Saturday, August 31, 2019

Smartphone Sector Between Attack and Defense Strategies

Smartphone sector between attack and defense strategies The macro-environment of smartphone sector is very complex and dynamic, especially in the technological aspect like the recent tablet invention. The aggressive competition between companies pushed them to adopt many kinds of actions and strategies to protect their position in the market and to anticipate any unexpected changes in the future. In fact, like military, companies take the position of attacker or defender. One attack strategy which is called bypass technic is materialized by new ideas, concepts and a high hardware and software innovation.For example, with the sleek and beautiful design of Samsung and iPhone the longtime leader Nokia had been easily overtook. However, this basic strategy requires a huge investment in research and development and particularly in Android operating system including downloads, videos, photos, blogs, internet surfing, etc. Moreover, companies can also attack directly their competitors with reducing prices and improving quality to satisfied customers and to enhance the brand image. This strategy was used by iPhone in 2007, by reducing the price from $599 to $399 – a 33% rebate – after only 3 months from the initial product launch.Nonetheless, this decision has been judged as a mistake for the reason that Apple most faithful costumers have rightfully felt being betrayed and exploited. They could have waited 6 more months before reducing the price of the iPhone, or they could have delayed the iPhone launch for 3 months, or they could have decided to price the iPhone at $399 since the initial launch. and since July 2008, the iPhone 3G is sold at $199, 50% less than the September 2007 price, 66% less than the launch price of just one year earlier. Like those mistakes prove that direct attack strategies require a perfect policy prices.Flank strategies are quite used in this sector . we can mention for instance the decision of iPhone to prosecute Samsung for th e pretext that the company has imitated its design and concepts. That’s show that iPhone focus on Samsung weaknesses to influence the customer behavior. However, companies aren’t always in the position of attacker and often counterattack their competitors. For example, when apple introduced 5-megapixel camera, LED flash and Photo and video geotagging in its iPhone 4S, Samsung launched its Galaxy range to preserve its market share.In other side, the increasing rhythm of innovation pushed smartphone producers to avoid direct confrontation especially if there is a big gap between competitors. For instance, Nokia is now unable to recuperate its leadership in Mobil phone sector and try now to target specific customers, particularly lower middle classes. After those global analyses of the smartphone sector, we will identify below the leader’s strategies and what segmentation is using. Samsung outshines Apple in smartphone shipments, market shareTop Five Smartphone Ven dors, Shipments, and Market Share Q3 2011 (Units in Millions) Vendor| 3Q11 Unit Shipments| 3Q11 Market Share| 3Q10 Unit Shipments| 3Q10 Market Share| Year-over-year Change| Samsung| 23. 6| 20. 0%| 7. 3| 8. 8%| 223. 3%| Apple| 17. 1| 14. 5%| 14. 1| 17. 0%| 21. 3%| Nokia| 16. 8| 14. 2%| 26. 5| 32. 0%| -36. 6%| HTC| 12. 7| 10. 8%| 5. 9| 7. 1%| 115. 3%| Research In Motion| 11. 8| 10. 0%| 12. 4| 15. 0%| -4. 8%| Others| 36. 1| 30. 6%| 16. 6| 20. 0%| 117. 5%| Total| 118. 1| 100. 0%| 82. 8| 100. 0%| 42. 6%| http://news. cnet. com

Economic Principles

_____________________________________________________________ BEO1105 Economic Principles Assignment: Semester 2, 2012 DUE: Week beginning the 10th of September, 2012 Value: 20% of Total Assessment * Since the assignment forms a part of the final assessment for the subject, no assistance will be provided by the staff in relation to answers to the questions. However, if you need any clarifications in regard to the questions, you may contact the lecturer/tutor. You should attach the duly completed Assessment Declaration form available in the Assessment Information section of the subject Web site (WebCT). * You should comply with the assignment presentation requirement as outlined in the subject guide. * The assignment must be typed with a maximum of 600 words in total. * The completed assignment must be lodged with your tutor during your scheduled tutorial in the week it is due. ___________________________________________________________________________ Question 1 (9 marks)During the 1 990s, technological advance reduced the cost of computer chips. Explain, with the use supply and demand diagrams, how the following markets are affected in terms of prices and quantities. (a) Computers (3 marks) (b) Computer software (3 marks) (c) Typewriters (3 marks) Question 2 (6 marks) After an economics lecture one day, your friend suggests that taxing food would be a good way to raise revenue because the demand for food is quite inelastic. a) In what sense is taxing food is a ‘good’ way to raise revenue? (3 Marks) (b) In what sense is it not a ‘good’ way to raise revenue? (3 Marks) Question 3 (5 marks) Most studies of firms’ long run costs have found that average costs decline as firms produce increasingly larger output levels (economies of scale), such as for automobile firms. However, trucking (haulage) firms appear not to experience falling average costs associated with large-scale operations. Why might this be the case? Explain

Friday, August 30, 2019

Customer-Driven Strategic Marketing

Chapter 1 Customer-Driven Strategic Marketing Lecture Outline I. Defining Marketing We define marketing as the process of creating, distributing, promoting, and pricing goods, services, and ideas to facilitate satisfying exchange relationships with customers and to develop and maintain favorable relationships with stakeholders in a dynamic environment. [ A ]. Marketing Focuses on Customers [ 1 ]. As the purchasers of the products that organizations develop, promote, distribute, and price, customers are the focal point of all marketing activities. [ 2 ].The essence of marketing is to develop satisfying exchanges from which both customers and marketers benefit. [ 3 ]. Organizations generally focus their marketing efforts on a specific group of customers, or target market. [ B ]. Marketing Deals with Products, Distribution, Promotion, and Price 1. Marketing is more than simply advertising or selling a product; it involves developing and managing a product, making the product available i n the right place and at a price acceptable to buyers, and communicating information to help customers determine if the product will satisfy their needs. 2.These activities—product, distribution, promotion, and pricing—are known as the marketing mix because marketers decide what type of each element to use and in what amounts. 3. The Product Variable [ a ])The product variable of the marketing mix deals with researching customers’ needs and wants and designing a product that satisfies them. [ b ])A product can be a good, a service, or an idea. ( [ 1 ])Good—a physical entity ( [ 2 ])Service—the application of human and mechanical efforts to people or objects to provide intangible benefits to customers ( [ 3 ])Idea—concept, philosophy, image, or issue c ])The product variable includes the creation or modification of brand names and packaging. It may also include decisions regarding warranty and repair services. [ d ])Product variable decisions and related activities are important because they directly impact the creation of products that meet customers’ needs and wants. 4. The Distribution Variable In dealing with the distribution variable, a marketing manager makes products available in the quantities desired to as many target market customers as possible, keeping total inventory, transportation, and storage costs as low as possible. . The Promotion Variable The promotion variable relates to activities used to inform individuals or groups about an organization and its products. a)Promotion can be aimed at increasing public awareness of an organization and new or existing products. b) Promotional activities can also educate customers about product features or urge people to take a particular stance on a political or social issue. 6. The Price Variable a)The price variable relates to decisions and actions associated with establishing pricing objectives and policies and determining product prices. )Price is a critic al component of the marketing mix because customers are concerned about the value obtained in an exchange. 7. Marketing mix variables are often viewed as controllable because they can be modified; however, economic conditions, competitive structure, or government regulations may limit a marketing manager’s influence. [ C ]. Marketing Builds Relationships with Customers and Other Stakeholders 1. Individuals and organizations engage in marketing to facilitate exchanges—that is, the provision or transfer of goods, services, or ideas in return for something of value. [ 4 ].Four conditions must exist for an exchange to occur: a)Two or more individuals, groups, or organizations must participate, and each must possess something of value desired by the other party. b)The exchange should provide a benefit or satisfaction to both parties involved in the transaction. c)Each party must have confidence in the promise of the â€Å"something of value† held by the other. d)To b uild trust, the parties to the exchange must meet expectations. [ 5 ]. An exchange will not necessarily take place just because these conditions exist; marketing activities can occur even without an actual transaction or sale.Figure 1. 2 depicts the exchange process. 6. Marketing activities should attempt to create and maintain satisfying exchange relationships. [ 7 ]. Marketers are also concerned with building relationships with relevant stakeholders who have a â€Å"stake,† or claim, in some aspect of a company’s products, operations, markets, industry, and outcomes; these may include customers, employees, investors and shareholders, suppliers, governments, communities, and many others. [ D ]. Marketing Occurs in a Dynamic Environment . The marketing environment, which includes competitive, economic, legal and regulatory, technological, and socio-cultural forces, surrounds the customer and affects the marketing mix as shown in Figure 1. 1. 2. The forces of the market ing environment affect a marketer’s ability to facilitate exchanges in three ways: a)They affect customers’ lifestyles, standards of living, and preferences and needs for products. b)They help determine whether and how a marketing manager can perform certain marketing activities. )They affect a marketing manager’s decisions and actions by influencing buyers’ reactions to the organization’s marketing mix. 3. Marketing environment forces can fluctuate quickly and dramatically. 4. Changes in the marketing environment produce uncertainty for marketers and at times hurt marketing efforts, but they also create opportunities. 5. Marketing mix elements—product, distribution, promotion, and price—are factors over which an organization has control; the forces of the environment, however, are subject to far less control. II.Understanding the Marketing Concept A. According to the marketing concept, an organization should try to provide products t hat satisfy customers’ needs through a coordinated set of activities that also allows the organization to achieve its goals. 1. Customer satisfaction is the major focus of the marketing concept. a)To implement the marketing concept, an organization focuses on customer analysis, competitor analysis, and integration of the organization’s resources to provide customer value and satisfaction, as well as long-term profits. )The organization must also continue to alter, adapt, and develop products to keep pace with customers’ changing desires and preferences. [ 8 ]. The marketing concept is not a second definition of marketing. It is a management philosophy guiding an organization’s overall activities. [ 9 ]. It is important for marketers to consider not only current buyers’ needs, but also the long-term needs of society. B. Evolution of the Marketing Concept 1. The Production Orientation )During the second half of the nineteenth century, the Industrial Revolution was in full swing in the United States. b)As a result of new technology and new ways of using labor, products poured into the marketplace, where consumer demand for the new manufactured goods was strong. 2. The Sales Orientation a)Between the mid 1920s and the early 1950s, businesspeople viewed sales as the major means of increasing profits. b)During this era, businesspeople believed that the major marketing activities were personal selling, advertising, and distribution. 3.The Marketing Orientation a)By the early 1950s, some businesspeople recognized they must first determine what customers want and then produce it, rather than make products and try to persuade customers that they need what is produced. b)A marketing orientation requires the â€Å"organization-wide generation of market intelligence pertaining to current and future customer needs, dissemination of the intelligence across departments, and organization-wide responsiveness to it. † c)Today, businesses want to satisfy customers and build meaningful, long-term buyer-seller relationships.C. Implementing the Marketing Concept To implement the marketing concept, a marketing-oriented organization must accept some general conditions and recognize and deal with several problems. 1. Management must first establish an information system to discover customers’ real needs and then use the information to create satisfying products. 2. To satisfy customers’ objectives as well as its own, a company must also coordinate all its activities. III. Managing Customer Relationships A.Achieving the full profit potential of each customer relationship should be the fundamental goal of every marketing strategy. 1. At the most basic level, profits can be obtained through relationships in the following ways: a)By acquiring new customers b)By enhancing the profitability of existing customers c)By extending the duration of customer relationships 2. Implementing the marketing concept means optim izing the exchange relationship—the relationship between a company’s financial investment in customer relationships and the return generated by customers responding to that investment.B. The term relationship marketing refers to â€Å"long-term, mutually beneficial arrangements in which both the buyer and seller focus on value enhancement through the creation of more satisfying exchanges. † 1. Relationship marketing continually deepens the buyer’s trust in the company, and as the customer’s confidence grows, this in turn increases the organization’s understanding of the customer’s needs. [ 10 ]. Eventually this interaction becomes a solid relationship that allows for cooperation and mutual dependence. C.Customer-centric marketing requires developing collaborative relationships with customers based on focusing on their individual needs and concerns. 1. It adopts the view that customers buy offerings which provide value and prefer a rel ationship rather than a transactional orientation. 2. Collaborating with and learning from customers leads to a â€Å"sense and respond† approach rather than a produce and sell approach. D. Customer relationship management (CRM) uses information about customers to create marketing strategies which develop and sustain desirable customer relationships. 1.By increasing customer value over time, organizations try to retain and increase long-term profitability through customer loyalty. 2. Managing customer relationships requires identifying patterns of buying behavior and using that information to focus on the most promising and profitable customers. IV. Value-Driven Marketing A. To manage customer relationships, organizations must develop marketing mixes that create value for customers. Value is a customer’s subjective assessment of benefits relative to costs in determining the worth of a product (customer value = customer benefits – customer costs). . Customer bene fits include anything a buyer receives in an exchange. 2. Customer costs include anything a buyer must give up to obtain the benefits provided by the product. Costs include the monetary price of the product as well as less obvious nonmonetary costs, such as time and effort. B. The process people use to determine the value of a product is not highly scientific. C. In developing marketing activities, it is important to recognize that customers receive benefits based on their experiences. D. The marketing mix can be used to enhance perceptions of value. V. Marketing ManagementA. Marketing management is the process of planning, organizing, implementing, and controlling marketing activities to facilitate effective and efficient exchanges. 1. â€Å"Effectiveness† is the degree to which an exchange helps achieve an organization’s objectives. 2. â€Å"Efficiency† refers to minimizing the resources an organization must spend to achieve a specific level of desired exchang es. B. Planning is a systematic process of assessing opportunities and resources, determining marketing objectives, and developing marketing strategy and plans for implementation and control.C. Organizing marketing activities involves developing the internal structure of the marketing unit. D. Proper implementation of marketing plans hinges on coordination of marketing activities, motivation of marketing personnel, and effective communication within the unit. E. The marketing control process consists of establishing performance standards, comparing actual performance with established standards, and reducing the difference between desired and actual performance. VI. The Importance of Marketing in Our Global EconomyA. Marketing Costs Consume a Sizable Portion of Buyers’ Dollars 1. About one-half of a buyer’s dollar goes to the costs of marketing. 2. Because marketing expenses consume significant portions of each dollar, it is important to know how this money is used. B. Marketing Is Used in Nonprofit Organizations 1. Marketing is also important in organizations working to achieve goals other than ordinary business objectives such as profit. 2. Government agencies engage in marketing activities to fulfill missions and goals. . In the private sector, nonprofit organizations also employ marketing activities to create, distribute, promote, and even price programs that benefit particular segments of society. C. Marketing Is Important to Business and the Economy 1. Businesses must sell products to survive and grow, and marketing activities help sell their products. 2. Marketing activities help produce profits which are essential to the survival of individual businesses and the health and ultimate survival of the global economy. D.Marketing Fuels Our Global Economy 1. Profits from marketing products contribute to the development of new products and technologies. 2. Advances in technology, along with falling political and economic barriers, and the univers al desire for a higher standard of living, have made marketing across national borders commonplace while stimulating global economic growth. E. Marketing Knowledge Enhances Consumer Awareness 1. The study of marketing allows a more effective assessment of a product’s value and flaws. 2.An understanding of marketing enables evaluation of corrective measures (such as laws, regulations, and industry guidelines) which could stop unfair, damaging, or unethical marketing practices. F. Marketing Connects People through Technology 1. New technology, especially technology related to computers and telecommunications, helps marketers understand and satisfy more customers than ever before. 2. The Internet is a vital tool for marketing to consumers and other businesses. G. Socially Responsible Marketing can Promote the Welfare of Customers and Society 1.The success of our economic system depends on marketers whose values promote trust and cooperative relationships in which customers are t reated with respect. 2. By managing concern about the impact of marketing on society, a organization can protect the interests of the general public and the natural environment. H. Marketing Offers Many Exciting Career Prospects 1. From 25 to 33 percent of all civilian workers in the U. S. perform marketing activities. 2. Whether a person earns a living through marketing activities or performs them voluntarily in non-business projects, marketing knowledge and skills are valuable assets.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Capital Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Capital Punishment - Essay Example For instance, during the execution of Angel Diaz, via lethal injections, the time taken for him to die, proved to be twice the time that such death was expected to take. Furthermore, some of the witnesses present at the execution were of the opinion that Diaz underwent a significant amount of suffering during the process. Another disquieting feature of this execution was that the medical examiner categorically stated that the lethal injections had not been administered properly (Execution Rules Still Inhumane , 2007). Subsequently, it came to light that these injections had not been administered by a medically trained professional. This execution, which took place in Florida, was effected by injecting a mixture of 3 chemicals. This combination produces extreme pain, which the hapless condemned prisoner cannot express, due to the diabolical inclusion of a paralyzing agent, which constitutes one of these chemicals (Word, 2006). The Floridian authorities have exhibited a total disregard towards rendering executions humane. This was tellingly brought home, by the fact that these authorities ignored the recommendations of a commission appointed by the governor of Florida, which called for the appointment of adequately qualified personnel to carry out the executions, via lethal injections (Execution Rules Still Inhumane , 2007). The Floridian state legislature showed a belated and half – hearted response to the fiasco that was the Diaz execution, by declaring a moratorium on executions. Thereafter, a hearing was conducted into the manner, in which lethal injections were administered to the condemned (Florida Mulls Lethal-Injection Problems, 2007). Capital punishment involves high expenditure. In the US, 36 of the 50 states employ the death penalty against some of their criminals. There is much that is distressing and paradoxical with the US in this regard. It had recently come to light that putting a person to death, in

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

The Benefits of using Social Network to improve sales for Century 21 Essay

The Benefits of using Social Network to improve sales for Century 21 - Essay Example Century 21 is one of the major companies that has created significant shift in marketing strategies through internet function and design. It has been listed as the biggest real estate agency that operates across national borders in the world. The US Company has been compelled by fast changing technologies in competitive environment to adopt marketing strategies that are focused on social networking sites in order to increase sales (Charlene & Bernoff, 2008). This research study analyses Century 21’s marketing strategies and coordination efforts for the next three years. It is an international company and it is one of the most reputed Real Estate Agent Franchise Companies operating across national borders. Its inception dates back in 1971 in California but it was privatized until 1977 when the co-founders decided to make the company public. During its early stages, the company offered products and services that satisfied the needs of real estate owners. The company has expanded rapidly and has established more than 8000 offices and large number of sales professionals all over the world (Parsipanny, 2009). The company started its operations in United States but it has gained strong foothold and its presence has been felt in more than 60 countries. It is the leading marketer of real estate services and it has spent a great deal of time in improving online display advertisements, search engine marketing and real estate listing sites. In general, Century 21 can been regarded as the world leading provider of real estate services in comparison with other competitive real estate companies since it possesses the world’s largest network and geographical coverage. The company continues to take lead in the industry as evidenced by the increased online ads which offer substantial benefits to brokers, agents and customers. The company is very

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Business Communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Business Communication - Assignment Example Distorted messages need to be avoided by the businesses of today as they directly affect the image, profitability and performance of a company. The possible barriers to effective communication are identified in the next section. 2.0. Barriers to Effective Communication: Selection of appropriate channels is essential to avoid â€Å"Channel and information overload† which occurs when the channel cannot handle all the messages that are being sent. An example of this is while communicating face to face. During this, a person might find himself talking to two people at a time causing them to forget the original message and mix up the signals being sent. Noise is another factor that affects every part of the process; it can be physical or psychological. Physical noise is for instance, the commotion produced by traffic outside the office which serves as hindrance to effective communication between people. Psychological noise on the contrary, refers to one’s biases, prejudices, dislikes, lack of concentration and preconceived notions about the issue at hand. Barriers to communication may just be a simple distraction caused by noise or a complete misunderstanding due to one’s judgments. Messages need to be clear-cut, to the point and receiver friendly. They should avoid vagueness and the use of words which have multiple meanings. Humans tend to make their own abstractions using past experiences, cultural backgrounds and knowledge. Our evaluations of messages can be different, for example, one might omit information that sounds casual to him/her but can prove to be extremely important for others. We now try to bring together all the... After all informatio, making the diagrams and other analysis the paper talks that modern day organizations understand the vital importance effective communication holds. It is crucial to their success and profitability. The paper describes the selection of appropriate channels is essential to avoid â€Å"Channel and information overload† which occurs when the channel cannot handle all the messages that are being sent. An example of this is while communicating face to face. Miscommunication gives a bad image to the organizations, which not only operate as infants but international giants as well. Both of the structures cannot afford to lose out the market share that offers them the revenue for the goods and services they sell. Messages and information keeps on zooming over, through, in and out of our heads but effective communication is the name of retaining, forwarding and producing those essential messages which at the end of the day provide benefits and reap greater opportunities to succeed. Businesses need to realize the significance of each communication tool and various channels that help transmit the information and senders and receivers must respect the notions of efficiency and effectiveness. Correct usages of languages, observance of 7 Cs, cost benefit analysis of communication tools and channels, employee engagement, giving timely commands are a few tools ensuring effective communication. However it is entirely an organization’s prerog ative to choose a method that will prove to be the best amongst all and contribute to its progress.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Sport marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sport marketing - Essay Example Notably, a sport marketing strategy is most in the offing to be effectual if there exists a vibrant frontrunner or set of frontrunners who can assume full accountability for its final execution. Moreover, it is pertinent for all players of the sport marketing team to possess a clear comprehension of the marketing idea and where probable; make a sufficient contribution in accordance with their knowledge, abilities and unique skills (Mullin et al. 2009). The process, therefore, demands for a team comprising a blend of volunteers and staff who possess the proper mix of attitudes, experience, know-how and skills in the foremost step (Shilbury et al. 2004). Whether the execution of the sport marketing initiative shall be affluent relies on the personal and group effort of the involved volunteers and professional staff. The eventual part of the implementation stage of the marketing plan is to revisit, analyze and evaluate the aftermaths on a regular basis. It is highly pertinent to monitor how successfully the strategy is doing and to give way for variations in the current state of affairs are not progressing as intended from the initiation of the strategies. An ideal control process offers the structure to the incoming feedback (Shilbury et al. 2004). The entire sport marketing control initiative comprises of five major steps. The foremost step includes initiating performance measures. Such measures ought to be already in practice according to the second phase of the sport marketing initiative. The subsequent part of the framework is putting the performance measures into practice, through evaluating performance prior to and after the marketing initiative is under complete implementation (Hoye 2009). Succeeding the second level is the third stage whereby, a top down comparison of the results to identify gaps, loopholes, drawbacks and performance success occurs. Control in the sport marketing strategy involves the process of setting various standards,

Sunday, August 25, 2019

HEALTH PROGRAM EVALUATION (Impact Evaluation and Accountability CASE Research Paper

HEALTH PROGRAM EVALUATION (Impact Evaluation and Accountability CASE 4) - Research Paper Example GAO supports the senate in curbing errors of federal processes in healthcare through reporting on the progress of health standards. Furthermore, it enhances performance analysis in policies and drawing choices for senate objectives, auditing operations of the organization to conclude whether state funds are subject to appropriate organization. Indeed, it equally looks into improper and unlawful allegations and issues legitimate verdicts like information about agency rules. Most of GAO’s responsibilities in the State healthcare programs base on organizational planning objective one, which is offering well timed and excellence services to U.S senate. It also ensures that the State government handles current issues for their well-being and financial safety of American people. For example, FY2007, GAO delivered information which helped in coming up with ways of solving problems that were disabling the provision of services to the injured veterans and soldiers (Dodaro, 2010). The organizations well-known products comprises of lawful choices and views, reports, special publications and testimonies. In addition, the GAO suggests solutions to problems that evident in government programs; they detect long-term developments and raise concerns on the fiscal status of the state. Among its latest distinctive report is the 21st period challenge, which was about reexamining Federal government base. The report’s aim was to assist the U.S in the review and deliberation of State spending and tax programs in healthcare spending. GAO also analyses and monitors the changes involved in lasting fiscal outlook, consequences of healthcare and demographic costs and other fiscal commitments in the state (Dodaro, 2010). Evaluation process exudes various challenges. Apart from timeliness, quality and relevance that evaluation entails, the main challenge is in conveying of evaluation outcomes to audiences participating in

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Taisho period Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Taisho period - Essay Example (Minichiello S. (1998) Japan's Competing Modernities: Issues In Culture and Democracy, 1900-1930, p.3) It is also marked by serious pollution problems, resulting from Meiji industrial policy. Except for these tendencies, the health of a new emperor was weak and this fact led to the shift in political power from oligarchic clique to the parliament and democratic parties. It is customary to call this shift and the related events the Taisho democracy. (Minichiello S. (1998)) Large, Stephen S. (1983) states that at the beginning of the century a growing mass consciousness represented a main tendency in social life. Due to increasing taxation, people wished to play more significant role in social life, thus increasing a number of voting people. One of the most remarkable demonstrations of popular unrest was Hibiya Riot that occurred because oligarchs didn't inform people about the events of war. In the period between 1905 and 1918 economy of Japan changed from agricultural to industrial, while Japan was looking for export market for the new commodities. One of the most remarkable facts of social life during Taisho period was the growth of the population. The agricultural pattern remained the same, but industrial cities grew. This growth may be either a result of the migration from countryside to the cities or a natural growth of the urban population.( Minichiello S. (1998) Japan's Competing Modernities: Issues In Culture and Democracy, 1900-1930, p.7) The researches distinguish between agricultural and non-agricultural economy in prewar Japan. They point out the following reasons for this differentiation: the agriculture reached the top of its output, for greater income it should have changed to larger-scale agriculture but this process could conflict with the social structure; the economic consequences of imperialism, when colonies produced food, depressing agricultural prices in Japan; the power of landlords remained the same so the tenancy problem wasn't resolved. (Minichiello S. (1998) Japan's Competing Modernities: Issues In Culture and Democracy, 1900-1930, p.7) Large, Stephen S. (1983) writes that after the 1st World War the exports failed, and inflation grew. These circumstances aroused economic opposition to governing classes; a number of mass demonstrations grew, as well as the popular demand for participating in social life. In December 1912 collapse in the Cabinet of Saionji Kimmochi seemed to become a factor promoting the ideas of democracy, bringing broad political rights through universal suffrage and true parliamentarism. Yoshino Sakuzo was one of the representative thinkers (1878-1933), who invented the notion of minponshugi (people-centrism). Yoshino's idea of minponshugi enjoyed great publicity from 1916, and still is regarded as the ultimate liberal idea of prewar Japan. Yoshino's notion of minponshugi called for the redistribution of power and wealth in Japanese society by institutionalizing the political system of popular representation; and, by employing various social programs to protect the weak and poor. A new society - Shinjinkai appeared in December 1918. It based upon the dual platform - liberation of mankind and rationalistic reform of present day Japan. This organization was influenced firstly by English social democracy, and then it experienced the

Friday, August 23, 2019

MOVIE REVIEW Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Movie Review Example Her head is shaved and her bangles broken. She is made to wear a piece of white unstitched fabric like the rest of the widows there. Chuiya gradually adapts to the lifestyle of Ashram and at the same time, she changes its dreary atmosphere with her innocence, energy and playfulness. Her bonding with two other widows, Shakuntala and Kalyani, is remarkable. Kalyani is the only widow who is allowed to keep her hair because she is forced to prostitute by Madhumati, the head of the ashram, to bring in money for the ashram. Chuiya’s accidental meeting with Narayan, a rich law student and follower of Gandhi gives a new turn to the plot of the movie. Narayan and Kalyani fall in love but their love affair is short-lived. When Madhumati learns about her love affair, she locks her up in the room. Shakuntala is represented as a positive force in this movie. The scene in which she unlocks Kalyani to meet Narayan is symbolic of freedom of the subjugated women in the name of religion. However, Kalyani refuses to meet Narayan’s parents because upon seeing his home, she realizes that his father was one her clients. From this point onwards, the tragedy in the movie deepens because she commits suicide after returning to the ashram and Chuiya is chosen to do her job. In the last scene of the movie, Shakuntala hands her over to Narayan, who is angered and disgusted by his father, is leaving with Gandhi on a train. The ending scene symbolizes hope and freedom at least for Chuiya, who evades her fate as a cursed widow. This film revolves around widows in India that are treated as outcasts by the mainstream Hindu society. Though this film is set in 1938, and a conversation between Shakuntala and a priest in one of the scenes inform the audience about the new law that allows widows to remarry; yet the sub titles at the end of the movie inform the audience that even at the turn of the 21st century, many women continue

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Epidemiologic Study design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Epidemiologic Study design - Essay Example This study design finds good application in epidemiology for investigating conditions which are relatively rare and in conditions with long latency periods. A researcher performs analysis by looking back in time to evaluate the case and control groups in terms of exposure history and indication of characteristics that may put the subjects at risk for developing the condition under study. Analysis is conducted under the assumption that differences in the history of exposure will explain the occurrence of more cases than controls (Portney and Watkins, 2009). The two main strengths of case-control studies are: ease in gathering subjects, and their utility to provide estimates which may support causal relationship between risk factors and the condition (disease) in combination with other evidences (Portney and Watkins, 2009). Case-control studies are, somehow, limited in the sense that there is a possibility of uncertainty in the temporal relationship between the exposure and the condition (disease). Another limitation in this type of study design is that the proportion of cases and controls in the study is not related to the proportion of cases and controls in the population. Case control studies require further analysis pertaining to the potential for bias (Portney and Watkins, 2009). Moreover, in a case-control study design, control of selection is difficult; it may be applied to the study of only one disease outcome at a time and is usually subject to recall bias (Jekel, Katz and Elmore, 2001). In a case-control study, neither absolute risk nor odds can not be measured since â€Å"it is only possible to calculate risk in a study where subjects have been followed forward in time† (Daly and Bourke, 2000, p. 166). However, Daly and Bourke (2000) revealed that â€Å"the cross-product ratio in a case-control study, which legitimately estimates the ratio of the odds of exposure, must also be a valid estimate of the ration of

Survay Research on Villians Essay Example for Free

Survay Research on Villians Essay Evolution of Evil Since television had become a household product in 1947 it has been used by parents to help educate their children in a certain manner to which they may understand depending on their age. In present day America television shows such as Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow usually start by teaching basic skills such as reading, writing, and spelling to infants by using different methods such as the alphabet song to make it easier for kids to comprehend. These shows and others alike also began to teach morality such as sharing, doing your part, and helping others less fortunate by using certain mascots such as a giant purple dinosaur to appeal to their childish behavior while teaching them lessons they will use all of their life. Once these lessons are fully comprehended by the kids villains, such as Scar from The Lion king and Plankton from SpongeBob, specifically geared toward children were introduced to expose children to character traits that opposed the very morals that were taught to them. These villains were usually inherently evil usually having no reason to oppose the hero other than simple emotions such as jealously or greed being their motivation to do actions that are deemed as bad such as lying, cheating, and stealing. As these kids grow up and deal with certain situations with real villains in their own life their perception of true evil changes as they experience more own their own and develop more complex in depth relationships with people. As these kids mature into teens and adults that can comprehend more complex emotions, the villains that are portrayed in the media obtain more human like features. I decided the best way to gain useful information would be to survey thirty college student that are in my age group so I could determine which villain that was created for children in the 1990’s is the most memorable and why. Then compare how they differ from the villains that are created for those same kids ten years later in present day society. I decided I would poll students in all my classes except those in my English class to ensure that I could obtain the surveyor’s honest answer to the questions I would ask. I asked those students in my class to answer my eight questions that included a ranking system that would allow them to rank cartoon villains from the 1990’s as the most or least memorable using the numbers 1 through 5 with 1 being the most memorable. I asked the same ranking question again, but with 5 famous villains portrayed in present day media while allowing space after ach question to explain why or why they weren’t scared of the villain they ranked as the most memorable during their childhood and present day. I targeted my survey toward a certain age group to try to find a pattern in the answer to which characters are the most memorable and why they are memorable. I knew when analyzing the information I received I would have to take account the hero the villain was opposing and what make s them so memorable as well. I asked thirty people how much television they watch during the week and twenty-one out of the thirty said they watch at least one hour a day. Out of the childhood focused questions the group of villains consisted of Hades from Hercules, Scar from The Lion King, Jafar from Aladdin, Mojo jo jo from the The Powder-puff Girls, and Plankton from SpongeBob Square Pants. Out of the five villains Scar from The Lion King average rank was 2. 33 which named him the most memorable character. Out of the seven survey takers that ranked Scar as the most memorable five out of the seven stated that they were not scared of Scar and that it was fairly easy to understand why he was the villain and why he did the mischievous things that he did. Of those five that were not scared of Scar explained that The Lion King was a light hearted cartoon movie about animals in the wild. The least memorable character was Mojo Jo Jo from The Powder-Puff Girls with an average ranking of 3. 81 out of 5 by the survey takers. Of the two participants that named Mojo Jo Jo the most memorable character one stated he was afraid of Mojo Jo because he saw a part of himself in Mojo Jo Jo. The other participant stated that Mojo Jo Jo was just misunderstood and was in fact not at all scary. Out of all five villains available 19 of the 21 surveyors who watched television as kids ranked the complexity of their most memorable characters as easy or fairly easy to understand. I then questioned the surveyors about five famous fictional villains displayed in today’s media. The list of villains included Jigsaw from the Saw, Joker from The Dark Knight, Green Goblin from Spiderman, Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter, and Darth Vader from Star Wars where the Joker received the highest average ranking of 2. 3 out of 5 of the most memorable villain of present day media. Four of the seven people that said Joker was their most memorable villain were scared of Joker and described his motives as questionable and his personality as a â€Å"bad Mother Fucker. † The three of seven that wasn’t scared of Joker described him as an interesting character, a great villain, and having memorable actions. The least memorable villain of these five modern day villains was Jigsaw fr om the movie Saw who had an average ranking of 3. 91 out of 5 between the thirty participants. Although Saw was the least he seemed to be the most confusing character as the three people who ranked him as the most memorable stated they were complete unsure of his motives and the reasons for his actions. On average when asked about the complexity and morale standings of these present day villains the results mirrored those of the cartoon characters with a 19 of 30 surveyors giving their most memorable villain a raking of 3 or higher. After analyzing the results to childhood questions, I believe The Lion King is the most relatable movie to kids. This movie more so than the others touches on basic principles that kids are learning during that age such as greed, jealously, and rebellion which is why it is no surprise that it is the most memorable. Simba, the love-able misunderstood tiger who seeks his rightful place as king, is opposed by Scar the symbol of evil that shows no moral empathy with the wrongful acts he commits toward his own nephew. Scar lacking of empathy allows viewers to clearly understand Scar’s motives leaving little room for confusion for the movies immature audience. On the other hand Joker seems to be completely non-relatable to most people of major society because of his questionable motives that drives the evil actions that he commits. Of the list of five present day villains only Jigsaw and Joker challenge the moral divisions of the hero they are opposing which in turn the allows the viewer to question their own moral standing about certain questions such as save the love of your life, or the city that your love. These type of interesting questions aren’t one people are likely to face in reality. Watching a character like Joker question the moral standing of Batman gives the viewers the chance to look inwardly where they usually would not. By watching the hero and understanding the reason why he made the choices he does gives the audience to analyze the choice they would make in the shoes of the hero which in turn makes the villain causing these choices to be so memorable. Surprisingly nine of the thirty participants said they didn’t watch television as they were growing although but were still familiar with the characters and able to rank them because of the conversations they had with their friends. Four out of the nine participants said that they were not allowed to watch television that wasn’t solely educational. Two of the nine participants said they did not own a television inside of their home and only saw movies every once in a while. Three out of the nine simply stated that had no time or interest for television and were wrapped up in other things such as travel sports and other time consuming hobbies as kids. However 5 out of 9 of those who did not watch television as a child ranked Joker with either a 1 or 2 as their most memorable character which shows the popularity of Joker to even those who may or may not having grown up watching Batman. The media of present day in comparison to the movies and shows of the 1990’s seemed to portray the most interesting villains are the ones that are complex and cause a question of morality of the hero which then in turn questions the audience. These questions of morality such as is it okay to kill someone whom harms others; can only be answered by each individual viewer by challenging the very believes that are molded into most kids as they are growing up. The most famous characters and villains of are childhood are those that visual show and teach life lessons that we use today, but the villains that challenge those very beliefs as adults leave a lasting impression of self-realization and moral standing in which each individual carries daily.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Impact of Nutrition Transition on Food and Nutrition System

Impact of Nutrition Transition on Food and Nutrition System IMPACT OF THE NUTRITION TRANSITION ON FOOD AND NUTRITION SYSTEM OF INDIA Student: Thara Baby Akshai Babu 1.0 INTRODUCTION One of the largest food producing country in the world is India (Singh et al, 2012). But 21% of the total population is under nourished (Singh et al, 2012). About 300 million people struggle for meeting their meals 2 times a day (Singh et al, 2012).Nutritional profile is a important factor of the progress in which nation has made in the modern days (Sachdev et al, 2004). Due to this factor there are many effects and implications in the everyday life of the normal people (Sachdev et al, 2004). The achievements are only for the highly economically privileged sections of the society. Due to the nutritional transition occurred, the development of the early adult hood disease is one of the main adverse effect in the daily living of the people (Sachdev et al, 2004). As a result, the rates of mortality as well as morbidity increased as well (Sachdev et al, 2004). Recent researches suggest that 40% of mortality rate in developing countries are due to Non communicable diseases and the rate is 75% in developed countries (Prakash Shetty, 2002). Due to the nutritional transition and changes in the life style pattern of the people, there is increase in the energy intake as well as decrease in the energy expenditure in the daily living activities (Sachdev et al, 2004). 2.0 EFFECTS OF TRANSITION IN THE NORMAL LIFE OF PEOPLE 2.1. Health consequences associated with transition. By the development of Nutrition transition, many adverse effects have been occurring (Sachdev et al, 2004). The most powerful evidence is the increase in the rate of risk towards the diseases like diabetes mellitus (Type 2), metabolic syndromes, coronary heart diseases, increased blood pressure etc. (Sachdev et al, 2004). It is expected that the rate of incidence of disease and death due to the CHD will be about 60% rather than any other infectious diseases in the upcoming years (Sachdev et al, 2004). And besides it is predicted that India will be the country with more diabetic patients in turn among the age of 45-64 than any other developing countries in 2025 (Sachdev et al, 2004). India is likewise in the path of demographic transition where the pace of life expectancy increases while the birth rate falls (Prakash Shetty, 2002). 2.2. Dietary Consumption and life style changes due to Nutrition transition in India. Sudden changes in the quantity of dietary intake on developing countries indicate an increase in per capita availability of food (Prakash Shetty, 2002) . It is as good as accompanied by the quantitative changes in the diet (Prakash Shetty, 2002).According to the food balance data sheet produced by Food And Agricultural Organisation(FAO) the amount of intake of animal fats, sugar in Asian countries has been increased where as the change in energy intake is small (Prakash Shetty, 2002).it is considered that the intake of fat both from vegetables and animal is drastically increasing each year. Data shows that from the diet, high income group consume 37% energy from fat as well as low income group consumes only 17%.Nutrition transition affects the women and children. Mal nutrition and obesity are the major problems seen among women (Sachdev et al, 2004). Overweight and Obesity seen among the higher class women where as malnourishment in the lower economic class women in the society (G riffiths Paula, 2001). According to WHO, In India 1% of the preschool childhood is prone to obesity (Prakash Shetty, 2002). As the situation goes on, India will be facing a dual challenge which is the biggest problems, i.e., overweight and malnourishment. There will be children with overweight where as the incidence of mortality and morbidity will be also increasing at the same time due to the malnutrition (Griffiths Paula, 2001). Since 1970’s, many national level surveys have been taken by the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB), chiefly on the diet, nutrition and food consumption pattern of India (Prakash Shetty, 2002). In the year of 1975-1995, the survey was conducted and the NNMB reported the advance in the sufficient calorie intake in India, where as there is a gradual decrease in the amount of intake of cereal and grains in the diet (Prakash Shetty, 2002). It is believed that because of the heavy uptake of proteins and fat in the diet (Prakash Shetty, 2002). Consumption of legumes and pulses which is an important source of vegetable protein in the routine diet of India has decreased dramatically (Prakash Shetty, 2002).According to the Food Balance sheet data, the trend in the supply of animal product has increased from 7.0g in 1965 to 12.9gm in 1999.So the intake of energy in the diet is just double than needed. I.e. it increased to 192 kcal from 104 kcal per capita per day. The intak e of high fat and energy content will result in Obesity and overweight (Prakash Shetty, 2002). India is one of the biggest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world, however much of this does not appear to be contemplated in the uptake (Prakash Shetty, 2002). May be largely the effect of their production as cash crops for exports and sales (Prakash Shetty, 2002).This situation can lead to the extent loss of soil and micronutrients that are not advantageous to local people (Prakash Shetty, 2002). Economic development seems to contribute to improvement in intakes of legumes and veggies and these changes may be advantageous (Prakash Shetty, 2002). But these changes with socioeconomic status are also frequently linked with less intakes of inferior quality cereal grain and increased dependence on highly polished varieties that may bring down the intakes of dietary fibre (Prakash Shetty, 2002). 2.3. Changes in Physical Activity. Due to the increased mechanisation in the world, the level of physical activity has been decreased. Humans are more relied on automatic machines and motor cars rather than manual operating system and bicycles (Singh et al, 2012). Decrease in the productive manual work and decreased energy spend in work leads to the development of diseases. Now days, the trend is like more leisure time and less working time (Singh et al, 2012). And most of the people spend their leisure time for the sedentary activities such as watching TV, computer games and so on, thus changing the construction of leisure time and encroaching on the time usually allocated to other activities including weekday sleep (Singh et al, 2012). 3.0. FOOD DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM OF INDIA (FDS) One of the largest food producing country in the world is India (Singh et al, 2012). But 21% of the total population is under nourished (Singh et al, 2012). About 300 million people struggle for meeting their meals 2 times a day (Singh et al, 2012).it shows the problem of receptiveness to the sufficient nutritive food to the poor class in past(Singh et al, 2012). The report suggest that between the period of 1960-2009, there is a dramatically decline in the public investment to the agriculture (Singh et al, 2012). Certain measures are taken by the government among the states in the country (Singh et al, 2012). In India Public Distribution of Food is through FCI (Food Corporation Of India) (Singh et al, 2012). And through this system India reduced the risk of famine but the sufficiency, the quality and nutritive value of food is still a big challenge (Singh et al, 2012).The food management aims at processing food grains from farmers at profitable prices, supplying food grains to the consumers, especially the poor and the affected sections of the society at affordable prices and maintain food buffer for food security and price stability (Singh et al, 2012). The main important factor in public distribution system is minimum support price (MSP) and central issue price (CIP) (Singh et al, 2012). The uneconomical rise in the inventory of food grains with FCI has given rise to the overall economic cost of food grain to FCI and has had an untoward impression on the efficacy of food based safety nets in India (Singh et al, 2012). 4.0 CONCLUSION In this review, I am attempting to establish some important determinants that characterize the nutrition and development transitions that is happening in a country like India. The transitions especially demographic, nutritional, epidemiological transitions affects the normal life pattern of the people and it changes the followed methods of consumption of food, physical activities, which leads to the path of sedentarism which leads to the greatest problems obesity and other non communicable diseases (Singh et al, 2012). There are some other factors contributing to the emergence of chronic diseases in India. Contamination of food sources of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and toxic contaminants is common in rapidly industrializing societies. Globalization of trade encourages cash crops for export and the consequent movement of important micronutrients, which are now not available to the local population and at the same time promotes increased vulnerability with agricultural productio n subjects to the pressing of global free trade and competition (Singh et al, 2012, p. 133). Thus, economic development contributes to increasing inequalities and exposure to factors that are harmful to health and may thus contributing to increasing NCD risk in developing societies in sudden developmental transition like India The Government should plan of carrying on a continuous and exhaustive research to track the need and supply of food grains selling in the market. This would ensure future forecast onfoodprices and would facilitate the Governmentinpolicy making. Universalisation of food grain distribution needs an alternative clean and transparent/ PDS method other than through the FCI at the national level and Fair Price Shops at the bottom level. This calls for developing suitable operational policies for FCI to rationalize its buffer stocks, slowly unload more inventory of cereals and strengthening of the existing PDS by bringingin transparency andaccountabilityat the ultimate distribution point. This first step will improve supply situation and prevent price rise. Thus, while the proposed NFSA will address the supply driven distribution side of the food grains, the nation needs to develop an appropriate system of food management keeping in perspective the overall demand and supply situation. 5.0 REFERENCES: Prakash, Shetty. (2002).NutritionTransition in India.PublicHealth Nutrition. 5 (1),  175-82. Sachdev, HPS. (2004).Nutritionaltransition in theback drop of early life orgin of  adult diseases: A challenge for the future.Indian journal ofmedical Research. 119  (4), iii-v. Griffiths, Paula, L. (2001). TheNutritionTransition is underway in India.The journal   ofNUTRITION. 131 (10), 2692-700 Singh. (2012).Food securityin India’s issues and challenges.Anusandanika. 4 (2),  128-133.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Effect of Parental Separation on Adolescence

Effect of Parental Separation on Adolescence Zeenat Jawed PARENTAL SEPARATION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES FOR ADOLESCENCE Family is one of the important social spaces which give you identity; shelter, security, senses of belonging and also nurtures the personality of a person. Parents play an important role to run the family with harmony. They provide basis for the development of personality and, guide their children to face the challenges of the real world. Child learn to adjust in society and make relations with others by observing the role of their parents (Bandura, 1989). Parents influence on child development in three different ways which includes direct interaction with child in activities, emotional identification and, telling stories about family members and relatives (Kagan, 1999). The interpersonal relation of parents also has an impact on child development. According to Moore, Kinghorne and Bandy (2011), the quality of parental relationship is allied with the positive or negative outcome in child’s behavior, social competence, and engagement in school, parent-child communication and parental feeling of aggravation. The reflection of parental relation either lifts up or disrupts the child development. If the conflict persists and parents get divorced so it will impact the development of children. This paper will explore worldwide and Pakistan’s prevalence, causes of divorce, and its impact on child’s development in different stages of life briefly, with more focus on adolescence stage. Furthermore, it will also provide some possible interventions for children to cope up with this emotional trauma without compromising their development. The reason for choosing this topic is that I have witnessed a 14 years old girl during my clinical whose parents got divorced that influenced on her life positively and negatively. She involved in studies more and became resilient but simultaneously, she was depressed, had fear about future life, and didn’t participate in any social activities. Prevalence Divorce is the physical and legal separation of spouse from their relation (Parveen, 2010). The rate of divorce is increasing day by day. Worldwide Divorce Statistics, (n.d.), states that Beralus, United Kingdom and United states are among top twenty countries with the highest divorce rate of 68%, 53% and 49% respectively. According to Avila (2013), â€Å"The United States Bureau of the Census (2005) estimated over 1 million children experience parental divorce each year. According to Strohschein et al. (2009) and Juby et al. (2005) as cited in Ambert Vanier Institute of the Family (2005), about 20% -30% children experience parental divorce at the age of 18 and 15 respectively. According to the statistics retrieved from the court of senior civil judge Lahore and Faisalabad, cited in Parveen (2010), since January to April 2008, 3223 and 1466 cases were registered respectively. About 80 to 85 cases are being registered daily. In addition, a study was conducted in Karachi showed that parental conflict results in negative outcome among their children. The study also suggests that 80.5% to 97.5% of children got affected by parental conflicts (Ali, Assad, Mogren, Krantz, 2011). This frequency shows that it is the most scorching issue in our society and around world that compels me to review this issue through my paper. Causes of divorce There is a temporality in the world that every cause precedes an effect. Similarly, there are certain causes that may leads to dissolution of the marital bond. There is no similar cause for every divorce. Frolick, (2011) as cited in Khurshid, Khatoon, Khurshid, (2012) affirms that, â€Å"every divorce is unique like a snow flake†. There is an increasing rate of divorce in Pakistan, and the few prevalent reasons are; Lack of sacrifice, forced marriages, greed, Joint family system, difference in social status and highly career oriented women (Khurshid, Khatoon, Khurshid, 2012). There are incompatible differences between partners that become necessary for the person to get divorced. Lack of communication, poverty, difference in education level, any kind of abuse (physical, emotional, verbal or sexual), disloyalty, early marriages, mismatch (sexual, intellectual and emotional), sexual dysfunction or disease and drug addiction can also be the contributing factors of divorce (Khurshid, Khatoon, Khurshid, 2012). According to Ali, Assad, Mogren, Krantz, (2011), there is a theoretical model that helps to depict the causes of intimate partner violence (IPV) that in my opinion, can leads to separation. These include psychopathological, sociological, gender, and family systems theories. Sociological theories portrayed that low education, economic vulnerability and stress can leads to conflict. Gender theories states the cultural and social construct of gender, where man have power and superiority, while women have inferior status that makes women dependent and vulnerable for violence. Furthermore, in my opinion, uncertainty and hesitation towards spouse can be a risk factor and it was the main cause of divorce in my patient’s case. Moreover, psychopathological theory suggests that certain psychiatric diseases and disorders maybe a contributing factor. Likewise, family system theories revealed that lack of communication, ineffective problem solving can leads to violence. Therefore it can be assumed that these factors can ultimately lead to divorce. Consequences of divorce Consequences for the couple: Divorce can be both positive and negative. In my opinion, getting away from the stressful relationship could be helpful for a person. Individual can live happy life a head if they are not happy and satisfied with their existing marital life. Literature also suggests that those who ends their relation due to high conflict and violence and grasps an opportunity to change are happier in their later life (Waite Gallagher, n.d.). On the other hand, divorce can be a stressful event too. Initially, the divorced couple feels relaxed but as time passes, they become harsh, fragile and easy to break. They become socially isolated and anxious. Furthermore, men are at risk of substance abuse while women are more prone towards depression, poverty, loneliness and stigmatization (Waite Gallagher, n.d.). Literature suggests that regardless of poverty and depression, women get back from the trauma easily as compared to men (Amato Cheadle, 2005). Consequences for children: Attachment theory: The relation and attachment between parents and children is very important for personality development and intimacy in later life. According to John Bowlby theory of attachment cited in Fraley, (n.d.), there are three types of attachment i.e. secure, avoidant and resistant. In the first type of attachment, the child experiences unconditioned positive regard, loving, warm and responsive attitude of parents. It helps to build intimacy, empathic and supportive behaviors towards their partner and tends resolve their conflicts with constructive strategies. In avoidant attachment, parents shows demanding, disrespectful, critical and harsh attitude towards their children. It leads to jealousy, lack of intimacy and love in adulthood. The resistant attachment is the situation of jump in and out that means that the attitude of parents is unpredictable. This pursued the child to amalgamate completely with others and build their relations quickly but it cannot exist for long. The initial years of life is marked with physical, cognitive, language, social and emotional development and it is also vulnerable for acquiring negative things (McIntosh, 2011). The infancy is a very crucial time in which child develop trust in the world with healthy parenting (Americas Angel, 2011). After divorce, the custody of child is given to one parent due to which, the child lacks attention and care from other parent. For example, if an infant is separated from mother, the primary source of satisfaction in infancy, the child will end up in separation anxiety (Stuart, 2009). In my opinion it will develops mistrust in child for the real world. According to Erickson, preschooler stage is marked with initiative vs. guilt (Americas Angel, 2011). They suffers from depression, confusion, indulge in joyless play, desire for the absent parent, feel guilty and blame themselves for the conflict and divorce of their parents (Kruk, 2013). In my view, if parents don’t give attention to their children due to their marital conflicts and separation, this may develops avoidant attachment which subsequently leads to jealousy and lack of intimacy in later life. Likewise, school-age children build competency and mastery by participating more in academics. They make friends that play an important role in developing self-esteem in child (McLeod, 2008). Following divorce, children doesn’t interact with friends more, they suffer from sleep problems and have low grade academic performance (Ambert Vanier Institute of the Family, 2005). In my opinion, low grade results from lack of parental participation in academics and avoidance of children due to marital conflict. Adolescence (11-20 years) is a stage where drastic change occurs such as pubertal changes, peer relation and physical maturity. Stuart (2009) affirms that it is a period where child is moving towards adulthood, preparing for marriage, career, acquiring sets of values and an ethical system. According to Erickson, in this stage, an adolescent forms his own identity which helps to make intimacy in young adulthood. Consequences of separation are equal for both girls and boys (Department of Justice Canada, 1997). Furthermore, I have detected some sign and symptoms in patient and also supported by a literature, adolescents may feel anger, depression, anxiety and fear, and emotional distress, early or late menarche and blame themselves for separation of their parents. Garvin and colleagues (1991) cited in Avila(2013) affirms that children whose parent got divorce had higher rates of depression, sexual acting out, substance abuse, conduct disorders, school problems, and delinquent behavior a s compared to the children of intact family. Furthermore, according to attachment theory, child may feel avoidant and resistant attachment with parents’ that deteriorates academic performance. In my belief it is because of lack of participation of parents in school due to which child get demotivated and shows poor performance at school. According to Stuart (2009), the children face difficulty in identification of one parent as a victim and develop rejection for other. Literature suggests that parental separation also puts a child at risk for divorce (Amato Cheadle, 2005). They become pessimistic about their future intimate relation (Stuart, 2009). Therefore, I believe that this stage is very crucial and could have dangerous affects of suffering. Furthermore, it is also observed that if the custody of child is given to opposite sex parent, it can also lead to problematic circumstances. For example, in Pakistan’s context, if an adolescent girl is living with her father so she may face many problems at puberty because of lack of guidance from mother. Similar situation goes with boys. They cannot discuss their reproductive health problems with mother flexibly. Children might have problems in identification of their same-sex parents due to lack of interaction with non-custodial parents. On the other hand, the divorce can leave positive effects as well. The patient that I had encountered showed positivity and coped with in an appropriate manner. She became resilient, indulges in studies and showed good academic performance. Middleton, (n.d.) insists that child learn positivity and becomes resilient, adaptable, have self-confidence, shows empathy, and learn more through quality time spent with each parent separately. After adolescence, a person enters in adulthood phase where they make relations and start their own family. If the impact of parental divorce is positive, they are most likely to build good relation with their spouse and children. According to Erickson, they develop intimacy and generativity however, in my opinion, they will get isolated from society and family and experience despair because they haven’t achieved their goal due to parental conflict and separation. Recommendations As health care personnel, we need to support child during this traumatic event. It is important to help child in the grieving period. Friends and family member can play a significant role in it. Furthermore, we can involve child in different group work that help to alleviate the depressive symptoms and provides opportunity to deal with pre and post divorce stress. Besides we can support child in reframing their perception about divorce and help to modify their thoughts into positivity. Avila (2013) states that it can be attain with Psycho-educational and counseling which help child to cope with the reality and impacts of separation. Cognitive behavioral therapy can be given to child in order to change their negative thinking (Avila, 2013). Indulge child in activities to divert their mind from stressful situation to the relaxed situation such as sports. Show empathy towards child to make them realize that they are not alone in this situation. Moreover we can refer child to those who h as coped with parental divorce appropriately. In my opinion, it is also important to teach family to support child during this period. Instruct family and custodial parent to allow child to maintain relation with the absent parent. Allow child to choose with whom they wants to live. Guide them not to discuss about the absent parent in front of child otherwise it will make child more depressed. Parents are required to fulfill the need of child and spend more time with them. In conclusion, the inter-parental relation plays an important role in the development of child. They can influence both positively and negatively. Good parental relation can enhance well-being of a child otherwise it will disrupt the development of child. Divorce is the legal separation of spouses. It has both positive and negative impact on the couple as well on their children. Additionally, child will have psychological, behavioral, social, physical and emotional problem in their development. Every stage is very crucial but adolescences are at greater risk to be affected with parental separation as it provides identity to children which help to develop intimacy in later life. By following above mentioned strategies, children can cope up with this painful event smoothly.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Essay --

Social constructionism was the theory described by Joel Best that explains how things in life become controversies or problems. The ways in which society thinks about situations and uses categories to analyze events in the world structures experiences and understandings of these events. Humans look at events beyond an objectivist approach, and instead subjectively, affected by the framework in which one lives. The social constructionist theory can be used to look at the relationship between science and the people that it serves, illustrated in Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman who died from cervical cancer in the 1950s. She sought treatment at Johns Hopkins hospital, where she visited many times and eventually passed away. During visits, her cells were taken without her consent, and given to scientist George Gey. Gey quickly realized that Henrietta’s cells were not like other cells that he had grown in his laboratory; they had the ability to grow exponentially in a cell culture, known as HeLa, and soon became seen as immortal cells. Not only that, the cells soon became one of the most prolific resources in medical research, having a major impact in the development of polio vaccines, cloning, gene mapping, and much more. HeLa became a medical controversy, not only because it helped the science world achieve so much, but also because of the ethical quandaries that it developed. Social construction can be used to help explain how HeLa cells became famous in general. According to the theory, primarily claims must be made about something. Then, the media will eventually circulate said claims, which will eventually garner a public reaction. This would lead to policies ... ...Henrietta’s life, informed consent was very informal and lax. But because of cases like HeLa and Mo, informed consent became recognized to be a problem that needed to have strict guidelines and therefore has become required. Looking at the social construct theory, the HeLa cells became viewed as controversial, which in the end made the public find other cases in its nature controversial as well, and needing guidelines to regulate scientific research. Evaluating the current policies, clearly some still believe that there needs to be more guidelines, and others believe that things such as tissue and other biological materials should considered to be under the ownership of the person whom it came from. What the social construct can say about the story of Henrietta, HeLa, and Mo shows just how influential the society is in constructing values, practices, and traditions.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Ostler by Wilkie Collins and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck :: English Literature

The Ostler by Wilkie Collins and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. 'The Ostler' was written by Wilkie Collins (1824-89), a Victorian novelist. Collins' work became popular because he wrote plots that often included mystery, suspense and crime. His stories always had extremely well constructed plots. Collins also reflected the Victorian era's interest in gothic stories. These are stories that contain supernatural or horror themes. Readers at this time enjoyed stories like 'The Ostler' and other work by Wilkie Collins like 'The Moonstone' and 'The Woman in White', although sometimes the events were a little far-fetched and improbable.'The Ostler' supports this, as it is improbable that a hallucination could in fact come to life. John Steinbeck (1902-68) was born in California and used the state as the background to his early stories and novels. Steinbeck, like his characters George and Lennie, had worked on a ranch like the one in 'Of Mice and Men'. He was shocked by the plight of many agricultural workers, whose lives were thrown into disorder during the depression in farming. This occurred in California, during the 1930's. Steinbeck's novella, 'Of Mice and Men' is effective as he was able to describe in depth the emotions that those who worked hard on the land felt. He was able to empathise with his characters, as he had experienced these hardships himself. This means that readers are able to sympathise with the workers far more. The book, at the time, was an extremely successful way to draw attention to a serious issue. Although the book doesn't dictate the rights of workers, nor bombard you with figures, the situation of the men on the ranches is still portrayed effectively. The message still gets across due to Steinbeck's excellent use of the emotions and empathy. Both 'Of Mice and Men' and 'The Ostler' begin with journeys in unpleasant circumstances. In 'The Ostler', the reader first learns of Isaac Scatchard and his 'ill luck'. In fact, Isaac is famous for this and in the story we are told of how Isaac had missed out on another job. Isaac had walked to a large manor house to apply for the job of stable hand. However, Isaac arrived at his destination late at night and thought it best to lodge at an inn. On presenting himself to the gentleman he found that "Only a day before, the stable-helper's place had been given to another man." As Isaac returns to his mother on the long journey home, "The rain came on and the wind began to rise." This is an example of pathetic fallacy. In this case the change in the atmosphere of the text is one towards darkness, of bad and evil.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Light Reactions and Plant Pigments

The Effect of Light Reactions on Plant Pigmentation Alyssa Martinez AP Biology 4th pd E. Perkins Abstract In this lab, we were to separate pigments and calculate Rf  values using plant pigment chromatography, describe a technique to determine the photosynthetic rate, compare photosynthetic rates at different light intensities using controlled experiments and explain why rate  of photosynthesis varies under different environmental conditions. In the second part of the lab, we used chloroplasts extracted from spinach leaves and incubated then with DPIP and used the dye-reduction technique. When the DPIP is reduced and becomes  colorless, the resultant increase in light transmittance is measured over a  period of time using a spectrophotometer. If pigments are separated, then Rf values can be determined. Introduction Paper chromatography is a  useful technique for separating and identifying pigments and other molecules from cell extracts that contain a  complex mixture of molecules. As solvent moves up  the  paper, it carries along any  substances dissolved in it. The more soluble, the further  it travels and vice-versa. Beta carotene is  the most abundant carotene in plants and is  carried along near the solvent front since it is very soluble and  forms no hydrogen bonds with cellulose. Xanthophyll contains oxygen and is found further from the solvent front since it  is less soluble in the solvent and is  slowed down by hydrogen  bonding to cellulose. Chlorophyll a is  primary photosynthetic pigment in plants. Chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids capture light energy and transfer it to  chlorophyll a at the reaction center. Light is  part of a continuum of radiation or energy waves. Shorter wavelengths of energy have greater amounts of energy. Wavelengths of light within the visible spectrum of  light power  photosynthesis. Light is absorbed by leaf  pigments while electrons within each photosystem are boosted to a higher energy level. This energy level is  used to produce ATP and reduce  NADP to NADPH. ATP and  NADPH are then used to  incorporate CO2 into organic molecules. In place of  the electron accepter, NADP, the compound DPIP  will be substituted. It changes chloroplasts from blue to colorless. Methodology Obtain a 50 ml graduated cylinder which has about 1 cm of solvent at the bottom. Cut a piece of  filter paper which will be long enough to reach the solvent. Draw a line about 1. 5 cm from the bottom of the paper. Use a quarter to extract the pigments from spinach leaf cells and place a small section of leaf on top of the pencil line. Use the ribbed edge of the coin to crush the leaf cells and be sure the pigment line is on top of the pencil line. Place  the chromatography  paper in the cylinder and cover the cylinder. When the solvent is about 1 cm from the top of the paper, remove the paper  and immediately mark the location of the solvent front before it evaporates. Mark the bottom of each pigment band and measure the distance each pigment migrated from the  bottom of the pigment origin to the bottom of the separated pigment band and record the distances. Then, turn on the spectrophotometer to warm up the instrument and set the wavelength to 605 nm. Set up an incubation area that  includes a light, water flask, and test tube rack. Label the cuvettes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Using lens tissue, wipe the outside walls of each cuvette. Using foil paper, cover the walls and bottom of cuvette 2. Light should not  be permitted inside cuvette 2 because it is a control for this experiment. Add 4 mL of distilled water to cuvette 1. To 2, 3, and 4, add 3 mL of distilled water and  1 mL of DPIP. To 5, add 3  mL plus 3 drops of distilled water and 1mL of DPIP. Bring the spectrophotometer to zero by adjusting the amplifier control knob until the meter reads 0% transmittance. Add 3 drops of unboiled chloroplasts and cover the top of cuvette 1 with Parafilm and invert to mix. Insert cuvette 1 into  the sample holder and adjust the  instrument to 100% transmittance. Obtain the unboiled chloroplast suspension, stir to mix, and transfer 3 drops to cuvette 2. Immediately cover and mix cuvette 2. Then remove it from the foil sleeve and  insert it into the spectrophotometer's sample holder, read the percentage transmittance, and record it. Replace cuvette 2 into the foil sleeve,  and place it into the incubation test tube rack and turn on the flood light. Take and record additional readings at 5, 10, and 15  minutes. Mix the cuvette’s contents before each reading. Take the unboiled chloroplast suspension, mix, and transfer 3 drops to cuvette 3. Immediately cover and mix cuvette 3 and insert it into the spectrophotometer's sample holder, read the percentage transmittance, and record. Replace cuvette 3 into the incubation test tube rack. Take and record additional readings at 5, 10, and  15 minutes. Mix the cuvette's contents just prior  to each readings. Obtain the boiled chloroplast suspension, mix, and transfer 3 drops to cuvette 4. Immediately cover and mix cuvette 4. Insert it into the spectrophotometer's sample holder, read the percentage transmittance, and record it. Replace cuvette 4 into the incubation test tube rack and take and record additional readings at 5, 10, and  15 minutes. Cover and mix the contents of cuvette 5 and insert it into the spectrophotometer's sample holder, read the percentage transmittance, and  record. Replace cuvette  5 into the incubation test tube rack and take and record additional readings at 5, 10, and 15 minutes. Results Table 4. 1: Distance Moved by Pigment Band (millimeters) Band Number| Distance (mm)| Band Color| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Distance Solvent Front Moved ____ (mm) Table 4. 2: Analysis of Results __ = Rf for Carotene (yellow to yellow orange) __ = Rf for Xanthophyll (yellow) __ = Rf for Chlorophyll a (bring green to blue green) __ = Rf for chlorophyll b (yellow green to olive green) Table 4. 4: Transmittance (%) Time (minutes) Cuvette| 0| 5| 10| 15| 2 Unboiled/Dark| | | | | 3 Unboiled/Light| | | | | Boiled/Light| | | | | 5 No Chloroplasts/ Light| | | | | Analysis of Results Graph Discussion Chromatography  is  a  technique  used  to  separate  and identify pigments and other molecules from cell extracts that contain a complex mixture of molecules. This can be used to identify the pigments that are used in the  process of  photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants use light energy to produce chemical  energy in the form of food. This is where plant pigments come into play because they are the reason why the plant is able to absorb light. Chlorophyll a is one such  pigment. These pigments along with many others are contained in organelles known as chloroplasts. One of the problems encountered during the course of this lab included human error when using the spectrophotometer. The student made slight errors when setting the transmittance to the required levels. On a few occasions, the group accidentally introduced light into a cuvette where the variable being tested was the absence of light. This might have caused some error when taking measurements of the percentage  of transmittance. This resulted in skewed data, which meant that the experiment had to be repeated once more. During the first part of the  lab, the group made an error by allowing some part of the pigment  to be in the solvent. This did alter our results in the end. Topics for Discussion 4A: Plant Pigment Chromatography 1. What factors are involved in the separation of the pigments? The factors involved in the separation of the  pigments  from the  spinach plants  are the pigments’ solubility in the solution, how much they bind to the paper based on their chemical structure, and the size of the pigment particles. . Would you expect the Rf value of a pigment to be the same if a different solvent were used? Explain. No I would not expect the Rf values to be different because the pigments will dissolve differently in different types of solvents. For example, chlorophyll b is very soluble in hydrophobic solutions, so if the crushed spinach cells on the paper were put in a hydrophobic s olution, the chlorophyll b would move the highest and probably be right on the solution front, while the other pigments will move much less. 3. What type of chlorophyll does the reaction center contain? What are the roles of the other pigments? Chlorophyll a is in the reaction center, and the other pigments are able to absorb light from the other wavelengths that chlorophyll a cannot absorb light from, and then they transfer the energy harvested from the other wavelengths to the chlorophyll a, providing more energy to be used in photosynthesis. 4B: Photosynthesis/The Light Reaction 1. What is the function of DPIP in this experiment? DPIP is the electron acceptor in this experiment (instead of NADP which is what is normally used in plants). The electrons boosted to high energy levels will reduce the DPIP, which will change its color from blue to clear as more high energy electrons are absorbed by it. 2. What molecule found in chloroplast does DPIP â€Å"replace† in this experiment? It replaces NADP molecules that are found in chloroplasts. 3. What is the source of the electrons that will reduce DPIP? The electrons come from the photolysis of water. 4. What was measured with the spectrophotometer in this experiment? The light transmittance was measured, which really was the measure of how much the chloroplasts reduced the DPIP 5. What is the effect of darkness on the reduction of DPIP? Explain. Darkness will restrict any reaction to occur. 6. What is the effect of boiling the chloroplasts on the subsequent reduction of DPIP? Explain. By boiling chloroplasts, we denature the protein molecules, ending the reduction of DPIP. 7. What reasons can you give for the difference in the percent transmittance between the live chloroplasts that were incubated in the light and those that were kept in the dark? The percent transmittance grew to steadily higher numbers as the experiment progressed because the light reaction was able to occur. However, the dark cuvettes had stable levels of transmittance because light is necessary to excite electrons, which, in turn, reduces the DPIP. 8. Identify the function of each of the cuvettes. Cuvette 1: Used as the control Cuvette 2: Used to observe the rate of photosynthesis without light Cuvette 3: Used to observe the rate of photosynthesis with light Cuvette 4: Used to observe the rate of photosynthesis in boiled chloroplasts Cuvette 5: Used to observe the rate of photosynthesis

Can terrorism be justified? Essay

Introduction The purpose of this essay is to explore the issues surrounding the morality of terrorism. I will begin by providing contextual information of the topic through exploring the history of terrorism. From the Sicarii in 50AD who carried out assassinations with short daggers to more recent attacks such as 7/7 bombings in the London underground. In this section however we will find it is not only the methodology of terrorism that has changed but its definition has evolved also. I shall use the historical examples to find any patterns in the use of the word and analyse what these examples tell us about the meaning of the word. Throughout my essay I shall adopt a narrow definition as I believe it allows you to explore terrorism in more detail. Subsequently I will seek to define terrorism along the basis that it sets out to instil fear into others in order to reach a final objective. Following this I shall examine the arguments for and against the justification of terrorism through questioning the ideas of various scholars such as Rudolf Bittner who says terrorism is always wrong to the arguments of Kai Neilsen who says terrorism can be justified if the ends justify the means. Hence I shall reach my final conclusion and reinforce my core argument that terrorism can never be justified, as I believe there is always other less harmful options which reach the same results , furthermore I believe strongly that the lives of others should never be sacrificed for personal gain, whether that be social, political or economic. Lit review The first known terrorist organisation originated in 50AD, they were called the Sicarii, The Sicarri wanted liberation from Roman leadership and assassinated all those associated with the Romans, it was said that the fear that was aroused by these crimes was worse than the act itself(law, R. Terrorism: A history, p.27). The arousal of fear is seen even in modern terrorism through the 7/7 bombings in London where civilians were targeted in the underground train stations, subsequently many feared to use London transport. This running theme of sparking terror within a population suggests that the meaning of the word terrorism must be based around the act of instilling fear; however this is only one aspect of the definition. In the case of the Sicarri they committed these terrorist acts in order to reach an end goal of liberation, this highlights that the definition of terrorism must include a final objective. This end goal is seen through many other terrorist organisations and has become more apparent over time , for example the Ku Klux Klan wished to eradicate all rights of black Americans, this was demonstrated by burning down places of worship and public buildings owned by black Americans. Despite these similarities the definition of terrorism has become elasticated over time, thus it has become difficult to pin down into a singular concept. This variation can be seen through the methodology, in the early stages of terrorism the use of swords and knifes were popular, such as the Sicarii’s use of daggers, however modern day terrorists use explosive devices such as bombs in the 7/7 attack in London. As terrorism has evolved so has the brutality of the act, the consequences of terrorist acts are much larger now than in 50AD, for example the al-Qaeda killed 3,000 people in the attack of 911 alone . This makes it apparent that a key part of the modern definition of terrorism should revolve around fear or terror being committed upon a large scale. Definitions In this essay I will be using a narrow definition, as I believe it’s more efficient in focusing upon the foundations of terrorism. This is because I believe wide definitions are too vague as they incorporate all victims of violence. Thus it becomes difficult to be as thorough when zooming into who and what terrorists are. For example under the pretences of a wide definition anybody can be the victim of terrorism, therefore the assassination of Osama Bin Laden could be classed as a terrorist act. This is clearly not the case. Therefore I believe at times wide definitions can lead you to draw incorrect conclusions, as a result I will be using a narrow definition of terrorism throughout the essay. The two core aspects of terrorism is 1)the act of instilling terror and 2)the use of terrorism for a political goal, thus I believe all valid definitions of the term should revolve around these constant features. Various historians and philosophers throughout the course of history have put forward their definitions of terrorism. Walter Laqueur defined terrorism as the illegitimate use of force to achieve a political objective when innocent people are targeted (definitions of terrorism. This definition of terrorism is successful in demonstrating that terrorism is always used as a means to reach an end. However it fails to mention the instilling of terror into a nation and rather focuses upon force by means such as weapons. It also highlights that government organisations can’t be terrorist groups, however many definitions such as Per Bauhn’s would disagree with this. Bauhn defines terrorism as the performance of violent acts, directed against one or more persons†¦.to bring about one or more of the agent’s political goals (Bauhn, 1989:28). In Bauhn’s definition he fails to specify qualities of the agent , I believe this makes his definition invalid. As warfare could then qualify as a terrorist act, which in my opinion it isn’t . Terrorism is difficult to define, however I have reached a definition that terrorism is the illegitimate use of force against an innocent population in order to provoke fear or terror as a strategy to r each an end objective. I believe this definition is plausible as it focuses upon the two core features of terrorism whilst eliminating government organisations. Analysis Philosophers and historians debate continuously about whether terrorism can ever be deemed morally acceptable. I take a deontological stand point and believe that terrorism is wrong in every situation. I believe this as there are always less harmful options which will reach the same result, for example protests and speeches. Moreover if we class terrorism as justifiable, society may begin to use violence to express messages regularly and what sort of a world would we live in then? For example if we classed the attacks of 911 as morally acceptable it would provoke others to do the same. In addition I believe that in any situation the use of terrorism will never be worth the end result, the lives of human beings are always going to be more valuable than any potential gain. However many may disagree with this view point, they could argue that if the end result of terrorism moves us towards a more ideal society then in the scheme of things the loss of a few lives is nothing. However this argument is invalid as how can society truly be improving if it relies on violence to do so? I believe that if change requires others to die in order for it to be fulfilled then it isn’t as beneficial for society as if the change was reached via other peaceful  methods. Thus we should always use other strategies available to us to portray our beliefs rather than opting for terrorism. There are many justifications for terrorism which disagree with my claims; Kai Neilsen is a consequentialist therefore judges every action upon its consequences. He argues that terrorism can be morally acceptable in a situation, if it can be shown to be 1) the most effective action with 2) the least bad overall consequences. His basic argument is that if the means justifies the end then it is acceptable. However a major flaw in his argument is that it is impossible to calculate whether the end result is of a greater good than the course that had to be taken to get there. For example was the death of tens of thousands of French people worth liberation in the French revolution, the families of those who lost loved ones may argue that it wasn’t. In addition how can we be sure before carrying out such terrorist acts that this greater good is going to be reached, we c annot be certain of such things. A disadvantage of all consequentialist ideas is that we cannot predict consequences therefore using Neilsen’s criteria it would be difficult to deem whether a terrorist act is justified before it has taken place, this makes Neilsen’s argument unreliable. Moreover we are unable to define what the ‘greater good’ is, as it varies from person to person, an act which may benefit one person may not have the same effect upon another. This can lead to an individual’s happiness being over looked, as John Stewart Mill stated through the idea of higher and lower pleasures an individual’s happiness can be of a greater worth than the majorities. Quite often in Terrorist acts minorities are over looked which results in the least amount of happiness being achieved. Due to these major flaws in Neilsen’s argument I reject his views. Rudolf Bittner supports my claims and as a deontologist abides by moral norms, as a result he believes terrorism is always wrong as violence violates human rights. I agree with his argument as laws are made for a reason, to keep peace and order in society .Violence however is detrimental to the majority of the laws that society upholds. Therefore if we justify a violent act as extreme as terrorism we are only inflicting terror upon ourselves. On the other hand Emile Henry argues that civilians who benefit from unjust societies are somehow to blame for the society they live in. Henry says that these civilians aren’t innocent at all and should serve as targets for violence. Osama bin Laden adopted this view and justified  killing innocent Americans in 911 by saying ‘the American people are the ones who pay the taxes which fund the planes which bomb us in Afghanistan’ (full text: Bin Laden’s ‘letter to america’, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/nov/24/theobserver, retrieved: 03/08/14). Using Henry’s argument all those in the world trade centre on the 11th September 2001 were guilty and therefore the attack was morally acceptable. However these civilians are not guilty they pay taxes because its compulsory not because they want planes to bomb Afghanistan, they do not give the orders which kill their people, they have no real voice in the matter. This is where Henry’s argument becomes invalid; it is difficult depending upon your perception to say whether a person is truly innocent. Henry’s argument is short sighted and doesn’t think of the bigger picture, If this justification was used then society would be a constant war zone, just because you consider a person to be guilty of a crime doesn’t make their murder acceptable. Nicholas Foiton’s argument against terrorism being justifiable influenced my opinions strongly, he said terrorists have ‘ideological’ conceptions of what is good which misrepresent actual peopl es interests. I agree with this entirely as quite often a terrorist organisation becomes deluded by their aims and forgets to look at the wellbeing of a whole society. For example the members of the Ku Klux Klan believed that immigrants didn’t belong in America. They thought that by attacking black Americans they were moving society forward, when in actual fact they were doing the opposite, they had ‘ideological’ conceptions of what was good for America. Foition additionally said that terrorism is never the last resort to make a change; I adopted this point as there are always alternative less aggressive strategies. For example Martin Luther King’s speech which wished for equality between white and black people in America was extremely influential and helped strive towards the more equal society which we live in today. This highlights that’s terrorism isn’t the most effective option and often results in a nation abiding out of fear rather than choice, therefore has no real change to a societies opinion. Thus terrorism cannot be justified on the basis that is the only available option. Foiton additionally arg ues that terrorism is not morally acceptable because all objectives that need innocent people to die to be reached are bad. If an objective requires people to die for it, is it really worth  carrying out? I agree with Foiton as a human life is worth more than any potential political gain, therefore terrorism cannot be justified upon the grounds that the end will justify the means. Conclusion In my conclusion I shall reiterate my main findings which I have discussed previously. I strongly believe that terrorism Is always wrong and cannot be justified in any situation. My main reasoning for this is that violence should always be considered immoral, it goes against human rights and laws which are implemented into our society for a reason. If we justify violence as extreme as terrorism people will begin to believe that is acceptable to behave in such a manner in everyday life. Furthermore terrorism cannot be justified upon the foundations that it is the last resort, there are always other strategies that are just as effective and less detrimental to society. I conclude that if society has to use violence in order to move forward then society in reality is not really improving at all. In addition I believe that all consequentialist arguments for justifying terrorism are invalid as they lack reliability, we cannot predict outcomes therefore we are unable to utilise justificati ons such as Neilsen’s in practice. Moreover how can we justify terrorist acts such as 911 which killed thousands of innocent people? No act that brings such damage and devastation can ever be morally acceptable; it goes against all the political and religious laws of which our society depends upon. I also believe that defining what the ‘greater good’ for society is, is impossible, therefore any justification which revolves around terrorism being used as a method to improve society is invalid. This is because terrorists believe their opinions to be the only ones that matter, therefore the interests of societies who are affected by these groups are overlooked, this results in the greater good not being reached at all. Subsequently I take a deontological stand point and agree with scholars such as Bittner and Foiton, there is never a right time or place to use terrorism as it can simply never be justified. Bibliography http://terrorism.about.com/od/groupsleader1/p/Sicarii.htm http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/terrorism http://www.azdema.gov/museum/famousbattles/pdf/Terrorism%20Definitions%200728 09.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitions_of_terrorism http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/nov/24/theobserver KS5-Philosophy-Can terrorism ever be justified? (brilliant club text book)