Seattle University Essay

Why do you feel that Seattle University is a good match with your educational goals? Seattle University’s Jesuit teaching makes this college one of my top choices. My approach to education is eerily similar to Seattle University’s mission statement. I thrive best in an environment that focuses on educating the whole person through academics and spirituality. Since faith is a key component of my life, I want an education that views intellect and faith in a complementary way. Combined with Seattle University’s emphasis on community service, I will also learn how to make an impact both locally and globally.As I grow into adulthood I want to push myself. I also want to find new ways to make a difference in my surrounding community. Through Seattle University’s various service programs, I can nurture that goal. Albeit there are many Jesuit universities scattered throughout the country, Seattle University’s Matteo Ricci College of Humanities sets it apart from all others. I am extremely fortunate to attend John F. Kennedy Memorial High School where Matteo Ricci classes are offered. I am currently taking the Public Policy/Social Justice course.The class has uncovered various avenues of critical thinking that I have never considered before. I have discovered more about myself in this one semester than I have in the previous three years of high school. I fit into the groove of Seattle University courses and their well-rounded, introspective distinctiveness. Finally, Seattle is home. I was born and raised in this eccentric city, a city whose culture is reflected by Seattle University’s student body. I prosper in diverse surroundings, because I enjoy being exposed to many different types of people and cultures. I believe there is something to learn from all walks of life.

Funny in Farsi

Funny in Farsi A Memior of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas is all about her life growing up in California after her dad is moved there but is company form Iran. Being born in Iran she had not learned much English so when she moved to the United State she slowly learned and was the translator for her mother a lot of the time. In her younger years she moved around about every two years and eventually she settled in America after her dad retired from the oil refinery in Iran.Since she was light skinned and had dark hair she could pass for an America as long as she did ot speak because of her accent, this abled her in many ways. After living in America for some time Firoozeh realizes that no one can really say her name the right way because the English language does not use the same sounds that are in the Persian language. Also by taking an America name she would no longer have to spend endless amounts of time trying to explain to people how to say her name.Since she look ed like a young American girl with an American name she could pass for someone that had been born and raised there, that is until she had to open her mouth to say something. After people started to think that she was an American they started to say things that she had never known that they had been saying before, about immigrants from her country. Whilst she has changed her name some Americans that had been traveling in Iran had been taken captive and held for a period of time and while the news was going over the story people started to talk about the issue.By having the American name she heard things that the people really thought about the issues with Iran instead of the polite things they would say to stay off of the subject. Kazem, her father, got fired from his Job for being Iranian during this time and found it very difficult to find another Job. Eventually he stopped putting that he was Persian or Iranian all together and became Turkish, Just so that he could find a Job duri ng Just a difficult time. After all of the problems with Iran went away she went to college at the University of California at Berkeley where she met her husband a Frenchman named Francois.Since Francois was not from the Middle East he was not part of all the craziness with Iran, but he could easily pass for an American because of his white skin. Also if he ad never said anything to anyone no one would ever know about his accent, but then again no big event happened in France that would turn the American people against them. Even though Firoozeh saw the darker side of the citizens in the United States, she did not seem to think that the country was anything less than a blessing, and stayed in the United States as an adult.American attitudes and biases toward immigrants different from country to country and from person to person, some think one way and others think the other way. Normally the things that factor into how a person see's another person are how hat person was raised, wha t beliefs they have, and how strongly they feel about the subject. The biggest factor is the way they were raised because if you are in a household where the parents or grandparents talk about a certain race of people in a bad way, it's the same as monkey see monkey do.If a child over hears there father talking about those stupid Persians, then that child is likely to go and repeat it to a friend, teacher, nanny, or another Persian themselves. Mainly the behavior towards immigrants has been learned whilst the child was growing up or even as an adult eople tend to believe things that they hear, and repeat them to other people which then lead to more people thinking the exact same way as the people that has said these things in the first place.Stereotypes about people happen on a day to day bias, someone sees some that has been wearing the same Jacket all winter and of they think that they are poor and probably cannot afford a new coat. When in all truth that person could Just be wear ing their favorite coat or this one may be the warmest of all the coats they own, a person can never tell anything about a person by Just briefly seeing them in the same hings or at the same places.People think that is someone from one country will do something harsh, rash, dangerous, or illegal that all people from that country are going to do it, and that has never been the case. If someone from a small town goes and robs a bank does that mean that everyone in that town is now going to go and rob another bank somewhere else, no it does not. By grouping people together as being all the same that is Just putting them into one group for one reason are they going to be separate into which are more likely to do this and which are more likely to o that, the answer is no.Firoozeh Dumas was born in Iran and then around seven moved to the United States, but she never thought any less of the people her the whole time she stayed and now even as an adult she live in California. Even after all the hardships she faced form moving here not knowing English and having to translate for her mother, going back to Iran and then coming back again. She saw all of the bias and the problems that people have with other countries and immigrants, she grew up in a world where not everyone is accepted for whole they truly are.

Osmosis Internal Assessment – Biology Higher Level

| The effect of salinity on osmosis of solanum tuberosum L. (potatoes)| Biology HL Internal Assessment – Year 10| | Teresa Nguyen| | Table of Contents 1 DESIGN2 1. 1 Defining the problem2 FOCUS QUESTION2 HYPOTHESIS2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION2 INVESTIGATION VARIABLES3 1. 2 Controlling Variables3 TREATMENT OF THE CONTROLLED VARIABLES3 CONTROL EXPERIMENT4 1. 3 Experimental Method4 MATERIALS4 RISK ASSESSMENT5 METHOD5 2 DATA COLLECTION and PROCESSING7 2. 1 Recording Raw data7 QUANTITATIVE RAW DATA7 QUALITATIVE RAW DATA7 2. 2 Processing Raw Data8 Processed Data Table9 3 Conclusions and Evaluation11 3. 1 Conclusion11CONCLUSION STATEMENT11 CONCLUSION EXPLANATION11 3. 2 Evaluation Procedures12 RELIABLITY12 LIMITATIONS/WEAKNESSES/ERROR IN LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS13 3. 3 Improving the Investigation14 MODIFICATION TO THE EXPERIMENT14 Bibliography15 Appendixes16 Appendix A – Risk Assessment16 Appendix B – Turnitin Receipt19 Appendix C – Journal19 1 DESIGN 1. 1 Defining t he problem FOCUS QUESTION What is the effect of osmosis on the mass (g) of solanum tuberosum L. (potatoes) after duration of 24 hours in varying concentration levels (2%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 25%) of sodium chloride (table salt)? HYPOTHESIS Solanum tuberosum L. inal masses will decline as the concentration (2%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 25%) of sodium chloride increases. Potato slices placed in distilled water will have higher mass percentage due to the cells becoming turgid. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Diffusion is the movement of molecules from a hypertonic (high concentration solute) to the hypotonic (low concentration of solute). There are different types of diffusion one of which is osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of water molecules through a semipermeable membrane that allows only smaller molecules such as water to pass through and prevent larger molecules to enter such as glucose or sodium chloride. Bozeman Biology, 2012) Within osmosis comparison between the different solutions standard term inology are used to describe the differences such as Isotonic, hypertonic and hypotonic as mentioned earlier. Isotonic is when the solution has equal concentration of solutes. Hypertonic is when the solution has concentration of the solute. In contrast, hypotonic is when the solution has lower concentration of the solute. (Bowen, 2002) Plant cells are known to have strong cell walls that when osmosis allows water to be taken up it swells. However, to prevent the cell from bursting the cells become turgid.The pressure within the cell rises and gradually the internal pressure has increased to an extent which even water molecules cannot enter. (Nigel D Purchon, 2012) This is convenient for plants as they do not have skeletons, thus their leaves and stems are supported by the pressure of the water. Loss of water by osmosis causes the plant to become flaccid which the plasma membrane withers from the cell wall. (BBC, 2012) INVESTIGATION VARIABLES TABLE 1 – Practical Investigation Variables Type of Variable| Identified Variable | Independent | The varied concentration level of Sodium Chloride (2%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 25%). Dependent | The differentiation of masses of the different potato pieces (final – initial mass) in each Sodium Chloride concentrations (2%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 25%) after 24 hours. | Controlled| Each trial is from the same potato. The quantity of solution given in each trial. The size of potato slices. Source of biological material. Potato pieces in distilled water. The duration of the investigation. The size of the test tubes. | Uncontrolled | Rate of osmosis. The initial salt concentration in the potato. Change in room temperature. | 1. 2 Controlling Variables TREATMENT OF THE CONTROLLED VARIABLESTABLE 2: Control Treatment of Variable Control Variables | Treatment | Each trial is from the same potato. | Each trial used pieces of potatoes from the same source. Thus, limits the variation of sources used. | The quantity of solution given in each trial. | Every test tube contained 25cm3 of solution. | The size of potato slices. | All potato pieces used were cut to a size of 2 cm in length. | The duration of the investigation. | All the trials were conducted in the same time duration of 24 hours. | Source of biological material. | All sources (potatoes) were purchased from the same producer. | The size of the test tubes. All trials used the same sized large test tubes. | CONTROL EXPERIMENT The control of this investigation is the potato pieces placed in distilled water over 24 hours. By being left in distilled water allows the no contamination of the unknown substances or sodium chloride to affect the osmosis process within the potato cells. According to theory, the potato slices in distilled water should increase in mass as the osmosis process would allow water to move through the semipermeable membrane of the potato cells. This control variable will allow the comparison of the masses of the potato pieces in sodium chl oride.Thus, revealing the effects of saline substances in plant osmosis. 1. 3 Experimental Method MATERIALS TABLE 3: List of apparatus Apparatus Required | Quantity Required | solanum tuberosum L. (Potatoes) | 1 Bud| Cork Borer| 1 | Fat Test tubes| 30| Sodium Chloride solution (2%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 25% )| 200cm3 (25cm3 per test tube)| Marker | 1| Paper towel roll| 1| Distilled Water| 200cm3 (25cm3 per test tube)| Ruler (30cm)| 1 | Electronic Scales ( ±Distilled Water(0. 00)1g)| 1 | Weigh Tray (70cm3) | 1| Tweezers | 1| Test tube stand (for 40 test tubes)| 1| RISK ASSESSMENT Refer to appendix. METHOD 1.Collect required apparatus. 2. Label five test tubes Distilled Water and place in one column in the test tube stand. 3. Repeat step 2 for 2%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 25%. Place them side-by-side in chronological order. Each row is now the number of trials. Label all the test tubes in the first row â€Å"1† then repeat with the other rows with, 2, 3, 4, and 5. 4. Set up the scale. 5. Cut the potato with the cork borer and use the metal rod with to push the potato onto a piece of paper towel. Using the ruler measure cut the pieces into 2cm. 6. Place the weigh tray on the scale then press â€Å"Tare†. Place the potato piece on the scales.Record results for ‘Initial Mass’. Repeat for every piece of potato. 7. Repeat step 6 and 7 for all the potatoes. 8. Pour 25cm3 of distilled water into each of the Distilled Water labelled test tubes. 9. Pour 25cm3 of 2% solution into each of the 2% labelled test tubes. 10. Repeat step 8 for 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%. 11. Place one piece of potato into a test tube with distilled water. Repeat using potato pieces from the same pile for the other trials. 12. Repeat step 12 with 2%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 25%. 13. Leave for 24 hours. 14. Record observations. 15. Place the weigh tray on the scale then press â€Å"Tare†. 16.Use tweezers to remove the potato piece from a â€Å"distilled test tube† and place it on the weigh tray. Record the mass for ‘Final Mass’. 17. Repeat step 16 before weighing each piece of potato. 18. Repeat step 17 for the rest of the trials and for 2%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 25%. Diagram 1: Experimental Set-up 2 DATA COLLECTION and PROCESSING 2. 1 Recording Raw data QUANTITATIVE RAW DATA Table 4: Raw Data of Potato Pieces’ masses ( ±0. 001g) after 24 hours in Various Sodium Chloride Solutions Trials | Concentrations ( ±0. 5%)| Initial Mass ( ±0. 001g)| Final Mass ( ±0. 001g)| 1| Distilled Water(0. 0) CONTROL| 1. 71| 1. 387| | 2. 0| 1. 181| 0. 885| | 5. 0| 1. 091| 0. 877| | 10. 0| 1. 196| 1. 058| | 20. 0| 1. 149| 1. 054| | 25. 0| 1. 094| 0. 995| 2| Distilled Water(0. 0) CONTROL| 1. 258| 1. 453| | 2. 0| 1. 160| 0. 805| | 5. 0| 1. 158| 0. 899| | 10. 0| 1. 186| 1. 002| | 20. 0| 1. 243| 1. 085| | 25. 0| 1. 166| 1. 060| 3| Distilled Water(0. 0) CONTROL| 1. 135| 1. 314| | 2. 0| 1. 254| 0. 856| | 5. 0| 1. 244| 1. 041| | 10. 0| 1. 079| 0. 936| | 20. 0| 1. 244| 1. 047| | 25. 0| 1. 109| 0. 942| 4| Distilled Water(0. 0) CONTROL| 1. 176| 1. 323| | 2. 0| 1. 247| 0. 902| | 5. 0| 1. 260| 1. 034| | 10. 0| 1. 225| 0. 992| 20. 0| 1. 160| 1. 021| | 25. 0| 1. 267| 1. 102| 5| Distilled Water(0. 0) CONTROL| 1. 151| 1. 345| | 2. 0| 1. 263| 0. 986| | 5. 0| 1. 173| 0. 894| | 10. 0| 1. 207| 1. 024| | 20. 0| 1. 163| 1. 017| | 25. 0| 1. 165| 1. 068| QUALITATIVE RAW DATA During the investigation it was noted the potato pieces were tinged with yellow and had firm textures to them. After the twenty four hours the texture of the potato pieces had changed from firm to mushy. Also, there was a drastic change in the physical appearance of the potato pieces from a fully yellow tinged to partially brown. Potato pieces in 2% were the ushiest and were darkest in colour. As the concentration of Sodium Chloride increased the changes of the brown colouring and mushiness decreased. However, the control remained firm and did not go mushy or change in colour. This chan ge in colour could be due to decay of the potato tissues as more and more cells become hypertonic. Trial 1, 25% – Visible physical change in appearance from yellow to brown Trial 1, 25% – Visible physical change in appearance from yellow to brown 2. 2 Processing Raw Data Table 5: Statistical Processing Calculations | Formulae| Solution| Calculation| Results (g)|Mass Changed ( ±0. 001g)| Final Mass- Initial Mass=Mass Changed| Distilled Water – 0. 00% (Control) Trial 1| 1. 387g-1. 171g=0. 216g| 2. 36g| Mean ( ±0. 001g)| x =X n mean=(Sum of all the products)(Number of prouducts)| Distilled Water – 0. 00% (Control)| 0. 186g=0. 216g+0. 195g+0. 179g+0. 147g+0. 194g5| 0. 186g| Standard Deviation ( ±0. 001g)| s = x- x2 n-1 Standard Deviation=Sum of (each value-mean)2Number of values-1| Distilled Water – 0. 00% (Control)| 0. 026g= (0. 216-0. 186)2+(0. 195-0. 186)2+(0. 179-0. 186)2(0. 147-0. 186)2+(0. 194-0. 186)25-1 | 0. 026g| Percentage Change| Mass Changed Initial Mass? 00=percentage change| Distilled Water – 0. 00% (Control) Trial 1| 0. 2161. 171? 18. 4%| 18. 4%| Processed Data Table Table 6: The Differences between the Initial Mass (g), Final Mass (g) of the Potato Pieces after 24 hours in Sodium Chloride Solution Trials | Concentrations ( ± 0. 05%) | Initial Mass ( ±0. 001g)| Final Mass( ±0. 001g)| Changes in Mass( ±0. 002g)| Percentage Change (0. 02%)| 1| Distilled Water(0. 0) CONTROL| 1. 171| 1. 387| 0. 216| 18. 45| | 2. 0| 1. 181| 0. 885| -0. 296| -25. 06| | 5. 0| 1. 091| 0. 877| -0. 214| -19. 62| | 10. 0| 1. 196| 1. 058| -0. 138| -11. 54| | 20. 0| 1. 49| 1. 054| -0. 095| -8. 27| | 25. 0| 1. 094| 0. 995| -0. 099| -9. 05| 2| Distilled Water(0. 0) CONTROL| 1. 258| 1. 453| 0. 195| 15. 50| | 2. 0| 1. 160| 0. 805| -0. 355| -30. 60| | 5. 0| 1. 158| 0. 899| -0. 259| -22. 37| | 10. 0| 1. 186| 1. 002| -0. 184| -15. 51| | 20. 0| 1. 243| 1. 085| -0. 158| -12. 71| | 25. 0| 1. 166| 1. 060| -0. 106| -9. 09| 3| Distilled Water(0. 0) CONTROL| 1. 135| 1. 314| 0. 179| 15. 77| | 2. 0| 1. 254| 0. 856| -0. 398| -31. 74| | 5. 0| 1. 244| 1. 041| -0. 203| -16. 32| | 10. 0| 1. 079| 0. 936| -0. 143| -13. 25| | 20. 0| 1. 244| 1. 047| -0. 197| -15. 84| | 25. | 1. 109| 0. 942| -0. 167| -15. 06| 4| Distilled Water(0. 0) CONTROL| 1. 176| 1. 323| 0. 147| 12. 50| | 2. 0| 1. 247| 0. 902| -0. 345| -27. 67| | 5. 0| 1. 260| 1. 034| -0. 226| -17. 94| | 10. 0| 1. 225| 0. 992| -0. 233| -19. 02| | 20. 0| 1. 160| 1. 021| -0. 139| -11. 98| | 25. 0| 1. 267| 1. 102| -0. 165| -13. 02| 5| Distilled Water(0. 0) CONTROL| 1. 151| 1. 345| 0. 194| 16. 85| | 2. 0| 1. 263| 0. 986| -0. 277| -21. 93| | 5. 0| 1. 173| 0. 894| -0. 279| -23. 79| | 10. 0| 1. 207| 1. 024| -0. 183| -15. 16| | 20. 0| 1. 163| 1. 017| -0. 146| -12. 55| | 25. 0| 1. 165| 1. 068| -0. 097| -8. 33|Table 7: Average percentage masses of Sodium Chloride Solutions ( ±0. 5%) and Distilled Water Trials| Distilled Water (Control)| 2. 0%| 5. 0%| 10. 0%| 20. 0%| 25. 0%| 1| 18. 45| -25. 06| -19. 62| -11. 54| -8. 27| -9. 05| 2| 15. 50| -30. 60| -22. 37| -15. 51| -12. 71| -9. 09| 3| 15. 77| -31. 74| -16. 32| -13. 25| -15. 84| -15. 06| 4| 12. 50| -27. 67| -17. 94| -19. 02| -11. 98| -13. 02| 5| 16. 85| -23. 79| -23. 79| -15. 16| -12. 55| -8. 33| Mean| 15. 81| -27. 77| -20. 00| -14. 90| -12. 27| -10. 91| Trials| Distilled Water (Control)| 2. 0%| 5. 0%| 10. 0%| 20. 0%| 25. 0%| 1| 0. 216| -0. 296| -0. 214| -0. 38| -0. 095| -0. 099| 2| 0. 195| -0. 355| -0. 259| -0. 184| -0. 158| -0. 106| 3| 0. 179| -0. 398| -0. 203| -0. 143| -0. 197| -0. 167| 4| 0. 147| -0. 345| -0. 226| -0. 233| -0. 139| -0. 165| 5| 0. 194| -0. 277| -0. 279| -0. 183| -0. 146| -0. 097| Averages| 0. 186| -0. 334| -0. 236| -0. 176| -0. 147| -0. 127| Standard Deviation| 0. 026| 0. 048| 0. 032| 0. 038| 0. 037| 0. 036| Table 8: Average percentage masses ( ±0. 02%) of various Sodium Chloride Solutions ( ±0. 5%) and Distilled Water Graph 1: The relationship between the varied sodium chloride solutio ns and the control over 24 hours GRAPH COMMENTARYIt appears that Graph 1 represents the relationship between the mass changes and the sodium chloride concentrations (0%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 25%). The graph displays that there was a major decrease in size mainly in the 2% and only potato pieces in the distilled water were able to increase in mass. 3 Conclusions and Evaluation 3. 1 Conclusion CONCLUSION STATEMENT The aim of this investigation was to test the effect of the varied sodium concentration on the osmosis of potato. This aim of the investigation was accomplished as there were significant differences on the effect of the varied sodium chloride solutions.Although the data has proven the hypothesis to be false. CONCLUSION EXPLANATION Data produced from this investigation reveals that the hypothesis suggested earlier is incorrect. As shown in Graph 1, the average for 2% concentration had a more drastic decrease than the 25% concentration. Thus, disproving the hypothesis which st ates as the concentration level of sodium chloride increases the masses will decrease in relation. On the contrary the results suggested decrease in concentration of the solution will greater the decrease in mass after a period of time.For example, the average percentages change for the 2% concentration decreased by approximately 27. 77% in comparison to the average percentages change of 10. 91% of the 25% concentration of sodium chloride. This would suggest that any concentration higher than 2% concentration of sodium chloride would cause the potato cell to become turgid and hypotonic as a result of the higher concentration of water entering the potato cell. By becoming turgid the cell is no longer allowing the diffusion of any molecules into the cell thus preventing osmosis to occur.The higher the percentage the faster the occurrence of the osmosis causing the cell to become turgid faster and preventing the water molecules enter. With this in mind, questions the reliability of the data despite the evidence of the balanced error bars. The effects of â€Å"sodium chloride concentration had decreased the mass as the concentration levels increased. † (Roberts, et al. , 2009) This investigation supports the hypothesis stated earlier. In this investigation the results as the researchers were able to conclude on the results of their 0. % decreasing the lease and with their maximum concentration of 2% giving the largest change in mass. However, this investigation was conducted in the time from of only 30 minutes not 24 hours. On the other hand, a research â€Å"The Effect of Salinity on Osmosis in Solanum tuberosum (potatoes)† provided much similar results and was also conducted in a similar environment. This investigation supports the results obtained in this experiment justifying â€Å"0. 1% and 0. 5% declined in mass with a rapid rate† and â€Å"10% and increasing, the rate was much slower† (Holler, 2012) . 2 Evaluation Procedures RELI ABLITY Measurements were measured with by only one researcher and thus eliminated the possible chances of human error that may occur if the measurements were recorded by multiple people. The trials of this investigation were conducted in a chronological order and one-by-one. This process was also repeated five times for the each concentration to increase the reliability. The standard deviation displayed quite minimal and well balanced which shows there were minimal significant errors that may have occurred throughout the experiment.However some the errors that perhaps occurred due to some of the pieces were penetrated by the rod in removing them from the corer, this may have caused some significant error and decreases the reliability of the experiment. Due to the use of the same size potato it can be assumed that the reliability of this investigation is dependable as there is little differentiation in size. Also, all the potato pieces were from the same potato meaning they were also from the source limiting any uncontrolled variables to occur and increase the reliability of this investigation.The uncertainties of this experiment were quite minimal however perhaps may have occurred during the process of weighing the mass of the potato pieces due to not pressing ‘tare’ before measuring the mass of each piece therefore altering the masses slightly and increasing the uncertainties. LIMITATIONS/WEAKNESSES/ERROR IN LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS Table 9: Possible limitations with the investigation and improvement to these errors Limitations/weaknesses/error in the laboratory| Improvement| Inaccuracy in the measurements when cutting the potato pieces in to 2cm length. Due to the minimal cooking skill of the researcher the potato pieces were not precisely 2. 0cm but perhaps to varied 2. 1 cm. Significance of this would affect the data as is contradicts its purpose as a controlled variable. To improve on this matter perhaps cutting the potato into a cube or rec tangle shape to a 4cm height then using a corer to remove pieces of potato. After, line the all the potato pieces and cut all of them simultaneously in half. This would reduce the variance of the sizes. | Penetration of the potato pieces by the rod of the corer. The rod used to push the potato pieces out of the corer was bent and proved difficult to utilise as it failed to push the potatoes out and penetrated them. Penetration to the potato pieces will increase the surface area and increase the occurrence of osmosis leading onto questioning the reliability of the investigation. Perhaps in a replication of this experiment to use a larger corer size and a straight rod to prevent unnecessary penetrations to the potato pieces. | Time limit in conducting the experiment. Because of the time limit in the beginning of the experiment many errors occurred due to the experimenter rushing. These errors that may be able to be prevented if the time for the experiment was to be increased. | Excess Sodium Chloride when measuring the final mass of the potato pieces. | When measuring the mass of the final potato pieces, only two ply of paper towel were used to dry of the excess solutions. However after the 3rd trial the paper was far too damp to dry off anymore excess which could altered the results. This could be simple resolved by using more plies of paper towel. 3. 3 Improving the Investigation MODIFICATION TO THE EXPERIMENT To decrease the uncertainties a different method could be used to cut the potato pieces simultaneously therefore limiting the slightly varied sized pieces. This new method could be lining all 30 potato pieces in a straight line then measuring 2cm and cutting all the pieces in one cut. This mew method will likely to decrease the uncertainty when cutting the potato pieces. Creating a longer time limit to the investigation would provide time to increase the reliability of this investigation.By creating a different method to create the potato pieces so that there is no penetration of the use of the rod from the corer. In this investigation a small corer was utilised along with a bent rod was used to remove the pieces which caused penetrations in the potato pieces. If this investigation was to be replicated perhaps using a larger corer will be less difficult to remove the potato pieces and decreasing the chances of penetrating the pieces. Another method that could be considered is to not use the corer and cut the pieces manually from the potato, firstly into a rectangular prism or cube.This method will completely eliminate the chances of penetration of the potato pieces thus, increasing the reliability of the data produced and of the investigation. Modifications to the experiment perhaps include an extension to explore different variables that would affect osmosis. These extensions could be exploring the effect of surface -area, temperature and perhaps comparison on the use of sucrose solution against the salinity. An interesting extens ion would be to include a vice-versa investigation to test the effect of the potato pieces to return to its original mass if placed in distilled water.Bibliography Websites | Nigel D Purchon. 2012. Osmosis | Gondar Design Biology. [ONLINE] Available at: http://purchon. com/wordpress/biology/? page_id=173. [Accessed 01 October 12]. | BBC. 2012. BBC – GCSE Bitesize: Osmosis in cells. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www. bbc. co. uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_gateway_pre_2011/greenworld/waterrev2. shtml. [Accessed 01 October 12]. | Bowen. 2002. Osmosis. [ONLINE] Available at:http://arbl. cvmbs. colostate. edu/hbooks/cmb/cells/pmemb/osmosis. html. [Accessed 08 October 12]. | Videos | Bozeman Biology. (2012). AP Biology Lab 1: Diffusion and Osmosis. Online Video]. 14 March. Available from:  http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=LeS2-6zHn6M. [Accessed: 01 October 2012]. | Online Documents | Roberts, M. , Kolbenschlag, J. , Brady, J. & Rice, T. , 2009. Effect of Concetration on Osm osis. [Online] Available at: https://docs. google. com/viewer? a=v&q=cache:ioq9fMDSyNgJ:www. bvsd. org/schools/MonarchHigh/teachers/kdonley/Vodcasts%2520and%2520Podcasts/Student%2520Projects/Osmosis%2520Labs%252009-10/Effect%2520of%2520Concentration%2520on%2520Osmosis. pptx+&hl=en&pid=bl&s [Accessed 11 November 2012]. | Word Documents |Holler, B. , 2012. The Effect of Salinity on Osmosis in Solanum tuberosum (potatoes). Gold Coast: Bianca Holler. | Appendixes Appendix A – Risk Assessment Appendix B – Turnitin Receipt â€Å"Osmosis Potato IA Term 4† to the assignment â€Å"Osmosis prac. † in the class â€Å"A. Lal 2012 Year 10 Term 4 Osmosis† on 12-Nov-2012 09:28PM. Your paper id is 283825801. Appendix C – Journal Date| Task| Time | 1st of October | Constructed design and completed background information/theory | 120 minutes | 2nd of October | Constructed method and experimental materials | 60 minutes | 8th of October | Completed

Practice of medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Practice of medicine - Essay Example Except for the prudent correction of an imminent danger, I will neither treat any patient nor carry out any research on any human being without the valid informed consent of the subject or the appropriate legal protector thereof, understanding that research must have as its purpose the furtherance of the health of that individual. Into whatever patient setting I enter, I will go for the benefit of the sick and will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief or corruption and further from the seduction of any patient. – An excerpt from ‘The Hippocratic Oath’. Multiple studies and researches have been conducted on the bodily reactions of patients after surgical procedures that were performed. These researches are done by professional doctors and physicians who are bound by their oath and are adamant in keeping their clients from experiencing pain or discomfort as well as discovering a viable treatment to alleviate any pain. To extrapolate such a remedy, hypothesis testing as well as research must be done. To perform to these quite rigorous procedures, the physicians must adhere to a code of ethics that will display their professionalism and protect the rights of the patients. Other than aforementioned Hippocratic Oath - which was formulated in approximately 400 B.C. - there was a plethora of ethics and guidelines engendered respective to each culture. The cardinal evidence of this comes from the bible. In the bible contains the first illustrations of edicts concerning the ethics of physicians. Among the essentials of the oath, the premier edict is honouring the pedagogues of the medical discipline.

Book review (Margaret Lock's East Asian Medicine in Urban Japan) Essay

Book review (Margaret Lock's East Asian Medicine in Urban Japan) - Essay Example ionism in the pluralistic medical systems in Japan and inspire the readers to borrow the holistic approach from the East Asian medicine and reevaluate the cultural biases of biomedicine. Although I highly appreciate Lock’s work, I will review this ethnography with a critical eye. There are two underlying assumptions concerning the study. Firstly, the book attempted to map a larger picture of the East Asian medicine in Japan from the eighth century to the late twentieth century, in which East Asian medicine was seen as Chinese medicine in Japan. The Japanese term Kanpo, literally, â€Å"Chinese method,† was thought to be a medical system learned from China, maintaining its Chinese flavor over 1300 years in Japan. Secondly, Lock assumed that the actual interviews that include only 50 Kyoto families, 2 schools, 8 herbal pharmacies, and dozens of patients and practitioners can represent the Japanese people’s thoughts concerning the practices of a pluralistic medicine in the 1970s in an urban setting in Japan. The samples are not considered large enough to draw up generalizations and to make assumption regarding a whole urban population. The ancient capital of Kyoto is also assumed to be representative as a model of a modern city in Japan. Based on these assumptions, Lock analyzed the East Asian medicine from three perspectives. Firstly, she uses a historical approach to analyze the classic Chinese medical works as the theories of East Asian medicine in a pre-industrialized Japan. The Japanese cultural ethos is analyzed as a less important force compared to the Chinese philosophies and Buddhist thoughts. Secondly, she uses a cultural anthropological approach to analyze her limited interviews and case studies in Kyoto to represente an issue of the adopting the East Asian medicine. Except for Tokyo and Osaka, other major Japanese cities other than Kyoto are barely mentioned. Thirdly, she used a critical anthropological approach to analyze the East Asian

Prohibition, War on Drugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Prohibition, War on Drugs - Essay Example Within such an understanding, the following analysis will seek to compare and contrast the objective and subjective effects of the way in which existing drug policy, inclusive of alcohol allowance and taxation, creates a unique and somewhat unreasonable dynamic. Although it is not the place of this brief analysis to advocate a safe entirely new approach to drug policy within the United States, it is the hope of this research that a greater level of inference with regards to the appropriate response framework that government represents will be able to be inferred. Firstly, it must be understood that current drug policy within the United States is very much akin to Prohibition that existed following WWI. Within such an understanding, the similarities between the way in which the government, prompted by temperance movement activists throughout the nation, outlawed the production and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages within the United States is eerily similar to the way in which the ATF, FBI, and a litany of other federal and local law enforcement entities have worked in tandem since the declared War on Drugs to rid the United States of illegal substances. Anyone with even a cursory introduction to economics can realize that such a practice is ultimately futile. This is of course due to the fact that the more that a government outlaws the production, sale, distribution, and consumption of a specific good or service, then as long as that good or service is demanded, then the price thereof will increase dramatically. This jump in price is the direct result of government pressures and creates a litany of different interests that seek to capitalize on such a lucrative market. As can clearly be noted, Prohibition was soon repealed due to the fact that public outcry against it had reached a tipping point and the inability of the authorities to continue to strain the legal system with such low-level violations had reached a maximum. Yet, from an alternate standpoint, there are those individuals that reference the fact that Prohibition was ultimately effective due to the fact that it drastically reduced the amount of alcohol produced and consumed within the United States during this particular period of time; driving many would-be alcoholics into a level of forced sobriety and benefitting society by extension. In seeking to address which of these view is the more effective, it is the view of this particular author that the government was fighting a losing battle from the very beginning. Due to the fact that controlling aspects of personality and character and what an individual decides to put in their body is a personal choice, the rate of success that the government might have expected at the outset of Prohibition was limited to say the least. From a civil liberties perspective, the current government is engaging in a situation very similar to Prohibition with regards to the ongoing and exorbitantly expensive War on Drugs. Generation after gener ation of young disenfranchised citizens are being put behind bars for minor drug offenses; a process that ultimately hardens these young men and women and creates a much greater lasting problem for

Juvenile Delinquency in the USA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Juvenile Delinquency in the USA - Research Paper Example The author of the paper states that are the expectations of the public that crime instances done by young offenders will continue to increase anyway no matter what actions and prevention methods the public and the society as a whole try to carry out in order to thwart the prevalence of offenses and criminality. These prospects have their foundations on the forecast of the U.S. Census Bureau which projects that the crimes committed by the young, aged 15-17 - the age group responsible for 30 percent of the offenses incurred by the juveniles - will increase 20 percent by this year (2007) (Ferro 2003). What is worse, the Office of Juvenile Justice reported that the juvenile offenders or children in conflict with the law, who have been relocated into the adult criminal justice system, have escalated in number. In addition, near the turn of the previous century, 40 states including the District of Columbia passed legislation, which eased legal constraints in trying juveniles as adults in t heir respective jurisdictions (Griffin et al. 1998). In order for us to understand why this occurrence cause alarm on the public and the on our justice system, we have to fully comprehend the underlying principles with regards trying juvenile offenders in adult courts which employ adult criminal laws and statutes. Likewise, it is necessary to understand the legal principles that govern young offenders and when these juveniles should not be tried as adults. All states in the United States of America including the District of Columbia permit adult criminal prosecution of juveniles under definite conditions. Under the waiver provisions, for instance, decisions of the transfer of the offender from a juvenile institution to an adult court or adult criminal institution is left to the State's juvenile courts, but clearly provides that young offenders may not be prosecuted as adult criminals unless a juvenile court judge has ordered the transfer (Griffin et al. 1998). The provisions vary fr om one another in the extent of flexibility with which the conditions allow the courts. However, under these provisions, a case against a juvenile must at least originate in juvenile court and cannot be directed anywhere else, unless there is a formal approval from juvenile court judge. In the Direct File provisions, the prosecutor determines whether to commence a case against a young offender in juvenile court or in criminal (adult) court. In Statutory Exclusion, criminal courts are bestowed jurisdiction on the classes and levels of cases involving juveniles. Under this provision, a State legislature fundamentally predetermines the question of criminal prosecution and carries out the decision, bypassing the authority of the prosecutor and the court (Roberts 2004 & Griffins 1998). Nevertheless, these provisions are bestowed to juvenile offenders under specific conditions. Most states in the US contend that the prosecution of the young offenders in adult criminal courts is a legislat ive remedy and a response to the growing violent offenses, but surprising numbers of laws in many states in the country authorize criminal trial even for non-violent offenses. Presently, 21 states permit adult prosecution of juveniles charged of offenses related to property as, for instance, arson and burglary while 19 states afforded provisions in their statutes authorizing prosecution of young people in conflict with the law - whose offenses are drug related - in adult court. Forty-six of the 50 states in this country permit issuance of a waiver for a variety of offenses including personal, property, violent and non-violent (Ferro 2003).  

Topic selection and statement of problem Assignment

Topic selection and statement of problem - Assignment Example ystem can be defined as a personnel system applied in the process of hiring and promoting government employees based on merit to obtain the highest efficiency in public personnel functions. The application of the merit system in the public education sector has brought about unending controversies especially with the merit pay issue. The merit pay systems emphasizes on the fact that teachers are to be paid for their achievement in the classroom as opposed to their seniority or the number of ed-school credits that they have collected as it has been done from the 1920s period. Reformers in the education system including the government have emphasized that the merit pay will encourage high performing teachers to do well and drive the lazy ones away, thereby improving the performance of public schools. However, teachers’ unions have continually opposed the move stating that there is no objective way of measuring the classroom performance of a teacher. In addition to this, opposing views have pointed to the fact that the merit pay system has a high chance of failing especially because of issues of supervisor bias or favoritism (Gratz, 2009). The merit pay has proven to be productive especially in the private sector where it has been applied since the 1980s. The growth of international economic competition made U.S. corporations to measure indicial worker performance and introduced pay incentives based on work output to motivate employees to perform better. This practice has gone on up to the present day where new performance criteria have been implemented with multi-faceted compensation plans for the highly performing employees (Ritter & Barnett,  2013). The public education monopoly has resisted the merit pay proposal because of the fears that it may lead to biases and unfair treatment of teachers. However, pilot studies carried out, such as those done in Cincinnati’s public school system have proven successful. The merit pay system is relevant for the study of

Poll week 6 dis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Poll week 6 dis - Essay Example Key among the causes of global financial crisis was the credit crunch in which US investors lost confidence in the value of sub-prime mortgages that in turn led to a liquidity crisis. The step by the US Federal Bank to inject large sum of capital into financial markets also contributed to this global crisis (â€Å"Crash course,† 2013). The crisis widened by September 2008, when the stock markets across the globe crashed, by that, becoming highly volatile. The event of September 14, 2008, when the Lehman Brothers collapsed, profoundly contributed to global financial crisis. The decision by Federal Reserve Chairpersons to dismiss the build-up of the housing bubble until 2007 from 202, contributed to this crisis. They never took the initiate to control the housing bubble or regulate mortgage companies. The Wall Street Executives’ decision to ignore policies focusing on internal risk management and their aim to increase revenues in a short time led to the crisis. In addition, the decision by US Presidents to hire former Wall Street lobbyists to serve as government policy makers, led to bailing out of banks without any regard to moral hazard. The decision risked the future of the national economy and shifted the burden to taxpayers. Timeline: Key events in financial crisis. (2013, September 9). Retrieved February 12, 2015, from

Extra Credit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Extra Credit - Essay Example On researching the ecological and agricultural characteristics in the Denver area it is found that the peculiar climatic condition experiencing there is between desert climate and humid climate. Hence the climatic condition prevailing there is considered as mild evapotranspiration climate. Since this city is at high altitude this peculiar climatic condition provide the quality of the Mediterranean weather such as dry summer and wetter winter. It is considered that the city has 79 official neighborhoods. Hence the residents of this metropolitan area are mainly the neighborhood communities. The features of these neighborhoods vary each other and they include large skyscrapers, twentieth century houses and modern styled twenty first century buildings. The neighborhoods which are closer to the Denver city comprises of denser buildings which are old styled. The developments of the neighborhoods which are not closer to the concerned city had taken place immediately after Second World War. The buildings at these areas were constructed with modern materials and hence they appeared in high style. Still farther neighborhoods were with suburban characteristics and the people in that area could be recognized by means of their features. Majority of the neighborhoods have parks and other modern facilities and these are considered as the key peculiarities of these neighborhoods. The important neighborhoods of Denver city are Lower Down Town, Union Station Neighborhood, Washington Park, Capitol Hill, Highland Cherry etc. All these neighborhoods have very important roles in the metropolitan developments of the Denver city. Parks are the main peculiarities of the Denver city. As per the survey conducted in 2006 this metropolitan city has more than 200 parks in its credit which vary from mini parks to giant ones. All these parks are with beautiful landscape architects. Since the Denver city is situated at high altitude these are no scarcity for mountain

Strategies for Building Successful Leadership Research Paper

Strategies for Building Successful Leadership - Research Paper Example Moreover, to be a successful leader, I must be of high integrity, which simply means doing what I say and behaving in a way that I expect the team to behave. Basic Leadership Skills to Succeed As with any other job, resisting the work of leading makes it difficult to be effective and makes it impossible to find fulfillment or enjoyment in whatever an individual does. Therefore, lacking the desire to lead makes an individual unwilling to perform the work that pertains to a leader of a team. If a leader does not like the work he or she performs, chances are that the leader is not inspired to lead others to perform the tasks. In such a case, a leader is unable to reach his or her potential as a leader unless the leader works for an organization he believes in, as my uncle’s business. Commitment to the organization’s mission and vision is crucial since the first leader of the organization, who is my uncle, had a mission and vision about the company functions, service and ch anges that the company would bring to the industry. My uncle had to hire other people who could share his vision and believe in the mission of the organization; therefore, as a leader, I would have to coach newly hired employees to help them learn what would move the organization toward its objectives. In an ideal world, each employee works as if fulfilling the organization’s vision and mission were his or her personal goal; however, we do not live in an ideal world, hence as a leader, I have the task of remaining committed to and promoting the company’s vision and mission. Integrity is a crucial trait for a successful leader and it involves being true to one’s word, being authentic in actions and speech and demonstrating a behavior that a leader needs employees to emulate. Similar to other leadership skills, integrity requires practice and involves an effort to honor an individual’s word each time as well as remaining an example to employees even when un der stress or when having a personality conflict. As a leader, the gains of integrity are enormous in comparison to the harm that can result from lack of integrity within the workplace. To develop integrity as a leader, three areas that are essential and demand concentration include sincerity, consistency, and substance. For a leader, sincerity involves accepting responsibility for my commitment and striving to achieve them, being honest about my limitations, accepting responsibility for my mistakes and telling the truth. Consistency for leaders involves demonstrating this feature of integrity by treating employees equally, following through on promises and working as hard as, or even harder than, other employees. A substance in integrity refers to what I am regarding work relationships and includes keeping private employee information private and doing what is right for the team and not merely for me (Reina D. & Reina M., 2006). Successful leaders are entrepreneurial and, therefore , able to recognize opportunities and organize resources to tap into the advantages of the opportunity.  

Understanding the Societal Response to Homosexuality Essay Example for Free

Understanding the Societal Response to Homosexuality Essay â€Å"They gave me a reward when I killed two men and gave me a suspension when I loved one†. These are the words of Leonard Matlovich (1943-1988) who was a Vietnam War veteran and one of the best known gay men in America in the 1970s. A journey through the history makes it clear that Homosexuality has always been an issue which has had the highest amount of discussions, disagreements and clashes over the time in every culture and society. It always generates interest people, who are seeking a better understanding of the deferent cultural values and social behaviors in various times of the history, to know why different societies in different times of the history reacted to different sexual activities in typical ways. This study would comprehensively look into the facts that might have affected the societies in understanding and accepting the homosexual behavior within the communities. What were the social, economical, ecological and political dynamics that drove the societies to respond to homosexuality in a rather hostile way? Ancient concepts  The ancient times that had smaller kingdoms and more of the cult practices gave way to larger empires and syncretism of different monotheistic religions spreading new outlook on man having sex with man. This transformation process was in fact differed in various parts of the world. Till the advent of asceticism, which was against all forms of sexual pleasures, homosexuality was accepted broadly as rather positive human sexual activity except in the pharaonic Egypt (Greenburg 1988). This exception itself is an evidence of the changing values in a society under an organized administrative and religious concept. The vast empires meant long distance trade and imperial expansion which in turn helped the followers of different cult religions in contact with one another causing the diffusion of religious practices that involved homosexuality (Greenburg 1988). In that context there prevailed an atmosphere conducive for a monotheistic religion which uprooted the polytheism which to a great extend accepted the sexual magic of homosexuality (Greenburg 1988). The changing economical, political and national scenario had caused people to look more seriously into competitive survival accomplishments than bodily pleasures and desires. The gap between rich and the have-nots increased due to the changing business opportunities and slave trade (Greenburg 1988). Thus the poor men who had to devote their life more into physical labor and combat for the rich to maintain their life style became critical of the rich men who devote their body and life to seeking pleasure from hedonistic pleasure. Moreover, the politics in the larger kingdoms were not mainly in the hands of the public, which kept the common man aloof from the public affaires. This helplessness in fact ended up resulting in a repudiation of desires and pleasures(Greenburg 1988). The small societies were, further, shaken by the conquest happened during the expansion of empires. The troubled social and political situations due to wars have left the people without any sense of security Davis 1982). The implications of these aspects can be further discussed when looking at different communities in detail. Various Outlooks of Various Communities In many ways the connotation of homosexual behavior for Greeks is slipping between the effeminate behavior and man’s tendency to have sex with another man (Greenburg 1988). One of the Plato’s observations goes as ‘an older lover will plainly court a beloved who is effeminate. There is also a mention of an Egyptian letter dating back to 145 BC which ‘Malakos’ almost certainly refers to male homosexuality. Where as Boswell (1980) had strongly stated that â€Å"malakos is never used in Greek to designate gay people as a group or even in reference to homosexual acts generically†. Dio Crisostom who was a Greek scholar in AD 115 mentioned that someone who loved learning might be called malakoteran (Davis 1982). These uncertain commends on homosexuality in the Greek community for a great extend reveal that though, homosexuality was not accepted among Greeks, it was not abominated. It could be because the Greeks had a strong and unthreatened sense of cultural superiority. But they lacked altogether the Jewish sense of being a holy people set apart by God (Davis 1982). The Greek never believed that the divine power had reviled to man kind a code of laws for the regulation of sexual behavior. Hebrews always upheld the biblical prohibition of male prostitution as the weapon against homosexuality. A few passages in the Leviticus seem to prohibit male homosexuality precisely. They are Levi. 8:22 â€Å"Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind; it is abomination† and Levi. 0:13 â€Å"If a man lies with mankind as with woman kind both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surly be put to death; their blood shall be upon them†. At this point it looks like the homosexuality of man is the only thing to abominate, it may not be so but the lesbianism at this stage might have been more of a personal issue handled by the elder male members of the family than a public issue handled by the authorities (Davis 1982). However’ Later on lesbianism became more of a public issue when the early church took to counter it. St. Paul has clearly mentioned it and strongly condemned it when he said Rom. : 26-27 that their women have exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural relationships with women burn with lust for one another. The hostility towards homosexuality as a prohibited sexual behavior is accounted to be much ferocious in Christian community in many times of the history (Davis 1982). At this juncture, such sexual variation is found to be breaking the boundaries of natural intercourse and thus tend to become the special subject of persecution (Boswell 1980). This strong hostility of Christians towards such sexual variation is to be understood in terms of the Latin Christians who ruled the crusader kingdom of Jerusalem. They were group in exile and fighting against formidable Muslims to protect the farthest strong hold of Christendom. They lost Jerusalem finally in the 1187, and their leaders fought their heart out, to prevent the secular leaders from making a pact with the Muslims, only to maintain the Latin Christians discriminating and rigid monopoly. Under the influence of the Latin Church the Frankish Knights and warriors who controlled the kingdom of Jerusalem strangely apart from their Muslim subjects. Thus the normally open knight’s community kept themselves aloof and the sexual variation which was perceived as a transgression was severely suppressed (Davis 1982). The Modern Outlook In the heartland of Christian Europe hostility towards homosexuality became marked only toward the end of the 12th century. The emphasize n the clear definition and rigorous defense of religious and legal boundaries inevitably led to the increased intolerance of forms of sexual behavior involving a breakdown of the boundaries between natural categories(Davis 1982). owever, the leaders of religious and military organizations would consider the maintenance of their status depends heavily on strict boundaries between the insiders and outsiders. If the insiders are male alone, then, the boundaries between them. The maintenance of strict boundaries between the different levels of a military or ecclesiastical hierarchy requires that people of different levels would not have sexual relations (Ruben 198 4). In all the male organizations it would mean prohibiting homosexuality. To wrap up, now such time has come, when the humanity realized that sexuality should be treated with special respect (Ruben 1984). 1873 has seen the first federal anti obscenity law was being passed in the United States. From the late 1940s to 1960s the homosexuals were targeted and persecuted severely in America. In the late 60s, the extreme right came out accusing Sex Information and Education Council of the United States as a communist plot that destroys the family values and eventually killing the patriotism in the coming generation (Ruben 1984). The recent past have seen AIDS being considers as a homosexual disease even in the United States. It was a fact that the gay community had to deal with misfortune of being known as community in which a deadly disease spread out and became visible. One must look back into the history of epidemic and their victims in the beginning, before one begins to think about an anti-gay initiative on the basis of Aids (Ruben 1984).

Components Of An Information System Information Technology Essay

Components Of An Information System Information Technology Essay The purpose of this report is to give an analysis of MIS policies of Ufone Telecommunication Ltd. We evaluate the weaknesses and strengths. We will find MIS policies in organization and how far they are contributing to the business plan and we will also find how to improve the quality of product and the pressure of customers and frustrated employees. Analyzing the overall MIS approach in Ufone, we discuss the three policies. These policies do have a lot of weaknesses in them with some strong points as well. At the end we give our recommendation about how these MIS policies can be effective once again and how they can improve the production level through reward system. Ufone needs some immediate and drastic changes to keep the business going Ufone is a subsidiary of Pakistan Telecommunication Company. Government heads Pakistan Telecommunication Company. It is the only Pakistani-owned cellular service provider in the country. It was founded 9 years ago with a fundamental target to build one unique telecommunications entity of Pakistan identity. Government adopted Ufone in January 2001, since then it has seen a dynamic and full throttled speed of development and prosperity. PTML, a 100% owned subsidiary of PTCL was established to operate cellular GSM 900 services. The company commenced its operations, under the brand name of Ufone, from Islamabad on January 29, 2001. Ufone expanded its coverage and has added new cities and highways to its coverage network. Ufone now covers over 300 key cities and prominent highways across Pakistan providing the customers best quality service and value for money. With a total current investment of over $350 Million, including a contract of $161 Million for expansion capacity for 2006-07, PTML believes in solid commitment to growth, security reliability. Ufone uses Siemenss infrastructure, and gets ongoing superior technological support from Siemens. Most importantly, it has Siemenss support in business Management. System Concepts: A system can be simply defined as a group of interrelated or interacting elements forming a unified whole. Many examples of systems can be found in the physical and biological sciences, in modern technology, and in human society. Thus, we can talk of the physical system of the sun and its planets, the biological system of the human body, the technological system of an oil refinery, and the socioeconomic system of a business organization. A system is a group of interrelated components working together toward a common goal by accepting inputs and producing outputs in an organized transformation process. Such a system (sometimes called a dynamic system) has three basic interacting components or functions: Input involves capturing and assembling elements that enter the system to be processed. For example, raw materials, energy, data, and human efforts must be secured and organized for processing. Processing involves transformation process that converts input into output. Examples are a manufacturing process, the human breathing process, or mathematical calculations. Output involves transferring elements that have been produced by a transformation process to their ultimate destination. For example, finished products, human services, and management information must be transmitted to their human users. Example A manufacturing system accepts raw materials as input and produces finished goods as output. An information system also is a system that accepts resources (data) as input and process the min to products (information) as output. FEEDBACK AND CONTROL: A system with feedback and control components is sometimes called a cybernetic system, that is, a self-monitoring, self-regulating system. Feedback is data about the performance of a system. For example, data about sales performance is feedback to a sales manager. Control involves monitoring and evaluating feedback to determine whether a system is moving toward the achievement of its goal. The control function then makes necessary adjustments to a systems input and processing components to ensure that it produces proper output. For example, a sales manager exercises control when he or she reassigns salespersons to new sales territories after evaluating feedback about their sales performance. Feedback is frequently included as part of the concept of the control function because it is such a necessary part of its operation. Example A familiar example of a self-monitoring, self-regulating system is the thermostat controlled heating system found in many homes; it automatically monitors and regulates itself to COMPONENTS OF AN INFORMATION SYSTEM: An information system is a system that accepts data resources as input and processes them into information products as output. An information system depends on the resources of people (end users and IS specialists), hardware (machines and media), software (programs and procedures), data (data and knowledge basis), and networks (communications media and network support) to perform input, processing, output, storage, and control activities that convert data resources into information products. This information system model highlights the relationships among the components and activities of information systems. It provides a framework that emphasizes four major concepts that can be applied to all types of information systems: People, hardware, software, data, and networks are the five basic resources of information systems. A people resource include end users and IS specialists, hardware resources consisting of machines and media, software resources including both programs and HARDWARE RESOURCES. The concept of Hardware resources includes all physical devices and materials used in information processing. Specially, it includes not only machines, such as computers and other equipment, but also all data media, that is, all tangible objects on which data is recorded, from sheets of paper to magnetic disks. Example of hardware in computer-based information systems are: Computer systems, which consist of central processing units containing microprocessors, and variety of interconnected peripheral devices. Examples are microcomputer systems, midrange computer systems, and large mainframe computer systems. Computer peripherals, which are devices such as a keyboard or electronic mouse for input of data and commands, a video screen or printer for output of information, and magnetic or optical disks for storage of data resources. SOFTWARE RESOURCES: The concept of Software Resources includes all sets of information processing instructions. This generic concept of software includes not only the sets of operating instructions called programs, which direct and control computer hardware, but also the sets of information processing instructions needed by people, called procedures. It is important to understand that even information systems that dont use computers have a software resource component. This is true even for the information systems of ancient times, or the manual and machine-supported information systems still used in the world today. They all require software resources in the form of information processing instructions and procedures in order to properly capture, process, and disseminate information to their users. INFORMATION SYSTEM ACTIVITIES: You should be able to recognize input, processing, output, storage and control activities taking place in any information system you are studying. INPUT OF DATA RESOURCE: Data about business transactions and other events must be captured and prepared for processing by the input activity. Input typically takes the form of data entry activities such as recording and editing. End uses typically record data about transactions on some type of physical medium such as paper form, or enter it directly into a computer system. This usually includes a variety of editing activities to ensure that they have recorded data correctly. Once entered, data may be transferred onto a machine-readable medium such as a magnetic disk until needed for processing. For example, data about sales transactions can be recorded on source documents such as paper sales order forms. (A source document is the original formal record of a transaction). Alternately, salespersons can capture sales data using computer keyboards or optical scanning devices; they are visually prompted to enter data correctly by video displays. This provides them with a more convenient and efficient user interface, that is, methods of end user input and output with a computer system. Methods such as optical scanning and displays of menus, prompts, and fill-in-the-blanks formats make it easier for end users to enter data correctly into an information system. PROCESSING OF DATA INTO INFORMATION: Data is typically subjected to processing activities such as calculating, comparing, sorting, classifying, and summarizing. These activities organize, analyze and manipulate data, thus converting them into information for end users. The quality of any data stored in an information system must also be maintained by a continual process of correcting and updating activities. For example, data received about a purchase can be (1) added to a running total of sales results, (2) compared to a standard to determine eligibility for a sales discount, (3) sorted in numerical order based on product identification numbers, (4) classified into product categories (such as food and non-food items), (5) summarized to provide a sales manager with information about various product categories, and finally, (6) used to update sales records. OUTPUT OF INFORMATION PRODUCTS: Information in various forms is transmitted to end-users and made available to them in the output activity. The goal of information systems is the production of appropriate information products for end users. Common information products messages, reports, forms, and graphic images, which may be provided by video displays, audio responses, paper products, and multimedia. For example, a sales manager may view a video display to check on the performance of a salesperson, accept a computer-produced voice message by telephone, and receive a printout of monthly sales results. STORAGE OF DATA RESOURCE: Storage is a basic system component of information systems. Storage is the information system activity in which data and information are retained in an organized manner for later use. For example, just as written text material is organized into words, sentences, paragraphs, and documents, stored data is commonly organized into fields, records, files, and database. This facilitates its later use in processing or its retrieval as output when needed by users of a system. CONTROL OF SYSTEM PERFORMANCE: An important information system activity is the control of its performance. An information system should produce feedback about its input, processing, output, and the system is meeting established performance standards. Then appropriate system activities must be adjusted so that proper information products are produced for end users. For example, a manager may discover that subtotals of sales amounts in a sales report do not add up to total sales. This might mean that data entry or processing procedures need to be corrected. Then changes would have to be made to ensure that all sales transactions. would be properly captured and processed by a sales information system. RECOGNIZING INFORMATION SYSTEM: There are many kinds of information systems in the real world. All of them use hardware, software, network, and people resources to transform data resources into information products. Some are simple manual information systems, where people use simple tools such as pencils and paper, or even machines such as calculators and typewriters. Others are computer based information systems that rely on a variety of networked computer systems to accomplish their information processing activities. As business end user, you should be able to recognize the fundamental components of information systems you encounter in the real world. This means that you should be able to identify. The people, hardware, software, data, and network resources they use. The type of information products they produce. The way they perform input, processing, output, storage and control activities. How they support the business operations, managerial decision-making, or competitive advantage of a business. This kind of understanding will help you be a better user, developer, and manager of information system. THE EXPANDING ROLES OF INFORMATION SYSTEM: You will also see that the roles given to the information systems functions have expand significantly over the years. TRENDS INFORMATION SYSTEMS: Until the 1990s, the role of information systems was simple, transaction processing, record-keeping, accounting, and other electronic data processing (EDP) applications. Then another role was added, as the concept of management information system (MIS) was conceived. This new role focused on providing managerial end users with predefined management reports that would give managers the information they needed for decision making purposes. By the 1970s, it was evident that the pre-specified information products produced by such management information systems were not adequately meeting many of the (DSS) was born. The new role for information systems was to provide managerial end users with ad hoc and interactive support of their decision-making processes. MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SYSTEMS: When information systems focus on providing information and support for effective decision making by managers, they are called management support systems. MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS: Management information systems (MIS) are the most common form of management support systems. They provide managerial end users with information products that support much of their day-to-day decision-making needs. Management information systems provide a variety of reports and displays to management. The contents of these information products are specified in advance by managers so that they contain information that managers need. Management information systems retrieve information about internal operations from database that have been updated by transaction processing systems. They also obtain data about the business environment from external source. Information products provided to managers include displays and reports that can be furnished (1) on demand, (2) periodically, according to a predetermined schedule. DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS: Decision support systems (DSS) are a natural progression from information reporting systems and transaction processing systems. Decision support systems are interactive, computer-based information systems that use decision models and specialized database to assist the decision making process of managerial end users. EXECUTIVE INFORMATION SYSTEMS: Executive information systems (EIS) are management information systems tailored to the strategic information needs of top management. Top executives get the information they need from many sources, including letters, memos, periodicals, and reports produced manually as well as by computer systems KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: Knowledge Management systems (KMS), Workers create, organize, and share important business knowledge wherever and whenever it is needed. For example, many knowledge management systems rely on Internet and intranet Web sites, knowledge bases, and discussion forums as key technologies for gathering, storing, and disseminating business knowledge. In this way, knowledge management systems facilitate organization learning and knowledge creation and dissemination within the business enterprise. STRATEGIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS: The strategic role of information systems involves using information technology to develop products, services, and capabilities that give a company strategic advantages over the competitive forces it faces in the global marketplace. This creates strategic information system, information systems that support or shape the competitive position and strategies of an enterprise. So a strategic information system can be any kind of information systems (TPS, MIS, DSS, etc.) that helps an organization gain a competitive advantage, reduce a competitive disadvantage, or meet other strategic enterprise objectives. BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS: As a future managerial end user, it is important for you to realize that information systems directly support both operations and management activities in the business functions of accounting, finance, human resource management, marketing, and operations management. Such business information systems are needed by all business functions. For example, marketing managers need information about sales performance and trends provided by marketing information systems. Financial managers need information concerning financing costs and investment returns provided by financial information systems. INTEGRATED INFORMATION SYSTEM: It is also important to realize that information systems in the real world are typically integrated combinations of several types of information systems we have just mentioned. Thats because conceptual classification of information systems are designed to emphasize the THE SYSTEMS APPROACH: The systems approach to problem solving used a systems orientation to define problems and opportunities and develop solutions. Studying a problem and formulating a solution involve the following interrelated activities: 1. Recognize and define a problem or opportunity using systems thinking. 2. Develop and evaluate alternative system solutions. 3. Select the system solution that best meets your requirements. 4. Design the selected system solution. 5. Implement and evaluate the success of the designed system. DEFINING PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES Problems and opportunities are identified in the first step of the systems approach. A problem can be defined as a basic condition that is causing undesirable results. An opportunity is a basic condition that presents the potential for desirable results. Symptoms must be separated from problems. Symptoms are merely signals of an underlying cause or problem. SYSTEMS THINKING: Systems thinking is to try to find systems, subsystems, and components of systems in any situation your are studying. This viewpoint ensures that important factors and their interrelationships are considered. This is also known as using a systems context, or having a systemic view of a situation. example, the business organization or business process in which a problem or opportunity arises could be viewed as a system of input, processing, output, feedback, and control components. Then to understand a problem and save it, you would determine if these basic system functions are being properly performed. Example The sales function of a business can be viewed as a system. You could then ask: Is poor sales performance (output) caused by inadequate selling effort (input), out-of-date sales procedures (processing), incorrect sales information (feedback), or inadequate sales management (control)? Figure illustrates this concept. C:UserskarlDesktopGraph.jpg SYSTEMS ANALYSIS: It is an in-depth study of end user information needs that produces functional requirements that are used as the basis for the design of a new information system. Systems analysis traditionally involves a detailed study of: 1. The information needs of the organization and end users like yourself. 2. The activities, resources, and products of any present information systems. 3. The information system capabilities required to meet your information needs, and those of other end users. ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: An organization analysis is an important first step in systems analysis. How can anyone improve an information system if they know very little about the organizational environment in which that system is located? They cant. Thats why the members of a development team have to know something about the ANALYSIS OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM: Before you design a new system, it is important to study the system that will be improved or replaced (if there is one). You need to analyze how this system uses hardware, software, network, and people resources to convert data resources, such as transactions data, into information products, such as reports and displays. Then you should document how the information system activities of input, processing, output, storage, and control are accomplished. Operating Systems: The most important system software package for any computer is its operating system. An operating system is an integrated system of programs that manages the operations of the CPU, controls the input/output and storage resources and activities of the computer system, and provides various support services as the computer executes the application programs of users. The primary purpose of an operating system is to maximize the productivity of a computer system by operating it in the most efficient manner. An operating system minimizes the amount of human intervention required during processing. It helps your application programs perform common operations Database Management Systems. A DBMS program helps organization use their integrated collections of data records and files known as databases. It allows different user application programs to easily access the same database. For example, a DBMS makes it easy for an employee database to be accessed by payroll, employee benefits, and other human resource programs. A DBMS also simplifies the process of retrieving information from databases in the form of displays and reports. Instead of having to write computer programs to extract information, end users can ask simple questions in a query language. Thus, many DBMS packages provide fourth-generation language (4GLs) and other application development features. Examples of popular mainframe and midrange packages are DB2 by IBM and Oracle 8 by Oracle Corporation. Other System Management Programs: Several other types of system management software are marketed as separate programs or are included as part of an operating system. Utility programs, or utilities, are an important example. Programs like Norton Utilities perform miscellaneous housekeeping and file conversion functions. Examples include data backup, data recovery, virus protection, data compression, and file defragmentation. Most operating systems also provide many utilities that perform a variety of helpful chores for computer users. Other examples of system support programs include performance monitors and security monitors. Performance monitors are programs that monitor and adjust the performance and usage of one or more computer systems to keep them running efficiently, Security monitors are packages that monitor and control the use of computer systems and provide warning messages and record evidence of unauthorized use of computer resources. A recent trand is to merge both types of programs into operating systems like Microsofts Windows NT Server, or into system management software like Computer Associates CAUnicenter, that can manage both mainframe systems and servers in a data centre. Advantages and Disadvantages: A high-level language is obviously easier to learn and understand than an assembler language. Also, high-level languages have less-rigid rules, forms, and syntaxes, so the potential for errors is reduced. However, high-level languages programs are usually less efficient than assembler language programs and require a greater amount of computer time for translation into machine instructions. Business Applications of Telecommunications. Telecommunications is the sending of information in any form (e.g., voice, data, text, and images) from one place to another using electronic or light-emitting media. Data communications is a more specific term that describes the transmitting and receiving of data over communication links between one or more computer systems and a variety of input/output terminals. The terms teleprocessing, telematics, and telephony may also be used since they reflect the integration of computer-based information processing with telecommunications and telephone technology. However, all forms of telecommunications now rely heavily on computers and computerized devices. For this reason, the broader term telecommunications can be used as a synonym for data communications activities. Figure illustrates some of the many possible business applications of telecommunications. It groups telecommunications applications into the major categories of enterprise collaboration systems, electronic commerce systems, The Internet Revolution: The explosive growth of the Internet is the revolutionary technology phenomenon of the 1990s. The Internet has become the largest and most important network of networks today, and is evolving into the information superhighway of tomorrow. The Internet is constantly expanding, as more and more businesses and other organizations and their users, computers, and networks join its global web. Thousands of business, educational, and research networks now connect millions of computer systems and users in more than 200 countries to each other. The Internet has also become a key platform for a rapidly expanding list of information and entertainment services and business applications, including enterprise collaboration and electronic commerce systems.

Satire in Tartuffe and Candide

Satire in Tartuffe and Candide The period, known as the Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment Period, began in the late seventeenth century. It was a time of great turmoil and intellectual movements that ultimately led to the beginning of the French Revolution. Enlightenment thinkers were the ones who encouraged and proposed that we rely on and trust our instincts for decision making along with the actions that make. Many Enlightenment thinkers, such as Moliere and Voltaire, were famous for their works. They were two writers that used a very particular approach to their works. Tartuffe, by Moliere, and Candide, by Voltaire, both addressed similar topics and themes such as satire for example. Tartuffe and Candide satirized religious hypocrisy emphasizing on free thinking and reason. Jean-Baptiste Moliere, who was originally named Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, was one of the greatest and well-known comic dramatists. He was known as one of the greatest and famous comic writers mainly because his works challenged the imprudence of trusting reason for different life events. One of Molieres most famous works includes Tartuffe primarily for the amount of controversy it sparked related to satire. Tartuffe is a play that tells about a man named Orgon, who is a wealthy family man, who takes a stranger into his home named Tartuffe. He later indeed is discovered to be a religious hypocrite. He doesnt have any morals or indeed values religion. Tartuffe simply used religion as a disguise to manipulate people and do his crimes. He pretends to be extremely religious, but from his actions and behavior, it goes entirely against the morals of religion. For example, when Tartuffe sees Dorine in Act 3, Scene 2, he tells her: Cover your bust. The flesh is weak Souls are forever damaged by such sights, When sinful thoughts begin their evil flights. From this scene, there is clear evidence showing how Tartuffe is a hypocrite. Here, he preaches about the importance of chastity; however, in the scene that follows, he goes against this statement when he tries to pursue Elmire. Tartuffe tries to persuade Elmire to cheat on Orgon, but she comes up with a plan to expose Tartuffes true personality to Orgon as well as to show him how Tartuffe was trying to seduce her. As a result of this scheme, Orgon sees first-hand that Tartuffe is a religious hypocrite. The way that Moliere displays Tartuffes behavior, when comparing the two scenes, allows the audience to conclude that the way Tartuffe acts doesnt at all coincide with his words. The two different behaviors exemplified in the two scenes is meant to satirize the religious hypocrisy integrated into Tartuffe. A central theme of Tartuffe is religious moderation displayed through Cleante. He shows real pious virtue throughout the play by expressed ideas and thoughts opposed to religious hypocrisy embodied in Tartuffe. Religious moderation is communicated by Cleantes voice through his speeches: So nothing is more odious to me Than the display of specious piety Which I see in every charlatan Who tries to pass for a true holy man    Religious passion worn as a faà §ade Abuses whats sacred and mocks God. They dont exhibit zeal thats more intense Than heaven shows us in its own defense. Theyd never claim a knowledge thats divine And yet they live in virtues own design. They concentrate their hatred on the sin, And when the sinner grieves, invite him in. (Molià ¨re 24-25) This speech by Cleante in Act 1 Scene 5 is supported by a firmly structured argument to emphasize on Molià ¨res belief and support of religious moderation. Molià ¨re uses Cleantes speech to compare between the people that are actual pious against those individuals who are only pretending to be pious, like Tartuffe. Those who pretend to be pious do more talking and preaching versus actually showing actions to back up their words. The extremely holy people follow God as well as use actions more opposed to teaching. I think by Moliere using these statements in his play through Cleante; he is sending a message to his audience to exhibit religious moderation by being like Cleante. Francois-Marie Arouet, better known by his pen name Voltaire, was an outspoken and fearless writer. So much so, he landed himself in exile more than once. He was determined to have his work published by any means even if he had to do it secretly. One of Voltaires most notable works was Candide, which was written in response to news that Voltaire found to be disturbing. Unlike Tartuffe, where religious hypocrisy is embodied by one character, Voltaire attacks religious hypocrisy through religious communities. Like Moliere, Voltaire satirizes religious moderation as well. In Candide, Voltaire uses the character, Pangloss, as a way to mock his view on religious moderation. Voltaire believed humans should rely on their reason and senses to make decisions and understand the world. Throughout the novel, Pangloss has an optimistic view of how he sees the world. He believes that God made the best possible world that we can live in and that everything that happens is necessary. Candide recalls his mentors philosophy: It is clear, said he, that things cannot be otherwise than they are, for since everything is made to serve an end, everything necessarily serves the best end. (Voltaire, 101) Panglosss philosophy encourages and promotes that people should trust and follow their religious faith blindly. Voltaire satirizes this because he has a different belief. As demonstrated by Candides misfortunes throughout the novel, his mentors optimistic view and philosophy proved to be inaccurate, such as with the drowning of Jacques the Anabaptist. After this disaster and all the other horrible experiences, leads Candide to question Panglosss philosophy about whether or not his unfortunate experiences are part of the best of all possible worlds. Moliere and Voltaire successfully satirize their views on religious hypocrisy and moderation in Tartuffe and Candide. With each of their works, they hoped to get a message out to society that would catch attention as both did with the amount of controversy their works caused. Even though their works were written many centuries ago, it served as a foundation for satirical writers in the modern day. The world we live in today is still filled with negative aspects of religion such as with the Charlie Hebdo shooting in 2015. The messages Moliere and Voltaire communicated are still important to this day and probably needs to be addressed more elaborately in the present age than it was at the time their works were published. Works Cited Page Moliere. Tartuffe. The Norton Anthology World Literature, vol. 2, 3rd edition, pp. 12-68. Voltaire. Candide. The Norton Anthology World Literature, vol. 2, 3rd edition, pp. 97-159.

The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir Essay -- gender differences, 2015

Feminism is the radical notion that women are people. It is the movement for the political, social, and educational equality of women with men. It has its roots in the humanism of the 18th century and the Industrial Revolution. Feminist issues range from access to employment, education, child care, contraception, and abortion, to equality in the workplace, changing family roles, damages for sexual harassment in the workplace, and the need for equal political representation. Some may think that in 2015 we may be completing the first step for women, which has been a long journey, the acceptance of women as people. However, women, like so many other groups, have gained legal rights only to face less institutional, but more subtle forms of discriminations. The idea that women are equal because of women’s rights is in my opinion valid in some ways and invalid in other ways. Traditionally, women have been regarded as inferior to men physically and intellectually. Women could not possess property in their own names, participate in business ventures, or control having children if they wanted them or not or even control of their own lives. The Feminist movement dates from 1848, when Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Coffin Mott and others who were at a women’s convention at Seneca Falls, N.Y. issued declaration of independence for women, demanding full legal equality, full educational and commercial opportunity, equal compensation, the right to get paid and the right to vote. In this essay I will discuss The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir and her feminist views. I will discuss the gender differences between males and females today as well as in the past. Simone De Beauvoir was born in Paris. She had a younger sister and they lived in middle-class family. She went to a conservative Catholic prep school for girls. She had several licenses, which are equivalent to master’s degrees today, in literature, philosophy and mathematics. While in School she met Sartre a philosopher most closely associated with existentialism. She was one of the first women to pass the rigorous aggregation in philosophy. She taught in Marseiles, Rouen, and Paris from 1931 to 1943, but her contract ended because she was accused of sleeping with a student. After that she began a monthly magazine with Sarte that discussed politics and literature. Simone De Beauvoir’... ... care of the home and their husbands didn’t have a man of her own. Now I don’t know the exact significance of this, but my take on it is that the movie was trying to show that no matter what you do as a woman you can’t make a man stay just because you do what is â€Å"expected†. Overall, feminism aims to have women treat equally as men in all aspects of life. We as women have come a long way since the early 1900s, but really how far have we come? There are still very few women in high positions as me, there still has never been a woman president, and in some cases men are earning higher wages than men even if they hold the same position. However, women have shown that we can do whatever a man can do and we can do it just as good as a man. We no longer have to even consider accepting the fact that we have our â€Å"place† and be seen as the â€Å"object†. Moreover, I think that it is the responsibility of the woman to make sure that she is respected and that she is given the same rights as the man. Also men need to be more aware of the situation that’s occurring. Works cited: The Norton Anthology Theory and Criticism p.1403-1414 www.lib.usc.edu/~retter/1st2.html

Capital Punishment Essay: The Death Penalty and the Eighth Amendment :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

The Death Penalty and the Eighth Amendment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Is the death penalty consistent with the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against the imposition of cruel and unusual punishments? This essay will address this question and present a short history of the death penalty in America.    The Supreme Court considered particular applications of the death penalty in the 1940s and 1950s. In each case it upheld the state's action without addressing the larger issue of the death penalty's constitutionality. In the 1960s, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, led by Professor Anthony Amsterdam mounted a full-scale attack on the death penalty. Adopting a "moratorium strategy," the LDF succeeded in blocking all executions for five years, creating a "death-row logjam."    In Furman v Georgia in 1972, the Court invalidated all then-existing death penalty laws based on the inherent arbitrariness of their application. Most observers at the time concluded that there would never again be an execution in the United States. They were wrong. In 1976, in Gregg v. Georgia, the Court upheld Georgia's new capital-sentencing procedures, concluding that they had sufficiently reduced the problem of arbitrary and capricious imposition of death associated with earlier statutes.    The Court continued to face questions concerning the application of the death penalty: to non-murderers, to minors, to mentally disabled prisoners, to racial minorities. One such case is McCleskey v. Kemp, a challenge based on a study that showed murderers of white victims were far more likely to be sentenced to death than murderers of black victims.    The Eighth Amendment says: Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted (Constitution).   How does it square with the actual facts of capital punishment: 1. The average inmate put to death in 1998 spent ten years and ten months on death row. 2. In 1998, 285 people were sentenced to death. 3. At the close of 1999, Texas has the most prisoners on death row (39), followed by California (31), and Alabama and Florida (25 each). 4. Over 3,500 prisoners are currently on death row. 5. Thirty-nine states have death penalty laws on their books.    One of the most eloquent attacks on the death penalty ever delivered in an American courtroom came in the Leopold & Loeb Case in 1924. Clarence Darrow's eloquence is often credited with saving the lives of two confessed teenaged murderers.

Target Case

Target Corporation Capital Expenditure Target’s Capital Expenditure Committee, consisting of five top level executives responsible for reviewing all large capital project requests, is currently considering 5 projects to add value to the corporation. Their overall goal is to add 100 stores a year, while maintaining a positive brand image and watching budget constraints. If the CEC rejects a proposal there are large financial and emotional sunk costs, due to the long development process.Each project is evaluated in terms of its quantitative, qualitative, and strategic parameters. In calculating the NPV of these projects, Target uses two hurdle rates, 9% and 4% for the store operations and credit-card cash flows respectively, due to the different costs of capital. Funding credit card receivables requires less risk than funding store operations because credit cards do not require many fixed assets and are only issued to individuals with suitable credit history. We have analyzed ea ch project, ranked them according to value(best to worst i. . 1 to 5), and made a recommendation to accept/reject each one. Project: â€Å"The Barn† Rating: #1 Recommendation-Accept Construction of this P04 store allows Target to enter a new market. This investment offers the greatest return, with an NPV which is 128% of the $13 million investment, and an IRR of 16. 4%. By building this store, Target would be vastly increasing its brand awareness in an area that was formerly occupied by its competition.Although the low median income and low percentage of adults with college degrees suggest that the population may not fit the ideal Target guests, the prototype NPV is still attainable with a decrease in predicted sales by 18. 1%. Project: â€Å"Stadium Remodel†-Rating-#2 Recommendation-Accept The renovation of this successful SuperTarget requires an investment of $17 million, and provides an NPV of $15. 7 million(92% of investment) and an IRR of 10. 8%. In recent years the facility has begun to deteriorate; which, coupled with a decrease in sales has begun to tarnish Target’s brand image.If the status quo is maintained, sales will decrease until Target is forced to close this facility; never allowing them to obtain this large NPV, nor the $0. 4 million in tax benefits of depreciable property write-off. The high level of median income($65,931) and percentage of adults with college degrees(42%), indicates that this demographic matches Target’s ideal customer base, moderating the risk of sales falling short of the predicted amount. By renovating this location Target is revamping the shopping experience as well as their brand image. This store could be returned to its former glory with a small investment and low level of risk.Project: â€Å"Gopher Place†-Rating-#3 Recommendation-Accept This construction of a new P04 store in a critical market has an NPV of $16. 8 million, 73% of the initial investment of $23 million, and a favorab le IRR of 12. 3%. The recent population growth in this area has also attracted the attention of Wal-Mart, who plans to open 2 new supercenters in this area, giving them control of 76% of the market. If Target does not invest here, Wal-Mart may gain a stranglehold in this area, making it impossible for Target to invest here at a later date.If Target does invest in this project, Wal-Mart may reconsider opening a second superstore in this area. Furthermore, building this store would help increase the Target brand awareness in the area. Although the percentage of college graduates(12%) amongst this population is lower than desired, the high median income(56,400) and large population growth(27%) should drive up sales at â€Å"Gopher Place†. While high cannibalization of sales(19%) from other Target stores and sensitivity to decreases in sales give this project a lower ranking, the benefits of the NPV, IRR, and strategic importance make this project acceptable.Project: â€Å"Whale n Court†-Rating-#4 Recommendation-Accept Construction of this unique store in the center of a major metropolitan area offers an IRR of 9. 8% and an NPV of $25. 9 million. However, these figures do not consider the scale of a project in which the NPV only accounts for 22% of the $119. 3 million investment. Furthermore, the land for this project must be leased, forcing Target to forego its archetype of purchasing land and forcing the CEC into a quick decision to avoid than missing this rare opportunity. Heavy foot traffic round this store will provide Target with a vast increase in brand visibility and awareness, allowing them to offset the large initial cost with a decrease in advertising budget. Whalen Court will be the flagship store in this established market area, where there are currently 45 Target stores. The large population, coupled with a median income of $48,500 and exceptionally high percentage of college graduates(45%) indicates a perfect community for Target to en ter. Although we recommend the acceptance of this project, the vast initial investment makes this project less attractive than its peers.Project: â€Å"Goldie’s Square†-Rating-#5 Recommendation-Reject While this SuperTarget was to be built in an area of strategic importance its return is not high enough to justify the investment cost. The NPV of $0. 3 million is a meager 1. 26% of the investment cost, and its IRR of 8. 1% is less than the required hurdle rate of 9%. The only reason it maintains a positive NPV is due to predicted credit card sales. 12 Target stores exist in the area, implying a large amount of their sales will be cannibalized from other Target stores.In fact, predicted sales at â€Å"Goldie’s Square† would have to increase by 62. 5% to cover the loss in sales at the other stores and achieve the prototype NPV. In the short run this investment will add to Target’s top line, but in the long run it will become a burden to the corporatio n. Although Target has the necessary funds to invest in each of these projects, we recommend they accept all projects other than â€Å"Goldie’s Square†. The primary goal of the CEC is to choose projects which bring value and growth to the company; while increasing brand awareness and strategic considerations are of secondary importance.This is why the CEC must look past the NPV and IRR and really scrutinize the projects, ensuring resources are allocated to the projects which provide the greatest value to all facets of the corporation. By accepting these four projects and rejecting â€Å"Goldie’s Square† Target will achieve sustainable growth and an increase in corporate value. After the recent lackluster returns, stockholders and analysts will be pleased with Target’s commitment to positive growth and value creation.