Protecting Women from Domestic Violence Essay Example

Protecting Women from Domestic Violence Essay Example Protecting Women from Domestic Violence Essay Protecting Women from Domestic Violence Essay â€Å"Domestic violence is the most ubiquitous constant in women’s lives around the world. There is virtually no place where it is not a significant problem, and women of no race, class, or age are exempt from its reach† -Joni Seager Abstract: Domestic violence against women is a social problem that occurs in nearly every corner of the world. Recently, some states have begun to recognize that women must be protected from abuse by family members and intimates. While policies and practices designed to protect women have emerged in a number of countries, many lag behind on the issue. This paper will examine the causal factors behind the variation in protection for women. The literature on women and politics suggests that women’s representation may increase the level of protection against domestic violence because female legislators are more likely to put women’s issues on the agenda and make policy choices that benefit their sex. Alternatively, the culture of a state may determine whether the society supports rights for women, including protection from domestic violence. A variety of statistics indicating women’s representation and culture were gathered for analysis. Using bi variate correlation and multiple regression, the theories were tested against each other in an attempt to determine the cause of variation in levels of protection. The findings suggest that both women’s representation and culture are significantly correlated to level of protection. Because the number of women in elected office influences protection to a greater extent than culture, improving women’s representation appears to be an important factor in fighting the domestic violence problem. THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROBLEM Across the world, women are beaten, tortured, mentally abused, burned, and killed by their intimate relations on a regular basis. Domestic violence is defined as abuse between family members, but for the context of this paper I am specifically referring to abuse against women. Until relatively recently, uthorities in many states have ignored or even condoned this type of violence. For example, the phrase â€Å"rule of thumb† comes from Anglo-American common law a husband was permitted to strike his wife with a stick as long as it was no wider than his thumb (Straus and Gelles 1986). In some cultures, domestic violence remains an acceptable means for a husband to discipline his wife. Why do such abhorrent acts occur and why have the y gone unpunished? Experts generally agree that domestic violence is used to keep women in a subordinate position within the household (Seager, 2003; Straus and Gelles, 1986). Men use physical abuse against women in order to ‘keep them in their place’ to exert their power as the dominant figure in the household. Historically, domestic violence has been considered a private matter, a problem between a man and his wife that the state need not become involved in (Abrar and Lovenduski, 2002; Bush, 1992; Hawkins and Humes, 2002). Recently, the domestic violence issue has been moved from the private realm to the public in many states. Consequently, practices regarding the problem are changing and violence in the home is becoming a criminal matter. Yet the degree of protection women receive varies tremendously across states. Why is it that in some western societies, women can prosecute their husbands for a slap in the face, yet in places such as Turkey, men receive reduced sentences if the murder of their wives is an ‘honor killing? ’ (World Report, 2003). In order to explain this variation, I examine the impact of women’s representation and cultural factors, either of which may account for the level of protection women receive against domestic violence. THEORIES REGARDING WOMEN’S PROTECTION Making a difference: Women’s representation One of the prevailing theories in women and politics literature is called the ‘politics of presence. ’ According to this theory, women’s presence in legislative bodies is essential because women representatives have different values, attitudes, and priorities than men based on their unique experience as females (Phillips, 1995). Women legislators will express these differences by putting women’s issues on the agenda and making policy choices that benefit women as a group. Women’s issues can be defined as â€Å"those that mainly affect women, either for biological reasons (such as breast cancer screening and reproductive rights) or for social reasons (sex equality or child-care policy)† (Lovenduski 2001). According to this theory, women representatives will address domestic violence because it is a part of their experience as women. Even if the legislator has not experienced domestic violence personally, she probably knows someone who has, or can relate to the inequalities that lead to violence against women. Another important theory in women and politics literature is called critical mass. The critical mass theory holds that once women gain a certain percentage in the legislature, they will have the ability to ‘make a difference,’ or make changes in the legislature that improve women’s status (Dahlerup, 2001; Lovenduski 2001). Such changes may include implementing policy that is important to women, bringing attention to women’s issues, or changing the norms and values of the legislative institution (Norris and Lovenduski, 2003). According to a classification made by Rosabeth Moss Kanter, there are three categories of women’s minority status in the legislature: the skewed group of up to fifteen percent, in which women would be merely tokens and have no real power to implement change; the tilted group of fifteen to forty percent, in which the minority is gaining strength through numbers and may influence the nature of the institution; and the balanced group, of about forty to fifty percent, in which women are no longer a minority (Dahlerup, 2001; Lovenduski 2001). Women need to hold about thirty percent of the seats in a legislature in order to achieve a critical mass. Once women reach that threshold, they will bring attention to the issue of domestic violence by putting it on the legislative agenda and implementing policy that protects women. The degree to which women can attain cabinet or ministerial positions will also affect their ability to make a difference. Positions of leadership in the legislature allow for more influence over the political agenda and policy choices (Reynolds, 1999). Therefore, women in cabinet positions are able to exert political power that will lead to a greater protection of women against domestic violence. H1: As women’s access to political power increases, the level of protection for women against domestic violence increases. Although the ‘politics of presence’ and critical mass theories are well-respected in women’s representation literature, the policy effects that these theories predict has yet to be examined on an international level. Because women’s presence in the legislatures of many states is a relatively new phenomenon, it has been too early to determine whether these theories will be realized when it comes to measurable policy change. It is possible that woman legislators will behave no differently than their male counterparts, in which case an alternative cause is needed to explain the variation in women’s protection across states. The Cultural Influence According to several studies, the political and social culture of a state affects the level of support women will receive in the pursuit of equal rights and political power (Reynolds, 1999; Kenworthy and Malami, 1999). The specific traditions and values of a country determine a woman’s place, whether it be strictly confined to the home, nearly equal in the public sphere of employment and politics, or somewhere in between. The degree that each culture is in favor of expanding women’s rights will influence their practices and policies on domestic violence. Political Culture Although the political history and customs of each state are unique, examining certain aspects of a country’s political culture allows for a cross-cultural comparison of the political support for women’s rights. Women’s movements are one way of exerting influence in the political realm. These movements can be defined as â€Å"a subset of sociopolitical movements that are characterized by the primacy of women’s gendered experiences, women’s issues, and women’s leadership and decision making† (Beckwith, 2002). The issue of domestic violence is one that women’s movements have addressed in every corner of the globe. In many instances, these groups have been the only advocate for women experiencing violence in the home. When authorities look the other way, women’s groups have come forth to call attention to this problem. In order to affect legislation and practices on the domestic violence issue, women’s movements have utilized strategies such as protest, media campaigns, lobbying, research, litigation, and international treaties (Bush, 1992; Abrar and Lovenduski, 2002; Hawkins and Humes, 2002). Although the state institutions and cultures that women’s movements must work with can vary greatly, several studies have found that movements can be successful even in countries whose institutions do not promote the political participation of women and whose cultures that do not hold egalitarian beliefs (Tyyska, 1998; Bush, 1992). Such a finding is hopeful for women in patriarchal cultures; however, it may be a leap to suggest that women’s movements are completely independent form culture. At the very least, the women in a given state must support the advancement of their sex in order for a movement to take hold. In countries such as Turkmenistan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, over fifty percent of women think it is acceptable for a husband to beat his wife for a variety of reasons (Seager, 2003). Such a culture would likely not be able to produce a successful movement because the women themselves do not believe men and women are equal. Although women’s movements operate outside the status quo, they should be considered a measure of political culture. Another way to measure the political culture of a state is to determine whether it has a history of women’s participation. A citizen’s political participation includes a variety of activities: pursuing political knowledge, discussing politics, supporting a political party or voting. There is no question that political participation is valuable and leads to greater political power: â€Å"To the extent that citizen activity provides a critical channel for the expression of citizen preferences, those who are less active pay the price in terms of representation† (Verba, Burns, and Schlozman, 1997). Women’s issues have not been on the political agenda in the past because women had little or no role in the political community and therefore had no place to voice their opinions (Fraser, 1999; Nelson and Chowdhury, 1994). If the most basic form of political participation is the act of voting, then the date of women’s suffrage speaks to the political culture of a given state. In those countries where suffrage was granted only recently, it is unlikely that women have established a culture of political participation. The strength of leftist parties also indicates whether the political culture of a state supports women’s rights. Traditional political parties, whatever their ideological stance, have often been associated with an ‘old boy’s club’ approach to political decision making: only those who are invited may attend. Some even argue that rather than open doors to political power, political parties create obstacles that women and other minorities must sidestep: â€Å"the culture and process of formal political institutions are major barriers to women’s equal participation in institutional politics† (Nelson and Chowdhury, 1994). Although political parties have a history of excluding women, leftist parties may be more inclusive than the rest. Parties of the left, particularly socialist parties, support women’s rights to a greater degree than other parties do because their ideological stance tends to be more egalitarian (Kenworthy and Malami, 1999; Reynolds, 1999). Leftist parties often include a pledge to reduce gender inequality in their political platform and tend to yield more successful woman candidates (Kenworthy and Malami, 1999; Reynolds, 1999). Therefore, the share of seats held by leftist parties may indicate whether the political culture of a state will favor protection for women. Finally, the level of socioeconomic development in a state influences its political culture. In times of economic hardship, the support given to women declines. Countries that have suffering economies are much less likely to be concerned with social programs than those which are thriving (Nelson and Chowdhury 1994, Seager 2003). Spending on education and social services, including services that protect women, will be considered unimportant when people don’t even have enough to eat. Unfortunately, hard times are usually when women need protection the most. Whether or not a state has a history of providing social services speaks to its political culture is it considered â€Å"necessary† to provide these services or is it considered a superfluous expenditure? States with a high level of socioeconomic development are more likely to have a political culture that supports women. H2: States with political cultures that support women’s rights will protect women from domestic violence to a greater extent than those that do not. Social Culture Just as a state’s political traditions can determine the amount of support women’s interests are likely to receive, its social culture also influences the importance a society places on women. Social factors affect the way that a society views the role of woman. Are women expected to stay in the home or is it acceptable for them to pursue a formal career? Are they considered the equal of men? Religiosity is one factor that may influence the social culture of a state. A nation’s religiosity is its religious sentimentality, or the degree of importance the dominant religion plays in people’s lives. Religion is an especially important factor to consider when examining the issue of domestic violence because many religions are concerned with the family structure and consider women to be uniquely tied to the family. States that have fundamentalist religions follow the doctrine that women are subordinate to men (Reynolds, 1999). If women are considered to be subordinate, a husband’s abusive treatment of his wife may be excused as ‘discipline. ’ Traditional, highly religious societies are likely to consider the family a private sphere and discourage state interference, even in violent cases. Societies that have a high degree of religiosity are therefore less likely to provide a large amount of protection for women. The social culture of a state may also be determined by its education policies. Is it considered appropriate for women to receive some sort of higher education? This speaks to whether women are considered equal to men and whether they have the right to gain knowledge. Higher education leads to an understanding of issues that are important to women, as well as social and political mobilization around those issues: â€Å"Knowledge is power, the foundation of intellectual and political development† (Fraser, 1999). If women are to understand that there are options beyond the status quo, they need education. Women are more likely to demand equality and protection under the law if they are educated. They may also have greater resources that would allow them to leave an abusive situation. Therefore, the larger the number of women in higher education, the more likely a state is to protect women from domestic violence. Finally, a society’s social culture is reflected by the egalitarianism of the citizenry. The extent that a country addresses the inequalities women face is largely due to the beliefs of the people. Nations that believe women are equal to men are more likely to pursue policies that are important to women. For instance, there has been an increase in the salience of issues such as reproductive choice, sexual harassment, and equal opportunity in states where the cultural ideologies are becoming more egalitarian (Inglehart and Norris, 2001) Therefore, if the social culture of a country promotes egalitarian beliefs, women are more likely to be protected from domestic violence. H3: States with social cultures that support women’s rights will have a higher level of protection against domestic violence than those that do not. Research Design and Methodology Design Strategy and Case Selection In order to test the theoretical explanations offered by the literature, this study compares the levels of protection against domestic violence cross-nationally. The research design employed is a statistical method. Using bi-variate correlation and multiple regression, the strength, significance, and relative influence of each independent variable in relation to the dependent variable is tested. Examining twenty-nine members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) allows for a broad mix of cultures and polities. (Iceland had to be excluded due to lack of data). This variation is valuable if the diverse situation of women is to be examined. At the same time, using the OECD member states allows much of the â€Å"noise† created by non-democratic governments and large variations in wealth to be blocked out; all of these states are relatively well-off and have some form of democratic government. Levels of wealth and degree of democratic functioning still vary widely enough to be diverse, however. The countries included in this study are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States. Dependent Variable The dependent variable of this study is the level of protection for women against domestic violence. This variable is an unweighted summation of seven separate measures: marital rape law, divorce law, gender wage gap, percentage of salary paid during maternity leave, length of maternity leave, child poverty rate in lone mother households, and percentage of lone mother households. Many of these measures indicate the level of familialization, or the ability for a woman to leave an abusive situation and live independently from her abuser. The level of protection is measured on a scale that ranges from 11 (lowest protection) to 25 (highest protection). Data for this variable were obtained from a wide variety of statistical sources. Marital rape law is a dichotomous variable. It is coded as 0 if the country does not have a law against marital rape and coded as 1 if it does. Marital rape laws are a direct measure of protection against domestic violence because rape is an act of violence. This variable indicates whether the state is willing to invade the private sphere of sexual relations between married couples in order to provide protection. About half of the cases in this study do not recognize marital rape as a crime. [1] The second dependent variable measure is a coded scale representing the egree of difficulty women face when attempting to obtain a divorce. The scale ranges from 0 to 3, with 0 being the most difficult and 3 being the easiest. Coding was based on the grounds for divorce in each country. States were given a point if women can initiate divorce, if mutual consent is a ground, if breakdown of marriage or a phrase of similar meaning is a ground, and if violence, battery, or abuse is a ground. A po int was subtracted if there is a requirement for the couple to be separated for a certain amount of time before divorce will be granted. Finally, a point was taken away for miscellaneous factors that would likely cause difficulty in obtaining a divorce; for example, if no alimony or child support is offered or if divorce is considered a social stigma in the country, a point was subtracted. [2] The third measure in the scale is gender wage gap. This variable captures the ability of women to be financially independent; the higher the gender wage gap, the more difficult it is for a woman to support herself and her children. The scale ranges from 1 to 5, with 1 being the largest gap between male and female wages and 5 being the smallest. 3] The fourth and fifth components of the dependent variable are the percentage of salary paid during maternity leave[4] and the length of maternity leave. [5] These measures speak to the financial and social independence of mothers in a given state. If all or most of the mother’s salary during leave is paid and she is able to take a substantial leave without the risk of losing her job, this indicates that the state offers progressive social welfare benefits to women. Studies show that parental leave attracts women to the labor force and maintains their attachment (Kamerman, et all, 2003). Continued employment indicates that women have a better chance to leave an abusive relationship because they are more likely to be financially stable and have a support system outside of the family. Both variables are coded in a range of 1 to 5, with 1 being the least favorable leave policies for women and 5 being the most favorable. The sixth measure of protection for women is the rate of child poverty in lone mother households. This variable is coded in a range from 1 to 5. A score of 1 represents the highest rates of child poverty and a 5 represents the lowest rates. Although it would seem that the percentage of lone mother households is a direct indication of child poverty rates, several studies indicate that if a country has progressive social benefits for single parent families, high poverty levels can be avoided (The World’s Women 2000; Kamerman, et al, 2003). Therefore, this measure speaks to the social support offered to single mothers. [6] The seventh and final component of the dependent variable scale is the rate of lone mother households. This measure is coded as a scale from 1 to 5; a score of 1 indicates low rates of lone mother households and 5 indicate high levels. The rate of single mothers in a country indicates whether it is socially acceptable for a woman to live independently from a male family member or intimate. 7 In countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, there are few social stigmas associated with single motherhood and accordingly, the rates are high: 15% and 19% respectively (Kamerman, et al, 2003). However, because these states provide few social supports for single mothers, the rates of child poverty for these family types are also high: 59. 6% in the U. S. and 40. 3% in the U. K. (Kamerman, et al, 2003). Therefore, it is necessary to look at both rates of single motherhood and of child poverty in lone mother households in order to gauge both the social stigma and support offered to single mothers. Independent Variables This study employs a parsimonious model with respect to the independent variables. Four independent variables are analyzed as indicators of the two theories discussed previously: women’s representation and the cultural influence. Data for these variables were obtained from several sources, primarily Joni Seager’s Atlas of Women in the World. The first variable is women as a percentage of elected officials in each state, or the percent of women occupying seats in the lower or single house of their country’s legislature. Those data, reported from the year 2002, indicate the level of women’s representation. [7] The second variable is women’s history of political participation, measured by the date women’s suffrage was introduced in each country. [8] The third variable is the level of socioeconomic development, measured by per capita GNI from the year 2001. GNI measures the gross national income of a state in current US. dollars. Both date of women’s suffrage and per capita GNI are indicators of the political culture of the countries in this study. [9] Although affluence could be measured separately from culture, socio-economic indicators are frequently used as proxy measures for culture in literature on women and politics (Kenworthy and Malami 1999; Matland 1998). The fourth variable, women as a percentage of students in higher education, is an indicator of the social culture of a country. Higher education is defined as third level institutions, such as universities, technical schools, and equivalent institutions. Students of higher education have completed education at the second level or provided proof of equivalent knowledge. The data reported are from 2000 or the most recent available year. [10] Analyses and Results This section reports the findings of the empirical analysis. After coding and analysis, the dependent variable (level of protection against domestic violence) produced an index ranging from 11 to 25, with 25 being the highest degree of protection. As shown in Table 1, there is a moderate amount of variance in the dependent variable, with a mean of 17. and a standard deviation of 3. 42. Analyses of bi-variate correlations and multiple regression tests for the independent variables indicate that the main findings of this study support the proposed hypotheses. Table 1 The Dependent Variable: A Breakdown of Protection Levels High Protection Levels Moderate Protection Levels Low Protection Levels Austria 19 Australia 17 Greece 14 Czech Rep. 19 Belgium 17 Ireland 12 Denmark 23 Canada 16 Japan 13 Finland 20 Germany 17 Korea 11* France 21 Hungary 17 Luxembourg 14

MOREL Surname Meaning and Family History

MOREL Surname Meaning and Family History The Morel surname is a diminutive from the Old French more, meaning dark and swarthy (as a moor). A French variant of Moor and Moore. Morel is the 21st most common surname in France. Surname Origin: French Alternate Surname Spellings:  MORELL, MORILL, MORRELL, MORRILL Famous People with the MORELSurname Guillaume Morel  - French classical scholarOlivier Morel de La Durantaye - Colonial officer in New FranceGeorge W. Morell  Ã‚  - civil engineer; Union General in U.S. Civil WarTheodor Morell - Adolph Hitlers personal physicianBà ©nà ©dict Morel   - Austrian-French psychiatristAntoine Là ©on Morel-Fatio  - French painter Where is the MORELSurname Most Common? According to surname distribution from Forebears, the Morel  surname is most common in France, where it ranks 22nd in the nation, followed by Monaco (68th), Dominican Republic (87th) and Paraguay (109th). The Morell  spelling of the surname, on the other hand, is most prevalent in Spain, and also common in Puerto Rico (395th) and  Cuba (413th). WorldNames PublicProfiler indicates a similar distribution, with the greatest percentage of individuals named Morel  in Austria, followed by Switzerland, Argentina and Belgium. Within France, Morel is found in the greatest numbers in the Franche-Comtà © region (now Bourgogne-Franche-Comtà ©), followed by Rhà ´ne-Alpes (now  Auvergne-Rhà ´ne-Alpes), Haute-Normandie (now Normandy), Basse-Normandie (now Normandy) and Bretagne. Genealogy Resources for the Surname MOREL Meanings of Common French SurnamesUncover the meaning of your French  last name with this free guide to the four types of French surnames, and the meanings and origins of common French last names. Morel  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Morel  family crest or coat of arms for the Morel surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. MOREL  Family Genealogy ForumThis free message board is focused on descendants of Morel  ancestors around the world. FamilySearch - MOREL  GenealogyExplore over 2  million results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Morel surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. MOREL  Surname Mailing ListFree mailing list for researchers of the Morel  surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. DistantCousin.com - MOREL  Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Morel. GeneaNet - Morel  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Morel  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Morel  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Morel  surname from the website of Genealogy Today.- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back toGlossary of Surname Meanings Origins

American Fiction in the beginning of XX century Essay

American Fiction in the beginning of XX century - Essay Example Moreover, contrasting of the North and the South in America are common points for these authors. This can be explained by the changes in the American society that occurred during this period. After the World War I people were tired of cruelties and violence and have already lost their self-identities. Culture and identity are so closely connected that the restoration of the whole cultures was greatly dependent on the restoration of separate individual’s identity. There was a need for people to restore their ideals for worshipping. An inner world of an individual was devastated. This can be shown on the example of Sally Carrol from Fitzgerald work, when she imagined â€Å"the Ice Palace†. This place was a spiritual asylum for the main heroine, where she wanted to escape from the scares of the Great War in Europe. Nevertheless, the main heroine fails when she tries to forget about her past in the South and dreams about her future in the future in the North. In the work by Faulkner â€Å"That Evening Sun† Southerners are also reflected in a negative light. Controversies between white and black people are another logical outcome of constant opposition between the North and the South of America. In the work by Steinbeck historical context is less evident.

Team Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Team Management - Essay Example Therefore, teams enable the individual members to bring into their teams special skills and knowledge, different experience as well as diverse cultural exposure. Teams also allow for a speedy communication process as feedback can be achieved in short periods of time (Cranny, Smith, & Stone, 1992). Mullins, (2005) identifies some potential problems in teams as conflicts which arise due to differences in individual's way of doing things, poor leadership of the team if especially the mode of communication the team adopts is very centralised. Cranny, Smith, and Stone, (1992) identifies personality differences as another cause of team failure given the fact that individuals may fail to work together if they have major or irreconcilable personality differences. If a team lacks clear focus for its aims and objectives there is always a likelihood that such teams may end up failing to achieve the very goals they were formed to achieve. Therefore the management has a role in team building especially through encouraging collective responsibility amongst team members. Teams cannot function in an environment free from conflicts and therefore the only way to achieve team goals and objectives is by engaging in effective conflict resolution strategies through strengthening of teams. Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn, (2005) defines a team as a formal group of people working together with an aim of achieving common goals. Teams are important in that, they improve performance in an organization, they enhance communication and they make an organization more competitive in that they draw from a wide range of talent. On the other hand, groups are less formal and less coherent and thrive best outside the organisation and whenever groups exist within the organisation, it is usually in a non formal setting. This paper looks at conflicts in teams as the single most threat to team survival and team spirit. In addition, the paper outlines as well as analyzes conflict management process in teams. Business organizations are constantly striving to achieve efficiency and effectiveness on the part of the work force. The numerous challenges organizations are faced with such as ; competitor activity and unfavorable business environment all play a very important role in determining the success of the organization. Of all resources an organisation has in its disposal none is perhaps as relevant and important to the success of the organisation than the human resources. Human resources if managed well hold the key to the success of the organization. According to Cranny, Smith, and Stone, (1992) human resources output is higher when the employee's function as a team than it is the case when employees function in their individual units. A synergetic effect is what results when organizations embrace team spirit. However, creating functional and efficient teams' calls for expertise, tolerance and a lot of motivation on the part of the organization. Teams enable employees to exploit their potential and therefore increase job performance. A team consists of members with diverse experience, skills and

Cynthia Morris Essay Example for Free

Cynthia Morris Essay There is a quote that says: Mothers are angels who teach their children how to fly. Indeed my mother was an angel who in my younger years I thought was sent here to torture me especially when I wanted to hang out with my friends instead of doing chores or homework. My mother was the pillar of strength, love, and compassion. Mothers may be misunderstood but that doesn’t mean they don’t care or know better. My earliest memories of my mother, was her pretty face, beautiful smile, and small frame. To me she was the most beautiful woman on earth and nothing compared to her. Even though she was unlike the celebrity moms who wore designer clothes and ate in fancy restaurants, my mother was very real. My mother was a very small, petite woman who you did not want to cross. I loved the way she combed her hair. I loved the way she would play with my hair or rub my legs after a track meet even when I smelled like sweat. On the incidents that my siblings and I crossed my mother her big brown eyes would squint with disapproval. But I came to love that about her. When those brown eyes started to squint it meant you had done something wrong. Even though there were seven children my mother never played favorites. But rather, made appoint to be fair and equal with all of her children. Whenever I admitted to making a mistake, Mom would not hesitate to point it out to me, and punish me if needed. At times I detested it but over time I came to realize that Mom did that because she had my best interests at heart. She was never one to hold grudges for long. Like most mothers, my mother was very protective of me that often times I resented her for being so. I did not understand why she had to constantly ask about my whereabouts: Who I was with and where I was going. It never occurred to me that this was an essential part of being a mother. A mother cares and worries for her children. My mother taught me that getting reprimanded did not mean she loved me less. On the contrary, she showed me that when she scolded me, it meant she cared and worried about me. Mother certainly had her own flaws but I came to accept, in fact love every bit of them. When she called me non-stop, it was because she missed me or needed something or I had made her angry about something. Some may have called it nagging, I call it loving. For a person to wear her heart on her sleeves is a vulnerable thing, my mother was never vulnerable. In fact she was very strong. She never backed off in a fight especially if she knew she was right but she also knew how to compromise too. But compromising for her did not mean that you were wrong. Compromising was just another way of getting things done – later. When I started school, mom was my ally. To me, school was a world were ghosts and bad guys lurked. Instead of laughing at my fears, my mother showed me instead how great school was. My first day of school, she prepared my favorite snacks and walked me to school. Instead of leaving me at the gate, she walked me to the door, knelt down and told me: â€Å"Don’t worry, everything will be ok†. Although these words are pretty naà ¯ve, to a child on her first day of school, these words were more than enough for me. I went to school that day knowing that Mom was there for me and I learned to enjoy school. I made a few friends and introduced them to my mother who was more than happy to give us cookies and milk for snacks. Although my mother was a stay at home mom, she taught us how important an education was. Mother also taught us the value of relationships. This was evident in her relationship with my Dad. She was married to him for over 40 years before she passed and that for me was not just a manifestation of an enduring love for a person but of trust and fidelity as well. I am hoping that I can do the same in my relationship. Being married to the same person for over 40 years is not a mean feat. It takes a lot of patience and understanding to do this every day. Our generation today does not seem to realize the importance of maintaining a relationship. I, on the other hand, would want to be like my mother. I want to have a long lasting relationship with my partner just like my mother did with my father. I know my mother is not perfect. She had flaws too. But for me, those flaws were tiny imperfections that made her all the more lovable and perfect. Those flaws just made her humanity more evident. My mother was and now is an angel who taught me to fly and dream.

Whats Wrong With Cheating? Essay -- Cheating Essays

In a poll taken at Iowa State University, 53% of the upper-class students cheated on a test or plagiarized a paper while at Iowa State, 91% know someone who has, and 18% know someone who has been punished for cheating. (Bishop) What is driving this increase in academic dishonesty, and what are the effects of an academic career that thrives on cheating? There are numerous reasons why people cheat, but, regardless of whether they get caught or not, there are negative consequences. The motives students have for cheating are varied. No matter what the individual reason for someone to be tempted to cheat, their motives can generally be categorized as either based on a fear of failure or pressure to perform. Whether the student simply forgot to study and still desires a good grade, is afraid that they aren’t intelligent enough to pass without cheating, or is too lazy to do the work required to succeed, the underlying cause is a fear of failure or from pressure to perform. Once the line is crossed, and temptations become actions, there are other factors that come into play. In our current society, strong ethics are not highly valued. There is a prevalent attitude that claims: everybody is doing it, it doesn’t hurt anybody, and this material isn’t really important to me. These people don’t possess a profound and thorough understanding of how cheating will harm them. We are consumed with the concept of instant gratification. Our society is near-sighted. Technology makes cheating so easy and convenient, but we often can’t perceive what the long term effects will be if that line between working for your grade and taking the easy way out is crossed. Most people believe that the consequences of cheating are co... ..., fear of receiving a low grade, or pure laziness, the results of cheating are severe. Even though getting caught and corrected may seem like the most obvious consequence of cheating, it almost seems insignificant when compared to the alternative. In reality, ramifications of getting away with repeated cheating are even more daunting. Maybe if students understood all the implications of cheating then it would not be considered as an option. Works Cited What's wrong with cheating? Professor Michael Bishop Chair of the Iowa State University Department of Philosophy and Religion http://dsa.csupomona.edu/judicialaffairs/whatswrong.asp What are the causes and effects of cheating on an exam? https://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=14078 Cause and Effect Essay - Plagiarism and Cheating http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080218113757AAxt2cx

Construction Management Essay

a. (1) Stanley’s focus is on maximizing profits. This is the correct goal because the goal of anyfirm, and therefore its financial manager, should be to maximize its value and by extensionthe wealth of the shareholders. (2) There is potential for an agency problem if Stanley decides to go ahead and invest in thesoftware developer. This investment will cause a temporary decrease in the earnings per share (EPS) of the firm which will mean fewer earnings at the present time for thestakeholders. This may be a problem if the goal of the shareholders is to gain moneysooner than later. However, it the goal of the shareholders is simply to maximize wealth,there may not be an agency problem since the goal of the financial manager, Stanley, is the same as the shareholders’. b. Since there is no preferred stock; Earnings available for common stockholders= Net Profit After Taxes No of shares of common stock outstanding = 50 000 EPS = NPAT/ no. of shares of common stock outstanding EPS show a steady increase over the past five years indicating that Stanley is achieving hisgoal of maximizing profits. c. Operating Cash Flow (OCF) for 2012OCF = {Earnings Before Interest and TaxesÃâ€"(1– Tax rate)} + Depreciation OCF = {EBIT Ãâ€" (1– T)} + Depreciation = {$89 000 Ãâ€" (1 – 0.20)} + $11 000 = $82 200 Free Cash Flow (FCF) for 2012 FCF = OCF1– Net Fixed Assets Investments – Net Current Assets Investment FCF = OCF – NFAI – NCAI NFAI = Change in net fixed assets + Depreciation= ($132 000– $128 000) + $11000 = $15 000 NCAI = Chance in current assets – Change in (Accounts Payable + Accruals) = ($421 000 – $62 000) – {($136 000 + $27 000) – ($126 000 + $25 000)}=$47 000 FCF = $82 200 – $15 000 – $47 000 = $20 200 Both the operating cash flow and the free cash flow are positive indicating that Stanley wasable to generate adequate cash flow to cover both operating expenses and investments inassets. There was also $20 200 left over to pay to investors. a. (1) Upon what financial goal does Stanley seem to be focusing? Is it the correct goal? Why or why not? Stanley seems to be focusing on profit maximization, in another word the EPS performance. It is not the correct goal, as profits do not necessarily result in cash flows available to the stockholders, only when earnings increases are accompanied by increased future cash flows would a higher stock price be expected, therefore the stockholders’ wealth would be maximized. (2) Could a potential agency problem exist in this firm? Explain. There is a potential agency problem exist in this firm. First of all, he owns only 40% of the firm, but he manages actively all aspects of its activities and the other stockholders are not active in management of the firm, so he is an agent of the other owners. Secondly he is reluctant to take more than moderate risk, which might jeopardize his goal of profit maximization and reduce his personal wealth, so there is a conflict between owner wealth maximization and his personal goals. Scri Bd: (a) Upon what financial goal does Stanley seem to be focusing? Is it the correct goal? Why or Why not? The financial goal that Stanley seems to be focusing on is maximizing the profitability of Track Software Inc. which is apparent in years 1997 to 2003 increases in net profit from ($50,000) to $48,000 respectively. His financial goal of profit maximization was also evident in his hesitance to hire a software developer because this would result in a salary cash outflow of $80,000 per year and lower the Earnings Per Share(EPS) in years to come. Par:(1)Stanley is focusing on maximizing profit, as shown by the increase in net profits over theperiod1997 to 2003. His dilemma about adding the software designer, which would depress earnings for the near term, also demonstrates his emphasis on this goal .Maximizing wealth should be the correct goal for a financial manager. Wealth maximization takes a long-term perspective and also considers risk and cash flows .Profits maximization does not integrate these three factors (cash flow, timing, risk) in the decision process (2) An agency problem exists when managers place personal goals ahead of corporate goals. Since Stanley owns 40% of the outstanding equity, it is unlikely that an agency problem would arise at Track Software A. Maximization of shareholder wealth, which means maximization of share price,should be theprimary goal of the firm. Unlike profit maximization, this goalconsiders timing, cash flows, andrisk. It also reflects the worth of the owners’investment in the firm at any time. It is the value theycan realize should theydecide to sell their shares. B. Yes, there appears to be an agency problem. Although compensation for management is tied toprofits, it is not directly linked to share price. In addition,management’s actions with regard topollution controls suggest a  profitmaximization focus, which would maximize their earnings,rather than an attemptto maximize share price Eco Plastics Company ECO Plastics Established in 2000, ECO Plastics Ltd is the UK’s leading and highest quality plastic bottle recycler producing plastics for soft drinks and milk bottles. Challenge In March 2011, the company signed a ten-year joint venture deal, a first in the UK drinks manufacturing industry, to supply the global enterprise with high quality food-grade recycled material (rPET). In order to achieve Coca-Cola’s target of including 25% rPET in all plastic packaging within Great Britain by 2012, ECO Plastics needed to expand their premises. Jonathan Short, Managing Director of ECO Plastics Ltd said, â€Å"We were thrilled to sign the joint venture deal with a company of the calibre of Coca-Cola and begin the next important step for our business. All we needed to do was secure the additional capital required to expand our premises and fund our operations.† Solution ECO Plastics approached a number of finance providers but found that due to the economic climate, lending was restricted. â€Å"It was difficult at first to find the financial backing we needed to expand our business and meet the needs of our exciting venture with Coca-Cola,† said Mr. Short. â€Å"We approached Close Brothers and discussed a structured finance solution, tailored to meet our specific business requirements. The deal was primarily a leasing contract, secured against our existing assets which incorporated invoice finance to fund our operations during the expansion.† Result The combined asset-based financial platform of  £18million provided by Close Brothers Invoice Finance and Close Brothers Leasing supported the construction and operation of the expansion to ECO Plastics’ processing plant, which completed in 2012. â€Å"Without Close Brothers, we would have been unable to fulfil our agreement with Coca-Cola which would have not only been devastating to our business, but to the industry as a whole,† said Mr. Short. â€Å"Working with Close Brothers has afforded us with the opportunity to expand our business and realise our true growth potential as we continue to  work toward becoming the world-leader in sustainable packaging.†

Causes of Corruption Essay

Many officials are motivated to participate in corrupt behavior because of the inherently selfish desire to have an unfair advantage over their peers. Through bribery, extortion, embezzlement, nepotism and other means, corruption can help dishonest people get ahead while the public pays the price. A corrupted politician may seek to sway a person’s opinions, actions, or decisions, reduce fees collected, speed up government grants, or change outcomes of legal processes. Through corruption, people seeking an unfair advantage may pay courts to vote in their favor or, as with police, customs units, and tax collectors, to disregard a penalty. Bribery may be paid to allow for otherwise unacceptable building and zoning permits, to sway school exam results or allow acceptance by an unqualified student into a school system. People in the private sector may pay off politicians so that they dismiss rules and regulations to protect employees in the workforce. Corruption motivated by an   unfair advantage may also occur in immigration, passport and visa offices in which unqualified individuals may be allowed an unfair advantage to obtain these important documents, at the expense of others. In order to obtain an unfair advantage, governments and government officials may apply any number of methods to abuse their power over the citizens. First, a politician may apply diplomatic, political, or financial pressure, for example trade embargoes. However such pressures may also work to effectively bully vulnerable citizens. Also, many countries are the recipients of development aid, which might cause politicians who seek an unfair advantage to earmark this funding towards their particular cause. The threat of reduced foreign aid, defense ties, arm deals, and gifts may help politicians to obtain an unfair advantage through corruption. Lack of Punitive Measures Thomas Hobbes, the great political philosopher, once said, â€Å"A man’s conscience and his judgment is the same thing; and as the judgment, so also the conscience, may be erroneous.† This idea that individuals cannot always rely on a working inner moral compass alone to guide them to virtue is at the heart of the next motivating factor for participating in corrupt behavior. When the legal agencies do not impose sanctions on parliamentarians and other government officials who have violated their public duties there is a lack of punitive measure for corrupt behavior. This is the case, for example when judges are in the pay of the ruling party or there are too few police officers to enforce the law. When there are not punitive measures to assure transparency, monitoring, and accountability through a working justice system, some people will participate in corrupt behavior simply because they can get away with it. Politicians and other individuals require a legal, monitoring system to assure that corruption will not occur in the planning and execution of public sector budgets. Social and internal control mechanisms are required for civil society and autonomous state auditing agencies. Without them or with only weak enforcement measures, people in power are more  likely to embezzle money from the national budget, sway votes or participate in other actions that will result in personal gain at the public’s expense. Lack of Transparency Transparency describes when there is free access by citizens to public information. When the rules, procedures, and objectives of the government are not available to the public, there is not budgetary and administrative oversight to balance the power of government officials, transparency is lacking and corruption can be bred. Without oversight and transparency of budget and rules, national resources may be plundered and power may be abused in favor of the corrupt official only. Further, when there are not public sector mechanisms that channel social preferences and specific complaints of the population to the agencies involved in those complaints, people of power will not serve their purpose of representing the populace, but have free reign to do as they please in the public sector. Lack of transparency creates opportunities for public officials to abuse their office for private gain. This closely relates to accountability, and weak accountability mechanisms tend to facilitate corruption. Where there is a lack of transparency and accountability corruption will flourish. Once corrupt bureaucrats realize that they can take advantage of regulations, they will produce more regulations and run the risk of becoming less transparent. Poor Incentive Structures Bad incentives, such as clerks not earning a living wage or not having job security might also encourage corrupt behavior such as supplementing income with bribes. Some people who do not have an incentive to perform their official duties, but actually pay for their jobs with the understanding that they will make money through bribes. A lack of incentive also results when positions of power are granted as a result of favoritism and nepotism (See unit 1). Making people resist hard work. Incentives also come into the picture when salaries are so low that people cannot meet the basic living standards for food  and housing. As a result, people will often  take other jobs that cause absenteeism of  public officials, and often increase the  demand by government officials for bribes  and other paybacks in order to supply the  public  services. Problems with the law: Lawless and Over Regulated Governments Corruption can also be caused when there is excessive control and a sort of monopoly of power. In these circumstances, there again is not a level playing field, and decisions will always be made at the advantage of the group or person who dominates political control. As a result, ordinary citizen rights are lost and public resources are often plundered for the personal gain of the public officials. Poverty or scarcity of goods may also push people to live outside the law. Finally, corruption occurs when government officials resist government policies and programs. Introducing policies that allow for greater oversight would help to assure that power were balanced and no one person would be making all of the political decisions. When politicians resist this change they prevent political and cultural progress for their country, prohibit civic interests from being met, and allow the pattern of corruption to flourish. Dysfunctional Systems as a Cause for Corruption Instability in government may also catapult a nation and its leaders towards corruption. Among them, war, ethnic or religious conflict, economic hardship, and social inequalities may instigate corruption. Any circumstance that threatens a nation or its people either through identity or establishment may diminish the good governance practices of a nation. Even in less difficult times, the institutions and policies of government may undermine how well the government carries out its work. When institutions and policies are weak, individuals tend to take advantage of them. Therefore, poor governments are a product of sick institutions, or institutions that function poorly because of inadequate resources or bad  policies and procedures. As stated earlier, good governance refers to the provision of services that are responsive to citizen needs. When government services are not provided to citizens, either because they were deemed unnecessary, services providers demanded bribes or were lazy, or the services are provided in theory but are not readily available in practice without a bribe, people will aim to have their needs met illegally or unofficially. Likewise, when financial systems are outdated, they are more corruptible. System-Wide Allowances for Corrupt Behavior: Government may allow system wide corruption to spread by not institutionalizing and enforcing prevention mechanisms. For example: Overly complex procedures for obtaining public services allow government to covet the services to only the well-informed or well-connected elite, and not allowing the system to work for the poor. Lack of internal systems to assure relative transparency, monitoring and accountability in the design and execution of public policies. Lack of social control mechanisms aimed at preventing grand corruption schemes usually seen when the state’s policies are captured by vested interests. Lack of employee participation in and knowledge of the public institution’s decisionmaking criteria. Absence of results based management in public service delivery. An ineffective judicial sector (police, prosecutors, officers, and the judiciary.) Conclusion Problems in governance occur when a government is not only corrupt, but also when it is inefficient, unresponsive, or secretive. Essentially, when a government is ineffectual, it is considered to be corrupt. As this unit explained, corruption is fundamentally caused by low wages, poor incentive structures and inefficient systems. In addition, it is also caused by the desire for an unfair advantage, and the knowledge that one will not be caught or punished for corrupt behavior. Corruption is not just about ethics. It is also about how the government is set up and managed. Parliament and parliamentarians improve the way government works so that corrupt behavior is punishable and opportunities for corruption are limited through the laws. In order to fully rectify corruption in a society, it must first be thoroughly diagnosed. Unit three shows methods for diagnosing, measuring, and interpreting data on corruption. As the units thereafter will explain, this step will help to make focused and measurable changes and improvements to corruption when those mechanisms are enacted.

Free Essays on Living As An Indian American

Living in America can sometimes have its share of difficulties and problems, but at the same time, still be a great â€Å"land of opportunities.† I was about six years of age when I first moved to this country. Although still young, I had not received such a culture shock like my parents. Being young and impressionable, I soon adapted to the American culture and learned how things work. A whole new system of values, customs, and habits suddenly was blown into my face and was almost too unbearable. But what got to me were the little things, for instance television and food, to larger issues such as the idea of â€Å"free speech.† As I grew older in this land, those simple things went on to more personal issues like stereotypes, hints of racism, and being part of a misunderstood culture in a much larger one. Living in India, I grew up to be what you would call your average child. I would always be on time, very subservient, and up to the neck in manners and etiquette. My school was something out of an American student’s nightmare: large walls surrounding the compound (not to mention barb wire and shards of glass at the top), teachers who are like drill instructors, and the courses of action that they take if you suddenly went awry. In India, they did not believe in letting the student speak their minds, or to explain themselves. Instead, they either were sent home or the teacher would come around and hit you over the knuckles with his metal ruler. This taught me to pay attention in class and not to talk back. Although degrading in a way, it seemed to get the class’ attention. But after coming here, the school systems seemed a lot more kind and jovial. When I first attended an American school, it seemed that the teachers were almost too happy. I was more used to the grim f aces that would strike fear in the hearts of anyone. But I soon adapted and became more involved in school, rather than just doing homework all the time. As time... Free Essays on Living As An Indian American Free Essays on Living As An Indian American Living in America can sometimes have its share of difficulties and problems, but at the same time, still be a great â€Å"land of opportunities.† I was about six years of age when I first moved to this country. Although still young, I had not received such a culture shock like my parents. Being young and impressionable, I soon adapted to the American culture and learned how things work. A whole new system of values, customs, and habits suddenly was blown into my face and was almost too unbearable. But what got to me were the little things, for instance television and food, to larger issues such as the idea of â€Å"free speech.† As I grew older in this land, those simple things went on to more personal issues like stereotypes, hints of racism, and being part of a misunderstood culture in a much larger one. Living in India, I grew up to be what you would call your average child. I would always be on time, very subservient, and up to the neck in manners and etiquette. My school was something out of an American student’s nightmare: large walls surrounding the compound (not to mention barb wire and shards of glass at the top), teachers who are like drill instructors, and the courses of action that they take if you suddenly went awry. In India, they did not believe in letting the student speak their minds, or to explain themselves. Instead, they either were sent home or the teacher would come around and hit you over the knuckles with his metal ruler. This taught me to pay attention in class and not to talk back. Although degrading in a way, it seemed to get the class’ attention. But after coming here, the school systems seemed a lot more kind and jovial. When I first attended an American school, it seemed that the teachers were almost too happy. I was more used to the grim f aces that would strike fear in the hearts of anyone. But I soon adapted and became more involved in school, rather than just doing homework all the time. As time...

The Bering Land Bridge Between Russia and North America

The Bering Land Bridge Between Russia and North America The Bering Strait is a waterway that separates Russia from North America. It lies above the Bering Land Bridge (BLB), also called Beringia (sometimes misspelled Beringea), a submerged landmass that once connected the Siberian mainland with North America. While Beringias shape and size while above water is variously described in publications, most scholars would agree the land mass included the Seward Peninsula, as well as existing land areas of northeast Siberia and western Alaska, between the Verkhoyansk Range in Siberia and the Mackenzie River in Alaska. As a waterway, the Bering Strait connects the Pacific Ocean to the Arctic Ocean over the polar ice cap, and eventually the Atlantic Ocean. The climate of the Bering Land Bridge (BLB) when it was above sea level during the Pleistocene was long thought to have been primarily a herbaceous tundra or steppe-tundra. However, recent pollen studies have shown that during the Last Glacial Maximum (say, between 30,000-18,000 calendar years ago, abbreviated as cal BP), the environment was a mosaic of diverse but cold plant and animal habitats. Living on the Bering Land Bridge Whether Beringia was habitable or not at a given time is determined by the sea level and presence of surrounding ice: specifically, whenever the sea level drops about 50 meters (~164 feet) below its present position, the land surfaces. The dates when this happened in the past have been difficult to establish, in part because the BLB is currently mostly underwater and difficult to reach. Ice cores seem to indicate that most of the Bering Land Bridge was exposed during Oxygen Isotope Stage 3 (60,000 to 25,000 years ago), connecting Siberia and North America: and the land mass was above sea level but cut off from east and west land bridges during OIS 2 (25,000 to about 18,500 years BP). Beringian Standstill Hypothesis By and large, archaeologists believe that the Bering land bridge was the primary entryway for the original colonists into the Americas. About 30 years ago, scholars were convinced that people simply left Siberia, crossed the BLB and entered down through the mid-continental Canadian ice shield through a so-called ice-free corridor. However, recent investigations indicate the ice-free corridor was blocked between about 30,000 and 11,500 cal BP. Since the northwest Pacific coast was deglaciated at least as early as 14,500 years BP, many scholars today believe a Pacific coastal route was the primary route for much of the first American colonization. One theory gaining strength is the Beringian standstill hypothesis, or Beringian Incubation Model (BIM), the proponents of which argue that instead of moving directly from Siberia across the strait and down the Pacific coast, the migrants livedin fact were trappedon the BLB for several millennia during the Last Glacial Maximum. Their entry into North America would have been blocked by ice sheets, and their return to Siberia blocked by the glaciers in the Verkhoyansk mountain range. The earliest archaeological evidence of human settlement to the west of the Bering Land Bridge east of the Verkhoyansk Range in Siberia is the Yana RHS site, a very unusual 30,000-year-old site located above the arctic circle. The earliest sites on the east side of the BLB in the Americas are Preclovis in date, with confirmed dates usually no more than 16,000 years cal BP. Climate Change and the Bering Land Bridge Although there is a lingering debate, pollen studies suggest that the climate of the BLB between about 29,500 and 13,300 cal BP was an arid, cool climate, with grass-herb-willow tundra. There is also some evidence that near the end of the LGM (~21,000-18,000 cal BP), conditions in Beringia deteriorated sharply. At about 13,300 cal BP, when rising sea levels began to flood the bridge, the climate appears to have been wetter, with deeper winter snows and cooler summers. Sometime between 18,000 and 15,000 cal BP, the bottleneck to the east was broken, which allowed human entrance into the North American continent along the Pacific coast. The Bering Land Bridge was completely inundated by rising sea levels by 10,000 or 11,000 cal BP, and its current level was reached about 7,000 years ago. The Bering Strait and Climate Control A recent computer modeling of the ocean cycles and their effect on abrupt climate transitions called Dansgaard-Oeschger (D/O) cycles, and reported in Hu and colleagues 2012, describes one potential effect of the Bering Strait on global climate. This study suggests that the closing of the Bering Strait during the Pleistocene restricted cross-circulation between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and perhaps led to the numerous abrupt climatic changes experienced between 80,000 and 11,000 years ago. One of the major fears of coming global climate change is the effect of changes in the salinity and temperature of the North Atlantic current, resulting from glacial ice melt. Changes to the North Atlantic current have been identified as one trigger for significant cooling or warming events in the North Atlantic and surrounding regions, such as that seen during the Pleistocene. What the computer models seem to show is that an open Bering Strait allows ocean circulation between the Atlantic and Pacific, and continued admixing may suppress the effect of the North Atlantic freshwater anomaly. The researchers suggest that as long as the Bering Strait continues to stay open, the current water flow between our two major oceans will continue unhindered. This is likely to repress or limit any changes in the North Atlantic salinity or temperature, and thus lessen the likelihood of sudden collapse of the global climate. Researchers caution, however, that since researchers arent even guaranteeing that fluctuations in the North Atlantic current would create problems, further investigations examining glacial climate boundary conditions and models are needed to support these results. Climate Similarities between Greenland and Alaska In related studies, Praetorius and Mix (2014) looked at the oxygen isotopes of two species of fossil plankton, taken from  sediment cores  off the Alaskan coast, and compared them to similar studies in northern Greenland. Briefly, the balance of isotopes in a fossil being is direct evidence of the kind of plantsarid, temperate, wetland, etc.which were consumed by the animal during its life. What Praetorius and Mix discovered was that sometimes Greenland and the coast of Alaska experienced the same kind of climate: and sometimes they did not. The regions experienced the same general climate conditions from 15,500-11,000 years ago, just before the abrupt climate changes that resulted in our modern climate. That was the onset of the Holocene when temperatures rose sharply, and most of the glaciers melted back to the poles. That may have been a result of the connectivity of the two oceans, regulated by the opening of the Bering Strait; the elevation of ice in North America and/or the routing of freshwater into the North Atlantic or Southern ocean. After things settled down, the two  climates  diverged again and the climate has been relatively stable since then. However, they appear to be growing closer. Praetorius and Mix suggest that the simultaneity of climates may presage rapid climate change and that it would be prudent to monitor the changes. Sources This glossary entry is part of the About.com  Guide to Populating America  and the  Dictionary of Archaeology. Bibliographic sources for this article are on  page two. Ager TA, and Phillips RL. 2008. Pollen evidence for late Pleistocene Bering land bridge environments from Norton Sound, northeastern Bering Sea, Alaska.  Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research  40(3):451–461. Bever MR. 2001. An Overview of Alaskan Late Pleistocene Archaeology: Historical Themes and Current Perspectives.  Journal of World Prehistory  15(2):125-191. Fagundes NJR, Kanitz R, Eckert R, Valls ACS, Bogo MR, Salzano FM, Smith DG, Silva WA, Zago MA, Ribeiro-dos-Santos AK et al. 2008. Mitochondrial Population Genomics Supports a Single Pre-Clovis Origin with a Coastal Route for the Peopling of the Americas.  The American Journal of Human Genetics  82(3):583-592. doi:10.1016/j.ajhg.2007.11.013 Hoffecker JF, and Elias SA. 2003. Environment and archeology in Beringia.  Evolutionary Anthropology  12(1):34-49. doi:10.1002/evan.10103 Hoffecker JF, Elias SA, and ORourke DH. 2014. Out of Beringia?  Science  343:979-980. doi:10.1126/science.1250768 Hu A, Meehl GA, Han W, Timmermann A, Otto-Bliesner B, Liu Z, Washington WM, Large W, Abe-Ouchi A, Kimoto M et al. 2012.  Role of the Bering Strait on the hysteresis of the ocean conveyor belt circulation and glacial climate stability.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences  109(17):6417-6422. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1116014109 Praetorius SK, and Mix AC. 2014.  Synchronization of North Pacific and Greenland climates preceded abrupt deglacial warming.  Science  345(6195):444-448. Tamm E, Kivisild T, Reidla M, Metspalu M, Smith DG, Mulligan CJ, Bravi CM, Rickards O, Martinez-Labarga C, Khusnutdinova EK et al. 2007.  Beringian Standstill and Spread of Native American Founders.  PLoS ONE  2(9):e829. Volodko NV, Starikovskaya EB, Mazunin IO, Eltsov NP, Naidenko PV, Wallace DC, and Sukernik RI. 2008. 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Pasta Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pasta - Essay Example Considering that pasta is made from healthy items like wheat and corn and that it is relatively cheaper, â€Å"total U.S. consumption rose 0.4 percent by volume, according to The Nielsen Co (cited in The Associated Press). With the inflation speeding up through out the American grocery stores a few years back, pasta suddenly became the top priority of American public concerning food. Chief executives of many pasta companies in US claim that the way sales of other goods got reduced, pasta sales did not reduce as commodity prices jumped up which shows that American people certainly do not know what to do without pasta (Twiddy). Availability in a wide variety of attractive shapes makes pasta a favorite item of the American cuisine presently. Nutritional value, great taste, and economical value majorly contribute to pasta’s popularity in America. According to the American Pasta Report, â€Å"77% of the 1,003 Americans surveyed said they eat pasta at least once a week, while a third eat it three or more times a week† (New Taste Dimensions Foods, Inc). Concluding, pasta remains highly popular food item in America because it is everything what any food item is required to be since it is cheap, tasty, and nutritious. The interesting thing about the research is that pasta pairs quite harmoniously with recession as well, which I did not know before. The Associated Press. â€Å"Forget the carbs, pasta pairs well with recession.† Msnbc.com. 21 Jan. 2009. Web. 01 Dec. 2011.

102 exam question 1 Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

102 exam question 1 - Article Example People make decisions based on what actions will please others, especially authority figures and other individuals with high statuses such as managers. They are concerned about maintaining relationships through trust and loyalty. Individuals take other peoples perspectives and intentions into account when making personal decisions. People recognize that rules represent agreements among many individuals about appropriate behavior. Rules are seen as potentially useful mechanisms that can maintain the general social order. People also recognize the flexibility of rules; rules that no longer serve a societys best interests can and should be changed. Only a few people ever reach this ideal stage. People in this stage adhere to a few abstract, universal principles. Individual answer to a strong inner conscience and willingly disobey laws that violate their own ethical principles. In order to translate what is on paper, the theory to apply practically, the management will have to excises some functions such as work delegation; this enables individuals to fully exercise moral ethics which they presume as best suit. Through consultations of individuals in decision making, moral and ethical behavior of individuals is revealed. Thus the management should involve its staff in decision making procedures. This will help a big deal in putting into practice the theory of moral ethics. The stages as stipulated by Kohlberg are distinct and tend to conflict. For example a person who justified a decision on the basis of principled reasoning in stages 5 or 6 would frequently fall conflict while reasoning with stages 3 or 4 in another events. In practice it seems that reasoning about right and wrong depends more upon the situation than upon general rules. Gilligan reached the conclusion that Kohlberg’s theory did not account for the fact that women approach moral problems from an ‘ethics of care’, rather than an ‘ethics of justice’ perspective, which challenges