Unit 7

Principal Sociological Perspectives P1 Unit 7 Functionalism This is the relationship between the parts of society; how aspects of society are functional (adaptive). A strength of Functionalism would be that it states that there are purposes for social conditions or facts. For example, under a functionalist point of view the newspaper deliverer and retail worker all contribute to the function of the entire unit–without serving these purposes, the social structure would not function properly. Also functionalism is considered vital for the smooth running of society, as Durkheim stated.A criticism of the functionalist approach would be it does not address areas of conflict, which undoubtedly characterise modern societies and in principle could be found in all societies. Functionalism assumes that there is consensus: that everyone in the structure holds the same norms and values; that we all essentially believe in and work for the same thing. Functionalism is a theory about the nat ure of mental states. According to functionalists, mental states are identified by what they do rather than by what they are made of. Functionalism is the most familiar or â€Å"received† view among philosophers of mind and cognitive science.Family Functionalists look at how the family as an institution, helps in maintain order and stability in society, and the significance of the family for its individual members. A well know functionalist who have written about the family is George. P. Murdock. Murdock carried out a study that included 250 families. From this he argued that the family achieves four basic functions for its individual members and society. He says these are ‘sexual’, ‘reproductive’, ‘economic’ and ‘educational’ functions. The sexual function refers to the sexual activity.Murdock argued that the family provides to the sexual needs of its adults and also limits sexual access of other member of the society there by maintaining stability. The ‘reproductive’ function is manner and raising children. The family provides the society with new members and assume responsibility for raising them. The family is an ‘economic’ unit, with a division of labour along gender. Murdock considers this division of labour as rewarding for the spouses and as strengthening the bond between them, as they are perceived as doing distinct but complementary work.The ‘educational’ function that Murdock refers to, can also be known as ‘socialisation’. The family has the responsibility of transmitting a society’s way of life, norms and values to the younger members. This function is important because without culture the society wouldn’t survive; too much deviation from the norm would disrupt the stability of the society. Marxism The sociological perspective sees society as structures with interconnected parts, and focuses on the structural features of soci ety, emphasising social differences and the conflicting interests and values of different groups in society.Proletariat – Class of poor people who work for wages. Bourgeoise – Class of wealthy people who have their own means of wealth. Strengths would be that it recognises the power interests of different groups and is good at explaining conflict and change in society. It stresses the role of class struggle (conflict) within society between the proletariat (workers) and the bourgeoisie (owners). Weakness would be that it doesn’t recognise that people are socially active, with some power and the ability to make choices and influence the direction of their own lives.It focuses on the economy as the driving force of social behaviour and ignores other important influences such as gender, ethnicity and religion. Marxism is a political and sociological perspective based on the work of Karl Marx (1818-1883) Marx provided an account of the new class based society that e merged after the industrial revolution. The Marxist perspective questions the functionalist idea that business owners and bosses are morally entitled to keep profits for they are part of the ruling ideology in capitalist society. Family Friedrich Engels is a famous Marxist.He believed that during the early stages of human evolution that property was collectively owned and that the family did not exist. The community formed the family and there was no restraint to sexual access. Although with the development of private ownership of property and the idea of having successors who were to inherit the property, the question of paternity grew in importance and the rules of monogamous marriage were created to control woman’s sexuality and assure the legitimacy of heirs. Feminism Capitalist – Another word for a member of the bourgeoisieFeminism is a movement for social, cultural, political and economic equality of men and women. It is a campaign against gender inequalities and it strives for equal rights for women. Feminism can be also defined as the right to enough information available to every single woman so that she can make a choice to live a life which is not discriminatory and which works within the principles of social, cultural, political and economic equality and independence. Strengths that the sociological feminist theorists had were on how their perception of womanhood was socially constructed and not even real.A weakness of it is that it felt as though the sociological feminists are very judgmental and it feels as though almost all men and most people looked down on women. There are 3 main types of feminist approach: * Marxist feminism * Radical feminism * Liberal feminism Marxist feminism Marxists feminists see woman as oppressed by capitalism and by men or the patriarchal society. They believe that woman produce the next generation of workers and those they provide all the key needs to meet for their children; and prepare them for the wo rk life.They support their partners and cook, clean, and care for the family. Radical Feminism Radical feminists believe that it is not capitalism that dominates woman, and that it is men. They see the woman as the housewife and mother. Liberal Feminism These feminists believe that changes have happened. They believe that since new legislations have been bought out that there is now more equality. Legislation and policy changing, leads to liberal feminists believing that improvements will always be made Family Feminists have sought to analyse the impact of family life on women.Regardless of the numerous differences in their approach and main concern, different feminists tend to agree that women occupy a subordinate position in the family and are exploited in various ways. The Marxist feminists consider capitalism as the main exploiter. This exploitation is seen in terms of the unpaid work they carry out at home. Like the Marxist, they believe that the family also serves capitalism b y reproducing the future labour force, but they also assert that it is not the family as such that suffers more, but the women.It is women that bear the children and assume the main responsibility for their care. Women are also exploited in that they are expected to provide outlets for all the frustration and anger that their husband experience at work and therefore prevent them from rebelling against their employers. Interactionism The interactionist’s perspective is a major theoretical perspective; it focuses on the concrete details of what goes on among individuals in everyday life. It derives social processes (such as conflict, cooperation, identity formation) from human interaction.Its focus is on small groups and how they influence individual behaviour in society. A strength of this would be that it takes into account an individual’s choices they make and how they behave (their free will). It cannot explain where people get the meanings to symbols and that it end s up drawing these answers from other sociological theories, and it doesn't explain social order and how it comes about; this would be a weakness. They do not study where the social roles come from. The evidence of symbolic interaction is that humans use symbols to understand and interact properly with the natural and social world.Symbolic interactionism is a theory of social cognition, which models human interaction among significant concepts like identity, language, meaning, labeling and roles. Family The interactionalist perspective looks at the family dynamics. This view explores the interaction of the family members; this is back and forth talk, gestures and actions that go on in families. The interactionist perspective refuses to identify a â€Å"natural family structure†. The family is not a stock social unit but the creation of its participants as they spontaneously relate to one another. PostmodernismThis is an approach that emphases on the quick changing and uncerta inty in our society. Postmodernists suggest that we cannot talk about well-known institutions such as the family, religion or the economy because nothing stays the same. Postmodernists think that because there is constant change you cannot use structuralist perspectives such as Functionalism and Marxism to understand society. Strength of postmodernism would be that it provides a good critique of modernism and helpfully stresses the use of the aesthetic. Weakness would be that Postmodernism, like modernism, is characterized by astounding arrogance. FamilyOther theories believe that nuclear family is dominant family type within society; postmodernists disagree with this opinion and have different views. Postmodernists argue that this structural approach ignores moral relativism of individuals that they always have a choice of family type and nobody can judge them. Also modernists ignore the increase of family diversity; however there is no ‘best' family type anymore. Collectivis m Collectivism is an approach to providing health and social care services that is reinforced by a government commitment to provide care and support for the vulnerable, funded through taxation and National Insurance.This contrasts with the ‘New right’ that consider welfare to be the responsibility of the individual and their family and believe that the state should play a minimal role. An emphasis is placed on unification and a common purpose. Families are considered very important for personal growth. An advantage to living in a collectivist society is that the group members are close-knit and care for and help one another, which is not always the case in an individualistic society.Another strength would be that communication is very important in a collective group. No one is left out of the mix, and everyone is involved in making decisions. A weakness would be that collectivism stifles individuality and diversity by insisting upon a common social identity, such as nat ionalism, racialism, feminism, or some other group focus. Also collectivism is linked to statism and the diminution of freedom when political authority is used to advance collectivist goals. FamilyFamily ties will be different in different cultures; they will be strong in a collectivist society, Collectivist societies will be more characterized by coexistence of several generations within the household and stronger ties towards the larger family clan. ‘New right’ This is political movement made up especially of Protestants, opposed especially to secular humanism, and concerned with issues especially of church and state, patriotism, laissez-faire economics, pornography, and abortion. They believe that welfare should be largely seen as the responsibility of the individual and their family. The New Right regarded tate support as intrusive and supporting a dependency culture. Mrs Thatcher thought the welfare state produced a society in which people relied on state benefits rather than planning for the future and taking responsibility for their own needs and responsibility. A Strength of this would be that it would get more people that can work but don’t, to go out and work. Also it would benefit people because they would be going out earning their own money and it would be a good social factor. A Weakness of this would be that how do you get the people that have been off work for such a long time back into education and work.Family The New Right Family Ideology is patriarchal, the family is male dominant. Feminists argue that this is negative for women. It ignores the dark side of the family e. g. domestic abuse, poverty, conflict. It is harmful, calling other family-types ‘inadequate’ – schools, advertisements and television reinforce this idea. It is anti-social – it stereotypes, labels and discriminates against other family-types; ‘inadequate’ and has a ‘Them and Us’ theory – Nuclea r families are the only family type, other family types aren’t families. Unit 7 Principal Sociological Perspectives P1 Unit 7 Functionalism This is the relationship between the parts of society; how aspects of society are functional (adaptive). A strength of Functionalism would be that it states that there are purposes for social conditions or facts. For example, under a functionalist point of view the newspaper deliverer and retail worker all contribute to the function of the entire unit–without serving these purposes, the social structure would not function properly. Also functionalism is considered vital for the smooth running of society, as Durkheim stated.A criticism of the functionalist approach would be it does not address areas of conflict, which undoubtedly characterise modern societies and in principle could be found in all societies. Functionalism assumes that there is consensus: that everyone in the structure holds the same norms and values; that we all essentially believe in and work for the same thing. Functionalism is a theory about the nat ure of mental states. According to functionalists, mental states are identified by what they do rather than by what they are made of. Functionalism is the most familiar or â€Å"received† view among philosophers of mind and cognitive science.Family Functionalists look at how the family as an institution, helps in maintain order and stability in society, and the significance of the family for its individual members. A well know functionalist who have written about the family is George. P. Murdock. Murdock carried out a study that included 250 families. From this he argued that the family achieves four basic functions for its individual members and society. He says these are ‘sexual’, ‘reproductive’, ‘economic’ and ‘educational’ functions. The sexual function refers to the sexual activity.Murdock argued that the family provides to the sexual needs of its adults and also limits sexual access of other member of the society there by maintaining stability. The ‘reproductive’ function is manner and raising children. The family provides the society with new members and assume responsibility for raising them. The family is an ‘economic’ unit, with a division of labour along gender. Murdock considers this division of labour as rewarding for the spouses and as strengthening the bond between them, as they are perceived as doing distinct but complementary work.The ‘educational’ function that Murdock refers to, can also be known as ‘socialisation’. The family has the responsibility of transmitting a society’s way of life, norms and values to the younger members. This function is important because without culture the society wouldn’t survive; too much deviation from the norm would disrupt the stability of the society. Marxism The sociological perspective sees society as structures with interconnected parts, and focuses on the structural features of soci ety, emphasising social differences and the conflicting interests and values of different groups in society.Proletariat – Class of poor people who work for wages. Bourgeoise – Class of wealthy people who have their own means of wealth. Strengths would be that it recognises the power interests of different groups and is good at explaining conflict and change in society. It stresses the role of class struggle (conflict) within society between the proletariat (workers) and the bourgeoisie (owners). Weakness would be that it doesn’t recognise that people are socially active, with some power and the ability to make choices and influence the direction of their own lives.It focuses on the economy as the driving force of social behaviour and ignores other important influences such as gender, ethnicity and religion. Marxism is a political and sociological perspective based on the work of Karl Marx (1818-1883) Marx provided an account of the new class based society that e merged after the industrial revolution. The Marxist perspective questions the functionalist idea that business owners and bosses are morally entitled to keep profits for they are part of the ruling ideology in capitalist society. Family Friedrich Engels is a famous Marxist.He believed that during the early stages of human evolution that property was collectively owned and that the family did not exist. The community formed the family and there was no restraint to sexual access. Although with the development of private ownership of property and the idea of having successors who were to inherit the property, the question of paternity grew in importance and the rules of monogamous marriage were created to control woman’s sexuality and assure the legitimacy of heirs. Feminism Capitalist – Another word for a member of the bourgeoisieFeminism is a movement for social, cultural, political and economic equality of men and women. It is a campaign against gender inequalities and it strives for equal rights for women. Feminism can be also defined as the right to enough information available to every single woman so that she can make a choice to live a life which is not discriminatory and which works within the principles of social, cultural, political and economic equality and independence. Strengths that the sociological feminist theorists had were on how their perception of womanhood was socially constructed and not even real.A weakness of it is that it felt as though the sociological feminists are very judgmental and it feels as though almost all men and most people looked down on women. There are 3 main types of feminist approach: * Marxist feminism * Radical feminism * Liberal feminism Marxist feminism Marxists feminists see woman as oppressed by capitalism and by men or the patriarchal society. They believe that woman produce the next generation of workers and those they provide all the key needs to meet for their children; and prepare them for the wo rk life.They support their partners and cook, clean, and care for the family. Radical Feminism Radical feminists believe that it is not capitalism that dominates woman, and that it is men. They see the woman as the housewife and mother. Liberal Feminism These feminists believe that changes have happened. They believe that since new legislations have been bought out that there is now more equality. Legislation and policy changing, leads to liberal feminists believing that improvements will always be made Family Feminists have sought to analyse the impact of family life on women.Regardless of the numerous differences in their approach and main concern, different feminists tend to agree that women occupy a subordinate position in the family and are exploited in various ways. The Marxist feminists consider capitalism as the main exploiter. This exploitation is seen in terms of the unpaid work they carry out at home. Like the Marxist, they believe that the family also serves capitalism b y reproducing the future labour force, but they also assert that it is not the family as such that suffers more, but the women.It is women that bear the children and assume the main responsibility for their care. Women are also exploited in that they are expected to provide outlets for all the frustration and anger that their husband experience at work and therefore prevent them from rebelling against their employers. Interactionism The interactionist’s perspective is a major theoretical perspective; it focuses on the concrete details of what goes on among individuals in everyday life. It derives social processes (such as conflict, cooperation, identity formation) from human interaction.Its focus is on small groups and how they influence individual behaviour in society. A strength of this would be that it takes into account an individual’s choices they make and how they behave (their free will). It cannot explain where people get the meanings to symbols and that it end s up drawing these answers from other sociological theories, and it doesn't explain social order and how it comes about; this would be a weakness. They do not study where the social roles come from. The evidence of symbolic interaction is that humans use symbols to understand and interact properly with the natural and social world.Symbolic interactionism is a theory of social cognition, which models human interaction among significant concepts like identity, language, meaning, labeling and roles. Family The interactionalist perspective looks at the family dynamics. This view explores the interaction of the family members; this is back and forth talk, gestures and actions that go on in families. The interactionist perspective refuses to identify a â€Å"natural family structure†. The family is not a stock social unit but the creation of its participants as they spontaneously relate to one another. PostmodernismThis is an approach that emphases on the quick changing and uncerta inty in our society. Postmodernists suggest that we cannot talk about well-known institutions such as the family, religion or the economy because nothing stays the same. Postmodernists think that because there is constant change you cannot use structuralist perspectives such as Functionalism and Marxism to understand society. Strength of postmodernism would be that it provides a good critique of modernism and helpfully stresses the use of the aesthetic. Weakness would be that Postmodernism, like modernism, is characterized by astounding arrogance. FamilyOther theories believe that nuclear family is dominant family type within society; postmodernists disagree with this opinion and have different views. Postmodernists argue that this structural approach ignores moral relativism of individuals that they always have a choice of family type and nobody can judge them. Also modernists ignore the increase of family diversity; however there is no ‘best' family type anymore. Collectivis m Collectivism is an approach to providing health and social care services that is reinforced by a government commitment to provide care and support for the vulnerable, funded through taxation and National Insurance.This contrasts with the ‘New right’ that consider welfare to be the responsibility of the individual and their family and believe that the state should play a minimal role. An emphasis is placed on unification and a common purpose. Families are considered very important for personal growth. An advantage to living in a collectivist society is that the group members are close-knit and care for and help one another, which is not always the case in an individualistic society.Another strength would be that communication is very important in a collective group. No one is left out of the mix, and everyone is involved in making decisions. A weakness would be that collectivism stifles individuality and diversity by insisting upon a common social identity, such as nat ionalism, racialism, feminism, or some other group focus. Also collectivism is linked to statism and the diminution of freedom when political authority is used to advance collectivist goals. FamilyFamily ties will be different in different cultures; they will be strong in a collectivist society, Collectivist societies will be more characterized by coexistence of several generations within the household and stronger ties towards the larger family clan. ‘New right’ This is political movement made up especially of Protestants, opposed especially to secular humanism, and concerned with issues especially of church and state, patriotism, laissez-faire economics, pornography, and abortion. They believe that welfare should be largely seen as the responsibility of the individual and their family. The New Right regarded tate support as intrusive and supporting a dependency culture. Mrs Thatcher thought the welfare state produced a society in which people relied on state benefits rather than planning for the future and taking responsibility for their own needs and responsibility. A Strength of this would be that it would get more people that can work but don’t, to go out and work. Also it would benefit people because they would be going out earning their own money and it would be a good social factor. A Weakness of this would be that how do you get the people that have been off work for such a long time back into education and work.Family The New Right Family Ideology is patriarchal, the family is male dominant. Feminists argue that this is negative for women. It ignores the dark side of the family e. g. domestic abuse, poverty, conflict. It is harmful, calling other family-types ‘inadequate’ – schools, advertisements and television reinforce this idea. It is anti-social – it stereotypes, labels and discriminates against other family-types; ‘inadequate’ and has a ‘Them and Us’ theory – Nuclea r families are the only family type, other family types aren’t families.

Responsibility of Ethics Essay

Ethical standing among community members and business persons is held in high regard.   The matter of trust needs to be had at all times so that people know that their information is safe.   When ethical issues arise, somewhere, somehow there has to be someone who is able and willing to stand up and report the unethical issue.   All professionals are bound by ethics and the responsibility to report wrong doing. In this case, the widow’s attorney is charging the widow 12-14% more than his average percentage with respects to his other clients.   Normal everyday ethics suggest that not only is he acting in bad ethics but obviously is taking advantage of this widow.   Charlie, even if not mandated by law or administrative rule, should inform the widow.   This would be the right and respectful thing to do but is Charlie mandated by any code of ethics to act on this information and inform her is the real question. Charlie, even though he is not the person creating the ethical situation, is bound by ethical codes to inform this widow at the very least but more appropriately the governing agency, of the actions of her attorney.  Ã‚   As stated in the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct for CPA’s â€Å"members should act with integrity, guided by the precept that when members fulfill their responsibility to the public, clients’ and employers’ interests are best served.† (ET Section 53 – Article II—The Public Interest, ET Section 52 – Article I—Responsibilities, ET Section 54 – Article III—Integrity &    ET Section 56 – Article V—Due Care of the AICPA). The biggest ethical issue is honesty, integrity and the personal gain issues.   The attorney stands to gain a substantial amount of money, well more than what he should for his services.   The code of ethics for attorney’s alone is violated is drastic ways.   Some states have statutes on how an attorney charges their client and some rely of good ethical behavior but this aside, attorneys are to charge only what is fair and consistent with how they charge everyone else. This attorney is violating a huge public interest and the widow can file a complaint and the attorney stands to lose his liscense to practice law.   Charlie can also intervene and simply make a phone call to the governing agency as this particular information that he knows, is not bound by the confidentiality laws as this information was derived not by the widows words but by the admittance of the attorney in which there is no confidentiality as there is no client issue due to the fact that Charlie is not asking for advice and the lawyer is not giving it. Works Cited AICPA Code of Professional Conduct.   2006-2008.   http://www.aicpa.org/About/code/sec50.htm New Jersey Judiciary. Office of Attorney Ethics. 2001 http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/oae/OAEEthicsPamphlet.pdf

Coffee and Starbucks Background

Fourthly, the threats of substitute product is very likely to be high as coffee, juices, soft drinks, tea and many more can be easily substituted. In the mean time, consumers can also choose to go to pubs and bars and spend their time or to meet up to substituted struck. Lastly, the threat of competitor rivalry of struck in high as there are many presence of strong impetigo with deep pockets like Mcdonald's, coffee beans and dunking donuts. Not forgetting hundreds of small local coffee shops and houses fighting for the same market share. 7.Recommendation Based on the SOOT, PEST and Potter five forces that is conducted, I have made several recommendations. We can use concentric diversification to further expend the firms by making or obtaining new product and services which are related to the business. This is good for the business because it will bring down the cost and the main competencies can be move the the new business. Struck can also choose to use acquisition or restructuring diversification process to purchase other firms Or even merge with other firms to gain market share or even expend into a new market.Struck might also think of using differentiation strategy which involves conveying products and services that customers recognize as unique or special and must be better than what other people are doing in the same market. 8. Conclusion This is the completion of the environment analysis on struck in Singapore that have conducted. All in all with the SOOT analysis proves that struck s a very attractive company and struck is a very experienced company.PEST analysis that is conducted also proves that Singapore is a very safe and reliable country to invest in. Although Potters five forces shows that the industry is not very adjective but it also have some big limitations in today's market environment. Market environment sometimes changes as fast as we can anticipate but Potters five forces and other analysis can only serves as a guide to management to enab le them to think as a beginning for farther analysis. And vie made three suggestions base on all the analysis conducted.

Implication of Extinction of Bengal Tigers Assignment

Implication of Extinction of Bengal Tigers - Assignment Example The Bengal tigers were once very common across Asia from Turkey to the west to the Eastern coast of Russia but have greatly reduced in the past 100 years and now remain in few Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Indonesia where they still face constant threat of extinction (Bhattarai & Kindlmann, 2012). Some cultures in Asia believe that powdered tiger bones have medicinal value and this has been one of the reasons for the poaching of tigers in India to get their bones. The other reasons for poaching of Bengal tigers is to get their Skin, teeth, skin, and claws which are in great demand in Asia. The tiger habitat is also at great risk due to human activities including conversion of forests into agricultural land, commercial tree logging and human settlement, which is greatly affecting the survival of tigers. Depletion of prey is also a factor contributing to the extinction of Bengal Tigers, as there are increased tiger attacks on livestock and humans resulting to into lerance of tigers from the surrounding communities in India (Borthakur, et al., 2011). The extinction of Bengal Tigers in India will, however, have strong and far-reaching consequences on biodiversity in India. This is because the disruption or elimination of one element from a fragile ecosystem causes an imbalance that not only affects the food chain but also the local communities and also other species that share the tiger habitat (Bhattarai & Kindlmann, 2012). Kindlmann, 2012). This is in agreement with what the Nobel laureate and environmentalist, Prof Wangari Mathai, once said that nature is very unforgiving and if you destroy nature, it will destroy you. The tiger being a carnivore is at the top of the food chain in all its habitats and helps to keep the population of its prey, most of which are vegetarians, such as the deer, antelopes, and wild pigs in check. If the tigers get extinct, the population of these animals will grow uncontrollably resulting into an imbalance (Chapr on et al., 2008). The increased population of these vegetarian would ravage the vegetation in the forest and this would make the place inhabitable for small animals and insects. The insects would then move to the farmland, which would greatly effect on vital food sources that human beings depend on for survival thus negatively affecting on human population. If vegetation can no longer grow in the jungle, the soil in the jungle would soon lose its fertility and eventually the jungle would lose its life to become a wilderness. The extinction of the Bengal Tigers in Indian forests will also lead to co extinction of other species in the forests. First, the tiger being on top of the food chain helps other animals such as birds and reptiles get food when it catches a prey. When a tiger has eaten its fill for instance from a prey, it abandons the rest which become food to the scavengers and other animals suc

Case Study Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case Study Analysis - Assignment Example Analysis In the first case analysis the company under consideration is Charles Schwab. There are a number of key issues facing this organization. One of the predominant considerations is related to online trading, namely the e.Schwab product. Charles Schwab is an equity brokerage firm and a significant amount of this business occurs through online trading options. One of the main questions that the organization faced in relation to its online trading platform was whether to offer all customers significantly discounted trades while at the same time provide the same amount of service options that had previously provided. The organization had considered two solutions to this quandary. The first solution involved potentially granting customers complete access to the organization’s services, while at the same time offering a 20% discount on trades. The second solution involved granting customers an even greater discount on trades, but at the same time curtailing the services provid ed. The major dilemma was whether it was worth sacrificing service for price discounts. Another prominent consideration was challenges from outside organizations. A great amount of discount brokerages emerged that challenged Schwab’s position as one of the preeminent stock traders. In response to these challenges the organization was to work towards differentiating itself through innovative product design and services. The main backbone of this innovation was rooted in technology that, â€Å"to both generate productivity improvements and to develop superior customer service† (‘Charles Schwab Corporation.’ 2001, p. 3). As such, a multi-channel strategy was implemented. Still the organization was faced with further questions of whether to expand deeper into Internet trading. While organizations such as E*Trade had been coming on strong, Schwab recognized that they retained significant portions of the market. These considerations factored into whether the org anization should assume a lower pricing strategy per trade or if they should continue with the traditional mode of business based heavily on attention to service. Fig. 1 Charles Schwab In the second case analysis the company under consideration is Zara. There are a number of key issues facing this organization. Zara is recognized as the chain of stores of the main organization Inditex. One of the main issues facing Zara specifically is whether the point-of-sale (POS) terminals should be upgraded. One of the negative aspects of the current point-of-sale (POS) terminals is that they run on DOS. While DOS was once the major language used by computers, in the current environment it had become outdated and was no longer even compatible with Windows. Even as members of the organization believed an update was necessary these individuals were challenged on the grounds that even while the point-of-sale (POS) terminals are outdated they still function to maximum effectiveness. Still, individu als in the organization that support the implementation of new point-of-sale (POS) terminals argue that store managers within the organization have been accessing for updated software, as it would greatly contribute to functionality and ease of use. However, this poses a challenge. If the organization were to update the software to Windows there would be compatibility issues between antiquated hardware

Family Relations and Dynamics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Family Relations and Dynamics - Assignment Example Family Relations and Dynamics There are various issues that have been characteristic of families especially when a critical analysis and evaluation lacks, these includes, domestic violence, child abuse, teen violence, suicide, aging, depression, divorce, and separation among others. Theses aspects have profound implications on the well-being of the family if proper management is deficient. In contrary, there are families that are characterized by peace, well being, mutual understanding, unity and being development minded among others. The foundation of such, in most cases is a key player in the way growth and development happens. There are four major aspects of critical thinking that makes a family develop the above-mentioned positive traits; these elements are sound reasoning, rationality, logic and constructive arguments. Research has pointed out various advantages of critical thinking in a family setup that drives a healthy family, contrary to which unethical and morally unacceptable happenings and mindsets ta kes toll. Various authors have put across their arguments and counterarguments concerning family relationships and dynamics. This paper will focus on some of the thoughts presented by various scholars, commentators, writers and analysts while providing a critical view of the arguments presented. The acquisition of this knowledge is very beneficial to every body since we are all part of a family; it is paramount that we understand the dynamics therein and have a defined action plan. A critical thinker is a uniting factor, promoter of the social as well as the economic well being of a family. Teens are part of the family; they are very explorative and are very much under the influence of the adolescent stage of growth. The ability to master the dynamics that accompanies this stage can help in facilitating growth of healthy teens that have a positive perception of life. In addition, they are able to overcome some of the pressures that come with the stage. According to Francine Kiefer a nd Neil Erwin of ‘The Christian Science Monitor’, taming adolescence in order to prevent related incidences such violence requires diverse interventions. They advocate for customized efforts that range from simplistic means such as giving rewards for good acts and the complement of good acts by demonstrating appreciation through a word of mouth. In addition, psychological counseling programs can be embraced especially for behaviors that are getting to be exposed publicly. The family is the ore unit that should look into this aspect; however, the community too has its input. Friends shape one’s behavior while the teachers also should embrace the same aspects to make the teens develop to overcome adolescence. The conclusive remarks that were made by David Osher, a researcher with the American Institutes for Research, depicts that there is a possibility of a complete transformation in teenagers if proper preventive measures are implemented. The two authors suggest t hat the convectional means of having to frisk students so that they are seen to be unarmed was an aspect that encouraged violence the more. A more close home approach that does not require much effort is the introduction of ‘red stickers’, communication tools that warn that doing something has certain consequences. To complement this strategy, the teenagers are allowed around twenty minutes in a day to learn social skills. It is reported that the best

Essay on Art and Gender (topic given in instractions)

On Art and Gender (topic given in instractions) - Essay Example This meant that nakedness was in the beholder’s eye. Further, the woman was blamed for everything experienced and thus she was made a subservient of the man as a punishment (Berger 47). The idea of women being made as objects to be stared at was worsened during the renaissance period, where the moment of shame dominated. The Nudes directed the shame more at the viewer rather than at each other. With time, the shame was used as a display of some kind. Though secular subjects were in use, Nudes still maintained the implication that women were aware of being gazed at. Consequently, they were not naked in their personal right, rather as naked in the eyes of men. According to Jones, another factor of Western Modernity that made it difficult for women to establish themselves as artists is seen in Berger’s illustration of the average oil paintings of the Nude, where the key character was never painted; the male spectator of whom everything had been accomplished. The European c onvention of not painting women’s body hair was symbolic. To them, hair symbolized passion and power, yet males perceived that these were their features. This contributed to women’s sense of inferiority and thus they lacked the motivation to become artists (Jones 230). Other factors which made it difficult for women to establish themselves as artists in western modernity Linda Nochlin reveals the failure of art and how the Western male viewpoint affected the establishment of women as artists. She refers to John Stuart Mill’s concept of how he viewed male domination as a major source of social injustice. Nochlin bases her argument that white male subjectivity was a factor that undermined women progress. Since men perceived themselves as superior, they focused on more noticeable art works and disregarded any effort made by women. Research with talented women in art work demonstrates that internal barriers also limited women to establish themselves as artists. The way women were raised and the cultural biases they experienced led to such barriers and lack of developing the belief in self, essential for a determination to highly creative work. In fact, some women remained in the background, in undesirable positions, as enforcers of other people’s ideas (Johnson 245). Creative potential in a number of women may be associated to lower-profile work. As men produced great works of art, most talented women made unconscious or conscious decisions to implement such men’s work. Women with art potentials, who had the capability to capitalize on this prospective in their work always portrayed single-minded purpose, made hard choices regarding their lives, and lacked support systems to help them come out. Another limiting factor to women’s establishment was societal-based. Such factors influenced or became an obstruction to women development in art. Nochlin wonders why there are no great women artists. From her analysis of women achi evements in art, she illustrates that great art by women was often underrated or disregarded in history (Nochlin 161). Further, research shows that though rational stimulation in homes tended to play a key role in the advancement of art, most women were not practically motivated or even permitted to involve in intellectual pursuits by their peers or families. They were traditionally offered less education than their male counterparts, and the society

The Democrat and the Dictator Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

The Democrat and the Dictator - Movie Review Example nsively reveals childhood lives and their different paths they used to raise to power and how each was an excellent communicator, with unique and influential ideas. The film has a unique organizing principle of comparative treatment. Through this, it is easy for viewers to relate the motion pictures that show the Nazi regime and its influential propaganda to the Roosevelt’s communal style of leadership. Automatically, democracy grants full freedom to people but in dictatorial form of leadership, people are denied access to equal rights. While Roosevelt was concerned with developing and ensuring that the society benefits from the government incentives and plans, Hitler, though claimed to love children and animals, it never meant anything to him because he brutally murdered anything across his path, especially the Jews. Therefore, he was after destroying the society and not building it. Confidence plays a critical role in political success. Even though the world considers Hitler a serial killer, Germans admired his confidence and thus remained obedient and loyal to him. This indicates that he had followers till today. Through his confident smile, Roosevelt won the 1932 Presidential nomination because the smile was accompanied by an engaging behavior. However, in politics, leaders can do anything to remain in power. After losing, Hitler made sure all his competitors are eliminated so that he could remain the master of the nation. The film gives an impressive analysis of Roosevelt’s Hitler’s background origin, how their ideologies were shaped by circumstances and environment, and their missions as leaders. While some people are born leaders, others are made and shaped by the

Advocacy in mental health an Anotated bibilography of research Essay

Advocacy in mental health an Anotated bibilography of research articles which influence policy change - Essay Example Precisely, this paper will give an account of all the research done on the subject of mental health summarizing the main arguments, points, as well as scope of each source while evaluating them on their merits and making comparisons. This article voices its advocacy in the field of mental health by examining the consequences of deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan on the mental health of the UK armed forces through a cohort study following the increased concerns over the possible psychological effects of continued exposure to combat as well as successive deployments on service men and women. This study establishes that the UK service men and women are more likely to present with symptoms of common mental disorders as well as alcohol misuse than they are with symptoms of probable post-traumatic stress disorders (Fear 1783). More so, this study indicates that the overall incidence of mental disorder in the UK service men and women remained constant between 2003 and 2009, despite the prolonged deployments to Afghanistan as well as Iraq in the same period, thereby underscoring the fact that the mental health of UK army personnel has not changed. These findings are extremely reassuring especially in the context of the anticipated tidal wave of mental health complications as a result of increased deployments and prolonged exposure to combat. The research methodology data utilized in this research is not only objective but also valid since it is obtained and analyzed through empirical research methods and it is appropriate to the topic because it is based on a sample population from the UK cohort study. This research is very helpful to policy in mental health in particular since it informs or shapes argument regarding army deployments and levels of exposure of service men to combat, besides underscoring the significance of regular health surveillance in the UK military personnel. For instance, this

LOGISTICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

LOGISTICS - Essay Example In addition to the basic forwarding operations, BLC is specialized in customs clearance, packing, warehousing, and transportation of all incoming and outgoing, air and sea shipments, as well as household goods and personal effects. The company’s objective has always been to satisfy the needs of all customers by offering a personalized transport service for any volume of goods and any destination. BLC has a Quality Policy as well a well publicized Mission Statement. For developing and delivering business excellence the company has obtained ISO 9001:2000 certifications in pursuance of providing "best-in-class" service via a quality management system. The company was awarded ISO 9001:2000 certification in 2004. As part of the Quality Policy, BLC regularly monitors customer satisfaction as one of the measurements of performance. It also monitors information relating to customer perception as to whether we met their expectations. BLC business has much to do with organizing and synergizing transportation and warehousing, so its supply chain structure is similar to its competitors with concentration on physical distribution. The red line represents material flow; the blue line represents information flow. While apparently the business model of BCL is sound and it appears to be well managed, its performance lacks behind its competition and certainly does not achieve its goals for it was for which it was founded over a decade ago. It is just another mediocre company, despite its obtaining the ISO 9001:2000 certification. It has high aims but has fallen short in results. To date its annualized growth is just 10% while the industry average is about 13%. The best in class companies are however achieving an annualized growth rate of 25%. The problem areas of BLC can be enumerated as under. 1. BLC lacks in warehousing. Its current warehouses are small and not well organized. It moves the frozen cargo

Terrorism preparedness and Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Terrorism preparedness and Response - Essay Example Based on the given situation, the incident could be a bomb attack. According to FEMA, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (2008) common targets of terrorists are public places where security is not tight or chances like bombs can slip in.Since it is an emergency, one can call, or must call those responsible for relief. One good action was the security guard calling for help from the 9-1-1. Somehow, they can help since several are wounded, and cases of death are possible. Three options when at situations like this is to seek for medical aid, next would be informing authorities about severe need to for response on the crowd, that is the crowd control groups like the police; lastly, there must be the need to call the attention of several anti-terrorism groups or those authorities of the government like the NBI for the case could not just be a simple explosion of a train, but a bombing related to terrorism.The agencies related to the government are interconnected, that means, in o ne way or another, several responses can come in a simple alert. Although a person does not have any idea about the landline numbers or contact numbers, there would always be ways. One of these is through calling the emergency numbers like the 9-1-1. Details about what happened are necessary for the agency on how they were supposed to respond with the situation. If you include with the details that it seemed to be like a terrorist bombing (and even if its not), they would give a signal alert for those related with the network. Through this information would flow to the NRF (National Response Framework) which was once the National Response Plan or the NRP. This framework is consisted of several working groups that does the same responses the moment they were informed, included are the emergency support annexes which are: Transportation, Communications, Public Works and Engineering, Firefighting, Emergency Management, Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Housing, and Human Services, Logis tics Management and Resource Support, Public Health and Medical Services, Search and Rescue, Oil and Hazardous Materials Response, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Energy, Public Safety and Security, Long-Term Community Recovery, External Affairs Since it is common to have disorganized crowd during a bomb attack, one way of securing those who are in panic is to help. Giving comforts to those traumatized, helping those who were injured, and leading the crowd out of the incident area are just quick ways to secure those who are fine but panic-stricken. In such way, avoiding chaos is necessary.

Assignment 2 †Why Teaching Essay Example for Free

Assignment 2 – Why Teaching Essay It is important not only for you, but for your Field Supervisor and me, to know what led you to enter the teaching profession. For this assignment you are to write a 300-500 word essay on Why I Elected to Travel the Road to Teaching. ***The first part of your paper will explain your life experiences which led you to pursue a career in teaching. ***The second part of your paper will name/identify the 3 main keys to success as identified in Keys to Success for New Teachers. ***The third part of this paper will explain how the knowledge of these keys can help you be a successful teacher? (You will probably need to review these keys found in the course material. ) Formal writing is required. Your paper must incorporate correct sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization and grammar. EDTC 5100 – Assignment 2 Name: Cameron Guidry Last 4 digits of SSN#: 2381 1. Why I Elected to Travel the Road to Teaching My road to becoming a teacher is perhaps less romantic than some would like. I didn’t enjoy school when I was younger and felt no inclination to be a teacher. I did, however, find a passion for learning and writing when I was earning my undergraduate degree at The University of Kansas. Meeting instructors who were excited about their subjects got me excited too, and eventually I was getting excited all on my own. The experience was entirely foreign to me. I was reading just to read and writing without being told. I had spent my four years of high school counting the hours until it was time to leave, and it was the realization that this didn’t have to be the high school experience that pushed me toward teaching as a career. I still have a passion for the subject, and I am currently earning a PhD in English, an endeavor that is entirely fueled by my own passion. It is my hope, and experience up to this point, that I can inject that enthusiasm into my classroom. I spent two years teaching at the university level, and found success. It was as I had imagined; I had students who entered my room uninterested and left my room well equipped readers. The issue I saw was that I would only have the opportunity to interact with those fortunate few that made it to my college classroom, and it was my desire to offer what I could to a more diverse group, perhaps illuminating a possibility that wouldn’t be clear without my presence. I don’t expect to create a graduating class of English majors, but I do believe that I can provide the role model that my students can benefit from. I feel an obligation, one that I created myself, to educate. It’s not an obligation I fulfill begrudgingly; it is one that I happily attempt to answer and is my road to teaching. 2. Name the Three Keys They are be reasonable, organize your life, and reflect. 3. Tell how the keys can help you to be a successful teacher? These three keys are helpful for life in general, but as a teacher I am finding myself constantly on my back foot while answering questions and asking someone to take their seat. It can be overwhelming, but by finding my center outside of the classroom, and achieving some understanding before the bell rings, attempting to control the chaos becomes a managable thing. Additional Comments:

Critical incidents and our behaviours.

Critical incidents and our behaviours. What is critical incident? Critical incident has been defined in different ways depending on the nature of the incident and the environment or setting where it took place. Tripp (1993) defines critical incidents as a commonplace events that occur in routine professional practice Incidents may relate to range of issues amongst which issues of communication, relationships, moral beliefs and ethical values, knowledge, culture or emotions. The definition I like best is that a critical incident need not be a dramatic event, but it is an incident which has significance for us. It is often an event which made us stop and think, or one that raised questions for us. One that may have made us question an aspect of our beliefs, values, attitude or behaviour. It is an incident which in some way has had a significant impact on our personal and professional experience and learning (MU). Curiosity is a basic human emotion. The psychologist William McDougall states that The instinct of curiosity is at the base of many of mans most splendid achievements . As humans we all have the drive to find rational explanation of lived events and our surrounding. We do that though trying to examine or reflect on our experiences. According David A. Kolb (1984) reflection is an inseparable part of the learning process. This is the part during which by analysing given event we enhance our knowledge, enrich our practical experience and prepare for new and challenging situations. Different frameworks have been developed to aid the development of critical reflection. Most prominent are the models of Kolb (1984), Gibbs (1988), Atkins and Murphy (1994), Johns (2000), Rolfe et al (2001) and Lister and Crisp (2007). Lister and Crisp explain that critical incident analysis has developed as a tool to aid critical reflection in practice, in health and social work. It has been used to enable students to describe and explore issues from their practice (Nygren and Blom 2001), (Montalvo 1999). PoDAIT describes that Critical Incident Analysis is an approach to dealing with challenges in everyday practice. and that As reflective practitioners we need to pose problems about our practice, refusing to accept what is. We need to explore incidents which occur in day-to-day work in order to understand them better and find alternative ways of reacting and responding to them. Therefore it is safe to conclude that critical incident analysis can enable professionals to reflect on their practice and to explain and justify it. Account: During my placement at a south London CMHT I had short period of working with the duty team. This was when I and the MH nurses Q met Miss X for an initial assessment. Several days following Miss Xs assessment her case was discussed at a clinical review with one of the team consultants DR G and it was decided that the dosage of her medications is to be altered. When I informed her GP of the above I was told that her medications have already been adjusted and that the dosage is different from the one given on her referral. This created the need for reviewing Miss Xs case second time. In the meanwhile Dr G left the team and was replaced by Dr V. By that time I had finished my period of duty work and despite the fact that I had recorded all information on the internal database and that Miss X was still a duty client I was asked to present her case at Dr Vs next clinical review. I had no objections as I had knowledge of the client, and especially as Q was not present. At the review was decided that Dr. V will offer Miss X another appointment. I recorded the outcome on the internal database and also reported to Q who happened to be on duty shift. I also informed him of the need for Miss X to be notified of her appointment. On the agreed appointment date Miss X did not attend and when contacted by phone she stated that she was not notified of it. Dr V asked me to offer her a new appointment for the following week. I had no obligation to liaise with the Miss X or do any work on the case as she was a duty client and I no longer had formal involvement with her. Nevertheless, I notified her of the new appointment did both over the phone and in writing. When the second appointment came Dr. V asked me to attend the assessment with her. I was not required to, however I accepted. I decided that while Miss X would be more comfortable with a familiar person during the meeting, I would have good learning opportunity attending an assessment conducted by one of the team consultants. When Miss X arrived I introduced Dr V to her. During the assessment Miss X said that her medications have not helped and that she cannot cope. During the assessment she was wringing her hands and became tearful. Dr. V identified that Miss X had not been taking her medications at the appropriate time and that sleeping in the afternoons could be contributing to Miss Xs difficult night sleep. During the assessment Dr. V suggested that she can prescribe Miss X a number of different sleeping aid medications. However, at the end Miss Xs medications were not changed and she was told to continue with her current ones, but to take them at the prescribed times. Dr V informed Miss X that she will offer her a follow up appointment in two weeks time, in order to assess her progress and to change her medications as and if necessary. Following the assessment I went to the duty workers and asked them to come for an update from Dr. V. Two of them were busy and the third one Z who is a MH nurse was dismissive. As I could not get anyone from the duty team to come I went to the doctors office for final discussion and planned to record the outcome of the assessment and any decisions on the internal database. While we were discussing Miss Xs action plan Z entered the office. It was jointly agreed that Miss X will be offered follow up appointment in two weeks time. Later in the day Z came to me and asked me whether I have recorded the appointment in the duty diary. I informed her that I have not as my understanding was that this is consultants appointment rather than a duty one, which is normally not recorded in the duty diary. Nevertheless, she insisted that I do so. As I recorded the appointment in the diary, which I found on Zs desk, Z came and asked me not to make the appointment for the agreed date but for the day after. She explained that the appointment fell on a day which should be free of duty appointments. I was obviously confused as the date was chosen by Dr V and the other 2 previous appointments were both booked for the same day of the week without that being a problem. Z said that she has spoken to Dr. V regarding the appointment already. While trying to be helpful, having been given ambiguous information and the fact that Miss X was not my client to start with, I decided to step back and asked Z to clear any confusion with Dr. V. On the following day during Dr. Vs clinical review meeting Z presented Miss Xs case with suggestion for her to be discharged back to GP. To my big surprise Dr. V agreed with the suggestion. The rest of the team approved her decision silently. As the team had moved onto discussing other client I did not want to interrupt and did not speak out until the end. Having considered the distressed and tearful state in which Miss X presented, during the two assessments, her reports of feeling hopeless and without support, and her previous suicidal ideation, I asked if we could have another look at her case and perhaps offer her one more appointment before discharging her from the team. Dr. V said that she had reconsidered her yesterdays decision and assert that Miss X presented low risk; therefore she did not require further input from a consultant. In principle I agreed that Miss X may not have to be seen by a consultant. Nonetheless, I still felt that it would have been appropriate and an example of good practice for a member of the team to see Miss X before discharging her, especially after she was told to expect further support. Z suggested that I should take the case on. I explained that without my placement tutors permission I am unable to accept any new clients. Z suggested that keeping her as a client for an extra week or two puts strain on the duty team and suggested that as alternative to face to face appointment I can call the client. I agreed to that, but highlighted that due to my student capacity I would still have to be supervised by a team member. One of the senior social workers commented that I will be given credit towards my competencies, for adv ocating for the client. My request was left unanswered and Z said that she would deal with the case. Following the meeting another member of the team also a MH nurse spoke to me and said that I should not have brought up this question and contested the decision made by the consultant. I provided my practice assessor with a report of the situation however, it never went any further. I tried to look at the whole process and the outcome from Miss Xs perspective and tried to explore her feelings. Removal of formal and informal power barriers between the su and s providers Did not feel like I could change the decision and speaking to the cons. Would not have been benefitial. I was surprised if not even shocked by the consultants decision. Earlier I had observed (noticed) a certain level of indecisiveness as whether to prescribe different medication s or not have offered a range of different meds however did not stick to any of her own suggestions. Reflecting on that I tried to justify her behaviour accepting the fact that along the assessment different new information came to light. (reflected on her actions and decisions made) Power dynamics, my student and consultant Being familiar with the details ot the case I felt it was morally and ethically unjust to remain silent and not bring the matter up Being assertive but not argumentative (being diplomatic) in this situation my believes and values clashed with the decision taken What was the right thing to do. Keeping in mind my status in the team as student on placement, without extensive social work experience and not familiar with the power dynamics within the team I was double minded as to whether to Express my disagreement by suggesting an alternative approach to the situation and in this way challenge the decision taken by the consultant or to remain silent. In this situation the final decision about the care of the patient was being made. I (felt) was aware that once the decision was made speaking in private with any of the participants would not be constructive or bring positive results. Learning No one likes being challenged and when this happen some people may become self-protective and resistant to accept others views which may also impair future joint working. It is important to highlight that by challenging certain decision it is only the decision being challenged and not the person. After all the joint goal is the wellbeing of the client and not proving who is right or wrong. Be aware of office power dynamics and be mindful that some professionals may be strongly opinionated and confronting their views on a particular matter has to be made with care and in non confrontational approach. Sensitively approach and challenge others opinions try to (prevent from happening) diffuse charged emotionaly situations (to be diplomatic) When analysing a critical incident, it is useful to ask yourself questions such as: Why do I view the situation like that? What assumptions have I made about the client or problem or situation? How else could I interpret the situation? What other action could I have taken that might have been more helpful? What will I do if I am faced with a similar situation in the future? Refs: Atkins, S Murphy, K (1994) Reflective Practice Nursing Standard 8 (39) pp49-54 Evans, D. (1999) Practice Learning in the Caring Professions, Aldershot, Ashgate. Gibbs G (1988) Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford Further Education Unit, Oxford. Johns C. (1995)Framing learning through reflection within Carpers fundamental ways of knowing in nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing 22 p. 226-234 McDougall W. (2003), An Introduction to Social Psychology, Courier Dover Publications Rolfe G., Freshwater D., Jasper M. (2001), Critical Reflection in Nursing and the Helping Professions: a Users Guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (M.U.)(http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/medicine/reflective/2.xml) KOLB D A (1984) Experiential Learning: experience as the source of learning and development New Jersey: Prentice-Hall ProDAIT http://www.prodait.org/approaches/cia/ [accesedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.]

The Impact Of African Dance

The Impact Of African Dance This study aims at pointing out one of the upcoming dances with its origin from Africa which is becoming very popular within its short time of invention. In an attempt to do this, this study will be looking at Roland Barthes arguments on Semiology and Structuralism within the language system and its relation to modern dance. The specific objectives of this study are to determine the level of popularity of Azonto dance and its relating music genre amongst other nationals from other parts of the world, to find out whether Azonto dance has any effect on peoples dancing styles, to find out the level of acceptance of Azonto dance and music to people from different ethnic and national backgrounds, and to identify the way in which people understand the gestures and signs associated to this dance. Dance in Africa is a holistic part of society. It is not truncated or separated as an entity in and of itself. Dance is used to facilitate all phenomena in most African societies (Welsh, 2004:14). The African dance has a lot of variation in terms of the various cultures on the continent as well as the different musical and movement styles which goes along with them. Every dance has its own style and movement which reflects the culture of a particular group or ethnic setting in way. Most of these dances are very communicative and this resemblance is evident in a lot of the dancing styles on the African continent. There are countless dance forms that identify the numerous ethnic groups and cultural differences in styles of the Ghanaian people (wikipaedia). African dances are largely participatory, with spectators being part of the performance. With the exception of some spiritual, religious or initiation dances, there are traditionally no barriers between dancers and onlookers. Even ri tual dances often have a time when spectators participate (Welsh, 2004). Ghana has a lot of traditional dances like the Adowa, Kpanlogo, Agbadza and Damba which are primarily performed as ceremonial dances. There have also been other popular and more contemporary dances like moon walk, slide, creep walk, etc in the past few years. Unlike the traditional dances whose motives are to tell a story or express some idea or emotion, most popular dances in Ghana are performed for fun as social interactions, especially among the youth. However, one particular popular dance which seems to have defied the odds of modern dance in Ghana is the Azonto. This African dance form incorporates complex co-ordinates body movement and non-verbal communication in a rhythmic fashion in very few one-two timed steps. Just like most African dances, knee bending and hip movements are rudiments to dancing it. The dance involves movements of the feet, knees, hands, and hips in rhythmic fashions which can actually be coordinated in a style to communicate a message. Generally, the dance reflects the creativity, intelligence, and rich sense of humour of the Ghanaian people. Background of Study According to Welsh (2004), no dance form is permanent, definitive, or ultimate. Change occurs, but the basic rudiments of dance remains the same. Dance is for all people. One need only recall that dance needs neither common race nor common language for communication; it has been a universal means of communication forever. The dance, which is usually performed with an accompanying smile, evolved from the combination of several local dance moves that originated from Ghana during the early 2000s. There are different stories about the origins of Azonto and its subsequent popularity. One story about the Azonto dance has it that it started somewhere in Bukom, Chorkor and James Town (all being suburbs in Accra) where it was first called Apaa (work for pay). It was a form of dance that represented movement activities like ironing, boxing, driving, washing etc. Another source of information has it that the term Azonto was first used by students of the Senior Secondary Schools to mean life (or the hardships of life abraabo) (ModernGhana.com). Features of the Kpanlogo dance, the traditional dance of the Gas, can also be seen in the Azonto. The same goes for the Gawu dance, an adopted dance of the Ewe but originally from Togo. The dance has evolved with the fast pace dance culture of modern West Africa. The dance was made popular by the Ghanaian football star, Asamoah Gyan in his goal scoring celebrations for his club and for the Black Stars (the senior national football team of Ghana), especially during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa (ibid). Currently, the dance is continuously evolving with complex dance styles and movements. The latest dance craze has become so popular that it now dictates the rhythm of hip-life music (which is a contemporary genre of music in Ghana which fuses the traditional hi-life music with the modern hip-hop music). The commercialization of this dance has made Hip-life musicians include Azonto in their music lyrics and video clips. The dance is very popular among the youth and can be performed by anyone regardless of gender or ethnicity. With traditional dance facing serious threats of decline especially among the youth, Azonto represents a combination of modern and traditional elements. Azonto epitomizes Ghanas ingenuity and originality through the spirit of dance (World Press). It primarily embodies sociability and socializing. It was stated on ModernGhana.com that the dance is spreading fast in the USA, U.K and other parts of the world with large populations of Ghanaians. Even Prince Williams is said to have deeply fallen in love with Azonto and he dances it at any opportunity he gets (Source). Ghanas Azonto dance been rated as one of the top 10 African dances to have gained global stature either recently or, in the case of Soukous, in the last 40 years (MyWeku). The Azonto dance has threatened to eclipse the success of some of Ghanas famous exports like cocoa, gold and its exciting brand of football. The Azonto is still going strong, and was last seen on Londons Oxford Street (ModernGhana.com). Methodology A qualitative research approach is proposed for this study. Primary data would be used for the purpose of this study through interviewing which would be designed in the light of the objectives of the study. This research will be a qualitative research. Scholarly works of other field of study that will be useful to this research will be used. Print and electronic works such as newspapers, articles and journals will also be used. I also will adopt the use of a case study, although due to the nature of the research, I will not be administering a questionnaire but would conduct conducting an interview, I will strictly base my arguments on past works and use real life examples to achieve my aim and purpose of the study. The sample of the study covers African students currently studying in Cyprus International University. This sample of 20 students where 10 males and 10 females (50% male and 50% female) would be selected purposively from African students with different nationalities. Respondents opinion regarding the effect of African dance and the popularity of Azonto would be collected through the interaction and interviewing session. Dance and Semiology Most of the students were identified as music and art lovers because they all stated their passion for the love and interest in such art. They had all come in contact with different forms of dance styles especially those from their communities and cultures. They stated a common characteristic of African dance being full of energy, interesting, communicative and full of life. Some also thought of African dance as a way of identifying a particular culture. Some students also saw some of the indigenous African dance as being passionate and addictive especially with the tunes that went along with them. They believed dance in general is never full without the presence of a form of music to go along with it, thus, they go side-by-side. We can relate dance as a language from the perspective of Roland Barthes who describes language as a system of signs that expresses ideas, and is therefore comparable to a system of writing, the alphabet of deaf mutes, symbolic rites, polite formulas, military signals, etc. He calls this semiology. Azonto is a communicative dance which is full of signs and symbols, and involves a lot of communication between the dancers and the audience. Barthes states that signs and codes are meant to be historically and culturally specific. If you relate this Barthes concept of sign, and the concept of semiology to dance, you will realise that dance is not a universal language. That there are hidden signs which must be understood in order for a spectator to fully understand a particular dance movement. Azonto as a dance has its origin from some indigenous Ghanaian dances like Kpanlogo (a traditional dance of the Gas) and Gawu dance (an adopted dance of the Ewes). Though the Azonto dance is more of a fusion of other contemporary dance elements, it still has its roots from very indigenous dances from the Ghanaian culture. All these traditional dances involve symbols and signs made by the dancers. Roland Barthes goes on further to argue that material reality can never be taken for granted. It is always constructed and made intelligible to human understanding by culturally specific systems of meaning. These codes and signs are not universally given, but are historically and socially specific to the particular interests and purposes which lie behind them. Azonto as a contemporary dance involves a lot of movements and communication through the use of gestures and hand signs. For instance, a dancer could be making dance movements and at the same time trying to draw the shape of a heart with his/her fingers. This shape could be translated into several meanings depending on the background or culture of the observer. One could just interpret it as a shape of a heart whiles another would interpret it as a sign of love or a way of telling the observer that he/she has a kind heart. So we realize that a sign or symbol may not have the same meaning to the observer upon seeing it. Fernando de Saussure argues that it is not possible to understand individual linguistic signs in a piecemeal, ad hoc or empiricist fashion. He goes on further to say that they have, rather, to be explained by showing how they fit together as arbitrary signs in an internally coherent system or structure of rules and conventions. These signs cease to be arbitrary and become meaningful once they are located within the general structure of the language. Barthes notes that any semiology postulates a relation between two terms, a signifier and a signified a distinction elaborated by Saussure. There is also another term in this, the sign itself (be it linguistic or mythological), which contains the signifier and the signified, in the case of the actions and gestures made by the dancer and the observer who would be in the position to interpret these actions. Strinati (2004; 224) stated that the rise of modern mass communications, and the associated proliferation of popular media culture, therefore become central to the explanatory framework of postmodern theory. What is inferred from this is that the mass media have become so significant for communication and information flows within and between modern societies (and consequently the popular culture they broadcast and promote increasingly defines and channels everyday life in these societies) that they, along with consumerism, have given rise to the characteristic features of postmodernism. We realized that the advent of television and other tools communication tools like the radio has been aiding tools for the popularization of this particular kind of dance. Most of the students either had first contact with the Azonto dance via internet on YouTube, or on television and/or musical videos. We realize that the advent of technology has helped in the awareness and advertisement of this kind of dance across the continent and beyond. This is a reflection of modernity and post modernity in our current cultural set ups. Since the Azonto dance is originally from Ghana, technology has played a very important role in the awareness and public knowledge of this dance. Most individuals across the world heard or saw this dance through mediums like the internet and television. A lot of these enthusiasts learnt their basic steps through these same channels without going to the dances place of origin. Roland Barthes goes on further to say that meaning is not something which is given or which can be taken for granted. It is manufactured out of historically shifting systems of codes, conventions and signs. We realized that the various dance symbols associated to Azonto had its origin from other indigenous dances. This new dance has metamorphosized into a dance where by the dancer can express him/herself freely with personal gestures. Its a dance which has no particular pattern with the exception of fusing some basic dance steps to distinguish it from other emerging dances. Strinati (2004: 101) stated that cultural meanings are not universal, nor are they divorced from the social conditions in which they are to be found. Rather, they present themselves as universal when they are really historically and socially fixed. Conclusion Dance, in general, reflect the way of life of a group of people. It is an essential part of culture. It could carry a message through its gestures as well as it being a medium of communication. More recently, there has been an influx of different dancing styles and patterns which are contemporary forms of ancient and traditional dances from all over the world. The beauty of it all is how individuals embrace these various dance patterns into their own way of dance movements. Africa is the second largest continent in the world and it has a very large number of people who also reflects its pure culture and heritage. Among such traditions of the people on this continent is the uniqueness of every tribe or ethnic groupings own practices. Dancing has been a way of life for almost all these cultures and it is part and parcel of these people. Azonto dance from Ghana is no exception in this context. The dance is quite new and its spreading like wild fire on the world stage where this dance is gaining popularity every minute with the help of the internet especially on YouTube. It has become one of the biggest things to come out of Ghana in which most music lovers and dance enthusiasts identify this country with. It isnt shocking to find yourself nodding your head or tapping your feet to tunes of Azonto or falling in love with the unique movements by its dancers. One easily falls in love with the dance upon seeing it. The dance is one of the easiest to learn and its so unique that you can incorporate your own movements to suit yourself. Azonto is an expressive dance. This means you can tell a story, show your emotions and personalize it. So an individual doesnt have to be afraid to do crazy things with it. Even though you can do this dance with almost any song (well, except classical music), it helps the dancer a lot if he o r she is dancing to a high-tempo up-beat like Afrobeat tunes, pop music or a typical Azonto tune. Dance can be used as a tool to get people closer and also can help in relating to people more easily because they share something common. They have something that can be easily identified with even though they may be coming from different backgrounds or settings. Therefore we dont have to speak the same language or come from the same place before we can get along with others, but tools like dance can be a very effective medium through which people can take away all barriers and make them feel as one because most of the actions of dance is universal and can make people share a common feeling or mentality. A world renowned dancer, writer and scholar in the field of Dance and Black Studies by name Dr. Kariamu Welsh when asked about the future of Africa/Back dance and the direction she saw it moving in the future, she stated that Black Dance will take many directions. As a genre, it will continue to self reflect and redefine itself but it will remain an artistic and creative force for many of us. Black Dance is ancient and it has many stories to tell. These stories will take the form of narratives, abstract works, improvisations, neo-traditional dances, slamming, jamming and other forms that have yet to be imagined. The beauty of Black Dance is that it is a place where new and innovative movements are born. Those creative sparks influence many people and every once in a while they actually inspire a revolution (Glocke, 2011: 263)

Effects of Cocaine :: Papers

Effects of Cocaine Physical effects of cocaine use include constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. The duration of cocaine’s immediate euphoric effects, which include hyper-stimulation and mental clarity, is dependent on the route of administration. The faster the cocaine is absorbed, the more intense the high and the shorter the duration of action. The ‘high’ from snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes, whilst that from smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes. Increased use can reduce the period of stimulation. This euphoria is followed by depression and craving for more of the drug. Some users of cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. In rare instances, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter. There is no way to determine who is prone to sudden death. Short-term physiological effects include raised hear rate, hyperactivity and restlessness. Blood pressure of the user is also increased and the pupils dilate. There is a great risk associated with cocaine use whether the drug is snorted, injected or smoked. Prolonged cocaine snorting can result in ulceration of the mucous membranes of the nose and can damage the nasal septum enough to cause it to collapse. The injecting drug user is at risk for transmitting or acquiring HIV infection/AIDS if needles or other injection equipment are shared. Hepatitis is another danger from the use of needles to inject cocaine. Cocaine smokers suffer from acute respiratory problems including coughing, shortness of breath, and severe chest pains with lung trauma and bleeding. In addition, it appears that compulsive cocaine use may develop even more rapidly if the substance is smoked rather than snorted. Cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant that interferes with the reabsorption process of dopamine, a chemical messenger associated with pleasure and movement. Dopamine is released as part of the brain’s reward system and is involved in the high that characterizes cocaine consumption. An appreciable tolerance to the

The Romantic Hero in Goethes Faust Essay -- Papers Essays Goethe Faus

The Romantic Hero in Goethe's Faust Works Cited Not Included Long hailed as the watershed of Romantic literature, Goethe’s Faust uses the misadventures of its hero to parallel the challenges that pervaded European society in the dynamic years of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Faust is the prototypical Romantic hero because the transformation of his attitudes mirrors the larger transformation that was occurring in the society in which Goethe conceived the play. Faust’s odyssey transports him from adherence to the cold rationale of the Enlightenment to a passion for the pleasures that came to define the Romantic spirit. Faust not only expresses the moral contradictions and spiritual yearnings of a man in search of fulfillment, but also portrays the broader mindset of a society that was groping for meaning in a world where reason no longer sufficed as a catalyst for human cultural life. The period of German Romanticism in which Goethe wrote Faust was plagued with the same intrinsic turmoil that Faust himself felt prior to making his deal with Mephisto. The destruction that the French Revolution had exacted on the European consciousness was evident in the attitudes of the people most touched by the tumult of the era – people who came to realize that absolution was no longer a pertinent intellectual goal. The cold rationale of the Enlightenment was no longer adequate to explain the significance of life in a society where everything had so recently been turned upside down. Romanticism was the expression of this society’s craving for answers and fulfillment. Everywhere, people embraced life passionately and lived as... ...emption, despite her sins, because â€Å"all her crime was love† (line 4501). Goethe’s Faust is a work in which a new type of hero emerges to satisfy the needs of a changing society. With Faust, Goethe succeeded in representing a microcosm of the tensions that accompanied the shift from rationalism to Romanticism. Complex and dynamic, Faust, like the great men of his era, is a hero whose most notable achievement is his transformation of the lives of others as well as his own. In this respect, the lesson of the Romantic hero is comprised less of romance than of utility. Following the trends of the Goethe’s contemporary evolving society, the means by which Faust succeeds in accomplishing his goals are largely selfish, brutal, and unethical. This is perhaps Goethe’s single greatest reflection on the modern nature of heroism.

Statement of Purpose for Mba

School of Environment and Natural Resources SENR BiWeek August 6, 2012 A NOTE FROM DAVID~ AN UPDATE STAFF APPRECIATION PUBLICATIONS EVENTS DIVYA GUPTA SHARES HER FIELDWORK IN INDIA ~ I returned from India this summer after spending six months collecting data for my dissertation. My dissertation is on the role of local institutions in natural resource management. For data collection I was working in the central Himalayan region where I visited several villages to interview people about forest management activities that are conducted and coordinated by the local institution in the region.This local institution is called Van Panchayat (Forest Committee), it is a traditional institution that dates back to 1931. Since it was formed before independence (India got its independence in August 1947), it is significant in terms of rights of locals’ to natural resources. I collaborated with an NGO working in the region that helped me with navigating remote villages and also with arranging accommodations in the villages. Going from one village to another was a challenge as there was lack of proper road network so driving was near to impossible, but thankfully there were paths/trails that very intricately connected all the villages.Those trails were very beautiful, they cut through dense tropical forests and since I would walk on those trails on early mornings and evenings, it also gave me a chance to spot some beautiful birds on my way. I walked 7-10 miles/day on an average to get to my destination, which was hard in the beginning, but with time my body adapted. Also, the walking helped with keeping the body warm during cold winters. Unlike the west, the east experienced one of the coldest winters last year.The houses on the hills in India don’t have central heating systems, they barely receive a continuous 24 hour supply of electricity and water, so people burn wood to keep their houses warm and drink lots of ginger tea to keep their bodies warm. To understan d the dependence of people on the forests, I did a lot of homestays – staying with local families was one of my most enriching experiences, it gave me a chance to see firsthand how closely these people’s lives were associated with forests. Also it was amazing to see how self-dependent those people were.They almost grew all their food, from grains to cereals to fruit and vegetables and even spices. Without any outside help, family members would work together to manage their fields – it was quite incredible! I became very attached to all the families I lived with, they took very good care of me and always made sure that I was comfortable. While conducting field work in India, I received funding from the Environment Change Institute (University of Oxford) to participate at a conference in London.This was a unique opportunity for me to share ideas about my research, talk about its progress, and at the same time get valuable feedback from experienced people working i n the same area. Being my first time in the UK, this was a great chance for me to also explore parts of England and Scotland too! Continued on page 2 SENR BiWeek — 2 On behalf of Ron Hendrick, I am excited to share information about a new service for a broad range of people who are professionally engaged in managing, protecting, and using our environment and natural resources, including students.The SENR will launch the Environmental Professionals Network (EPN) August 7th with two main components: multi-disciplinary interaction and networking through a community-oriented website at epn. osu. edu, and a monthly 2nd Tuesdays Breakfast Club on campus featuring great speakers on timely topics and offering additional networking opportunities. The EPN will strengthen SENR's support of people and organizations engaged in environmental management across Ohio and beyond. We recognize that even though society is information rich, quickly accessing information useful for your own needs can be quite challenging.This is often true in environmental management where so many social, economic, and technical factors crossing so many disciplines may be critical to solving a problem or creating an opportunity. The online querying capability of the EPN will facilitate quick access to information and knowledge from network colleagues who share a commitment to excellence in environmental management. It will also help work be more efficient and effective. The EPN online is free and participants can set their own level of involvement.Our speaker at the first 2nd Tuesdays Breakfast Club will be Larry Schweiger, President and CEO of the 4 million-member National Wildlife Federation, which is actively engaged in many critical environmental issues. I hope that you and others will want to be part of initiating the EPN at this exciting event Tuesday, September 11th, at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center – OSU’s first LEED-certified building. Go to epn. osu. edu for information/registration. Please contact me with questions or for a copy of our brochure at 614. 47. 1908 or hanselmann. [email  protected] edu. I would also appreciate you sharing information about EPN with your many colleagues. We need to cast a broad net and be inclusive. So please spread the word and forward our information; contact me for e-materials. Also, I would be happy to come out to your events to briefly share information about EPN and participation. Contact me anytime. I hope to see you for breakfast Tuesday, September 11th. Be there, and be part of starting something new, different, and important. O H – I O!A Note from David Hanselmann ~ Divya cont. Before I started my field work, I was apprehensive about going to a strange place and being able to work successfully. But I was pleasantly surprised by the kind of encouraging response I got from people. I feel thankful to have had the opportunity to live and work in India amidst the beautiful Himalayas an d it’s people – it was the most rewarding and inspiring experience. A great trip overall! Divya Gupta is a PhD candidate in the Environment and Natural Resource graduate program.Her advisor is Tom Koontz. OSU Wellness Celery — more than a crunch! Once thought of as a nutritional zero, celery is actually a great source of potassium, a nutrient that helps reduce blood pressure and regulate the balance of fluids and minerals in the body. If you thought bananas were tops for potassium, here’s a stalking surprise — four medium celery stalks deliver about the same amount of potassium as a medium banana. For a quick snack, dip celery in hummus or peanut butter for some added protein. SENR BiWeek — 3The New Undergraduate Major in Sustainability at Ohio State An Update from the Conference Chair There are 1500 to 1600 delegates from 75 countries expected to come to Columbus for EcoSummit 2012 on September 30 – October 5 to hear 10 plenary prese ntations from the world’s premier ecologists and environmental scientists and practitioners, and 600 invited presentations from around the world in 65 symposia and to participate in 21 forums and workshops on practical issues related to improving our environment.In addition, there will be another 850 general sessions and poster presentations during EcoSummit 2012. There are 6 pre-conference field trips based in Atlanta, New York, Washington DC, Miami, Chicago, and Columbus that will educate an estimated 100 international delegates about some to the large ecosystem restorations in the USA. Most delegates will take part in one of the 33 all-day mid-conference field trips that radiate throughout Ohio. This conference will focus on prescriptions for solving the world’s environmental problems far more than on descriptions.Symposia and lectures will involve ecological engineering, ecological restoration, green infrastructure, the prosperous way down, adapting to climate chan ge, earth stewardship, ecohydrology, eco-informatics, ecological modeling, sustainable agriculture, protecting biodiversity, carbon sequestration, human ecology, and enhancing ecosystem services. The plenary speakers, Pulitzer Prize winners E. O. Wilson and Jared Diamond, will give a memorial to the work of the recently deceased Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrom, and a summary of the global contributions of H. T. Odum in ecological economics, engineering, and modeling, and energy futures.There will also be a 50th anniversary event of Rachel Carson’s landmark book Silent Spring at this first conference to link the Ecological Society of America (ESA), The International Association for Ecology (INTECOL) and the Society for Ecological Restoration International (SER). Individuals can still register to attend at http://www. ecosummit2012. org/index. htm. Students who have a passion for sustainability can put their passion into practice by enrolling in Ohio State’s new major c alled Environment, Economy, Development and Sustainability (EEDS) (http://eeds. osu. edu/).The EEDS major is a multi-disciplinary degree program in sustainability that provides students in-depth training in the economic, business and social aspects of sustainability. This cutting-edge major provides the core knowledge and skills students need to pursue a career in sustainability in the private, public or non-profit sector. Sustainability is a rapidly growing field and knowledge of sustainability is becoming an important competency in many types of jobs. The academic rigor of this major, coupled with opportunities for hands-on learning, will give students an important advantage when it comes time to launching their careers.Students can enroll now for Fall 2012! Learn more about this pioneering major and how to enroll, sign-up for our newsletter, like us on facebook, and start following us on twitter and pinterest by visiting http://eeds. osu. edu/. Alumni Award Selection Rattan Lal w ill be honored with the OSU Alumni Association's Professional Achievement Award at a ceremony on Sept. 14th. He received his PhD in Agronomy in 1968. SENR BiWeek — 4 Staff Appreciation The 2012 Staff Appreciation Week will be held August 13-17, 2012. Activities on the Columbus campus include the Rally for Wellness, Tuesday (8/14) from 9:00 a. m. to 1:00 p. . in the RPAC. Your Plan for Health and OSU Health Plan, the Department of Recreational Sports, and USAC sponsor this event. Nearly 100 healthand wellness-related exhibitors and professionals offer biometric screenings, chair massages, osteoporosis and skin cancer screenings, and samples of delicious, healthy food. Attending the health fair earns points toward the university's YP4H Faculty and Staff Incentive Program, so be sure to attend! The Staff Arts ; Crafts Exhibit will begin Thursday (8/16) with a reception 11:30 a. m. to 1:00 p. m. at Bricker 2nd Floor area. This exhibit will be on display into October.On Friday (8/ 17) a USAC Pep Rally at the Ohio Union will be held 12:00 to 1:30 p. m. Planned by USAC's Outreach and Engagement Subcommittee and staffed by USAC members, the pep rally features Ohio State cheerleaders, members of The Ohio State University Marching Band, Brutus Buckeye, and special guests to kick off the football season. The CFAES SAC will hold the Columbus Staff Appreciation Day on Tuesday (8/14) from 11:00 a. m. to 1:00 p. m. on the Kottman Hall lawn & gazebo area. There will be free lunch, ice cream, games and door prizes. RSVP at http://go. osu. edu/K6p. Wooster Fun Fest is Aug. 7th, 11:30-3:00, where staff will enjoy free food, games, and cheer on your tug-of-war team! The OARDC and ATI Staff Council sponsor this event. The CFAES SAC is currently accepting nominations for their 2012 Staff Recognition: Above and Beyond Awards and the Shirley Brooks-Jones Award. The Shirley Brooks-Jones Award recognizes staff excellence, the Key Values Award recognizes staff with less than 3 yea rs of experience. The Innovation Award goes to staff who initiate new improvements to the workplace, and the Special Recognition goes to a staff member who offered special assistance.Nomination forms are available online at the Staff Advisory Council website. Laura E. (Bast) Lindsey graduated with Honors in 2009 with BS and MS degrees from SENR, with a research focus in soil fertility. She has now joined the faculty in the HCS where she will serve as the Extension Specialist in Soybean and Small Grains for OSU Extension in collaboration with OARDC. Her focus will be to develop extension outreach education and research on soybean and wheat production within sustainable cropping systems. Laura is originally from Plymouth, OH.She obtained the PhD degree in Crop and Soil Science from Michigan State University in May 2012, where she conducted research in weed science and soil fertility. She has received several fellowships and grants, including the 2011 Outstanding Graduate Student Award in recognition of exceptional accomplishment, research, and service from the North Central Extension-Industry Soil Fertility Conference in Des Moines, IA. She is author of several peer-reviewed journal articles, numerous abstracts and proceedings articles, extension newsletter articles, and extension bulletins. If you would like to reconnect with Laura her email is lindsey. [email  protected] edu. Alum Returns One Last Thing —> Don’t wait! Take your PHA Today! Enrolled in an Ohio State medical plan? Complete the YP4H Personal Health Assessment (PHA) and Biometric Health Screening by Sept. 30th to receive the full 2013 PHA Medical Plan Premium Credit of $360. SENR BiWeek — 5 PUBLICATIONS Bhatti, Tariq M. , Jerry M. Bigham, Antti Vuorinen and Olli H. Tuovinen. 2012. Chemical and bacterial leaching of metals from black schist sulfide minerals in shake flasks. International Journal of Mineral Processing 110:25-29. Chaudhary, D. R. , J. Saxena, N. Lorenz and R. P. Dick. 2012.Distribution of recently fixed photosynthate in a switchgrass plant-soil system. Plant Soil and Environment 58(6):249255. Drobyshev, Igor, P. Charles Goebel, Yves Bergeron and R. Gregory Corace, III. 2012. Detecting changes in climate forcing on the fire regime of a North American mixedpine forest: A case study of Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Michigan. Dendrochronologia 30(2SI):137-145. Goebel, P. C. , K. S. Pregitzer and B. J. Palik. 2012. Influence of flooding and landform properties on riparian plant communities in an old-growth northern hardwood watershed. Wetlands 32:679-691.Goebel, P. C. , B. J. Pailk and K. S. Pregitzer. 2012. Structure and composition of riparian forests in an old-growth northern hardwood-hemlock watershed. Forest Ecology and Management 280:52-61. Gorney, Rebecca M. , Marsha G. Williams, Dawn R. Ferris and Lance R. Williams. 2012. The influence of channelization on fish communities in an agricultural coldwater stream system. American Midland Naturalist 168(1):132-143. Graser, William H. , III, Stanley D. Gehrt, Laura L. Hungerford and Chris Anchor. 2012. Variation in demographic patterns and population structure of raccoons across an urban landscape.Journal of Wildlife Management 76(5):976-987. Kautza, Adam and Mazeika P. Sullivan. 2012. Relative effects of local- and landscapescale environmental factors on stream fish assemblages: evidence from Idaho and Ohio, USA. Fundamental and Applied Limnology 180(3):259-270. Lane, Matthew, Nicola Lorenz, Jyotisna Saxena, Cliff Ramsier and Richard P. Dick. 2012. Microbial activity, community structure and potassium dynamics in rhizosphere soil of soybean plants treated with glyphosate. Pedobiologia 55(3):153-159. McConnell, T. E. 2012. The economic impact of Ohio’s wood furniture industry.Proceedings of the Forest Products Society 66th International Convention, Washington, DC. 7 p. Publications cont. McConnell, T. E. 2012. Forest products: Building economic growth i n Ohio. Procedings of the Forest Products Society 66th International Convention, Washington, DC. 6 p. McConnell, T. E. and D. K. Apsley. 2012. Jackson County’s forest economy. The Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet F-76-12. McConnell, T. E. and G. W. Graham. 2012. Holmes County’s forest economy. The Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet F-75-12. Sloan, John J. , Peter A. Y. Ampim, Nicholas T.Basta and Roger Scott. 2012. Addressing the need for soil blends and amendments for the highly modified urban landscape. Soil Science Society of America Journal 76(4)):1133-1141. Sullivan, S. Mazeika P. and Kerri T. Vierling. 2012. Exploring the influences of multiscale environmental factors on the American dipper Cinclus mexicanus. Ecography 35(7):624-626. PRESENTATIONS Charles Goebel presented ‘Complexity, resiliency, and restoration – Lessons from the forests of eastern North America' as an invited presentation to the School of Natural Resources, Trinit y College in Dublin, Ireland (July 16, 2012).Eric McConnell presented ‘The economic impact of Ohio’s wood furniture industry' and ‘Forest products: Building economic growth in Ohio' at the Forest Products Society 66th International Convention in Washington, DC (June 3-5, 2012). SENR BiWeek — 6 EVENTS Monday, August 6, 2012 CMASC Seminar @ 1:00 p. m. @ 460 Kottman Hall Speakers: Drs. Cerri and Maia, CMASC Visiting Scholars Title: Carbon Budget by Land Use Change and Biofuel Production in Brazil 2012 Teaching Orientation @ Ohio State Monday, August 13, 2012 CMASC Seminar @ 1:00 p. m. 460 Kottman Hall Speaker: Atanu Mukherjee, CMASC Postdoctoral Researcher Title: Impacts of Various Amendments in Soil Quality Friday, August 17, 2012 SENR Faculty Retreat @ 8:30 a. m. – 4:30 p. m. @ Alum Creek State Park Guest: Kaz Obrietan, Marketing Specialist This annual event has been designed specifically for new Ohio State GTAs, to reduce anxieties, provide some tech niques and strategies for effective teaching, and suggest resources for further assistance. The orientation is sponsored by the University Center for the Advancement of Teaching (UCAT).Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012 1:00–2:00 p. m. , Hitchcock Hall Introduction to Teaching and Learning: Overview 2:20–5:00 p. m. , Central Classroom Building Introduction to Teaching and Learning: Part I Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012 9:00 a. m. –12:30 p. m. , Central Classroom Building Introduction to Teaching and Learning: Part II Teaching as a Grader Teaching in the Clinical Setting Lunch – On Your Own, 12:30–2:00 p. m. 2:00–3:30 p. m. , Hitchcock Hall University Policies and Procedures Every Teacher Should Know 3:30–5:00 p. m. Physics Research Building Teaching Resource Fair Thursday, August 16, 2012 9:00–10:15 a. m. and 10:30–11:45 a. m. (morning sessions) 1:00–2:15 p. m. and 2:30–3:45 p. m. (afternoon sessions) Central Classroom Build ing (Unless otherwise noted) College Teaching Topics For more information visit the UCAT website. A New Website is Coming to SENR A team from SENR met on July 24th with a team from CommTech to officially kickoff a new SENR website. A college-wide project championed by Linda Martin, all academic units will have their web presence fall under a new CFAES umbrella site.Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership, along with Plant Pathology, have launched their new websites. A new CFAES Academic Programs website is scheduled to launch in August. The SENR website is scheduled to launch in January 2013. Kaz Obrietan of Kaz & Co. will also be contributing to the School's online presence. This SENR BiWeek contains highlights from the School along with announcements of upcoming seminars, programs and events. If you have items to be included in future mailings please forward your information to Pat Patterson.