What We Know Be True About humans. essays

What We Know Be True About humans. essays What is a human or a characteristic that makes a human? Human, Humane may refer to which is, or should be, characteristic of human beings. In thus, describing characteristics, human may refer to good and bad traits of a person alike. When emphasis is placed upon the latter, human is thought of as contrasted to divine. Humane takes into account only the nobler or gentler aspects of people and is often contrasted to their more ignoble or brutish aspect. A humane person is benevolent in treating fellow humans or helpless animals. Ever since evolution, humans have made a lot of progress in becoming what we are today. Even though we have, in fact, come a long way, we have so much further to go to reach perfection. Personally, I dont think that humans will ever reach perfection. Our weaknesses have not been overcome for thousands of years, nor will they ever. No matter how far we come technologically, medically, or intellectually, our human nature is simply full of weaknesses. Our emotions as human beings prevent us to grasp the social skills that are required for social perfection. For example, jealousy, anger, and sadness all come in the way of our social skills. Even though most of us have been taught social skills at a young age, we still do not possess the skills of self control. Every person is different. How can someone judge what good manners are? If one person is taught one thing and another is taught the opposite, who is right? The answer is not easily understood. For each person, the answer lies within. Human beings have never been able to get along together. Even though we are all the same deep down, different groups of people do not accept other groups of people. This is very juvenile and closed-minded. All we have to do is think and analyze different situations to view things in a rational and legitimate way. A problem we face today is the growing population all over the world. ...

Models help or hinder the search for knowledge Essay Example

Models help or hinder the search for knowledge Essay Example Models help or hinder the search for knowledge Essay Models help or hinder the search for knowledge Essay A model is a representation of a complex structure or concept that is used to explain it and represent it in a more simplistic manner with the aim of facilitating the understanding of it. Models are used in a variety of subjects such as natural sciences, government structures, history and many more. Although they are simplified simulations, they provide a representation of reality that help our learning and understanding of the phenomena that occur. However, models have the possibility of leading us into an error or incorrect information and thus present limitations that have the potential of hindering the knowledge. Models can be broken down into four main categories. Experimental models which can be constructed and put to use in a laboratory. A ‘scale models would fit under this category, representing spatial relationships, and ‘working models’ representing temporal sequences. At the other end of the spectrum are logical models. These start from the axioms and theorems of a formal deductive system, they are used to illustrate abstract systems and provide a possible interpretation of it. Lastly, there are theoretical models. These are imaginative mental constructions made to conceptualize observed phenomena. They are usually imagined mechanisms that are described with analogies to familiar processes. For instance, in physics, the â€Å"billiard-ball model† of gas is a perfect example of a theoretical model. Although it is intended to represent an underlying structure of a physical system, it is merely a symbolic representation that is developed into a theory that explains the phenomena as a model. A relevant knowledge issue concerning theoretical models would: to what extend can models give a realistic and accurate representation of reality? Consider a container full of a gas such as air and imagine that it is composed of minuscule elastic spheres bouncing around. It can be assumed that the mechanical behavior of the spheres is similar to the behavior of colliding billiard balls. From this assumption, a theory can be put forward, the one of Kinetic Theory of Gases that involves equations interrelating the velocity (p), mass (m), momentum and energy of the hypothetical spheres. None of these theoretical properties can be physically observed. On the other hand, some theoretical terms could be related to observable properties of the gas, for instance, a change in the momentum of the collision amongst particle with the containing wall may be identified as the pressure of the gas. These assumptions lead to Boyle’s Law stating that if the volume of a gas is reduced by 50% then the pressure of the gas will double. (e.g. compressing air during a bicycle jump). Hypothetical minuscule elastic spheres were assumed to have mass and velocity similarly to billiard balls do although no color. The analogies are not simply formal like they are in mathematics, they may be physical, elasticity and mass. In the creation of a theory, scientist may suggest a model incorporating analogies drawn from a variety of familiar situations combined with radically new assumptions. In the diagram below, all the lines going into the model are represented as dotted due to their origins lying in an act of creative imagination instead of making a purely logic based inference. Generally speaking, dotted arrows should be added coming in from other familiar situations, on the left. When imagining a model, there are explicit or implicit references to what is similar and previously intelligible, furthermore there is freedom allowing to interpret a phenomena in the desired model. It can be assigned to any property that are thought of as fruitful contributors to the theory. This depends on the perception of the scientist of the phenomena in question. Therefore, since theoretical models are based on a scientists interpretation of what they perceive and the analogy that is made to an already known model, models do not provide a fully reliable and accurate representation of reality. Theoretical models can further be perceived as subjective and self determined, thus the numerous debates and disagreements amongst scientists concerning more complex models. Theoretical models convey associations and implications that aren’t specifically determined and that may be transferred if a shit in paradigm occurs due to the application of a different analogy to the phenomena. Additional developments and modifications may be proposed.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A metaphor proposes analogies between the familiar context of a word and a new context into which it is introduced †. Models can be compared to metaphors due their similar property of open-endedness. Max Black said that ‘It may help us to notice what would otherwise be overlooked and to shift the relative emphasis attached to details in short, to see new connections.† A model suggests new ways of perceiving a situation that presents problems by transferring some of the features of another given situation that is fully understood. The implications implied by the use of a metaphor to refer to a model is not merely subjective as it is employed by the majority of a community using a language. For instance, the use of an analogy that might not have been essential to the formulation of the model could potentially influence the development of the paradigm. Science, most often doesn’t recognize the line separating theoretical language from observational language; the distinction is relative to the situation and depends on the context. A close parallel between the interaction of metaphorical language and literal language can be made, there is a lack of division line between the two. ‘Billiard-ball model’ incites one to think about the whole kinetic gas model as a pool table and the movement of billiard balls. The term was initially introduced as an analogy to visualize a non ‘touchable’ matter. The metaphor has now become a standard reference and is often used to teach with in education. Metaphors, like models, have the potential to extend language and influence the literal recordings of facts and therefore create new meanings. Since the new meanings are based on analogies from the start, they could have distorted the reality of the model to a great extent, providing a less accurate representation. A metaphor evokes emotional responses whereas a scientific model was designed to be systematically developed, specifying the positive and negative analogy although the neutral analogy is open ended and leaves spaced for further interpretation. Furthermore, a scientific model leads to a testable theory. Nevertheless, the similarities between metaphors and models are significant enough to illustrate the importance of imagining analogies. Metaphors aren’t literally true, although, according to Wheelwright, they do â€Å"say something, however tentatively and obliquely, about the nature of what is†. Metaphors help illustrate a model by drawing a direct comparison between the phenomena that is desired to be represented with an analogy that is already existent in our world, defined, explained and understood. The ‘double-helix’ model of the DNA molecules in biology is also considered as a theoretical model, but that one specifically is closer to observational evidence that can be collected in a lab and can therefore be literally taken. Nevertheless, even in this theoretical model, only a defined number of aspects that compose world are brought into prominence, while a few more are neglected. For instance, the model exhibits the spatial relationships between the DNA components but doesn’t take account of the character of the existing bonds between them. In conclusion, models are used in various manner in science. They serve different functions among which you may find practical and theoretical. Theoretical models are innovative mental constructions based on imagination, perception and the ability to relate to already existing models. They end up in a combination of analogies that are usually open-ended and leave space for further development and possibility for shifts in interpretation. Models are usually taken very seriously but not literarily as they are only simplistic representations of complex phenomena. They can’t be defined as pictures of reality nor useful fictions, rather as inadequate and partial manners of imagining and creating what is not observable – in theoretical models.

Longitudinal Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Longitudinal Strategy - Essay Example These include vaccines, over-the-counter medicines as well as other broad range of health-consumer related products. The company therefore has a profile of operating in the different segments of pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare products within the UK as well as other parts of the world. Besides operating on medical supplies and research, GSK produces other health products such as beverages, which are used worldwide. Besides the operations of the company within the UK market, the company has major markets within the US, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain as well as in France (StockMarketsReview.com, 2013, para 1). GSK, as a trading company, has a statement of mission, which is provision and development of immunotherapeutic, as well as vaccines that are necessary for improvement of human health globally. The company has made strategic milestones in the field over years and is credited for having great and significant contributions towards the global health as it is today. The company’s profile reveals that the formation of the company as it is today has involved merger efforts by many companies and thus would have a history from the early years of 20th century. It has also made great development milestones in the past since the millennium, where the scope of this paper will be. This paper intends to evaluate the strategic development milestones that the company has undergone with a special attention to the last thirteen years (since 2000). This is because the existence of the corporate identity of GlaxoSmithKline plc is only that old from the merger of SmithKline Beecham and Glaxo Wellco me in December 1999 (Addison and Lawson 2012: 3-5). In line with the company’s strategic mission, it has special focus on some fundamental areas such as realizing sustainable growth, improving long-term financial performance as well as reducing risks. The company realizes these goals through embracing diversification in global business, delivering high-value products as well as adoption of simplified business models. The recent developments have seen the company adopt generic branded manufacturing to add to the previously existing patented strategies in order to command higher influence and relevance in the modern day market. Addison and Lawson through a recent discourse analysis study concerning the strategic development move of generic branding found out that this was necessary and very effective in lowering the associated performance risks as well as in increasing the range of products being traded on. Research studies show that the shift in production models into the inco rporation of generic manufacturing has greatly revolutionized the industry through lowering the costs of production and in the process lowering the prices of the commodities on offer. Through the move, the GSK is able to manufacture cheap pharmaceutical products through lowered costs in research as well as in awareness creation. The move was strategic in that it enabled the company to focus the competitive strategies in manufacture of the trading products at higher efficiencies in order to continue in the lead over the world market amidst heightened competition (Addison and Lawson 2012: 32). In fact, it is through such a move that the company is acknowledged to diversify

Trust Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Trust Law - Essay Example The facts of the case reveal that there was no such agreement put into writing respecting the purchase of Camelot. In its absence, the relationship of trust, if any, can only be Implied. And according to the book Introduction to Property Law by Dr. Mica Oldham, there are two kinds of Implied Trusts: Resulting Trust and Constructive Trust. Resulting Trusts arise when the parties who purchase a property are: business partners or the money used for the purchase was or was part of the business asset; or mortgagees and the mortgaged amount was used as the purchase money, or; contributors of unequal amount of money to the purchase price. The personalities involved i.e., Arthur, Merlin, Morgana, Lancelot and Guinevere, are not business partners nor was the money used a business asset. Neither are the parties mortgagees. On the other hand, the parties contributed monies for the purchase price: Merlin,  £400,000; Arthur,  £200,000; Lancelot,  £200,000, and; Morgana,  £200,000. Since Arthur had no extra cash to pay for attorney’s fees and registration fees, Guinevere, an old acquaintance, magnanimously loaned him  £5,000. With respect to Merlin and the rest, viz., Arthur, Lancelot and Morgana, a Resulting Trust was created, applying the doctrine of law laid down in the case of Dyer v. Dyer, [1788] 2 Cox Eq Cas 92 at 93 which stated that: However with respect to Arthur, Lancelot and Morgana who gave the equal amount of  £200,000 each, the doctrine laid down in Wilson v Wilson [1969] 3 All ER 945 at 949 which states to the effect that persons whose contributions to the purchase price are in equal amounts are presumed to have created a Joint Tenancy in equity. The Wilson case therefore, provides an exception to the general doctrine held in the Dyer case. To restate: Merlin and Arthur’s group (composing of Arthur, Lancelot and Morgana) created, by implication, a Resulting

Corporate Responsibility and Marketing Strategies Essay Example for Free

Corporate Responsibility and Marketing Strategies Essay Apple corporation bases its success on â€Å"creating innovative, high quality products and services and on demonstrating integrity in every business interaction.† According to Apple, four main principles contribute to integrity: honesty, respect, confidentiality, and compliance. To more thoroughly detail these principles, Apple has drafted a code of business conduct that applies to all its operations, including operations overseas. Apple disappointed socially responsible investors. Apple has come under fire since around 2006 as details emerged surrounding the workplace environment at Apples Chinese suppliers. An article in The New York Times publicized unsatisfactory worker conditions, which included grueling 24-hour shifts, overcrowded dorms, exposure to toxic chemicals, and horrific explosions. Foxconn Technology Group operates many of the plants in question in Chengdu, China. When it comes to customers, Apple is said to be a bold innovator that leads the industry into new directions and forces others to follow. However, when it comes to the management of its supply chain and treatment of workers in the Chinese factories that make its products, Apple hides behind the constraints of prevailing industry practices. What is even more disconcerting is the fact that these practices are in violation of not only local and national laws, but also of Apples own voluntary self-imposed code of conduct. Most of Apples worker-related problems were focused on Apples manufacturing partner Foxconn and its subsidiaries. Apples China operations first caught international attention in June 2006 with a long story in Britains Mail on Sunday.1 This was followed by a series of similar stories in other leading international news media, and has continued to this day.2 Because of Foxconns secrecy, it is well-nigh impossible to develop an accurate assessment of the problems in the factories owned and operated by Foxconn and its various subsidiaries. However, a brief description of extreme conditions prevailing in these factories and widely reported in the  media gave the readers some indication of the enormity of the problems that likely to existed in those plants. Apple has audited many of its suppliers and found violations of its Supplier Code of Conduct, but requesting its suppliers improve working conditions is not as powerful as changing suppliers to ones with more humane conditions. Part of the problem is that Apple has no legal liability for what happens in Chinese factories owned by separate manufacturers. Environmental organization Greenpeace had frequently campaigned against Apple, requesting elimination of non-recyclable hardware components, the removal of toxins from iPhone hardware, and a comprehensive take-back plan to prevent Apple products from ending up as waste. Greenpeace also began a protest in 2003 against Apples use of toxic PVC plastics and brominated flame retardants, or BFRs, in Apple’s products. Apple eliminated these chemicals in 2008, becoming the first laptop maker to do so (Corporate Responsibility Spotlight: Apple, September 14, 2012.) Workers assembling iPhones, iPads and other devices often labor in harsh conditions, according to employees inside China’s plants, worker advocates and documents published by companies themselves. Problems are as varied as onerous work environments and serious — sometimes deadly — safety problems. Under-age workers have helped build Apple’s products, and the company’s suppliers have improperly disposed of hazardous waste and falsified records, according to company reports and advocacy groups that, within China, are often considered reliable, independent monitors. The suppliers demonstrated disregard for workers health. In 2010, 137 workers at an Apple supplier in eastern China were injured after the workers were said to have been ordered to use a poisonous chemical to clean iPhone screens. In 2009 two explosions at iPad factories, including in Chengdu, killed four people and injured 77. Before those blasts, Apple had been alerted to hazardous conditions inside the Chengdu plant, according to a Chinese group that published that warning (Duhigg, Charles and Barboza, David. In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad, (The NewYork Times) January 25, 2 010.) The publications outlining the ethics and social responsibility violations of Apple caused more consumers to actually start to wonder where and how Apple products are manufactured. Consumers have focused on Apples remarkable products rather than how they are produced. The New York Times story on iPad working conditions, for example, generated 1,770 reader comments. Many, if not most, blasted Apple  or the overall system of cheap labor. And an online petition prompted by the This American Life piece that called for Apple to protect Chinese workers had garnered roughly 166,000 signatures—and counting. I determined that Apple’s customers would be willing to pay more for its products if Apple had to increase selling prices in order to provide better wages and benefits for suppliers’ workers. Apple seems to make people crazy, described as a cult because it has such a vociferous following.† The Secrecy Strategy† (Moltz, John., Why Apple Drives People Crazy. Macworld. Feb2013, Vol. 30 Issue 2, p100-100. 1p). Stock-market and financial analysts are known to always have had a hard time understanding Apple because Apple does not sell commodity products or chase market share at the cost of everything else. Its modus operand i is: Enter a market, stake out the high end, and scoop up all the profit. As copycats such as Samsung flood the low end, Apple continued to hold the high end by evolving and differentiating products, while looking for new markets. One key approach used is to never telegraph punches; that way, no would know which market would be remade next. Hence Apples famous veil of secrecy, which further frustrated analysts. The bottom line was that the appeal of Apples products and its business strategies were said to be inscrutable, which made the company a Rorschach test. People saw what they wanted to see, and the idea that Apples fortunes are plummeting is more appealing to many than the idea that it might continue to ride high. The appeal of Apples products and its business strategies are believed to be both inscrutable. Apple joined the FLA in 2012 following intense public attention over allegations of widespread problems at Foxconn, China’s largest private employer. The FLA said both Apple and Foxconn â€Å"have agreed to ongoing assessments by FLA in order to ensure that labor practices meet FLA standards and remain in compliance for the long term.† Current and former Apple executives, moreover, say the company had made significant strides in improving factories in recent years. Apple has a supplier code of conduct that details standards on labor issues, safety protections and other topics. The company has mounted a vigorous auditing campaign, and when abuses are discovered, Apple says, corrections are demanded. And Apple’s annual supplier responsibility reports, in many cases, are the first to report abuses. This month, for the first time, the company released a list identifying many of its suppliers. Apple has continued to be aggressive in  calling out suppliers who dont meet up to its code of conduct. In January, Apple said it had fired Pingzhou Electronics after it was found to be hiring underage workers. Apples Supplier Code of Conduct sets the minimum age for workers at 15. (Apples Labor Practices In China Scrutinized After Foxconn, Pegatron Reviews. Forbes.com. 12/12/2013, p2-2. 1p. 1 Chart). What made Steve different from other marketers, is that he understood that his job as a marketer was not to focus on making money or sales, and, unlike other marketers, Steve’s marketing skills was seem in the way he presented his products: Here are some of the quotes that reflect Steve’s focus in business: If it could save a person’s life, could you find a way to save ten seconds off the boot time? You‘ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward—not the other way around. Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying that they had done something wonderful is what mattered to Steve. Steve made the marketing process simple; if he gave people what they want, educated them on why they needed it, showed them how it will improve their lives, and why no other competitor’s products could compete with the convenience and ease of use of yours, customers would be willing to spend. References Apples Labor Practices In China scrutinized after Foxconn, pegatron reviews. Forbes.com. 12/12/2013, p2-2. 1p. 1 Chart. Apple’s Marketing Strategy – Sell On Value, Not Price. Retrieved from http://www.chrisnosal.com/apples-marketing-strategy-sell-products-on-value-not-price/ (Duhigg, Charles and Barboza, David.( January 25, 2010). In China, human costs are built into an iPad, (The NewYork Times). Frauenheim, Ed. February 6, 2012. Bad Apple: Could the era of exploitation outsourcing be near its end? Retrieved from http://www.workforce.com/blogs/2-work-in-progress/post/bad-apple-could-the-era-of-exploitation-outsourcing-be-near-its-end) Kannel, Charlie, The Motley Fool (September 14, 2012) Corporate responsibility spotlight: Apple. (Daily Finance). Ira Kalb, Marshall School of Business, USC . (September 13, 2013) Apples Cheap iPhone might not be that affordable, but it does protect the brand (Business Insider). Retrieved from

Football in the 1920s :: Sports

Sports: Football in the 1920's Football changed dramatically in the 1920's. Players such as Red Grange, Jim Thorpe, and Notre Dame's Four Horsemen changed the game forever. With their unique style of play, they escalated football to new heights and more competetive levels. Each had their own style of play, which made other teams try harder to get better and beat the other teams. Other things, such as the forward pass, also changed the game of football in the 1920's. However, it was the players and their talent that forever changed American football. This is a photograph of Jim Thorpe during his playing days in the old football league. Jim Thorpe was one of the first to change the game. He was an American Indian who was tremendously talented at football. He became the president of the league after he was done playing on a team. He named the league the NFL, which stands for National Football League. This name still stands today for the name of the league where the pros play. Red Grange also brought play to a higher level. In one game against Michigan in 1924, he scored five times. The most notable feat accomplished by Grange is that on his first four carries, he scored all four times! This is something no other player has accomplished in American football. He drew thousands of people to the games he played in and gave football a new popularity that it had never gotten before. He also emphasized the importance of other positions besides the running back, such as a defensive lineman to stop a running back. Next came the Four Hoursemen from Notre Dame. Historians argue that they may have been the best backfield in the history of football. Like Red Grange, they also brought in massive crowds of people, making football more popular. The Four Horsemen weren't big, but they all had speed, agility, and strength. They led Notre Dame to an undefeated season and won the college championship with ease. After they got out of college football, all of them went on to successful coaching jobs improving other teams and making better players. You can see the Four Horsemen below. Last of all, the foward pass changed football forever. Before it became popular, most teams thought passing was useless. But after a while, passing started becoming the major emphasis in football. No longer did teams have to run the ball all the time, but now they could also pass.

Guide to Web Research and MLA Essay

The World Wide Web is the broadest source of information today. Other than this fact, it is also accessible through the computer, given that it has Internet access. Since it has a broad source of information, people use it for academic research, besides its use for entertainment. However, one major problem with Web searches is the published material’s credibility since it is often open to a wide variety of audiences and contributors. Since the students’ reliability on Web research is increasing, then there is a need to address the issue about the web sources’ credibility. One way to ensure the sources’ credibility is to evaluate the details on the website itself—like the author, date published, and web site title. These details can help one to understand the worth and uniqueness of the information on the website since some information tend to be rehashes of the original one. To make things simpler, it is quite advisable to look at academic websites—like university databases—and online scholarly journal sites. Most of the time, the information here is quite credible since the authors from such websites have the credentials to prove their words’ worth. I believe everyone already had their fair share of frustration from web research. More often than not, the information that appears on the first page tend to come from websites ranging from slightly reliable to non-reliable. Other than that, I have also encountered links to websites wherein payment is required in order to gain access to the information—like many online libraries. These problems can discourage students and force them into accepting the information regardless of its credibility. Furthermore, it can also exhaust the energy of students, making them more timid. The Modern Language Association or MLA is a language and writing institution developed in order to create a common guide of academic writing that the students, scholars, and members of the academe could follow. It basically provides a network upon which members from different places could share information and academic trends with others (MLA, 2008). Since the organization has a myriad of members wherein most are experts in the academe, their guide becomes a requirement in order to help the students and other members of the academe to organize their academic papers properly. Fighting Until the Very End of Life The poem Do not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas shares the struggle of a dying person or a person’s grief on the gradual loss of a dying loved one. Basically, the poem centers on the theme of not giving up and fighting until death. Once a person succumbs to the thought of death, then he or she may already be considered dead. In a nutshell, the first stanza entails a persona telling the reader (or to whom the poem is dedicated) to not give up easily and go fight against death and weakness—basically, to become fierce. In stanzas two to five, the persona gives out specific examples of fierce men never giving up, which in turn supports the first stanza. In stanza six, the persona addresses the reader (or to whom the poem is dedicated) to show him or her the fierceness that he or she once had, or the fierceness of his or her soul, which would make the persona happy (Thomas, 1971). The persona of the poem may be Dylan Thomas himself, as he wrote this poem for his dying father—growing weaker from old age and blindness. Throughout the poem, he sought to encourage his father to fight on for his life, no matter how inevitable death was (citation). Besides him being the persona, it could also assume the role of a dying person who encourages others to fight on and to never give up until the very end. The persona assumes a sad yet encouraging tone throughout the poem. The phrases Do not go gentle into that good night and Rage, rage against the dying light are also reiterated throughout the poem in order to give emphasis to the theme of the poem. The persona also constantly reminds the reader and the target person to never go down without a fight since giving up life early would mean that the person is just as good as dead already. The two connotative words that have been heavily used throughout the poem is night and (dying) light. Basically, night here could be referring to the dying person (not the persona) accepting his or her fate peacefully, although there may as well be other connotations for this word. On the other hand, light or the phrase dying of the light could be pertaining to death, or at least weakness. The poem follows an alternating rhyme scheme, wherein the key words to follow are night and day. There is also a repetition of the two phrases Do not go gentle into that good night and Rage, rage against the dying light which gives more emphasis to the theme of the poem. The poem’s form and tone seem too soft and gentle for the poem’s subject which is death. This creates an irony that the persona is asking the dying person to become enraged against death. Metaphors and personifications are used throughout the poem, in order to give a hopeful tone for the persona’s beseeching of the dying person, instead of a tone associated with grief and loss. An example would be the stanza: â€Å"Though wise men at their end know dark is right, / Because their words had forked no lightning they / Do not go gentle into that good night† (4-6). References Thomas, D. (1971). Do not go gentle into that good night. Poets. org. Retrieved July 4, 2009 from http://www. poets. org/viewmedia. php/prmMID/15377. MLA. (2008). About the MLA. Retrieved July 4, 2009 from http://www. mla. org/about.

Genetically Modified Food Should Be Banned or Not? Essay

Nowadays a problem of genetically modified food is widespread all over the world. GM foods are genetically modified using biotechnology. More and more GM foods appear on the shelves of our stores and supermarkets nowadays, and make their way into our kitchens. GM foods are designed for greater resistance to viruses and pests, higher nutritional value and longer shelf life. However, their safety, potential risks and ethical concerns are still being debated. So, should genetically modified crops be banned or not? Proponents of GM foods ensure that these foods are safe for human consumption, but critics argue that their effects have not been studied long enough. First argument for banning GM foods is that it badly affects our health and well-being. Some studies have linked consumptions of GM foods to liver and kidney problems. The antibiotics and hormones given to cows and chickens are found in our bodies and we don’t know yet the extent to which these cause chronic disease. Moreover genetic engineering could introduce allergens into foods, causing allergic reactions in people who eat the foods. Another argument is that GM food does not benefit people, just large corporations that produce and sell them. In the most cases the vegetables are modified to look better and be larger so that these companies can make more money. They do not add to the taste or freshness of nutrition of the food. On the other hand GM products along with disadvantages have their benefits too. A lot of people believe that genetically modified foods can help to solve the food crisis in future, and so help humanity to survive. Firstly, all of sorts of GM plants are stable against illnesses and mean weather. Also, GM food is cold tolerant. An antifreeze gene has been introduced into plants such as tobacco and potato. With this antifreeze gene, these plants are able to tolerate cold temperatures that normally would kill unmodified seedlings. Secondly, they ripen fast and keep longer than usual plants. It is easier to transport them and keep fresh for a long time. In my opinion, genetic engineering should be banned because young generation will have different diseases because of eating unhealthful food. Of course, this is a huge industry nowadays that obviously can’t be stopped, but I believe that there are other ways to save people from hunger. References: 1. â€Å"Genetically Modified Crops Should be Banned† 2. Murphy, Tom. â€Å"The Arguments for and Against Genetically Modified (GM) Food. † N. p. , 15 06 2009. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. 3. Gray, Louise. â€Å"Ten tweets for and against GM†. Environment Correspondent 4:04PM GMT 24 Jan 2011 4. â€Å"Should Genetically Modified Foods (GM Foods) Be Banned? – Facts & Infographic†.

Free Essays on Anarchy

Grapes of Wrath By: kevin cremeens The Grapes of Wrath is a novel by John Steinbeck that exposes the desperate conditions under which the migratory farm families of America during the 1930's lived. The novel tells of one family's migration west to California through the great economic depression of the 1930's. The bank took possession of their land because the owners could not pay off their loan. The novel shows how the Joad family deals with moving to California, and how they survive the cruelty of the landowners that took advantage of them, their poverty, and willingness to work. The Grapes of Wrath combines Steinbeck adoration of the land, his simple hatred of corruption; resulting from materialism (money), and his abiding faith in the common people to overcome the hostile environment. The novel opens with a retaining picture of nature on rampage. The novel shows the men and women that are unbroken by nature. The theme is one of man verses a hostile environment. His body destroyed but his spirit is not broken. The method used to develop the theme of the novel is through the use of symbolism. There are several uses of symbols in the novel from the turtle at the beginning to the rain at the end. As each symbol is presented through the novel they show examples of the good and the bad things that exist within the novel. The opening chapter paints a vivid picture of the situation facing the drought-stricken farmers of Oklahoma. Dust is described as covering everything, smothering the life out of anything that wants to grow. The dust is symbolic of the erosion of the lives of the people. The dust is synonymous with "deadness". The land is a ruined way of life (farming), people uprooted and forced to leave. Secondly, the dust stands for profiteering banks in the background that squeeze the life out the land by forcing the people off the land. The soil, the people (farmers), have been drained of life and are exploited: The last rain fe... Free Essays on Anarchy Free Essays on Anarchy Grapes of Wrath By: kevin cremeens The Grapes of Wrath is a novel by John Steinbeck that exposes the desperate conditions under which the migratory farm families of America during the 1930's lived. The novel tells of one family's migration west to California through the great economic depression of the 1930's. The bank took possession of their land because the owners could not pay off their loan. The novel shows how the Joad family deals with moving to California, and how they survive the cruelty of the landowners that took advantage of them, their poverty, and willingness to work. The Grapes of Wrath combines Steinbeck adoration of the land, his simple hatred of corruption; resulting from materialism (money), and his abiding faith in the common people to overcome the hostile environment. The novel opens with a retaining picture of nature on rampage. The novel shows the men and women that are unbroken by nature. The theme is one of man verses a hostile environment. His body destroyed but his spirit is not broken. The method used to develop the theme of the novel is through the use of symbolism. There are several uses of symbols in the novel from the turtle at the beginning to the rain at the end. As each symbol is presented through the novel they show examples of the good and the bad things that exist within the novel. The opening chapter paints a vivid picture of the situation facing the drought-stricken farmers of Oklahoma. Dust is described as covering everything, smothering the life out of anything that wants to grow. The dust is symbolic of the erosion of the lives of the people. The dust is synonymous with "deadness". The land is a ruined way of life (farming), people uprooted and forced to leave. Secondly, the dust stands for profiteering banks in the background that squeeze the life out the land by forcing the people off the land. The soil, the people (farmers), have been drained of life and are exploited: The last rain fe...

A Guide to the Purchasing Power Parity Theory

A Guide to the Purchasing Power Parity Theory Purchasing-power parity (PPP) is an economic concept that states that the  real exchange rate  between domestic and foreign goods is equal to one, though it does not mean that the  nominal exchange rates  are constant or equal to one.   Put another way, PPP supports the idea that identical items in different countries should have the same real prices in another, that a person who purchases an item domestically should be able to sell it in another country and have no money left over. This means that the amount of purchasing power that a consumer has does not depend on what currency with which he or she is making purchases. The Dictionary of Economics defines the PPP theory as one that states that the exchange rate between one currency and another is in equilibrium when their domestic purchasing powers at that  rate of exchange  are equivalent. Understanding Purchasing-Power Parity in Practice To better understand how this concept would apply to real-world economies, look at the United States dollar versus the Japanese yen. Say, for example, that one U.S. dollar (USD) can buy about 80 Japanese yen (JPY). While that would make it appear that United States citizens have less purchasing power, the PPP theory implies that there is an interaction between nominal prices and nominal exchange rates so that, for example, items in the United States that sell for one dollar would sell for 80 yen in Japan, which is a concept known as the real exchange rate. Take a look at another example. First, suppose that one USD is currently selling for 10 Mexican pesos (MXN) on the exchange rate market. In the United States, wooden baseball bats sell for $40 while in Mexico they sell for 150 pesos. Since the exchange rate is one to 10, then the $40 USD bat would only cost $15 USD if bought in Mexico. Theres an advantage to purchasing the bat in Mexico, so consumers are much better off going to Mexico to buy their bats. If consumers decide to do this, we should expect to see three things happen: American consumers desire Mexican Pesos to purchase baseball bats in Mexico. So they go to an  exchange rate  office and sell their American Dollars and buy Mexican Pesos, and this will cause the Mexican Peso to become more valuable relative to the U.S. Dollar.The demand for baseball bats sold in the United States decreases, so the price American retailers charge goes down.The demand for baseball bats sold in Mexico increases, so the price Mexican retailers charge goes up. Eventually, these three factors should cause the exchange rates and the prices in the two countries to change such that we have purchasing power parity. If the U.S. Dollar declines in value to a one to eight ratio to Mexican pesos, the price of baseball bats in the United States goes down to $30 each, and the price of baseball bats in Mexico goes up to 240 pesos each, we will have purchasing power parity. This is because a consumer can spend $30 in the United States for a baseball bat, or he can take his $30, exchange it for 240 pesos and buy a baseball bat in Mexico and be no better off. Purchasing Power Parity and the Long Run Purchasing-power parity theory tells us that price differentials between countries are not sustainable in the long run as market forces will equalize prices between countries and change exchange rates in doing so. You might think that my example of consumers crossing the border to buy baseball bats is unrealistic as the expense of the longer trip would wipe out any savings you get from buying the bat for a lower price. However, it is not unrealistic to imagine an individual or company buying hundreds or thousands of the bats in Mexico then shipping them to the United States for sale. It is also not unrealistic to imagine a store like Walmart purchasing bats from the lower cost manufacturer in Mexico instead of the higher cost manufacturer in Mexico. In the long run, having different prices in the United States and Mexico is not sustainable because an individual or company will be able to gain an arbitrage profit by buying the good cheaply in one market and selling it for a higher price in the other market. Since the price for any one good should be equal across markets, the price for any combination or basket of goods should be equalized. Thats the theory, but it doesnt always work in practice.   How Purchasing-Power Parity is Flawed in Real Economies Despite its intuitive appeal, purchasing-power parity does not generally hold in practice because PPP relies on the presence of arbitrage opportunities - opportunities to  buy items at a low price in one place and sell them at a higher price in another - to bring prices together in different countries. Ideally, as a result, prices would converge because the buying activity would push prices in one country up and the selling activity would push prices in the other country down. In reality, there are various transaction costs and barriers to trade that limit the ability to make prices converge via market forces. For example, its unclear how one would exploit arbitrage opportunities for services across different geographies, since its often difficult, if not impossible, to transport services without additional costs from one place to another. Nevertheless, purchasing-power parity is an important concept to consider as a baseline theoretical scenario, and, even though purchasing-power parity might not hold perfectly in practice, the intuition behind it does place practical limits on how much real prices can diverge across countries. Limiting Factors to Arbitrage Opportunities Anything which limits the free trade of goods will limit the opportunities people have in taking advantage of these arbitrage opportunities. A few of the larger limits are: Import and Export Restrictions: Restrictions such as quotas,  tariffs, and laws will make it difficult to buy goods in one market and sell them in another. If there is a 300% tax on imported baseball bats, then in our second example it is no longer profitable to buy the bat in Mexico instead of the United States. The U.S. could also pass a law  making  it illegal to import baseball bats. The effect of quotas and tariffs were covered in more detail in Why Are Tariffs Preferable to Quotas?.Travel Costs: If it is costly to transport goods from one market to another, we would expect to see a difference in prices in the two markets. This even happens in places that use the same currency; for  instance, the price of goods is lower in Canadian cities such as Toronto and Edmonton than it is in more remote parts of Canada such as Nunavut.Perishable Goods: It may be simply physically impossible to transfer goods from one market to another. There may be a place which sells cheap sandwic hes in New York City, but that doesnt help me if I am living in San Francisco. Of course, this effect is mitigated by the fact that many of the ingredients used in making the sandwiches are transportable, so we would expect that sandwich makers in New York and San Francisco should have similar material costs. This is the basis  of  the Economists famous Big Mac Index, which is detailed in their must-read article McCurrencies. Location: You cannot buy a piece of property in Des Moines and move it to Boston. Because of that real-estate prices in markets can vary wildly. Since the price of land is not the same everywhere, we would expect this to have an impact on prices, as retailers in Boston have higher expenses than retailers in Des Moines. So while purchasing power parity theory helps us understand exchange rate differentials, exchange rates do not always converge in the long run the way PPP theory predicts.

Hovey and Beard Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hovey and Beard Company - Case Study Example The Hovey and Beard Company Case presents us with a job design of a painting process which demonstrates errors in the design of the job by engineers which resulted into inevitable problems at work (John, Robert and Michael, 2010). The fact that the hooks were designed to move in a continuous array in front of the painters without a method of regulating them indicates problems with job design. However it can be argued that the calculation of the time that each painter was given before the hook would fall out of reach shows that the engineers were aimed at ensuring that the job was designed well to meet the demands of the job. In this scenario, trainee painters are expected to make more errors especially with the timing of the hooks and thus decreasing their productivity. The reinforcement theory is used within the Hovey and Beard Company Case as illustrated by the training bonus that the trainee painters are given. The aim of this bonus is to enable the trainee to meet the gap in prod uctivity which would result from lack of skills and experience in the job. The job was designed in a way that the trainees were expected to be skills at the end of six months when the training bonus was withdrawn (John, Robert and Michael, 2010). The contribution of the reinforcement theory to job performance is to motivate employees to improve their performance in the job. In the Hovey and Beard Company Case, the training bonus was reduced gradually as a way of reinforcing the motivation of the painters to improve their performance so that by the end of the six months they were able to perform normally without mistakes and thus enable the efficiency of the job to be enhanced. The problems that were observed in the second month of the training in the Hovey and Beard Case can be attributed to poor reinforcement and thus less motivation by the supervisors. The job design would have been wrong leading to many of the hooks falling out of the range of the painter (John, Robert and Michae l, 2010). However, it can be argued that the engineers increased the rate at which the hooks moved because they expected the efficiency of the painters to have improved by the second month. The complaints of the painters that the hooks were too fast would also demonstrate that the supervisors expected unrealistic improvement of performance by the painters in the second month. Question 2 The performance diagnosis model is a tool that is used to define problems that result in the performance of tasks of a specific job. The diagnosis performance model aims at identifying the desired levels of employee performance in the execution of various processes of a job. Secondly, the model is important in the identification, specification and implementation of the most appropriate intervention of improving the employee performance so that the problems at the work place are solved with effectiveness (Stahl, 1997). In the Hovey and Beard Company case, some employees quit because of the high expect ations of performance which they would not cope with. The replacement of the employees with new ones caused even worse problems. This illustrates inappropriate application of the performance diagnostic model by the supervisors. The supervisors replaced the employees with new ones because they thought that it was the most appropriate intervention for the problem. Their failure in the application of the performance diagnostic tool is due to their inability to clearly identify the

Accounting theory practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Accounting theory practice - Essay Example This revised IAS 1 is applicable to all entities whether those are profit oriented or not- for profit entities. ‘Not- for profits entities in both the public and private sectors can apply this standard, however they may need to change the description used for particular line items within their financial statements and for the financial statements themselves. This standard applies to those entities that present consolidated financial statements and those that present financial statements as defined in IAS 27: Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements. It does not apply to the structure and contents of condensed interim financial statements prepared in accordance with IAS 34: Interim Financial Reporting.’ (Barry and Jermakowicz, page 22)2. In other words IAS 1 is applicable to all financial statements that cater general purpose needs. ‘General purpose financial statements are those intended to meet the needs of users who are not in a position to demand reports t ailored to meet their specific information needs. They include statements presented separately or those within another public document, such as annual report or prospectus.’(David Alexander and Simon Archer, 3.04)3 IAS 1 revised in September 2007, issued by International Accounting Standard Board (IASB), is the first of the series of expected revisions on the standard. While issuing the revised IAS 1, IASB (2007)4 stated in the press release that ‘the changes made are to require information in financial statements to be aggregated on the basis of shared characteristics and to introduce a statement of comprehensive income. This will enable the readers to analyze changes in a company’s equity resulting from transactions with owners (such as dividend and share purchase) separately from non- owner changes (such as transactions with third parties)’. This indicates that the basic objective of changes is to present each financial