Literary analysis focusing one of the schools of criticism discussed Essay

Literary analysis focusing one of the schools of criticism discussed in class in relation to a selected film or television production - Essay Example However, the personal fight of Wallace, to be expounded later on, is intertwined with the social conditions presented. At the start of the film, King Edward I, a.k.a. Longshanks, of England has invaded the Scotland (Braveheart). Alongside this condition is the commission of treachery on the part of Longshanks who persecuted several people, including the parents of Wallace (Braveheart). However, Wallace survives and is taken to foreign land where he is educated through the aid of his uncle. However, Wallace will have a love affair with his childhood, who will be the cause of the strife in Scotland that will eventually led to a revolution. This will then divide the land into factions, which will engage in a fight to free Scotland from the grasps of the English conquerors. However, Wallace will die later on and someone will follow his footsteps, rebelling again to gain freedom from the rule of Englishmen. Robert, the Bruce, shall carry this on as the Scottish King. This is then a continuation of legacy. Aside from such continuation, there is a certain pedigree of dissent present from the instigators of the rebellion. It is unavoidable that bloodshed will happen but with a purpose. In this case, the most common thing that can be seen is opposing forces: binaries of some sort. The Englishmen are the ones considered as oppressors since they are the ones who have the power to conquer lands and dominate people. On the other hand, the Scottish people are the ones who appear as the oppressed in the film due to the subjugation made by the Englishmen. The abuses and killings made signify the injustice and abuses perpetuated as it appeared on the film. However, it can be considered that the representations of the film are not accurate and purely referential to history, which is not totally clear about the message it wants (De Man 184). Thus, the film

Do something Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Do something - Term Paper Example Nevertheless, the organization faces significant challenges including raising enough funds for the smooth running of its activities, and commanding a global outreach. Despite this, the organization’s board of directors, the advisory board, and other well-wishers continue working around the clock to ensure the organization achieves its objectives (DoSomething, 2015). The main aim of this organization is to ensure social change and equity in the society. In addition, the organization aims at transforming people’s views about the need to care for the environment in which they live. The organization believes that bringing such a change will form the basis of a bright future for upcoming generations. The organization also aims at involving people across the globe in driving this change. DoSomething.org especially believes in utilizing the enormous power of the youth through campaigns in driving social change for a bright future (DoSomething, 2015). The marketing goals of DoSomething.org include mobilizing people through different social media platforms to join a cause for the positive transformation of the society. The organization believes involving people from various backgrounds and cultures will help in bringing in innovative solutions to the various social challenges facing the society. The organization seeks to increase the interest from various corporations and other well-wishers in supporting its campaigns. On the part of corporations, DoSomething.org aims at increasing the level of involvement of different corporations in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. DoSomething.org also aims at increasing its brand equity as a reputable non-profit making organization across the globe. The organization believes that such a reputation will serve as a basis of making it attractive to potential volunteers and other well-wishers (DoSomething, 2015). The organization has well-trained

Organizational Decoupling Processes and Causes

Organizational Decoupling Processes and Causes The field of organizational decoupling is a field that has not been researched very much. Meyer and Rowan (1977) were some of the first authors who wrote about this subject and define organizational decoupling as separating formal structure from actual organizational practice. In short, this means that organizations say that they do one thing, but actually do something else. For instance, an organization can announce that it will start a stock repurchase program. The organization can announce that it will repurchase a certain amount of stocks but actually repurchase much less stocks or dont repurchase them at all (Westphal Zajac, 2001). In this particular example the organization decouples what it says it is going to do, with what it actually does. Thus, the organization separates formal procedures (formal structure) from practice. So organizations seem to decouple their structure from actual practice, but why? Why do organizations try to fool other organizations, clients, customers and possibly even themselves? I argue that the main problem is legitimacy, and by exploring organizations quest for legitimacy and the problems they might encounter along the way, this research tries to map the main causes for organizational decoupling and thus give an answer to the following research question: What are the main causes of organizational decoupling? This research consists of a step-by-step overview of the entire process underlying decoupling. Four steps will be taken to explore and explain why organizations decouple their formal procedures (formal structure) from practice. Namely, 1) looking at the context of organizations and their search for legitimacy, 2) looking at problems organizations might encounter while searching for legitimacy 3) identifying the problem that is supported to be the prime cause of decoupling and 4) looking at organizational reactions to these problems (using decoupling) to connect the causes the action (problems to decoupling). These three steps will be discussed in three paragraphs and each paragraph consists of a review of existing literature from different authors about the decoupling process. Figure 1.1 shows the conceptual model sketching the process underlying decoupling. This model is divided into theory and propositions. The theory section shows which concepts form the theory behind the proposit ions and the propositions section shows which propositions are extracted from the theory. These propositions will form the core of this research. Research Structure The first step in the research is to take a look at the context of organizations and their quest for legitimacy. Organizations are embedded into institutional environments, meaning that the environment expects something of these organizations (Boxembaum Jonsson, 2008). There are certain norms, values and rules that organizations are being expected to act upon. Organizations have to conform to these expectations to gain legitimacy and this is the one goal all organizations have. They have to be legitimate to operate, survive, gain control over resources and create stability (Meyer Rowan, 1977; Boxenbaum Jonsson, 2008). For organizations, expectations are being experienced as pressures to conform. Therefore, this research will use the term environmental pressures to refer to these expectations. However, using the term environmental pressure sketches an image that is too vague and incomplete. Therefore this research divides environmental pressures into normative pressures and coercive pressures (Dimaggio Powel, 1983/2000). The term normative pressures refers to the expectations of the public or the cultural audience. These are the people and other organizations that form society and expect organizations to behave in a certain way and to conform to moral norms and values. It is important to keep in mind that it is not illegal to disregard these expectations; they are social guidelines, not laws. Nonetheless organizations have to conform to these expectations to stay legitimate (Boxenbaum Jonsson, 2008; and others). Coercive pressures however do consist of laws. In some situations organizations have to conform to certain laws that are being imposed by the government and this creates a pressure to conform. Organizations must conform because disobedience is illegal and illegitimate (Edelman, 1992). The second step in finding the answer to why organizations decouple their formal procedures (formal structure) from practice lies in the problems organizations might encounter while pursuing legitimacy. This paper categorizes three different problems that might rise when organizations try to gain legitimacy by conforming to environmental pressures, namely: 1) organizations might encounter a misfit between the expectations of their environments and their practices (Meyer Rowan, 1977); 2) some organizations might encounter an inability to conform to the coercive and normative pressures (Oliver, 1991); and 3) in some cases what an organization is being expected to do is in conflict with the interests of the organization as a whole or of individual managers (Edelman, 1992; Westphal Zajac, 2001; Fiss Zajac, 2006). The third step is to identify one of the three possible problems as the one that is the most important or most found cause of organizational decoupling. This step will eventually form an answer to the research question. The fourth step is the step where organizations actually decouple their formal structure from practice as a response to the problems that have arisen as a result of environmental pressures. This chapter will discuss different ways in which organizations use decoupling to solve problems and it illustrates some particular situations and approaches to the different problems that might arise while trying to be legitimate. This chapter functions as a bridge between the problems and the actual decoupling. Relevance of the Research Because organizations experience the struggle for legitimacy on a daily basis, and therefore have to cope with problems that arise as a result, this research might give organizations an insight in how to deal with these pressures and problem situations. Managers of organizations can use the knowledge in this research to come up with strategies that both suffice the need for legitimacy as well as the need for efficiency and pursuing organizational interests. The process underlying decoupling as illustrated in this research might also be used as a mean to gain legitimacy on its own. Because this research provides an insight into the reasons that organizations have to decouple their structure from practice, the public or cultural audience might come to a better understanding of the situation. They might understand that organizations sometimes have no other choice than to decouple and that the actions of organizations are actually quite legitimate, even if they are not considered to be at the moment. The knowledge provided in this research can also lead to further research on decoupling an form a basis for other researchers to start from because it tries to explain the core concept behind decoupling and to give an answer to the why question. Theoretical Framework Theory The aim of this research is to explore and explain the process underlying organizational decoupling and summarize the main causes. But what is organizational decoupling exactly? Meyer and Rowan (1977) define organizational decoupling as separating formal structure from actual organizational practice, meaning that organizations create an illusion of their activities (formal structure) but actually perform different activities (organizational practice). Many authors have used the term organizational decoupling but most of them refer to Meyer and Rowan as the founding fathers of this field of study and therefore this research will use the definition of organizational decoupling as given by them. The second important concept in this research is legitimacy. This research hypothesizes that organizations are on a quest for legitimacy and might encounter problems along the way. Legitimacy is therefore one of the core concepts and will be defined as a generalized perception or assumption that the actions of an entity are desirable, proper, or appropriate within some socially constructed system of norms, values, beliefs, and definitions (Suchman, 1995, p. 574). This definition will be used in this research because Suchman (1995) includes the importance of the social audience in his definition. As mentioned earlier, the audience defines the social pressure that organizations experience and is therefore an important player in the process underlying decoupling, which in a way determines what is legitimate and what is not, and should therefore be included in the definition of legitimacy. The third concept as mentioned in the conceptual model (figure 1.1) is environmental pressure. Meyer and Rowan (1977) call this environmental pressure myths. According to them, institutional rules function as myths to which organizations have to conform to be legitimate. This research however does not use the term myths but the term environmental pressure, the definition however remains the same. As mentioned earlier this research separates environmental pressure into two different sub pressures: coercive pressure and normative pressure. Coercive pressure will be defined as the demand of the state or other large actors to adopt specific structures or practices, or else face sanctions (Dimaggio Powel, 1983/2000 in Boxenbaum Jonsson, 2008, p. 80). Normative pressure will be defined as what is widely considered a proper course of action, or even a moral duty (Suchman, 1995, in Boxenbaum Jonsson, 2008, p. 80). These two definitions are chosen because they both point out the important difference between the moral and legal background of the concepts. The definition of coercive pressures specifically points out the role of the state and the risk of facing sanctions. This expresses the legal background of the concept. On the other hand, the definition of normative pressure points out the role of the audience. This on its turn expresses the social background of the concept. Dimaggio and Powel (1983/2000) also mention a third pressure, namely mimetic pressure. These mimetic pressures are mainly caused by uncertainty. This uncertainty for organizations causes organizations to imitate other, successful organizations to reduce their own uncertainty. Even though the concept of mimetic pressures is a part of the pressure package of Dimaggio and Powel (1983/2000) it will not be used in this research. The reason for leaving mimetic pressures out of the research and include only coercive and normative pressures is that this research hypothesizes that conforming to certain en vironmental pressure causes problems. Mimetic pressures however do not cause but rather solve problems (uncertainty)(Dimaggio Powel, 1983/2000). Propositions This research also mentions three different problems that organizations might encounter while trying to be legitimate. The first are efficiency problems. These problems are defined as problems that might arise when organizations try to conform to environmental pressures, which actually are in conflict with efficiency criteria (Meyer Rowan, 1977). The second problem is the inability to conform to environmental pressures. This problem will be defined as a problem that might rise when an organization has inadequate resources or capacity to meet the requirements of conformity (Oliver, 1991). The third are conflicting organizational or managerial interest problems. These are problems that might rise when environmental pressures are in conflict with the organizational or managerial interests (Edelman, 1992; Westphal Zajac, 2001; Fiss Zajac, 2006). Based on these three possible problems three propositions are made: Proposition 1 Organizational decoupling is caused by efficiency problems. Proposition 2 Organizational decoupling is caused by the organizations inability to conform to environmental pressures. Proposition 3 Organizational decoupling is caused by conflicting organizational or managerial interests. Table 2.1 Concept Definitions Organizational decoupling Separating formal structures from actual organizational practice Legitimacy A generalized perception or assumption that the actions of an entity are desirable, proper, or appropriate within some socially constructed system of norms, values, beliefs, and definitions Environmental pressure Institutional rules function as environmental pressures to which organizations have to conform to be legitimate Coercive pressure The demand of the state or other large actors to adopt specific structures or practices, or else face sanctions Normative pressure What is widely considered a proper course of action, or even a moral duty Efficiency problems Problems that might arise when organizations try to conform to environmental pressures, which actually conflicts sharply with efficiency criteria Inability to conform to environmental pressures Problems that might arise when an organization has inadequate resources or capacity to meet the requirements of conformity Conflicting organizational or managerial interests Problems that might arise when environmental pressures are in conflict with the organizational or managerial interests Research design This research can be characterized as both a descriptive and an explanatory research. It is both descriptive and explanatory because the aim on one hand is to describe current mainstream findings of other researchers on organizational decoupling and on the other hand to explain the whole process underlying organizational decoupling. This chapter will describe the process of data collection and data analysis using a part of the guidelines for conducting a systematic literature review as suggested by Tranfield, Denyer and Smart (2003). According to them conducting a review can be divided into several phases (table 3.1). These phases will form the steps used in this research for both data collection and analysis. Phases in conducting a review (Tranfield, Denyer Smart, 2003) Phase 1 Identification of research Phase 2 Selection of Studies Phase 3 Study quality assessment Identification of Research This phase of the research is the actual start of the data collection. According to Tranfield, Denyer and Smart (2003) a systematic search begins with identifying keywords and search terms. As mentioned in chapter 2 (Theoretical Framework), this research contains several concepts, which again can be found in the conceptual model (figure 1.1). These concepts are the core of this research and therefore some of them will be used as keywords to find relevant articles and papers. The first string of keywords is as follows: 1) Decoupling; 2) Legitimacy; 3) Institutional pressures. Table 3.2 shows the number of articles found for each keyword. Number of articles found Decoupling 12.262 Legitimacy 8.199 Institutional pressures 1080 To make the keywords more specific and to make sure that the results of the search are narrowed down the following, more specific keywords were identified and some keywords were added to the string (see table 3.2 for argumentation): 1) Organi?ational decoupling; 2) Acquiring legitimacy; 3) Maintaining legitimacy; 4) Conformity + institutional pressures; 5) Symbolic management Keyword argumentation Organi?ational decoupling Adding organi?ational to the term Decoupling makes the term more specific and narrows down results The ? makes sure that both the English and the American spelling of the word are being checked for Acquiring legitimacy Adding Aquiring to the term Legitimacy makes sure that the search focuses on the organizations search for legitimacy and not just on legitimacy itself Maintaining legitimacy Adding Maintaining to the term Legitimacy makes sure that the search focuses on the organizations struggle to maintain legitimacy and not just on legitimacy itself Conformity + Institutional pressures The term Institutional pressures refers to the pressures that weigh upon organizations The term Conformity refers to the theory that organizations have to conform to certain pressures to be legitimate Symbolic management Decoupling is using symbols to show that your organization conforms to certain institutional pressures (myths) (Meyer Rowan, 1977)The use of these symbols as a management strategy is called symbolic management (Westphal Zajac, 1998; 2001) The main source of information will be the ISI Web of Knowledge. This database contains thousands of articles and papers, which can be found using the license of the University of Tilburg. Unfortunately this license only allows the search for articles that have been published in 1988 or later. However, for the first step in searching relevant literature this is not a reason for concern. Again, to narrow down the results of the research and to exclude irrelevant results, the search will be refined to the general category Social Sciences. This makes sure that the search results do not include findings in irrelevant categories such as Science and Technology and Arts and Humanities. Second, the subject areas of the search are also refined. The subject areas that are included in the search are Business and Economics, Sociology and Behavioral Sciences. An example of the exact syntax of the search command can be found in the appendix. Besides using search-strings, this research also used the technique of snowballing. This technique uses the literature references of articles and papers that might have been found using the search-strings. For instance, the paper of Meyer and Rowan (1977) is being referred to by almost every author in the field of organizational decoupling. However, this article does not pop up in the search results in the Web of Knowledge database because it was published before 1988. By using snowballing other relevant articles about the subject can be found. The result of using this technique is that the latter part of the literature used in this research was found in the literature references of the articles that were found by using the organi?ational decoupling search term. Selection of Studies After searching for articles a selection of relevant studies had to be made. This process consists of three steps: 1) scanning the titles 2) reading the abstracts of the studies found and 3) matching the content of the studies to this researchs concept. The first and second step give an indication of what the studies are about. The title says a lot about the content of a paper and the abstract of an article gives a short summary of what the author has found in his or her study and thus gives an indication of the usability for this research. The third step is actually a sort of analysis of the studies that have been marked as relevant and usable in the previous two steps. This step consists of actually reading the selected studies and mapping their contents. Mapping the contents of a article or paper that are relevant for this research is being done by using a summary table (see appendix 6.2). This table is an oversight of the different articles and papers, their authors and the main concepts of these studies. After reading all the relevant literature this table is used to divide the different studies into different categories. The different categories consist of the core concepts of this study as shown in figure 1.1 (conceptual model), namely: 1) legitimacy; 2) conforming to coercive pressures; 3) conforming to normative pressures; 4) efficiency problems; 5) inability to conform to environmental pressures; 6) conflicting organizational or managerial interests; and 7) implementing decoupling. Dividing the literature into these different categories makes it easier to link them together in this research and to formulate an answer to the research question. Study Quality Assessment The quality of this research will be guaranteed by checking the literature that is being used as data. By checking the literature for times cited the reliability and validity of the literature is being secured. The more a particular article or paper is cited by other authors, the higher the reliability and validity of this particular article or paper. However, this also means that the older articles seem to be more reliable. To overcome this bias articles of more recent years have also been taken in to account and have been checked for usability separately. Another method for improving the reliability of the research is to use theoretical triangulation. By looking at different theories, the concept of organizational decoupling will be explained in a reliable and multidimensional way. To guarantee that this research can be replicated and checked for inconsistencies or to extend it, every step of the research process is being recorded. Also, the systematic way of analyzing the data ensures both replicabillity and reliability. Results As mentioned earlier, this research consists of three steps in explaining the causes of organizational decoupling. These three steps are according to the conceptual model (figure 1.1) and try to explain the process underlying decoupling step-by-step and will be covered in the following paragraphs. Quest for Legitimacy Before we can point out which problems could cause decoupling we must first take a look at how these problems rise in the first place. The theory shows that organizations try to be legitimate and are thus on a quest for legitimacy. Acquiring and maintaining legitimacy is the most difficult task for most organizations (Elsbach Sutton, 1992; Pfeffer Salancik, 1978: 194). Nonetheless, organizations have to be legitimate to operate, survive, gain resources and create stability (Meyer and Rowan, 1977; Boxembaum Jonsson, 2008). So one of the main goals of organizations is to be legitimate, but how do organizations achieve this? Boxembaum and Jonsson (2008) argue that organizations are embedded into institutional environments. Being embedded into institutional environments means that this environment has certain expectations of the organizations. These expectations are being experienced as pressures, and organizations have to comply with these pressures to maintain legitimacy (Dimaggio Powel, 1983/2000; Monahan, 2006). These pressures can be either coercive or normative (Seidman, 1983; Dimaggio Powel, 1983/2000). Coercive pressures refer to environmental expectations such as, for instance, laws. The argument that organizations have to conform to coercive pressures is supported by the work of Tsoukas (1994) who argues that in some environments organizations have to conform to rules and institutions as imposed by the legal state. Normative pressures refer to norms and values about what is considered proper or normal (Suchman, 1995). In their work on educational organizations and ranking Sauder and Espeland (2009) write about the normative pressures that educational organizations have to conform to. According to them, educational organizations are being ranked according to their performance. Schools have to be the best of the best to survive and thus have to conform to todays ideas of what is considered good quality and bad quality. Problems Along the Way So in short, organizations try to be legitimate by conforming to both coercive and normative environmental pressures. Conforming to these environmental pressures seems to be the right and only thing for organizations to do. However, this research hypothesizes that it might also cause certain problems. This research distinct three particular problems, namely: 1) efficiency problems; 2) inability to conform; and 3) conflicting interests. Efficiency Problems Meyer and Rowan (1977) argue that organizations that try to be legitimate by conforming to environmental pressures might encounter a misfit between the organizational structure and its practice. In other words, the environmental pressures are not in line with the organizational practice. For instance, Meyer and Rowan (1977) mention the example of a bus company. A bus company is expected to service certain routes, even when there are no passengers. This is highly inefficient, but the bus company has to conform to the environmental pressures. Edelman (1992) also point out the efficiency problems that might rise in their example of the equal employment opportunity and affirmative action (EEO/AA) law. This law is designed to ban discrimination in the hiring processes of firms and thus restricts organizations and managers to hire or refuse whomever they want. According to Edelman (1992) organizations experience this as highly inefficient and obstructing to managerial power. Inability to Conform A second problem that organizations can encounter is that they simply cannot conform to the environmental pressures. Oliver (1991) argues that some organizations are just not able to conform to certain environmental pressures because they do not have the needed resources or the capacity. For instance, it is more or less a social expectation (thus, a normative pressure) that the area surrounding a fast-food-restaurant is kept clean and clear of garbage by the restaurant itself. However, the restaurant might not have enough personnel or the material (resources and capacity) to conform to this expectation. It might also be possible that organizations simply do not know what is being expected of them or that multiple environmental pressures are conflicting with each other (Oliver, 1992). If any of these options is the case, then the organization might not be able to conform or choose to conform to one pressure, but ignore the other (conflicting) one. Conflicting Organizational or Managerial Interests The third problem that can rise as a result of trying to conform to environmental pressures is that certain organizational or managerial interests might be conflicting with the expectations (environmental pressures). Westphal and Zajac (2001) point out that some organizations that announce a stock repurchase program do not always fully implement these programs. According to them this might be a result of conflicting managerial interests. They argue that top managers might use this strategy, which is actually decoupling, to preserve free cash flow for themselves and thus to maintain managerial discretion over the allocation of resources. In other words, the organization is being expected to fully implement the stock repurchase programs, but top managers seem to want to keep control over the allocation of resources and thus do not (completely) conform to this environmental pressure. What is being expected, and the interests of the managers are conflicting with each other. The previous mentioned findings of Edelman (1992) about the EEO/AA law and its consequences for organizations are also supporting the conflicting interests argument. Edelman (1992) not only argues that conforming to the EEO/AA law, a coercive pressure, is inefficient but also argues that it is in conflict with organizational and managerial interests. Managers want to be free in hiring whomever they want but the EEO/AA law prohibits them from doing this. Thus, the coercive pressure to which the organizations have to conform is in conflict with the interests of the organizations themselves and their managers. Decoupling as  a Problem Solving Tool So far we have traced the process underlying decoupling from trying to be legitimate, to conforming to environmental pressures and to the problems this might cause. This research argues that these problems are the main causes of organizational decoupling but so far nothing has been said about the implementation of decoupling as a response to these problems. This paragraph will give some examples of how organizations use decoupling to solve their problems and will form a bridge between the problems and decoupling. According to Meyer and Rowan (1977), efficiency problems can be solved by formally adopting a structure but then internally decouple this structure from the actual practice. They give an example of how a hospital applies this strategy. In this example Meyer and Rowan (1977) point out that hospitals treat, not cure their patients. The environmental pressures prescribe that hospitals are being expected to cure patients. However, this is highly unpractical because they cannot cure every single patient. The solution to this problem is decoupling. Hospitals give an impression that they cure their patients, and thus conform to the environmental pressures, but actually these hospitals treat their patients and do not cure all of them. In fact, hospitals only publish numbers on treated patients and not or seldom on cured patients (Meyer Rowan, 1977). Edelman (1992), regarding to the EEO/AA law example, also gives a solution to the efficiency problems. Organizations create formal structures in the form of offices, positions, rules and procedures within the organization. These formal structures are actually symbols of compliance. They give the impression that the organization conforms to the environmental pressures, but in fact the organization can hire or reject someone on illegitimate grounds (Edelman, 1992). When an organization does not have the resources or capability to conform to environmental pressures, it will attempt to preclude the necessity of conformity or to conceal nonconformity behind a faà §ade of acquiescence (Oliver, 1991). Oliver (1991) gives an example: when a construction firm is building a house and they are expecting a government inspection of the building site, they might display several activities that normally are not there. For instance, rules require two men to operate heavy machinery on building sites. However, a building firm might not have enough personnel to put two men on the job and thus normally only one man operates the machinery. When the building firm expects an inspection it will, for instance, relocate someone from another building site to the one that is being inspected. So when the inspectors come, the heavy machinery is operated by two men, while normally it is not. This way the organization (construction firm) conceals its nonconformity. A possible solution to the third problem, conflicting organizational or managerial interests, is already mentioned shortly in the previous paragraph. The example of the stock repurchase program (Westphal Zajac, 2001) shows that individual managers simply do not implement the whole program when their interests are in conflict with the plans. So in short, decoupling actually comes down to the following: give the environment the impression that the organization conforms to all expectations (environmental pressures), but when these pressures cause some sort of problem for the organization, actually follow the organizations own rules and routines. Conclusions Recommendations This chapter will formulate conclusions that are derived from the results and give some recommendations for further research on organizational decoupling. Conclusions

Orangutans :: essays research papers

Orangutans In Malay orang means "person" and utan is defined as "forest'. Thus Orangutan literally means "Person of the Forest". Orangutans are found in the tropical forests of Sumatra and Borneo. They are the most arboreal of the great apes and move amongst the safety of the trees from one feeding site to the next. They are so well adapted to arboreal life that they cannot place their feet on the ground, instead they walk on the outside of their curved foot. There is a scattered population of orangutan in Indonesian Borneo, Malaysia Borneo and northern Sumatra. The different habitats have isolated the orangutan reproductively and geographically from one another creating a "degree of difference" or two subspecies. There are several different characteristics between the two subspecies of orangutans and it has recently been suggested that they may be a separate species. The Borneo male has relatively large cheek pads, a tremendous laryngeal sac and a square shaped face. The Sumatran male has small pads and laryngeal sac, a ginger coloured moustache, a pronounced beard, and a diamond shaped face. Individuals can also be distinguished chromosomally, biochemically, and by their cranial characteristics. There is a great deal of individual variety in the orangutan. "Each orang-utan had a distinct personality and in dealing with such highly intelligent animals in captivity, the keeper's knowledge of the individual was probably more important than the knowledge of the overall behaviour patterns " (Markham, 1980). Orangutan males, however, appear to be totally intolerant of one another, especially the Borneo males who are even aggressive towards females and infants. Male orangutans' participation in social groups is limited to sexual "consortship" with females. However, the Sumatran males tend to stay with females for a longer period of time usually until the birth of the infant. They may stay longer with their partner because of the presence of large predators absent in the Borneo habitat. The orangutan has a menstrual cycle of 29-30 days, menstruation lasting 3-4 days. The Gestation period lasts slightly less than nine months. Offspring pass through three stages, infancy (0-4), juvenile (4-7), and adolescents (7-10). Mother young relationship lasts for a long time, the young usually stay with their mother until they are mature. Female Orangutans are not sexually mature or fully grown until the age of twelve and will not have their first offspring until they are at least fourteen. Males become sexually mature and fully grown at the age of fifteen. The cheek flanges of the male easily recognize the differences between adults and semi-adults. The flanges in the Boreal male curve out ward from the face and develop around the

“A Good Man Is Hard to Find” – Selfish Grandmother

Grandparents are the parents of one’s own parent. Grandparents spoil and care for you whenever your parents are not. In some situations, grandmothers are more involved with the grandchildren than any family member. In â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, the main characters is the Grandmother and her son, Bailey. The son’s family goes on a family vacation to Florida. The grandmother tags along after she insisted not to ride along. She didn’t want to be left alone at home and wanted to keep the kids company on the ride to Florida.Throughout the whole story, the family experienced certain events that the grandmother is to blame for the family’s fate and tragic ending. She told stories to the children about the old days and compared it to present day in the story. Also she insisted to make a couple stops and gestures that could have been avoided if she did not come on the trip. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is an ironic title for this short st ory by Flannery O’Conner. The southern Gothic writer wrote about the things she observed in Georgia. Her stories were far from the normal because her ending fates of the characters were dramatically disastrous.Clearly stated, the grandmother is to blame for the family’s fate because of the unexpected effort to stop at the plantation house, the cat a board the car ride, and recognizing the Misfit and his fellows. Bailey and his family resided in Georgia. The road trip was expected to be a success, but made a tragic turn at the end. They left Atlanta with the grandmother, Bailey, his two children, June Star and John Wesley, and the mother of the children with the youngest child in her arms. The grandmother sat in the middle of the back seat with John Wesley and June Star on either side of her.Bailey and the children's mother and the baby sat in front. Their planned vacation to Florida had an additional unplanned member in the car. Pitty Sing, grandma’s cat, was th e uninvited member, who sat on the grandmother’s lap in the back seat. The grandchildren listened to the grandmother’s childhood stories of Tennessee as they focus on their comic books. Halfway to Florida they made their first stop at The Tower and decided to eat dinner. After dinner, Bailey and his family continued their journey to Florida. As they drove off, the grandmother continued telling her stories.She started one childhood story about a plantation that she spent most time at a young age. The kids got interested in her story because she spoke about the house having a secret panel where silver was hidden. The kids were excited and wanted to know more. The grandmother noticed a plantation with very similar features like the one she visited a lot. Her announcement of recognition made the kids beg. â€Å"The baby began to scream and John Wesley kicked the back of the seat so hard that his father could feel the blows in his kidney† (O’Conner, 1080).As s tated above, the screams of excitement and curiosity of the children and the convincing grandmother persuaded Bailey to turn around and go down the dirt road where the entrance of the house with the secret panel stood. The grandmother finally convinced her son to go up the dirt road because she kept describing the rush of joy to see the house with the secret panel was nearby. The grandmother’s insistence to stop at the plantation house by driving down a road off the highway is one supporting fact proving that slowly all the events caused by the grandmother will be the reason for the family’s fate.On the quiet road, everyone kept to themselves all the excited as they watched the trees pass by. Bailey asked, â€Å"how further more†, and the grandmother replied, â€Å"Not much further. † The grandmother thought to herself as she remembered that this plantation house they were driving to be actually in Tennessee and not in Georgia. Instantly, â€Å"the thoug ht was so embarrassing that she turned red in the face and her eyes dilated and her feet jumped up upsetting the valise in the corner. The instant valise moved the basket under it rose up Pitty Sing, the cat, sprang onto Bailey’s shoulder†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (O’Conner, 1081).After she realized this drive down the road was unnecessary and held it in because she knew Bailey and the children would be upset. Driving over a long hill, she rendered to what would actually be on the other side of the hill. Since the plantation house didn’t exist. When Pitty Sing jumped onto Bailey, he was so surprised and lost control of the car. The car with the whole family flipped twice then landed in the ditch off to the side of the road after the big hill. Again the grandmother is responsible for another event the family has experienced.The cat jumped on Bailey causing the car to crash. This could have been prevented if she would have left Pitty Sing at home like Bailey requested because he did not want the cat with them on the family vacation or if she could have stayed home since she did not want to go to Florida, but Tennessee instead. But then again, the grandmother seemed it was alright and nothing would be wrong with bringing the cat. Moments after the chaos of the accident had settled; Bailey spotted a car coming from the end of the road. The car approached the family and parked near the car and the family.Three individuals came out the car and looked into the ditch onto the family. The whole family was in pain and hurt from the car flipping. They screamed for help as the three walked down to them. The grandmother noticed that one of the individuals was someone she knows or saw before. She realized and spoke out loud that all three men were convicts that have escaped from prison and were driving down to Florida to hide out. The leader of the trio was the Misfit. He told the grandmother that the best thing she could have done was stay quiet.The two accomplice s of the Misfit took Bailey and his son, John Wesley, into the woods. Soon after the mother, the baby, and June Star were walked into the woods. Gunshots went off in the woods. â€Å"The Misfit's statements and actions take to a much more blatant extreme that which is hinted at by the grandmother's behavior†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Owens). Leaving the grandmother alone and last to kill by Misfit since the other two men were in the forest. She kept reminding him how good of a man he was to stop and help them. She exclaimed to Misfit, â€Å"You’ve got good blood!I know you wouldn’t shoot a lady! I know you come from nice people! Pray! Jesus ought not to shoot a lady. I’ll give you all the money I’ve got! † (O’Conner, 1086). Misfit had enough of her yapping and shot her dead with three gunshots to the chest as she lay in the ditch. â€Å"In her final moment, the Grandmother reaches out and touches the Misfit, whispering ‘You're one of my own chil dren! ’. The Misfit's final commentary on the grandmother is that ‘she would of been a good woman . . . if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life’† (Overview: Wilson).The family’s fate ended with them being murdered by the Misfit and his companions. The grandmother could be perfectly blamed for this whole event because if she would have stayed home, left the cat behind, and not recognize the Misfit. The tragic and sad finale was the final situation that the grandmother will ever put the family into ever again. The â€Å"good man† the grandmother claimed the Misfit was and his two friends are murderers. Throughout the story the ironic title is connected to all three situations the grandmother placed the family in causing their ending fate of death. She is selfish and pushy; in fact, her desire to see a house from her childhood results in the family's death at the end of the story† (Overview: Wilson). Clearly stat ed, the grandmother is to blame for the family’s fate because of the unexpected effort to stop at the plantation house, the cat aboard the car ride, and recognizing the Misfit and his fellows. Persuasion was a key part that played by the grandmother throughout the short story of O’Conner. The moral of the story helps the reader realize that it is â€Å"hard to find a good man†. ? Works CitedO'Conner, Flannery. â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find. † Literature and Ourselves. 6th ed. New York: Pearson, 2009. 1075-087. Print. â€Å"Overview: ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find'. † Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 1997. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 24 Sep. 2012. Owens, Mitchell. â€Å"The Function of Signature in ‘A Good Is Hard to Find. ‘. † Studies in Short Fiction 33. 1 (Winter 1996): 101-106. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 61. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Literature Resour ces from Gale. Web. 24 Sep. 2012.

Bob Knowlton Case Study Essay

Attribution process in chapter 4 is referred to as the ways in which people come to understand the causes of their own or others’ behavior. Knowlton felt that Fester was brought in to take his position as project head. With all the questions and research analysis that Fester completed on his own, Knowlton felt betrayed since his friend and mentor Jerrod never took the time to explain to him what was happening. When Knowlton did approach Jerrod to question why Fester was there, Jerrod replied, â€Å"We’re taking him on [. ]†Jerrod also replied that, â€Å"I don’t know yet where he will finally land †¦I thought he might spend a little time with you by way of getting started. † I believe that Knowlton should have gone back to talked to Jerrod again. Knowlton should have got his point across about the way that he and his team was feeling about Fester questions the work that he and his team had completed over the last six months and how calling his home at 2 o’clock explaining how Link’s patterning problem could be solved among other things. Jerrod could have then explained that Fester was brought in to be the project head for another department. In 1996, my husband and I were transferred to Korea for one year by the Army and our two kids that were 15 months old and 3 ? months old stayed with my mother-in-law. Once we returned a year later, our kids had grown so much. However much importantly to me, my kids were calling my mother-in-law mommy and I had not prepared myself for that. In the beginning, I was very hurt as well as confused as to why my kids was calling their grandmother â€Å" mommy†, but I came to the realization that they were at that stage in life where they were just starting to talk and mommy and daddy were their first words. After about a week, I asked my mother-in-law if she wanted the kids to call her grandma or nana so they would get use to calling my husband and I mommy and daddy. Finding of Facts 2: Self-Esteem The letter that Knowlton wrote explained that he would be glad to come back later (he would only be 40 miles away) to assist if there was any problems with the past work. Recommendation/Justification Self-Esteem is defined as the extent to which an individual believes that he or she is a worthwhile and deserving individual. In Knowlton’s situation he felt that he deserved the promotion to project head because he had the knowledge, skills and ability to perform the job. However, when Fester came and started challenging the result that he and his team had determined, he lost his self-esteem as well as his self-confidence and felt as if he was worthless to Mr. Jerrod and most importantly to his team and that allowed him to make a hasty decision to leave the organization. I recommend that Knowlton fight for his position, his team and most importantly his self-esteem. I recommend that Knowlton think about the achievements and contributions that he has made to the team as well as the organization. Once Knowlton builds his self-esteem back up, I recommend that he talks with his supervisor Mr. Jerrod and express his true feeling regarding how Fester approach toward his team is being very disruptive. In the military, we are usually transferred to different duty stations every three to five years. This one particular time, I was transferred to Ft Bragg, NC and they were not aware that I was coming to be assigned to the unit. Since they were not aware that I was coming, they did not have a place for me to work so I was consider a â€Å"floater† going from section to section to help out where ever needed until they found a permanent slot for me. The first section that I worked in was the processing section. The section was running smoothly, and I was there for observation purposes only. However, the leader that I am, I could not stand by and allow the soldiers to continue to work long hours without giving suggestions that would allow them to work smarter. I saw the hesitation that they were giving so I called a meeting and explained my purpose of being in the section and also let the soldiers know that I was just there to assist. Once they realized that I was not there to take anyone’s job, and that I was there to help the section run more efficiently, the soldiers began to gravitate toward me for more suggests. After about a week, the soldiers saw the results of my suggestions and incorporated those suggestions into their daily routines in the office. The soldiers also requested that I be assigned to their section permanently without my knowledge and when it was brought to my attention I was very impressed and decided to stay in that section. Findings of Facts: Team Empowerment Bob always prided himself on the fact that the work of the lab was guided and evaluated by the group as a whole and he was fond of repeating that it was not a waste of time to include secretaries in such meetings. Recommendations/Justification: Team empowerment refers to the degree to which its members perceive the group as (1) being competent and able to accomplish work-related tasks (potency), (2) performing important and valuable tasks (meaningfulness), (3) having choice (autonomy) in how they carry out their task, and (4) experiencing a sense of importance and significance (impact) in the work performed and goals achieved. Bob was proud of the members of his team. No one thought that they were smarter than anyone else on the team; they respected each other and valued each other’s opinion. However, from the very first day that Fester arrived, he made it clear that he was not a team player. He thought that everyone should work individually on their portion of the project, come together to complete the project and that be it. Bob also stated that he valued everyone’s opinion including the secretaries. Every member of the team know that if they did not pull their weight on their particular part of the project they could depend on their team mates for assistance and again Fester was not a fan of that. I believe that Bob should have stepped in and expressed his feelings as to how he and his team worked together on everything. He should have expressed how he valued everyone’s opinion and that he was not going to let him or ever Jerrold tear them apart. If Fester still had concerns he should have taken that up with Jerrold however, it should have been a dead issue to Jerrold since Fester was not going to be in charge of the department that Bob was currently heading. At my last unit, I was the section chief for the Personnel Section. I had just completed my training about three weeks prior when another sergeant came to the section that out ranked me. When the other sergeant came, after one week of watching how my section and I conducted business she wanted to make changes. One day she just came in the office and started making changes without consulting me or our commander. When I arrived to the office and saw the changes that she had made, I asked to speak with her separately, and I respectfully told her that I didn’t appreciate her coming in and changing my section around. She began to say that the changes that she was making was how she had her section set up at her last unit and the section ran smooth once all the changes were complete. Since she outranked me, I had to tell her again, respectfully that this was not her section, and the commander had not approved any of her changes nor did he have any knowledge of any of her changes. We then went and talked with the commander and he had agreed with me that first he would make the final decision if she was going to be in charge of the section or if I was going to continue to run the section. Also, if he was going to put her in charge of the section any changes that she wanted to make still had to be approved by him first. So needless to say, she was not happy with me, however, about a month or so later we had a talk. She stated that she admired me for standing up for myself as well as my section. She then went on to apologize for trying to use her rank to intimidate me. After our discussion, we were able to work together in the section as equals.

The Iliad Essay

The Iliad Essay The Iliad essay sample: The Iliad by Homer is an epic poem that was set at the time of the Trojan War. The epic poem retells the events and the battles between Troy and Greek states during the attack of Troy. The epic focuses on the quarrels between Achilles and Agamemnon and Hera and Zeus. Achilles rage from the Iliad incorporates activities from the immortals as well as the gods. In the quarrel, Achilles through his anger, acted as a messenger from the gods to refute King Agamemnon’s greedy attribute that contributed to the defeat of Achaeans by taking captive the daughter of Chryses, Agamemnon had angered the gods through disobedience (Tvedtnes 147). The aim of this paper is to analyze and discuss the activities of the immortals and gods in the Iliad. The account of Greek gods by Homer in Iliad points to the fact that gods interacted with Greeks from different perspectives that reveals the behavior, state and statute of ancient gods in managing community of men and gods of the ancient world. Hector kills Patroclus who is a swift warrior just like Achilles after god Apollo knocked Patroclus armor to the ground, Hector mistook Patroclus for Achilles since he was wearing Achilles’ armor and slays him instantly. The event reveals that gods intervene in deciding human activity. At the same time, the war of words between Achilles and Agamemnon is skillful overcome by the death of Patroclus. Achilles meets head-on with Hector at the walls of Troy where Achilles slays his archrival Hector and in order to avenge the dead of Patroclus, he drags the body of Hector in circles around the Patroclus bier. However, Zeus who is siding with Trojans orders Hermes to guide King Priam to Achilles camp to recover the body of Hector from the grou p of Greeks. There remains a cordially and sometimes ironical but consistent relationship between the gods and men fighting in the battlefront just before the walls of Troy. God Apollo purposely approached the Patriarch Zeus to convince Achilles to stop dragging the dead body of Hector and return it for proper burial and accession to the next world. Furthermore, god Apollo specifically protected the corpse of Hector from decaying and rotting, besides staving off scavengers and dogs from touching the body of King Priam’s son. Eventually, Hector’s body was recovered after twelve days after King Priam carried treasure to Achilles under the protection of Hermes dressed and disguised as a Myrmidon soldier. King Priam close encounter with immortal Hermes is quite extraordinary since after paying the ransom to Achilles, overtaken by grief Achilles and King Priam wept until they slept. Hermes is responsible for waking up King Priam to walk out of the enemy camp without anyone noticing the event. Furthermore, Hermes warns King Priam against sleeping in the enemy’s tent. Hermes is a trickster who helped King Priam to walk to Achilles camp without being noticed by the rest of the Greeks. Moreover, Hermes is dressed like one of the Myrmidon soldiers who are under the care of Achilles. Therefore, besides Achilles being a heroic character, Hermes is ultimately the greatest hero who overcome Achilles’ wrath when he revealed himself before Achilles to avoid another loss since Achilles would have killed King Priam to win over the Trojans so easily. Tracing back the roots of ancestors, Achilles is the son of Peleus and grandson of Zeus. King Priam invokes the power of Peleus in order to win the favour of Achilles to accept the ransom in exchange for the corpse of Hector. Generally, King Priam used the power of pathos to gain Achilles confidence in the matter before the transaction went through (Rabel 473). Zeus is the King of all gods and husband to Hera who is his sister. Zeus is neutral to mortal beings activities and usually advises all gods to keep off mortal combat. Nevertheless, Zeus eventually supports Trojans. Nevertheless, Hera who is convinced that his husband is unfair throws her weight behind the Greeks together with goddess Athena to eliminate the Trojans. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, purposeful war and art; being Zeus’s daughter, she hates Trojans like Hera since Prince Paris of Troy judged in favor of Aphrodite as the most beautiful woman in reference to Here and Athena. The Achaeans gain supported from many immortals like Poseidon who hurled water at the city of Troy since they did not consider paying him sacrifices after he helped the Trojans built their city. Therefore, Poseidon’s position against Troy is merely a revenge mission just like Hera and Athena. Hephaestus who is a crippled god is a metal smith who helps design a new armor for Achilles at Thetis’ request. On the contrary, Apollo, who is the son of Zeus and twin brother to goddess of hunt Artemis support the Trojans together with Zeus their father. Hector addresses the Achaeans asking, â€Å"If Apollo grants me that triumph, I’ll strip his armour, take it to sacred Ilion and hang it in the temple of Apollo, the far shooter.† (Homer VII 92-95); the assertion by Hector proves that Apollo remained a sincere deity to the Trojans. Equally, the god of war Ares steps in to help Trojans. Equally, Hera sent a fog to confuse escaping Trojan soldiers for the advancing Achilles to devour them in the swirling river, which was borne out of immortal Zeus. Goddess Hera, the witty Queen of immortals deceives the all-seeing Zeus into sleeping with him in the mountains away from the war in order to help the Achaeans gain advantage over the Trojans who were sponsored by Zeus. Sweet Sleep who is also an immortal entity that beckoned on Poseidon to call on the Achaeans to wake up, organize and fight. Kings of Achaeans, Agamemnon, Diomedes and Odysseus moved their warriors into action with Poseidon leading the army with a sword to execute the worst battle scene in which Ajax hit Hector with a stone that made him reel and drop down until he was picked and put on his horse behind the battle line to avoid death. During the combat, Ajax struck Satnuis son of Enops whom was conceived by a Naiad Nymph. Further, Ajax threw his spear and killed Archelochus, Antenor’s son-â€Å"the gods had planned his death† (Homer XIV 542). Precisely the gods lots fell on Ajax as the appropriate hero to kill most of the heroic Trojan warriors, thus imm ortals meddled in human affairs according to the progress of the war (Snider 368). The Earthshaker Poseidon changed the tide of the war against the Trojans while Zeus slept being held by Aphrodite charms that Queen Hera was wearing. The power of Ajax to slay, spear and run after people is compared to the Zeus force that made many flee. Hera egged his son Hephaestus to fashion blazing fires to help Achilles out of the river; the fires burned the dead corpses and cleaned the fields besides attacking the river to help Achilles. The river in a blaze spoke to Hera promising never to help the Trojans if her son stopped the fire from killing all river life like fish. Then Hera spoke to her son, â€Å"Hold off, Hephaestus, splendid child. It is not right to hurt a deathless god like this, just for the sake of mortal men† (Homer XXI.456-458). The conflict spilled to Olympus where Ares attached Athena with his bronze spear, which destroyed Athena,’s tasseled aegis provoking her to hit Ares by a stone that he fell headlong covering seven hundred feet with dust and dirty covering his head at which Athena laughed. Aphrodite who helped Ares to walk away from the battle was attacked and hit by Athena’s powerful fist after Hera’s complaint that Aphrodite was interfering like a dog fly. King Laomedon see mingly robbed Poseidon and Apollo wages, besides threats that disgusted the gods, but Apollo being the god worshipped by Trojans avoided the desire to avenge instead worked towards protecting Troy from wrath of other immortals led by Hera, assisted by Poseidon and Athena. Hera calls Artemis a shameless bitch once she tried to persuade Apollo to fight Poseidon in vain; instead, Hera challenges Artemis to duel, instead, Artemis is afraid and sobs after Hera beats her, she runs to Zeus silver-floored house to report the matter to the patriarch father (Bell 115). The anger of Achilles likened to Hera’s anger at Zeus drives the activities of the war. When the Trojans overpowered the Greeks, Agamemnon noticed that he made a mistake by not listening to Achilles and letting him go. Agamemnon sends Achilles an embassy to convince Achilles to return to war. Agamemnon sends the embassy with gifts. Achilles welcomes the embassy but refuses to accept Agamemnon’s offer. Achilles does this with the help of the gods when he requires that Agamemnon pay back for Achilles heart-rending injury (Schein 109) The revenge of Achilles after the death of Patroclus on the hands of Hector is an activity involving both the gods and the immortals. Achilles anger towards Agamemnon turns to the anger towards Hector and Trojans (Alter 1). After the death of Patroclus, Achilles cries to the gods by tearing his hair and dirtying his face in honor. Achilles then vows to returns to fight. Achilles even accepts the prospective death from the revenge when confronted by the mother. Achilles acknowledges that Zeus had the power to take his life. During this battle, the gods intervene for both the Trojans and the Greeks as Zeus lifts the ban preventing the interference from the gods (Tvedtnes 147). After the revenge mission, Achilles gets a visitation from Patroclus’ ghost asking for a decent burial. The Greeks reserve a day for the game burials where Achilles gives out prizes. The dream urging Achilles is an activity between the gods and the immortals. The gods are angry if war warriors do not receive an honorary burial after death. The gods, through the dream, urges Achilles to bury the body of his friend. Conclusion The Iliad â€Å"Achilles Rage† incorporates the activities of both the immortals and the gods. The Iliad tells the activities of the immortals such as Achilles and Hector but also incorporates the activities of the gods. Activities such as the revenge of Achilles on the Trojans, the burial of both Hector and Potraclus, and the message by Agamemnon to Achilles incorporates both the activities of the immortals and the gods. The war remains won because of revenge tactics employed by Hera, Poseidon and Athena to bring victory to the Achaeans. If you need professional essay help from highly qualified writers contact our custom essay writing service. We provide students with custom essays written from scratch.

My Agreement With Steinbecks Suggestion Essays - The Pearl, Kino

My Agreement With Steinbecks Suggestion Essays - The Pearl, Kino My Agreement With Steinbeck's Suggestion Steinbeck suggests that in ?The Pearl? ,which he wrote, desires of men and women tend to be quite different and I agree with it. Men and women have different thoughts and treated differently. It is true that men uses strength and women uses brains and that men always make troubles. In our society, usually men protect their women and children. With this in our minds, men and women feel themselves different, taught differently when they are born, and usually have different desires. We can learn from ?The Pearl? that such as Kino, whom is the man, would start the trouble and pulls Coyotito, Whom is Kino?s son, to death. But for Juana, the woman, knew something bad was going to happen when she saw the pearl but to not destroy her husband, Kino, ?s dreams, she keeps her mouth shut. I agree with Steinbeck?s suggestion in ?The Pearl? that the desires of men and woman tend to be quite different. In my opinion, Men have strong pride and never want to loose especially in strength. As in ?The Pearl? when Juana, who is Kino?s wife, asked to throw the pearl that he found away, Kino only thought about winning and fighting. ?I will fight this thing. I will win over it. We will have our chance.? (P.57) Right after a bloody fight with the man who was aiming for the pearl, Kino became selfish and forgot about his dreams. Only Juana knew that the pearl was evil and told. ?Kino, this pearl is evil. Let us destroy it before it destroys us. Let us crush it between two stones.? (P.56) But she did not want to make her husband disappointed and didn?t beg him because she knew that he will never give up the pearl. Like Juana, women cares about others feelings. In my opinion, men are also more didn?t argue about this because she did not want to destroy Kino?s dreams. Like Juana, women have passion which shows that women don?t want to hurt others feelings. I also think that women are more careful than men. Women usually knows what they are doing, but men mostly make problems. When Kino said, ?I am a man.? (P.57) ?It meant that Kino would drive his strength against a mountain and plunge his strength against the sea. Juana in her woman?s soul, knew that the mountain would stand while the man broke himself; that the sea would surge while the mand drowned in it.? (P.59~60) This means that Juana knew that Kino is fighting with society and would collapse. Kino accepted this when Coyotito, Kino?s son, died. This shows that men rush into things carelessly. I think that women desires of men and men desires of women. Like Juana loved and needed Kino and thought, ?And yet it was this thing that made him a man, half insane and half god, and Juana had need of a man; she could not live without a man. Although she might be puzzled by these differences between man and woman, she knew them and accepted them and needed them? (P.60) As the quote explains that a women like Juana want and need a man like Kino. ? In Kino?s head there was a song now, clear and soft, and if he had been able to speak of it, he would have called it the Song of the Family.?(P.2) The Song of the Family shows the love of his family, Juana and Coyotito. Kino fell in love with Juana and the love of needing shown in the Song of the Family. Therefore Men and women are have different thoughts and taught unequally. I figured what Steinbeck was trying to show about men and women how Juana and Kino?s thoughts about the pearl were different. Juana had wise decisions which meant women don?t make problems than men make. So I agree with Steinbeck?s suggestion thatoften selfish than woman. When Kino said, ?No one shall take our good fortune from us,? (p.57) he only thought about himself and made everyone his enemy. Juana desires of man and women tend to be quite different.

GRE Sentence Equivalence Sample Questions

GRE Sentence Equivalence Sample Questions GRE Sentence Equivalence Questions Prepping for the GRE? After you secure the very best GRE prep options for yourself, youd better crack open the book, open up the app, or start chatting with your tutor about the the GRE Verbal section because it is an absolute doozy. It contains three types of questions: text completions, reading comprehension questions, and these sentence equivalence questions that will knock your socks off if youre not careful. Read on for a little bit of the basics about the sentence equivalence questions and try your hand at a few GRE Sentence Equivalence examples so youll feel more comfortable preparing for the GRE Verbal test. GRE Sentence Equivalence Basics When you crack open the GRE Verbal test and get started on one of the two sections, youll encounter these sentence equivalence questions as you go. Each question will consist of the following: 1 sentence of varying length1 blank per sentence6 answers to choose from per each question To answer, youll need to choose  two answer choices  that best fit the meaning of the sentence  AND  make sentences that are alike in meaning. Your choices, therefore, must be synonyms but must  also  make sentences that say the same thing. There will be other words that closely mirror each other, but create sentences dissimilar in meaning and thats where it gets tricky.   GRE Sentence Equivalence Examples Ready to give it a shot? Here are a few examples to get you started. After that, grab a GRE practice test or two from a reputable company and get busy making sure every second of your prep time counts! Instructions: Select the two answer choices that, when used to complete the sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and produce completed sentences that are alike in meaning. Question 1 Although the composer quickly gained fame with his last symphony, his legacy is hardly __________ due to the superb works of other, more noticeable musicians of his time like Haydn and Mozart. (A). recognizable(B). indelible(C). prescient(D). interminable(E). memorable(F). articulated Question 1 Explanation Question 2 The vice presidents understanding of the companys broken budgeting system was so _________ that it caused increasing problems every time she got involved in the process of fixing it. (A) degenerate(B) substantial(C) paltry(D) ineffectual(E) estimable(F) limited Question 2 Explanation Question 3 When Roderick was young he _________ ideas of becoming a physician, despite his fathers interminable boasting about Rodericks eventual leadership of the family business. (A) fostered(B) thwarted(C) cultivated(D) proffered(E) aggrandized(F) elucidated Question 3 Explanation Need More GRE Sentence Equivalence Practice? So now youve seen a few examples of GRE sentence equivalence questions. But if youre ready to prepare for the entire test including Writing and Quantitative, check out these GRE prep options to ensure you make the score you really want to achieve.

A marketing strategy to promote Starbucks Case Study

A marketing strategy to promote Starbucks - Case Study Example (Wash, 2006) Perhaps Starbucks can set up small forums with presentations that could revolve around the idea of Starbucks adhering to cleanliness, hygiene, high quality, special discount offers and discussing the advantages of coffee over tea. Starbucks should also point out the benefits of having their coffee as compared to the other coffee makers, i.e. their competitors. As they say, "seeing is believing"; the discussion could therefore be more visual rather than textual displaying images of how Starbucks prepares its products as well as demonstrating coffee as the more healthier beverage than other beverages like sodas, sugar drinks, tea, etc. This should signify that Starbucks cares for its customers so that healthy beverages of high quality are delivered to them. Billboards or banners are other ways of capturing the population. Eye catchy displays and slogans relating to the differentiated taste of Starbucks that would evoke the mouth-watering sensation in people should be given much emphasis on. Answer 6) A marketing strategy to promote Starbucks can be that of having free trials of different products in smaller cities. There maybe a number of barriers faced. First, because tea has been a part of the Chinese culture and heritage for a long period, there might be some resistance to switching to coffee. Secondly, people may be reluctant to try out a new product. Thirdly, the issue of coffee being more expensive may crop up. However, the unique taste of Starbucks once known to people will most definitely never be forgotten. The idea is to introduce the masses to their variety of products that Starbucks sells. This way their strategy would be successful. Answer 7) India is one of the fastest growing third world countries. Taking a look into its demographics, one could tell that incomes in the middle class have risen greatly during this period (Kaur & Tayal, 2007). Coffee being a more expensive beverage, this increase in income has led to an increase in

Minorities and Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Minorities and Education - Essay Example Currently, the minorities comprise of the largest proportion of low and middle class earners in the country. In the past, the US Supreme Court handled many cases that were resolved in favor of minorities. Dr. Martin L. King believed that for equality to be achieved, Whites majority needed to adjust many aspects in their lives, a thing they were not willing to do. Altho...ugh many people felt that minority students needed a different approach of learning due to a different culture, some felt that it was a deliberate move not to do so. For instance, Shor and Freire (15) believed that education does not shape society, but rather the society shapes the education depending on who has power (Douglas 75). Public opinion Race, public opinion, and social sphere In American society, issues relating to race seem to intertwine together with social class, in such a way, that one cannot clearly have an honest discussion regarding race without having to look at the issue of class. Many people avoid the discussion of race although it is still very much alive within people’s hearts. These aspects of the society were constructed, seemingly for the advancement of such community as white. The African –Americans are widely blamed for the wrong things happening in the community. Some scholars believe that a number of events in the society have continuously led to the tremendous income inequality between Whites and Blacks. According to Douglas (29), these events comprise of reconstruction, suburbanization, and the contemporary institutional racism as among the key factors in the widening gap between the communities. Additionally, the media seems to have aggravated the situation, by distorting the views of the ground. These media houses, owned by the ruling class, distort views about economics by making believe the ruling class is nonexistent and that poor Blacks are actually the dregs of society (Bobo 28). Thus, the media with its 'magic' apparently make the sins and al so harshness towards African-Americans go away by claiming it is their fault and blaming that they are poor. As a result, upper and middle-classed Americans end up fearing and loathing poor Blacks and often refusing to make a connection between systematic form of racism and high poverty evident amongst African-Americans. In a similar vein, a widening wealth gap describes how offending but legal dealings amongst corporations and politicians usually lead to work wages stagnating far too long and millionaires becoming even more richer. Racial attitudes, Educational level and personality measure Many people insinuate that high black people crime rates are a result of blacks' predisposition to criminal behavior. They base this premise on the correlation, for instance, between cities having large populations of black people also having relatively high crime rates. Such a theory is simplistic and superficial, although this level of pseudo-scientific kind of analysis could hold some water. However, some people say that if this theory held true, such same numbers would be reflected worldwide. In America, Black people descend from African Blacks. Thus, why do African countries fails to reflect same ridiculously high crime rates? In America, Whites are viewed to be the most read community (McDonald 39). It is seen obvious for the children of the rich to attend the best school in the

Nature of an electron Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Nature of an electron - Coursework Example This is described in a classical wave model of light; which states that light properties that are similar to any wave. For instance, light experiences reflection and refraction in the same manner that any other wave would experience interference. In addition, light experiences the Doppler effect the same way any other wave would experience Doppler effect. However, the prediction of the quantum model shows that frequency or wavelength of the incident of the incident light only affects the photoelectric current. where E- is the energy that the quantum light produces, Kmax is the maximum kinetic energy of the photoelectrom emitted , where as Wo is the work function of the of the energy needed to innitiate the emision of photoelectrons from the metal surface. In an experiment to demonstrate the photoelectric effect, the following apparatus are required: a digital voltmeter to be used to measure the reverse voltage reading, a photodiode connected with an amplifier, monochromatic light sou rce to produce light beams to irradiate the photo cathode, and a filter to neutrally vary the intensity of light. Generally the quantization energy of the electromagnetic radiation in light is given in the relation, where the radiation energy, is a constant known as the Plank’s constant and is given as (6.63?10^-34Js), and - is the frequency of the light incident energy. The validity of the equation is based on the photoelectric effect experiment. There are four aspects that need to be taken into consideration when conducting the photoelectric effect experiment. These facts include: the minimum frequency; when the frequency of the incident light is less than the minimum frequency required, no photoelectrons can be emitted despite the intensity of the light. The value of minimum frequency varies from metal to metal. Secondly, as the frequency of the incident light increases, the kinetic energy of the photoelectrons increases. However, the intensity of the light is independent of the kinetic energy of the electron emitted. And lastly, the emission of photons is effectively instantaneous. (physics 242 laboratory manual) The photoelectric effect experiment consists if a high intensity lamb, a phototube, and batteries. The photodiode tube is the central element of the apparatus. The window in the diode gives way for light into the tube to the clean metal surface at the cathode. The diode is completely evacuated to avoid any collision of air molecules and the electrons. When beams of light hit the surface of the metal plate at the cathode, electrons are emitted by the metal plate. The photodiode has an in-built capacitance developing a voltage during the charging process by the electrons emitted. When the stopping potential of the cathode is reached, the difference in voltage across the two poles, that is, cathode and anode stabilizes. A very sensitive amplifier is used to measure the stopping potential. The amplifier aids in the establishment of the small nu mber of photoelectrons emitted. A voltmeter is used to measure the output voltage of the between the batteries and the output ground terminals. A number of different monochromatic light beams are used for the experiment. A glass tube consisting of mercury vapor produces light when discharged electrically. The glasses envelop filters out the ultraviolet light that can be harmful. The mercury light produces five thin spectral lines that are: yellow, green blue, violet, and ultraviolet in the visible region. These lines can be spatially separated by diffraction. The wavelength desired is selected using a collimator, and the intensity of the selected wavelength is varied using a density filter The mercury lamb is switched on. On the front reflective mask of the lamb box, yellow, green, and tiny rays of blue

Role of Auditor in Public Sector Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Role of Auditor in Public Sector - Essay Example It can exist in the form of direct administration through tax systems; it can also be represented by publicly owned enterprises, which have more commercial freedom. Nowadays the role of audit and audit committees in public sector plays greater and greater role. Audit is the check of accountant documentation to prove its authenticity. But in more general sense audit is just a check of any phenomenon or activity by an independent expert, who is called auditor. Speaking about the statutory role of auditor in the public sector it should be said that there is an ethic codex for the auditors in public sector. And here we will refer to this codex as the brightest statutory document which singles out the main features of auditors in public sector. An ethic codex is a detailed official list of values and principles which auditors should use as ruling in their activity. There are high demands towards auditors in public sector. The behavior of an auditor must always remain above any suspicion. The wrong behavior presents all auditors in the disadvantageous light. Honesty is the basic demand of the ethic codex. Auditors must keep to the high and worthy standards of behavior in the process of work and their relations with the checking organizations. Auditors are also to support the public trust. There are recommendations as for using auditors in checking any enterprises of public sector. And any government body should choose an audit organization to maintain and fulfill the financial oversight. The system of financial control and reporting can be increased and strengthened through using an effective audit. This can also make the audit process more integral. According to Mayhew, 'auditor is an integral part of public accountability and governance. He plays a crucial role in making all financial processes and documentation integral, and also directing the system of internal control and the control of employee management.' (Mayhew, 2001) The role of an auditor depends on the size, sphere and kind of activity of the specific establishment. The main functions of the auditor in the public sector are: approving the general audit scope, financial planning, performing audit in a cost-effective manner. Risk management is also another function of the auditor. There are the three main features which should be peculiar of the auditor in order to fulfill the necessary functions in the public sector. The first of them is independence. In the public sector, the structure of entities does not separate the governing authority and oversight responsibility from the day-to-day management. For example, a public university president may be both the chief executive officer and a board member. (Hollingsworth, 1999) The auditor must be independent, and he must provide the necessary processes for supporting this independence. He is an independent expert, first of all. Communication is another trait of auditor. He must be capable

Job analysis and competency models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job analysis and competency models - Essay Example Job analysis describes work, whereas competency modeling influences behavior. The major purpose of job analysis is to bring a better comprehension of the work assignments and to measure them as well, that is, it determines the trait relevance. On the other hand, competency modeling intends to influence the way in which this work assignments are executed so that they are in line with strategy of the organization in that it heightens situational strength (Wilson, 2012). In this regard, the two approaches are complementary. Job analysis describes a job as an abstract entity whereas competency modeling influences workers into enacting their role. It presents a job as a social construction that is separate from the employee that holds it with performance considered as a by-product of an individual’s interpretation of the job. This is evident in the job titles, which date back to the advent of division of labor following industrial revolution. Competency modeling, then again, views a job as function that is first to be interpreted by an employee before enacting it (Weiner, 2013). The latter method seems to be more practical then the former. Job analysis is about the past, whereas competency modeling is futuristic. The descriptive nature of job analysis means that it is past-oriented and depends on those workers, who have already done the work in the past, as the main source of information, that is, it depicts the job the exact execution in the present. On the contrary, competency modeling focuses on how the job ought to be interpreted and enacted as from the present into the future, regardless of what has been done in the past ( Weiner, 2013). In this context, the methods lie on two varying extremes. Job analysis is job focused rather than focusing on the organization, just as competency modeling does. Practically, job analysis focuses on the job even from the name itself. It fails to recognize the possibility of

An examination of employee retention strategy in Ramsay Health Care UK Dissertation

An examination of employee retention strategy in Ramsay Health Care UK - Dissertation Example According to the studies of Lee (2006); Raub and Streit (2006); Stovel and Bontis (2002) have numerously linked employee turnover and also employee retention to recruitment source. The focus of the present study is to consider the efficacy of employee retention system in Ramsay health care. Employee Retention Practices of Employee Retention Employee Turnover: Theoretical Framework: Current Retention Strategy: The organization under investigation, which is Ramsay Health Care UK, has a retention strategy which includes rewards that mainly consists of non-financial rewards. These rewards includes 75% medical aid support, subsidized food, housing loans, educational support program, uniforms and transport allowances to the lower level employees. Ramsay Health Care UK offers 100% medical aid support, subsidized food, allowances for transport and housing, fuel, car of company, education and housing loans and cell phones of company as well as bonuses on holidays for high level employees. Apa rt from these all retention packages, Ramsay Health Care UK is offering a strategic recruitment program in which they are sponsoring students with an undertaking that students benefitted from the program will work for Ramsay Health Care UK after the completion of their studies for the number of years the sponsorship lasted. In case, a student who has received sponsorship for 5years then he will have to work for the organization for at least five years then he can look for an alternative job elsewhere. As a part of retention program of Ramsay Health Care UK, there is a promotion within Ramsay that foster decent succession proposal and also encourages the employees to form a life-long career in Ramsay Health Care UK. This act will also bring loyalty and constancy amongst the employees. Significance of the Study The significance of the study is that that the selected topic is not as popular in such type of the organizations. Usually we relate medical centers with surgeons, doctors, num ber of beds, facilities, operation theatres, etc. but this study moves around a neglected issue of a medical center that can eventually play a vital role in the performance of a medical center and whose enormous magnitude can move a performance graph from bottom to top or top to bottom. This issue is related with the ones who run the medical center i.e. the employees. This study goes deep into the issues of employee turnover and the employee retention strategy. The causes of employee turnover at Ramsay Health Care are explored; the current retention practices have been examined, the effectiveness of the retention practices have also been determined and the study is concluded on a workable retention strategy, that can reduce the rate of employee turnover in the Ramsay Health Care if applied. This study will help to improve the already existing strategies in the organization and will also facilitate other relevant fields and organizations to improve their employee retention strategies . This study will also help the administration of the organization to identify the causes of turnover rate of employees and provide them an insight to overcome those causes and factors which are creating hindrance in employee retention practices. This study may lend a hand to the organization to have a strong and healthy milieu, as the health care units need to have a calm and peaceful

Job analysis and competency models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job analysis and competency models - Essay Example Job analysis describes work, whereas competency modeling influences behavior. The major purpose of job analysis is to bring a better comprehension of the work assignments and to measure them as well, that is, it determines the trait relevance. On the other hand, competency modeling intends to influence the way in which this work assignments are executed so that they are in line with strategy of the organization in that it heightens situational strength (Wilson, 2012). In this regard, the two approaches are complementary. Job analysis describes a job as an abstract entity whereas competency modeling influences workers into enacting their role. It presents a job as a social construction that is separate from the employee that holds it with performance considered as a by-product of an individual’s interpretation of the job. This is evident in the job titles, which date back to the advent of division of labor following industrial revolution. Competency modeling, then again, views a job as function that is first to be interpreted by an employee before enacting it (Weiner, 2013). The latter method seems to be more practical then the former. Job analysis is about the past, whereas competency modeling is futuristic. The descriptive nature of job analysis means that it is past-oriented and depends on those workers, who have already done the work in the past, as the main source of information, that is, it depicts the job the exact execution in the present. On the contrary, competency modeling focuses on how the job ought to be interpreted and enacted as from the present into the future, regardless of what has been done in the past ( Weiner, 2013). In this context, the methods lie on two varying extremes. Job analysis is job focused rather than focusing on the organization, just as competency modeling does. Practically, job analysis focuses on the job even from the name itself. It fails to recognize the possibility of

Why Do We Travel Essay Example for Free

Why Do We Travel Essay I think the reason why we travel is to see experience other countries, new cultures, modern and old cities and historic towns. It’s always exciting to discover and explore new things such as, different ways of life, to meet different people, to try different food, to listen to different musicals. I also think that we travel because we want to escape from our daily routine and to find something more peaceful such as going to a beach, diving or taking a trip into the jungle. One of the best things about traveling is that you’re able to experience a feeling that’s not familiar with any other feelings. It is when you discover something new and you feel that you could stay here for the rest of your life. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn and experience more about the world. Many people are interested in photography and they visit other countries to take photos of landscapes such as the ocean, mountains, the sun rising, waterfalls and corals and much more. I think the reason why we take photos is that, photos help us remembering our lost memories or if we’re having a stressful day, the photos can help us find quietness in ourselves. The reason that makes traveling such a special thing is that you learn new things all the time. We get fascinated by the native language and culture. I think we want to experience the same feeling we get as when we watch a movie from an exotic place. We want that unforgettable journey that we will never forget. Just like in the movie â€Å"The Beach†. A group of young people goes to a special beach where everything is beautiful and peaceful. And you won’t get stressed and you won’t get disturbed by loud music like you do in overcrowded tourists. In the movie it has great consequences for the last newcomers that there can only be a certain number of people on the Island. I think it is sad when nature is destroyed by tourists but I would find another way to limit the numbers of tourists. Last summer, I was on a vacation to Italy with my family. It was definitely an exciting and an experiencing vacation but I also got inspired by their culture and their way of living. It wasn’t the unforgettable trip but it was a special trip because it was an important moment of my life and I could share it with my family.

Do Endogenic Processes Influence Global Climate Systems Environmental Sciences Essay

Do Endogenic Processes Influence Global Climate Systems Environmental Sciences Essay All processes that take place inside  Earth  (and other  planets) are considered endogenous. They make the  continents  migrate, push the  mountains  up, and trigger  earthquakes  and  volcanism. Endogenous processes are driven by the warmth that is produced in the core of Earth by  radioactivity  and  gravity. The geography and movement of tectonic plates is a key influence on global climate as it determines the form of the ocean basins, Patterns of heat ransfer in the oceans, large scale atmospheric circulation and the geometry of mountain chains. The movement and geometry of the lithospheric plates is a key long term influence on global climate and hea transfer and plae movements can be both vertical e.g the formation of the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau or horizontal e.g sea floor spreading or the closing of the panama seaway and the development of the north atlantic gulf stream. Internal energy drives endogenic processes such as plate tectonics, volcanic activity, seismicity. The geography of the tectonic plates is a key influence on a global climate, this influences: the form and size of the ocean basins and land masses, patterns of heat transfer in the oceans thermohaline circulation, large scale atmospheric circulation and vertical heat exchange, the location and elevation of mountain chains and plateaus, the amount of elevated crust. The formation of the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau that began 52 to 44ma key events that led to a step change in the climate system and long term global cooling. Horizontal crustal movement the closing of the panama seaway around 4 ma and the development of the north atlantic gulf stream taking warm water to higher latitudes a key factor in the formation of ice sheets in the northern hemisphere. The closing of the panama seaway around 4ma and the development of the north atlantic gulf stream taking warm water to higher latitudes. The movement and geometry of the lithospheric plates is a key longterm influence on global climate and heat transfer, vertical crustal movements are most rapid at plate boundaries and we will be exploring their potential impact on weathering rates and carbon cycle. Location and elevation of mountain chains and high plateau landscapes across the earths surface is a key influence on climate over a range of timescales. The essay is about the last 65 million years, so the Big Bang theory is not really relevant. You need a nice range of examples to show how endogenic processes can influence global climate (long and short term). We covered some in the lectures (i.e. vertical and horizonatal crustal movements). We did not really look at volcanic processes, but you need to mention them too (short and longterm impacts) we mentioned other controls too (not related to endogenic processes) so you can mention them briefly to round things off. When Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines June 15, 1991, an estimated 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide and ash particles blasted more than 12 miles (20 km) high into the atmosphere. The eruption caused widespread destruction and loss of human life. Gases and solids injected into the stratosphere circled the globe for three weeks. Volcanic eruptions of this magnitude can impact global climate, reducing the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earths surface, lowering temperatures in the troposphere, and changing atmospheric circulation patterns. The extent to which this occurs is an ongoing debate.  Large-scale volcanic activity may last only a few days, but the massive outpouring of gases and ash can influence climate patterns for years. Sulfuric gases convert to sulfate aerosols, sub-micron droplets containing about 75 percent sulfuric acid. Following eruptions, these aerosol particles can linger as long as three to four years in the stratosphere. Major eruptions alter the Earths radiative balance because volcanic aerosol clouds absorb terrestrial radiation, and scatter a significant amount of the incoming solar radiation, an effect known as radiative forcing that can last from two to three years following a volcanic eruption. Volcanic eruptions cause short-term climate changes and contribute to natural climate variability, says Georgiy Stenchikov, a research professor with the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University. Exploring effects of volcanic eruption allows us to better understand important physical mechanisms in the climate system that are initiated by volcanic forcing. Stenchikov and Professor Alan Robock of Rutgers University with Hans Graf and Ingo Kirchner of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology performed a series of climate simulations that combined volcanic aerosol observations from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II) available from the Langley DAAC, with Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) data from the Goddard Space Flight Center DAAC. The research team ran a general circulation model developed at the Max Planck Institute with and without Pinatubo aerosols for the two years following the Pinatubo eruption. To study the sensitivity of climate response to sea surface temperature, using data from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory DAAC, they conducted calculations with climatologically mean sea surface temperature, as well as with those observed during particular El Nià ±o and La Nià ±a periods. By comparing the climate simulations from the Pinatubo eruption, with and without aerosols, the researchers found that the climate model calculated a general cooling of the global troposphere, but yielded a clear winter warming pattern of surface air temperature over Northern Hemisphere continents. The temperature of the tropical lower stratosphere increased by 4 Kelvin (4 °C) because of aerosol absorption of terrestrial longwave and solar near-infrared radiation. The model demonstrated that the direct radiative effect of volcanic aerosols causes general stratospheric heating and tropospheric cooling, with a tropospheric warming pattern in the winter. The modeled temperature change is consistent with the temperature anomalies observed after the eruption, Stenchikov says. The pattern of winter warming following the volcanic eruption is practically identical to a pattern of winter surface temperature change caused by global warming. It shows that volcanic aerosols force fundamental climate mechanisms that play an important role in the global change process. This temperature pattern is consistent with the existence of a strong phase of the Arctic Oscillation, a natural pattern of circulation in which atmospheric pressure at polar and middle latitudes fluctuates, bringing higher-than-normal pressure over the polar region and lower-than-normal pressure at about 45 degrees north latitude. It is forced by the aerosol radiative effect, and circulation in winter is stronger than the aerosol radiative cooling that dominates in summer. Man-made, or anthropogenic emissions can make the consequences of volcanic eruptions on the global climate system more severe, Stenchikov says. For instance, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the atmosphere start a chain of chemical reactions on aerosol surfaces that destroy ozone molecules in the mid-latitude stratosphere, intensifying observed stratospheric ozone depletion. While we have no observations, the 1963 Agung eruption on the island of Bali probably did not deplete ozone as there was little atmospheric chlorine in the stratosphere. In 1991 after the Pinatubo eruption, when the amount of CFCs in the stratosphere increased, the ozone content in the mid-latitudes decreased by 5 percent to 8 percent, affecting highly populated regions, says Stenchikov. NASA and the National Science Foundation have funded Robock and Stenchikov to study the Pinatubo eruption in more detail, and to conduct another model comparison with the volcanic aerosol data set. They plan to combine SAGE II data with available lidar and satellite data from various DAACs to improve their existing data set. By understanding the impact of large volcanic eruptions on Earths climate system in more detail, perhaps scientists will be in a better position to suggest measures to lessen their effects on people and natural resources. Both technological change and economic growth are seen as major determinants of future global energy demand levels, the associated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and global climate impacts Until recently, however, the modelling of energy-economy-climate interactions has largely regarded technological progress as an exogenous process, rather than as endogenous technological change. Energy Economics Volume 24, Issue 1, January 2002, Pages 1-19 a momentary glance at a map of the world today to realise that the disposition of the continents has a marked effect on both local and global climate. Not the least of these effects results from the difference in the thermal properties of land versus ocean a continental region will be colder in winter and warmer in summer than an oceanic region at any given latitude. Moreover mountain belts formed as a consequence of plate tectonic activity dramatically modify rainfall through the effects of  orography   the development of a rain shadow on the leeward side of mountain belts. Global climate is also strongly controlled by ocean currents. For example, northwestern Europe is significantly warmer than other regions at similar latitudes because of the warming effects of the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift. The reversal of oceanic currents in the equatorial Pacific a phenomenon known as El Nià ±o has a far-reaching effect on climate around the Pacific. Ocean currents depend on the geometry of the oceans and this is controlled by plate tectonics. Hence, over geological timescales the movement of plates and continents has a profound effect on the distribution of land masses, mountain ranges and the connectivity of the oceans. As a consequence, plate tectonics has a very direct and fundamental influence on global climate. http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=172207 The climate of modern Antarctica is extreme. Located over the South Pole and in total darkness for six months of the year, the continent is covered by glacial ice to depths in excess of 3 km in places. Yet this has not always been the case. 50 Ma ago, even though Antarctica was in more or less the same position over the pole, the climate was much more temperate there were no glaciers and the continent was covered with lush vegetation and forests. So how did this extreme change come about? The modern climate of Antarctica depends upon its complete isolation from the rest of the planet as a consequence of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that completely encircles Antarctica and gives rise to the stormy region of the Southern Ocean known as the roaring forties. The onset of this current is related to the opening of seaways between obstructing continents. Antarctica and South America were once joined together as part of Gondwana and were the last parts of this original supercontinent to separate. By reconstructing continental positions from magnetic and other features of the sea floor in this region, geologists have shown that the Drake Passage opened in three phases between 50 Ma and 20 Ma, as illustrated in Figure 32. At 50 Ma there was possibly a shallow seaway between Antarctica and South America, but both continents were moving together. At 34 Ma the seaway was still narrow, but differential movement between the Antarctic and South American Plates created a deeper c hannel between the two continents that began to allow deep ocean water to circulate around the continent. Finally, at 20 Ma there was a major shift in local plate boundaries that allowed the rapid development of a deep-water channel between the two continental masses. The coincidence of the change in motion of the Pacific Plate with changes in plate motions between S. America and Antarctica shows how the motions of all the plates are interconnected a change in the true motion of one plate leads to changes in the true motions of many others. While these plate motions were taking place the effect on Antarctica was profound. By 34 Ma the climate cooled from the temperate conditions that previously existed. This was sufficient for glaciers to begin their advance, and was followed by a period of continued cooling until at about 20 Ma, glaciation was complete. Even though the Drake Passage first opened at 50 Ma it was not until it opened to deep water at 34 Ma that glaciation really took hold Today, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is the strongest deep ocean current and its strength is responsible for the icehouse climate that grips the planet. The opening of the Drake Passage had both a local and a global effect, initially cooling the climate of Antarctica from temperate to cold and ultimately playing an important role in the change from global greenhouse conditions 50 Ma ago to the global icehouse of today. This example shows how plate tectonics, continental drift and the opening and closing of seaways can have a profound influence on both local and global climate. Throughout the Phanerozoic there were long periods when the Earth was much warmer than today often called a greenhouse climate and other times when it was cold called an icehouse climate. These cycles, like the Wilson cycle, occur over periods of 100 Ma, reflecting the timescale of plate movements and the growth and destruction of oceans. Given the clear link between ocean circulation and climate, and the similar timescales of global climate change and plate motions, it is inescapable that one of the chief controls on long-term changes in the global climate must be plate tectonics. Every two to seven years a climatic disturbance brings floods to California, droughts to Australia, and famine to Africa . Known as El Nino, it is essentially a warming of surface waters in the eastern Pacific near the equator. Although scientists understand the mechanics of El Nino, its origins have yet to be determined. Most believe that the interaction between the atmosphere and the sea somehow generates this climatic disturbance that wreaks havoc upon those regions of the world that lie in its path. But now a new theory on the origins of El Nino has been proposed and, surprisingly, it has very little to do with the atmosphere or the sea. The new theory suggests that the primary mover behind El Nino is hot magma welling up between tectonic plates on the Pacific sea-floor. The upwelling magma heats the overlying waters enough to affect the ocean surface, initiating the cascade of events that brings on the wrath of El Nino. Volcanic Ash Eruptions, like that pictured above, throw tons of ash into the atmosphere, and have short term affects of the climate. If the eruption is potent enough, the ash will stop some of the shortwave radiation coming in from the Sun. This, in turn, will lead to a decrease in the global temperature. The reason for this is that the shortwave radiation that comes in from the Sun and reaches the Earths surface, gets absorbed in the the Earth. About 4 to 6 hours later, the Earth reradiates that energy in the form of longwave radiation. This is where the temperature comes from. So if some of the sunlight is shut off, then this will lead to a decrease the global temperature. With the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991 (image above), about 22 million tons of ash was thrown into the atmosphere. This was enough to block a fraction of the sunlight from reaching the Earths surface, which cooled the global temperature on Earth by as much as 0.5 degrees C. The most powerful eruption in recorded his tory, the eruption of the Tambora Volcano in Indonesia in April of 1815, threw up so much ash that the global temperature on Earth fell by as much as 3 degrees C. Europe and North America know this time as the year without a summer. The volcanic ash does not keep the temperatures down for a very long period of time geologically speaking, so its impacts are on a short term basis. Rain-Shadow Effect The long term impacts of volcanoes come from a look at simple geography. Volcanoes are gigantic mountains, so their affect on climate is the same as a normal mountain. This leads to the rain-shadow effect (explained in the  Continental Movement  section), which comes into play with volcanoes just as it does with mountain building. Until that volcano can be eroded away, it will continue to have some sort of impact on climate. This can last for thousands of years. Volcanoes have quite a bit of affect on climate. And this affect can be rather short term (volcanic ash) or long term (rain-shadow effect) in nature. Again biology can be affected by this too. For example, a desert area may quickly develop on the leeward side of a new volcano. If life is not able to adjust, extinction will become a significant threat. http://www.djburnette.com/projects/volcanoes.html