Alfred Hitchcock’s film Essay

By referring closely to two scenes from Alfred Hitchcock’s film ‘Psycho’ (1960), give your views in detail on how the director uses the soundtrack and the camera to create fear and suspense in the audience. ‘Psycho’ is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most well known and famous films. The film was made in forty-one days and at a cost of 80,000 dollars. It was shot in black and white to save money but also to create more impact. The film opens with a black background to create fear in the audience. We then see the director’s name, Alfred Hitchcock and the title of the film in the centre of the screen in medium, white text against a black background. The title then splits repeatedly, horizontally and vertically to reveal the rest of the credits. The horizontal and vertical splits suggest and already prepare us for the split personality of Norman Bates. Piercing, high-pitched notes of violins and the deep deafening notes of the cello are introduced to break the silence. The tempo of the music is rapid and frantic to generate terror in the audience. The staccato rhythm of the string instruments also adds to create tension and a perturb feeling. It also makes us feel alert and anxious. The credits and background fades with the music to unveil a panoramic view, which is at a high angle and an extreme close up shot of a city. The camera then pans across the skyline of the American city. Words are super imposed and displayed giving us the precise place, date and time producing the feeling that the audience are there and that it is actually happening, ‘ ‘Phoenix, Arizona, Friday December Eleventh, Two Forty Three pm. ‘ Numbers are displayed in letters to emphasise the date and time and to make sure the audience knows when this is occurring. As the camera pans over apartment blocks and rooftops of buildings, the camera steadily zooms in from a long shot to a medium shot to a close up on apartment block windows. Then the camera zooms in into one particular window, which is slightly open, making the audience curious. It gives the audience a question, where are we being led? We are made to be voyeurs as we are invited and entering the lives of a middle aged man and woman. In this scene, we see the relationship between Marion Crane and Sam Loomis. Alfred Hitchcock gives us the impression of ‘normal behaviour’ in which Marion and Sam present love and affection towards each other. Marion wears white underwear to symbolise purity and innocent whereas later on in the film after she has stolen the money we see her wearing black underwear to symbolise deceit and betrayal. It is in this scene we enter Marion Crane’s life and see everything from her eyes and her point of view. We observe her world and are put into her world. Hitchcock lets us see, hear and think what she sees, hears and thinks. Later in the film, we see Marion driving away from Phoenix with the stolen $40,000. The camera views her face as a close up where we hear a voice over of her thoughts and fears. This technique allows us to enter her mind and feel what she is feeling. As she carries on with her journey, we hear the penetrating and piercing rhythm of the string instruments from the theme tune. This creates awareness and alertness in the audience. In this scene we see an extreme long shot of Marion’s car, which is parked at the roadside in the countryside. She has stopped for a rest. The car is positioned in the bottom right hand corner of the frame. There is no one or nothing to be seen. This makes her seem isolated and deserted and where anything could happen. There is nothing to be heard but the natural sounds of the countryside. We suddenly hear an unknown car coming into the frame from the bottom right hand corner. The unknown car appears to a police car. The car drives past Marion’s car however, reverses behind Marion’s car. The next shot is a medium shot, which is filmed from a low angle and is shown from the side of Marion’s car. As the police officer opens his car door, we see the police badge printed on it. As the officer exits his car, he is walking towards the camera. This effect makes the audience feel that he is walking towards us. The low angle shot is used to convey his authority. This creates fear and makes the audience feel threatened. This scene is made up of many short, sharp cuts, mainly in big close ups. All natural sounds are heard to build up tension and suspense. As the police officer is at Marion’s car side, he knocks on her window. In this shot Marion is lying down. As she hears the knock, she wakes up immediately and abruptly with panic. As she looks at the officer, she appears to very nervous and overcome with anxiety. Her eyes are extremely wide and bold as she is filled with fright. This scene cuts to Marion and then to the officer many times. The camera shows a subjective shot, from Marion’s point of view so when he is looking at her it appears to the audience that he is looking at us. This makes us feel what she does. Dark sunglasses blank the police officer’s eyes out so we cannot tell what he is looking at. This suggests that his eyes are emotionless. As the officer questions Marion, she portrays herself as being nervous by giving short, breathless answers. She acts suspicious when saying ‘why do you want my licence’. The camera then films a privilege shot, so we can see everything that the officer cannot, Marion hiding the stolen money. Again, the camera moves into a subjective shot, when we can see the view from her point as Marion watches the officer look at her licence, to feel her fright and distress. This scene took seven days to film and only lasts forty-five seconds. It opens with Marion taking off her robe for a shower. She is located in a white tile bathroom, which is brightly lit. All the natural sounds are emphasised; toilet being flushed, soap packet being open, movement of shower and shower curtain. This makes the audience watch attentively and be very observant. The first shot is a long shot. Marion having a shower, suggests that she is washing away all her wrong doings to make herself feel unburdened and that she is deciding to put things right. She portrays herself to the audience as being deeply relaxed as she is smiling. A subjective shot of the shower is shown to make us the audience feel as if we are being showered. Hitchcock gives tranquillity and calmness in the audience as he makes us enjoy her shower. As she is showering, she is located in the bottom right corner of the frame, to prepare us for the attack, so we can see what she cannot. The camera films Marion in a close up from the wall side, she was in the centre, however, cuts to another shot which is a privilege, close up to leave the left side of the frame empty with the shower curtain behind. The curtain is translucent, this gives a dramatic effect and lets the audience see the figure approaching. Suddenly, in the left hand corner of the frame, a large, silhouette figure appears to make the audience feel uneasy and tense. It gives us a feeling of wanting to warn Marion of what is behind her. The powerful noise of the shower prevents Marion hearing the figure approaching. The shot remains constant, and then slowly zooms into the mysterious, menacing figure. Marion disappears out of the frame making the audience focus and concentrate on the dark, disturbing figure. Hitchcock makes us believe that the figure is the mother of Norman Bates because the shape of the hair is shown in silhouette. This shot is designed in such a way that the camera shows the figure in shadow because the audience should not be able to see the figure’s face. When the shower curtain is thrown aside, we still see the figure in shadow. A montage of shots is used when we see Marion being attacked. Horror fills the audience as screeching, violent sounds of the violins are introduced. We hear Marion’s terrifying, fearful screams, the sound of Marion being stabbed, the knife against the skin and bone to let the audience know what it feels like. A subjective shot of the knife is shown to produce the feeling that the figure is almost stabbing at us. Rapid shots are shown of the killing, twenty-eight shots in twenty seconds. Several shots are used of Marion moving from side to side and struggling to defend herself to show that she cannot stop the killer. The camera swoops in with a high angled shot of Marion’s blood draining away in the bath. A big close up of Marion’s hand is shown as she slides down the wall. As this is taking place, the deep, heavy sounds of the cello is heard. We see Marion turn around and slide down further, as she does this she reaches out her hand. This suggests she is maybe reaching out to us or to the shower curtain. In the final shot, we see the camera panning to show the blood of Marion draining down the plughole to suggest that her life is draining away. The camera zooms into the plughole where an extreme close up of it is shown and is mixed with Marion’s eye. The eye then becomes a staring, lifeless, emotionless eye. This suggests that we see, hear and think no more from her eye. For its time ‘Psycho’ was one of the most frightening, psychological thrillers ever made and even by today’s standards still has the power to terrify.

Critical Commentary Maori to Pakeha Essay

The language techniques of tone, rhetorical question, repetition, analogy and Maori language are all used to clearly illustrate the authors feeling of anger and support the dominant themes throughout the poem. Stanza one explores the idea of separation between Maori and Pakeha through a tone that that is accusatory and suggests anger. The first few lines using a repetition of referring to Pakeha as â€Å"You† instantly creates an idea of separatism which is then understood as negative through the use of describing Pakeha as â€Å"Beak-nosed hairy-limbed narrow-footed†. All three of these adjectives have negative connotations instantly setting the tone for the poem. As the stanza progresses this negative attitude towards the Pakeha is reinforced, supporting the negative tone. Meanwhile trampling Persia/Or is it India, underfoot/With such care less feet† is an example of this, touching upon colonization, the sentence before this which reads â€Å"You singing/Some old English folksong† gives further meaning to the colonization and therefore, oppression. It is not just the land they are colonizing but their culture too, as singing is something which is heard and gets into the mind of the people, overriding all thoughts. Stanza’s two and three introduce the device of rhetorical questio n which are used for effect to add to the accusatory tone of the poem. An example of this is â€Å"Where do you think you are going? † used as the opening sentence of stanza two, which is the first rhetorical question used in the poem, and â€Å"Who do you think you are? † used as the last line of stanza three. Supporting the critical tone of the poems, the rhetorical questions are used to illustrate to the reader the author’s feeling of contempt towards the Pakeha. The use of ‘think’ in both of these rhetorical questions is important as it is this word which gives the words surrounding it, and therefore the sentence, its accusatory tone. It turns a relatively evenly toned â€Å"Where are you going? and â€Å"Who are you† into a harsh sounding accusation, therefore adding to the negative tone. Stanza two further demonstrates the idea of separatism through the use of the rhetoric technique, repetition. More specifically the repetition is regarding the colour of skin. For example â€Å"This is brown country, man/Brown on the inside/As well as the outside/Brown through and through/Even the music is brown† The effect that this has is that it emphasizes the author’s feelings towards the separatism, it shows that the author is for the separatism where she believes the Pakeha should leave them alone and have no right to be there. The repetition of ‘colour’ and ‘brown’ also illustrate that being Maori is more than just a skin colour, they are â€Å"Brown through and through† meaning that their culture is all encompassing and the Pakeha aren’t just trying to collonise their land, â€Å"Can’t you see you’ve strayed/Into another colour zone? † but also in a manner of speaking collonise their culture as well, which links into the idea of oppression. Analogy is also used throughout the poem to support/illustrate the poem’s dominant theme of separatism. It is first shown in stanza one, â€Å"Milton directing your head/Donne pumping your heart† This is an analogy for the idea of oppression by Pakeha to Maori as both Milton and Donne were important poet’s and political figures in 17th century England. The idea that this portrays is that the Pakeha are all ruled by a unified thought that someone else has decided for them, following their ideas and instructions in a cult-like manner. As the poem progresses, the author starts to incorporate Maori language terms into the poem in order to illustrate resistance to the oppression. For example, in the last stanza of the poem Maori words are used as follows â€Å"Give your mihi tonight/Korero mai/Till dawn breaks with a waiata. † The following four lines give meaning to the use of Maori words â€Å"Meanwhile holding me gently/Firmly captive/Here, in the tight curve/of your alien arm† showing that even though the Pakeha are metaphorically holding the Maori â€Å"firmly captive†¦in the tight curve of your alien arm† which is representing oppression, the speaker is still doing all she can to resist, shown through the use of Maori language even though the poem is directed at English speakers. This idea of resistance is the idea which the author ends the poem on, leaving the reader with the sense of the author fighting oppression and fighting for her Maori heritage. Tone, rhetorical question, repetition, analogy and Maori language are several language techniques that are effectively used throughout the poem â€Å"Maori to Pakeha† by J. C Sturm in order to support and illustrate the dominant themes of separatism and oppression.

Vanish by Evan Ratliffs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Vanish by Evan Ratliffs - Essay Example First, while the idea of someone living a life on the run is certainly exciting, Ratliff wasn’t for the most part being physically chased. The people â€Å"hunting him† were largely doing so from their homes, in front of computers, writing code and scanning through Twitter accounts. That’s not very exciting and extremely technical to explain. Secondly, there are really two stories to tell – Ratliff’s story and those of the people who were hunting him down. Since Ratliff himself is writing this article, how can he do that? How can he technically be two places at once? Ratliff immediately tackles the problem of making a very technical story gripping by opening with his â€Å"getaway,† not unlike the way it’s been seen in â€Å"man on the run† movies from The Fugitive to The Bourne Identity. It starts with a first-person explanation of his â€Å"escape† and gives no reference at first to this being part of a magazine-sponsored contest. He uses words loaded with intrigue like â€Å"fleeing my life† and â€Å"going on the lam† (1). He details all the steps he takes to â€Å"confuse investigators† and calls an oil change on a car he is about to sell â€Å"another head fake† (1). This is an exciting language that catches the reader immediately. What could just be a scene of an average guy getting an oil change, picking up business cards, and shopping at Best Buy becomes the set-up for an ingenious plot? This language also makes the sections with all of the technical explanations easier to understand. Most of the tracking down of Ratliff would be done by people sitting alone in rooms, in front of keyboards, using lines of code and IP address tracking software. Too much technical jargon – even in a publication like Wired – does not make for an interesting story. But just as he heightened the tension during his pre-escape shopping trip with his use of word choice, he does the same when describing one of his trackers.  Ã‚  

Green Pastures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 15

Green Pastures - Essay Example Currently, Green Pastures houses six children full time on location in Mountain View. The children housed there range from the ages of six to eighteen and they all have developmental disabilities. Using a four bed-room house Green Pastures is able to provide services for these six children, as well as a short-term service for parents who may need a well-deserved break. They also provide training for people who are interested in caring for children with disabilities. Green Pastures uses a unique system to help fully meet every child’s needs. Using a three-pronged individualized system, Green Pastures is able to fully customize their programs to each and every single child. Green Pastures makes a specialized schooling plan, home program, and tutoring program for each child. Parents are also asked to be as involved as possible, and are invited to spend time on center with their child, encouraged to attend any major conferences about their child, updated on any developments in their child’s goals or needs, and they also allow children to go home on weekends and holidays as often as possible. Green Pastures also has a very active community interaction program. Regular outings include picnics, trips to the zoo, horseback riding, swimming lessons, and other fun community activities. This crucial part allows the children to interact with the community, and also allows the community to see that the Green Pastures family can participate in regular everyday activities just like everybody else. In conclusion, Green Pastures is a great community with a religious background that allows children a deep connection to caring, loving people.

Supply Chain Management (Vimto) Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Supply Chain Management (Vimto) - Case Study Example We will use the three-month moving averages method because only these months will be considered to give a more accurate figure. Also, this method is very useful for businesses that are in rapidly changing industry, which VIMTO is part of (Winston, 2010). The calculation is as follows: 2. If the company has a policy to always keep 15,000 stock on hand at all times, and the stock on hand at the end of June was 10,000, then subtracting the end of June figure from the desired end of July figure will give us the correct answer. In this case, the difference is 5,000. This 5,000 can be added to 30,333 and we can get the production figure of 35,333. VIMTO should plan to produce 35,333 products during the month of July so that it has enough to meet its minimum stock requirements. 3. Demand for VIMTO may increase if a special event such as Ramadan was held during the month of July. There would be no way to forecast using that same year’s data because the demand would be smaller during the previous months. The only way to predict it is if there was data from the same time the previous year and then that data could be used to make the

Biofuel Synthesis Project Proposals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Biofuel Synthesis Project Proposals - Essay Example As a means of ensuring objective adoption of green energy like biodiesel, education stakeholders have decided to integrate concepts of biofuel in college and university curriculum (Tuohy and Saddler 28). Currently, concepts of biofuel in learning institutions are delivered to students through both theoretical and practical lessons. This means that chemistry students will not only learn about the theoretical construct of biofuel production, but they will also conduct small scale practical projects within a laboratory setting. Therefore, this proposal extrapolates on the necessary aspects of chemical synthesis meant to facilitate actual production of biodiesel within a learning environment. The main objective of this project is to simulate a real production process used in synthesis of market biodiesel. The entire experiment will operate within the boundaries placed by material and equipment constrains. This means that procedures used may fail to totally emulate typical steps employed in commercial production of biodiesel. However, one goal of the project is to synthesize small quantity of a biodiesel from available raw materials, and test whether the final product possesses required characteristics of biodiesel. This experiment will not only enable students to apply theoretical knowledge that they have acquired in class, but will also transform theoretical fantasies and create a sense of realistic accomplishment in chemistry. Apart from establishing a discrete link between theoretical and practical concepts, this experiment also aims at promoting individual participation in group work. In addition, strict adherence to all synthesis steps helps students in learning abo ut procedural execution of laboratory processes. In order to optimize the synthesis process and ensure production of quality biodiesel, this experiment will be conducted in a strategic and procedural manner. The first strategy involves establishing harmony between materials and equipment available

Week 4 Discussion Questions #3 and #4 Personal Statement

Week 4 Discussion Questions #3 and #4 - Personal Statement Example More biodiversity could equally cause the population of the species in the ecosystem to rise rapidly. As such, they may outweigh the primary producers making it difficult for the ecosystem to sustain them. As an individual, I feel affected either way. When the number of species is so low that they get to extinction, the future generation will not have the opportunity to experience the aesthetics of the environment. This affects me fundamentally as an environmentalist. Extinction is the situation whereby a certain species gets out of existence in an ecosystem. One of the major causes of the present day extinction is human encroachment into the ecosystem. This becomes apparent as the human population increases (McKinney, Schoch, & Yonavjak, 2007). As the human population increased at unprecedented rates, people started destroying homes of wildlife thereby making some species endangered. They equally hunted the wildlife for food hence bringing about the extinction. To prevent the looming extinction, stringent regulations protecting the species in every ecosystem ought to have been ensured. Again, humans were to be enlightened on the importance of a sustainable ecosystems and/or ills associated with the impending

Modeling and Simulation Environments (Infusing Technology in the Assignment

Modeling and Simulation Environments (Infusing Technology in the Classroom) - Assignment Example It has also been argued that the best way for students to learn from an environment that stresses on an individual’s use of cognitive and analytical skills while employing the use of technology, is through modeling (Hung & Khine, 2006). A modeling activity is, generally, referred to a constructive use of objects and models in order to learn in a way of assessing individual selves (Lajoie, 2000). An example of a modeling activity that involves the use of technology is Spreadsheets (Jonassen, Carr & Yueh, 1998). These are basically, computerized record keeping systems which were launched with the purpose of substituting manually-held accounting systems. Perhaps, an accounting student might know its best usage. Apparently, it is a grid having rows and columns represented by numbers and letters respectively. Each row and column has a number of empty cells which is open to be used by the user to put in his/her desired values. It works in a way that values and formulas are fed to th e spreadsheet, which itself manipulates the values into other cells according to desired action made by the user. These spreadsheets are user-friendly in a way that a formula applied once would automatically be applied by the computer to all the values inserted by the user and the values would thus, be recalculated. The modeling activities have been termed to be under the umbrella of Engagement Theory, which advocates that students willingly engage themselves in an environment where they learn things which might not be so well taught by a human instructor as the processes of cognition, problem solving, evaluation and self-improvement are done individually (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999). But here, problem solving is the main focus. The same applies to simulation activities as well as regards to cognition, analysis and evaluation. There are a number of examples related to technology-based simulation type of activities. One such example is that of the Microworlds in which the students use

Political Issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political Issue - Essay Example Because of the Cold War period and the uncertainties it brought to the American citizens, the administrations supposed it was essential to stiffen down and take control (Hoffman, 2012). To do this, they called for more controls to the executive subdivision. The political ideology of the Americans vary on the classical liberalism; consequently, the ideas in most cases are alike. For instance, a bigger population of the United States believes in limited government, the perfect market, and individual freedom. On particular occasions, the two major political parties in the United States tend to have a controversial opinion from one another whereby one tend to lean to the right while the other lean to the left. There can also be a case in which the issues emanate in a particular party, for instance, the Democrat party having the problem amongst its members. In America, political scientist organizes the political ideologies with respect to how they affect the political government in the country. The liberalism and the conservatives always represent the two ends of the political situations in America. American liberalism posits that the state is supposed to act so as to bring the equality amongst the citizens. Traditionally, the liberal clust er has been working towards the civil rights of the Americans and the minority group. Conservatives have always come out stronger in defending the government than the liberalism. However, in the late twentieth-century liberalism and conservatism in strengthening the military status of American and more often than not, they got involved in the war. For instance in 1960s, the American president, John F. Kennedy increased the spending so as to strengthen the security while Lyndon Johnson on the other side of the ideology played a significant role in Vietnam War. The American conservatism contends that the primary duty of the

Sex and Gender Essay Example for Free

Sex and Gender Essay When most of us think about differences between men and women (or boys and girls) we tend to think first about the biology involved. The physical shape of our bodies genitalia mostly, but also the relative breadth of hips and shoulders, the presence or absence of a uterus and the potential to sustain a pregnancy helps us sort humans into male and female. Simple as pie. Which is good because sorting people by sex is something that is very important to most people. Watch nearly anybody go up to someone holding an infant and the first thing that she or he will ask the parent if the child is a girl or a boy. But why should it matter to anyone what the sex of the baby is? Even if it is easy to tell masculine from feminine. Except, of course, that its not. Theres nothing at all simple about the differences that exist between men and women because the biological differences between the sexes are only the beginning of the overall difference. (And even the biology itself can be ambiguous at times: Intersex individuals and others whose DNA is different from the most common XX or XY can be ambiguous in terms of appearance. Much of what gives us our gender identity as opposed to what we might call our sexual classification derives not from biology (or at not from genetics) but from the social and cultural values that give shape to each persons life. Because of this latter fact, the sociologist (along with the anthropologist and the social psychologist) is ideally qualified to help us understand what distinguishes the male from the female and why there are more differences among men and women than between them. Doctors and physiologists are of far less use in determining gender than one might have suspected. One of the most longstanding, most intense (and ultimately most frustrating) questions within the social sciences is that of nature-versus-nurture or how much we come into the world with and how much that birthright is shaped by our experiences ex utero. This is frustrating because, of course, there is simply no way to determine what we begin with in terms of understanding our gender and having a sense of self: Infants are very poor reporters about their internal states. Moreover, phrasing the question as one of a binary choice between nature and nuture suggests that the two do not interact with each other rather than the reality, which is that they continuously affect, alter, or reinforce each other in an iterative fashion. The area of sex and gender is one in which this debate (of nature and nurture) is especially fierce. This is true currently not primarily because of any discussion or disagreement about the nature of sex differences but rather because of the debate over same-sex marriage. One of the arguments that many proponents about same-sex marriage make is that sexual orientation is biological, something that results either from genetics, from biological conditions in utero, or from some interaction among genetics, biology, and other factors. If we accept this to be the case (and I do), then it is important to acknowledge that there are clear genetic/biological elements to gender identity and gender orientation in addition to the physical shape of peoples bodies. Thus, while I am arguing here that gender is primarily socially and culturally constructed, I am not disregarding the fact that biology has no small part in identity. While I am discussing the issue of sexual orientation, I would like to note that one of the ways in which men and women are both like each other (and highly variable within each sex) is that of sexual orientation. Very few men and women are purely heterosexual or purely homosexual. Rather most women and most men fall somewhere between these two poles. In this way a woman who is wholly homosexual is more like a man who is wholly homosexual than she is like a woman who is wholly heterosexual. The graph below demonstrates the way in which sexual orientation plays out. Men and women can equally be graphed in each sector, and those in each sector are highly similar to each other, regardless of sex (Ross, 1983, p. 28). Likewise, those of the same sex can be very different from each other depending where they fall on this scale of sexual orientation. But while there is an important biological element to gender, the majority of what creates a sense of gender identity (that is, what makes us identify and understand what masculine and feminine are and provides us with the psychological and social tools that allow us to act the way society expects us to) come about through several key areas: Our families and home environments, religious institutions (in some cases), schools, mass media, and what we might call simply society or culture. From infancy, our culture teaches what it means to be a boy or a girl. From the colour of clothes to the toys we play with, the messages begin at a very early age. Young people are influenced by a barrage of messages to conform to a variety of expectations, to buy this widget, and to preserve a rigid set of values that stress the differences between genders (Learning Gender Stereotypes, n. d. ) Because I think that it has the most influence of all (simply because of the amount of time we spend at home and the fact that we are exposed primarily to our families when we are developmentally at our most receptive or vulnerable I will focus on the family of origin and the early home environment, including toys. Anyone who has spent some time with small children knows that there is a great deal of pressure on parents to give their children the right toys. This is (I believe) generally true more for boys than for girls. A relevant anecdote here. A few weeks ago I was in a Target store and heard a man talking to a woman I assume his wife who was carrying an infant. She had a package of pacifiers in her hand and the man was saying, You get him anything that isnt blue and I swear to God if he turns out to be a fag then Ill kill you. I wanted to kidnap the child. Many parents are adamant about dressing girls in pink (and handing them only dolls to play with) and boys in blue (and giving them only cars and guns). Parents who raise their children like this tend to make the argument that they are not forcing their children into gender roles, but rather that they are simply catering to the inherent gender self-identity of their children. This is perhaps most commonly seen in the way that parents dismiss the bad behavior of their sons with the phrase, Oh, boys will be boys. True but the kind of thing that a boy is is in large measure what his parents make him. Boys like girls are the creations of their cultures. We can see this dynamic in the study performed by Condry and Condry. (The study was performed in 1976, but I believe it remains valid today. It is certainly a powerful study. ) They asked a group of subjects to observe the behavior of a group of nine-month-old babies (who were dressed so that the observers could not determine the sex of the baby). After a few minutes, the babies were scared by a Jack-in-the-box leaping out at them. When observers were told that the infants were boys, the subjects described the infants as being angry. Then the next group of observers was brought in and asked to observe the same infants who were then scared (again! ) by the Jack-in-the-box. This time, told that the infants were girls, the research subjects described the infants as being fearful. Bland (1998) summarizes the cumulative effects of his kind of reinforcement from the outside world on the growing childs sense of self, including her or his sense of what her or his own gender should do. The suggestion is, that boys may react with anger, and girls with fear, because we expect them to. All through our lives we tend to behave to match the attributions people make from social stereotypes because, to behave untypically, sets us apart. We are unconsciously behaving how we are expected to.

Rio Antirio Bridge And Millau Viaduct Engineering Essay

Rio Antirio Bridge And Millau Viaduct Engineering Essay Rio-Antirio bridge, the worlds longest suspension bridge, connecting Western Peloponnese with mainland Greece, 1998-2004 Millau viaduct. Millau, france, 1993-2004 Comparison: The two bridges are both phenomenal suspensions bridges in their locations. With taking into account the location of these two bridges, both bridges, Both are considered to be an architectural and engineering marvels. Concrete plays an important role in the construction of suspension bridges. There will be massive foundations, usually embedded in the ground. There are abutments, providing the vital strength and ability to resist the enormous forces. They both have exceptionally large dimensions and resistance to huge forces such as wind in Viaduct case and wave, wind, earthquake and many other natural forces, in Rio-Antirion case. Both bridges were constructed in a limited time constraint and both where successfully delivered on time. The construction was a good opportunity for both countries to create jobs as well as profiting financially and economically from the structures. These two similar structures where created in two different locations, Rio-Antirio bridge in Greece was created over the gulf of Corinth, whilst the Millau viaduct Bridge in France was created over the valley of the river tarn. Both bridges are very long thus the engineers decided to use suspension bridges. They both started construction at about same time. Rio-Antirion in Greece was constructed by a French company, where as Millau-Viaduct in south of France and constructed by a British company. Here are the differences and similarities of the two bridges in case of construction, economical, and many other aspects. Rio-Antirion Bridge: After 5 years of construction the Rio-Anitirio bridge was opened to traffic on 7th of August 2004 The Rio-Antirio bridge was constructed in Greece by a French company, Vinci. Greece needed the construction to be finished before the 2004 Olympics, which was not enough time for most of the construction companies. Also to make the matter worse the bridge had to be constructed on a river, meaning it had to have a high strength to resist the strong tides and earthquakes, as the location of this bridge is extremely prone to earthquakes and tide waves. C:UsersRaminDesktopPhocisS1.gif The Greek government set the French company a fixed price and time to do the job as there was no time for a mistake, Considering these entire situation the French company still decided to go ahead and take the project. If the bridge was not ready by the deadline the French company had to pay a fine as well as the expenses for the construction from that point onwards. The bridge meant much easier and faster transportation for Greek people as it connects the two major cities of Antirio and Rio together (Antirio and Rio, hence the name). In addition, it would be a valuable income for the Greek government economics. As it was close to 2004 Olympics which supposed to take place in Greek. Also because of the transport problem in that location a lot of people will be using the bridge, which meant they have to pay (cars: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬11.70, motorcycles: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.80, coaches: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬26.20-à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬56.50 and trucks à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬17.30- à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬38.00). As the bridge connects Rio to Antirio which is in mainland Greece, thus connecting with the rest of Europe. The only means of transport between these two lands was by using ferry or via the isthmus of Corinth at its extreme east end, therefore this bridge was really important for the Greek transportation. The bridge reduces travel time across the straight from 45 minutes via fe rry to less than 5 minutes. Bridge construction: The Rio Antirio Bridges pylons are made from reinforced concrete and pylon legs range from 25m to 45m above sea level. Seabed reinforcement was achieved by using inclusions, which are 2 m diameter hollow steel pipes 25 m to 30 m long. 200 pipes were driven in to the seabed by a crane on a tension leg platform, which was installed at every pier location; this was topped with a 3 m thick, levelled gravel layer. A cone with a diameter of 38 m formed the lower part of the pier.5 The bridge is counted as one of the tallest and longest bridges as it consist of five cable stayed spans and four columns, the longest span is 560 meters. The bridge is 2880 meters long with a width of 27.2 meters across. The towers, particularly their foundations, are the real technical achievement of this project. The seabed on which the foundations rest was specially prepared in order to eliminate the effects of earthquakes. The bridge consists of 6 lanes, 2 lane on each side, 2 emergency on each side as well as a pedestrian and bicycle lane .The total cost of the bridge was about à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 630,000,000, funded by Greek state funds, backed by loans from the European Investment Bank. During the construction, the French company decided to create a suspension bridge, as the distance was to great for any other type of bridge. They had problems before and during construction, such as; the site had difficulties including deep water, insecure materials for foundations, seismic activity, the probability of tsunamis, and the expansion of the Gulf of Corinth due to plate tectonics so this bridge is counted as one of engineers masterpiece. One of the major problems during the construction was, whiles installing a column the tides where too strong and placed the pile in the wrong position. As the company had no time to remove the column and replace it again as it was too heavy, it would cost them much more that they had planned so the engineers decided to move the whole process by the distance misplaced. C:UsersRaminDesktopRioAntirioBridge1.jpg The piers of the Rio-Antirio Bridge can slide on their gravel beds to accommodate tectonic movement. Engineering feats As the results of these problems, the engineers had to come up with a solution that is both strong and also flexible during earthquakes. The water depth reaches 65 m, the seabed is mostly of loose sediment, the seismic activity and possibility of tectonic movement is significant, and the Gulf of Corinth is expanding at a rate of about 30 mm a year. For these reasons, special construction techniques were applied. The piers are not buried into the seabed, but rather rest on a bed of gravel, which was meticulously levelled to an even surface (a difficult attempt at this depth). During an earthquake, the piers should be allowed to move laterally on the seabed with the gravel bed absorbing the energy. The bridge parts are connected to the pylons using jacks and dampers to absorb movement; too rigid a connection would cause the bridge structure to fail in the event of an earthquake. It was also important that the bridge not have too much lateral leeway either so as not to damage the piers. There is provision for the gradual expansion of the strait over the bridges lifetime.1*. As result of the bridges enormous size and the risk this carries a yearly maintenance is need to be carried out to ensure the safety of the users. On January 28th 2005, only six months after the opening of the bridge, as the result of a failure in one of the cables the bridge had to be closed to the public. As there where 4 more cables supporting this section of the bridge minimum damage was caused to the bridges core structure. For health and safety there are more than 100 sensors installed on the bridges, which provides 24/7 surveillance of the structure.(JPG) *-refer to reference 1. Millau- Viaduct bridge This bridge was constructed from 1993 to 2004 in southern France. Linking France and Spain by constructing a motor way over the River Tarn. The bridge has been constructed on a 2 km valley divided in two by River Tarn. An English company foster constructed this bridge. The milau viaduct bridge not only has a dramatic sihoutte, but crucially, it also makes the minimum intervention in the landscape. Lit at night, it traces a slender ribbon of light across the valley. Foster partners 2004. Viaduc de Millau is the chosen solution for taking the A75 motorway from Clermont-Ferraud south to Beziers. This is cheaper than the alternative of tunnelling through the hills flanking the river, and will shorten the journey by 100 km and by up to 4 hours in the holiday season, as well as removing much traffic pollution caused by continual traffic jams for local inhabitants in Millau. The government makes money by charging the vehicles using the bridge. The Milau Viaduct Bridge is also being used for extreme sports such as base jumping and repelling. Also is very economical as it saves a lot of time and avoids traffics. The construction process involved approximately five hundred workers working simultaneously on the project, which means it was a good opportunity for France to create many jobs. C:UsersRaminDesktopviaduc_situation_c_2.jpg ` This project was proposed by the owners Compagnie Eiffage du Millau Viaduct (CEVM) and the client SETEC to cross the Tarn gorges by a viaduct/ road bridge. All designs had to satisfy the design brief, but Fosters knew that this bridge posed several novel problems. Tests revealed problems for drivers on such a high, long and thin structure with just two lanes either sides. The bridge is 343 m high and is a multi cable-stayed structure with slender piers and a very light deck, touching the valley at only seven points. It was decided to design a multi cable-stayed bridge (2460 m long) because Lord Foster wanted the bridge to look as transparent and lightweight as possible to reduce cost, but also to attempt to minimise the effect of the structure in its environment as well as reducing wind loadings. The solution was to incline the bridge by 3% to improve road visibility, and to make the whole structure curved to lessen the sensation of floating, even though this would increase the length of the bridge to 2.5 km and add to the cost. To prevent drivers from the distraction of the beautiful scenery, the hard shoulder on both sides was increased in width to three metres. Emergency phones were designed for every 500 metres along the full length on each side.Millau1 Viaduc de Millau The construction consists of: The deck- steels of grade S355 and S460 The piers- reinforcement concrete The cables-steels of grade S355 and S460 The abutments- reinforcement concrete The pylons- steels of grade S355 and S460 (the concrete was used more for its high durability as this bridge is estimated to last 120 years, rather than its high mechanical resistance.) Construction: The structure is continues along its eight cable spans. The two spans at each sides are 204m and the six spans in middle are 342m each. The bridge has 2 lanes and an emergency line at each side. The construction method was beneficial. The factory pre-production of certain parts of the deck reduced the volume of material that had to be worked on on-site, something which never would have been possible with an all-concrete structure. Less equipment, less construction material, fewer trucks going back and forth clogging up traffic in all it added up to less disturbance to the life of the local population. The Millau Viaduct was described by Lord Foster as his sculpture in the landscape.The whole thing looks impossibly delicate, Foster said in a telephone interview. This bridge is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the France because of the exceptional dimensions and the natural grandeur of the Aveyronnais landscape. C:UsersRaminDesktopviaduc_c.jpg The deck consists of a trapezoidal profiled metal box girder and to ensure resistance to fatigue a thickness of 14 mm has been used for the whole length of the structure. The deck was designed prefabricated which speeds the process and also is environmentally friendly as it uses much less landscape during construction. The decks are supported by multi-span cables which are constructed from steel too. There are eleven pairs of cables, which support each span. The cable anchors are adjustable at the deck end and fixed on the pylons. C:UsersRaminDesktopmillaudiag1.jpg To install the deck successfully, seven temporary piers were needed. These temporary piers consist of a metal framework in the form of K. The top of each temporary pier is fitted with metal trimmer to receive the beginning supports, known as translators. The highest temporary pier was 173 m high. The entire cost of creating this bridge was 320 million Euros. The bridge consists of eighteen cameras located at various locations on the bridge to ensure the bridge safety 24 hours a day. The cameras are connected to computers to monitor the bridge for traffic, wind loads and any damages that may happen to the bridge.C:UsersRaminDesktop4.jpg The viaduct was ensured to have: Specially designed safety barriers that can withstand impact from heavy lorries. Transparent windbreak screens 3 m. high to limit the effect of the wind on vehicles. Emergency lanes 3 metres wide. Emergency phones every 500 metres. Conclusion: In conclusion, the Rio-Antirion is longer than Millau-Viaduct; however, Millau-Viaduct is considerably higher than Rio-Antirion. The Rio-Antirion is cost approximately double Millau-Viaduct. The environment on which Rio-Antirion was build on can justify this. As more time need to be spend reinforcing the seabed on which Rio-antirion was being build on. Millau-Viaduct is much more environmentally friendly than Rio-Antirion. Both bridges meant an easier and faster way to travel that saves a lot of time. As well as reducing the traffic load on other means of travelling the same distance. Both bridges have similar structure but constructed in different methods. Rio-Antirion was constructed separately on each pier and then reaches to each other. However, Millau-Viaduct was constructed from both ends and reach together in the middle. Each of this methods where chosen as it best suite the environment on which the each bridge was being build on. The Millau-Viaduct was prefabricated in the factory to ensure limited landscaped is used on the site, thus environmentally friendly. Rio-Antirion was constructed much quicker than Millau-Viaduct hence explains the costs. In addition, Rio-Antirion had alot more problems in terms of site location than Millau-Viaduct in case of engineering. Rio-Antirion was constructed completely in water, which increases the expenses as engineers needed to use a specially designed ship to transport the ready made piers to their specific location. The ship had to be hired from another country as the piers were very huge and heavy and Greece did not have any ship capable of handling the weight of the piers.

Apnea :: essays research papers

Sleeping Apnea Approximately 30 million Americans are victims of a sleep disorder called Obstructive sleep apnea. Man millions more are predisposed and have a high risk of developing the illness. If you are and adult male, the odds are about 50/50 that your breathing is not normal when you are sleeping.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)? OSA is a recurrent episode during sleep when their throat closes and they cannot suck air into their lungs. This happens because the muscles that normally hold the throat open during wakefulness relax during sleep and allow it to narrow. When the throat is partially closed and/or the muscles relax too much, trying to inhale will suck the throat completely closed and air cannot pass at all. This is an obstructive sleeping apnea episode.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A cessation of breathing must last 10 seconds or more to be called an apnea. Obstructive apnea episodes can last as long as two minutes and are almost always associated with a reduction in the level of oxygen in the blood. When an individual is in the midst of an obstructive sleep apnea episode, as long as sleep continues, the apnea continues. It is only terminated and waking up saves the victim’s life. This arousal instantly increases the activity of the muscles of the tongue and throat muscles that enlarge the airway. The victim will be able to breathe and to once again fill the lungs with life-giving oxygen. This cycle may be repeated hundreds of times a night while the suffer has no idea it is happing How serious is OSA? Depending on the degree of severity, OSA is a potentially life threatening condition. Some one who has undiagnosed severe obstructive sleep apnea is likely to have a heart attack, a stroke, cardiac arrest during sleep, or a harmful accident. In addition, awakening to breathe hundreds of times in a single night causes the victim to become very sleep deprived. There is a constant risk of serious accidents such as falling asleep while driving as well as impaired function in the workplace. Untreated OSA tends to progressively worsen and sooner or later will result in partial or complete disability and death.

Politics and its affect on the olympics :: essays research papers

Politics is the art or science of government or governing, especially the governing of a political entity, such as a nation, and the administration and control of its internal and external affairs. The Olympic Games is an event held every 4 years, which includes a variety of sport activities in which different countries compete against one another. â€Å"Sport is frequently a tool of diplomacy. By sending delegations of athletes abroad, states can establish a first basis for diplomatic relations or can more effectively maintain such relations† (Espy 3). One might think that politics and the Olympics have nothing to do with each other, but in fact they do have a lot in common. How did politics affect the Olympic Games in 1936, 1968 and 1972?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1934, the death of President Hindenburg of Germany removed the last remaining obstacle for Adolf Hitler to assume power. Soon thereafter, he declared himself President and Fuehrer, which means â€Å"supreme leader†. That was just the beginning of what would almost 12 years of Jewish persecution in Germany, mainly because of Hitler’s hatred towards the Jews. It is difficult to doubt that Hitler genuinely feared and hated Jews. His whole existence was driven by an obsessive loathing of them (Hart-Davis 14). In 1935, the U.S. decided to attend the ‘36 Berlin games, even though the United States knew how Hitler was persecuting the Jews. By July 1933, at least 27,000 people had been placed in what Hitler liked to call â€Å"detention camps† (Hart-Davis 16). In early 1932 at an IOC meeting in Barcelona, the committee decided to grant Germany the right to the 1936 Olympic Games, which allowed Germany to restore their athletic reputation that they lost because of the outbreak of World War I. All over the world, there was an outcry to boycott or at least change the location of the ‘36 Olympics. The IOC’s first response was that they had granted Germany the Olympic site before the Nazis’ came to power. All over Germany before the Olympic Games were signs that read Juden Unerwunscht, or â€Å"Jews not wanted.† â€Å"The racial discrimination- so obvious and deliberate- was more than some foreign sports organizations could stomach. Apart from being offensi ve to normal human beings, the Nazi attitude was also diametrically opposed to the principle of free competition on which the Olympics were supposed to based† (Hart Davis 62). More than anywhere else, action against what was happening in Germany mounted more quickly in the United States, especially in New York, where there were almost 2 million Jews living (Hart Davis 62).

Write an essay about how Owens poetry describes the plight of the

Write an essay about how Owen's poetry describes the plight of the soldiers. In many of Wilfred Owen's poems, he describes the suffering and the agony of the common soldier during war, not only on the battlefront, but he also describes the after-effects of war and its cruelty. Owen's poetry is inclined towards and elegiac nature with the function to arouse grief and to stimulate remembrance. Owen is usually best when the emotion of grief predominates over disgust in his poems and when tribute is paid to the men who died "as cattle" rather than when criticism is directly made to the perpetrators of war. Owen refers to his poems as elegies, but they offer no consolation to the readers, serving instead to warn them of the true nature of war. To create his 'moral lesson', Owen recalls certain incidents in which he analyses the suffering of particular soldiers lacking identity: "bones without number". Owen, having been a soldier of high rank, and having had a troop under his hands often brings out the feeling of guilt and shame in his poems: the guilt of having led hi...

Theory Ok Knowledge: Emotion’s Role in Logic and Reason

The theory of knowledge curriculum has shed a lot of light on the idea that emotion can be looked at as a way of knowing. As a way of knowing, emotion plays a huge role in everything we do, acting as a sort of lens from which to view and react to the environment from which we are surrounded. Emotion affects our perception of our reality, providing motivation behind most of what we do, and emotion particularly affects our acquisition of knowledge as knowers.Everyone can understand emotion. Even if this concept of emotion is conveyed differently across different cultures, it can basically be boiled down to what we feel, or our uniquely human qualities of having complex and intense feelings and reactions to our environment around us. Our emotions can be categorized into seven basic emotions, which are anger, fear, disgust, contempt, joy, sadness, and surprise.These different emotions greatly influence our acquisition of knowledge, such as the doctors and scientists researching to find a cure for cancer. These men and women feel like their purpose is to help to cure such ailments, and the determination and the emotions that give this struggle momentum is just one example as to how emotions can affect our acquisition of knowledge. In a different light, emotion can be seen as a very significant block or hindrance in our quest for the gaining of new information and knowledge.As seen in the years of the scientific flourishing of the Italian renaissance, one discovery in particular created a lot of controversy. Galileo Galilee had scientific proof, and had empirical and logical evidence supporting his claim that heliocentrism, the belief that the sun was in the center of the solar system, in opposition to the generally accepted geocentrism that stated that the earth was in the center of the solar system.The emotional attachment of both the Catholic Church and the people at the time led to the impeding of progress when Galileo was sentenced to a life of house arrest, and this scientific acquisition of knowledge was snuffed on a very large scale, in this case, the whole of Europe, due to the emotions of those in power at the Catholic Church not being able to admit that this discovery was very valid, and the one that they had believed and become attached to over so many centuries was incorrect.In the case of Phineas Gage, a phenomena that was extensively researched and investigated by many scientists, psychologists, etc. , the frontal lobe of his brain was damaged by his improbable survival in a railroad accident, and as a result his brain structure was drastically changes. After the accident, his emotions changed very much, and most people said that Phineas had never acted this way before, in this new mellowed down state of his.This was very influential in this field, but also, this new shift in his emotions changed his acquisition of knowledge, and his perception of his environment. This direct correlation between the changed of emotion in one man and his change in the acquisition of knowledge is very important in showing how emotions affect the acquisition of knowledge because his new changed emotions caused him to have been reportedly more clever and cunning which shows that a change in emotions can correlate with a change in the process of acquiring knowledge.In many cases that have been seen over the ages, such as the competitive nature of the space race between the two combating super powers of the cold war, or the search for the fountain of youth a few centuries ago, or with the search for a solution to global warming, there is no denying that emotion plays a hug role in our acquisition of knowledge.It can be generally accepted proved that emotions give us huge motivation in our search for knowledge, but at the same time, emotions can impede our progress. The acquisition of knowledge may not even exist if it wasn’t for the drive that humans get from the emotions that we have, and how they directly affect our envi ronment that we perceive, and how we search for knowledge in the world.

Arguing for Drug Testing Policy

This memo is in response to your recent e-mail in regards to random drug testing. I believe that implementing this policy would be extremely beneficial to our company as a whole. This is for the following reasons: financial savings, workplace safety, and to maintain our reputation. Financial Savings It is important that we strive to maintain a safe and effective work environment for every single one of our employees.It is estimated that workplace accidents related to drugs have costs employers in the United States $75 to 100 billion dollars per year. Those who abuse are also six times more likely to file worker's compensation claim and use 16 times the amount of health benefits as their fellow employees who do not use drugs. (http://www. employmentdrugtesting. com/screening. html_) Not ensuring that our employees are drug-free could end up costing our company a great deal of money in the long run if an employee under the influence injures themself or nother employee while on the Job here at Life Support, Inc.One might argue that implementing this drug-testing policy would actually cost our company more money due to the cost of the drug tests. However, the cost of a drug test cannot compare to the higher cost of worker's compensation or lawsuits to this company that could potentially occur due to an employee under the influence while on the Job. Spending money on these drug tests is a preventative measure to keep our company from spending more money in the long run. Workplace Safety It is absolutely vital that Life Support, Inc. rovides an environment in which our employees come to work knowing that we value their safety. The facts and figures mentioned above suggest that employees under the influence of drugs are extremely likely to cause and produce accidents in the workplace. The drug users are not the only ones at risk. Employees under the influence of drugs are clearly not performing to the best of their ability; their impaired state can cause them to make careless mistakes or exercise poor Judgment that they normally would not if they were in a ober state of mind.This can cause injury not only to them, but their fellow co- workers. By â€Å"weeding out† the employees who choose to use drugs, we will be providing a safer place for our workers and also show them that we truly value their safety. Maintain Reputation It is important for Life Support, Inc. to maintain a reputable image. By not tolerating drug abuse by our employees we present ourselves as a company that really cares about their people and also the quality of their products. https://donemyessay.com/unit-5-review/Our products will continue o be made of impeccable quality and be held to the highest standards in the industry. Our clients and those who use our products will know that Life Support, Inc. is a name to be trusted. This kind of quality and standards will reduce any possible liability for any malfunctioning equipment. I urge you to consider the potential savings, workplace safety, and our reputation as you continue to make your decision in regards to this matter. As always, please feel free to contact me if I can be of any other assistance to you.

Real Madrid Brand Management Essay

Corporate sponsors: a beneficial relationship for both parties, the increasing awareness coming from the efficient marketing programme from Real Madrid allows a greater financial return and also the possibility to reach the consumers of its sponsors as well. The main sponsors are both in the sports arena, which allows the club to expand its image without over-stretching; eg. Bwin sport betting platform; and Adidas, an experienced brand in the sports scene. Othersports brands People Things Places Adidas & Bwin Galacticos Cristiano Ronaldo Figure 3. Secondary leveraging through associations with people and other brands Externally the team also benefited from strong rivalry with Barcelona and in a smaller scale it also uses the association with football in Spain as a mean to build its brand reputation. 3) Brand performance Real Madrid since its foundation built its reputation over its successful story. Like other European clubs, until last decade it adopted a focus on the sport events only, which enable the team to be known nationally and throughout Europe. In middle of 2000’s, the club identified the opportunity to increase knowledge worldwide and was also able to increase its brand stature, attracting more fans by selecting star players for the squad. According to Young and Rubincam Brand Asset Valuator (Value Based Management, 2011), the club has been for a long time in the position of unrealised/emerging potential. In the last decade it has reached leadership, competing with teams such as Manchester United and Barcelona. Real Madrid has always had good brand strength, but only in the last 10 years it has been able to fully exploit the brand stature. Figure 4. Building brand stature through time 1902 -mid 2000’s Mid 2000’s – now Figure 5. From unrealised potential to leadership (Merlo, 2011) 4) Brand equity sustainability In order to successfully manage the brand through time, it is necessary to analyse the external and internal factors that could affect its equity. Analysing the threats through the external perspective, the most recent proof of the successful strategy of going global was showed when Real Madrid went through the last world economy downturn without suffering any major financial impact: â€Å"We continue to assert that top clubs are well placed o meet the challenges of the economic environment. Large and loyal supporter bases, the ability to drive broadcast audiences and continuing attraction to corporate partners provide a strong base to underpin revenues†, says Paul Rawnsley, director in Deloitte’s sports business group. (licensemag. com, 2011) Real Madrid has made a good use of merchandising and did not over-stretch the brand by launching products that are not related to sports. It has been able to feed fans’ variety seeking without confusing them or diluting the brand meaning. 5) Conclusion Real Madrid’s tactics based on a mix of two strategies (reputation and affinity) is a good balance to protect the club from vulnerability. By constantly having good results the team builds a good reputation while at the same time crystallizing the emotions of the fans and creating affinity. One of the risks faced by the brand lies in over-relating to the image of individual players as eventual personal incidents might damage the brand equity. Real Madrid’s brand uses associations with people and other brands. It could explore further associations with the country Spain.

Multicultural Literature: “Poisoned Story” Essay

Latino culture, specifically Puerto-Rican culture has changed through the course of history. Puerto Rico has witnessed a fusion of races and cultures spanning over many years, starting in 1898, after the Spanish-American war. Ultimately, Puerto Rico was annexed to the United States, the Puerto Rican people made United States citizens with limited restrictions and granted commonwealth status. The changes made during those eras did not come without consequences to the Puerto Rican culture. In â€Å"Poisoned Story†, author Rosario Ferre depicts the political and economic changing norms and tensions between the social classes of the Puerto Rican’s culture. In Ferre’s story â€Å"Poisoned Story† several major themes are prevalent through the story: opposition between the aristocratic and working class, literacy, interpretation of historicity and magic realism. The overriding structure of the story is based upon a narrative conflict between the characters which dramatizes the issue of the actual â€Å"writer† within the story. The reason this is important is because the concepts of the Puerto Rican history is based upon experience of the individual Puerto Rican. The class structure between rich and poor at one time was clear. During this story, the class structure and culture of two generations against the backdrop of the United States relationship is developed. The characters within the story represent several classes of people in the Puerto Rican society. Also, Ferre uses a narrative style in the story that introduces different â€Å"writers† within the story or shall we say different perceptions of occurrences of history based upon personal experience within the Puerto Rican fusion of culture. Read more: A depiction of a fantasy city. The Puerto Rican economy was disturbed with the United States intervention which led to classes of people being displaced within society, as was the case with the character of Don Lorenzo. Don Lorenzo was Rosaura’s father. After the death of his first wife, Don Lorenzo married his second wife named Rosa. An important issue of this story is the masculine character of Don Lorenzo represents and the fact that he married out of his class when he married Rosa, leaving behind his traditions and some of his culture. The character of Don Lorenzo transitions through the story. In the beginning, Don Lorenzo is viewed in high regard, with pride for his land and culture.  As the story progresses Don Lorenzo looses his land, his home, and his heart as he and his aristocratic culture deteriorates before his very eyes with the help of his new wife Rosa and changing social structure. Rosa is an antagonistic source and character in the story. Rosa is the representation of the lower class of society, or the â€Å"working class†. Good with her hands, the character of Rosa is represented as being cunning and resourceful by one of the writers, and bitter and cruel by another. Depending on who is writing the story, there is a like and dislike of this character on several levels in regards to the interactions with both characters Don Lorenzo and Rosaura. Rosa is described as being from the working class, much different from Lorenzo’s first wife. The physical description describes Rosa as having â€Å"broad hips with generous breasts† who â€Å"reestablished† Don Lorenzo’s domestic comfort after the death of his first wife (p.9). Rosa is also described as coming from a different class background when being described by her customers: â€Å"Whoever would have thought it; from charwoman to gentlewoman, first wallowing in mud, then wallowing in wealth. But finery does not a lady make.†(p.8). This class jumping is important to recognize in the fact that Rosa was once Don Lorenzo’s wife’s caregiver, and now she has replaced the aristocratic mother and wife, defying the social system of poor vs. rich. Rosa’s character transitions from poor to rich, similar to a creative Puerto Rican rendition of a Cinderella story: rags to riches. Rosa is also instrumental in leading, or forcing the characters of Don Lorenzo and Rosaura to evolve or assimilate into the then current Puerto Rican culture. The character of an aristocratic daughter named Rosaura is introduced in the first paragraph. Rosaura was the daughter of a once wealthy sugar cane plantation owner named Don Lorenzo. It can be assumed that Rosaura was fairly young at the onset of this story, but old enough to read and attend  school. Her mother had recently died (reason is not specified) and her father quickly remarried to Rosa. This young girl loved to read books in a â€Å"dense overgrowth of crimson bougainvillea vines† (p.1). It should be noted that the color of crimson and red are repetitively used to describe associations with Rosaura. The red association is first in the flower on vine, then in the bloodlike guava compote which gets spilled on Rosa’s dress. The story represents Rosaura as an educated daughter, a part of the â€Å"aristocracy† who was described to possess the ability to read in a country where the illiteracy rate was very high. It can be assumed through Puerto Rican history and through the narrative description in the story, that unless you were of the wealthy class, education was not an option: â€Å"†¦she was forced to leave school because of his poor business deals† (p.9). The literacy rate was very poor in Puerto Rico which was a farming country. The characters that were literate in the Poisoned Story also represent the idea of who usually writes history, which is the literate, or the rich. The structure of the story is centered on the narrative theme of the concept â€Å"poisoned story†. The introduction starts with an excerpt from a book or story by A Thousand and One Nights, author unknown: And the King said to Ruyan the Wise Man: -Wise Man, there is nothing written. -Leaf through a few more pages. The King turned a few more pages, and Before long the poison began to course rapidly through his body. Then The King trembled and cried out: -This story is poisoned. This poem sets up the overwhelming major theme of the writer being in control of the story, and those words or interpretation being poison. The rising action of the story is centered around the different perspectives of the interpretations of the â€Å"history† of the story that is being commented on through the writers. Within the story there is the perception of several writers. Several parts to the story are written in a fairytale manner, with eloquently chosen words and beautiful descriptions of days past when the aristocracy led the social class structure and everyone seemed magically fantastical. Exquisite dolls, fancy dinners and luxuries were of the excess for the aristocracy while the working class struggled to put food on the table. The opposite perception of that same time is written in a language that seems to be sympathetic to Rosa and her hardships as being from the working class, trying â€Å"honestly† to work her way up the entrepreneur ladder in the fashion industry. The third voice in this story is that of Rosa herself who discriminates what is being written, the historicity and the interpretation of the situations being described within the story. Rosa’s voice is harsh and cutting, with a choice of very expressive language that invokes a cynical commentary on the para graphs written previously. All three voices within the story represent different views of the same situations or conflicts within and through the relationships of the characters. The conflict within the story is the relationship between the two classes of society making the adaptation to the changing societal norms. The concepts of the societal system have been shaken with the changing Puerto Rican political commonwealth. Don Lorenzo has been taken from his days of glory, with â€Å"patriotic zeal† and diminished to a â€Å"small town-writer† through the course of the story. What is interpreted by one is a fairy tale, is interpreted by another as a lie. The climax in the story is when Don Lorenzo agrees to allow Rosa to burn Rosaura’s books, after the sale of the plantation and house. Don Lorenzo had sold the house and plantation to benefit the dress shop opened by Rosa in  the house. As the shop put them into more and more debt, Lorenzo was forced to sell the plantation and then his land. When he sold the house, he was under the pretense that the mayor was going to â€Å"restore the house as a historic landmark, where the mementos of the sugarcane-growing aristocracy would be preserved for generations†(p. 15). Lorenzo had sold his home, then his heart when he conceded in allowing Rosa to burn his daughter’s books, the last tie he had with his culture that he seemed to value in the story. The last part of the story and resolution depicts the funeral of Don Lorenzo and Rosa finally reads the poisoned story at the end of Rosauras book. The book was the last gift given to Rosaura by her father. The resolution is in the reading the poisoned story by Rosa. Through out the story, Rosa never reads anything, as it was not in Rosa’s culture, most of the working class was illiterate. The shifting political powers and class jumping has brought Rosa to a new level in the culture of the aristocracy, education and the power of the written word, or better known as the poisoned story. The story has come full circle with Rosa’s character progression and metamorphosis to the upper class. Don Lorenzo lived by the romantic ideas and notions of an aristocratic society: A man could sell everything he had-his horse, his cart, his shirt, even the skin off his back- but one’s land, like one’s heart, must never be sold. (p.8). Symbolically, Don Lorenzo had sold out the culture he had for so long cherished and been proud of. He had lived through the first changes in hi s heritage when he began to work the plantation, and his house became decayed: It was there that the criollo’s first resistance to the invasion had taken place, almost a hundred years before. Don Lorenzo commemorated the day well, and he would enthusiastically re-enact the battle scene as he strode vigorously through the halls and parlors†¦ thinking of those heroic ancestors who had gloriously died for their homeland†¦however he had never  considered selling the house or the plantation (p. 13). After Lorenzo moved to the city, he began to write a book on the â€Å"patriot’s of our island’s independence† (13). The interpretation of the â€Å"history† of the invasion in 1898 is recollected by both Lorenzo and Rosa. Lorenzo describes the Civil War between the plantation system and slavery, but Rosa describes the same situation in terms of disregard. Rosa interprets the truth of the history in a different light, describing the rich of the island as a â€Å"plague of vultures† (14). The relationship between Rosaura, her father and Rosa weave magical realism through the interaction. Fictional and historical happenings are mixed with the fantastical in Poisoned Story. Examples of the magical realism start with the introductory poem where the set up to Rosa’s possible demise is introduced. The beginning of the story begins with a story about a poisoned story, or story book that poisons the reader. As the story progresses Rosaura reverts to an almost fantasy every time she indulges in her stories. The vivid description of the â€Å"fantasy world† that Rosa claims Rosaura lives in produces elements of fantasy mingled with realism: The house, like Rosaura’s books, was a fantasy world, filled with exquisite old dolls in threadbare clothes, musty wardrobes full of satin robes, velvet capes, and crystal candelabra which Rosaura used to swear she’d seen floating through the halls at night, held aloft by flickering ghosts (9). The author also uses repetition to create a tension around this story book, fantasy focus. Rosa is continually referring to Rosaura as a girl who does not â€Å"earn her keep† and who â€Å"lives in a storybook world, while she had to sew her fingers to the bone in order to feed them all† (12 & 16). The only time Rosaura is not referenced to her storybooks is when she cooks her father a meal and after they move to city. It is ironic that Rosaura stops reading her stories after the move to city which would symbolize Rosaura and Don Lorenzos paradise lost. The impression you get from the speaker is that Rosaura has stopped reading  her birthday present storybook because she is busy with her friends. However, as the story progresses, Rosaura has a dream about a tale of a poisoned story which has the mysterious power that would immediately destroy its first reader which is described to have frightened Rosaura. Yet, when the poisoned story is discovered, it is discovered by Rosa and written in a â€Å"thick guava-colored ink†, the same guava based ink Rosaura had spilled on Rosa’s dress. It should be noted that a wealthy man would have built up his library in that last century of Puerto Rican history. A culture that values education would have a strong tie to the impact of books. Coincidentally, Lorenzo agrees to give up his daughter’s books and last ties with his aristocratic culture at with Rosa’s insistence. The spilling of the compote symbolizes two things: the aristocratic culture that Lorenzo cherished so much and the death of that culture. In comparison, Rosa is never used in any whimsical or fantastical terms unless referring to her outward appearance and dresses or when she is referred to selling the â€Å"family heirlooms† (10&11). Rosa in presented much like the evil stepmother in fairy tale literature which adds to the dramatic effect and magical theme. The marriage between Lorenzo and Rosa is not based upon love on her part as she describes marrying him â€Å"out of pity† (9). The evil stepmother is also referred to as miserly, unless it has to do with her own dressings and wardrobe. The appearance of richness is far more important to Rosa than self worth. She also uses the appearance of education to further her desires in the story as she calls her store â€Å"The fall of the Bastille† and pretends to read at the funeral (10 &17). The success of Rosa’s store fulfilled her wishes of becoming an entrepreneur. She describes herself as being rich, yet she was very much in debt. Her idea of being rich could very well be interpreted as being â€Å"a free woman† as described on page 11. The mythical tone of the story is even carried over to the â€Å"salvation through style† philosophy, where the writer compares her work to a possible religious experience (11). The lavish materials and designs Rosa is described to put together are compared to the style and design of her pompous clients who dress like â€Å"witches† (12). Lastly, Rosa incorporates the fairy tale or magical qualitative of ultimatums which further the action of the story. Lorenzo on several occasions is co-coerced into doing whatever Rosa wants. The lust and bountiful bosom is a safe haven for Lorenzo, but in return Lorenzo must pay with his life. Lorenzo pays with his honor, plantation, home, and then heart. The end result is the poisoned story, a story whose interpretation is subjective, not necessarily objective. A story based upon history, written by an unobjective writer may write a â€Å"poisoned story†, with the possibility that truth in writing is subjective.

Qualitative methods for social health research Essay

Qualitative methods for social health research - Essay Example Academic performance is the reason for studying to determine the level of intelligence. Motivation is a crucial aspect in validating the theme of academic performance. In the presence of adequate amount of motivation, there is a driving factor for academic performance. As responded by participant A, motivation will enable one to balance work and studies due to an impending aim of achieving results in both. When asked on How satisfied the participant is with academic achievement, participant A responds, that, â€Å"My study is going good beside my work time as I am a part time employee who is working only in the weekend and the rest of the weekdays I am a full time student so I manage my time to student during the weekdays†. While when asked on the circumstances under which he feels academic achievement is linked to work load, participant C stated that, â€Å"If u work less u will do better in your study as you will have more time to study and do the work on time as if you hav e part time work it will be easy than full time work and full time study, it easy to make you feel stress and scared†. In the assessment of the implication of work on academic performance, participant D was responded that â€Å"work does not affect my studies to a certain degree, because I have less time to study for my subjects†. Stress is a normal reaction to actual or potential stimuli. Basing on the theme of stress, most literature sources agree that stress is a normal response to a stimulant, which may be an actual or a potential threat. When one is faced with more than one task to perform in the study, work and life, stress ensues. However, as responded by participant B, a well balance of time within the daily activities helps in the management of stress. When asked how stress affects in relation to study, participant B says â€Å"stress affects my performance ability and decrease my productivity both at

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Discussion 1 Week 3 Researching Financial Information - Assignment Example The cost of operation has been relatively stable in contrast to the increase in total revenue. I would invest in this company with the current financial position. This is because the company dynamic is upwards and they are no indication to show this is likely to change. Investing in young company before they become big has an added advantage as one is able to gain from its growth. The company profit curve has been on the rise although sometimes the curve drops down than the previous financial year. The company has performed well in the universal economic hard times and has maintained its overall total revenue. The total expenditure has been regulated and tend to as low as possible. This is as a result of effective managerial skills. I would give an advice that, this companys future is so bright and the trend that it has portrayed over the past few years has proven this. The management of the company is effective in cutting down the cost of running. This should go on to see the company gain more ( Orhangazi,

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Oracy in Teaching Maths and Science - Essay Example The teachers use different strategies to provide opportunities to allow different types of discussions. Spoken language skills need to be developed in all subject areas, as different curriculum areas require different speaking and listening skills. There are different aspects that need to be observed relating to the different processes involved in talking, thinking and interthinking. For example, in assessing a child's ability to analyse a problem, his or her skills at speculating, questioning and hypothesising have to be observed. In assessing a child's ability to communicate, his or her skills at describing, explaining and clarifying have to be observed. This requires that the teacher observe a set of pupils of just two or three per session so that an appropriate observation of skills and a proper planning of talk experiences can be made. It is useful to involve pupils in the planning process so that they can participate in discussions as to what skills are needed in different area s such as math problem-solving, science experiments, etc., and the different kinds of talk, the outcomes and the resources available. Children should be made to work in different groups, playing diverse roles, so that stereotyping can be avoided and their different skills can be observed. Participation in diverse groups helps the children understand the functioning of group dynamics and the benefits of team work. Lalljee cites the example of 6-year-old children working in pairs for producing a free form class poem where the discussions of their ideas inspired them enough to produce an illustrated booklet which was read with enthusiasm by them (Lalljee 1998, p.6). Encouraging students to make suggestions on problems and ideas allow them speaking and listening space within the curriculum. Development of problem-solving skills According to the National Curriculum, teachers are expected to provide pupils opportunities to develop seven common requirements - Curriculum Cymreig, Communication Skills, Mathematical Skills, Information Technology Skills, Problem-solving Skills, Creative Skills, Personal and Social Education - through their study of the National Curriculum subjects (Common requirements n.d.). The Education Act of 2002 stipulates that a balanced and broadly-based curriculum should prepare pupils for the "opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life" (Skills framework 2007, p.2). Future Skills Wales 2003 Generic Skills Survey reports that of skills gaps reported by employers, lack of IT skills is the most common problem "followed by communication skillsshowing initiative, problem solving and ability to learn" (cited in Skills framework 2007, p.2). The skills framework developed for oracy moves on a continuum of different levels and stages for developing and presenting information an d ideas. The problem-solving skills in oracy are developed through several key stages. For developing oracy, the first key stage involves using talk to develop thinking by exploring, developing and clarifying ideas, predicting outcomes and discussing possibilities. The second stage involves talking for a range of purposes, including planning, predicting and investigating. The third stage involves t

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Biochemistry - Assignment Example Glutamate transmits quick and precise signal in the primary significant sensory and motor tracts. It also makes numerous connections between various parts of the cerebral cortex that forms the network responsible for high mental functioning (Broda 66). Gamma- Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an amino acid synthesized from glutamate by an enzyme known as the glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD). The dominant inhibitory transmitter exists in almost all parts of the nervous system. In addition,GABA acts as a presynaptic inhibitory transmitter in many circumstances.GABA plays a key role in the development of the nervous system, and it occurs in the early stages even before the establishment of the synapses. Once the synapses begin to occur, GABA plays a role as an excitatory transmitter as it depolarizes the postsynaptic neuron. Therefore, GABA is likely to be the first excitatory transmitter that shape neuronal networks before glutamate took over as the key excitatory transmitter (Dishman, O’Connor, &Tomporowski

The Battle of the Somme Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Battle of the Somme - Essay Example Public support was in jeopardy of waning while contemplating a war with no end. The Allied plan was to launch three major offensive campaigns in 1916 and the Battle of the Somme was chosen as the site of the Western Front war effort. In February 1916 the Germans initiated the offensive on Verdun. This major assault drained French forces that were intended to participate in the Somme offensive. With the French concentrating their efforts at Verdun, operational planning fell to the British under Haig. Haig took great care in planning a detailed attack with the aid of General Rawlinson of the Fourth Army who was to lead the attack. Originally planned to commence on August 1, 1916, the date was moved up to July 1 in an effort to pull the German army from Verdun and take pressure off the French forces. The Western Front of World War I is often characterized as a long running stalemate and a war of attrition with no clear turning point. It was highlighted by battles and engagements that often had no clear victor and offered little advancement for either side. The Battle of the Somme, designed to drain the German forces, was a success from that standpoint but was only realized at a very high cost. By the end of World War I, the allies had won the economic war.... Many battles on the Western Front added to the German defeat, but the Somme offered other and more intangible gains, such as redefined tactics and the tank. By 1916 more modern weapons, naval power, and air power had altered the face of warfare. These contributions to the war were countered with newer battlefield tactics on both sides. The British perfected trench warfare with a central command at Yrpes. The inability of the Germans to gain ground against the British necessitated a reassessment of battlefield tactics by the Germans. Meanwhile the German's had lost precious men and resources. The battle at Verdun in 1916 was yet another drain on German resources. The German plan was to "bleed white" the French army. Repeated attacks were launched against the heavily fortified Verdun with no follow up attacks. After five months of intense slaughter, the French loss was 460,000 and the Germans had lost 300,000. Though the French lost more men, the Germans lost many of their best troops and were not in a position to stand the loss. The reduction in German forces put them at a disadvantage at the Battle of the Somme. As the stalemate drug on through 1917 and 1918, the German homefront had been cut off by blockades and the population was hungry and tired of the war. German troops were underfed and ill equipped. The final allied assaults at Rheims and Argonne, the turning points toward victory in 1918, were against an overpowered and weary German army worn down by the war of attrition that began in Somme. The Germans had been economically defeated by the tactics and tanks developed at Somme. With the continuous wearing away at the enemy, its difficult to recognize a defining moment when the balance tipped, but the resolve and innovation

Theory Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Theory - Term Paper Example This paper will examine EBP and identify theories that affect nursing interventions and implications in primary care nursing and also highlight some of its drawbacks. The use of EBP in healthcare setting differs from conducting research. This is because in clinical settings, EBP aims at implementing the latest evidence provided by research to guide patient care towards the best achievable outcomes. A prominent characteristic of EBP is that it encourages the cultivation of the spirit of inquiry, which basically questions existing of conventional practices. Through enquiry, practitioners of primary care nursing can challenge the conventional practices and create room for changes and improvements (Yoder-Wise, 2012). For instance, clinical questions designed in the PICOT format (they deal with patient population, the issue, comparison population, outcome and time involved) are crucial in establishing the most relevant search procedures that yield quality information in the least time possible. Then, before it is implemented or integrated, the information (or evidence) is critically appraised to ensure it is valid, reliable and applicable. The signifi cance of critically appraising evidence can best be understood from the perspective of increasing professional and public need for accountability in quality improvement and safety in primary care nursing (Yoder-Wise, 2012). This is even more pronounced by the fact that preventable harm is usually caused by key deficits in conventional practices that often go unquestioned. Decision making in EBP entails integrating knowledge and experience gained through an individual’s expertise, research evidence and client preferences in the perspective of available resources (Berwick, 2009). Therefore, decision making in EBP is a prescriptive approach towards how choices are made and is founded on ideas of improving theories so that they can be useful and relevant in

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 2

Marketing - Essay Example The framework of the product life cycle assists in managing a product through the processes involved from birth to its demise. It is possible to look at the product life cycle in the management of a product, as providing the guidelines that a good parent would like to have in the bringing up of a baby and sending it out face the challenges of a competitive world and providing input to meet these challenges. However in recent times the validity of the relevance of the product life cycle to the modern marketers is facing a challenge. Groucutt, 2005, p. 198, suggests that the product life cycle may be taken as a concept that â€Å"is used to predict the strategic needs associated with products as they age within the market place. It allows for the development of strategies appropriate to the life cycle stage and anticipate the need for changes in strategy as progression from one stage to another occurs† (1). Even though the origins of the product life cycle concept are rooted in economic theory as shown by Schumpeter in 1934, the credit of the origin of the product life cycle is normally attributed to Dean in 1950. It was however Levitt, T., who popularized the product life cycle concept from the early to the mid-1960’s, from where it came to be an established framework to assist in the analysis of the product portfolio of an organization. (1). The theory behind the product life cycle was presented in a simple manner by Kotler in 1967 as a classical model in marketing management for the explanation of the life of a product in the market. The classical model of the product life cycle is an S – shaped curve, as seen in Figure -1 consisting of four stages namely the introduction phase, the growth phase, the maturity phase and the decline phase, showing the four stages of a product in a market. A saturation element was later added on to the maturity phase making the third phase consist of maturity and saturation. The classical model of the product life

Gay Marriage Essay Example for Free

Gay Marriage Essay The issue of gay marriage remains controversial. Some people think that this trend has adverse effects on the society while others believe that it is seen as a natural trend and right for people to choose this type of marriage. My essay will discuss causes and effects of this problem. First, gay marriage is the result of psychological, legal, economic and biological effects. Medically speaking, if someone is born to be gay, the tendency is that he will not change his nature and want to live with people of the same sex. There are cases of men who marry the opposite sex and end up being unhappy till the day they decide to lead their own lives and stay with the same sex. Another reason is derived from economic drive. Despite not being inborn gay, several people, for sake of profit, opt for the solution to marry the similar sex. Besides, only after undergoing painful break-ups with so many people of the different sex do people lose their belief in love, and hence, choose to be by the side of the same sex. These people are believed to sympathize and care about them more. In addition, in such an open society where equality is recognized, it is inevitable that people can marry the one they love, despite the differences in age, race, family background and marriage notion. There are both positive and negative effects in this problem. As a result of recognizing the right of gay people in form of marriage, the society bestows upon these people the feeling of equity which makes them motivated to work as hard as other people. It is the acknowledgement of gay marriage that talented gay people continue contributing their best to social development, without bias. However, the fear is that no sooner has gay marriage become official than the society lacks the next generation since hardly could gay couples give birth. Another disadvantage is that children who are raised in gay families can rarely receive comprehensive education. Such purely male environment or female one is not enough for kids to develop normally, which might result in their mental disorders and sexual disorientation.

Ageism in the Workplace Essay Example for Free

Ageism in the Workplace Essay Ageism can happen to anyone, young or old. Many times when discussing Ageism or age discrimination, most people consider older generations as those affected, but the reality is that younger generations can be affected by Ageism as well. Ageism is growing in America today, and there are many significant issues that are being associated with this form of discrimination. The purpose of this paper is to define Ageism and who is being affected by it. Those affected are experiencing a wide array of issues that can ultimately have serious and sometimes fatal consequences. Ageism is not something that cannot be cured, and there are definitely ways to overcome it. Ways to combat this problem, include education and mentoring. This paper will outline many different opportunities within these two areas and ultimately conclude with recommendations for organizational management to combat the growing issue of Ageism. Ageism Definition What is Ageism? In simple terms, ageism is defined as a form of discrimination targeting older adults, generally 55 years of age and older. Dr. Linda Woolf uses a definition by A. J.  Traxler to define Ageism as any attitude, action, or institutional structure which subordinates a person or group because of age or any assignment of roles in society purely on the basis of age. Ageism is different from other forms of discrimination in that an individual’s age is static unlike their race or gender (Woolf, 1998). What Dr. Woolf means by this is that a person’s age is constantly changing, and no one is exempt from experiencing ageism in some form. All of us at some point will be affected by Ageism, whether we stereotype others or we are stereotyped based simply on how old we are at that point in time. Ageism is slowly becoming a major issue within the workforce of America. Persons Affected Baby Boomers. There are some discrepancies in which period of time the Baby-Boomer generations actually begin and end, but for my research, the period is established as 1946 to 1964 (Gibson, Jones, Cella, Clark, Epstein Haselberger, 2010). Baby-Boomers were born in a five to six year period immediately following World War II. The current age range for Baby-Boomers would be around 63 to 68 years of age. This generation is obviously within the prime age range to be affected by Ageism. The consulting firm, Age Lessons, lists 3 R’s as areas of concern for Baby-Boomers: redundancy, relevance, and resentment from younger co-workers (Gibson, Jones, Cella, Clark, Epstein Haselberger, 2010). Boomers definitely have reason to be concerned about redundancy. In this day and age with so many layoffs occurring, many companies are looking at older employees, especially those within retirement age, as individuals to cut. The Boomer generation, having been around a while, most times is more expensive to retain than younger employees. Many older employees struggle to remain productive and relevant within the organization. They fear being left behind unless their employer offers them training opportunities (Gibson, Jones, Cella, Clark, Epstein Haselberger, 2010). The final R, and maybe the harshest, is resentment from younger employees looking to grow and advance within an organization, but feel they are being held back by the Boomer generation. I have seen this type of resentment first hand, and it can and does often lead to an unstable work environment. Generation X. Who makes up Generation X? Well there are many different ranges of time given to define this group of individuals, but a good estimate is 1965 to 1980 (Jochim, 1997). The age range of this group is now around 33-48 years of age. That doesn’t seem very old, and one would wonder how Ageism could be affecting this group. They would seem to be in their prime working years. The reality is that as of 2003, more and more young workers feel they are being discriminated against because of their age (Armour, 2003). Revealing statistics support this belief among young workers. In an article for USA Today, Jennifer Armour reveals that in 2003 the unemployment rate for workers 25 to 34 was at 6. 9 percent, well above the 3. 9 percent for employees 55 and older. A more recent poll by Gallup, as of April 2012, puts the underemployment rate for adults 30 to 49 at 14 percent, still ahead of the 13. 6 percent for adults 50 to 64. Compare both of these with a 12. 7 percent rate for adults 65 and older, and you can see that ageism can affect all ages. This is a startling increase since 2003 and speaks to our current economy and the mindset of employers when determining who to retain and who to let go. With so many young adults underemployed or unemployed, they are unable to attain the experience and skills necessary to help them grow and attain better jobs in the future (Jacobe, 2012). These issues combined could lead to significant repercussions for the future of American business. Issues of Ageism Health There are many issues that lead to Ageism in the workplace. One issue is the health of the employee. Generally, organizations worry about the health of their older employees and how it may relate to work attendance. One stereotype is that older workers seem to be more fragile and are not able to physically perform as well as their younger counterparts (Gibson, Jones, Cella, Clark, Epstein Haselberger, 2010). Issues of Ageism surrounding employee health are not only limited to physical requirements, but include mental aptitude as well. In fact, a 2001 survey conducted at Duke University found that nearly 80 percent of respondents age 60 and older experienced ageism such as people assuming they had memory impairments because of their age (Dittmann, 2003). Costs Many costs are associated with Ageism, but they are not all economic in nature. Costs to the elderly, costs to the younger generation, as well as social costs are a few that contribute to the problem. The discrimination of Ageism can affect individuals in many ways such as being denied employment or being passed over for promotion, just to mention a couple. One significant, yet subtle, blow can occur to the individual’s self-esteem (Palmore, 2005). The feeling of no longer being needed or wanted within an organization can have significant consequences to an elderly individual. It can lead to depression and a rapid deterioration of mental and physical skills. At the other end of the spectrum, is the much younger generation of workers. The costs of ageism can affect them as well. The costs to them are related to the topic of economic costs. According to Mr. Palmore, special programs that benefit only older persons, such as Medicare and Medicaid, are funded by the tax dollars of the younger employees within the workforce; the amount was greater than $300 billion annually in 1999. The final cost is the social cost to not only the elders, but the younger generation as well. The younger generation loses a significant wealth of knowledge to pull from while the elderly lose an opportunity for social interaction. Technology As time goes by, technology continues to progress at a rapid pace, and it is often difficult for individuals, as well as organizations, to keep up with the ever changing products. Many managers feel that older workers do not like change and lack the desire to learn new technology or simply have no valuable technical skills to offer (Gibson, Jones, Cella, Clark, Epstein Haselberger, 2010). In my own personal experience in the technology industry, I have supervised older employees who had the minimal skills to succeed but did not want to put forth the effort to learn new skills in order to advance. Likewise, I have had supervisors who are â€Å"old school† and had no interests in keeping up with the technological advances. This led to younger employees actually having a greater knowledge base than their manager. Education Education of older employees is also a concern for managers in today’s constantly changing environment. The changes of the work environment have brought new knowledge, skill, and ability requirements for all workers (Lee, Czaja Sharit, 2009). The question that managers have to answer is, do older employees have the necessary cognitive abilities to learn and perform these new requirements. As I mentioned earlier, some older adults do not have the desire to learn new skills at such a late stage of their career, and this is an issue many managers are faced with. Attitude can play a large part in a manager’s decision to select older adults for the necessary training to keep those individuals gainfully employed. A negative attitude by older employees can lead to negative stereotypes and concerns about the trainability of such individuals (Lee, Czaja Sharit, 2009). Older adults, who display a desire and enthusiasm about learning new skills and abilities, have a greater opportunity to overcome the negative stereotypes and contribute significantly to any organization. Risks While efforts are being made to eliminate all forms of discrimination, it continues to occur today to many groups including older adults. Wendy Taormina-Weiss states, â€Å"Despite efforts to provide a level of protection that might be based upon compassion, ageism continues to lead to disempowerment of seniors in this nation. † The question becomes, what are the risks we are creating for seniors by discriminating against them because of their age? Poor health, reduction or loss of financial security, and social isolation are three major risks created by ageist beliefs (Taormina-Weiss, 2012). Many seniors have lived a long and productive life, and the need to make a contribution is important to them. By looking at them with these negative stereotypes and discriminating against them simply because of their age, the risk factors above can have severe consequences. Taormina-Weiss goes on to say that these risk factors can contribute to a lower quality of life, lower self-esteem, and ultimately a shorter life span. Combating Ageism Education Outsourced. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) prohibits age discrimination in the workplace for employees or potential employees 40 years of age or older. (Farrell, 2011). Assistance, such as Professional Employer Organizations (PEO), is available to employers to assist with understanding and compliance of the law. According to PEO Spectrum, one benefit of a PEO is that they co-employ with a client accepting half the risk of managing an organizations employees. Just as important, is the fact that PEOs provide training to supervisors and managers to not only improve employee communication and relations, but also to keep leaders up to date on applicable laws pertaining to age discrimination (Farrell, 2011). Other areas that PEOs offer training in is proper interviewing techniques, managing through a layoff, discrimination, and harassment (Farrell, 2011). Organizations should have liability protection insurance for a worst-case scenario such as a wrongful termination. The issue here is that liability insurance can be expensive. According to Farrell, most PEOs offer their clients coverage, but the cost can be as much as $5000 a year for a company with only 10 to 20 employees. However, with the proper training and education, such as that provided by PEOs, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of facing such a lawsuit. In-house. In a study conducted by several faculty members and students at Nova Southeastern University on the subject of Ageism, the authors recommended the TEAM approach in order to build diverse high-performing teams. The TEAM approach stands for team composition, education and training, awareness, accountability, and accommodation, and mentoring (Gibson, Jones, Cella, Clark, Epstein Haselberger, 2010). Team composition is the first and most important step. When building the team, you should ensure to include employees across all age groups. Education and training are also vital to your employees. Diversity training has become very important along with opportunities for older adults to receive training to keep technical skills current. Research shows that the 2008 U. S. Presidential election was notable for many things, mainly the difference in how each candidate reached their constituents; one used email and text messaging, while the other did not (Gibson, Jones, Cella, Clark, Epstein Haselberger, 2010). Organizations need to be aware of discrimination laws and ensure that all employees are aware of the requirements to be in compliance with said laws. The Human Resource department of an organization must be responsible for developing strategies to ensure that all employees, especially the Baby-Boomer generation, are given the same opportunities for performance and promotion (Gibson, Jones, Cella, Clark, Epstein Haselberger, 2010). The final peace of the TEAM concept is mentoring. Mentoring can be a two-way street in any organization. Not only do the older adults have an opportunity to mentor and train the next generation of employees, but the younger employees have an opportunity to mentor and train older adults to keep them current on new technologies and techniques. Mentoring Management. There are many opportunities for mentoring members of an organization’s management team. Many professional services are offered as well as opportunities from within an organization to use firsthand experience and knowledge. As discussed in the previous section, mentoring can and should occur in both directions. Knowledge should be gained from those adult co-workers who have been with an organization or industry for multiple years and have unique ideas and insights. Conversely, the younger generation of leader may bring a fresh set of ideas and beliefs that could make the organization more efficient. Two key areas of opportunity for mentoring managers is the use of Senior Mentors and Peer to Peer mentoring. Senior Mentors. Our own U. S. military is a good example of using Senior Mentors to assist individuals in upper leadership positions. These mentors help conduct exercises and offer advice to their still-active colleagues (Vanden Brook, Dilanian Locker, 2009). The majority of these retired leaders has experienced what our new leaders are about to experience and can offer valuable advice on how to handle certain situations and what steps to take in certain scenarios. While I could not find statistical data to show that the program has been effective in the military arena, I have no doubt that having the insight of someone who has held the same position previously is nothing short of valuable. Many of the same principles applied in military circles can be applied in the business sector as well. Retired military leaders know all too well the issues of discrimination, no matter what form, and can help guide the next generation of leader in avoiding these pitfalls. In the military, we sometimes find Ageism pointed in the direction of the younger generation because of a lack of experience. This scenario is where Senior Mentors can advise leaders to listen to their younger leaders and avoid the appearance of prejudice against them simply because of their age. Peers. According to Judith Germain, peer to peer mentoring occurs when the mentor is not in a position of authority over the mentee. Peer to peer mentoring can be very valuable in a group setting because mentors are able to pass on knowledge based on life experience and professional experience gained in the business arena (Germain, 2011). Too often we think of a peer as someone similar in age, but in the business world it relates directly to job title. Putting peers together from different age groups to exchange information and ideas goes a long way in helping them understand each other and eliminating any stereotypes about each other. Germain goes on to say that in this group setting with such a diverse group of leaders, the learning curve for the business owner is greatly reduced. In the long run, peer to peer mentoring offers a relaxed environment among managers of all experience levels to pass on valuable life experience and information. Employees. Mentors use their leadership to advise and nurture their employees either voluntarily or involuntarily (Gibson, Jones, Cella, Clark, Epstein Haselberger, 2010). As discussed earlier, managers and leaders need mentoring before they can mentor their employees. The information held by the leaders of an organization must be transferred to the next generation in order to assure continuity of key organizational functions (Gibson, Jones, Cella, Clark, Epstein Haselberger, 2010). When related to Ageism, managers must mentor their younger employees/supervisors concerning discrimination laws so that any issues with age discrimination may be avoided. Communication should be imperative in the mentoring process. With the proper mentoring program in place, valuable knowledge can be transferred, new and valuable friendships can be formed, and unnecessary litigation can be avoided. Conclusion Ageism is a rapidly growing form of discrimination. As we have learned, many Baby-Boomers today are experiencing or already experiencing this form of discrimination. Ageism is not limited to the Baby-Boomer generation, however, as many younger generations are experiencing this prejudice as well. Many factors have been discussed here including health related issues, social issues, and financial issues that arise out of this act of prejudice. These factors have a negative impact on employees of all ages and can have a significant negative impact on an organization if steps are not taken to correct any form of age discrimination. The good news for any organization is that there are ways to combat this growing problem. Organizational management should conduct an audit of policies and procedures to determine if they have allowed for any opportunities for this form of discrimination to occur. If so, they must take the necessary steps to correct the issue. Management should take advantage of every opportunity to educate their staff from top to bottom on applicable state and federal laws as well as internal policies and procedures related to any form of discrimination. Finally, it is recommended that management create and support a company mentoring plan. This plan should use outside resources, such as Senior Mentors, as well as current employees of the organization. With the proper policies, procedures, education, and mentoring programs in place, an organization can avoid any potential pitfalls of Ageism or other forms of discrimination.