Chickens

As our society continues to advance, our technology does too. One of the most recent inventions of the food system are GMOs .GMOs are organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These genetically modified organisms are seen to have both negative and positive effects in our society.One of the many examples of genetically modified animals are chickens. The main effect that chickens have on humans is the amount of chemicals are put inside them affects the human system. According to an online article written by Ultius , there is a bacteria that was created in the early 1900s that makes the chickens grow at a faster rate in order for companies to produce more chicken products at a faster and lower cost. The effects of these decisions were not studied early on, however, as time went on we have seen that there is a rise for health defects that are brought on because of these bacterias being placed inside chickens. Our bodies were made to intake natural ingredients, now these ingredients are no longer found in any of the food we intake. There has been studies that show that our food is one of the biggest causes of cancer. A documentary titled â€Å"What the Health†speaks of the truth that is hidden from the consumer about their food. In the documentary a young man goes on a journey to bring light into the issues that go on with our food. He later finds that many of the government associations that are meant to be supporting healthy eating are instead promoting it. Because GMOs help animals grow faster, the producer is able to make more money off the product in a faster rate. Although, we often don't want to accept it most of the things in life are businesses; even feeding people. We would rather feed people something that can make them sick or hurt them if it means these big companies are Martinez 3making more money for it. The business of GMOs has grown so big throughout the world that it is very rare and expensive to buy organic food because there not enough people supporting the idea behind local-GMO-free farms. This isn't only bad for the humans health but for the chickens. Chickens size in 1957 used to be 905 grams but now they have increased up to 4,202 grams which is about 9.2 pounds , chickens die because of their size and can't walk without getting tired or resting. They feed chickens so they could have bigger breast. Chickens are mistreated, they are put in a tight cage that they don't even fit in, this has cause them to break their legs because they are to big to fit in that cage. Chickens aren't the ones that are getting modified but the crops are. The chickens may also include viruses and bacteria.when they feed the chickens the crops contain chemicals which is not safe. Although there are many negatives to genetically modified chickens there can also be positive impacts to our society because of this animals. According to Techrepublic this doesn't only help grow more food but it has a positive impact on economies, and social perspective. This doesn't only benefit humans but it also helps to stop the H5N1 which is a bird flu. Since the chickens are bigger and help give us more food it helps humans to consume. When you go to the store to buy chicken their breast are bigger than usual so you get to eat more . Since the crops that they feed to chickens are modified it's more environmentally-friendly that results in more sustainable food product and Genetically modified crops require less fertilizer and fewer pesticides. There's not that many benefits for the chickens but there's a really huge advantages for the farmers and consumers. The genetically modified Chickens help farmers make more money because they spend less money producing more food. This also helps out companies/ Martinez 4 restaurants. For example KFC , their chicken had been modified because when you get their.chicken breast they are the size of your hand, but we get more food out of it and even get leftovers so we could eat that later again and save some money. So this also helps benefit us because not only do we get more food but it helps our environment and makes it look beautiful and healthy , it contributes to the sustaining of better air and water quality. There are many Pros and Cons about this issue. For us students at Olympian High School this issue is being talked about everywhere in school. The senior class is reading † Farm Sanctuary† a book written by activist and owner of a non-profit organization that focuses on raising awareness for the abuse of animals and the GMOs being used in our food. My sister is currently a senior and is also part of the Common Senior Experience committee, she has told me about meeting Gene Baur, the author of the book. As our society advances problems start to come up more and more; now more than ever is this issue being talked about. The main cause of diseases now comes from our own choice. Big organizations continue to tell us that we have to be careful with what we eat, however, many people don't have the resources to do so. Organic and GMO-free food is expensive and often hard to find in everyday grocery stores. Even as children we have a hard time eating healthy because many of us do not get to decide what we eat because our parents make it for us and we have no choice in whether we want to eat it or not. There are many negative parts to this issue, but maybe if we were given simple solutions that everyone, no matter their social status could use, we could eat better and also help the animals. Gene Baur suggested growing a garden outside you home with fresh fruits and vegetables; although, doing this is a lot of work the benefits outweigh the cost. Starting a garden can help Martinez 5you get free healthy food that does not harm the animals. There isn't a big price tag that comes along with it either, buying seeds from stores costs as much as 79 cents. People can take different stands on the issue and solutions are very hard to find especially since this has become such a natural thing in our environment, but nothing is impossible to do. In conclusion Genetically modified organisms are one of the most advanced technology in the world. GMOs not only have negative but also positive impact in people, farmers, environment and chickens.This is a big issue in society that is affecting everyone that has both negative and positive impacts. Source cited: â€Å"The Dangers Of Eating Genetically Modified Chickens† By Dante, Published september 11 2014.https://www.ultius.com/ultius-blog/entry/the-dangers-of-eating-genetically-modified-chicken.html†Why Have Chickens Quadrupled In Size Since The 1950s?† By Melissa Cronin, Published October 7, 2014. https://www.thedodo.com/bigger-chickens-breed-select-754013461.html†Genetically Modified Chickens† By Seattle Organic Restaurants.http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-foods/genetically-modified-chickens/. â€Å"Farm Sanctuary† Gene Boura GMO Essay Galilea Martinez 2/17/2018Mr.DavisPeriod 6 Martinez 2As our society continues to advance, our technology does too. One of the most recent inventions of the food system are GMOs .GMOs are organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These genetically modified organisms are seen to have both negative and positive effects in our society.One of the many examples of genetically modified animals are chickens. The main effect that chickens have on humans is the amount of chemicals are put inside them affects the human system. According to an online article written by Ultius , there is a bacteria that was created in the early 1900s that makes the chickens grow at a faster rate in order for companies to produce more chicken products at a faster and lower cost. The effects of these decisions were not studied early on, however, as time went on we have seen that there is a rise for health defects that are brought on because of these bacterias being placed inside chickens. Our bodies were made to intake natural ingredients, now these ingredients are no longer found in any of the food we intake. There has been studies that show that our food is one of the biggest causes of cancer. A documentary titled â€Å"What the Health†speaks of the truth that is hidden from the consumer about their food. In the documentary a young man goes on a journey to bring light into the issues that go on with our food. He later finds that many of the government associations that are meant to be supporting healthy eating are instead promoting it. Because GMOs help animals grow faster, the producer is able to make more money off the product in a faster rate. Although, we often don't want to accept it most of the things in life are businesses; even feeding people. We would rather feed people something that can make them sick or hurt them if it means these big companies are Martinez 3making more money for it. The business of GMOs has grown so big throughout the world that it is very rare and expensive to buy organic food because there not enough people supporting the idea behind local-GMO-free farms. This isn't only bad for the humans health but for the chickens. Chickens size in 1957 used to be 905 grams but now they have increased up to 4,202 grams which is about 9.2 pounds , chickens die because of their size and can't walk without getting tired or resting. They feed chickens so they could have bigger breast. Chickens are mistreated, they are put in a tight cage that they don't even fit in, this has cause them to break their legs because they are to big to fit in that cage. Chickens aren't the ones that are getting modified but the crops are. The chickens may also include viruses and bacteria.when they feed the chickens the crops contain chemicals which is not safe. Although there are many negatives to genetically modified chickens there can also be positive impacts to our society because of this animals. According to Techrepublic this doesn't only help grow more food but it has a positive impact on economies, and social perspective. This doesn't only benefit humans but it also helps to stop the H5N1 which is a bird flu. Since the chickens are bigger and help give us more food it helps humans to consume. When you go to the store to buy chicken their breast are bigger than usual so you get to eat more . Since the crops that they feed to chickens are modified it's more environmentally-friendly that results in more sustainable food product and Genetically modified crops require less fertilizer and fewer pesticides. There's not that many benefits for the chickens but there's a really huge advantages for the farmers and consumers. The genetically modified Chickens help farmers make more money because they spend less money producing more food. This also helps out companies/ Martinez 4 restaurants. For example KFC , their chicken had been modified because when you get their.chicken breast they are the size of your hand, but we get more food out of it and even get leftovers so we could eat that later again and save some money. So this also helps benefit us because not only do we get more food but it helps our environment and makes it look beautiful and healthy , it contributes to the sustaining of better air and water quality. There are many Pros and Cons about this issue. For us students at Olympian High School this issue is being talked about everywhere in school. The senior class is reading † Farm Sanctuary† a book written by activist and owner of a non-profit organization that focuses on raising awareness for the abuse of animals and the GMOs being used in our food. My sister is currently a senior and is also part of the Common Senior Experience committee, she has told me about meeting Gene Baur, the author of the book. As our society advances problems start to come up more and more; now more than ever is this issue being talked about. The main cause of diseases now comes from our own choice. Big organizations continue to tell us that we have to be careful with what we eat, however, many people don't have the resources to do so. Organic and GMO-free food is expensive and often hard to find in everyday grocery stores. Even as children we have a hard time eating healthy because many of us do not get to decide what we eat because our parents make it for us and we have no choice in whether we want to eat it or not. There are many negative parts to this issue, but maybe if we were given simple solutions that everyone, no matter their social status could use, we could eat better and also help the animals. Gene Baur suggested growing a garden outside you home with fresh fruits and vegetables; although, doing this is a lot of work the benefits outweigh the cost. Starting a garden can help Martinez 5you get free healthy food that does not harm the animals. There isn't a big price tag that comes along with it either, buying seeds from stores costs as much as 79 cents. People can take different stands on the issue and solutions are very hard to find especially since this has become such a natural thing in our environment, but nothing is impossible to do. In conclusion Genetically modified organisms are one of the most advanced technology in the world. GMOs not only have negative but also positive impact in people, farmers, environment and chickens. This is a big issue in society that is affecting everyone that has both negative and positive impacts. Source citedâ€Å"The Dangers Of Eating Genetically Modified Chickens† By Dante, Published september 11 2014.https://www.ultius.com/ultius-blog/entry/the-dangers-of-eating-genetically-modified-chicken.htmlâ€Å"Why Have Chickens Quadrupled In Size Since The 1950s?† By Melissa Cronin, Published October 7, 2014. https://www.thedodo.com/bigger-chickens-breed-select-754013461.htmlâ€Å"Genetically Modified Chickens† By Seattle Organic Restaurants.http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-foods/genetically-modified-chickens/.â€Å"Farm Sanctuary† Gene Boura GMO Essay Galilea Martinez 2/17/2018Mr.DavisPeriod 6

Renaissance and Reformation

Renaissance and Reformation Test Humanism- Classical texts from the Greek and Roman culture lead to humanism. Humanism focused on human potential and achievements. People stopped worrying about Christian teachings. Influenced artists and architects. History, Literature, and Philosophy are humanities subjects. Secular- People became concerned with the here and now Predestination- Calling's book/doctrine; Institutes of the Christian Religion states that everyone is sinful by nature and God has known from the beginning who he will save. Council of Trend- Pope Paul Ill 4th step toward reform was to call a great council of hurt leaders to Trend.Catholic Bishops and Cardinals agreed on several doctrines: 1) Church interpretation of the bible was final anyone who substituted there ideas was a heretic 2) Christians need faith and good works for salvation 3) The Bible and church traditions were both as powerful for guidance 4)luncheons were valid expressions of faith Annul- Divorce was not al lowed however the pope could annul the mirage which meaner to find proof that the mirage was never legal in the first place Recant-to take back a statement you made about something Indulgence- you pay money for an indulgence and it will take away our sin Patron-Popes who beautified the cities by spending large amounts of money 95 thesis- Luther wrote 95 theses that he thought the church should change which lead to reformation- a movement for religious reform. His teaching had 3 main ideas: 1) People could win salvation by ONLY with faith in god, the church taught that faith and â€Å"good workers† were needed for salvation 2) All church teachings should be based on the bible.The pope and church traditions were false authorities 3) All people with faith were equal therefore people didn't need priests to interpret the bible for them Edict of Worms- King Charles declared Luther of an outlaw and heretic, no one was supposed to give him food or shelter and his books were to be bur ned. However Prince Frederick gave him shelter in a castle and people began to follow his sayings; priests wore regular clothes and called themselves misters, led service in German not Latin and some ministers married, which created a new religious group called the Lutheran instead of seeking reforms against the Catholic Church.Protestant- A Christian who is not Catholic Peace of Suburbs- German princes decided if there state would be catholic or rottenest Act of Supremacy- English act of Parliament that recognized Henry VIII as the â€Å"Supreme Head† of the Church of England not the pope Anabaptist- Believed that people shouldn't be baptized into the Christian faith as children because they were not old enough to decide if they wanted to be Christian; taught that the church and the state should be separate, and they refused to fight wars.Viewing Anabaptists as radicals who threatened society both Catholics and Protestants persecuted them Peasants Revolt-peasants were excite d by Lather's revolutionary ideas and demanded an end to serfdom. The revolt horrified Luther so Luther wrote a pamphlet urging the German Princes to show no mercy, the army crushed the revolt massacring over 100,000 people. Feeling betrayed by Luther many peasants rejected his religious leadership.However through his writings he remained influential People Igniting of Loyola- Catholic reformer, wrote the Spiritual Exercises that laid out a day by day plan of meditation, prayer, and study. The pope made Igniting a religious order called the Society of Jesus Members were called Jesuits- concentrated on 3 ideas: 1) Founded schools throughout Europe. 2) Convert non-Christians toCatholicism 2) Stop Protestantism from spreading Johann Gutenberg- Reinvented movable type and the printing press- machine that presses paper against a tray full of inked movable type created the first completed bible called the Gutenberg Bible Johann Tested- Was raising money to rebuild SST. Pewter's Cathedral in Rome, he did this by selling indulgences, he gave the impression that by buying indulgences you could buy your way to heaven Martin Luther: Against Tested for selling indulgences Wrote 95 thesis attacking â€Å"Pardon Merchants† Believed you can only win salvation through faith and forgiveness of GodExcommunicated by Pope Leo X Charles V issued the Edict of Worms declaring Luther as a heretic, but Prince Frederick sheltered him in a castle Translated the New Testament to German Lutheran were his followers John Calvin: Wrote Institutes of the Christian Religion which expressed ideas about God, salvation, and human nature Called the few people that God chooses to save the â€Å"elect†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ God has known since the beginning of time who will be saved-predestination Calvinist Ruled Geneva, Switzerland with theocracy (government ruled by religious leaders) Geneva was a city of high moral because of how strict he wasHenry VIII: Married to Catherine of Argon and has a dau ghter named Mary but wants a divorce so he can have a son to be the heir to the throne Pope refused to annul his marriage so he called together a session with the reformation Parliament and asked to pass a set of laws that ended the pope's power in England Act of Supremacy made the king the head of the Church of England, not the pope Closed monasteries and increased total power Anne had a daughter named Elizabeth so he imprisoned her in a tower and beheaded her 3rd wife gave him his son, Edward Erasmus:Christian humanist from Holland who wrote The Praise of Folly which made fun of greedy merchants, heartsick lovers, quarrelsome scholars, and pompous priests Believes in Christianity of the heart Wrote in Latin In order to improve society, all people should study the Bible Catherine of Argon- Married to Henry VII never had a boy so Henry wanted to annul the marriage at first the pope said no because she did not want to offend the Holy Roman Empire Charles V but later after Henry VII p ut in the Act of Supremacy- Made the English King the head of church not the pope the marriage was annulled Pope Leo X- excommunicated Luther after 95 thesis Artists: Donated- Made sculptures more realistic by carving natural postures and expressions carved the statue David Leonardo De Vinci- Artistic scientist, painted Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, A True â€Å"Renaissance Man† Raphael- Learned from Leonardo De Vinci and Michelangelo, Painted the walls of Julius II Library, Painted School of Athens, conveys the classical literature of the Renaissance and shows classical and Renaissance figures together Michelangelo- Sculpted David second, glorified the human body and explored Renaissance theme of human potential, minted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Scientific artist, true â€Å"Renaissance man† Jan Van Check- Italian Renaissance, Oil-based Paintings very realistic Writers: Machiavelli- Wrote The Prince which said a prince must be strong as a lion and shrewd as a fox, he might have to trick his enemy's and even his own people for the good of the state, he was not concerned with the morally right but with the politically effective Castigation-published The Courtier with the help of Aviators Cologne Sir Thomas Moore- Christian Humanists, he was concerned with society's flaws, wrote Utopia about an imaginary land inhabited by a peace-loving people.In Greek Utopia meaner â€Å"no place† but in English it has come to mean ideal place because of Mores book Vocal Perspective- AD art Vernacular- Native language Anglican- Anglican Church= only legal Church of England Elizabeth was head of Church Presbyterian-Followers of John Knox; he was a preacher from Scotland whom spread the teaching of John Calvin and made Calvinist Scotland official religion Catholic Reformation- Helping Catholics remain loyal to the church Questions: The Renaissance began in Italy because of thriving cities, a wealthy merchant class, and the classical heritage of Gree ce and Rome. England lagged behind because of the bubonic plague and the 100 years' war.A perfect Renaissance Man- Charming, witty, well-educated, Dance, sing, play music, write poetry, skilled rider, wrestler, swordsman, self-controlled Northern vs.. Southern Renaissance Art: Northern: Focused only on Religion; about landscapes and the lifestyles of people Southern: more secular; Greek and Roman mythologies, about gods and goddesses Catholic Reformation took steps like having the Society of Jesus, Jesuits, and the Council of Trend to address the Protestant Reformation 4 movements that made up the Reformation: . 3. 4. What changes did this bring to Europe? Of Prohibited books- Institutes of Christian Religion- Index Sarandon- Patriarch- Velasquez- What city was the center of the Renaissance? Florence, Italy What type of art was the focus of the Renaissance?Realism (sometimes using Biblical scenes) The merchant family named Renaissance. Medici was important at the beginning of the Wh o led the split away from the Catholic Church in England? Henry VIII Why did England split from the church? The King wanted a male heir so he needed to divorce his wife What country did the Protestant reformation start in? Germany (Martin Luther in Wattenberg) How was the printing press crucial to Martin Luther? He could spread his beliefs more efficiently This movement resulted from the Protestant Reformation. It was an attempt to change the Catholic Church to better meet the needs of its followers. Catholic Reformation 1 .Reasons that the Renaissance originated on the Italian peninsula include all of the following EXCEPT the peninsula's A. Geographic location B. Political organization C. Religion D. Social structure E. Economic structure 2. Which of the following is NOT a Renaissance value? A. Mastery of ancient languages B. Derogate of the arts C. Scholarly achievement D. Proficiency in the military arts E. Civic duty 3. Renaissance humanism A. Devalued mastery of ancient languag es B. Urged the development of a single talent to perfection C. Valued ancient philosophers as the final authorities on all matters D. Denied the existence of God E. Valued scholarship for its own sake and for the glory it brought the city-state 4.The belief that by cultivating the finest qualities of their beings, human beings could commune with God was a conclusion of A. Guileless B. Manipulations C. The lay piety movement D. The Catholic Church in Renaissance Italy E. The doge 5. Which of the following was NOT a factor that contributed to the Renaissance artistic achievement? A. The patronage of the pope B. The invasion of Italy by the French C. The competitive spirit of competing elites D. The apprentice system E. The lack of separation between artistic and commercial aspects of the Renaissance art world 6. Which of the following did NOT enable the spread of the Renaissance? A. The Treaty of Load B.Manila's invitation to Charles VIII to bring troops to Italy C. The printing pres s D. Students and teachers migrating in and out of the Italian peninsula E. The lay piety pavement 7. Renaissance art A. Was characterized by the severe specialization of its artists B. Was characterized by religious subject matter C. Abandoned painting in favor of sculpture D. Was characterized by its concern for the human form E. Did not require patrons 8. Northern humanism A. Was less secular than Italian humanism B. Linked scholarship and learning with religious piety C. Criticized the notion that priests were required to understand the Bible D. Contributed to the Reformation E. All of the above 1 .

Bcg Matrixs Problems and Its Reconstruction

It illustrated two main problems (interpretation and logistical problem), which related to understanding the role of MAS in strategic sensemaking. The interpretation perspective defined strategic sensemaking as a learning process, and interactive use of MAS have positive influences. However, interactive perspective neglects the relationship between MAS use and MAS dimension. The logistical perspective just said MAS dimensions is important in this information processing, but not explain how MAS dimensions contribute to strategic sensemaking. Both information processing did not deal with these problems. Theoretical framework In the literature view authors defined strategic sensemaking as the individual process of observing, interpreting, and communicating strategic issues. Through these three successive processes to understand how managers use the management accounting system and how MAS dimensions contribute to this use. Management accounting system in the observation phase, there are two characteristic modes of observation – scanning and focused search. Scanning behaviour can provide managers with different perspectives on strategic issues and it is more likely to accommodate new information. However, managers are more likely to use MAS for focused search, which can faster identificated the problems in areas covered by the system. It is required by executives because the limited attention capacity to achieve targets. We must concerned that the statistical analysis and data mining technique can reveal the weak value information from the various kinds of data which people usually cannot find out directly. High level of formalization as the character of MAS that focus attention on selected areas, whereas potential loss at other important areas and cause constrain the information. Authors said consistent data will reduce scanning behaviour and may decrease the possibility that strategic issues are identified. We thought these situations will occur, but managers use the MAS for focused search is inevitable. How to use their MAS for scanning and focused search together and have the greatest efficiency is worth considering. In the interpretation phase, authors thought manager’s awareness is a key factor to interpret strategic issues accurately. Reliable information related to controliability perceptions and external information can reduce bias, errors and potential to increase confidence in judgement by consistent information. Therefore, MAS also can increase awareness during issue interpretation. Manager’s awareness and more extra information were useful, but managers use MAS determine strategic issues is important as well. Another point about MAS in form of short-termism have side-effects and harmful to the interpretation of strategic can balance the effect of short-term performance. Correct form and flexible MAS information style are other factors effect strategic issues. However, we felt that this point may not key point in this phase. Authors stated find more extra information with a great degree of manager’s awareness to interpretation strategic issues. In the final phase – communication phase, authors introduce a new definition about media richness, which separated by three levels. High media richness of MAS should have a positive effect on sensemaking, but did not have enough evidence to prove there have positive influences. On the other hand, managers use interactive MAS has positive impact on communication which reduced equivocality of strategic issues. The interactive use of MAS contributes to strategic sensemaking by providing directions and facilitating interactive that help to resolve equivocality of strategic issues is the biggest positive effect in communication phase. Authors further described the quality dimension of MAS, and proposed that when evaluating the MAS’s effectiveness, not only the information characteristics, but the system quality dimensions (integration, flexibility, accessibility, formalisation and media richness) should be considerate. Of course, the integration analysis of information quality dimensions and system quality dimensions will give the comprehensive assessment of MAS’s role in stagey sensemaking. Authors have given the overall research framework. Information and system quality dimensions, both impact the three phases, which in turn impacts the effectiveness of MAS for strategic sensemanking. However, in our view, the research framework is too coarse. Is there interaction between the information quality and system quality? If exist, how is its impact on the MAS effectiveness, Are there any counteraction from MAS use to information quality and system quality? All these question are not involved. Impact of MAS on Processes in Strategic Sensemaking Authors of the article use some statistics to explain how MAS influence processes in strategic sensemaking. We think they have interpreted what MAS can bring to companies. On observation, from doing some research and statistics analyzing, they get a high association between interactive use and focused search supports the notion that managers use MAS to look for specific information that is useful to discuss strategic issues. It is useful for us to understand the influence of MAS. On interpretation, they say some people suggest that the processes to prepare MAS information can also increase awareness. It is a positive impact. They also doubt whether a high level of MAS formalization negatively impacts in strategic sensemaking. But they do not say how to solve this problem. If a high level of MAS formalization has been used in companies, how to avoid changes and risks? On communication, they analyze particularly what positive impact MAS can bring in strategic sensemaking, such as on communication. In strategic sensemaking it is important that information concerning strategic issues is communicated to managers who have complementary information or are able to take action. † We all agree this point of view. Authors also tell us that there are two kinds of interaction when asked about the role of MAS information. It can help us understand what MAS information can help to companies. However, it does not say how the system can function effectively between mana gers and staff. For example, how to forecast negative problems occur in the future? How to make this system flexibility in order to be suitable for more and more companies? We think there are still more important views do not be mentioned in this article. Although they use some cases to show some positive impact, it does not mean that systems are perfect. And the article does not tell us how to avoid any other questions such as how to avoid some risks when MAS be used. We agree that there must have some unstable elementary. We find another article talks about the effectiveness of management accounting systems. It also does not mention how managers can use it effectively. Because there may have some negatively impacts if every manager use a high level of MAS formalization. From these two articles we can find that it is essential to solve this problem. We think there must have some risks if the level of management accounting system becomes too high. Although it has many positive impacts, it still cannot forecast risks in the future. Many managers try to deal with this problem through tools, but this is not sustainable. A good management accounting system should be a long-term management system not just a high level system. It should consider risks and changes for companies in the future. We suggest that do more research for this system. Asking more managers for this system is essential, in order to find some negative impacts and solve them. Research Methodology Authors focus on measurement instruments of observation communication, and effectiveness of management accounting system in strategic sensemaking to make this research. Because the limited empirical evidence, complex and broad phenomenon, the most of relationships suggested are only tentative. Therefore, the authors of the article state that: we chose an exploratory multiple-case design with 30 top and middle managers of 7 large companies in Germany. In the aspect of select sample, the authors introduce too detailed of the sample, and the range of the sample just limited in the companies of Germany. No explanation for the professional term such as replication logic. The highlight of this article is that authors collect data through semi-structured interview and a questionnaire. The diversified methods of data collection can obtain different result to be analyzed. Although the author has taken some steps to reduce hindsight bias and allow the identification of unconscious effects of MAS in strategic sensemaking, the authors do not explain why the data have to be avoiding these situations and how these data affect the result in the part of semi-structured interviews. In the aspect of questionnaire, the authors quote a large number of words to introduce and explain which methods and aspects they used for data collection and analyze of the questionnaire. However, authors do not explain the absent questionnaire whether it is influence the survey or not. Furthermore, the incomplete questionnaire might affect the accuracy of the result possibly. For analysis result, authors should explain more particularly and do not just use two number of percentages to illustrate. This paper needs some specific data to support the summary in the research. We suggest that authors can add more explanations for the professional term and reduce some unnecessary introduction such as for sample or give more detailed data in the appendix. Comparison to another article We compared this article with another similar one. The title of the comparison article is â€Å"The effectiveness of management accounting systems† by Teerooven Soobaroyen and Bhagtaraj Poorundersing. In Teerooven’s paper, Regarding that there is little consideration of other more mainstream contextual factors such as uncertainty and decentralization(DEC) applied on research of the effectiveness of MAS, in addition to the information quality dimensions, in assessment of effectiveness of MAS, they focused on the effect of two contextual variables, namely task uncertainty (TU) and DEC. They thought the absence of evidence on its actual timeliness, aggregation and integration may limit the benefits of knowing how far broad scope information has had am impact in the first place. Moreover, traditional methods usually are carried under some hypothetical conditions which often opposed to actual conditions, and this could undermine the practicality or validity of the results. Considering the impact of situational variables on the state of available MAS will be more near the practical situation. That the evidence on the influence of contingent variables in the relationship between MAS and managerial performance remains incomplete and of limited usefulness also make it reasonable. However, unlike Teerooven’s paper, the author of this paper take consideration of system quality dimensions in addition to information quality dimensions, they recognised that not only the information quality itself but also the system performance on processing information can have impact on the analysis of MAS’s role. In these two articles, both of them have their own emphasis, however, if combing their thoughts, more comprehensive, more extract evaluation of MAS would be acquired. The same aspects in select sample, there are more researchers and set out the requirements of sample selection in the comparison article. The author comments that â€Å"in this respect, the following lists and databases were used to triangulate and identify a reasonably full and reliable list of manufacturing companies†¦.. † In the aspect of research method, the choose of this article are compared as deeper discussion of this research. Teerooven comment that: MAS play a significant intervening role between task uncertainty (TU) and decentralization (DEC)†. We feel that it is relevant to make valid comparison. The author chose to conduct their research using a questionnaire survey. Although we believe that the interview of semi-structured and questionnaire are superior to just sending out questionnaires, the comparison article may produce more accurate result due to using a large amount of research objects and screening by Teerooven and Bhagtaraj. For the aspect of design questionnaire, the highlight of the comparison article is that there are total 41 questions which are divided into five parts about MAS. According to the different management structure of the companies, the authors of the comparison article design two different questionnaires which are â€Å"Sale/marketing manager† and â€Å"Production/operations manager† and give full of time to respond within three weeks. The design of questionnaire has played an important role for the research result. In the aspect of research result, authors also have clearly classified above all aspect. There are not present in the article and we feel that this is a major weakness of the article by Marcus, Utz and Susanne. On the other hand, the comparison article have put into data result and the questionnaire template in the appendix. We feel that authors can expand the range of sample selection or add another research method to analyze. Conclusion According to the knowledge what we learn and some relevant knowledge what we not familiar with, we are not sure that we propose some questions and doubt is reasonable. But we feel that the article have some questions like that the research framework is unsophisticated, there is not correlative between information quality and system quality and the problem is when the company has use the high level MAS formalized, which methods are used to improve and reduce the risk. For details of the problems, the author can deal with a more particularly and improve some shortcomings, to make the article more fluently, such as no explanation for the professional term. Bibliography Poorundersing. B and Soobaroyen,T (2008) The effectiveness of management accounting systems, published by Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Available at: http://www. emeraldinsight. com. libaccess. hud. ac. uk/journals. htm? issn=0268-6902volume=23issue=2articleid=1641976show=pdfPHPSESSID=lcnec7hn2ja606agg4g49si4u5 [accessed at 20 March 2012 ] Bcg Matrixs Problems and Its Reconstruction It illustrated two main problems (interpretation and logistical problem), which related to understanding the role of MAS in strategic sensemaking. The interpretation perspective defined strategic sensemaking as a learning process, and interactive use of MAS have positive influences. However, interactive perspective neglects the relationship between MAS use and MAS dimension. The logistical perspective just said MAS dimensions is important in this information processing, but not explain how MAS dimensions contribute to strategic sensemaking. Both information processing did not deal with these problems. Theoretical framework In the literature view authors defined strategic sensemaking as the individual process of observing, interpreting, and communicating strategic issues. Through these three successive processes to understand how managers use the management accounting system and how MAS dimensions contribute to this use. Management accounting system in the observation phase, there are two characteristic modes of observation – scanning and focused search. Scanning behaviour can provide managers with different perspectives on strategic issues and it is more likely to accommodate new information. However, managers are more likely to use MAS for focused search, which can faster identificated the problems in areas covered by the system. It is required by executives because the limited attention capacity to achieve targets. We must concerned that the statistical analysis and data mining technique can reveal the weak value information from the various kinds of data which people usually cannot find out directly. High level of formalization as the character of MAS that focus attention on selected areas, whereas potential loss at other important areas and cause constrain the information. Authors said consistent data will reduce scanning behaviour and may decrease the possibility that strategic issues are identified. We thought these situations will occur, but managers use the MAS for focused search is inevitable. How to use their MAS for scanning and focused search together and have the greatest efficiency is worth considering. In the interpretation phase, authors thought manager’s awareness is a key factor to interpret strategic issues accurately. Reliable information related to controliability perceptions and external information can reduce bias, errors and potential to increase confidence in judgement by consistent information. Therefore, MAS also can increase awareness during issue interpretation. Manager’s awareness and more extra information were useful, but managers use MAS determine strategic issues is important as well. Another point about MAS in form of short-termism have side-effects and harmful to the interpretation of strategic can balance the effect of short-term performance. Correct form and flexible MAS information style are other factors effect strategic issues. However, we felt that this point may not key point in this phase. Authors stated find more extra information with a great degree of manager’s awareness to interpretation strategic issues. In the final phase – communication phase, authors introduce a new definition about media richness, which separated by three levels. High media richness of MAS should have a positive effect on sensemaking, but did not have enough evidence to prove there have positive influences. On the other hand, managers use interactive MAS has positive impact on communication which reduced equivocality of strategic issues. The interactive use of MAS contributes to strategic sensemaking by providing directions and facilitating interactive that help to resolve equivocality of strategic issues is the biggest positive effect in communication phase. Authors further described the quality dimension of MAS, and proposed that when evaluating the MAS’s effectiveness, not only the information characteristics, but the system quality dimensions (integration, flexibility, accessibility, formalisation and media richness) should be considerate. Of course, the integration analysis of information quality dimensions and system quality dimensions will give the comprehensive assessment of MAS’s role in stagey sensemaking. Authors have given the overall research framework. Information and system quality dimensions, both impact the three phases, which in turn impacts the effectiveness of MAS for strategic sensemanking. However, in our view, the research framework is too coarse. Is there interaction between the information quality and system quality? If exist, how is its impact on the MAS effectiveness, Are there any counteraction from MAS use to information quality and system quality? All these question are not involved. Impact of MAS on Processes in Strategic Sensemaking Authors of the article use some statistics to explain how MAS influence processes in strategic sensemaking. We think they have interpreted what MAS can bring to companies. On observation, from doing some research and statistics analyzing, they get a high association between interactive use and focused search supports the notion that managers use MAS to look for specific information that is useful to discuss strategic issues. It is useful for us to understand the influence of MAS. On interpretation, they say some people suggest that the processes to prepare MAS information can also increase awareness. It is a positive impact. They also doubt whether a high level of MAS formalization negatively impacts in strategic sensemaking. But they do not say how to solve this problem. If a high level of MAS formalization has been used in companies, how to avoid changes and risks? On communication, they analyze particularly what positive impact MAS can bring in strategic sensemaking, such as on communication. In strategic sensemaking it is important that information concerning strategic issues is communicated to managers who have complementary information or are able to take action. † We all agree this point of view. Authors also tell us that there are two kinds of interaction when asked about the role of MAS information. It can help us understand what MAS information can help to companies. However, it does not say how the system can function effectively between mana gers and staff. For example, how to forecast negative problems occur in the future? How to make this system flexibility in order to be suitable for more and more companies? We think there are still more important views do not be mentioned in this article. Although they use some cases to show some positive impact, it does not mean that systems are perfect. And the article does not tell us how to avoid any other questions such as how to avoid some risks when MAS be used. We agree that there must have some unstable elementary. We find another article talks about the effectiveness of management accounting systems. It also does not mention how managers can use it effectively. Because there may have some negatively impacts if every manager use a high level of MAS formalization. From these two articles we can find that it is essential to solve this problem. We think there must have some risks if the level of management accounting system becomes too high. Although it has many positive impacts, it still cannot forecast risks in the future. Many managers try to deal with this problem through tools, but this is not sustainable. A good management accounting system should be a long-term management system not just a high level system. It should consider risks and changes for companies in the future. We suggest that do more research for this system. Asking more managers for this system is essential, in order to find some negative impacts and solve them. Research Methodology Authors focus on measurement instruments of observation communication, and effectiveness of management accounting system in strategic sensemaking to make this research. Because the limited empirical evidence, complex and broad phenomenon, the most of relationships suggested are only tentative. Therefore, the authors of the article state that: we chose an exploratory multiple-case design with 30 top and middle managers of 7 large companies in Germany. In the aspect of select sample, the authors introduce too detailed of the sample, and the range of the sample just limited in the companies of Germany. No explanation for the professional term such as replication logic. The highlight of this article is that authors collect data through semi-structured interview and a questionnaire. The diversified methods of data collection can obtain different result to be analyzed. Although the author has taken some steps to reduce hindsight bias and allow the identification of unconscious effects of MAS in strategic sensemaking, the authors do not explain why the data have to be avoiding these situations and how these data affect the result in the part of semi-structured interviews. In the aspect of questionnaire, the authors quote a large number of words to introduce and explain which methods and aspects they used for data collection and analyze of the questionnaire. However, authors do not explain the absent questionnaire whether it is influence the survey or not. Furthermore, the incomplete questionnaire might affect the accuracy of the result possibly. For analysis result, authors should explain more particularly and do not just use two number of percentages to illustrate. This paper needs some specific data to support the summary in the research. We suggest that authors can add more explanations for the professional term and reduce some unnecessary introduction such as for sample or give more detailed data in the appendix. Comparison to another article We compared this article with another similar one. The title of the comparison article is â€Å"The effectiveness of management accounting systems† by Teerooven Soobaroyen and Bhagtaraj Poorundersing. In Teerooven’s paper, Regarding that there is little consideration of other more mainstream contextual factors such as uncertainty and decentralization(DEC) applied on research of the effectiveness of MAS, in addition to the information quality dimensions, in assessment of effectiveness of MAS, they focused on the effect of two contextual variables, namely task uncertainty (TU) and DEC. They thought the absence of evidence on its actual timeliness, aggregation and integration may limit the benefits of knowing how far broad scope information has had am impact in the first place. Moreover, traditional methods usually are carried under some hypothetical conditions which often opposed to actual conditions, and this could undermine the practicality or validity of the results. Considering the impact of situational variables on the state of available MAS will be more near the practical situation. That the evidence on the influence of contingent variables in the relationship between MAS and managerial performance remains incomplete and of limited usefulness also make it reasonable. However, unlike Teerooven’s paper, the author of this paper take consideration of system quality dimensions in addition to information quality dimensions, they recognised that not only the information quality itself but also the system performance on processing information can have impact on the analysis of MAS’s role. In these two articles, both of them have their own emphasis, however, if combing their thoughts, more comprehensive, more extract evaluation of MAS would be acquired. The same aspects in select sample, there are more researchers and set out the requirements of sample selection in the comparison article. The author comments that â€Å"in this respect, the following lists and databases were used to triangulate and identify a reasonably full and reliable list of manufacturing companies†¦.. † In the aspect of research method, the choose of this article are compared as deeper discussion of this research. Teerooven comment that: MAS play a significant intervening role between task uncertainty (TU) and decentralization (DEC)†. We feel that it is relevant to make valid comparison. The author chose to conduct their research using a questionnaire survey. Although we believe that the interview of semi-structured and questionnaire are superior to just sending out questionnaires, the comparison article may produce more accurate result due to using a large amount of research objects and screening by Teerooven and Bhagtaraj. For the aspect of design questionnaire, the highlight of the comparison article is that there are total 41 questions which are divided into five parts about MAS. According to the different management structure of the companies, the authors of the comparison article design two different questionnaires which are â€Å"Sale/marketing manager† and â€Å"Production/operations manager† and give full of time to respond within three weeks. The design of questionnaire has played an important role for the research result. In the aspect of research result, authors also have clearly classified above all aspect. There are not present in the article and we feel that this is a major weakness of the article by Marcus, Utz and Susanne. On the other hand, the comparison article have put into data result and the questionnaire template in the appendix. We feel that authors can expand the range of sample selection or add another research method to analyze. Conclusion According to the knowledge what we learn and some relevant knowledge what we not familiar with, we are not sure that we propose some questions and doubt is reasonable. But we feel that the article have some questions like that the research framework is unsophisticated, there is not correlative between information quality and system quality and the problem is when the company has use the high level MAS formalized, which methods are used to improve and reduce the risk. For details of the problems, the author can deal with a more particularly and improve some shortcomings, to make the article more fluently, such as no explanation for the professional term. Bibliography Poorundersing. B and Soobaroyen,T (2008) The effectiveness of management accounting systems, published by Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Available at: http://www. emeraldinsight. com. libaccess. hud. ac. uk/journals. htm? issn=0268-6902volume=23issue=2articleid=1641976show=pdfPHPSESSID=lcnec7hn2ja606agg4g49si4u5 [accessed at 20 March 2012 ]

Performance and reward management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Performance and reward management - Assignment Example The challenge to any organisation is to formulate a fair reward system that can motivate employees to work with enthusiasm. In the present context, implementation of proper incentive system along with well defined performance appraisal system is primarily convened by HR personnel. Reward management is important in order to achieve organisational strategies, to build up the psychological bond with employees and to act in accordance with legislation. Reward management is related with performance appraisal of an organisation as it motivates employees to perform better day-by-day. Performance appraisal is the other tool to measure performance of employees which increases motivation level and determines the training needs among others. By implementing reward system in an organisation and recruiting the best talents of the industry and by retaining the top performers’, competitive advantage can be maintained. ... Employees are the backbone of any organisation and an organisation has to pay a substantial amount to the employees for rendering services. While facing cost pressures, organisations are bound to implement major cost saving measures by cutting the jobs of the employees. Consequently, it affects on the service quality of organisations. Organisations may face unforeseen circumstances. Organisations have to implement strategies incredibly decisively so that it does not hamper the operations. Otherwise, it may be detrimental for the organisation for long-term period. The influence of downsizing can not be kept away totally but it can be reduced. By reducing the cost, managers facilitate the organisation to generate profitability. Downsizing of employees affects a company in social as well as economic perspective. As after downsizing employees face tremendous challenge to survive. A company must consider the available alternatives and calculate the feasibility with applicability of cost-r eduction options before deciding on layoffs (Gandolfi, 2008). Cost reduction stages are framed by the assumption of certain periods of time to make cost adjustments which affect the HR practices. Short Range Cost Adjustments: The primary stage of the ‘cost-reduction framework’ signifies ‘short-range cost adjustments’ in order to arrest a short-term decline in business operations. The business slowdown is anticipated to be a period for six months. Companies face such type of challenges by virtue of sudden decline of sales (Gandolfi, 2008). Framework of Cost-Reduction Stages Source: (Gandolfi, 2008). The preliminary cost-reduction techniques must allow an organisation to focus on its activities in a cost-sensitive approach for an immediate improvement. The top management has to

Answer week 10 m9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Answer week 10 m9 - Essay Example Our workplace environment operates in a very strict ethical environment. Any employee who attempts to violate the set norms attracts immediate dismissal or sanction. I admit that the CAL project has equipped me with variety of skills on how to resolve the workplace-based problem. Through the project, I have understood the corporate social responsibility (CSR) as an inevitable component in the contemporary organizations. It encompasses creation of a favorable workplace environment to both the outsiders and the insiders. Having worked for nine months in a research firm, I have notice that one of the main causes of work-based problem is the lack of honesty, honesty, accountability, integrity, and legitimacy (Badaracco, 1992). From the CAL project, I have learnt that CSR provides framework through which such organizational problems can be identified, managed and controlled. One of the challenges facing most of the human resource managers concerns the incorporation of CSR requirements. Most managers find it hard to integrate some of the CSR because of the aspect of cultural differences. Personally, I have been trying my best to incorporate most of the general reflection on learning outcomes in the firm I work in. However, I normally face the problem related to cultural diversity. Badaracco, J.L., 1992, Business ethics: Four spheres of executive responsibility, California Management Review, 34(3), pp. 64-79. Available from: http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/ehost/detail?sid=c2ac9049-a9b7-49b0-9698- 74f9a857ae32%40sessionmgr104ssss&vid=1&hid=103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3Qtb

Business Entrepreneurship Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business Entrepreneurship - Research Paper Example Department of State, n.d.). The definition of an entrepreneur nowadays is largely different from that in its initial stage. Today entrepreneurship is termed to be the art and science of creating a new business idea and construct it in a manner to be rendered to the targeted market. To be accounted in this context, the definition as stated by Small Business Advancement National Center in the publication, â€Å"Entrepreneurship is the process of creating something new with value by devoting the necessary time and effort, assuming the accompanying financial, psychic, and social risks, and receiving the resulting rewards of monetary and personal satisfaction and independence† (SBAER, 2005). The thought of entrepreneurship in the 21st century is classified into different categories as per the characteristics that entrepreneurs possess. They are the social entrepreneurship and the business entrepreneurship in a wider perspective. Social entrepreneurs are those who focus to serve the community in an innovative manner without the intention to generate profit. But business entrepreneurs tend to be focused on attaining profit margins by marketing their idea. Hence, it is certain that the philanthropy of business entrepreneurship is a constraint to many factors like the legal and regulatory frameworks, the macroeconomic environment, the macroeconomic environment, and the microenvironment as well. Therefore, the strategic planning from the end of the entrepreneur holds immense significance in the context. Earlier the business entrepreneurs were only the adults who were experienced people and acquired enough knowledge to direct their business. But today the sector of business entrepreneurship includes young people and even minors. To be further classified, there are women entrepreneurs, and there are entrepreneurs who are physically disabled. Therefore a considerable change can be easily forecasted in the outlook of business entrepreneurship.

Analysis of Articles about Leadership Values and Ethics Term Paper

Analysis of Articles about Leadership Values and Ethics - Term Paper Example Leaders, who are honest in their welfare plans and continuously strive to improve their skills and competency through the constant learning process, are capable of motivating and encouraging the target group to optimal performance. The article is highly relevant in the contemporary environment of highly competitive business. Indeed, basic assumptions about the leadership qualities especially which relates to the individual approach of tackling issues and objectives, are vital as they may create a vast difference to the results achieved. Leadership refers to people who have the capacity to bring about changes in other people. Leaders create visions and goals for people, not only for self-development but also for the organization and society at large. It is important because leaders provide an intangible stability within the organization that comprises of people coming from cross-cultural value systems and facilitates their integration with the system. At the same time, they are also known to promote the collective vision of the organization and provide the necessary impetus to the people to strive towards it. This article is written by Susan Heathfield stresses that ethics and value-based leadership greatly enhances organizational performance. The organizational code of conduct and leadership initiative in ethically delivered goals and objectives are important paradigms in the workplace. The author has emphasized that leaders are responsible for advocating and nurturing a high standard of ethics and quality work while fostering a good relationship amongst them. Good leaders are optimistic and build relationships based on mutual trust and confidence. People observe and imbibe qualities that help them to evolve as an individual with a strong character. Credibility and trust are important characteristics that significantly impact his or her followers.  

Personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Statement Example I have taken the highest level of math courses available to me, and have always felt that mathematics come very naturally to me, but I also have always been able to understand complex systems such as those in biology or chemistry. I think that my understanding of systems and my affinity for mathematics will lead to me being highly successful as a major in economics. My interest in economics largely stems from the recession which seems to have dominated American life for most of the time in my life when I could understand such issues, and shows no sign of improving drastically for another great portion of my life. It seems incredible that it was possible for so much false wealth to be generated simply by banking practices and poorly loans, and that the drop in one area of financing could lead to a cascade reaction that has such immense global consequences. I want to study economics to be able to understand how all of this could have happened – and how it can be prevented in the future. ... But it also asks for an experience that is important to you, and I would like to focus on that. Throughout high-school I have volunteered in a wide variety of places in a very organized fashion, but there was one experience that I remember that stood out especially for me. A few years ago there was a storm in my town that caused extensive property damage to my family’s house and all of the houses in the vicinity – and the work of clearing up took a long time. Once many of the families were well progressed in clear broken trees and other damages from their property, it became apparent that a neighbor of mine who I had never met was not clearing their property at all – when I noticed this I asked my parent why this was the case, and they reminded me that the couple that lived there was fairly old and might not be able to clear the property themselves. I decided that it would probably be a good thing to go check on them, and see if they could use some help clearing their property. At first they said they had it under control, but upon talking to them more I learned that they were trying to save up money to hire a cleaning crew, because they could not do the work on their own, but crews were so expensive they were having a hard time at it. I offered to help, and over the next few days spent an hour or two a day clearing their property, which was a slow process and eventually got very frustrating. On the third day, however, another neighbor stopped by and asked why I was doing this when it was not my property, and so I told them the story, and they offered to help a few hours to. The next day another person stopped by, and before too long we had nearly a dozen people working to clear the property, and it was finished in less than a

CRJ 520 DRNC WE6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

CRJ 520 DRNC WE6 - Essay Example Also, a high percentage of the labor forces in NPS are sourced from various faith based agencies which are aimed at the rehabilitation of the mentally ill people, homeless people and people who are looking for an opportunity to start life anew. The Nationwide Professional Services (NPS) works in collaboration with one such faith based agency known as New Person Ministries which operates in South Florida. The New Person Ministries (NPM) helps for rehabilitation and provision of jobs for persons who had been convicted of sexual crimes at some point of their lives. The labors sourced by this agency include sexual offenders who belong to the sexual predator lists and the sexual offenders list of the State of Florida. The sex offenders attending the rehabilitation programs are not fully normalized and there remain chances of threat for the visitors from these sex offenders. The risk assessment with respect to a sex offender is done on the basis of considering the statistical probability o f the sex offender committing similar sexual offenses. The sex offenders generally have a type of mental disorder or abnormality which may instigate them to repeat their crimes without any consideration of the punishments that may follow the crimes. The DRNC is being held in the American Arena area of Miami where security threats are high. Thus, this may encourage the sex offenders included in the labor force of Nationwide Professional Services (NPS) to repeat their crimes. This would mean exposing the visitors and attenders of the DRNC to high threats and risks of being victims to crime. There are some differences between the individuals enlisted in the Sexual Predators list and those enlisted in the Sexual offenders list. Sexual predators are those people who are convicted of the violation of various sections of the Criminal Codes. Attempted violations of these criminal codes of a state also lead to the enlistment of the individuals in the Sexual Predator list.

Minimum Wage Legistlation Essay Example for Free

Minimum Wage Legistlation Essay What are your thoughts about minimum wage legislation? What kind of a price-control policy is this? Who gains? Who loses? Are there alternatives to this legislation for achieving the same policy objectives? What role do demand and supply elasticities play in determining outcomes? The purpose of minimum wage legislation is to make sure employers will not under pay its workers and ensure that workers are paid fairly I think it is good for the employees, however it can be a detriment as employers cannot afford to pay the minimum wage so they must hire less employees in order to satisfy the minimum wage requirement. Especially in today’s economy workers would accept jobs at rates below min wage, however employers cannot. The government sets these price floors and it can have two effects minimum-wage laws can create unemployment among unskilled workers, but minimum wages does raise the income of poor workers who remain employed in regulated markets. The price elasticity of demand measures the sensitivity of the quantity demanded to price. The price elasticity of demand is the percentage change in quantity demanded brought by a 1 percent change in price. The value of price elasticity of demand for a normal good must always be negative, reflecting the fact that demand curves slope downward because of the inverse relationship of price and quantity. The price elasticity of supply measures the sensitivity of quantity supplied to price. The price elasticity of supply tells us the percentage change in quantity supplied for each percent change in price. The value of price elasticity of supply for a normal good must always be positive, reflecting the fact that supply curves slope upward because of the positive relationship of price and quantity.

Health Issues in Urban Areas

Health Issues in Urban Areas HEALTHY SETTING INTRODUCTION Currently, more than half of the world’s population lives in an urban area. It is estimated that by 2050, more than two-third of the world’s population will be living in towns and cities (WHO 2015). Rapid urbanization leads to significant changes in our standards of living, lifestyles, social behaviour and health. Living in urban area offer many opportunities, including potential access to better health care. However, today’s urban environments can concentrate health risks and introduce new hazards. Health problems in cities include issues of water, environment, violence and injury, non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol. (Eckert Kohler 2014; WHO 2015). The prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and respiratory diseases are worsened by pollution. Urban air pollution kills around 1.2 million people each year around the world (WHO 2015). A major proportion of urban air pollution is caused by motor vehicles, although industrial pollution, electricity generation and in least developed countries household fuel combustion are also major contributors. Mass marketing in urban areas, availability of unhealthy food choices and accessibility to automation and transport all have an effect on lifestyle that directly affect health (WHO 2015). These environments tend to discourage physical activity and promote unhealthy food c onsumption. Community participation in physical activity is poor due to by a variety of factors including overcrowding, high-volume traffic, and heavy use of motorized transportation, poor air quality and lack of safe public spaces and recreation or sports facilities (WHO 2015). Apart from that, urbanization affects the spread of diseases including tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS. Incidence of tuberculosis in New York City is four times the national average. While in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 83% of people with tuberculosis live in cities. Setting like recreational park in urban area is supposed to be a place for healthy activities such as jogging, exercise and some sports. However, for some people they use this park for negative behaviour such as sexual misconduct including indecent exposure, offensive touching, sexual acts, or prostitution. This behaviour may lead to unintended pregnancy and subsequently some of them will desperately dump the baby especially among teenagers. THE CONCEPT STRATEGY OF HEALTHY SETTING Healthy Settings as one of health promotion approaches, involve a holistic and multi-disciplinary method which integrates action across risk factors. The goal is to maximize disease prevention via a whole system approach. This approach begins in the WHO â€Å"Health for All† strategy and, more specifically, the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Key principles of Healthy Settings include community participation, partnership, empowerment and equity. The best-known example of a successful Healthy Settings programme is Healthy Cities. This programme initiated by WHO in 1986 and have spread rapidly across Europe and other parts of the world. Building on this experience, a number of parallel initiatives based on similar principles were established during the late 1980s and early 1990s within a number of smaller settings such as villages, schools, or hospitals. The Healthy Settings movement came out of the WHO strategy of â€Å"Health for All† in 1980. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986) clearly explained this approach. These documents were important steps towards establishing the holistic and multifaceted approach embodied by Healthy Settings programmes, as well as towards the integration of health promotion and sustainable development. Then, in 1992, the Sundsvall Statement called for the creation of supportive environments with a focus on settings for health. The Jakarta Declaration in 1997 subsequently emphasized the value of settings for implementing comprehensive strategies and providing an infrastructure for health promotion. Nowadays, various settings are used to facilitate the improvement of public health throughout the world. Figure 1: Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (WHO 1986) WHO defined setting for health as the place or social context in which people engage in daily activities in which environmental, organizational, and personal factors interact to affect health and wellbeing (Health Promotion Glossary 1998). A setting is where people actively use and shape the environment and it is also where people create or solve problems relating to health. Settings can normally be identified as having physical boundaries, a range of people with defined roles, and an organizational structure. Examples of settings include schools, work sites, hospitals, villages and cities. Health promotion through different settings can take many forms and these often involve some changes to the physical environment or to the organizational structure, administration and management. Settings can also be used to promote health as they are vehicles to reach individuals, to gain access to services, and to synergistically bring together the interactions throughout the wider community. Healthy setting programmes took off predominantly in Europe and the Americas following the Ottawa Charter and Jakarta Declaration. The primary form of implementation has been the Healthy Cities programmes. Through pilot projects and expansion efforts, many other Healthy Settings have been established throughout the two regions. Today, efforts have been made in all WHO regions to expand the movement. Other settings include villages, municipalities and communities, schools, workplaces, markets, homes, islands, hospitals, prisons, universities and healthy ageing (Figure 1). Approach in healthy settings involves a focus on both structure or place and agency or people. It should be understood that a setting not only as a medium for reaching ‘captive audiences’ but also as a supportive context and environment which directly and indirectly impacts wellbeing. Apart from that, it is a commitment to integrating health and wellbeing within the culture, structures and routine life of settings. Healthy City is defined as a one that is continually creating and improving those physical and social environments and expanding those community resources which enable people to mutually support each other in performing all the functions of life and in developing to their maximum potential (Hancock and Duhl 1988). Healthy Cities Initiative features political commitment in multi-sector to health and well-being in the most ecological sense; commitment to innovation; community participation; and the resultant healthy public policy. Health and well-being must be planned and built ‘into’ cities and presented as everyone’s business. Political endorsement is important in ensuring inter-sectorial collaboration. Systems for participatory decision-making must be developed to ensure that all voices are heard, especially those of marginalised people (Baum 1993). Healthy Cities is essentially an empowerment process that embeds the Ottawa Charter’s core definition of hea lth- â€Å"The process of enabling people in a community or city to increase control over and improve all the many different factors that affect their health† (WHO 1986). Healthy Cities is based on the recognition that city and urban environments affect citizens’ health, and that healthy municipal public policy is needed to effect change (Ashton 1992). In the early stages of the Healthy Cities approach, 11 key parameters were identified for healthy cities, communities, and towns (Hancock and Duhl 1988): A clean, safe, high-quality environment (including housing). An ecosystem that is stable now and sustainable in the long term. A strong, mutually supportive and non-exploitative community. A high degree of public participation in and control over the decisions affecting life, health, and well-being. The meeting of basic needs (food, water, shelter, income, safety, work) for all people. Access to a wide variety of experiences and resources, with the possibility on multiple contacts, interaction, and communication. A diverse, vital, and innovative economy. Encouragement of connections with the past, with the varied cultural and biological heritage, and with other groups and individuals. A city form (design) that is compatible with and enhances the preceding parameters and forms of behaviour. An optimum level of appropriate public health and sick care service accessible to all. High health status (both high positive health status and low disease status). Hancock (1993) conceived of a Healthy Cities and Communities model in which human health and wellbeing – or human capital – is the ultimate outcome of a sustained, integrated effort to build community (social) capital, environmental capital and economic capital (See Figure 2). Figure 2: Healthy Cities Model Healthy Cities approach built on community involvement; political commitment, in which the local government is a major player; partnerships between sectors; and enabling, healthy public policy to create conditions for health. These approaches build on local capacity, by building on assets, strengths and resources. The application of the concepts, principles and practice of health promotion at the local level is important. Central to local health promotion is the key role played by local government. Many of the major determinants of health are within the scope of local government. WHO (1997) offers a systematic strategy for progressing through three phases of development of a Healthy Cities initiative in their document, Twenty Steps for Developing a Healthy Cities Project. Three main phases are start-up, initiative organisation and areas for action and strategic work. Twenty Steps makes it clear that the role of a Healthy Cities initiative is to offer effective advocacy to promote healthy public policy. Figure 3: Twenty Steps for Developing a Healthy Cities Project LESSONS LEARNED Healthy Cities Europe As the site of the first pilot Healthy Cities initiatives by WHO in the mid-1980s, Europe has in many ways served as the engine house of Healthy Cities concepts and approaches. WHO Europe has developed a legacy of theory and practice; strategy and methodology, buttressed by a huge bureaucratic initiative. Typically, the European approach has featured large cities, in which local governments play a key role as both planner and health provider. Many HC initiatives are administered at the senior corporate level of a city (such as Copenhagen or Dublin). The European Healthy Cities approach has typically involved the establishment of a peak intersectoral working group, supported by a project team. The European Healthy Cities approach has progressed through several phases: First phase 1986-1992; Second phase 1993-1998; Third phase 1998-2002; Fourth phase (2002 onwards). Only the European region of WHO has had rigorous entry requirements to the Healthy Cities initiative. For all phases of HC initiative, member cities have had to demonstrate: (i) a political commitment to Health for All and the Healthy Cities vision; (ii) that they have adequate resources to employ a full-time initiative coordinator and support staff in a HC office; and (iii) commitment to specific objectives leading to development of local health policies (De Leeuw, 2001). During the first phase of the Healthy Cities initiative, a primary objective for all cities was to establish an Urban Health Profile through completion of a Healthy Cities Questionnaire. This phase produced the well-regarded document, Twenty Steps for setting up Healthy Cities Initiative which is described in detail below. The second phase objective for cities was to create a City Health Plan. ‘A City Health Plan is a policy document including the Health Profile identifying health challenges, their determinants, and roles various actors should play in targeting those challenges’ (de Leeuw, 2001, pp. 37-38). This phase produced a plethora of case studies and models of good practice. The third phase objectives were to produce a City Health Development Plan, and engage in rigorous internal and external monitoring and evaluation. A City Health Development Plan builds on Phases I and II in that it ‘identifies strategic development issues, incorporating also urban planni ng, sustainable development and equity concerns on a longterm basis’ (de Leeuw, 2001, p. 38). In Phase III of European HC initiatives, City Health Development Plans were required to embody a more rigorous internal and external monitoring and evaluation process to identify the impact of actions identified in Health profiles and City Health Plans. WHO established an extremely comprehensive (some would argue over-bureaucratic and unwieldy) requirement that HC initiatives would assess their performance against ‘health determinants analyses, and sound and responsible approaches towards influencing determinants of health’ (De Leeuw, 2001, p. 41). Initial annual reports were eventually received from 25 out of 40 cities: many struggled with the human resources needed to complete the reports. Over 1000 HC-related activities were reported. However, ‘very few of those activities showed a strategic perspective, thus underscoring [a] degree of ‘projectism’ in cities†¦ that would hinder the development of healthy urban policies’ (De Leeuw, 2001, p. 42) and thus City Health Development Plans in Phase III. It was anticipated that the requirement to produce these Annual Reports might help create a cultural shift away from ‘projectism’ towards a more strategic planning approach. Phase IV of Healthy Cities (2003 – 2007) has attempted to address health development comprehensively, with an emphasis on partnerships, determinants and governance. This phase has also focused on developing knowledge, tools and expertise on core developmental themes of healthy urban planning, health impact assessment and healthy ageing: Healthy urban planning. Urban planners should be encouraged to integrate and supported in integrating health considerations in their planning strategies and initiatives with emphasis on equity, well-being, sustainable development and community safety. Health impact assessment. Health impact assessment processes should be applied within cities to support intersectoral action for promoting health and reducing inequality. By combining procedures, methods and tools, health impact assessment provides a structured framework for mapping how a policy, initiative or initiative affects health. Healthy ageing. Healthy ageing works to address the needs of older people related to health, care and the quality of life with special emphasis on active and independent living, creating supportive environments and ensuring access to sensitive and appropriate services. (WHO 2003) Healthy Cities and Communities USA The Healthy Cities scene in Europe compares interestingly with that in the United States. Leonard Duhl noted that whilst the Europeans made Healthy Cities a bureaucratic initiative, the Americans have seen it as a pseudo-anarchic process (personal correspondence, 10 September 2004). The approach adopted in the United States, for instance, has been driven more at a grassroots level, reflecting the realities of an individualistic cultural tradition of ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ and small government (National Civic League, 1998: 287), from which the collective notions of the Ottawa Charter may be viewed by some with suspicion (Baum, 1993). Furthermore, with a somewhat chaotic private health care system, much government attention in the US is focused on ensuring access to basic health care, rather than addressing, at the intersectoral community level, the social determinants of health advocated in Healthy Cities (Wolff, 2003). The long and ‘embeddedâ €™ history of the involvement of health care industry in US health policy also needs to be considered. Wolff argued that the term ‘healthy communities’ is a problem in a country like the US, in which ‘health’ is dominated by privatized health care industry. Although many community organizations may be working along the lines of the Ottawa Charter to enhance population health through civic engagement and community building, they may not in fact identify ‘health’ as a primary goal of their efforts. Intersectoral collaboration has frequently been harder to achieve in the US than in countries such as Australia or Canada, in which government is expected to provide some sort of leadership (Twiss and Duma 2003, Wolff 2003). Taiwanese and Chinese examples In contrast to European, American and Australian experiences, the Taiwanese expression of Healthy Cities reflects a strong Confucian tradition of the integration of politics and academe. Many senior government personnel met during Dr Iain Butterworth’s visits to Taiwan in 2004 and 2005 – including the Ministers for Health and Culture had held academic positions. As a result, strong national government support existed for forging collaboration across sectors. As a relatively new democracy with a culture evolving as a reaction to mainland China, there also exists a strong commitment to grass-roots civic engagement and participation. In comparison, Chinese Healthy Cities-style initiatives might be characterised by central government-mandated edicts to establish initiatives and for various sectors to participate. Western notions of democratic participation led by grass-roots activists with the potential to advocate and dissent do not translate readily or easily into a desc ription of a Healthy Cities initiative led and driven by a more centralised, interventionist state. In Shanghai, one of the approaches for healthy setting includes availability of Healthy Path Building and people were encouraged to do ‘Walking 10,000 Steps Everyday’. Apart from that, there were constructions of exercise sites in communities and training personnel for sports instruction. Other activities include ‘Healthy Rhythm’, ‘Stair Climbing’, ‘Three calisthenics’ and ‘Three Balls’ Activities During the 3rd round of Shanghai Healthy City Initiative evaluation conducted in 2011, the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was administered among 3,999 Shanghai residents. The result showed that 81.2% of the respondents were physically active (37.0% were highly active), and 73.6% of the residents investigated were active in walking (13.4% were highly active). REFERENCES Eckert, S. S. Kohler 2014. Urbanization and health in developing countries: a systematic review. World Health Population 15(1): 7-20. WHO. 2015. Urbanization and health. World Health Organization, Bulletin of the World Health Organization (BLT). http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/4/10-010410/en/ (Accessed 1/3/2015). WHO (1986). Ottawa charter for health promotion. Available: http://www.euro.who.int/AboutWHO/Policy/20010827_2. Accessed 3 March 2015.

Charater of Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities :: Tale Two Cities Essays

Charater of Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities    Sydney Carton, one of the main characters of the book, A Tale of Two Cities, is a drunken lawyer who works with Stryver on the trial of Charles Darnay.he doesnt care about anything. At first this man seems as if he is a lazy, good for nothing, alcoholic. he tells Lucie Manette he doesn't believe that his life is worth anything and feels as if it is pointless to even live anymore. When you first meet him during the court scene it looks as if he just rolled out of bed and was dragged to the courtroom. This one man sat leaning back, with his torn gown half off him, his untidy wig put on just sat it had happened to light on his head after it's removal, his hands in his pockets, and his eyes on the ceiling as they had been all day. Something especially reckless in his demeanor not only gave him a disreputable look, but so diminished the strong resemblance he undoubtedly bore to the prisoner. However after he meets Lucie he falls madly in love for her. This marks a period of ch ange for Sydney Carton. But he then knows that Charles Darnay is going to be married to her. He sill believes that his life is worthless but it seems as if he's a bit more willing to work and to do things for other people.    Towards the middle of the book, A Tale of Two Cities, Carton professes his love for Lucie and he says For you, and for any dear to you, I would do anything. I would embrace any sacrifice for you and for those dear to you. And when you see your own bright beauty springing up anew at your feet, think now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you. He means that he would do anything for her, because he loves her so very much. He tells Josh Barsad that he is going to marry miss Manette, but then he backs out of it.    At the very end of the novel you find out that Carton is about to go to the guillotine, but not for him.

The Day I Found Joy Essay -- Personal Narrative, essay about myself

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." -- Oscar Wilde One of the things that has always puzzled me is human nature, our joys, fears and madness. The very source of the painful cramps of the soul that we call sadness, and the source of the multicolor soft parade that we call happiness. Those feelings have been with us since we saw the light, and are going to be there until the dark and graceful death decides to cover the light of life with her soft wings. They shape everything that makes us, our face, our expression, our spirit, our minds, our future and our past. Those feelings are what drive us to construct and to destroy, make us love something deeply, or with a little bit of poison (like one of the Borgias), make us hate something with passion. The source of happiness and sadness is the missing link that I've always looked for, something so strong that will wake up my senses and show me the mystery that surrounds life. And one day, I found IT. It happened almost a year ago, on a bright spring day. The name of the day was Saturday and the place was Smallville, the city where I was born and raised. I woke up early for a Saturday, around nine a.m. I had breakfast and decided to go downtown for a walk. It was a very beautiful morning, a very beautiful sky, birds singing over the trees, falling in love because of the spring. It was as good as it was going to get in a big town. Of course I wasn't alone; there were hundreds of people walking in those same streets. There were young people, businessmen, many different people, and they were all in a hurry, probably to go to work. I could hear short steps, TAP-TAP-TAP, and I could see many feet walking fast, very fast. Wh... ...all of that but the only thing I could say was, "Yes, brother, do it, dance, dance!!" We smiled together; the people around did too. It was glorious! I don't know if he was an angel, a dream, or a real person, I never will, but that Saturday morning he taught us all a lesson of life, of love, of all the beautiful things that exist in the world. He reminded me of the words of Jesus Christ: "Heaven is not here or there, it's inside of you." It's a state of mind, it's the ecstacy of breathing, is inner peace, is happiness. So you, whoever reads this, smile, hug a friend, go home and kiss your parents, the ones that gave you the great gift of life. Shake hands for no reason--maybe he needs it. Be thankful for everything that you have, for your eyes, for your legs, for your existence. Be joyful and be in peace. And have lots of faith, please.

Different possible themes in The Yellow Wallpaper. -- English Literatu

Different possible themes in The Yellow Wallpaper. There are a couple different themes in the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Feminism is the main theme in the story. Something else that could be a theme is being confined to a certain area, excluded from the public, can drive one insane. Another possible theme is control. Jane is controlled in her every move. These themes are shown to be true throughout the story. Feminism plays a huge role in this story. Back in the day women used to be looked upon as having no affect on society other than bearing children and keeping house. It was hard for women to express themselves in a world ran by males. The men had the jobs, the men had the knowledge, the men had everything that women didn't. It is different in today's time, but some of the old timers still believe the way they did back then. Wallpaper is a feminine product, and it symbolizes female imprisonment in this story. At first Jane uses the wallpaper to work on expanding her literary imagination. After John shoots down her creativi...

Perception of Time

We often brag about the technological and scientific developments of today's modern society and how we benefit from these advancements. The barriers that were once created because of the diversity in culture were brought down by the modern trend of globalization. Culture is society's main foundation that is deeply rooted in our native land. Culture is a broad term encompassing tradition, ways, and means of leaving, traits and values. Every individual belongs to a certain culture to which he has to fit his activity, values, and attributes. Everyone is raised within the confinements of his or her own culture and brought up by beliefs, traditions, values, and traits which conform to the standards set by the culture that has long been intact in our society. The line of conflict between humans with regards to their culture starts when what is culturally acceptable to us may not be acceptable to others. Even science that we used to think is universal and adheres to generally accepted human principles is predominated with the culture of the people from the western hemisphere (Bartholomew 36). Some behaviors that do not comply with the standards of a certain culture are often remarked as an abnormality or deviance. Thus, even though science applies universal scientific principles, it is never neutral in determining what is deviant or abnormal and what is not (Bartholomew 36). It can never really explain why some cultures do certain practices that are not culturally accepted in other countries. We used to separate behaviors and label them as normal, moral and legal. Other traits, practices and rituals that do not fit in what is accepted in our culture are recognized as otherwise. These activities reflect a person's prevailing norms, values, and beliefs that he adheres to at a particular time and place (Bartholomew 36). The psychological aspect that is responsible for the discrepancies in people's culture and how it affects our perception is cultural relativism. Cultural relativism is a theory of knowledge that is responsible for the person's judgment on what is deemed as acceptable. This judgment is anchored to his or her beliefs, values, and attitudes that are shaped by the culture he or she was accustomed to (Bartholomew 37). Hence, the culture of individuals influences their perception on things around them. They view things according to their existing beliefs and values. Time is also perceived differently in many cultures. Individuals see time differently today than the people in the past used to ages ago. Through the invention of time devices, the people of modern times are able to track time by the hour, by the minute, by the second, and even by the millisecond. Thus, the people’s perception of time molds them and their minds. The ancient people were only aware of the fundamental time—the night and day. They used to determine time by making interpretation of the celestial and heavenly bodies. Through the use of these methods, humans also acquired an understanding of the future. They perceived the future in terms of contingencies of cause and effect relationship. People were able to utilize their environment to develop a perception of time. Their ancient clocks and calendars were the daily motion of the sun and moon, as well as the season changes (Falk n. ). In 1895, H. G. Wells' book, The Time Machine, was made available for the public. Wells' fiction novel opens to people the possibility of traveling through time. The idea seemed impossible, but well-known Albert Einstein explained that attaining the ability or means to travel to the future or to the past is not improbable (Gott 8). Einstein proposed his theory special relativity in 1905, describing the possibility of time travel based on the descr iption of how time is measured differently by moving and still observers. It is further strengthened by his mathematics professor Hermann Minowski, looking at time mathematically as the fourth dimension (Gott 8). With all the psychological differences explained by cultural relativism, the different perception of time in each culture and society, and the possibility to travel through time, a clear, if not precise, definition of perception of time can be attained. 2. 0 Sources Edwin A. Abbot in Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions provides an overview of a two-dimensional world and guides his readers through some of the implications of life in two dimensions. Meanwhile, Robert Bartholomew, in his article â€Å"Borderlands: Deviance, Psychiatry and Cultural Relativism,† explores the problem with cultural relativism, basically defined as the principle in which the belief of an individual is analyzed and interpreted in relation to the individual's own culture. Ray Bradbury in â€Å"A Sound of Thunder† warns us that traveling to the past can be dangerous. Antonio Damasio, in his article â€Å"Remembering When† explains the concept of mind time. Dan Falk's â€Å"Past, Present, Future PERCEPTIONS OF TIME THROUGH THE AGES† presents differences in perceiving time through different ages. Richard J. Gott, in his book Time Travel in Einstein's Universe: The Physical Possibilities of Travel Through Time, discusses applications of time machine, wherein time travel is possible and how time travel can be explained in terms of physics and quantum mechanics. Dorinne K. Kondo in her article â€Å"On Being a Conceptual Anomaly† presents her experiences as a Japanese American woman. Robert Levine in A Geography of Time: The Temporal Misadventures of a Social Psychologist analyzes what it means to live beyond time or by time event. Richard E. Nisbett in his book The Geography of Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently†¦ and Why confronts conjectures of well-known philosophers with a different take on human thought influenced by cultural ideologies and principles. The videotaped program Only Human presents few experiments which were created to learn various aspects of human behavior. The book How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Ag e by Theodore Schick, Jr. and Lewis Vaughn provides strange assertions and ideas abound in culture to illustrate the rational assessment of any claim. Finally, the videotaped program Time Travel shows that space is curved, time is relative, and time travel is theoretically possible. 3. 0 Results People live by the underlying rules and principles in the society where they belong. They adhere to the maxims and dogmas that have long been in existence. They pattern their everyday life according to these unwritten rules that governing the society. To conform to the traditional beliefs and values is to live harmoniously with the other people. People coexist in a society that must adapt and do what is culturally accepted to avoid being ostracized by the general public. . 1 Perception As mentioned earlier, cultural relativism explains the people's differences in perception. People’s judgment differs from one another because they pattern things according to their cultural preferences. If something fits their criteria as prescribed by their culture, then it is acceptable for them. Standards set by culture create cultural diversity in the world. According to Richard Nisbett, Westerners and East Asians looked at things differently resulting in dissimilarities in understanding. This is due to the difference in environment, social structures, philosophies, and educational background. In addition, it was discovered that Asian thought is holistic or a functional relationship of parts and the whole. They do not much rely on formal logic or categories. In comparison to the Westerners, people from the west mostly rely on formal logic to understand their behavior. In Dorinne Kondo’s article, â€Å"On Being a Conceptual Anomaly†, she relays her experiences upon conducting a research in Japan. She was raised as an American so she had a difficult time adjusting herself on the ways of living in Japan. This is because the Japanese perceive White people as different and offensive (Kondo 524). During the course of her stay in Japan, she had to learn their traditions, values, and most of all, their practices to be able to cope up with the new environment she was in. There came a point when she saw herself differently, not as the observer on the immersion she was doing but as part of the participants in her research. There is an existing dilemma brought by cultural relativism especially in the field of mental health. Psychiatry is a branch of psychological science that deals with human behavior. Through psychiatry, we are able to find out if we have acquired any psychological disorders. Basis on the diagnoses on such behavioral disorders is human behavior only without in-depth consideration of the underlying social, cultural, and political circumstances that brought up such behavior (Bartholomew 38). Examining closely the behavior of people's conformity to a group is discovering the power and influence of the majority in a certain society (Only Human n. p) Psychiatry can be considered as the most debatable branch of medicine. There is a necessary clarification on the term mental illness. â€Å"Illness† denotes an impairment or injury on any body's part. People who were diagnosed with mental illness do not have any injury, but only suffering living difficulties (Bartholomew 38). Based from the ideas discussed by Nisbett and Kondo, an American may experience difficulty adapting to an environment different from his usual environment and therefore may be tagged as mentally ill by the Japanese, or it could be the other way around. This just shows that there is an existing conflict brought about by cultural relativism. Due to the diversity of culture, there is no strong fundamental basis on what is a behavioral disorder. 3. 2 Time In a world where time is considered as a necessity while many of us try to squeeze in the tasks that we have to accomplish with the little time that we have, it is fascinating, and at the same time important, to learn how time was viewed and used through the course of human civilization. Across the centuries, humans have looked and treated time differently the way their ancestors used to perceive time. At present, there is an international standard of telling time and it is universal, for every nation adheres to that standard. Due to the rotation of the earth, people experience differences in time—when it is day in the east, it is nighttime in the west. Humans have developed a biological clock or circadian rhythm based on the daily activities and lifestyle of a person. This clock is located in the hypothalamus of one's brain. This is responsible for how a person’s body perceives time. For instance, it is nighttime in his or her biological clock if he or she feels tired and sleepy (Damasio 36). When the region of the brain that is highly important for learning and recalling new information is damaged, a major disturbance occurs in a person’s innate ability to place events in a chronological sequence. This is what happens to amnesiacs or people suffering from amnesia. They lose the ability to estimate the passage of time in different scales (Damasio 36). Amnesia is a permanent damage on the brain's hippocampus, a part of the brain essential to memory, and the temporal lobe, a region of the brain that serves as a two-way communication with the rest of the cerebral cortex. Damage in the hippocampus hinders the creation of new memories. Patients with an impaired hippocampus are known to have anterograde amnesia. They are unable to hold factual memories for longer than one minute. On the other hand, the amnesiacs that are unable to retrieve long-term memories are diagnosed with retrograde amnesia, which is characterized by an impaired in temporal lobe (Damasio 36). Amnesiacs do not have awareness of the correct time, which makes it difficult for them to place events in the right chronological order and store new factual memories. This deficiency greatly affects their way of living and their social interaction. The idea of time travel has not escape the imaginative minds of people. In 1895, H. G. Wells published the book The Time Machine, which opened the idea of time travel to the public. The proposition seemed so impossible but the physicist Einstein attempted to explain the possibility of such phenomenon through physics (Gott 8). In 1905, Einstein developed his theory of special relativity and explained how time is measured differently by still and moving objects. Einstein's mathematics professor Hermann Minowski expanded his theory and told that time could be treated mathematically as the universe's fourth dimension (Gott 8). If their proposition is correct, their theory would allow humans to travel back in time or go forth to the future. However, Ray Bradbury stated the dangers of time travel to the past and the possible effects to the present once the course of history is altered. Hence, the events that happened in the past cannot be touched for it will greatly affect the current circumstances. 3. 3 Perception of Time. Time is treated also differently in every culture. The differences in perception of things could be attributed to the cultural relativism aforementioned. Awareness of time is very important to humans. Today, we are paid by the hour and our daily routines are based on time. Our early ancestors utilized everything that can be found in their environment to be able to tell time. They used the daily motions of the moon and sun. Assuming an unconventional movement of the celestial bodies resulted in certain phenomena, they were able to perceive the future through a cause-and-effect relationship (Falk n. p). For example, the Babylonians had their way of foretelling events by means of hepatoscopy, which involves sacrificing a liver. They believed that through this ritual, the gods allow them to foresee the future (Schick and Vaughn 97). Different cultures developed various methods and devices to determine time. For instance, the Romans developed the calendar, which was by Pope Gregory XIII. The perception of time could also be considered necessary in one's cultural requirements. This is evident in the empires established in Latin America. These empires dictated how to regulate time in order to fix civil, agricultural, and religious dates. On the other hand, Muslims, maintain strict daily routine of timely prayers to keep track of time (Falk n. p). Today, we treat time as inanimate, passing in a constant rate. We are all considered as slaves of time. We can never hasten up or slow down the passage of time. However, this was not the case for the Maya, as time is organic for them. According to the Mayas, time can be stretched, shrunk, or even overpowered by human activity. In fact, many cultures perceived time as organic in nature. In these cultures, time was told through human activities and not through the constraints of a clock or a calendar (Falk n. ). 4. 0 Discussion In light of the findings provided by the sources, the existence of various traditions, beliefs, and values anchored to their culture has created a disparity in people’s perception. People act in accordance to their culture and society where they live. Behavior and action against the prevailing norms will be perceived by other people as a deviatio n or as a mental illness. This disparity in perception of right and wrong could be attributed to cultural relativism, or the difference in cultural beliefs and values. Throughout history, people have developed their perception of time. Our ancestors used conventional tools and devices to be able to tell time. Through the use of astrological components, they were able to acquire an understanding of the future events through cause-and-effect relationship by connecting a certain lunar or solar manifestation that resulted in certain events. Perception of time greatly depends on the brain’s functioning. An impairment of certain regions of the brain responsible for holding and storing memories and sequencing events in a chronological order deeply affects an individual’s perception of time. An example of this brain disorder is amnesia. Amnesiacs have an incorrect perception of time due to their ailment. The idea of time travel that seems unworkable was made theoretically possible by Einstein. In his theory of special relativity, he explained that the treating time as the universe's fourth dimension can make time travel possible. Still, there are dangers in traveling back to the past because it may alter the course of events and the present situations. There is no universal perception of time. Time is perceived differently in various cultures. Some culture perceive it as inanimate, others treat it as organic that can be controlled by human activity.