Wellness, Fitness and Longevity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Wellness, Fitness and Longevity - Essay Example Physical activity varies from formal exercise, as it is basic human movement for example climbing the stairs. Its benefits are far-reaching and more so for people who do not undertake planned exercises, or those that would like to start doing planned exercises. These benefits include weight control, minimizing risk of cardio-vascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, strengthening one’s muscles and bones and improving one’s mental health and mood (â€Å"Physical Activity and Health†, 2011). To achieve these benefits fully, one is encouraged to graduate their physical activities to a moderate level where a common chore such as washing a car should be done continuously for 40 minutes before taking a break; and they should be carried out more frequently. Therefore, this means a moderate activity is aimed at reaching a targeted heart rate first and then resting (Your Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure). The federal strategies of physical activity in adults, as stipulated in the 2008 Americans Physical Activity procedure should include aerobics and muscle-strengthening activities. All of which should take 150 minutes per week, spread out between the two groups where aerobic activities would include brisk walking and muscle-strengthening includes weight-lifting and should be done less often. The aerobic activities vary as either moderate or vigorous where the more vigorous an activity, for instance jogging, less time should be taken to avoid injury. On the other hand, muscle-strengthening activities should involve each main muscle groups; on average, the latter group of activities should be carried out on at least two days each week. However, as one goes along and adapts to a routine of these activities, the time may be increased in order to attain even greater health benefits (â€Å"Activity for Adults†, 2008). In children, the guidelines state that they should undertake at least 60 minutes every day of aerobic activity such as running. For the

Masters Entry Diploma in Management - Independent Study Essay

Masters Entry Diploma in Management - Independent Study - Essay Example Descriptive and inferential statistical measures were used in the treatment of the data gathered. Hypotheses were tested using two-tailed analysis and a significance level of 0.05. Findings of the study revealed that the respondents were equally represented in terms of gender and age. The virtual teams representing more than a hundred store locations within the UK functions effectively to some extent. There were no significant differences in their team effectiveness when the respondents are grouped by geographical location, gender, age and department represented. The study also revealed that organisational culture has not fully embraced or harnessed change to support its goals. Communication among the team is adequate to some extent. No significant differences were noted in the respondents’ assessment of their culture and adequacy of communication when the respondents were grouped by geographical location. The study also demonstrated no significant association between team eff ectiveness and the factors organisational culture and communication. ... Introduction 1 2.0. Critical Review of the Relevant Literature 5 2.1. Objectives of the Critical Literature Review 5 2.2. Related Literature 5 2.3. Related Studies 8 3.0. Research Design 10 3.1. Research Method 10 3.2. Sampling Design 10 Determination of the sample size for this study was computed using random sampling methodology. From a total workforce of 33,000, the sample size was computed using a randomised Web-based sample size calculator (Raosoft, 2004). The parameters used in the calculation were: (1) margin of error, 5%; (2) confidence level, 95%; (3) population size, 33,000; and (4) response distribution, 50%. As shown in Appendix 1, the minimum required sample size is 380. This number was, however, increased by 15% to cover for contingency in case of unretrieved questionnaires, incompletely answered questionnaires (10 or more items), invalid questionnaires (one or more parts totally unanswered). Hence, the actual size of the study sample is 437. 11 To assure representative ness in the selection of respondents for study, the random number generator of Microsoft Excel (2003) was utilized. Three worksheets were used, one each for the three UK regions. In worksheet 1, the store locations In England were inputted as columns alternated with blank columns. Under each store location column, the email addresses of the respondents are inputted in no particular order. On the blank space to the right of each email address, random numbers in the range from 1 to 500 are assigned in each of the 138 blank columns. The random numbers generated in the blank columns will each be sorted from highest to lowest. The email addresses corresponding to the highest three or four random numbers will be included in the list of respondents of the study. Larger stores in each

Animal Intelligence and Evolution of the Human Mind

Animal Intelligence and Evolution of the Human Mind The human brain lacks conspicuous characteristics-such as relative or absolute size-that might account for humans superior intellect. Researchers have found some clues to humanitys aptitude on a smaller scale, such as more neurons in our brains outermost layer. Human intelligence may be best likened to an upgrade of the cognitive capacities of nonhuman primates rather than an exceptionally advanced form of cognition. Subtle refinements in brain architecture, rather than large-scale alterations, make us smarter than other animals. As far as we know, no dog can compose music, no dolphin can speak in rhymes, and no parrot can solve equations with two unknowns. Only humans can perform such intellectual feats, presumably because we are smarter than all other animal species-at least by our own definition of intelligence. Of course, intelligence must emerge from the workings of the three-pound mass of wetware packed inside our skulls. Thus, researchers have tried to identify unique features of the human brain that could account for our superior intellectual abilities. But, anatomically, the human brain is very similar to that of other primates because humans and chimpanzees share an ancestor that walked the earth less than seven million years ago. Accordingly, the human brain contains no highly conspicuous characteristics that might account for the species cleverness. For instance, scientists have failed to find a correlation between absolute or relative brain size and acumen among humans and other animal species. Neither have they been able to discern a parallel between wits and the size or existence of specific regions of the brain, excepting perhaps Brocas area, which governs speech in people. The lack of an obvious structural correlate to human intellect jibes with the idea that our intelligence may not be wholly unique: studies are revealing that chimps, among various other species, possess a diversity of humanlike social and cognitive skills. Nevertheless, researchers have found some microscopic clues to humanitys aptitude. We have more neurons in our brains cerebral cortex (its outermost layer) than other mammals do. The insulation around nerves in the human brain is also thicker than that of other species, enabling the nerves to conduct signals more rapidly. Such biological subtleties, along with behavioral ones, suggest that human intelligence is best likened to an upgrade of the cognitive capacities of nonhuman primates rather than an exceptionally advanced form of cognition. Smart Species Because animals cannot read or speak, their aptitude is difficult to discern, much less measure. Thus, comparative psychologists have invented behavior-based tests to assess birds and mammals abilities to learn and remember, to comprehend numbers and to solve practical problems. Animals of various stripes-but especially nonhuman primates-often earn high marks on such action-oriented IQ tests. During World War I, German psychologist Wolfgang Kà ¶hler, for example, showed that chimpanzees, when confronted with fruit hanging from a high ceiling, devised an ingenious way to get it: they stacked boxes to stand on to reach the fruit. They also constructed long sticks to reach food outside their enclosure. Researchers now know that great apes have a sophisticated understanding of tool use and construction. Psychologists have used such behavioral tests to illuminate similar cognitive feats in other mammals as well as in birds. Pigeons can discriminate between male and female faces and among paintings by different artists; they can also group pictures into categories such as trees, selecting those belonging to a category by pecking with their beaks, an action that often brings a food reward. Crows have intellectual capacities that are overturning conventional wisdom about the brain. Behavioral ecologists, on the other hand, prefer to judge animals on their street smarts-that is, their ability to solve problems relevant to survival in their natural habitats-rather than on their test-taking talents. In this view, intelligence is a cluster of capabilities that evolved in response to particular environments. Some scientists have further proposed that mental or behavioral flexibility, the ability to come up with novel solutions to problems, is another good measure of animal intellect. Among birds, green herons occasionally throw an object in the water to lure curious fish-a trick that, ornithologists have observed, has been reinvented by groups of these animals living in distant locales. Even fish display remarkable practical intelligence, such as the use of tools, in the wild. Cichlid fish, for instance, use leaves as baby carriages for their egg masses. Animals also can display humanlike social intelligence. Monkeys engage in deception, for example; dolphins have been known to care for another injured pod member (displaying empathy), and a whale or porpoise may recognize itself in the mirror. Even some fish exhibit subtle kinds of social skills. Behavioral ecologist Redouan Bshary of the University of Neuchà ¢tel in Switzerland and his colleagues described one such case in a 2006 paper. Bony fish such as the so-called cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) cooperate and remove parasites from the skin of other fish or feed on their mucus. Bsharys team found that bystander fish spent more time next to cleaners the bystanders had observed being cooperative than to other fish. Humans, the authors note, tend to notice altruistic behavior and are more willing to help do-gooders whom they have observed doing favors for others. Similarly, cleaner wrasses observe and evaluate the behavior of other finned ocean denizens and are more willing t o help fish that they have seen assisting third parties. From such studies, scientists have constructed evolutionary hierarchies of intelligence. Primates and cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) are considered the smartest mammals. Among primates, humans and apes are considered cleverer than monkeys, and monkeys more so than prosimians. Of the apes, chimpanzees and bonobos rank above gibbons, orangutans and gorillas. Dolphins and sperm whales are supposedly smarter than nonpredatory baleen whales such as blue whales. Among birds, scientists consider parrots, owls and corvids (crows and ravens) the brightest. Such a pecking order argues against the idea that intelligence evolved along a single path, culminating in human acumen. Instead intellect seems to have emerged independently in birds and mammals and also in cetaceans and primates. Heavy Thoughts? What about the brain might underlie these parallel paths to astuteness? One candidate is absolute brain size. Although many studies have linked brain mass with variations in human intelligence [see High- ­Aptitude Minds, by Christian Hoppe and Jelena Stojanovic], size does not always correlate with smarts in different species. For example, clever small animals such as parrots, ravens, rats and relatively diminutive apes have brains of modest proportions, whereas some large animals such as horses and cows with large brains are comparatively dim-witted. Brain bulk cannot account for human intelligence either: At eight to nine kilograms, sperm and killer whale brains far outweigh the 1.4 kilograms of neural tissue inside our heads. As heavy as five kilograms, elephant brains are also much chunkier than ours. Relative brain size-the ratio of brain to body mass-does not provide a satisfying explanation for interspecies differences in smarts either. Humans do compare favorably with many medium and large species: our brain makes up approximately 2 percent of our body weight, whereas the blue whales brain, for instance, is less than one 100th of a percent of its weight. But some tiny, not terribly bright animals such as shrews and squirrels win out in this measure. In general, small animals boast relatively large brains, and large animals harbor relatively small ones. Although absolute brain mass increases with body weight, brain mass as a proportion of body mass tends to decrease with rising body weight. Another cerebral yardstick that scientists have tried to tie to intelligence is the degree of encephalization, measured by the encephalization quotient (EQ). The EQ expresses the extent to which a species relative brain weight deviates from the average in its animal class, say, mammal, bird or amphibian. Here the human brain tops the list: it is seven to eight times larger than would be expected for a mammal of its weight. But EQ does not parallel intellect perfectly either: gibbons and some capuchin monkeys have higher EQs than the more intelligent chimpanzees do, and even a few pro ­sim ­ians-the earliest evolved primates alive today-have higher EQs than gorillas do. Or perhaps the size of the brains outermost layer, the cerebral cortex-the seat of many of our cognitive capacities-is the key. But it turns out that the dimensions of the cerebral cortex depend on those of the entire brain and that the size of the cortex constitutes no better arbiter of a superior mind. The same is true for the prefrontal cortex, the hub of reason and action planning. Although some brain researchers have claimed in the past that the human prefrontal cortex is exceptionally large, recent studies have shown that it is not. The size of this structure in hu ­mans is comparable to its size in other  ­primates and may even be relatively small as compared with its counterpart in elephants and cetaceans. The lack of a large-scale measure of the human brain that could explain our performance may reflect the idea that human intellect may not be totally inimitable. Apes, after all, understand cause and effect, make and use tools, produce and comprehend language, and lie to and imitate others. These primates may even possess a theory of mind-the ability to understand another animals mental state and use it to guide their own behavior. Whales, dolphins and even some birds boast some of these mental talents as well. Thus, adult humans may simply be more intuitive and facile with tools and language than other species are, as opposed to possessing unique cognitive skills. Networking Fittingly, researchers have found the best correlates for intelligence by looking at a much smaller scale. Brains consist of nerve cells, or neurons, and supporting cells called glia. The more neurons, the more extensive and more productive the neuronal networks can be-and those networks determine varied brain functions, including perception, memory, planning and thinking. Large brains do not automatically have more neurons; in fact, neuronal density generally decreases with increasing brain size because of the additional glial cells and blood vessels needed to support a big brain. Humans have 11.5 billion cortical neurons-more than any other mammal, because of the human brains high neuronal density. Humans have only about half a billion more cortical neurons than whales and elephants do, however-not enough to account for the significant cognitive differences between humans and these species. In addition, however, a brains information-processing capacity depends on how fast its nerves conduct electrical impulses. The most rapidly conducting nerves are swathed in sheaths of insulation called myelin. The thicker a nerves myelin sheath, the faster the neural impulses travel along that nerve. The myelinated nerves in the brains of whales and elephants are demonstrably thinner than they are in primates, suggesting that information travels faster in the human brain than it does in the brains of nonprimates. What is more, neuronal messages must travel longer distances in the relatively large brains of elephants and whales than they do in the more compact human brain. The resulting boost in information-processing speed may at least partly explain the disparity in aptitude between humans and other big-brained creatures. Among humans cerebral advantages, language may be the most obvious. Various animals can convey complex messages to other members of their species; they can communicate about objects that are not in sight and relay information about individuals and events. Chimpanzees, gorillas, dolphins and parrots can even understand and use human speech, gestures or symbols in constructions of up to about three words. But even after years of training, none of these creatures develops verbal skills more advanced than those of a three-year-old child. In humans, grammar and vocabulary all but explode at age three. This timing corresponds with the development of Brocas speech area in the left frontal lobe, which may be unique to humans. That is, scientists are unsure whether a direct precursor to this speech region exists in the nonhuman primate brain. The absence of an intricately wired language region in the brains of other species may explain why, of all animals, humans alone have a language that contains complex grammar. Researchers date the development of human grammar and syntax to between 80,000 and 100,000 years ago, which makes it a relatively recent evolutionary advance. It was also one that probably greatly enhanced human intellect.

Lord Of The Flies - Whats The Point? :: essays research papers

Lord of the Flies - What’s the Point?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lord of the Flies, a literary classic, examines specific social and human nature issues. The boys experience power and leadership struggles, a battle with sadism, and the never-ending fight for the role of intellectuals in society. The author William Golding, presents human nature as a contrast to the reality of the boys on the island.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jack and Ralph were two boys who both wanted to be the leader. From the very beginning of the book the two boys had disagreements. Jack thought that he should be leader. Ralph was the central character and he had a lot of pressure put on him to come up with ideas for survival. That’s where Piggy comes in; he was the never noticed sidekick of Ralph. Piggy always came up with the acceptable ideas to help Ralph be the preferred leader. Ralph was a democrat, he wanted order and things to be accomplished. Such as the rescue fire and huts being built. At first everyone wanted to help and get everything achieved, but soon after the tasks went to a few people. The boys who did not want to work wanted to play. That is when Jack started to do whatever he wanted. At first Jack preferred rules, but after the book progressed he slowly put the things he wanted first; that’s when the battle for leadership starts between Jack and Ralph. Jack wanted to have fun and to hunt. He was the appointed leader of the hunters and he had an addiction to kill. Jack got satisfaction out of slaughtering animals, it made him feel commanding and powerful. Jack represented dictatorship and showed how everything should be his way. He played on the fear of the boys and persuades them to join his tribe. Jack had his own agenda to follow. Now that he had control over so many boys, he could have his own fort with guards. Anytime he wanted Jack and his hunters could go kill without Ralph getting mad at them for not working. Jack won the battle for leadership.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jack was the evil or the dark side of the island. The beginning of the story started out with Jack and the rest of the boys painted as innocent. Jack was just a choir boy, but slowly his human nature was tested. He turns in to a bully, he picks on and fights with Piggy. Piggy is made an outcast by Jack teasing him about being a â€Å"fatty†. Jack also isolated Simon from the group by making fun of Simon’s view of the beast, shown in this

Government Regulations and Standards That Affect the Policy and Target Population Essay

Use the information you gathered for the Week Two assignment and research government regulations and standards that affect the policy and target population you chose. You can research your state’s legislative department or the Web sites listed in Appendix G, for example, for laws, regulations, and standards affecting human service organizations. Describe the current government regulations or standards you researched. What kind of impact do these regulations or standards have on your issue and target population? Identify obstacles that would prevent you from meeting the needs of your target population. Consider future trends and changes to social policy that may be necessary in order for your issue to be resolved or for the target population to have its needs satisfied. Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper in APA format, with references, summarizing your research results. Post your paper as a Microsoft ® Word attachment. Due: Day 7 Michigan Works and the Department of Human Resources are both government funded agencies to assist those in the state of Michigan that are in need of basic survival needs. Both of these agencies work together to help families get back on track to support themselves and develop a better understanding of how to assist themselves. Under the Department of Human Resources (DHS), the regulations to obtain cash assistance or welfare, from the State, the individual needs to attend the Michigan Works program to seek employment (to get off the welfare). Due to major cuts last year, the state has made reformed decisions on ways of obtaining help from the state. Family Independence Program (FIP) also known as cash assistance in the state of Michigan requires the applicants to sign up for the JET program (Jobs, Education and Training) through Michigan Works. The main goal of FIP is to help families become self-supporting and independent. FIP is temporary cash assistance for low-income families with minor children and pregnant women. FIP helps them pay for living expenses such as rent, heat, utilities, clothing, food and personal care items. Recently, the eligibility requirements have gotten tighter. There is a 48 month lifetime limit now, in which thousands lost their assistance last October. Also to qualify for FIP, children must be under the age of 18, or a high school student age 18. The child’s parents, stepparents, and siblings who live together normally make up the FIP group. A relative acting as a parent or legal guardians may be included in the group if the parent is not in the home. A person can sometimes be eligible for FIP when there is no child in the group, such as a pregnant woman, or parents whose child is in foster care but is expected to return home within one year. Only U. S. citizens are eligible for FIP and must only have up to $3,000 in assets. And with assets such as your vehicles and personal belongings are not counted. The property asset limit is $500,000. The state will step in also if one of the parents in not on the same case as the child which would require a support statement through the courts (child support). Finally, anyone who receives cash assistance must attend the JET program to ensure that individual is seeking employment weekly. All programs are there for those who As for policies of FIP, this policy is necessary to ensure that Michigan’s limited resources are available to help those truly in needs that require a hand-up on the road to self-sufficiency. The State of Michigan has a number of programs available to help recipients step toward independence. Many of these programs focus specifically on the welfare of children ensured for their health, care and development. Those programs include Medicaid, Food and Rent Assistance, Child Developmental Care, WIC, MiChild, Step Forward Michigan, Children’s Special Health Services, Michigan Works, Vaccines for Children, Child and Adolescent Health Center Program, Maternity Outpatient Medical Services, State Emergency Relief. The mission for Michigan Works is to provide leadership and services, and promote quality and excellence for the advancement of Michigan’s Workforce Development System and its customers and professionals. Michigan Works! Association was established in 1987 to provide services and support to Michigan’s Workforce Development System. Michigan Works! Agencies assist job seekers and employers in their communities. While each agency is unique, all 25 Michigan Works! Agencies share several fundamental qualities: Locally-responsive and demand-driven, Governed by a Workforce Development Board comprised of private sector representatives and Local Elected Officials, Provide access to a full range of core employment-related services to help businesses find the skilled workers they need, and help job seekers find satisfying careers. Their policies are to educate, train and help obtain employment for anyone who needs it. DHS will designate individuals to Michigan Works to help individuals gain independence and not have to receive welfare. Michigan Works! Association builds and maintains strong relationships with legislators and advocates on behalf of the Michigan Works! System. Through the Association, members can access timely, relevant professional development opportunities to ensure high-quality programs and service delivery to all customers. The Association also convenes meetings as a way for members to network and share best practices, and coordinates events to promote the Michigan Works! System.

Learning Log: the Affective Filter Hypothesis

The Affective Filter Hypothesis: Some Insights â€Å"The attendance for Miss Zaljiah’s English class has never been below 80% throughout her six teaching years in the polytechnic. You can often find her sitting beside the students working and guiding them through answers and task completion. Students’ commitment are often witnessed through their energy level, engagements during discussions in reaction to her video-recorded lectures. Smartphones, ‘Google’ and ‘Facebook’ are often their constant companion. At 55, she is an inspiration. † Teachers today go the extra mile to create relevant content, reflective enough of the real world.With the birth of screen-staring culture, it is undeniable how technology has overwhelmed current classroom pedagogies increasing the dire need for more enjoyable and stress-free learning environment. From Krashen’s perspective, Affective Filter seem to have its stand. The affective filter by Krashen is a ‘mental barrier’ students and teachers must reduce for learning fluidity. (Dulay and Burt, 1977 in Krashen, 1981). These three factors; low motivation and self-confidence combined with high anxiety built in students a ‘mental wall’ which impedes language from being acquired and internalized. Krashen, 1982). Students’ affective filter must be kept low with confidence and motivation, in order for the highest input to possibly reach the acquisition part of the brain. (Krashen, 1981). Supported and summarized by Macintyre (1995), he stated â€Å"language learning is a cognitive ability that relies on encoding, storage and retrieval processes. Anxiety can interfere by creating divided attention scenarios for anxious students. † (p. 96). Gardner and Macintyre’s (1993) characterized this apprehension as derogatory self-related cognitions.Now, the question is does learning stop when the fun stops? Does learning fail because of studentsâ€℠¢ anxiety and boredom? Or learning fails because students feel anxious and bored? We only focus and emphasize what deemed important for us. While one may agree the affective filter plays a role, its causal relationship cannot be proven. It is bias to say learning happens only with motivated and confident students and if they are not, learning never took place. It can never be argued that the presence of learning is the absence of anxiety or otherwise.To debate from an eclectic point of view, students’ various learning styles, multiple intelligences, idiosyncracies, language ego, literacy creativity and error-correction tolerance influences the acquisition process. These affective domains function in both directions. (Cook, 2000) Both students and teachers complement the learning process. The teacher certainly has the â€Å"influential effect on both the linguistic performance and emotional well-being of the students†. (Heyde, 1999 in Brown, 2000). Students can â€Å"u nfold their wings† with proper classroom techniques. (Andres, 1999).In conclusion, teachers should develop a perceptive and intuitive ability backed by theoretical grounds to decide on the effectiveness for the students. Students should not be choked in their language attempts as ‘anxiety can be facilitated’ (Bailey, 1983) in creating a meaningful learning environment. The fundamental principle of SLA is that every human capacity and ability is diversified should be addressed. Every lesson should aim to resonate with the spirit of each learner as balance is created in tapping everybody’s interest in the language classroom. (510 words) ———————– 1

Graphing Calculators essays

Graphing Calculators essays Students begin the study of algebra. The numbers of those who do not understand are gradually reduced. They struggle at first, and eventually most begin to understand. Or do they? Studies would suggest otherwise. A great amount of research has been done in the past decade in an attempt to find out why Americans are consistently near the bottom on international comparative studies in mathematics. The minimum requirements of most universities establish a passing high school grade in one algebra, and one geometry course, as necessary for acceptance. Failure to meet these requirements excludes thousands each year from college entrance. A significantly large percentage of those who do pass, enter college with deficiencies in mathematics. Even upon completion of college algebra the struggle is not over. Calculus is the final summit that looms over the prospective college graduate. Demana (1995) says, Though college students may have had as much as 2 Â ½ years of algebra instruction, one of the most common complaints that we hear from our colleagues about college calculus students is that the algebra preparation for calculus is very poor. And it is our experience that this criticism is a valid one. American performance when compared internationally is alarmingly, but not surprisingly weak. In a recent study that compared four nations, the United States was ranked last. In most areas of relevance, Americans were three to five times behind the other countries (Brenner, Herman, Hsiu-Zu Ho, Barbara, 1999). The focus of much research on international mathematics competency has been the ability of the pupil to obtain a correct answer (Herman, 1995). In the study entitled Cross National Comparison of Representational Competence (Brenner, Herman, Hsiu-Zu Ho, Barbara, 1999), the authors take a unique approach. Past research establishes that American students tend to utilize a visual technique in ...

Discrimination in Hiring

Discrimination in Hiring Introduction As the position of a general customer service representative for the call center requires certain skills and knowledge, the applicant should have some experience in dealing with customers via the phone communication and solving the problems in a cost-efficient way for the company and customers. Besides, the speech of an applicant should be distinctive enough so that a customer can easily understand the speech of a newly-employed.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Discrimination in Hiring specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A second language learner can be hired for this position if he/she has sufficient language skills that would not prevent a customer from understanding the message and the essence of the information provided by the general customer service representative. As the applicant should know about the company and functions to be performed, it is necessary to make a general overview of the c ompany, its history, and peculiarities of the position for which the applicant might be hired. A person should be punctual due to the specifics of the work and dependable in being at work regularly with minimal exceptions for child care issues. Moreover, it is necessary to find out whether an applicant is planning to obtain this position for a period of five or more years or considers this to be a job for 2-3 years. A List of Questions with Reasoning Do you have some experience in the area of cold calls? For what period of time you did you obtain the position at previous job? Was the communication with customers related to orders (due date, specifications, or terms of payment)? These questions are aimed at making sure that the person is experienced in the sector of communication with customers via the phone. Die you experience difficulties with understanding someone’s speech? Are you capable of formulating your questions correctly so that customers understand exactly what the problem is? These questions should help to investigate if a person has adequate comprehension skills and language skills in order to be able to speak and listen to customers without any difficulties. Are you punctual? This information is necessary to see if an applicant is punctual. Do you have some serious health problems that can prevent you from being at work regularly? Some applicants can consider this question discriminating but it focuses on the assessment of a person dependable being at work regularly.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Do you plan to work at our company for a long period of time? This is a direct question to find out if the person fits the requirements. Is there any possibility that you may want to discontinue your performance earlier than five years elapse? This is a way for making sure that a woman would not leave due h er maternal leave or a young man would not want to go to the army or to enter a college. Did you ever have conflicts with customers while speaking on the telephone? This question will help to analyze the psychological conditions of an applicant. Legal Issues in Questions Some questions should not be asked because an applicant can take the company to court alleging some type of discrimination. The discrimination issues include separate lists of questions for men and women, questions that concern the ethnicity and origin matters, background and a number of children in the family asked in a question can become a reason for a law case. In this case, all applicants should be treated equally (Weiss, 2004, pp. 43-44). It is necessary to ask whether the applicant understands all questions correctly (Steingold and Steingold, 2009, p. 20) in order to make sure that an applicant does not feel as being discriminated due to poor language skills or other factors that can make him/her take the c ompany to the court. References Steingold, F. S., and Steingold, F. (2009). The employers legal handbook (9th ed.). Berkeley, CA: Nolo. Weiss, D. H. (2004). Fair, square legal: Safe hiring, managing firing practices to keep you your company out of court (4th ed.). New York: AMACOM Division of American Management Association.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Discrimination in Hiring specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

Solutions for Challenging Counting Problems

Solutions for Challenging Counting Problems Counting can seem like an easy task to perform. As we go deeper into the area of mathematics known as combinatorics, we realize that we come across some large numbers. Since the factorial shows up so often, and a number such as 10! is greater than three million, counting problems can get complicated very quickly if we attempt to list out all of the possibilities. Sometimes when we consider all of the possibilities that our counting problems can take on, its easier to think through the underlying principles of the problem. This strategy can take much less time than trying brute force to list out a number of combinations or permutations. The question How many ways can something be done? is a different question entirely from What are the ways that something can be done? We will see this idea at work in the following set of challenging counting problems. The following set of questions involves the word TRIANGLE. Note that there are a total of eight letters. Let it be understood that the vowels of the word TRIANGLE are AEI, and the consonants of the word TRIANGLE are LGNRT. For a real challenge, before reading further check out a version of these problems without solutions. The Problems How many ways can the letters of the word TRIANGLE be arranged?Solution: Here there are a total of eight choices for the first letter, seven for the second, six for the third, and so on. By the multiplication principle we multiply for a total of 8 x 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 8! 40,320 different ways.How many ways can the letters of the word TRIANGLE be arranged if the first three letters must be RAN (in that exact order)?Solution: The first three letters have been chosen for us, leaving us five letters. After RAN we have five choices for the next letter followed by four, then three, then two then one. By the multiplication principle, there are 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 5! 120 ways to arrange the letters in a specified way.How many ways can the letters of the word TRIANGLE be arranged if the first three letters must be RAN (in any order)?Solution: Look at this as two independent tasks: the first arranging the letters RAN, and the second arranging the other five letters. There are 3! 6 wa ys to arrange RAN and 5! Ways to arrange the other five letters. So there are a total of 3! x 5! 720 ways to arrange the letters of TRIANGLE as specified. How many ways can the letters of the word TRIANGLE be arranged if the first three letters must be RAN (in any order) and the last letter must be a vowel?Solution: Look at this as three tasks: the first arranging the letters RAN, the second choosing one vowel out of I and E, and the third arranging the other four letters. There are 3! 6 ways to arrange RAN, 2 ways to choose a vowel from the remaining letters and 4! Ways to arrange the other four letters. So there are a total of 3! X 2 x 4! 288 ways to arrange the letters of TRIANGLE as specified.How many ways can the letters of the word TRIANGLE be arranged if the first three letters must be RAN (in any order) and the next three letters must be TRI (in any order)?Solution: Again we have three tasks: the first arranging the letters RAN, the second arranging the letters TRI, and the third arranging the other two letters. There are 3! 6 ways to arrange RAN, 3! ways to arrange TRI and two ways to arrange the other letters. So there are a total of 3! x 3! X 2 72 ways to arrange the letters of TRIANGLE as indicated. How many different ways can the letters of the word TRIANGLE be arranged if the order and the placement of the vowels IAE cannot be changed?Solution: The three vowels must be kept in the same order. Now there are a total of five consonants to arrange. This can be done in 5! 120 ways.How many different ways can the letters of the word TRIANGLE be arranged if the order of the vowels IAE cannot be changed, though their placement may (IAETRNGL and TRIANGEL are acceptable but EIATRNGL and TRIENGLA are not)?Solution: This is best thought of in two steps. Step one is to choose the places that the vowels go. Here we are picking three places out of eight, and the order that we do this is not important. This is a combination and there are a total of C(8,3) 56 ways to perform this step. The remaining five letters may be arranged in 5! 120 ways. This gives a total of 56 x 120 6720 arrangements.How many different ways can the letters of the word TRIANGLE be arranged if the order of the vowels IAE can be changed, though their placement may not?Solution: This is really the same thing as #4 above, but with different letters. We arrange three letters in 3! 6 ways and the other five letters in 5! 120 ways. The total number of ways for this arrangement is 6 x 120 720. How many different ways can six letters of the word TRIANGLE be arranged?Solution: Since we are talking about an arrangement, this is a permutation and there are a total of P( 8, 6) 8!/2! 20,160 ways.How many different ways can six letters of the word TRIANGLE be arranged if there must be an equal number of vowels and consonants?Solution: There is only one way to select the vowels we are going to place. Choosing the consonants can be done in C(5, 3) 10 ways. There are then 6! ways to arrange the six letters. Multiply these numbers together for the result of 7200.How many different ways can six letters of the word TRIANGLE be arranged if there must be at least one consonant?Solution: Every arrangement of six letters satisfies the conditions, so there are P(8, 6) 20,160 ways.How many different ways can six letters of the word TRIANGLE be arranged if the vowels must alternate with consonants?Solution: There are two possibilities, the first letter is a vowel or the first letter is a consonant. If the first letter is a vowel we have three choices, followed by five for a consonant, two for a second vowel, four for a second consonant, one for the last vowel and three for the last consonant. We multiply this to obtain 3 x 5 x 2 x 4 x 1 x 3 360. By symmetry arguments, there are the same number of arrangements that start with a consonant. This gives a total of 720 arrangements. How many different sets of four letters can be formed from the word TRIANGLE?Solution: Since we are talking about a set of four letters from a total of eight, the order is not important. We need to calculate the combination C(8, 4) 70.How many different sets of four letters can be formed from the word TRIANGLE that has two vowels and two consonants?Solution: Here we are forming our set in two steps. There are C(3, 2) 3 ways to choose two vowels from a total of 3. There are C(5, 2) 10 ways to choose to consonants from the five available. This gives a total of 3x10 30 sets possible.How many different sets of four letters can be formed from the word TRIANGLE if we want at least one vowel?Solution: This can be calculated as follows: The number of sets of four with one vowel is C(3, 1) x C( 5, 3) 30.The number of sets of four with two vowels is C(3, 2) x C( 5, 2) 30.The number of sets of four with three vowels is C(3, 3) x C( 5, 1) 5. This gives a total of 65 different sets. Alternately we could calculate that there are 70 ways to form a set of any four letters, and subtract the C(5, 4) 5 ways of obtaining a set with no vowels.

Critical Reflective Log Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Critical Reflective Log - Essay Example This essay is a critical reflective log on placement based on drugs and alcohol use, a recovery process. Although research has shown that moderate consumption of alcohol has some health benefits for older adults, excessive consumption of alcohol has negative health and social consequences just like drug abuse or addiction. About five percent of the world’s population meets the criteria for an alcohol and drug use disorder, dependence or abuse (Miller 2003). The highest percentage of this population comes from Australia. People under 25 years of age stand the riskiest drinking habits. The most effective treatment strategy for alcoholism and drug addiction is intervening early with risky alcoholics and drug abusers to prevent them from becoming heavy and regular alcoholics or drug abusers (American Psychiatric Association 1994). It is a complicated process to withdraw someone from heavy alcohol intake or drug addiction because it is not easy to stop the drinking habit or stop the drug abuse habit. Once an alcoholic or drug addict decides to recover from the addiction, there are various ways of doing so. For instance, one can do it from an inpatient rehab center, outpatient rehab center, hospital, therapy, or engage himself in the twelve step programs (VandenBos 2007). Quitting drinking or drugs assists one to get rid physical illnesses related to the addiction out of his body. In addition, the addict needs to heal emotionally to avoid cases where he goes back to his old addictions. For an alcoholic or drug addict to recover, he will be expected to follow a certain process beyond his old life to create a new life (Schaler 1997). These processes are part of self reflection or introspection. Below are programs, which can assist an alcoholic or drug addict to have a self reflection. These programs last for a month or more than a year and they usually take place in a residential

Apple case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Apple case study - Essay Example The company in its approach, designed strategies based on the market player’s weaknesses and customer generational needs to ensure faster growth. In particular, it integrated superior infrastructural set up than market players, which provided modern recording and sales techniques. This is to ensure that customers receive modern musical services based on broadband and iPod technological enabled systems. Ideally, most customers in the music industry including recorders consider modern technological enabled production system, which ensures good quality hence superior returns. This element enabled Apple to develop its .market rapidly due to its advancement in various aspects, which was a weakness to renowned market players. Variably, the company also integrated its management techniques to ensure effective administration of its resources to ensure quality proceeds, a concept the dominant firms poorly executed. It also provided favorable recording terms with initiation of subsidy f und system to poor artist who would could not sustain recording expenses. This aspect attracted most artist to its services coupled with it modern techniques of production. Further, its technological capacity through adoption of Apple computers, which offered a breakthrough towards effective management, and coordination of web music highly, attracted most individuals including Michael Jackson (Lynch 2009). It is imperative to note that its launching strategy also propelled its performance since it communicated basic information where it provided potential services, which were unique to its rivals. 2. SWOT analysis on Apple business model Apple designed its operations based on superior strategies with a strong focus to gaining competitive benefits and provision of quality services to customers globally (Lynch 2009). In particular, its infrastructural capacity provided its greatest strength, which has significantly contributed to its competitiveness and general performance. Modern gen erational musical production and publishing techniques is critical towards production of superior music with high demand. Variably, its sound management practices have also enhanced its operations compared to its rivals since the administration of its affairs is based on clear ideals and principles. The company has a substantial market share with strong strategic alliance network portfolios, which facilitates its sales and financial prospects for example Nokia and Samsung service providers. Quality production and delivery of service to consumers also forms its major strength in this industry where quality greatly affects performance potentials. Imperatively, the strengths contributed greatly to its sound performance compared to its rivals, which operated on inferior management practices, adopted low quality generational musical infrastructure and poor strategic coordination. Similarly, the company’s opportunities include increased demand of its services, market expansion, new ventures and diversification capacities, and favorable legislation to regulate the industry effectively. Observation of these opportunities is vital since they hold the organizations continuous competitiveness and performance capacity. The organization also faces various threats and weaknesses, which should be addressed to ensure sustainable growth without providing unwarranted leeway to new entrants (Lynch 2009). The strengths and weaknesses include possible new

Assignment 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Assignment 3 - Essay Example Customers: The stores of Boots UK are mainly located in well-known localities and streets of UK. Hence, its main consumers are male and females between age group 15-45 years from nearby neighbourhoods. Strength: The primary strength of the company is that it has a well-recognised brand with wide product range. The company is established in the market and has strong reliance on research and development. Weakness: Boots UK considers that location and ambience of its store are outdated, which can prove to be a weakness. Apart from this, analysis showed that the company has little dependence on technologies, which increase processing time of activities. Furthermore, the company also charges comparatively high price. The company has applied SMART techniques to determine goals and objectives. The company is planning to achieve an increase of twenty-five percent in the sale annually. It also has an objective to attract ten percent more male consumers every year, compared to the previous year. These goals are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-specific in nature. Realizing such goals can prove to be company’s competitive advantage. The company has used demographic and geographic segmentation while determining its target segment. Boots UK has placed stores mainly in the high streets of UK; so, the obvious target market of company is individuals from the neighbourhood. From demographic point, the company ensure that both genders, male and female, are its product users and the age range is between 16 and 45 years (Armstrong, Cunningham and Kotler, 2002). In its strategy, the company is planning to implement Ansoff’s matrix to decide upon products for existing as well as new markets. The model was proposed by mathematician, Igor Ansoff. It states that there are four growth strategies that a firm can adopt: Market penetration and product development for existing market and market

Critical Response paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical Response paper - Essay Example No male dictator in history has ever had that much control. Women have been suppressed, but still contributed to the history of the whole human race. The history of women is very important, because this history has not only shaped women of today, but also the men. Women today have been shaped by the history of their culture. For example, Canadian women have contributed to the Canadian culture. Strong-Boag, Gleason, and Perry state, â€Å"A vision of history devoid women is at least half wrong† (1). What Canadian leader can claim that they were not influenced by at least one woman, whether it be mother, wife, lover, or friend? Women have influenced history, forging their own history, even if it has not been formally acknowledged. Not only have women shaped all history, but their own history. Some aspects of this history are not pleasant or widely focused on. An example would be when discussing the suffrage movement in the United States, women of the upper class did not want equality for all women, especially their servants. This has continued to this day. You do not see Hilliary Clinton going to Arkansas speaking with uneducated poor women with twelve children, declaring that they are equal to her. Canadian women are not above this bias. For example â€Å"Jeans/Johns—Talon, Simcoe, Macdonald, Lesage, Diefenbaker, and Chretien, and the Roberts—Baldwin, Borden, and Stanfield, Bourassa—who monopolized the textbooks† (Strong-Boag, Gleason, and Perry, 3-4). These women felt that the aboriginal women were not their equals. This is an accurate portrait of womens history. Women can change the future of history. When feminism or womens rights group start advocating equal opportunities for all women such as â€Å"women of color, working class-women, poor women, disabled women, Jewish women, lesbians, old women†, then the future will be shaped by both men and women (Bennett, 13). Of course, both

Impact of US Credit Crunch on Global Economy Essay

Impact of US Credit Crunch on Global Economy - Essay Example Lenders were also looking for borrowers even with lesser creditworthiness but new house buyers. Interest rate was already slashed from 5% to 0.75% in 11 installments. They were ready with exotic offers such as 'interest only' loans or 'option adjustable rate' mortgage (option ARMs). These loans were attractive because of low down payment but later the payment was to skyrocket. Banks wrote in average1% of option ARMs all mortgages in 2003 that went up to 15% by 2006. In certain American communities the option was one in every three mortgages written. By 2006 brokers were accountable for 80% of all mortgages originated. Brokers advocated hard for the option ARMs because that was highly profitable for banks and high commission fetching for the brokers. Banks had another advantage to bundle up many mortgages to sell them to investment funds; hedge funds, which used these as collateral for highly leveraged loans. The mortgages bundles were highly unregulated and not properly verified for credit worthiness. Investors who were holding these mortgage- backed bonds were at risk of losing high as a result of home loans given to people with poor credit profile. Since 2001 banks' credits have gone up 83% to$14.9 trillion and the total mortgage debt is up106% over the last six and a half years. There were millions of sub-prime mortgages in USA with reports of about two million of them expected to lose homes to foreclosure according to Pittman 2007. Global economy will have negative repurcussions of the credit crunch in USA. IMF has alreay revised it growth forecast on account of the credit crunch by cutting the growth rate of UK to 1.6% down from 1.8%, and by cutting down the euro zone growth to 1.4% from 1.6% ad that of US itself from 1.5% to just 0.5% (IMF world Business outlook) This makes UK to sustain the higest growth rate in the face of crdit crunch. IMF has revised its forecast about the growth of emerging economies down to 6.7% in 2008. This is just 0.2% down which appears egligible with a view to 1% reduction in growth of US economy. This is a correction in IMF estimate of the past when it forecasted major impact on developing economoies of the credt crunch in US.0.8%

Remembering my Childhood in the Continent of Africa Personal Statement

Remembering my Childhood in the Continent of Africa - Personal Statement Example Sendaris as the narrator patronizes his own childhood while praising almost all the events which Hugh went through in his childhood. Apart from the praises, I established that later on the article Sendaris is sympathetic of what Hugh went through after his family moved to Mogadishu (Sendaris 247). I have witnessed also the fact that, the narrator has managed to pin point positive and inspiring events, in the African continent which is full of third world countries. The narrator portrays the negativity experienced in the three African countries which Hugh lived in as normal and intriguing. The themes the narrator is trying to display are admiration, jealously and sympathy. Sendaris’ view on what Hugh went through during his childhood is sarcastic. Judging from the narration, in reality Hugh’s experience, in Africa, has been rough and exhilarating. To my amazement, Sendaris is praising and admiring Hugh’s childhood, but this is controversial. I do not consider Hugh to be privileged because his family moves from one African country to another. In my analysis, I discovered that Sendaris’ praises and admirations on Hugh’s childhood are transitional. The transition moves from praise and admiration to jealousy and later on to sympathy. The transition does not depend on what Sendaris thinks of Hugh, but on what Hugh is experienced in his childhood. I categorize Sendaris’ description of Hugh’s childhood experience as overrated. Truthfully speaking, I know that the two countries which Hugh lived in when he was a child, that is Congo and Somali have suffered their share of suffering. Sendaris is sarcastic in his narration; he is intrigued with the thrilling events which Hugh came across. Experiences like seeing a man who had hanged himself on a pole (Sendaris 246) and an animal shot to death while Hugh and his fellow classmates watched (Sendaris 245) are

Impact of US Credit Crunch on Global Economy Essay

Impact of US Credit Crunch on Global Economy - Essay Example Lenders were also looking for borrowers even with lesser creditworthiness but new house buyers. Interest rate was already slashed from 5% to 0.75% in 11 installments. They were ready with exotic offers such as 'interest only' loans or 'option adjustable rate' mortgage (option ARMs). These loans were attractive because of low down payment but later the payment was to skyrocket. Banks wrote in average1% of option ARMs all mortgages in 2003 that went up to 15% by 2006. In certain American communities the option was one in every three mortgages written. By 2006 brokers were accountable for 80% of all mortgages originated. Brokers advocated hard for the option ARMs because that was highly profitable for banks and high commission fetching for the brokers. Banks had another advantage to bundle up many mortgages to sell them to investment funds; hedge funds, which used these as collateral for highly leveraged loans. The mortgages bundles were highly unregulated and not properly verified for credit worthiness. Investors who were holding these mortgage- backed bonds were at risk of losing high as a result of home loans given to people with poor credit profile. Since 2001 banks' credits have gone up 83% to$14.9 trillion and the total mortgage debt is up106% over the last six and a half years. There were millions of sub-prime mortgages in USA with reports of about two million of them expected to lose homes to foreclosure according to Pittman 2007. Global economy will have negative repurcussions of the credit crunch in USA. IMF has alreay revised it growth forecast on account of the credit crunch by cutting the growth rate of UK to 1.6% down from 1.8%, and by cutting down the euro zone growth to 1.4% from 1.6% ad that of US itself from 1.5% to just 0.5% (IMF world Business outlook) This makes UK to sustain the higest growth rate in the face of crdit crunch. IMF has revised its forecast about the growth of emerging economies down to 6.7% in 2008. This is just 0.2% down which appears egligible with a view to 1% reduction in growth of US economy. This is a correction in IMF estimate of the past when it forecasted major impact on developing economoies of the credt crunch in US.0.8%

Martin Luther king Essay Example for Free

Martin Luther king Essay It is normal for every person to have dreams about the future. Many people have their own personal dreams while others have dreams for the society. People also tend to have both positive and negative dreams, which they hold. A good leader is one who has positive dream about the people he leads. One of the famous people who have dreams that have to become true is Martin Luther king. This paper gives the analysis of Martin Luther king’s â€Å"I have a dream†. â€Å"I have a dream† speech by Martin Luther king is one of the most wonderful and best speeches that have been given in time immemorial. It was in August 1963 when he moved America by this speech. The speech was full of soaring rhetoric, which demanded justice to be done to all races, and demanding for an integrated society where the black community was recognized. His words proved to be the touchstone in understanding the political and social upheavals that existed in the American society during that time. This gave the country a vocabulary to use when expressing the happenings of that moment. He had one very crucial message that all people regardless of their skin colour were created equally and so they should be treated the same. However, he insisted that that was not the case in America at that moment but he was optimistic that this would happen in the future. He insisted that this would happen in the future in a very powerful and passionate way. His speech was well researched because in the preparation of this speech he studied the Bible, the address by Gettysburg and the declaration of the United States independence. He was able to incorporate all the research in his speech. Looking at his speech it can be described to be a political treatise, poetry, a well improvised and masterfully sermon full of Biblical imagery and language. He used frequent repetition and alliteration in making his points to be clear. Looking at the first half of the speech it shows not an idealized dream of American. It shows a seething Nightmare of racial injustice by the Americans (Murray, 15-20). This is where the speech call for action by insisting that t was the right time for the racial injustices to end. His shows the urgency that is need to undertake the actions. He held that this was the right time to make the real promises of democracy. This was the time for the American to come out of dark and desolate valley full of discrimination and start walking on the path of racial justice. He insisted that that was the right time to make all people have equal opportunities and start living in solid rock of brotherhood. He also encouraged people to make pledge that they would all walk together and never look backwards. He insisted that devotees of civil rights would never be satisfied until the moment when the black man in the American society would be free of horror brutality by the police. He also insisted that they would never rest until when the quality of life of the Negroes had improved and given right to participate in the running of the country and understood the importance of their participation in the public affairs (Dyson, 51-53). In the second half of the speech, the speech depicts the dream of a better, integrated and a future that would be fairer in racial harmony. This is the part of the speech, which has the theme of â€Å"I have a dream. † This phrase is repeated as a way of making his inspirational concepts be understood. He encourages the people that despite of the frustrations and difficulties at that moment he had a dream that all this would end. He held that a day is coming when the country would live according to the true meaning of its creed (Dyson, 51-53). This is when all people from different social classes, for example, children of slaves and those of the slave owners would be able to live as brothers and sit down together. The society that would be full of freedom and justice for all people. This would be a society where people would not be judged by the colour of their skin but would be judged by what they have in their character. He had a dream that the society would be transformed and the glory of the lord would be seem by everybody who would be living in that society (Murray, 15-20). The speech had a very strong message for the white community and hinted revolution. However, he used peaceful words and provided a vision for everybody. At the end of the speech, he had a passage aimed at unification of all people with a theme focusing around freedom. This is where he insisted that time was coming when all the people would sing one song of a sweet land of liberty. All people from all races, religious affiliations would be able to join hands and sing of a free state. There are three factors, which made his speech to have a lot of impact. The remarkable emotion he used in terms of body and voice. The place at which the speech was given in the steps of the memorial of a US president defeated the slavery in the southern states. Another factor is the mood of the day where there was increased slavery among the black people and the time when the whites started feeling guilty of their actions. Work cited Dyson Michael. Debating race with Michael Eric Dyson, New York, Basic Civitas Books, 2007, pg 51- 53. Murray Julie. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, 1st edition, New York, ABDO Group, 2005, pg 15-20.

Feral Children: Cases and Learning Development

Feral Children: Cases and Learning Development Feral children, wild child, gazelle boy, undomesticated; these are all names that have been given to children throughout the decades defined as A child who is raised without human contact, often raised by wild animals as a result of being abandoned. This is indeed a fact in history that these children exist. There are so many stories, examples and cases of feral children raised by animals in history. Examples like Victor The Wild Boy , Kamala and Amala sisters raised by a wolf, and Robert who was raised by monkeys in Uganda. It is incredible that these children were able to survive. How did they manage to stay alive, and at what cost to their humanity? Are they ever able to gain what they did not learn when integrated back into society? This is a cruel way to treat a little child, either with abuse or even just negligence to care for the child. Today feral children could be defined as any human child suffering from sensory deprivation and can be caused by their own parents. Today the y can be children who have grown up with very little contact or none at all. Feral Children explore the boundaries of environmental factors on human beings, how they develop to become what society deems to be a respectable human and the overall influences of nature versus nurture paralleled to unconditional love and the surrounding of other humans. Many cases of feral children have occurred over several centuries. These children were isolated for so long and to a point where they do not know English or have not even seen another human being. Tales of children living and surviving in the wild, brought up by animals are almost too unbelievable to be true. Feral children are kids who have been confined with little to no human contact. Sometimes they live and survive on their own, or they have been raised by animals. Many cases prove that these feral children are not just some made up tale, but real life children living without any speech or knowledge of what is happening to them. There are many effects that occur to these children from being cut off from the real world. They include learning animal behaviours and possibly never learning to speak. Some of the children became super fast runners at times on all fours, some even covered with hair. Feral children s senses were often more developed than those of children living with hum ans, particularly their sense of smell and hearing. Various children found in the wild could adapt easily to changes in temperature and tolerate more pain. You may need to site some of this information, where did you get the facts? Many people believe that these stories of children raised by animals are just that, stories made up by writers and people with vivid imaginations. This is not true; there are many documented cases of these children. In January of 1799, a young boy with no clothes on was spotted outside a small town of France, near Aveyron. This boy was named Victor, and was around the age of eleven or twelve. Victor behaved like an animal, he ate rotten food with pleasure, he was incapable of distinguishing hot from cold, and he spent much of his time rocking back and forth like a caged animal He lived with a scientist named Dr. Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard. He was dedicated to the education of the young boy trying to get him to be able to speak. Victor made little progress in all these areas and was only able to perform small tasks, such as setting a table. Eventually scientists lost funding for Victor and he was sent to live with a housekeeper. Victor died at the age of 40 in 1828. In a more modern version of feral children is the story of the Romulus and Remus, two young girls who were discovered under the care of a she-wolf in 1920, in Godamuri, India. In order to get to the girls the wolf defended the two girls like they were her own babies, but the wolf was killed because it was attacking the men trying to save the two girls. The two girls were Kamala who was aged eight and Amala aged only 18 months old. The two girls would sleep all day and wake up at night, remained only on all fours, liked eating raw meat, and would bite or growl at people bothering them. They worked with these girls for a long time to try and find out as much as possible about feral children. Amala only lived for a year until she died but Kamala lived for nine more years until she passed away of illness. Kamala did learn a small vocabulary and eventually learned how to walk up right, but still had a good sense of sight in the dark and of raw meats at a great distance. A feral child does not have to be a story about a lost child raised by an animal. Many cases of abused or forgotten children have come up over time. Stories such as kids being found tied to toilets or locked in a basement, some kids forced to live in a dog house because their parents are too drunk to remember them. Genie was a 13 year old girl when police took custody of her on November 25th, 1970. Genie was found only because her mother had applied for welfare and prior to this no one knew she even existed. She would be strapped to a toilet in an empty room where her parents kept her. Also was forced to sleep in a sleeping bag that was way to small for her, genie now has deformed legs because of this. She was kept in such isolation that she couldn t talk or understand people. She could only make small grunts or moans if she needed something, she could also mumble the words no more . She was kept in her room for 10 years because her father thought she was mentally challenged as a baby. Genie had very limited socialization and she was abused for making noise which stunted her ability to communicate. They formed a group of scientists and social workers to help Genie have a normal life; this was later called The Genie Project. They worked with Genie for many years with little progress. Eventually they lost funding for her and she had to be sent to live in many foster homes were she was abused again. She currently lives in California with her foster parents. Another case of this kind of abuse emerged from the Ukrainians, a girl named Oxona Malaya who was found living in a farm kennel. Oxana s parents were both alcoholics and did not care for her well being. This is the reason why she decided to sleep in the kennel with the dogs at such a young age. For six years she was raised by dogs, not having any human contact. Oxona would walk on all fours, bark at people, and pant like a normal dog would. Oxana did not know what a mirror was and showed no recognition of the reflected image of her. This lack of self-awareness makes her, in some respects, more like an animal than a human. These two cases show people what abusing a child can do to then. As She was growing up and learning how to speak, they discovered in a brain scan that Oxana was mentally challenged because of her time spent with the dogs, if she was just raised like a normal girl she could of a had a normal childhood growing up, instead she has to live in a foster home. This is the reason why most children are abandoned or forgotten about, because parents do not want to have a mentally challenged child. She could have lived a normal life if her parents just cared a little more to pay more attention, but now she has to grow up learning how to talk and walk like a normal human being. In a small village in Uganda in 1982 a little boy named John Sebunnya was found living in a tree with monkeys. He ran away from home at the age three because of the abuse he took from his parents, also his parents didn t bother looking for where John ran away. He tells his story to this day of what happened in the little English he knows. Many different councilors and scientists have sat down with him asking about his time living with the monkeys. Different aspects of his story stick out to scientists that make them wonder if this was just a case of the monkeys tolerating the boy. They would just let him eat whatever was left and never cleaned him as they would other monkeys. When it came to cleaning time for the monkeys, they would never clean John, and he said that he would just watch as they pulled bugs from each other s fur. This information made scientists think that the monkeys didn t actually take care of John but just accepted him in the group. Throughout our history, our soc iety has tested the theory of nature vs. nurture. Some scientists believe that we are predisposed according to our genetics on how we behave. This is known as the nature theory. Other scientists believe that we behave in a certain way because of how we are taught. This is known as the nurture theory. One topic sociologists have studied is feral children to help explain these theories. They have found that children raised by animals acquired the instincts and behaviors of the species that raised them. The study of these feral children and children who are raised or kept in extreme isolation makes it hard not to support the nurture theory or statement. These cases prove the importance of education in our society and They show that human beings not only can be educated, but must be educated to become a human being at all. Everything that a child knows or learns must be taught; except for normal body functions like breathing or reflexes. Abilities that determine a child s success in school do not happen automatically they must be developed or nurtured . Children also learn how to be friendly, thankful, honest, trustful and respectful. All these skills must be learned and fostered. Psychologists and Scientists have studied feral children to help them gain insight into human socialization and development. By helping these children with human like abilities due to what they were going through as children. When feral children are discovered and returned to society, they often remain significantly developmentally delayed. Researchers are still trying to answer the question whether these children were already delayed or their abnormalities occurred because of their isolation in the wild. So what makes u s human? Is it society or is it instilled within us? Babies do grow into adults physically, but our social beliefs and ideas are not transferred in our DNA. Even though our bodies may grow, if we are isolated we become little more than an animal. In order for children to develop into well rounded human beings, they must be surrounded by people that care for them and people that will teach them language and how to walk. Through the stories of the feral children whether true or not, it leaves us wondering what makes us human? Feral children are human biologically but their emotions are limited to what they learned in the wild. These children will now never know right from wrong, or even what their own name is, but it goes to show the little attention a child gets makes a big impact on that child in the future. Children need love and protection from other human beings in order to grow up and develop into a human being themselves. The young age these children get lost at or when there f orgotten is the age the child s brain is growing, when they learn speech and ability to walk. It shows us how important it is for children to have the influence of another human to learn and love from. The nurture you give a child as a baby is what gives that child human like behaviors, nurturing a child can last a life time.

The Iron Hand of Dramatic Irony Essay example -- Sophocles Oedipus tyr

The Iron Hand of Dramatic Irony Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus is considered by many scholars to be the most significant masterpiece of Greek drama. Through Oedipus Tyrannus, Sophocles is able to develop and establish dramatic irony, a theatrical device that allows the audience to understand the hidden meanings of the words and actions of the characters, though the characters themselves remain oblivious. Therefore, the behavior of the characters become ironic because they are unable to grasp the reality of the truth that is being unraveled before their eyes. "Dramatic irony may be described as putting into a speaker's (character's) mouth words that have for the audience a meaning not intended by the speaker" ("Dramatic"). Sophocles weaves this device into Oedipus Tyrannus, giving the play a distinct characteristic. He devises a "step-by-step discovery" of the truth (Gould), yielding value for the profound way it is constructed. With the use of dramatic irony, Sophocles incorporates the audience into the play by endowing them with "the divine position of knowing the truth" (Clay 13). A highly established illustration of dramatic irony may be found in Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus, where the character of Oedipus investigates the murder of the previous king of Thebes, only to learn that it is himself who is guilty of committing the crime, a truth known to the audience all along. Thus, Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus has dramatic irony woven into the play from the beginning to the end. The principal aspect of Sophoclean tragedy that is delicately worked into the play is dramatic irony itself. Sophocles masters the technique of dramatic irony in Oedipus Tyrannus as he entails a second, ominous meaning for nearly every... ...ut his tragic downfall. The significant use of dramatic irony in the tragedy of Oedipus compels the spectator to be involved emotionally in Oedipus' blind heroic struggles to find the truth. Thus, Sophocles effectively implements the art of dramatic irony through the tragedy of Oedipus Tyrannus. Works Cited Bates, William N. Sophocles Poet and Dramatist. New York: A.S. Barnes, 1940. 19-20. Writer's Market. 22 February 2001 <http://www.writersmarket.com/encyc/d.asp>. Knox, Bernard, trans. Oedipus the King by Sophocles. Enriched Classic ed. New York: Washington Square P, 1987. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. Diskin Clay. Ed. William Arrowsmith. New York: Oxford UP, 1978. 13. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. Thomas Gould. New Jersey: Prentice, 1970. 2. Sophocles. Oedipus Tyrannus. Norton Critical Ed. New York: Norton, 1970.

Boot Camps and Juvenile Crime Essay -- Juvenile Crime Boot Camps Incar

Boot Camps and Juvenile Crime Five years ago, responding to an increase in serious juvenile crime, the state of Maryland initiated one of the nation's largest boot camp programs for teenage criminals. The program, called the Leadership Challenge, quickly became the model for other states. But last week, after reviewing a task force report that documented instances of physical abuse at their camps, Maryland officials appeared on the verge of conceding that the current initiative was a failure. Military-style discipline may work as punishment at juvenile boot camps, but it has not been effective as rehabilitation. The Maryland experience, together with problems in other states, has already led some states to close their boot camps and even to rethink how their penal laws treat young offenders. All in all, it is a remarkable turn of events for an idea that was once greeted as a breakthrough in the fight against juvenile crime There is increasing evidence that boot camps never worked. A national study last year by the Koch Crime Institute, a public policy group in Topeka, Kan., showed that recidivism among boot camp attendees ranged from 64 percent to 75 percent, slightly higher than for youths sentenced to adult prisons. Gerald Wells, a senior research associate at the Koch Institute, said of the report, "The shocking parts are the allegations of abuse, but the more alarming parts are the failures." Research has also shown, according to Mr. Wells and other penal justice experts, that these camps were grounded in a false and unexamined assumption. "People thought boot camps shaped up a lot of servicemen during three wars," Mr. Wells added. "But just because you place someone in a highly structured environment with discipline, does not mean once they get home, and are out of that, they will be model citizens." Boot camps have their roots in the 1970's, with the advent of large, well-organized and extremely violent street gangs. In response to these groups, many states began to imprison more young people. By the 1990's, as the number of repeat juvenile offenders rose to record levels, it became clear that prison sentences were not working. In 1994, nearly 10,000 juveniles were charged with criminal offenses, an all-time high. More than 2,300 of them were charged with murder, compared with fewer than 1,000 in 1980, according to th... ...and they also need to learn respect, self-respect, discipline and a new way of conducting themselves in society," Ms. Townsend said. "Facilities that provide structure and discipline can be run effectively and have a role in our fight after juvenile crime." Many experts disagree, citing the expense of running such programs properly. "It's a budget issue," said Doris Mackenzie, a University of Maryland criminology professor. "They are popular in the public, people feel we should treat these kids tough, and everyone can get onto the bandwagon," she said. "But when it comes to this extra expense of doing the follow-up, we find, the money is not there." In any case, juvenile crime has been falling since 1994, after an overall drop in the nation's juvenile population. This will make it highly unlikely, say political observers, that voters will agree to pay for individualized rehabilitation. Much more likely, they say, is that the 27,000 young people who once went to boot camp each year will instead be sent to prison. As bad as boot camps have proved to be, Mr. Wells added, "once you start incarcerating kids, you have lost. But unfortunately, that is where we seem headed."

Monkey in the mirror

Monkey in the mirror is a book written by Ian Tattersall and it was published by the oxford university press in the year 2002 with 203 pages and the serial number is ISBN 0-19-851569-3. Tattersall a curator by profession is a PhD holder From Yale University,Tattersall, a Briton, is a curator in the Division of Anthropology of the American Museum of Natural History â€Å"Dr. Tattersall is currently working with Research Associate Jeffrey Schwartz on a multi-volume project to document the major fossils in the human fossil record. The literature as it stands is not a good resource for comparing human fossils, because standards of description and terminology vary widely. Because it employs a consistent descriptive and photographic protocol, this new work will make it possible for the first time for colleagues, students, and others to make the necessary comparisons without the extensive travel needed to consult the originals, which are in institutions all over the world. It will thus be a unique resource for pale anthropology that will spur future research† by D.S.G. POLLOCK â€Å"According to tattersall this is a great book having researched on it well and pointing to a lot of essays and as we all know human history or geology is a difficult topic and needs much research before one tries to defend his/her argument and as tattersall explain in his preface, â€Å"this is a somewhat unusual book, being â€Å"a series of loosely connected essays on evolution and related subjects† rather than a tightly constructed argument. Presumably because of this, it lacks both an index and any references or even a suggested reading list, which is a rather unfortunate limitation, especially in view of its author's somewhat contentious views† Campbell. Copyright  © Anthony Campbell (2002) The book in all has eight in which tattersall has discussed different issues brings out Where the man came from that is according to evolution theory which he has stated different parts of the world. The first two paragraphs are of general information about what science and evolution is. He firstly discuss what science is and theory and its findings and what it helps us in modern day to understand The first chapter of the book, titled What's So Special about Science?, provides a surprising insight into the cultural context in which Tattersall works. at the American museum In these, Tattersall sets the scene for what follows. He is particularly keen to counter the idea that adaptation in evolution is â€Å"for† anything. Novelty arises on a haphazard basis and it is purely a matter of luck if it turns out to have a beneficial effect on survival and reproduction. About novelty in evolution, tattersall supports the view that radial innovations can appear in select few the rest of the book is concerned in one way or another â€Å"with aspects of human evolution. In a chapter called â€Å"The Monkey in the Mirror†, which is also the title of the whole connection, Tattersall considers the question of which animals are capable of recognizing their own reflection (only humans and some though not all apes), and considers the connection, or lack of connection, between brain size and intelligence. Although we often think that a large brain is what mainly distinguishes us from other species, pre-human hominids were not chiefly remarkable for the size of their brains. Instead, Tattersall identifies three features that he thinks are important in this regard: upright stance, the use of stone tools, and a â€Å"modern† body form.† Anthony Campbell. â€Å"Tattersall devotes a full chapter to Homo erectus and the Australopithecenes who preceded him; and he is emphatic that the transition from one to the other was abrupt. Another of the evolutionary themes that Tattersall is keen to emphasize is denoted by the inelegant neologism of exaptation† pollok Neanderthals has a complete topic dedicated by tattersall and adopts the view that they were not ancestral to us but are of different species he holds a view that they were killed by our own ancestors and has a believe that the they could have interbred. Chapter Seven consist of a sustained attack on evolutionary psychology and sociobiology. Tattersall is scornful of the idea that our present-day behavior is conditioned by our long evolutionary background as hunter-gatherers or that our psychology is dependent on our genes. â€Å"However, I think there is a better case to be made out for such ideas than he allows, and his inevitably rather brief discussion of it is one-sided† Kevin N. Laland and Gillian R. Brown. â€Å"Tattersall's account of man's evolution conveys a modern message. As far as the science of paleoanthropology is concerned, it is up to the minute in the way that it reports the tenor of current thinking. It has been written with such facility and in such affluent prose that, sometimes, its cutting edge is too well concealed. It can take an effort of concentration, far beyond what the book ostensibly requires of the reader, to anatomize its rich and complex message. But, any reader who is prepared to devote time and thought to this brief book will be abundantly rewarded† Stephen Pollock. The final chapter forecast the future. in his essay he says, I quote: â€Å"It is fairly pessimistic about our chances of survival. As a consolation prize, however, if humanity is reduced to scattered pockets of survivors in relative isolation from one another there will be a chance for evolution to take off again; a large and unified population like ours today does not afford the fragmentation and isolation that is needed for selection to act.† tattersall Conclusion To conclude and in short, tattersal is a profound writer and this book is exceptional and will interest anyone who envies evolution of the current day. And as we see the book has no references and this is a set back because readers will not have an alternative incase they want an alternative view. Works cited; Monkey in the mirror-Ian tattersall Anthony Campbell- Essays on the scienc

Norse Mythology in Modern Culture Essay

Amon Amarth is one of the most blatantly Norse Mythological metal bands in existence. In fact, they are probably the only band in the world that is this closely tied to Norse Mythology. Everything from their album names, to their song titles, to the lyrics embedded in the gut wrenching brutality of their fast-paced melodic guitar riffs, screams Odin, Thor, Loki and all the other gods and characters spoken of in the sagas and stories passed from generation to generation through both written and vocal methods. In true saga style, with the oral tradition of the most ancient establishments and peoples in the Nordic region, they sing the stories of the Eddas and send praise to the gods long after the time of their magnificence. The introductory album from Amon Amarth, entitled Sorrow Throughout the Nine Worlds, has many different references to the gods Odin, Loki and Baldr throughout the album. One of the more obvious references is from the song â€Å"Sorrow Throughout the Nine Worlds†, which refers to the universal weeping from the story Baldr’s Dreams in the Poetic Edda by Snorri Sturluson. In Baldr’s Dreams, Baldr, the second of Odin’s sons, dreams of dying and the Aesir are so disturbed by this that they send Odin down to Hel to figure out the meaning of the dreams. Subsequently, he is in fact murdered by the hand of his blind brother Hod, facilitated by Loki and the spear he fashioned out of mistletoe. Following the death, Hermod goes on a quest to return Baldr to the realm of the living. He meets with Hel, daughter of Loki and ruler of Niflheim, and, after much pleading, she makes a deal with him stating that only if â€Å"all things, living and dead, will weep for himâ₠¬ (Lindow), shall he be able to return to the land of the Aesir. The first song on the album shares the album title and lays out Baldr’s Dreams in a modern poetic way that is also exceedingly heavy metal. The lyrics play out the dream and then the revealing of the culprit, Loki, as follows: â€Å"Nightmares, demons haunt my taunted mind, I’m scared, my death’s foreseen ungloryful. Please Father make my demons disappear, please Mother, death is everywhere.† †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"The evil force around us still wants to destroy me. Who is the evil slayer, I cannot see? Loki, the deceitful God, discover the arrow of death. Pointed for the Hod the blind by the jealous Loki the arrow cut through the skin and into the heart of the bright one. Silence spread throughout the hall Aesir as the God of Light fell to his knees dying! Sorrow throughout the nine worlds the bright God is gone, sent to Niflheim by the deceitful†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dark Lyrics) When looking at the orig inal story and the lyrics, the connection is painfully obvious. The subsequent albums are entitled, Once Sent from the Golden Hall, The Avenger, The Crusher, Versus the World, Fate of Norns, With Odin On Our Side, Twilight of the Thunder God and Surtur Rising. Once Sent from the Golden Hall is a hint to Valhall and the great halls of the many Aesir. The Avenger, The Crusher and Twilight of the Thunder God are referring to Thor who is commonly known throughout Norse Mythology and Nordic histories as the god of thunder. Versus the World is about Ragnarok, the epic impending battle between the world of the Aesir and the world of giants colliding to determine the future of the universe. Fate of the Norns is self-explanatory. The Norns in Norse Mythology are the determiners of the fate of everything in existence. With Odin on Our Side is another Ragnarok reference of sorts in that a couple songs on the album speak of fighting on Odin’s side during the great battle to end all time. Lastly, Surtur Rising is about the rise of the giants right befo re the start of Ragnarok. Surtur, or Sutr as it is spelled in the Eddas, is the final opponent of Freyr during the battle of Ragnarok. He weilds his giant sword that has a glow so bright that none can look upon it without a squint as described in both the Poetic Edda (Voluspa) and the Prose Edda (Gylfaginning). Not only does Amon Amarth do a great job of relaying the stories from the Eddas and the Sagas as the pertain to the gods, but they also describe all of the characters that act as help to, and also those made to antagonize, the gods. Odin’s Ravens, Hugin and Munin, are mentioned in the song called â€Å"As Long As The Raven Flies† which says that the â€Å"sky belongs to Asagods as long as the raven flies†. (Dark Lyrics) â€Å"Risen From the Sea 2000† is about the Midgard Serpent stating that when â€Å"He’s risen from the sea. The beasts of hell are here. Come to rule the world. And you will be in fire.† (Dark Lyrics) Skoll, the wolf eternally chasing after the sun until Ragnarok, when he is finally able to catch and devour it, is mentioned in the song, â€Å"†¦And Soon the World Will Cease to Be†, when it is said, â€Å"Across the western sky he runs, a wolf so grim and mean, devours the eternal sun, and soon the world will ceas e to be.†(Dark Lyrics) One last example of the inclusion of all the elements of the mythology is the power of Thor’s hammer, Mjollnir, which is hinted at and blatantly mentioned various times throughout all of the albums they have put out up to this day. Coincidentally, the number of albums they have out so far happens to be nine. The number nine is a sacred number in Norse Mythology and other mythologies around the world. In Norse Mythology there are nine worlds; Asgard, Alfheim, Vanaheim, Midgard, Jotenheim, Svartalfheim , Nidavellir, Muspelheim and Niflheim. Skadi, the â€Å"snow-shoe-god† and her husband Njord, ruler of â€Å"the motion of the wind†(Lindow), would spend nine days in the mountains at her home and then spend nine days at his home by the sea, continuing with the nine trend. In Ragnarok, Thor is fighting the Midgard Serpent and as he is engaged in battle with the serpent, he is struck by it. While he is dying, he takes nine final steps bef ore falling to his demise. A final example of this fixation with nine, and perhaps the most important example, is the nine days that Odin spent hanging from Yggdrasil to gain knowledge and power. Amon Amarth’s lyrical rampage in â€Å"Thousand Years of Oppression† tells the story of Odin’s sacrifice to himself as follows: â€Å"He hung on the windswept world tree whose roots no one knows, for nine whole days he hung there pierced, by Gugnir, his spear. Swimming in pain, he peered into the depths and cried out in agony. Reaching out he grasped the runes before falling back from the abyss. He gave himself unto himself in a world of shearing pain. Go that we all may live our lives by the wisdom that he gained.† â€Å"The Fate of Norns† is a shining example of how the band also integrates their personal lives into the myths that they constantly, and consistently, reference in all of their music. This song portrays a mourning of the loss of a son of only six years old that was the only chance of continuing the legacy of the father’s name. In the middle of the song the lyrics state that â€Å"the fate of Norns await us all there is no way to escape the day to answer Odin’s call or walk through Hel’s gate.† The Norns â€Å"established laws, they chose lives for the children of the people, fates of men†, meaning they were involved in the fortune of every man’s life, or death as it may be. (Lindow) Ragnarok, the final hoorah for the world of the Aesir and the gods themselves, is a huge influence on the musical flavorings of one of the most amazingly brutal, and yet melodically pleasing, metal bands in existence. Would you expect anything less? Hailing from Sweden, one of the metal capitals of the world, Amon Amarth is one of the most Norse mythologically inclined bands in the world. They use Norse mythology in every aspect of their music and truly epitomize the image of a modern day Viking. They pillage every stage that they bless with their presence and ravage the eardrums that their melodies touch. A live show from these guys brings you back to a more primal time of humanity where the gods were made from and of nature and there was still a mysticism in the hearts and souls of the people. To conclude, Amon Amarth is blatantly Norse and they deserve to be recognized as one of the major contributors to the continuing interest in Norse mythology and love of the past heritage of a great region of the world. â€Å"The wait is soon at end, always charge, never bend. Morning is here, make your stand. Live for honor, glory, death in fire!† Works Cited Dark Lyrics.â€Å"Amon Amarth Lyrics†. Metal Lyrics. http://www.darklyrics.com/a/amonamarth.html Larrington, Carolyne. The Poetic Edda. New York, New York: Oxford University Press 2008. Lindow, John. Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. New York, New York: Oxford University Press 2001. Sturluson, Snorri. Edda. North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Publishing 1995.

Net Present Value/Present Value Index

Net Present Value/Present Value Index The management team at Savage Corporation is evaluating two alternative capital investment opportunities. The first alternative, modernizing the company’s current machinery, costs $45,000. Management estimates the modernization project will reduce annual net cash outflows by $12,500 per year for the next five years. The second alternative, purchasing a new machine, costs $56,500. The new machine is expected to have a five-year useful life and a $4,000 salvage value. Management estimates the new machine will generate cash inflows of $15,000 per year.Savage’s cost of capital is 10%. Required a. Determine the present value of the cash flow savings expected from the modernization program. Using the data from Appendix on page 1169 of our text 15000*3. 790787 = 47,385, which should be the PV cash flow savings expected from the first option of modernization program. b. Determine the net present value of the modernization project. I believe the NPV of the 1st project is calculated by subtracting current machinery, costs $45,000 from the figure above which equals 2,385. 00 c. Determine the net present value of investing in the new machine.This is determined by valuing the future cash flows. Using the same appendix in table 2 data, annual cash flow of 15,000 * 3. 790787 =56862. 00 Salvage cost of 4,000 * . 620921 (table 3 on page 523) = 2484. 00 Total=59,346. 00 less the cost of machinery 56,500 = 2486. 00 as the NPV d. Use a present value index to determine which investment alternative will yield the higher rate of return. PI= $15,000*. 620921/56,500 = . 16 This investment is not acceptable because it has a PI of less than 1. 0 therefore the modernization project or the first alternative will have higher rate of return.Exercise 24-4A Determining the present value of an annuity The dean of the School of Social Science is trying to decide whether to purchase a copy machine to place in the lobby of the building. The machi ne would add to student convenience, but the dean feels compelled to earn an 8 percent return on the investment of funds. Estimates of cash inflows from copy machines that have been placed in other university buildings indicate that the copy machine would probably produce incremental cash inflows of approximately $8,000 per year.The machine is expected to have a three-year useful life with a zero salvage value. Required a. Use Present Value Table 1 in Appendix A to determine the maximum amount of cash the dean should be willing to pay for a copy machine. Years 1 – 3; where N = 1 r at 8%, N =2, [email  protected] 8%, N = 3 r @ 8% 8000*. 925926 = 7,407. 41 8000*. 857339 = 6,858. 71 8000*. 793832 = 6,350. 66 Present Value / Ordinary Annuity = ($) 20,617. 00 Present Value / Annuity-Due = ($) 22,266 b. Use Present Value Table 2 in Appendix A to determine the maximum amount of cash the dean should be willing to pay for a copy machine.Based on table 2 in appendix a, the maximum am ount of cash the Dean should be willing to pay for a copy machine is ($) 20,617. 00 c. Explain the consistency or lack of consistency in the answers to Requirements a & b. The consistency in the answers are so seeing that table 2 in appendix A appears to be the sum of the PV for each of the 3 years in table 1. Exercise 24-8A Determining the internal rate of return Medina Manufacturing Company has an opportunity to purchase some technologically advanced equipment that will reduce the company’s cash outflow for operating expenses by $1,280,000 per year.The cost of the equipment is $6,186,530. 56. Medina expects it to have a 10-year useful life and a zero salvage value. The company has established an investment opportunity hurdle rate of 15 percent and uses the straight-line method for depreciation. Required a. Calculate the internal rate of return of the investment opportunity. YearExplanationCash FlowDiscount Factor 1 (hurdle rate of 15)DiscountDiscount Factor 2Cash Flow @Disc ount 0Cost to purchase some technologically advanced equipment(6,186,530. 56)(6,186,530. 56) 1,280,0005. 01877$6,424,0264. 6565,959,680Net present value$$237,495($226,851) b. Indicate whether the investment opportunity should be accepted. The Internal Rate of Return appears to be higher than the established investment opportunity hurdle rate of 15 percent therefore it would be a good idea to accept this investment opportunity. Exercise 24-6A Determining net present value Travis Vintor is seeking part-time employment while he attends school. He is considering purchasing technical equipment that will enable him to start a small training services company that will offer tutorial services over the Internet.Travis expects demand for the service to grow rapidly in the first two years of operation as customers learn about the availability of the Internet assistance. Thereafter, he expects demand to stabilize. The following table presents the expected cash flows. Year of Operation Cash Infl ow Cash Outflow 2006 $5,400 $3,600 2007 7,800 4,800 2008 8,400 5,040 2009 8,400 5,040In addition to these cash flows, Mr. Vintor expects to pay $8,400 for the equipment. He also expects to pay $1,440 for a major overhaul and updating of the equipment at the end of the second year of operation. The equipment is expected to have a $600 salvage value and a four-year useful life. Mr. Vintor desires to earn a rate of return of 8 percent. Year ExplanationinflowsoutflowsNet Discount @8%Discounted 2006 beginningCost of equipment $ – $ 8,400 $ (8,400)1 $ (8,400) 2006Operational cash flows $ 5,400 $ 3,600 $ 1,800 0. 925926 $ 1,667 007Operational cash flows $ 7,800 $ 4,800 $ 3,000 0. 857339 $ 2,572 2007Major overhaul $ – $ 1,440 $ (1,440)0. 857339 $ (1,235) 2008Operational cash flows $ 8,400 $ 5,040 $ 3,360 0. 793832 $ 2,667 2009Operational cash flows $ 8,400 $ 5,040 $ 3,360 0. 73503 $ 2,470 2009Salvage value of equipment $ 600 $ – $ 600 0. 73503 $ 441 Net present value of Investment Opportunity $ 182 Required (Round computations to the nearest whole penny. ) a. Calculate the net present value of the investment opportunity. . Indicate whether the investment opportunity is expected to earn a return that is above or below the desired rate of return and whether it should be accepted. General rule with NPV is that if NPV of a prospective project is positive, it should be accepted. However, if NPV is negative it should not be accepted. The calculations, If correct present a positive NPV therefore the investment opportunity should be accepted. Problem 19-24A Assessing simultaneous changes in CVP relationships Green Shades Inc. (GSI) sells hammocks; variable costs are $75 each, and the hammocks are sold for $125 each.GSI incurs $250,000 of fixed operating expenses annually. Required a. Determine the sales volume in units and dollars required to attain a $50,000 profit. Sales = Contribution Margin per Unit = Revenues per Unit – Variable Expenses per U nit = 250,000 + 50,000/125 – 75= 6,000 in units Verify your answer by preparing an income statement using the contribution margin format. Break-even Sales Dollars = Sales Price per Unit ? Break-even Sales Units Break-even Point in Sales Dollars = 125 * 6000 = 750,000 Income Statement Green Shades Inc. As of October 17, 2012 Sales750,000 Variable Costs(450,000)Contribution Margin300, 000 Fixed Costs250,000 Net Income 50,000 b. GSI is considering implementing a quality improvement program. The program will require a $10 increase in the variable cost per unit. To inform its customers of the quality improvements, the company plans to spend an additional $20,000 for advertising. Assuming that the improvement program will increase sales to a level that is 3,000 units above the amount computed in Requirement a, should GSI proceed with plans to improve product quality? Support your answer by preparing a budgeted income statement. Income Statement Green Shades Inc. As of October 17, 2 012Sales1,125,000 Variable Costs(765,000) Contribution Margin360, 000 Fixed Costs(270,000) Net Income 90,000 The company might want to consider going forward seeing the likelihood of profitability. c. Determine the new break-even point in units and sales dollars as well as the margin of safety percentage, assuming that the quality improvement program is implemented. Fixed Costs/Contribution Margin per Unit = 270,000/ 125-85 = 6750 Break-even Sales Dollars = Sales Price per Unit ? Break-even Sales Units Break-even Point in Sales Dollars = 125 * 6750= 843,750 Margin of SafetyMeasured in UnitsMeasured in DollarsSales @ Budged 90001125000 Break Even6750843,750 Margin2250281,250 281250/1125000 =. 25 or 25% Problem 18-17B Process cost system cost of production report At the beginning of 2004, Dozier Company had 1,800 units of product in its work in process inventory, and it started 19,200 additional units of product during the year. At the end of the year, 6,000 units of product were in t he work in process inventory. The ending work in process inventory was estimated to be 50 percent complete. The cost of work in process inventory at the beginning of the period was $9,000, and $108,000 of product costs was added during the period.Required Prepare a cost of production report showing the following. a. The number of equivalent units of production. Equivalent units of production ACTUALEquivalent Beginning 1,800 Additional units of product19,200 Total21,000 Ending6,000 @50%3,000 To be transferred15,000 @100%15,000 Total21,00018,000 b. The product cost per equivalent unit. Beginning is 9,000 added to production of 108,000 to total 117,000 c. The total cost allocated between the ending Work in Process Inventory and Finished Goods Inventory accounts. 117,000/18,000 = 6. 50 cost per unit 15000*6. 50 = 97,500 finished goods 000 of equivalent units above*6. 50= 19,500 Total 117,000 Problem 15-17A Identifying cost behavior Required Identify the following costs as fixed or varia ble. Costs related to plane trips between San Diego, California, and Orlando, Florida, follow. Pilots are paid on a per trip basis. a. Pilots’ salaries relative to the number of trips flown. variable b. Depreciation relative to the number of planes in service. variable c. Cost of refreshments relative to the number of passengers. variable d. Pilots’ salaries relative to the number of passengers on a particular trip. ixed e. Cost of a maintenance check relative to the number of passengers on a particular trip. fixed f. Fuel costs relative to the number of trips. variable National Union Bank operates several branch offices in grocery stores. Each branch employs a supervisor and two tellers. g. Tellers’ salaries relative to the number of tellers in a particular district. variable h. Supplies cost relative to the number of transactions processed in a particular branch. variable i. Tellers’ salaries relative to the number of customers served at a particular br anch. Fixed j.Supervisors’ salaries relative to the number of branches operated. Fixed k. Supervisors’ salaries relative to the number of customers served in a particular branch. Fixed l. Facility rental costs relative to the size of customer deposits. Fixed Costs related to operating a fast-food restaurant follow. m. Depreciation of equipment relative to the number of restaurants. variable n. Building rental cost relative to the number of customers served in a particular restaurant. Fixed o. Manager’s salary of a particular restaurant relative to the number of employees.Fixed p. Food cost relative to the number of customers. variable q. Utility cost relative to the number of restaurants in operation. variable r. Company president’s salary relative to the number of restaurants in operation. Fixed s. Land costs relative to the number of hamburgers sold at a particular restaurant. Fixed t. Depreciation of equipment relative to the number of customers served at a particular restaurant. fixed Exercise 15-6B Fixed versus variable cost behavior Professional Chairs Corporation produces ergonomically designed chairs favored by architects.The company normally produces and sells from 5,000 to 8,000 chairs per year. The following cost data apply to various productions activity levels. Number of Chairs5,0006,0007,0008,000 Total costs incurred Fixed$ 84,000 Variable 60,000 Total costs$144,000 Per unit chair cost Fixed$16. 80 Variable12. 00 Total cost per chair$28. 80 Required a. Complete the preceding table by filling in the missing amounts for the levels of activity shown in the first row of the table. b. Explain why the total cost per chair decreases as the number of chairs increases.Exercise 15-12B Effect of cost structure on projected profits Logan and Martin compete in the same market. The following budgeted income statements illustrate their cost structures. Income Statements Company Logan Martin Number of Customers (a) 160 160 Sales Reven ue (n x $75) $12,000 $ 12,000 Variable Cost (n x $0) 12,800 Contribution Margin 12,000 (800) Fixed Cost (6,400) 0 Net Income (Loss) $ 5,600 $ (800) Required a. Assume that Logan can lure all 80 customers away from Martin by lowering its sales price to $75 per customer.Reconstruct Logan’s income statement based on 160 customers. b. Assume that Martin can lure all 80 customers away from Logan by lowering its sales price to $75 per customer. Reconstruct Martin’s income statement based on 160 customers. c. Why does the price-cutting strategy increase Logan’s profits but result in a net loss for Martin? This is so in that when sales to 160 clients at 75 (12,000), more revenue is produced as opposed to sales to a lesser amount (80 clients) at 125 (10,000). Fixed costs contributes to Logans increases in sales revenue. Exercise 16-9A Allocating overhead cost to accomplish smoothingMimosa Corporation expects to incur indirect overhead costs of $72,000 per month and direc t manufacturing costs of $11 per unit. The expected production activity for the first four months of 2007 is as follows. January February March April Estimated production in units 4,000 7,000 3,000 6,000 Required a. Calculate a predetermined overhead rate based on the number of units of product expected to be made during the first four months of the year. MonthJanuaryFebruaryMarchApriltotalEstimated production in units 400070003000600020000 72000*4/20,000=14. 40 per unit b. Allocate overhead costs to each month using the overhead rate computed in Requirement a. MonthJanFebMarchAprilTotal Rate14. 4014. 4014. 4014. 40 Base4,0007,0003,0006,000 Cost57,600100,80043,20086,400288,000 c. Calculate the total cost per unit for each month using the overhead allocated in Requirement b. MonthUnits (A)Overhead (B)Cost (A*11)TotalCost Per Unit (d/a) Jan4000576004400010160025. 40 Feb70001008007700017780025. 40 March300043200330007620025. 40 April6000864006600015240025. 40