of personal autonomy although particular aspects of the idea have to be qualified to suit the â€Å"tastes† of different groups. While the acceptance of the notion of personal autonomy may remain debatable for certain groups, there is no doubt that the feminist movement, together with much of the members of modern civilization, considers education as among the greatest endowment for women in soc iety that provides them with a sense of equality with men. Along these lines, this paper will provide a discussion based on personal autonomy being a goal of education. Specifically, this discussion will be centered on a feminist view, emphasizing education in terms of a liberalist context. First, the concept of personal autonomy will be discussed, briefly outlining its history and highlighting the views of different theorists and, in particular, of contemporary liberals on the concept. The paper shall then proceed to discussing the concept of autonomy rooted on feminist views. Finally, the paper shall highlight how personal autonomy may be advanced by education, using a feminist context. 2.0 The Concept of Personal Autonomy â€Å"A person is autonomous to the degree, and it is very much a matter of degree, that what he thinks and does, at least in important areas of his life, are determined by himself.† Dearden, Autonomy and education, 1975, p. 343. The concept of personal a utonomy traces its roots to the ancient Greek philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. Both men proposed that the rational part of the soul is its most important part and the ideal for humanity is associated with self-sufficiency and being non-dependent on other people (Backus, 2003). Kant later developed the idea of moral autonomy as having authority over one’s actions and soon thereafter, the idea of autonomy in learning has become a part of a wide range of educational philosophies and has been identified recently in educational policy to be crucial to the development of learning (Honderich, 2005). Autonomy simply resided on morals in its early years, but then views about this began to change in the 21st century. For Dworkin ( 1988 ), the concept of autonomy includes one’s overall point of view towards how one lives one’s life. He points out that each individual, whether the most learned or the most carefree, conforms to his or her own personal view of what makes li fe valuable (Dworkin, 1988). Thus, Dworkin is actually saying that each person reveals how he or she conceives goodness or the good life through his or her behavior. For Raz (1988), the concept of personal autonomy is much more specific as he emphasizes that the individual is responsible for whatever happens to his or her life. As such, an individual with personal autonomy is identified not only by his actual choices in life but by the presence of choices themselves (Raz, 1988). Therefore, an individual can really just be

The Philippine Currency Evolution Essay Example for Free

The Philippine Currency Evolution Essay During the Spanish occupation, when they came here in the Philippines in 1521 they brought with them the first European coin called teston. Also it is the first silver coin. When the Galleon trade exercised the earliest coins during the Spanish colonization was the Macuqinas or the cobs. It has a irregular, oddly-shaped coins stamped with a cross on the other side side and a royal coat of armson the other. These coins circulated over 183 years from 1585 to 1768. During the reign of King Philip the fifth of Spain the first rounded machine struck coins with milted edges appeared. These coins called the Dos Mundos or Columnarias. It is one of the most beautiful coin ever produce. It came the time of the coins ? Barillas ¶, the first copper coins to be minted in thePhilippines and after how many colonizers came to our country currency changes. Coins from other Spanish colonies also reached the Philippines and were counter stamped. Gold coins with the portrait of Queen Isabela were minted in Manila. Silver pesos with the profile of young Alfonso XIII were the last coins minted in Spain. The pesos fuertes, issued by the country’s first bank, the El Banco Espanol Filipino de Isabel II, were the first paper money circulated in the country. 898-1899 Asserting its independence, the Philippine Republic of 1898 under General Emilio Aguinaldo issued its own coins and paper currency backed by the country’s natural resources. One peso and five peso notes printed as Republika Filipina Papel Moneda de Un Peso and Cinco Pesos were freely circulated. 2 centimos de peso copper were also issued in 1899. 1900-19 41 The Americans instituted a monetary system for the Philippine based on gold and pegged the Philippine peso to the American dollar at the ratio of 2:1. The new design series of banknotes issued in 1985 replaced the ABL series. Ten years later, a new set of coins and notes were issued carrying the logo of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. As the repository and custodian of country’s numismatic heritage, the Museo ng Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas collects, studies and preserves coins, paper notes, medals, artifacts and monetary items found in the Philippines during the different historical periods. It features a visual narration of the development of the Philippine economy parallel to the evolution of its currency.

The issues of Corporate Social Responsibility

The issues of Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is also known as corporate responsibility and corporate citizenship, responsible action, responsible action constant (SRB), or the performance of social institutions. Ideally, the policy of corporate social responsibility is a compact, self-regulation and the mechanism by which the work would monitor and ensure the commitment to the law and ethical standards and international rules. (William et al, 2005). The development of the businesses in claiming the responsibility by the impact of its activities on the environment, consumers and workers, local communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public domain. The practice of corporate social responsibility is a subject of debate and criticism and widespread. Proponents argue that there is strong demand for the issue of social responsibility of businesses, and companies benefit in many ways by working with a broader perspective and longer than their own direct, any short-term profits. Crit ics argue that the act of corporate social responsibility is the primary economic role of companies, and others believed that no more than window surface is decorated , and some say it is an attempt to pre-empt the role of governments as a watchdog on the powerful multinational companies (Argandona, 2001). Marks and Spencer plc, also known as MS, is a world s renowned retailer with its headquarters in Westminster, London. It has more than 300 stores across 40 countries and more than 70 stores in UK. MS is famous for its clothes and food products. It was found in 1884 by Thomas Spencer and Michael Marks in Leeds. Since 2000 the company Marks Spencer began to expand and explore other areas: household products, food, furniture, products for beauty, technology, financial services, etc. In recent years, Marks Spencer stores act as full-scale shopping centres with huge grocery supermarkets, entertainment venues and cafes. The company is covering general merchandise sector and food sector. All these units have contributed in shaping up company s vision stating that they want to set a standard through which other company should be measured. These units are centralized by the values of Marks and Spencer. These include trust, service, value and innovation. (Utting, 2007, 11 13) Each of the units has developed its specific strategies of Corporate Social Responsibility that is based on the brand-value of trust. The issues that are tackled in the strategies were identified through customer research, understanding within business and by interacting with important stakeholders, government, NGO s etc. An action plan is developed for handling each issue that arises in order to balance expectations of the customers and the stakeholders and other external pressures. These issues are divided into three groups: people, products and community. People: these include the company s employees plus the people who are employed in its chain supply. Product: this division emphasizes on the production of high quality, valuing that are positive for social and environmental benefits. Community: this division emphasizes on the role of the company in helping to maintain and develop places where people can work and live easily. For all these groups, Marks and Spencer have planned a program with the name of Plan A. (Archie, 2008) WHAT IS PLAN A? Plan A is Marks Spencer s comprehensive approach to sustainability which to them is doing the right thing . Were doing this because its what you want us to do. Its also the right thing to do. Were calling it Plan A because we believe its now the only way to do business (Marks Spencer s, 2010). On 15th Jan, 2007, Marks and Spencer took an initiative by launching a program known as Plan A. This was to bring a dramatic increase in the environmental sustainability in five years. Plan A contains 100 commitments for five years in order to address the major environmental and social challenges faced by Marks and Spencer, today and in future (marks and spencer, 2010). They have a tag-line for it which states: Because there is no Plan B. These commitments cover five different themes: Sustainable raw material, climatic change, fair partnership, health and waste with the purpose of: I. No waste will be sent to landfill II. Become Neutral to carbon III. Bring extension in the sustainability of resource IV. Help in improving the lives of employees working in their supply chain department (Brown, 2008, 125 147) V. Provide a healthy lifestyle to the customers and the employees of the company To begin with, as a part of Plan A, the iconic reusable brown bag was introduced in the year 2007. This brought a hope that it will decrease the usage of plastic bags over the next few years. In 2008, Marks and Spencer introduced the 5p carrier bags scheme at their stores. The customers were supposed to pay 5p per vest carrier bag which was of standard size for their food purchases. This scheme was implemented as a part of Plan A, saying that it discourages the use of customary plastic bags. All the profits gained from the sale of these bags are given to the Groundwork UK. To become a carbon neutral company, Marks and Spencer committed to only using the carbon equalizers as their last resort, confining to the cases where is required by the government or where the green air, road transport and technology will not be available for the predicted future. In 2008, Marks and Spencer had 3 operational wind tribunes, one in Methlick and two near Strichen. These generate power that is enough to cover three stores through National Grid. In 2009, the company started buying 2.6TWh of the renewable energy from the Npower which was enough to provide energy to all of the MS offices and stores in Wales and England. In 2010, Marks Spencer s set out 80 new commitments with the aim of becoming the world s most sustainable major retailer by 2015. This they hope to achieve by engaging their customers in building Plan A qualities into all of its 2.7 billion products and assist the customers to develop their own Plan A eco-plan. Also, they intend to move Plan A from just a plan to How we do business by integrating it into processes and giving its people the required tools, skills and motivation to make a difference. In order to achieve this, Marks Spencer s launched a 50m innovation fund, as well as sustainability programmes for its food and general merchandise suppliers, sustainable agriculture programmes for its farmers and growers. As part of efforts to extend the Plan A to the employees, they are been offered free home insulation, a free home energy monitor and a day s paid leave each year for a volunteer work. Benefits of Incorporating Corporate Social Responsibility: Plan A of Marks and Spencer Firstly, Marks and Spencer got the value of differentiation. This does not necessarily relate to the product but also defines the moral values of the company. With the implementation of Plan A, Marks and Spencer got benefited with appeal factor. A recent research states that, 88 percent of the customers will be more interested in buying the products from the company that is actively working in the society and engages and supports the activities in improving the environment of the society. Thus, it has provided an advantage to marks and Spencer by being well known for their active participation in Corporate Social Responsibility methods. They can easily attract their existing customers to increase their sales and they can even attract new customers by their Plan A project. This in turn, helps in adding up the profits made by their stores. But these profits eventually are used by Marks and Spencer in investing in the strategies of Corporate Social Responsibility. Although, Marks and Sp encer can charge high price for their differentiated products in order to cover the cost of investment in CSR. The reason due to which they can charge higher price is their active participation in being socially responsible. This in the long run will increase their profit margin. This is a basic rule for CSR (Cuthbertson, 2011) Secondly, the workforce at Marks and Spencer is very happy with some of the programs that the company is running. One of these projects was the Ready to Work project. In this project, Marks and Spencer helped around six hundred homeless people from UK to acquire work experience while they were being mentored by a friend. Moreover, above 30 percent of these people, who were internee, were later on provided a job because of the success of the project. This program came up with a market research which was successful and was stimulated by the founders of Marks and Spencer s strategy stating that the best and guaranteed way to acquire long-term success is to have good relationship with your suppliers, employees and the society. This message acted as a backbone for all the CSR strategies of Marks and Spencer. A survey based on 500 employees of the company, stated that 75 percent of the employees felt that the projects has contributed in making Marks and Spencer a great place to work. They also said that it helped them in increasing and enhancing their skills. This also led to an extra motivated workforce who feel completely comfortable at their workplace and have led to a decrease in the rate of employee turnover. Thirdly, Plan A also covers the part of fair trade extensively. This is an issue which has gained UK s focus more than any other country. Marks and Spencer has purchased around a third of the world s fair trade cotton (Cuthbertson, 2011). Not all the achievements were remarkably good. For cutting down the emission of CO2, Marks and Spencer tightened up the needs for attaining a company car. These steps did drop the corporate auto fleet from 488 to 469, but this did not bring any significant change (Damien et al 2010) compared to other achievements, this strategy must be left out of the spotlight. The biggest disadvantage of CSR for Marks and Spencer is the cost that is invested in the implementation of these strategies. Plan A introduced by Marks and Spencer had an estimated cost of around 200 million. Although, the CSR strategy helps in gaining profits in the long run and it helps in becoming financially strong, it still requires a huge amount of investment to implement the strategies. Thus, if the strategy of Corporate Social Responsibility is not successful in producing a desired amount of effect in attracting the customers, then it could cause great loss to the investors. This loss might not be disastrous for Marks and Spencer however; it can damage its reputation. Although, the Corporate Social Responsibility is about enriching the stakeholder, but if the strategy is not successful in bringing extra profit then it depends on the morals and values of the investor to consider what a good outcome is and what a bad outcome is. Another disadvantage of this strategy would be the cost of keeping the customers happy. In the Plan A of Mark and Spencer, there are twenty targets for enhancing the fair partnership between the suppliers. Initially, the investment should be large as it targets the suppliers belonging to the international market (Beder, 2007). The most essential factor in this Plan is the consumer power. According to the research, around 88 percent people would prefer buying a product of the company which is highly active in social activities and are working with the concept for enhancing the quality of life. Therefore, Marks and Spencer cannot bypass this point as according to the economic climate these days, a customer moves on to the next best solution available depending on the morals they chose to follow. Thus, to build up CSR strategies are a positive investment in holding back the goodwill and image of the company, which Marks and Spencer has already established. In line to achieve a target of been the most sustainable retailer in the world, Marks Spencer s have over the years shifted from philanthropy to community investment and subsequently corporate social responsibility. Launching Plan A was its next logical step but there is still a long way to go. To ascertain the extent to which the achievements of Plan A would result in Marks Spencer s being the world most sustainable retailer, it will be important to understand what sustainability means. Brundtland s (1987) defined Sustainability as the development that meets the needs of the present world without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs . This approach to economic growth perhaps includes a social responsibility to its stakeholders and a wider responsibility for the impact of its activities on the environment. With the sustainability plans on the report being that of Marks and Spencer s alone, there is no basis for comparison with other major retailers to know the extent to which its sustainability measures surpasses them. Also, by using the word sustainable, they universalised it to their meaning. They fail to know that sustainability could have several meanings for people different people. For instance, findings have shown that people in poor countries see sustainability as poverty reduction where as in developed countries; sustainability is linked to climate change. It will be a fallacy to make people believe there is a universal word for the term sustainability as there is no agreement over the specific meaning of the word and this makes it impossible to measure the performance of a company in that area. ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF MARKS AND SPENCERS CSR REPORT HOW WE DO BUSINESS Corporate social responsibility reporting which is voluntary is said to be a public account of environmental, social and ethical impacts of a company. It demonstrates accountability, transparency and credibility gaining the stakeholders trust. In order to assess the quality of Marks and Spencer s CSR report, we shall employ the Global reporting initiatives which sets out the principles and performance indicators that organisations can use to measure and report their economic, environmental and social performance (GRI, 2011). These principles include materiality, stakeholder inclusiveness, sustainability context and completeness. Likewise, the standard disclosure examines the strategy and profile of the organisation, the management approach as well as the performance indicators of the organisation. So using the GRI guidelines to analyse the report (Appendix 1) I shall grade the Marks and Spencer s CSR report below a C minimal level despite it was assured by an independent third party Ernst and Young, to guarantee accuracy of the report and in line with best practice. To me, it failed to report the minimal requirements. Using the GRI framework, there was no report of some mandatory disclosures needed to attain a C level. These include (2.4) where it failed to report the location of its headquarters. Also in the profile disclosure, they failed to report on (4.15) which is the basis for identification and selection of stake holders whom they engage with. In the performance and indication section, despite not giving any report on human rights except for HR1 and HR2 where incomplete reports were given, they met the minimum requirement of the GRI framework of reporting at least one out of each Performance Indicator. In all, the CSR report could be said to focus primarily on profile disclosures and this tend s to be the major strength of the report where reports on performance indicators were incomplete and in some cases not reported. The stakeholder inclusiveness of the report was thoroughly reported. Pages 42 and 43 in the report contained a stakeholder dialogue which is quite impressive as stakeholder dialogue is one of the basic parties of a sustainability report. Marks and Spencer s reported how they engaged Ernst and Young to gather impartial feedback from a range of organisations which was also listed in the report. These organisations are NGO s which focus on sustainability. The responses of the stakeholders were also listed in the report and were quite enlightening as there were not just compliments but also suggestions for Marks and Spencer s sustainability direction. Also, marks and Spencer s responses to the suggestions were listed. The major concern about stakeholder reporting was on lack of information on how many stakeholders from each NGO who were consulted provided feedback and why they chose to use external figures to facilitate the dialogue rather than discussing with marks and Spencer s people. Also, it wasn t disclosed in the report how much stakeholder input influenced the selection of Plan A commitment. Marks and Spencer s CSR report is both wide ranging and highly focused. Under the headings of Climate, waste, Natural resources, fair partner, health and well being, each issue is broken down into targets set for the reporting year, performance in the current year and future goals. This approach is highly effective in terms of presenting a clear and thorough picture of the broad scope of Marks and Spencer s CSR related activities. The report is quite balanced as there were a handful of achievements listed in each of the headings such as cutting of carbon emissions from operations by 8% and improving store energy by 19%. Also, quite a couple of the challenges faced by the organisation was also noted which include rise in business travel emissions despite the Green travel policy. They also noted a decline in the sales of organic food despite their effort to introduce new products. So I think it just wasn t a win- win basis in the report. ACCESSING THE EXTENT TO WHICH PLAN A COULD BE ADOPTED SUCCESSFULLY BY A RETAILER IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY. The term developing countries is used to collectively describe nations that have low per capita incomes and are less industrialised (UNDP 2006). Corporate social responsibility(CSR) in developing countries have to deal with the formal and informal manner in which businesses contribute to governance, ethical, social labour and environmental condition of developing countries which they operate and perhaps remain sensitive to prevailing religious, historical and cultural context (Visser 2007). Contrary to the nature of CSR in developed countries, CSR in developing countries present a distinctive set of agenda which are certainly different from those faced in developed countries. CSR priorities in developing countries differ. For some, improved ethical responsibilities and incorporating good governance are assigned the highest. Whereas in others, tackling HIV/AIDS, improving working conditions, provision of basic services supply chain integrity and poverty alleviation are at the peak of CSR priority. .Major issues pertaining to CSR in developing world as at large relates to the strategic motive for adopting socially responsible practices. These actions appear to reflect Carroll s (1991) competing priorities which are; firms adopt CSR in order to meet their economic, legal, ethical and discretionary responsibilities. Conventional wisdom suggests that CSR is more relevant to organisations operating in the developed countries due to elevated expectations of society responsible behaviour. In view of this, I she use Bangladesh to examine the extent to which a retailer could adopt Marks and Spencer s Plan A because it possess the characteristics of a developing country. Basically, for the success of Plan A in any developing country by another retailer, the retailer needs to operate the strategies according to the culture, ethical background, nationality, religion and race of the developing country. As Plan A is committed to improve the lives of people in their supply chain sector (Peter, 2010). With the review of the state of government policy and support for CSR in Bangladesh, corporations have hence increased their commitment to CSR other than profit making and now complying with safety regulations. For example, CARE Bangladesh initiated a successful CSR programme with BATA where the company is using the extensive network of RARE to promote its environmental friendly products door to door in rural communities. With this, Plan A will be successful due to governments supporting policies which create room for CSR investment. Also, the issue of global warming which has to deal with the climate, it is obvious that this is affecting both the developed and developing countries and therefore governments are imposing on companies to develop CSR which will minimize carbon emission. So a retailer who adopts the Plan A will definitely succeed but will result in high operation cost to the company. Plan A can also be successful in a developing country if the retailer seeks the help of its suppliers in developing the factories with either being ethical or encouraging environmental characteristics. They can even encourage 10,000 farmers to join their sustainable agriculture program just like M S (Mike, 2008). The Retailer can also implement their Plan A project and be successful by becoming an important retailer to make sure that their key raw material such as soya, palm oil, coffee, beef, leather, etc, are coming from sustainable resources which do not contribute to deforestation. Contrary to this, Plan A which according to marks and Spencer s is doing the right thing will be successful at a minimal rate if adopted by a retailer in Bangladesh. This is so because of the prevailing high rate of poverty and corruption. Basically the priority of Marks and Spencer s plan A, which focuses on climate change, waste, waste, natural resources , fair partner performance health and well being may not be in line with CSR priorities in developing countries as they are interested in tackling HIV/AIDS, improving working conditions, provision of basic services supply chain integrity and poverty alleviation. CONCLUSION In this modern era, it is 100 percent important that companies differentiate themselves from rest of the market by working on developing strategies for their Corporate Social responsibilities. In order to make their strategy work successfully, companies need to strongly highlight educate people with their CSR plans. Keeping the research in mind, it is important for the companies to differentiate themselves. The company should also be aware of the cost that involve in the implementation of the plan. Whether you do it for financial reasons or to feel morally good, CSR plans completely depend on your ethics, both economically and personally. Marks and Spencer has started their journey to make their business more sustainable. Over the past decades, the company has never been stagnant. It has been moving from philanthropy to investing in the community to investing in corporate social responsibilities. In 2007, Plan has proved to be a radical commitment by focusing on specific CSR issues and tackling the sustainability issues.

Our Own Words: A Studentss Guide to First-Year Writing Essay -- Perso

Our Own Words: A Students's Guide to First-Year Writing I was born in Bulgaria, the Land of Roses, a â€Å"Wonderland† amongst others in Eastern Europe. After living there for eight years under the influence of communism, my family and I were eager to depart and head for America - â€Å" The Land of Opportunity.† The adjustments I had to make to my unknown surroundings in the United States were not easy or pleasant. My number one priority was to continue my education and, without hesitation, I was quickly enrolled in an English speaking elementary school. Aside from enduring scrutiny from my classmates, my toughest engagement was conquering the English language. I did not know the simplest words and, in fact, began by learning the totally unfamiliar English alphabet. I believe that my contempt for writing was influenced twelve years ago by my arrival in a foreign country with a bizarre and confusing language. After all, how can a language that consists of twenty-six letters incorporate millions upon millions of words? Because English was not native to me, I had to struggle to overcome the language barrier throughout my elementary school years. Most of my time was spent mastering the language itself and, in doing so, I missed out on the basic writing techniques that most American students were learning. While I was learning my ABC’s, they were introduced to the idea of expanding their vocabulary, increasing their use of proper punctuation and adapting to the â€Å"correct† way of spelling simple words. On the other hand, I was still trying to remember the meanings of elementary vocabulary words like library, wheelchair, and of course how could I forget, the difference between â€Å"redâ€Å" and â€Å"readâ€Å". Even the most si... ...ple who are successful not because of their intelligence level, but because of their HARD WORK. I consider myself to be one of those hard working individuals and although I am not the â€Å"prime â€Å" example of success, I do hope that younger generations can look up to me and realize that success comes with a lot of hard work! It doesn’t come easy and sacrifices often have to be made. Looking ahead at my future, I am not sorry to see that writing will play a major role in my lifestyle. As a television broadcaster, I am going to be utilizing writing on a daily basis, but for some reason that doesn’t bother me as much as I expected it to. Maybe I am finally outgrowing this stage of detestation and realizing the positive impact writing can have on my surroundings and me. I hope that, one day, my writing will reach a level that can change society for the better.

Arizona SnowBowl Essay -- Snow Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Arizona SnowBowl â€Å"A typical Ski season at the Arizona Snow-Bowl last from December to Easter† (Arizona SnowBowl Upgrade proposed Action, September 2002, p.2). The Arizona Snow-Bowl, which is located in the San Francisco Peaks, seven miles outside of Flagstaff, Arizona was only open four days last year! Alarming? Yes, this is why the Arizona Snow bowl has released a full proof plan, which consists of making their own snow! Thanks to Wayne Pierce, the inventor of the snowmaking machine, Arizona Snowbowl has offered a proposal to remodel their ski resort. which includes the installation of Snow-making machines. The remodeling also includes the building of one new chair lift, the addition of new ski runs, maintenance work on three existing chair lifts, lighting for night time skiing, the creation of a half pipe, the addition of a snow play area for families, the improvement of service facilities/infrastructure, and a cultural center for native Americans. If it were not for Wayne Pierce and his great invention, the Arizona SnowBowl would not even be able to consider these improvements. The improvements would not be plausible without a consistent ski season, which a snow machine can deliver. With all the advantages that a snow machine could bring to Northern Arizona, there are some people who do not want to see the Arizona SnowBowl join the ninety-one percent of ski areas who make their own snow on National Forest land (Murray, p.3). These people have raised great controversy in Northern Arizona because they would like to see the mountain stay as pristine as possible. The only problem with their point of view is that there are more advantages than disadvantages to installing snow machines. The biggest advantage ... ...None of the renovations being made will take place outside of the Arizona SnowBowl boundaries. Also, the Arizona SnowBowl boundaries only take up â€Å"†¦.4 of one percent of the total acreage of the Peaks† (Frederick, p. 2). The only things the renovations will do are improve the ski area itself. The Arizona SnowBowl is one of the few ski resorts in the west that does not make artificial snow. If the Arizona SnowBowl were to make their own snow the positives would far exceed the negatives. The positives that would occur would be an economic increase to the Flagstaff area. Also, the customer satisfaction at the ski resort would go up significantly. The Arizona SnowBowl would not expand its boundaries, thus the peaks would not be negatively impacted. If snow could be made on the mountain Flagstaff would become a resort town and attract a wider range of snow users.

Relationships In The Odyssey :: essays research papers

Relationships in the Odyssey Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the Odyssey, there are many relationships that represent love between two people. These relationships show loyalty, compassion, and the wanting to be near one another. Two of these kinds of relationships are between Odysseus and Telemakhos, and Odysseus and Penelope.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The relationship between Odysseus and Telemakhos is a blind love. That is because they never really got to know each other because Odysseus has been gone for most of Telemakhos’ life. One example of this blind love is when Odysseus hears about how the suitors are mistreating and stealing from Telemakhos. Odysseus gets so irate that he was then even more determined than ever, to return to his family. Telemakhos also exhibits the same kind of blind love towards his father. Even though people have told him that his father was dead, he never believed it. He felt that his father was alive and was willing to sacrifice his life to prove it. Telemakhos was inexperienced at directing a boat, but he was willing to try because he felt something inside of him that gave him the strength to go on. Thus, this relationship between Odysseus and Telemakhos gave both of them the courage to overcome the hardships ahead of them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While the relationship between Odysseus and Telemakhos is a blind love, the relationship between Odysseus and Penelope is a love between two people who just want to be together. Odysseus shows his love towards Penelope throughout the Odyssey. In spite of the fact that Odysseus has been gone for twenty years, he never forgets his wife back in Ithaca. One example of how much he wanted to go home was when he went to the island of the Lotus-Eaters. He could have stayed on the island of the Lotus-Eaters where everything he ever wanted was there, but the thing he wanted the most was to be with his wife. Penelope likewise displays this kind of love towards Odysseus.

Summer of Love

The Summer of Love The 1960s was a decade of political and social upheaval. The counterculture, which was what the decade was called, became disappointed with all the restrictions and conventions of the straight society. The Summer of Love did not occur until 1967, but the decade was inspired by the Bohemian spirit which was already present in the 1950s; known as the Beat generation. The counterculture gained significant influence in liberal cities such as Berkley and San Francisco. In 1967, Scott McKenzie released his song San Francisco and with this song came rumors of a huge love-in in the summer.This is what fueled the Summer of Love. Leaders of the counterculture in the Haight-Ashbury district were anxious to start planning an event that would fit in with the Summer of Love hype. Their hope was that musicians and other artists would just naturally travel over to the Haight-Ashbury. The Summer of Love would not have been the same without the usage of LSD and marijuana, free love, and the all famous rock and roll music. Drugs seemed to be the way of life for the hippies; they were using all kinds of drugs throughout the decade but the two drugs that were most associated with the Summer of Love were LSD and Marijuana.To the hippies they used the term â€Å"dope† instead of â€Å"drugs† because dope was good; but drugs included both good and bad substances. Miller stated, â€Å"Substances that were perceived as expanding consciousness were good; things which made the user dumb were bad† (Miller 2). Another drug that was used in the Summer of Love was marijuana. It was not as huge as LSD, but it was still used throughout the decade. Marijuana was first introduced in America during the Jazz Age and became one of the central fixtures of the 1960s counterculture.Baugess wrote, â€Å"It was intrinsic to the jazz music scene; many musicians used marijuana for its perceived ability to boost creativity and as a way to find relief from racial oppr ession† (Baugess 400). It grew popular among the blacks and was used to basically boost your creativity. It later became very popular to the beatniks, in which they would later change the meaning of the drug, a way to deepen intellectual understanding and used to rebel against the society. The hippies would use it for the pleasurable side effects, but also to heal the body and soul. Smoking marijuana was an act of rebellion against puritanical Americans.It was known to expand the mind, just like LSD did. Not only did hippies use the drug, but it was also consumed by the political radicals and Vietnam soldiers. Marijuana was grown in plenty in Vietnam and supplied soldiers with a mass of relief from the experience of war. Marijuana left a huge impact on the counterculture; it had a connection to music, musicians like Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, and others would write songs that reflected the centrality of it. The main drug that would be known throughout the Summer of Love and most r ecognizable to the decade would be LSD.This would later be known on the street as â€Å"acid† which was a hallucinogenic drug able to induce altered mental states in its users. LSD was created in a Swiss pharmaceutical laboratory in the 1930s and discovered in 1938 by Swiss chemist, Albert Hoffman. In the decades before, it was used as a treatment drug and alcohol addiction. Miller wrote, â€Å"Also in the Cold War struggles with the Soviet Union (the Central Intelligence Agency monitored early LSD research closely, seeing the chemical as a potential tool for espionage or perhaps for disabling a large enemy population)† (Miller 4).On April 19, 1943, Albert Hoffman synthesized another batch of LSD-25 and created a version that would be able to dissolve in water and had pleasant hallucinations. Later, he had perfect recall of the hallucinations saying that his mind was conscious throughout the experiment. It was created for three main purposes; it was fun, revolutionary, and good for the body and soul. Miller stated, The belief of the hippie was â€Å"If it feels good, then do it so long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else† (Miller 5).Not only was it fun but it also led to the hippies arguing, that it was time for a social revolution, which made it revolutionary because not only did they argue but it would also affect the larger society. The hippies had to learn to tolerate their deviant behaviors. As a West Coast hip author concluded in 1969, â€Å"The government is right in its stand on drugs. They are a definite threat to society†¦Drugs†¦must be ruthlessly suppressed lest the people feel too good† (Miller 5). With all this being said LSD was also a tool that was good for the body and soul which would provide healing and insight.In 1960, Timothy Leary, a Harvard psychology professor, tried LSD and soon would become so enthused by its potential that he lost his job. Timothy Leary described his first trip as the â€Å"mos t shattering experience of my life,† for it â€Å"flipped my consciousness into a dance of energy, where nothing existed except the whirring vibrations and each illusory form was simply a different frequency† (Anderson 259). By 1966, he became a huge star who would advise young adults to take LSD to expand their minds.They accepted his advice and the hippies clung into Leary’s phrase, â€Å"turn on, tune in, and drop out. † The phrase is broken down into three simple segments; â€Å"Turn on† meant to go within yourself. â€Å"Tune in† meant to interact accordingly with the world around you. â€Å"Drop out† meant self-determination and a discovery of one's abnormality. Ken Kesey studied at the University of Oregon and then would enroll into a graduate creative writing program at Stanford University in 1959, which would spark his interest in the San Francisco counterculture.As Ken Kesey would work night shifts at the hospital he had acce ss to the drugs and would perform controlled experiments on himself. LSD was only available through pharmaceutical company, Sandoz in New York. Sinclair wrote, â€Å"Using his homemade laboratory in Berkley; a student named Augustus Owsley Stanley III manufactured what he claimed to be enough LSD for a million and half doses† (Sinclair 200). They became widely known and soon fell to Leary. Owsley would soon become the Pranksters’ chemist, supplying the active ingredient fro Kesey’s organized events called acid tests.These acid tests soon became advertised events in public halls. In January 1966, two thousand people attended one at San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium and the Warlocks (now the Grateful Dead), provided the music and Kesey wired the place with speakers, cameras, and TV screens for them to replay. Leary would become one of the most famous countercultural figures in this era along with Ken Kesey. LSD was a huge part of the spiritual and music s cene of the Summer of Love.There was one church which was Tim Leary’s League for Spiritual Discovery; he wanted to keep his religion pure and aloof from social structures. He described it as evading the law, â€Å"We’re not a religion in the sense of the Methodist Church seeking adherents. We’re a religion in the basic primeval sense of a tribe living together and centered around shared spiritual goals† (Miller 8). Many believed that it spoke of as a sacrament, as Miller stated, â€Å"A sacrament is a covenant between man and God and also any ritual that corporately grows out of that covenant to express it more fully.It can be bread and wine, peyote or mushrooms, cup of tea, LSD, the tobacco used in the sacred pipe whatever is put into the body to connect the world outside with the world within† (Miller 11). This was common a sentiment. Not only was LSD for individual experiences but it was also for religious communities. For example, William C. Sh epherd observed LSD as being a â€Å"sense of social ‘belongingness’† (Miller 13). Which it provided a new basis for group intimacy, and helped maintain and further the intimacy.Some believed there were bad effects of LSD on the people. The bad effects that LSD had on Summer of Love is that people would drink without knowing knowledge of the chemical, but Kesey said he never dosed anyone without their notice. Another was it was used as a means of social control. The ones that loved dope loved its psychic staff of life and the few that did not were not influential at all. Sex was used for the physical pleasure saying free people should be able to express their sexuality as they please. As stated by Miller, â€Å"Sex was fun. Sex was healthy.And this hip approach to sex helped revolutionize attitudes and practices in the nation as a whole† (Miller 25). There were some who saw liberated sexuality as having a larger significance meaning as sacramental sex. Som e felt that sex was best within a context of love and concern for the partner. So for a new sexual ethic, some poised absolute freedom meaning that sex out of love could be better then casual sex. Dope and sex went hand in hand because as stated before dope was good because it enhanced your sexual experience. Dope would help people expand their sexual horizons.As Miller stated, â€Å"Timothy Leary summed up the dope/sex connection: the key energy in our revolution is erotic†¦The sexual revolution is not just part of the atmosphere of freedom that is generating with the kids†¦and central issue of the psychedelic experienced is erotic exhilaration† (Miller 37). Throughout the 1960s, music served as an integral part of the counterculture movement. It was seen to embrace an alternative lifestyle from previous generations and also to protest against war and oppression. Hippies would organize outdoor music festivals across America.The music was based around the reminders of the 60s and the outrage toward the Vietnam War. Some of this popular music represented a direct protest of the war and also reflect the desire for peace and love. Rock and roll was just as important as dope and sex were. Rock music was what the hippies lived and breathed and was the most important musical form. Even though it was based around rock, Miller stated, â€Å"Folk music was the music of the cultural rebellion until around 1966, when the Beatles began to take on mythic significance as interpreters of the culture, new specifically hip rock bands† (Miller 42).Some of the earliest acid rock bands are the Grateful Dead, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Country Joe and the Fish, Big Brother, and Janis Joplin. There were many festivals that took place in the 1960s like Woodstock which was in 1969, but it was not as organized and peaceful as the Monterey Pop Festival. The Monterey Pop Festival was one of the biggest events of its time and it helped launch the careers of seve ral major rock artists, including Janis Joplin, Country Joe and the Fish, Otis Redding, and others.Sinclair said, â€Å"Monterey has come to be viewed by many as the seminal rock festival of the early hippie era† (Sinclair 210). It was a festival that took place over a three-day period that started on June 16 through June 18, 1967, in Monterey, California, at the Monterey Fairgrounds. There were more than 30 acts lined up, 90,000 attendees, and perfect weather. They had a projection room, shops and booths, and Owsley supplied a new batch of LSD which was called Monterey Purple. The organizers wanted to create an atmosphere that produced the â€Å"peace and love† ideas that was popular in the music and to be taken seriously.This was the first major festival of the rock era, and it went down in history as the most peaceful and well-organized event of its time. It was also significant in that it offered a number of acts that would soon become famous in America. For three days they all lived together and out of all this they did not have any major problems that came up; the Monterey Pop Festival was the high point of the 1967 Summer of Love. Baugess stated, â€Å"Filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker recorded the event and produced a very popular documentary that brought the music and personalities of the festival into theaters across America† (Bauges 439).There were a lot of the acts who refused to get filmed but Janis Joplin’s manager talked her and her group into being filmed and soon a star would be born. One in particular was Janis Joplin. Janis Joplin was the most important female singer of the counterculture. Whether she meant to or not her rebellious example expanded artistic and professional possibilities for women. Baugess wrote, â€Å"The hippie scene of 1967 provided the perfect context for Joplin’s rebelliousness, talent, and unique charisma to flourish, and Big Brother became one of the favorite Haight-Ashbury bands† (B augess 328).Their appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival opened doors for them, but especially for Joplin, she became the star, to where she was signed by Columbia Records as a result of her appearance at the festival making it her first major performance. Her emergence as a famous symbol of the â€Å"youth culture† put pressure on her band so she left Big Brother and went on to pursue her own music. She goes down in history as a huge iconic figure of rock-and-roll music, along with Jim Morrison of The Doors and others.Another huge singer of the counterculture and a big part of the Monterey Pop Festival was Joseph McDonald soon to be known as â€Å"Country Joe and the Fish. † He was born on New Year’s Day in 1942 and was named after the Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin. He would spend most of his time playing music in different bands. Baugess wrote, â€Å"His songwriting became the center of a group that manifested, variously, as a songwriter’s workshop, a magazine, a protest group, a jug band, and finally a rock band called Country Joe and the Fish† (Baugess 411).At first the band only consisted of McDonald and the guitarist, Barry Melton, which was â€Å"the Fish,† and then they would add other musicians if needed. The formation of the band was because of Joe’s enterprising spirit and his spirit of protest. Their first record, â€Å"I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag,† was a satirical song about the Vietnam War which Joe self-produced and would go down in history as one of the most recognizable songs of the antiwar movement. His music was captured by the college campuses and 1965; they performed at the Berkley campus.Later in 1966, they acquired a manager, Ed Denson, and from that point they focused on becoming a folk-rock band. Their manager, Denson, created the band’s name which was referred to communist politics. For example, â€Å"Country Joe† was the popular word at the ti me of World War II for Joseph Stalin and â€Å"the Fish† refers to Mao Zedong’s saying â€Å"that likens communist revolutionaries to fish who swim in a sea of peasants† (Baugess 411). The band changed over the years but McDonald stayed lead vocals and Melton stayed as lead guitar.They grew popular among Berkley and San Francisco and also still remained regulars on college campuses. In December 1966, they signed a recording contract with Vanguard Records and their first two records were on Billboard’s album charts for two years. When they performed on stage, their performance included a light show that was on a screen so they could create a psychedelic experience. In the summer of 1967, they toured the East Coast and in 1968, toured Europe and also released a third album. Their fourth album was released a year later, 1969.The song â€Å"Fixin’-to-Die-Rag† really became popular after they starred in two musical events, Monterey Pop Festival i n 1967 and Woodstock in 1969. Soon after the song became the anthem of the anti-Vietnam War movement. â€Å"Fixin’-to-Die-Rag† had black humor and sarcasm and the chorus mocked the war’s justification and voiced coldness about it. So, before they played their trademark song, they would spell out an F-I-S-H cheer, but instead in summer of 1968, their cheer had â€Å"U-C-K† because they were provoking the antiwar movement’s rebelliousness of convention.Their edgy style disaffected the mainstream. By 1970, Joe and Barry took on solo careers. Joe kept on playing at large antiwar presentations. Country Joe mixed together satire, irreverence, and political commitment. Another popular musician of the counterculture was the Jimi Hendrix Experience. He joined the Army at 17 and after being discharged in the early 1960s; he joined the Isly Brothers and Little Richard and performed on â€Å"chitin’ circuit. † He left them in 1966 for the emergen t countercultural rock and roll of the East Village.Here he performed as Jimmy James and the Blue Flames; he then agreed to go to England where the Jimi Hendrix Experience was formed. On bass was Noel Redding, drums was played by Mitch Mitchell and Hendrix mashed together some influences from the blues like B. B. King and others. Curtis Mayfield was the guitarist and â€Å"Hendrix incorporated the style of English guitar emanating from the likes of Cream, the Who, and Jeff Beck† (Baugess 292). His group became hugely popular and was recommended by Paul McCartney of the Beatles, helped the Jimi Hendrix Experience a spot in the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967.From the exposure of the festival it gave the band four years of stardom and they released three records; â€Å"Are You experienced? (1967), Axis: Bold as Love (1967), and the double LP Electric Ladyland (1968)† ( Baugess 292). Hendrix was set aside from the other rock groups because of the use of transcended rac e the â€Å"white† world of rock and â€Å"black† world of blues and rhythm. Baugess stated, â€Å"While Hendrix’s management coded the combination of African American musical traditions and psychedelia as â€Å"white† in the press, his work entered the R Billboard charts† (Baugess 292). He died on September 18, 1970 of drug complications.

Confucianism, Legalism, and Daoism Essay

Confucianism, Legalism, and Daoism are the three main philosophies of the Chinese people. They have been the most influential and widely taught philosophies of the Chinese for many centuries. This essay will reveal the history of each philosophy’s origin, and will reveal the main characteristics of each respected area. Confucianism began as the thoughts and ideas of a man named Confucius who lived at around 500 B.C. It is interesting to note this was around the same time Buddha was supposedly alive. Confucian was not a prophet, and had little to say about gods, death, or the afterlife. He developed instead three concepts of living that formed the basis of his philosophy. First, every person should accept an assigned role in society and perform the duties of that role. Second, the government should be virtuous. Finally, only well-educated and extremely virtuous officials should be appointed to run the government. According to legend, Confucius worked as a minister in his native province of Shandong. It is said that in a less than a year, almost all crime was gone. However, after this it is said nearby emperors became jealous and forced him to retire. For the rest of his years he educated people on the ways of his teaching and stirred thought into the minds of many. Daoism was thought to be founded by a man named Laozi that lived around 500 B.C. Daoism can be defined by its root word Dao meaning â€Å"Way of Nature†. Laozi viewed Dao as the indescribable force that governed the universe and nature. Laozi believed that people should not strive for riches or power, but rather should try to bring themselves into harmony with Dao by being peacefully quieted, thoughtful, and humble. Unlike Confucius, Laozi shunned politics and advised people not to get involved in public affairs. Daoism mainly influenced artists and peasants because artists were encouraged by Dao and began expressing themselves in a better manner. Peasants began to believe in the philosophy because it dealt with nature and its natural forces. Confucianism and Daoism simply filled in what the other lacked in certain areas. Legalism, another form of philosophy, also concerned itself with politics. The teachings, however, differed greatly then that of Confucianism. Legalists believed in power, not virtue, and in harsh forms pf punishment. Legalists viewed people as selfish and untrustworthy. It was believed that threatening people was the only way to achieve peace and prosperity in society. The emperor Shi Huangdi of the Qin Dynasty followed the Legalist method. The Qin Dynasty became powerful but was short-lived mainly because of its cruel punishment and laws. It was believed that the yin and yang was not balanced enough during this time. Overall, I think all three of these philosophies are well developed and each has their good and bad. For this reason, many people understandably combined more than one of the three philosophies in an attempt to even out their lifestyle. All three are worthy philosophies and each deserves a certain amount of respect. I believe that because of the great principles each is built on, and the flexibility within each sector, the three philosophies will live in for a very long time and will be passed on from generation to generation forever.

Guns, Germs, and Steel Study Guide

AP World History Summer Reading Assignment Guns, Germs, and Steel Chapter 1: Up to the Starting Line Q: What was the Great Leap Forward? Describe the life of a Cro-Magnon person. What impact did the arrival of humans have on big animals? Provide an example. Which continent had a head start in 11,000 BCE (Before Common Era)? A: the great leap forward was when human history first began to take off and the humans at that time began to become more like us modern humans today. The humans that were most similar to modern humans were called Cro-Magnon. Cro-Magnons were hunter-gatherers and they exceeded in that area.They produced diverse tools with distinct shapes that are easily identified with modern tools. The Cro-Magnons were very advanced compared to early humans and this showed in their tools and the fact that they not only made tools of stone, but also bone. Around the arrival of humans it was said to be that many large animals became extinct and many believe humans were to blame. We ather it was because humans directly killed the large animals for food, or if they did it indirectly through their actions to the surrounding environment, that is still being debated.There are many examples of large animals becoming extinct that can be given, such as the common one the wooly mammoth. Now, the Cro-Magnons were like most modern humans and were very advanced compared to other humans on other continents, but is it because they are from the continent of Africa? The author states that in 11,000 BCE Africa was the one continent that had a head start because it is the continent where humans began to first develop. Chapter 3: Collision at Cajamarca Q: Write a paragraph explaining your views on the event of November 16, 1532.What strikes you the most? Why was Pizarro so successful? A: On the event of November 16, 1532 conquistador Francisco Pizarro and his army of only 168 men more than attacked the Inca town of Cajamarca, populating about 80,000 people. They slaughtered them . In this chapter it tells of how undefeated Pizarro and his army are. My views on Pizarro is he is a smart man considering his strategies used in battle. The author tells how Pizarro had only a dozen guns and how he used them more in a psychological way than physically to kill.What strikes me the most is how Pizarro and his men killed 80,000 Indians when there was only 168 of them and not one of his men were harmed. It says how they would fire the guns and it would scare and panic the Indians and that close to all Indians were killed by swords and daggers. I find this strategy really wise and I think it is a part of why Pizarro was so successful in conquering and defeating others. Chapter 4: Farmer Power Q: Write a paragraph explaining the chart. Do you agree with the authors conclusions? What advantages are gained by being the first to domesticate animals?A: The chart in this chapter is explaining the factors that allow some people to overcome others. For example, the factor of ha ving domesticated animals and plants allowed epidemics and diseases. However, at the same time domestic animals and plants provided sustainable food. I agree with the author’s conclusion and the chart because it is true that something good and beneficial may also cause harm. On the note of having domesticated animals and plants, to many it gave them an advantage. It allowed, like I said before, sustainable food.That food source enabled many to be fed and it led to tows being built. With that food supply, it also led to army being built to protect that food supply and town. As for the domesticated animals they helped for food as well and for example, animals such as horses would help give an advantage to soldiers in war. Domesticated animals and plants acted as a strong base that allowed further growth and development. Chapter 8: Apples or Indians Q: Why was the Fertile Crescent predisposed to have such a potent head star in so many areas of development: writing, cities, and e mpires?What reason does the author give for cannibalism in New Guinea? A: The Fertile Crescent had a head star in many areas of development. The reason being, it’s many advantages. The Fertile Crescent had advantages such as, good climate, natural crops that grow there, and its wide range of altitude. The Fertile Crescent having these advantages allowed people to settle there. Just like domesticated plants and animals acted as a base for people, the Fertile Crescent did the same. Using it as a base people then began building up owns to cities to eventually empires and having the ability to write. However, the people of New Guinea were not as luck. They were no good at hunting and gathering and were not very lucky in finding fertile ground to farm. According to author, James Diamond, due to protein starvation the people of New Guinea turned to cannibalism. Chapter 9: Zebras, Unhappy Marriages, and the Anna Karenina Principal Q: Identify and define the Ancient Fourteen. What is domestication? Which animals most helped Eurasians?A: The Ancient Fourteen is a list of â€Å"big† animals that were domesticated before the 20th century. 9 of the 14 are not common animals and are only found in certain parts of the world. They are referred to as the Minor 9 and those animals are the Arabian camel, the Bactrian camel, llama/alpaca, donkey, reindeer, water buffalo, yak, banteng, and gaur. The 5 left over animals from the list are the most important and common of the ancient 14. Those 5 animals are cows, sheep, goats, horses, and pigs.All of these animals were domesticated and that means they were tamed to accentuate traits that are beneficial to humans. Domesticated animals diverged from their wild ancestors and are different in ways such as size, appearance, and behavior. Eurasia’s large ecological diversity and land mass helped them to be able to domesticate animals. Those domesticated animals helped them out a lot like horse, pigs, water buffalo, ya k, gaur, banteg, and auroch. Chapter 10: Spacious Skies and Tilted Axis Q: Why did people who lived on an east-west become the world’s conquerors?What was it about the Americas and Africa that put these two continents at a developmental disadvantage? A: As talked about in previous chapters the Fertile Crescent is just as it is called, fertile. Due to the Fertile Crescent being fertile, it allowed crops to grow in a surplus and therefore, the people there were able to develop much quicker than others. The Fertile Crescent is located on an east-west axis and lands along the east-west axis tend to have the same day length and seasonal variations. They also have in common, similar diseases, temperature, rainfall, and habitat.With that said, the crops from the Fertile Crescent expanded along the east-west axis allowing what happened to the Fertile Crescent to of happen to the rest of the east-west axis and it is also what allowed the east-west axis to become the world’s con querors. The east-west axis is very consistent and it differs from the north-south axis. Unlike the east-west axis, the north-south axis does not share similar things such as seasonal changes and day length. That makes it harder for a crop that has already developed, for example, to the north, to be moved to the south or vice versa.This factor right here gave the Americas and Africa, two continents on the north south axis, a developmental disadvantage. Chapter 16: How China Became Chinese Q: Why was China able to dominate East Asia? A: It first began with language. In China, they are 8 â€Å"big† or main languages spoken. As the Chinese began to spread to South China and throughout Asia they became vigorous in converting other ethnic groups’ languages and forced then to abandon their native tongue. Basically, the Chinese thought their language was superior and others were inferior.Then, China began to influence others with their production of food. China had a head sta rt on food production compared to others and was first to domesticate a lot of things over there, such as pigs. Another popular item that was produced by the Chinese that spread was rice. A main factor that allowed China to dominate East Asia along with food and language was their writing system. That was a big step that allowed them to advance. It was a single well-attested writing system and it was perfect enough to replace any other systems being use in China at the time.

Research: Decision Theory and Pilot Testing

Chapter 4 Terms in Review 1. Some questions are answerable by research and others are not. Using some management problems of your choosing, distinguish between them. When management wants to find out which method of a production process is the most efficient in terms of operational productivity we can use research to provide usable results. When management wants to know if now is a good time to take on debt for equipment upgrades is, research may not be able to provide usable results.Due to the extensive number of variables affecting financing decisions research will likely not be able to assist in this decision. The current market conditions, economy, interest rates, industry competition, and many other items require a type of analysis that research can not provide. 2. Discuss the problems of trading off exploration and pilot testing under tight budgetary constraints. What are the immediate and long-term effects? The text discussed that often pilot testing is not done to both reduce costs and also to reduce the total research time.Not conducting pilot testing can then immediately progress the research process or reduce the total cost of the research but it can possibly have negative long-term effects. By not conducting pilot testing your research results may suffer because the proper information is not being gathered. A pilot test often provides indication of problems with the data gathering process. There may also be an overall increased cost with no additional benefit when no pilot testing has been completed.The pilot test can not only indicate incorrect information be gathered but can also provide some indication as to whether the proper research questions have been asked. When the research questions being asked do not answer the true management questions then the conducted research will be useless. Useless research is a wasted expense. Pilot testing can indicate whether more in-depth research is required thus providing a possible cost reduction or a better justification for proceeding with a higher cost project. 3.A company is experiencing a poor inventory management situation and receives alternative research proposals. Proposal 1 is to use an audit of last year’s transactions as a basis for recommendations. Proposal 2 is to study and recommend changes to the procedures and system used by the materials department. Discuss issues of evaluation in terms of (a) Ex post facto versus prior evaluation, and (b) Evaluation using option analysis and decision theory. Both of these proposals are going to be quite difficult to evaluate.The need of the research will determine which method will be followed. Ex post factor or after-the-fact evaluation will determine the total cost of each proposal after the research studies are completed. This makes it quite difficult to determine whether the research is providing enough benefit to make it worthwhile until after the cost has been incurred. Thus for either of these systems it may be a better decision to proceed with a prior or interim evaluation method.Under this method the research is designed in stages and an ex post facto evaluation is performed at the end of each stage. Then a determination is made deciding if enough benefit has been generated to proceed to the next stage thus allowing management to get results while also controlling cost. Option analysis may also be used to evaluate the two proposed studies. With option analysis the studies are designed in a very explicit manner thus allowing an organization to compare estimated costs (based on prior research approximations) versus an expected benefit.Management will then select one proposal over another depending on the cost benefit ratio and current need. Decision theory allows management to make decisions based on defined criteria. Each criterion consists of a decision rule and a decision variable. The selection process then consists of analysis determining which proposal either increases the decision variable or which follows the decision rule. This information is considered with a choice being determined by the rules and current management need.

Proposal to Reduce Pollution in Phoenix, Arizona Essay

Proposal to Reduce Pollution in Phoenix, Arizona - Essay Example Improved roads will reduce bottlenecks along with a controllable and smooth traffic. Nonetheless, this measure in road improvement must also be implemented and integrated with improving traffic safety and encouraging the community to participate in reducing air pollution. In addition, the project will also include the construction of bicycle and motorcycle lanes, and sidewalks for those who prefer to walk. As an integrated project with road improvement, the community will be encouraged to alter their transportation practices in order to lessen the traffic in the city. Also, it will reduce air pollution because of the lesser carbon emission (Faiz, Weaver, & Walsh, 1996). Furthermore, some of the most common point sources or fix air pollutants are power plants, chemical producing factories, and wood and pulp factories (Kibble & Harrison, 2005). Legislation on the maximum permissible carbon emission of these companies is one of the aims of this proposal. Also, in order to eradicate or l essen the pollution in the city, companies will be given a specific time-frame in order to alter its production process into a more energy efficient manufacturing process. In addition, the establishment of urban forestry in the city will help in the pollution control coming from vehicles and manufacturing plants. Also, these areas will also help in the regulating the heat in the city, which will then reduce the usage of air conditioning units. These proposals must be researched and properly studied more prior to any plans for implementation.

Supporting a difficult point Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Supporting a difficult point - Essay Example Performance anxiety over fixed tests and graded assignments inhibits high level thinking among students. Grading system usually associated with lot of projects, assignments and seminars. Since student’s performance will be rated in all of the above while deciding the grades, students will much tensed and they will not get opportunities for mental relaxation. The mental fatigue will be crucial factor associated with such projects and assignments. I know certain students engaged in getting the assignments done by others in order to reduce their work load. This habit will actually against the principles of the grading system. Students will learn nothing from such assignments done by others. The anxiety over grades will prevent students from developing as intellectual abilities. Students will concentrate more on their grades rather than anything else. Grades will create discrimination feeling among the students. Those who have secured ‘A’ grade will treat the ‘B’ or ‘C’ grade people as fools. This will result in, students losing interest in their studies and the classes. This inferiority will create desperations and frustrations among them. I know two persons who are teaching in a college. Both of them are teaching the same subject, but students are interested in the lecture classes of one more than the other. Interestingly the lecturer, whose classes labeled as boring by the students, secured much higher grades than the other lecturer during his studies. It clearly showed that grading system is not at all a reflection of abilities or intellectual level. In most of the universities grading will be done in a biased manner. Professors will have likes and dislikes upon certain students and while doing the internal assessment they will consider all such things. I have twice victimized while studying for my Bachelor course and Post Graduation course. During my Post Graduation studies one