Literature Review of Cultural Leadership Essay

Cultural leadership is a diverse subject to touch upon. This aspect of leadership is constantly growing and changing. People should not look into cultural leadership with biased opinions. Dividing cultural leadership into sub groups just gives people an opinion on how to look at people differently. Cultural leadership should be looked at as a whole, as we are one, working together, with the same goal – to be successful. Cultural leadership profiles are used to classify what followers expect from leaders in ten cultures – cluster groups comprising of sixty-two countries. Six different leadership behavior classifications are used to show what profile is dominant in varying strengths in each region. A successful leader involves more than just planning, coordinate, managing and supervising. A successful leader also has the ability to deal with all genres of people. Whether in involves ethnicity, sexual orientation or people with different cultures. The success of an organization is highly impacted by its culture, which is part of a strategic planning of an organization. What is culture? Culture is defined as the universally shared beliefs, values, and norms of a group of people. Two factors that can hinder cultural awareness are ethnocentrism and prejudice. It is challenging for leaders because it averts them from fully understanding the world of others. Prejudice has a negative impression because it is self-orientated and restrains leaders from seeing the many sides and qualities of others. Whatever makes them unique is their culture. Having a clear understanding of one’s culture, communicating with each other will be much more efficient. Culture has been the attention of many findings across a variety of principles. In the past 30 years a significant number of studies have focused on specifically on ways to recognize and categorize the various dimensions of culture. Determining the rudimentary dimensions or charismas of different cultures is the first step in being able to recognize the relationships between them. Ever since World War II, globalization has been progressing throughout the world. Globalization is the increased interdependence (economic, social, technical, and political) between nations. People are becoming more interconnected. There is an increasingly significant amount of international trade, cultural exchange, and use of worldwide telecommunication systems. In the past ten years, our schools, organizations, and communities have become a lot more global. Increased globalization has created many challenges as well, for example the need to design effective multinational organizations, to identify and select appropriate leaders, and to manage organizations with culturally distinctly different employees. Globalization has also fashioned a need to understand how cultural differences affect the leadership performances. Globalization also created the requirement for leaders to become knowledgeable in cross-cultural awareness and practice. First, leaders need to understand business, political, and cultural settings worldwide. Second, they should learn the perspectives, tastes, trends, and technologies of multiple cultures. Third, they basically need to be able to work concurrently with people from many cultures. Fourth, leaders must be able to familiarize to living and communicating in other cultures. Fifth, they need to acquire to relate to people from other cultures from a position of equivalence rather than cultural supremacy. Anthropologists, sociologists, and many others have questioned the meaning of the word culture. Because it is a theoretical term, it is hard to define, and many different people often define it in unrelated ways. Here, culture is defined as the learned beliefs, values, rules, norms, symbols, and traditions that are common to a group of people. It is these shared qualities of a group that make them matchless. In summary, culture is the way of life, different customs, and script of a group of peoples. Related to culture, are the expressions of multicultural and diversity. Multicultural indicates an approach or classification that takes more than one culture into interpretation. It mentions to the existence of multiple cultures such an African, American, Asian, European, and Middle Eastern. Multicultural can also denote to a set of subcultures defined by race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or age. Diversity signifies to the subsistence of different cultures or ethnicities within a group or organization. Ethnocentrism is the inclination for beings to place their own group (ethnic, racial, cultural) at the center of their interpretations of others and the world. People tend to give importance and value to their own beliefs, attitudes, and values, over and above other groups. Ethnocentrism is the sensitivity that one’s own culture is better or more expected than the culture of others. Ethnocentrism is a worldwide tendency, and each and every one of us is ethnocentric to some degree. Ethnocentrism can be a major impediment to effective leadership because it averts people from fully understanding and/or respecting the perspectives of others. The more ethnocentric we are, the less open or accepting we are of other people’s cultural customs and practices. Prejudice is a general continual attitude, belief, or emotion believed by an individual about another individual or group that is based on defective or unproven statistics. It refers to assumptions about others based on previous decisions or occurrences. Prejudice involves obstinate generalizations that are impervious or change or evidence to the opposing. Prejudice is often thought in the framework of race. In addition to combating their own prejudice, leaders also face the experiment of dealing with the prejudice of followers. These prejudices can be toward the manager or the leader’s culture. Additionally, it is not infrequent for the leader to face followers who symbolize several culturally different groups, and these groups have their own prejudgments toward each other. A experienced leader needs to find ways to negotiate with followers from numerous cultural backgrounds. Training programs about culture and diversity have been admired for many years. At the center of these programs, people are educated about the degrees and characteristics of different cultures, and how to be perceptive to people in other countries and cultures. Considerate about issues about culture is useful in several ways. The discoveries about culture can help leaders recognize their own cultural biases and inclinations. Tolerant of their own preferences is the first step in accepting that people in other cultures might have different predilections Additionally, the findings help leaders to apprehend what it means to be a noble leader. Different cultures have different ideas about what they desire from their leaders. These verdicts help our leaders adapt their style to be more operative in different cultural settings. Third, the findings help leaders correspond more effectively across cultural and geographic boundaries. By considering cultural differences, leaders can become more empathic and precise in their communication with others. Information on culture and leadership has also been applied in very concrete ways. It has been used to construct culturally perceptive Web sites, design new employee orientation programs, organizing programs in relocation training, advance global team effectiveness, and expedite multinational merger implementation. These illustrations clearly specify the wide range of applications for research on culture and leadership in the workplace. GLOBE researchers allocated the data from the 62 countries they studied into regional masses. These masses provided a expedient way to investigate the similarities and differences between cultural groups, and to make significant generalizations about culture and leadership. In sum, these regional masses exemplified a valid and dependable way to differentiate countries of the world into 10 distinct groups. The GLOBE studies compromise the greatest body of findings to date on culture and leadership. GLOBE researchers studied how 17,000 managers from 62 different countries perceived leadership. They evaluated the similarities and differences between regional clusters of cultural groups by grouping countries into 10 distinct clusters; the outcome was a list of leadership attributes that were universally recognized as positive and negative. The representation of an ineffective leader is someone who is asocial, malicious, self-focused, and autocratic. The conceptualization of leadership used by GLOBE researchers was consequential in part from the work of Lord and Maher on implicit leadership theory. Concurring to implicit leadership theory, individuals have implicit beliefs and opinions about the qualities and theories that differentiate leaders from non-leaders and effective leaders from ineffective leaders. â€Å"Leadership is in the eye of the beholder.† Leadership refers to what people see in others when they are demonstrating leadership behaviors. To depict how different cultures view leadership behaviors in others, GLOBE researchers identified six global leadership behaviors: * Charismatic/Value-Based Leadership: Reflects the ability to inspire, to motivate, and to expect high performance from others based on strongly held core values. This kind of leadership includes being visionary, inspirational, self-sacrificing, trustworthy, decisive, and performance oriented. (Peter Northouse 2012). * Team-Orientated Leadership: Emphasizes team building and a common purpose among team members. This kind of leadership includes being collaborative, integrative, diplomatic, non-malevolent, and administratively competent. (Peter Northouse 2012). * Participative Leadership: Reflects the degree to which leaders involve others in making and implementing decisions. It includes being participative and non-autocratic. (Peter Northouse 2012). * Humane-Oriented Leadership: Emphasizes being supportive, considerate, compassionate, and generous. This type of leadership includes modesty and sensitivity to other people. (Peter Northouse 2012). * Autonomous Leadership: Refers to independent and individualistic leadership, which includes being autonomous and unique. (Peter Northouse 2012). * Self-Protective Leadership: Reflects behaviors that ensure the safety and security of the leader and the group. It includes leadership that is self-centered, status conscious, conflict inducing, face saving, and procedural. (Peter Northouse 2012). Cultural Leadership in organizations always seems to miss the discussion of how leadership keeps culture in organizations stable. Charisma is where it all begins. Therefore having multiple cultural leaders helps to resolve this issue. Most leaders do and say different things, but in the end, everyone just wants success. Whether that success is culture, coordination, or a profitable business, or all of those things, many people learn to cope with differences by experience. Experience is the best form of knowing, therefore, to be a great leader; you have to start somewhere. The leader, the followers, and the situation, all have to do with leadership. As well as playing a significant role in cultural leadership. Or any type of leadership for that matter. Personal qualities, perceived situation, vision and mission, followers’ and attributes, leader behaviors, performance, administrative actions, use of cultural forms, and the use of tradition all are key elements to a successful leader, their followers, the business, and the outcome of the business, organization, company. Multicultural is increasing all over the world. Even though America is known as the melting pot, everywhere across the world have cultural behaviors within their organization. Ethics affects leadership, as well as tradition. But studies complied on cross-cultural leadership have been attained, and this helps us to understand the differences between different cultures from our own. Decaregorization is a cultural leadership style for employees to become more aquinted with one another. This style helps companies get to know onw another and interact in a positive manner doing something else besides work. The leader would old a funraiser, etc. Therefore, rather than group-based interactions, this approach will focus on individuality. The following quotes are crucial to cultural leadership, and accepting differences among others. â€Å"Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.† – Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics (350 BCE). â€Å"Lead them with culture and regulate them by the rules of propriety, and they will have a sense of shame and, moreover, set themselves right.† – Confucius (5110479 BCE). The results of ethical leadership came up with six main themes from the responses of all six societies. Accountability, consideration and respect for others, fairness and non-discriminatory treatment, character, collective orientation – organization and social, openness and flexibility. Each society is unique, and to understand the differences, you must experience it firsthand. Reading and learning will only give your insight. Aforementioned cultural leadership must be learned in person, by the leader and its followers, for they are working towards a common goal. Leadership profiles are used to describe how cultures view leadership behaviors. There are six leadership behaviors identified by Globe researchers, they are: charismatic/value based, team-oriented, participative, humane- oriented, autonomous, and self-protective.( House & Javidan, 2004) Charismatic/value based leadership is being visionary, inspirational, with the ability to motivate high performance from others based on strongly held core values. Team-oriented leadership is instilling a common purpose among team members to encourage a team effort by being collaborative, diplomatic, and administrative competent. Participative leadership involves making others in the decision making process and includes being non-autocratic and participative. Autonomous leadership is being unique, independent, and a individualistic leader. Humane-oriented leadership is being modest and sensitive to other people, being supportive, compassionate, and generous. Self-protective is self-centered, face saving, status conscious, ensuring the safety and security of the leader and group. There are ten distinct groups to differentiate countries of the world into regional clusters ( e. g. Ronen & Shenkar, 1985) Middle East, made up of Qatar, Morocco, Egypt, Kuwait, and Turkey. Nordic Europe which includes Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. Latin Europe comprising Israel, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, and Switzerland. Latin America made up of Ecuador, El Salvador, Columbia, Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala, Argentina, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Mexico. Southern Asia which includes The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Thailand, and Iran. Sub-Saharan Africa consisting of Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, Nigeria, and South Africa. ( Black caucus) Anglo consists of Canada, the United States, Australia, Ireland, England, South Africa( white caucus) and New Zealand. Confucian Asia includes Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, South Korea, and Japan. Eastern Europe is Greece, Hungary, Albania, Slovenia, Poland, Russia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan. Germanic Europe includes Austria, The Ne therlands, Sweden, and Germany. Middle Eastern culture and leadership perceived to be effective in this region of the world are the interrelationships among societal culture, organizational culture and leadership methodologies. Data collected from four Middle Eastern nations (Iran, Kuwait, Turkey, and Qatar) provide an insight into the framework of societal and organizational values and management practices in Arab countries. The great majority of the population in Iran, Kuwait, Turkey, and Qatar are muslins. Turkey has a formal state ideology; the state is independent of religious rules and is run by secular rules mostly adapted from the west. Iran, Kuwait, and Qatar are not secular, but religious laws dominate. Also differences in the Islamic sects, Iran being predominately â€Å"shiite†, Kuwait, Turkey, Qatar people largely â€Å"sunni†. Language may account for part of the differences in Middle East region, while Islamic religion seems to be a common attribute. In making plans and forecasts all four nations are below average and very close to each other, which involves the concept of fate embodied in Islamic beliefs. Effective leadership attributes in Middle Eastern societies have universalistic characteristics and some culture-specific attributes with participation having a different meaning compared to western societies, being centered on satisfaction of egos rather than to improve quality of a decision. Organizational leaders tend to be more sensitive to local cultures and traditions and more future-orientated practices, plus promote change.( Introduction to the special issues on Leadership and Culture in the Middle East, Hayat Kabasakal and Ali Dastmalchian) Face saving and status are important characteristics of effective leadership, and deemphasizes charismatic/value based and team- oriented leadership. Looking after one’s job and security is of the upmost priority for most leaders in this group category. Diversity of management systems exist across contemporary Europe, and societal culture diversity remains unquestionable and frequently preserved as much as possible. The formation of the European Union has opened up all borders, increasing diversity if cultures, all intermingling, changing cultural clustering, and cultural divide between eastern and western Europe. Prior studies of cultural distinctions, cross-cultural studies between east-west and north-south European distinctions are changing from prior data and may need further studies. Managers in Germanic countries make more participative decision-making behavior, central Europe makes more autocratic decisions. West European (Nordic, Anglo, Latin) empathize more â€Å"Equality â€Å"or egalitarian commitment. East and near East countries lean more toward hierarchy or conservatism. North Europe has shown to favor equality and participation, while managers from Southern Europe prefer more hierarchy. A coaching leader is preferred in North Europe, while preference is for a directing leader in South Europe. While self centered and malevolence are seen as impeding leadership in all clusters. Eastern Europe leader would be independent while maintaining strong interest in protecting their position as leader. Nordic Europe want leaders who are inspiring and involve others in decision making, not concerned with status and other self-centered attributes. Anglo Europe want leader to be exceedingly motivating and visionary, considerate of others, team orientated and autonom ous and not autocratic. Latin America leader is charismatic/value based but somewhat self serving, collaborative and inspiring. Confucian Asia leader works and cares about others but uses status and position to make independent decisions without input of others. Sub-Saharan Africa sees effective leadership as caring, should be inspirational, collaborative, and not excessively self centered. A portrait of a leader who is high in integrity, is charismatic/value based, and has interpersonal skills is one whom almost everyone would see as exceptional. (Dorman et al. 2004) After major corporate failures and financial failures of banks and other high impact institutions, being honest and trustworthy could be a high priority for leadership positions in all culture groups. Other personal traits or learned skills would be useful and desirable attributes but lower on the priority scale. Being positive and intelligent definitely would be useful as a leader of any type of venture or business. There are a lot of other positive attributes that would be desirable for leadership; among them is one that plans ahead, having foresight to accurately see what is coming up in near and long range time predictions. Being a team builder, instilling confidence in others encouraging them with a just and dependable example. Personal traits such as being administrative skilled, decisive, and motivating people to be excellence oriented would be very beneficial to any leader and followers. Leaders should be aware and knowledgeable of the many undesirable attributes that can be obstacles in being an effective leader. Being a loner and anti-social would be very negative in showing followers your concern for them and gaining their confidence. The most visible and destructive undesirable attribute in recent events is that of being ruthless, as you would think of people in financial leadership of banks and wall street that caused the massive collapse of the world economies. Being dictatorial and egocentric is very bad for keeping a positive relationship with followers. Personal traits like being irritable and non-cooperative would be hard to understand by followers. There are many strengths associated with classifications of culture groups into clusters that can be easily be utilized for leadership profiles so as to provide a data base of reference for managers of international corporations. Providing valuable asset for training more efficient leaders is one of the strength, it also provides a good understanding of how different cultures have an impact upon leading a workforce into better cohesion and productive atmosphere in the workplace. What followers expect from leaders is a signal to upper management as to what type of person would be more effective with a certain culture group. A second strength could be that this provides useful information/guidelines about what is accepted as good and bad leadership, a yardstick for managers/leaders to measure how do I measure up? Leadership and culture are two separate studies, but inseparable in effective leadership programs. There are some criticisms on culture and leadership classification studies in that a lot of findings about perceptions of leadership in different cultures do not provide a clear set of assumptions and propositions that can be used to provide a single theory about the way culture influences the leadership process. Another one would be in that some of the terms used are hard to understand without any education about the diversity of world culture. The meanings of some terms are very vague. The conceptualizations in these studies of culture and leadership integration has had varying reception from people on that it being a process of being perceived by others as being a leader. Also the way a provocative list of universally endorsed desirable and undesirable leadership attributes are presented. Different cultures have different ideas about what they want from their leaders. Understanding the diversity of cultures in the workplace today can be very positive for leaders and followers in their pursuits. While there are many studies on culture leadership and the GLOBE Study, there is also a model that helps leaders in achieving effective cultural leadership. In that it helps them understand the difference that exits among national cultures. The model was developed by Geert Hotstede. In his research he outlines the variation of national culture into five dimensions. They are as follow: individualistic/collectivistic, high power distance/low power distance; high and low uncertainty avoidance, achievement/nurturing; and long-term/short-term orientation. Familiarity with the GLOBE Study and the Hofstede model, leadership culture is made easy and will increase organizational effectiveness. This will also create better relationship among nations. This will benefit the common good of all through respect and better communication. Individualistic people; according to Hofsede, worry about themselves and that of those who are close to them or who are like them. They tend not to trust outsiders. In contrast, collectivistic work in groups, much like team players. The second dimension of Hofsede’s study is power distance. Some cultures have accepted high power distance and others low power distance. High power distance cultures display great respect for those in authority or power holders. This model is seen based on the difference between leaders and their followers. It is obvious in pay scale, benefits and promotions. Though lower power distance: power is distributed more equally among group members; there is much lateral communication line between subordinates and leaders. Third dimension is high uncertainty avoidance. This dimension is concerned with the impact of societal norms, ritual and what is being done in avoiding uncertainty. Organizations want to be able to predict the future based the rules of cultures are used. They live under constant stress because of fear of the future. In contrast; low uncertainty avoidance is comfortable with risks, they do not impose or create friction over differences in behaviors and or others opinions. Those cultures in the low uncertainty avoidance tend to be more tolerant of others. The next dimension is achievement; those belonging to this group tend to be more aggressive. They are assertive, they are confrontational, there is a lot of greed for money and they lack humility. They encourage competitiveness among them and others. Whereas the opposite of that is nurturing, they value relationship and are genuinely concern about the wellbeing of others. The last set of dimension of natural culture is long-term orientation. They are optimistic of the future and they are persistent. Though short-term orientation, they stay in the past, they place high importance on values of the past. In addition to the Five Dimensions of National Culture as described by Hofsete, there is for additional dimensions that affect cultural leadership. They are as follows, and I quote as listed in Northouse (2010): * Institutional Collectivism: An organization or sociality encourages institutional or societal collective action. (Peter Northouse 2012). * In-Group Collectivism: People express pride, loyalty, and cohesiveness in their organizations or families. In-group collectivism is concerned with the extent to which people are devoted to their organizations or families. (Peter Northouse 2012). * Gender Egalitarianism: An organization or society minimizes gender role differences and promotes gender equality. (Peter Northouse 2012). * Assertiveness: People in a culture are determined, assertive, confrontational, and aggressive in their special relationships. (Peter Northouse 2012). * Future Orientation: People engage in future-oriented behaviors such as planning, investing in the future, and delaying gratification. (Peter Northouse 2012). * Performance Orientation: An organization or society encourages and rewards group members for improved performance and excellence. (Peter Northouse 2012). * Humane Orientation: A culture encourages and rewards people for being fair, altruistic, generous, caring, and kind to others. (Peter Northouse 2012). Through all of the studies it has been concluded that there is exact correlation between the culture of an organization and its effectiveness. And it also shows that a lot of those dimensions have a negative impact on the organization. In conclusion, cultural leadership is one of the major principles every organization, company, person needs to fully grasp. For decades, many researchers have been prophesying that globalization, increased technology, civil rights legislation, and changing demographics will generate new encounters for leaders who administer a diverse organization. All of these elements place a considerably improved probability that workers from both genders, diverse nationalities, ethnic backgrounds, numerous races, and a mixture of religious will be essential to work jointly. This in sum, employees must work together to create a positive environment. This is what naturally will happen, and this is an international effort. References Leadership Theory and Practice Fifth Edition Peter G. Northouse Introduction to the Special Issue on Leadership and Culture in the Middle East(2001) Hayat Kabasakal Ali Dastmalchian Cultural Variations Across European Countries(2000) Felix C. Brodbeck Michael Frese THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY SOCIAL SCIENCES (http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=a2b5ee8b-a9d2-4bae-a8ed-16919582d9c5%40sessionmgr115&vid=4&hid=14) Chrobot-Mason, Donna, Ruderman, Marian N. Weber, Todd J, Oholott, Patricia J, Dalton, Maxine A. (Nov 2007) Illuminating a Cross-Cultural Leadership Challenge: When Identify Groups Collide. Volume 18 (11) 2011 (26). Retrieved From http://discover.linccweb.org/primo_library/libweb/action/display.do

Is Homosexuality a learned behavior or biological Essay

Homosexuality is a controversial issue within any society in the world and has been debated upon in the public in recent years. The debate on homosexuality has typically concentrated on the social and legal issues surrounding the concept and little regard has been given to the cause of the problem. The controversy that has surrounded the homosexuality issue has spread to the determination of the cause of the phenomenon. This has been brought about by those arguing that homosexuality is caused by environmental factors whereas others argue that homosexuality is caused by biological factors. This paper is going to give an analysis of whether homosexuality is a learned behavior or a biological one. Homosexuality: Homosexuality is a concept that has been controversial in many societies. Though the behavior has been widely spoken about in the recent past, it was almost forbidden in the traditional societies and anyone involved was considered immoral. Homosexuality has been defined as a romantic attraction towards individuals of the same sex. Homosexuality is therefore part of the three notable sexual orientations exhibited in human species which also include bisexuality and heterosexuality. Homosexuality has elicited a strong debate not only on its acceptability within the society but also regarding its causes. The controversy has led to the legal and social implications of the issue dominating the media as well as the biological debate sparked by the research finding in the recent past. The central question in regard to the causes of homosexuality has been on whether homosexuality is caused by biological concepts or it is a learned behavior that has been entrenched in the cultural norms (Lawrence, para 1). Homosexuality is characterized by an individual having sexual preference with others of the same sex. In females, such preferences are referred to as lesbianism whereas in males it is called gay. This is in contravention to the conventional societal expectations of heterosexuality. Homosexuality has been met with social consequences especially for those with same sex sexual preferences. It has been estimated that between 2 and 5 percent of males are gays whereas between 1 and 2 percent of females practice lesbianism (Pease & Bull, para 5). In the United States, despite the eminence of the phenomenon, most of the states do not approve of same sex marriages. It has been previously thought that homosexuality is a choice and that individuals do learn the behavior. A survey conducted in 1970 indicated that over 40 percent of the public were of the opinion that the young gays had learned the habit from the older ones (Pease & Bull, para 5). Homosexuality as a biological behavior: In the development of the child, genetics that are inherited from the parents play a vital role in the determination of character and behavior. Genes are known to carry all the biological information and may be incorrectly placed during the cell division process through mutations. Homosexuality is considered as coming from gene mutation in human development. The biological explanation of the homosexual behavior was given impetus by Simon Levay who discovered that the hypothalamus of the brain in homosexuals was small compared to heterosexuals. He concluded that differences in the brain formation were responsible for homosexual behavior (Queer Foundation, para 4). There is also a hormonal imbalance amongst the homosexuals. Hormones are responsible for controlling and stimulating the body and therefore any imbalance in hormones will lead to disorientation in the erotic attraction (Queer Foundation, para 4). Research has continued to point towards a biological cause of homosexuality. There are certain observations that point to the biological causes of homosexuality as observed by Dan Eden. According to Eden, the heterosexuals and homosexuals exhibit observable differences that have a biological orientation. He observed that the index and the ring fingers are about the same in length for heterosexual women whereas in men, the index finger is usually shorter compared to the ring finger. On the contrary, lesbians’ finger length were more like men’s and this is also seen in other character traits including eye-blink patterns and other male traits (Eden, para 1). Research has also indicated the differences in the brain of the males and females. Studies that have been conducted indicate that there is sexual dimorphism in the hypothalamus of the two sexes. The males have shown greater differences in terms of cell numbers compared to the females in this part of the brain. Studies have indicated that between two and four of the Interstitial Nuclei of the Anterior Hypothalamus (INAH) in males are double the size found in females. Since the INAH is responsible for sexual dimorphism, scientists believe that differences in this region of the brain are responsible for the sexual orientation in individuals (Deem, para 3). Another study done by scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden reinforced the notion that homosexuality is an inborn phenomenon. In this study, both heterosexuals and homosexuals were exposed to sex hormones and their stimulation in the hypothalamus measured. There was a great difference in how the hypothalamus in the two categories of sexual orientation reacted to sexual hormones. Upon being exposed to the male hormones, the hypothalamus in heterosexual females and homosexual males was activated but heterosexual males did not respond to the same. Similar observations were observed when female hormones were introduced. In this case, the heterosexual males’ hypothalamus got activated as opposed to heterosexual females and homosexual males (McHugh, para 3). Studies by biologists Ward Odenwald and Shan-Ding Zhang on fruit flies tend to indicate that homosexuality is a genetic issue. In their experiment, the two scientists transplanted a single gene into the flies which was responsible for the homosexual behavior that was observed. They inferred their findings to human homosexuality claiming that since there is the presence of a related gene in humans, homosexuality was a genetic issue though no much has been done to prove this claim. The two scientists are however cautious on the issue and hopes that their revelation would be important in analyzing how the genetic make up in individuals could be responsible in influencing the sexual orientation (Thompson/Bethesda, para 2). Homosexual as a learned behavior: Socio-behaviorists are opposed to the biological notion in regard to the homosexual behavior in humans. Homosexuality is attributed to the environmental factors which hold that homosexuality is a learned behavior. Behaviorists regard childhood experiences as responsible for homosexuality behavior that is exhibited by individuals. As a learned behavior, homosexuality can be traced by analyzing the play patterns during childhood, peer relations and interaction, and parental influence. Psychoanalysts in particular had extensive studies on homosexuality in trying to explain the ‘abnormal’ behavior. Their explanations seem to point to an individual’s upbringing as the main cause of the homosexuality. In simple terms, they were of the view that homosexuality was caused by environmental factors (Newman, para 1). Homosexuality has been with us since the ancient times and it was accepted in some cultures. A Greek philosopher by the name Aristophanes believed that there is a longing between two souls to get together and that sexual desire on its own is not responsible for homosexuality thus culture has greater influence on the trend. In Greece, homosexuality was practiced in ancient times between young boys and adult males as part of initiation into adulthood. In New Guinea, there are instances where young males are inseminated by tribal warriors which is allowed y their culture. In Crete, the male adolescents had to engage in a homosexual relationship as initiation to adulthood (Johnson, para 17). The social and cultural environment is therefore core in determination of the sexual orientation of the individuals. Behaviorists hold that â€Å"some sexual and gender identification differences result from roles imposed by family and friends upon children, such as the masculine and the feminine stereotypes† (Johnson, para 18). Some studies have contradicted the genetic determinism in homosexuality. If genetics were fully responsible for homosexuality, then one would expect it will be permanent. Studies have however indicated that sexual preferences can change over time especially in females. In a five-year study conducted on female homosexuals, it was discovered that more than ? abandoned lesbianism with ? reclaiming heterosexuality. Other studies have continued to reinforce the notion that sexual orientation is not fixed and can change over time. A good example is given by Kerry Pacer who was a gay advocate when in High School but later changed to a heterosexual relationship. It is therefore imperative to note that in some individuals sexual orientation is something that they can choose and thus a learned behavior. Some engage in homosexuality after being influenced by their role models or peers (Deem, para 17). For those arguing that homosexuality is a learned behavior, it is argued that children from a tender age have to be taught the acceptable standards of behavior in the society and that they should also be exposed to the right role models. Peer influence, the media and the internet has been blamed for having influenced the youth in practicing bad behaviors like homosexuality. It is obvious that in the current times teenagers discover their sexual experiences at a tender age and that any harmful patterns of sexuality can have a lasting impact on these young people. Since sexual experience is pleasurable, it is usually reinforced by the experience irrespective of whether it is acceptable or not (Dolphin, para 21). Conclusion: The controversy surrounding homosexuality is far from over. Though increased research activity has surfaced to determine its cause, there is no universal agreement on the matter as the findings can not settle on a particular cause of the issue. It will not be comprehensive to argue that homosexuality is caused by biological factors neither can it conclusively be argued that homosexuality is a learned phenomenon. The complexity surrounding the issue has led to a divided opinion on the matter. Nevertheless, it would be more accommodative to bring the two positions together and recognize that each can contribute to the same problem in a way. Biological causes can not be dismissed neither can we dissociate the environmental causes. Homosexual behavior is best understood if biological and environmental factors are incorporated.

Anatomy (Reproductive System Study Guide)

Oviduct- passageway from the ovaries to the outside of the body Labia majora-The outer lips that protect the vagina Uterus- the cavity which holds the baby during pregnancy 3) What are the complementary male sex organs that correspond to the following female organs: oviduct, vagina, labia majora, ovary, clitoris Oviduct- epididymis Vagina- passageway from the ovaries to the outside of the body Labia majora- scrotum Ovary-Teste Clitoris-Penis 4) How are ova and sperm similar? How are they different? They both have the same number of chromosomes, but they are produced in different numbers throughout the month. ) Identify the phases of the menstrual cycle, and what events occur in each stage. Menstrual- the lining of the uterus sheds Follicular-the ovary prepares to release the egg Luteal- the ovary releases the egg 6) What are gonadotropins? What gland secretes them? Provide examples. Hormones secreted by the anterior pituitary. LH and FSH 7) After fertilization, where does an embryo i mplant? In to the uterine wall. 8) How is the sex of a child determined? By the DNA pairs. It’s XX for female and XY for male. 9) What can happen to maternal and paternal genes during crossover of meiosis? They can either be handed down or lost. 0) Identify the role that each of these hormones plays in reproduction: LH, FSH, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone LH-triggers ovulation FSH- regulates the development and growth Estrogen-the primary female sex hormones Progesterone-supports gestation Testosterone-the primary male sex hormone 11) What is required for sperm activity? Seminal Fluid 12) What prevents polyspermy? The cortical reaction 13) What does amniotic fluid contain? What are the important functions that it performs? Made of electrolytes and water that protects the fetus in the womb. 14) What are the events of organogenesis, in order? ctoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm 15) What hormonal changes occur in the mother and fetus at the onset of labor? The baby uses estrogen, oxycotin, and other hormones to determine when and how fast the baby is born. 16) What are the male accessory sex structures? Semin al Vesicles 17) What is the biggest cause of cervical cancer? HPV’s 18) When does the first mitotic division of the zygote occur? Morula 19) Name 3 roles of the uterus. Protects the developing baby, gives it nutrients, and is the site for implantation 20) Identify the characteristics and location of the uterine cervix. assage between the vaginal cavity and the uterine cavity and 4 centimeters long 21) What is the pathway of spermatozoa? Gamete 22) What is the role of seminiferous tubules? Creates spermatoza 23) What organ produces mature sperm? Epidymis 24) What percent of sperm comes from accessory glands? 60 percent 25) How many sperm are in one ejaculate? 300 million 26) What are the 4 main organs of the female? Uterus, Fallopian tube, ovaries, and vagina. 27) What is oogenesis? Creation of the ovum 28-30)Complete the Venn Diagram Chart below. How do the male and female reproductive systems compare? Male Differences |Similarities |Female Differences | |Smaller pelvic cavity |Same amount of chromosomes |Larger pelvic cavity | |Penis |Both interact with one another |Vagina | |No Boobs |Organs can do the same as other organs in|Boobs | | |the other | |

Drug Courts in the US Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Drug Courts in the US - Research Paper Example This research paper aims at compiling a report on the effectiveness of drug courts in the United States. Brooklyn treatment court is among the largest drug courts in New York. This court documented the effectiveness of drug courts in reforming drug offenders struggling with addiction. It is documented that this court views drug offenders as individuals struggling with a chronic disease and not as a moral breakdown viewed by the judicial system. This court comes up with bands of treatment that have measurements of success used in evaluating the progress of the offender. Though the offenders upon release often come back with similar charges, the court views relapse as inevitable in any offender being rehabilitated from drug. The court reports that since the intervention measures adopted in drug courts are situation specific and contextualized their effectiveness in reforming the offenders is inevitable (Dorf & Sabel, 2000). Consequently, effectiveness of drug courts in the United States is also documented in the Belenko’s study. From his study of drug courts, it is reported that drug courts reported higher retention rates as they emphasized a more closer and comprehensive framework and supervision with the offenders. The drug testing which evidenced reduced levels in subsequent visits evidenced this. In addition, drug courts aided in judicial saving since there was reduces jail and prison use (Belenko, 2003). Subsequently, drug courts have been documented to reduce criminality. This is attributed to the fact that the offenders are under the strict supervision of their supervisors and have to report to the court. This reduces the chances for them to engage in criminal activities. It is documented that the main aim of any correction strategy is to reduce the rate of recidivism. Drug courts have been documented to be effective since they have been documented to reduce the rate of recidivism with a substantial margin (Weiman, 2007). Members of the

Personal hygiene Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Personal hygiene - Essay Example Included in the introduction will be a brief explanation of personal hygiene and its importance to the nurse and the patient and a short brief on the course of the paper. In the discussion portion of the essay the paper will discuss the proper ways of conducting personal hygiene essentials for the patient. This part of the paper will also highlight specific ways the nurse can help the patient including an assessment on the actual needs of the patient their capabilities to do some personal hygiene tasks like combing or brushing the teeth, the importance of independence for a dependent adult. A discussion on being sensitive about the patients desires will also be considered especially when it comes to modesty, embarrassment and the modicum of independence the patient can exert during tasked specific for personal hygiene, the paper will also highlight the need for the carer to be able to explain to the patient why a specific task needs to be done and to reassure the patient that they are not being embarrassed intentionally and that all are done in the course because it is actually needed to be done and that all accord has been utilized that minimal exposures of body parts and ‘invasion of privacy’ is kept to a minimum. It will also be noted that it is important for a nurse to know the essential body parts that are needed to be kept clean and dry especially for bed bound patients so that pressure or bed sores can be avoided, the areas where pressure sores are likely to develop so that cleaning and taking care of those particular areas will be of benefit to avoiding pressure sores. It is also essential for a nurse professional to know techniques and strategies involved in giving care to patients who already has pressure sores so that it will not be aggravated and that healing will be promoted. The ability to reassure, soothe and convince the patient to follow instruction

Marconi Jicks-Managing change in a company in severe crisis Essay

Marconi Jicks-Managing change in a company in severe crisis - Essay Example First, Managing Individual Emotions and Reactions to Change is the most complex and difficult due to the fact that nobody can please everybody and most especially nobody can satisfy the desire and need of everybody. Each person has needs that define their motivation which ultimately dictate their emotions and reactions. The Marconi stakeholders are no different. The mismanagement of the individual’s emotion and the resulting reaction to change is likened to a virus that can infect everybody making the company collectively resistant to any needed change. Second, Implementing the Change Agenda, Incorporating Hard and Soft Elements, after being threatened July 2001 to be put out of the job, each of Marconi’s remaining employees have their backs against the wall already. False application of the diplomatic or persuasive approach also known as the soft approach may not hold true to everybody the same is true to the opposite or hard approach. And Fifth, Leadership of Change is the least complex and difficult of all the issues since Mike Parton already has the imprimatur to effect change from the leadership of Marconi and is recognized by all stakeholders. Men are nonetheless resilient to change. Adversities or crisis in a culture normally makes the entire society more cohesive in achieving a common goal. However, a crisis that threatens the very livelihood of the employees tends to make each individual to prioritize providing for their family first instead of dwelling in abstract concepts such as the impetus to change. The measure of the conference’s impact can be effectively determined by the amount of change that happened thence and the actual support it garnered amongst the different stakeholders. The conference was able to show the presence of Mike Parton and the commitment of the leadership of Marconi which settled the percolating restiveness in the company amongst the stakeholders. The conference most

Renaissance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Renaissance - Essay Example Interestingly, it was the journey into their souls, if we may call it, which made them believe and adore the concept of the dignity of man. The dignity of man attained its greatest prominence and was given its characteristic meaning in the Italian Renaissance. Though as an idea it is usually ill defined and tends to express a complex of notions, classical and Christian, which writers of the period desired to assert, this interest into the importance of manhood brought about important paradigmatic shifts in the European society. It is important to realise that this idea of the Renaissance was first coined in 1867 by Jakob Burckhardt in his book, The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy. The term has come to dominate our consciousness of what the historical experience of this period was. The Renaissance, as far as this book is concerned, is conceived as a departure from the Middle Ages, a fracture point where European culture suddenly changed into a new and different culture. It was a term that was formulated to stress the uniqueness of modern European culture, as something new on the face of human culture. Interestingly, in formulating a beginning for modern culture, the idea of the Renaissance also created the idea of the "middle ages," a period between the classical period and the Renaissance. Thinking of a period that is perhaps bes... in his Novum Organum, or 'New Instrument', tried to replace the methods put forward in Aristotle's Organon, on the other hand, we find that ideas such as Metacognition began to gain ground. If travellers and discovers like Magellan were finding new lands, there were people like John Milton who were still trying to trace the result of "Man's first Disobedience" so as to chart the Euro-centric God's "justification of the ways of men". If we look back and try to analyse what actually happened during the renaissance, we can perhaps find the reasons why Europe soon began to have colonies and how imperialism became rampant. It is to be kept in mind that where as the Europeans in the fifteenth century, thought they understood the universe pretty well, the discoveries of Columbus and other explorers had left them deeply shocked. Here was a civilisation which was based on the concepts of rationality, goodness, whiteness, and logic who were suddenly confronted by people who were not white, who were "uncivilised" and went about the places doing mysterious deeds and prayed to evil looking gods and goddesses. Put shortly, the New World that they discovered did not fit easily into the European scheme of things. So, what would they do They took it upon themselves to "civilise and educate" these beasts, something which is mocked today in postcolonial studies as the "White Man's Burden". It was this racial sense of the renaissa nce supremacy, added with their vigour for educating the uncivilised which found a race armed with Descartian rationalism to colonise the entire world. If there was anything that made renaissance what it is, it is the idea called Humanism. The attitude of Humanism emphasised the dignity and worth of the individual and held the basic premise of human

Reflective writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Reflective writing - Essay Example In this paper, I have reflected upon my experience of participating in two group exercises with given situations and time frames; the cave rescue activity, and the recruitment exercise activity. I have also discussed how the activities helped me develop as a group member. Background of the report I was involved in two group exercises; in the first exercise that was a cave rescue exercise, there were six group members in total whereas in the second exercise, which was a recruitment exercise activity, there were seven group members. For both exercises, we were given certain characters and certain situations and the exercises were supposed to be executed in a limited time frame. The group members were given a chance to take notes after the completion of each exercise, using which, they would write the reflective accounts later. Theories John Burton’s Human Needs Model John Burton argues that denial of the fundamental needs of security, equal participation, identity, and recogniti on of an individual in a group makes the protracted conflict inevitable. Resolution of such conflicts necessitates the identification of the needs that are not being addressed and restructuring of the roles of the group members in such a way that needs of all are met (Dixit, 2004). Tuckman’s Teamwork Theory Tuckman proposed a model that recognizes the fact that groups are not functional or fully-formed when they form. The groups propagate through a set of defined stages namely forming, storming, norming, and performing, and gradually become task-focused. The following graph illustrates Tuckman’s teamwork theory by showing the link between task focus and group relationships. In any group activity, the optimal productivity is reached after development of the relationships among the group members. â€Å"The 4 Phases of Tuckman’s Teamwork Theory† (The Happy Manager, 2012a). STAR Team Model The STAR team model suggests that in order to optimize the groupâ€⠄¢s productivity, the group leader should place equal emphasis on the development of the group members’ strengths and the development of good relationships among them. The STAR team model provides content and substance to the situation, conditions, and stages of teamwork as shown in the figure below: STAR Team Model (The Happy Manager, 2012b). Analysis One thing that I learnt from the exercises was that there were more conflicts happening in the start than near the end of the exercises. The fundamental reason behind this was that the group members had started to understand one another’s personalities and behaviors and their adaptability had increased. â€Å"Research in human team performance suggests that experienced teams develop a shared understanding or shared mental model utilized to coordinate behaviors by anticipating and predicting each others needs and adapting to task demands† (Sycara and Sukthankar, 2006, p. 2). All models discussed in this paper inclu ding John Burton’s Human Needs Model, Tuckman’s Teamwork Theory, and the STAR Team Model commonly emphasize on the development of relationships among the group members as a pre-requisite of achieving optimal productivity in the group exercises, though the development of group members’ skills as well as their relationships requires time. â€Å"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success† (Henry Ford cited in Zuck, 1997, p. 375). Teamwork helps people understand one another in the best way. By the team we were done with both the exercises, we had not only finished our tasks but had also known one another much better than we did before. A very useful learning that I gained in this exercise was how to resolve conflicts. I have learnt that it is primarily one’s preferences that determine the extent to which one would be able to execute

Finance Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Finance Project - Essay Example AMN’s Total margin is negative for both years, but better comparatively in 2011 which is because the expenses incurred are greater than Revenue generated. AMN’s Days Cash on hand is 0, which is because AMN has very less hand and so has no number of days for existing cash to be paid to creditors. AMS’s Days A/R has increased in 2011 and is far more than in 2009. It is mainly due to the fact that A/R has increased, significantly. AMN’s Long term to equity has increased from 0.59 to 1.28, which is because AMN has employed more debt in its capital structure, not only to meet its current but also log-term obligations. AMN’s Sales per FTE has increased a bit in 2011, due to Revenue increasing the same year. Lastly, AMN’s EBITDA has increased to positive figure in 2011 from 2009, which is a significant improvement as AMN has been able to bring its operating income to positive figures. Now it will have to cut on its operating expenses to generate a positive net

Qualitative Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Qualitative Research - Essay Example The reason why qualitative research method is used is because of its ease of use over quantitate research method. For instance, measuring human emotions through quantitative research would be very difficult. However there are tools available in qualitative research method where people can even incorporate human emotions and feelings in their analysis. When using qualitative research methodology, the conclusion of the study is a mere proposition, an informed assertion. There is no ‘hence proved’ at the end of the study. This is where quantitative study comes in. If the proposition deduced by qualitative research needs to be proven or at least get a more concrete support, the proposition can be analysed/qualified with quantitative research. Empirical support can be used from quantitative method to support qualitative conclusion. However this approach is discredited by Oxford University professor Bent Flyvbjerg. According to Flyvbjerg, qualitative research methodology can b e used, both for hypotheses testing and going beyond the limit of generalizing limited case studies (Flyvbjerg, 2006). Strengths of Qualitative Research Here are some of the strengths of qualitative research; a) Data is based on participants’ own meanings and interpretations b) In-depth study becomes relatively easy in qualitative research however the number of cases can’t be too large c) When complex phenomena are being studied it is helpful to use qualitative method d) It provides information on individual cases e) Can conduct cross-case comparisons and analysis f) It provides an understanding of personal experiences of people. g) It can describe the phenomena in rich detail as it embosses in local context. h) The examiner can study active processes, for instance documenting sequential patterns and alterations. i) The examiner almost always classifies contextual and setting factors as they link with the portent of interest. j) Primarily qualitative method of grounded theory can be used by the investigator to generate a cautious but elaborate theory about the phenomenon under study (Johnson & Christensen, 2000). 2. Interpretivism   Interpretivism is a concept in sociology that the method of investigation applied to the natural world may not be applicable to the social realm. In other words, scientists and investigators must discard empirical evidence and scientific method social research. This aspect of interpretivism is also called Anti-positivism, which holds that scientists need to focus on the interpretations of social sciences in understanding the people being studied (Gerber, John J. Macionis, Linda M., 2011). Interpretivism is a term that has two contexts i.e. legal and social. In the philosophy of law, Interpretivism is a school of thought which claims that a) Law and morality do have their differences but they cannot be separated. b) Law is not inherent in nature and legal values cannot exist without legal practice. c) Law is not a gi ven set of conventions and data (Wikipedia Contributors, 2012). In social sciences, Interpretivism or Anti-positivism is a view which claims that social realm may not be subject to the investigative methods of natural world. It proposes that in order to conduct social research, researchers must abandon the scientific method and focus on the personal interpretation of social actions of the people under study. In today’

How Television Has Impacted Technology Essay Example for Free

How Television Has Impacted Technology Essay Television was introduced in 1949 but very few people had it because it was extremely expensive. The only channels people could watch were NBC and CBS. Television became increasingly popular because it was entertainment without going and sitting in the movie theaters. As TV became more popular, it became more affordable. People would hear about television through word of mouth, news, radio and newspaper. Everybody liked the idea of being entertained and staying at home. By the 1960s most families has TV sets in their living rooms, depending on if they liked being entertained at home. Television in the United States has grown year after year and has made a big impact on American culture in many ways. TV has taken a big part in violence in society, the news, how people are stereotyped, childhood obesity, family values, social interaction, and so much more. In my opinion one of the biggest impacts that television has had on American culture is childhood obesity. Obesity is considered a form of malnutrition in which food energy is stored as fat due to being unused. Child obesity is bred within the home and the television is a major contributor to it. The energy we consume from food needs to be used up by the body on a daily basis through physical exertion. An overweight child devoting a major portion of time to watching television is at risk to becoming obese. Television is certainly a contributor to that obesity. Kids these days are getting bigger and bigger, while television shows are growing and growing. To me, that is a big issue and television affects it a lot. Back in the day children enjoyed going outside to play, getting involved in sports or just anything outdoors. I feel like as of today there are now only about a quarter of the kids that enjoy doing outdoors stuff like that. The other 75% of kids choose to stay inside because most likely there favorite TV show is on or there is a movie that they just have to watch. Those kids are losing their time to play outside and mainly burn and lose calories because they are just sitting there watching TV for hours and hours. Obesity is known to be one of the major health concerns among both children and adults in the United States today. It is suggested by certain groups that children should not watch more than two hours of television a day. This in my opinion is already too much because that is where childhood obesity all gets started. The average child n the United States regularly watches between 2-3 hours of television a day and many children now days have their own television set in their bedroom. Not only are children inactive while they are watching television, they often snack on unhealthy food choices. And like I said, establishing unhealthy food habits as a child can often continue into adulthood. Investi gators have hypothesized that television viewing cause’s obesity by one or more of three mechanisms: (1) displacement of physical activity, (2) increased calorie consumption while watching or caused by the effects of advertising, and (3) reduced resting metabolism. The relationship between television viewing and obesity has been examined in a relatively large number of cross-sectional epidemiologic studies but few longitudinal studies. Many of these studies have found relatively weak, positive associations, but others have found no associations or mixed results; however, the weak and variable associations found in these studies may be the result of limitations in measurement. Even studies for reducing the amount of television intake have been completed. They do not test â€Å"reducing television time† directly, but the results that they get may help to reduce the amount of risk for obesity or help promote weight loss in obese children. â€Å"An experimental study was designed specifically to test directly the causal relationship between television viewing behaviors and body fatness. The results of this randomized, controlled trial provide evidence that television viewing is a cause of increased body fatness and that reducing television viewing is a promising strategy for preventing childhood obesity. † I really think parents need to take a stand to their children by limiting the amount of time they spend in front of the television, before it gets too late and they have an obese child. Removing televisions from children’s bedrooms and putting time limits on the TV may be a good way for parents to reduce the risk of obesity in children. Parents must serve as role models because their television viewing habits influence their children’s. Parents should also limit the frequency of television viewing. Overweight and obese children need to be encouraged to do more physical activity such as walking, playing and limiting their television time. Children may also need structured physical activity times to divert them away from television. â€Å"Although the increase in childhood obesity is not caused solely by television watching, Dr. Reginald Washington points out in the editorial that accompanies the articles, Society, as a whole, must realize that to effectively control and prevent this obesity epidemic, all risk factors must simultaneously be reduced. A study by the University of Liverpool psychologists has shown that it is to be true that obese and overweight children increase their food intake by more than 100% after watching food advertisements on television. Children all over the world are exposed to a huge number of TV advertisements, primarily for fast foods and sweets. Some say that it is not the amount of TV; it is the number of junk food commercials that advertise unhealthy foods and constantly play over and over. It is miserable that people blame television as a result to childhood obesity but the United States is starting to get very lazy when it comes to situations like this, therefore I truly believe TV is one of the dominate reasons of why children are becoming obese. I feel like this impact has been mainly negative on American culture. Television advertisers get talked down to by research groups, wanting them to take away all the unhealthy food commercials. Childhood obesity coming from television watchers makes American culture look very bad. When you find out that all it takes is television sets in a kids bedroom and high-quality shows that make children sit, stare and snack to become obese. It really puts a depressing look on America. In my opinion it is a very negative result because it used to not be this way at all. The parents and children put themselves in the situation to becoming obese and television just is an excuse for whenever they actually are obese. I know I will never let my children or close friends get this way due to excess amount of television watching. I have time to watch all my shows I like during the day and still get a good exercise in. I believe that all people can watch their weight and not become obese if they really try. So I really hope the culture changes and fix its look on television with obesity. I do believe that the internet will be used more wisely than television as a medium for delivering content. Television is an older and dull way of showing and sharing shows, movies and advertisements, while now days the nternet can do the same plus a whole lot more. Internet is a lot easier to get to because so many people have smart phones or laptops to be able to quickly access it. I feel like even now I start to see more and more people of all ages on their laptop/computer/smart phone rather than sitting down and watching television shows. Internet is a new (compared to TV) and entertaining way to access World Wide Web. News and broadcast stations are all starting to put their information and ideas on the internet even before they send them to television. While putting the internet into question about my topic, as much as I hate seeing younger kids run around with their own smart phone and/or laptop, it would really help society. Internet will help a lot more in this situation because children that do have smart phones will be able to play outside and exercise with their phone in hand. If the kids do go outside while on their phone it will stop them from sitting in front of a television set, sitting, staring and snacking. Therefore, it will lower the childhood obesity rate in the United States. Childhood obesity is a very heartbreaking yet occurring thing that television influenced and started in the U. S. It has been a very big impact on television and American Culture. After all, we are all hoping and praying that parents help their children get back to how it was back in the day. Have the children exercising, playing outside, and getting involved in sports that way they only spend approximately one hour watching television. We have to lower the childhood obesity rate and will continue to try and stop every way that is involved in it.

Founding fathers Essay Example for Free

Founding fathers Essay This paper seeks to explore whether America’s founding fathers were men of character and people who were not driven by personal political ambition. Some of the fathers examined in the study include Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams and James Madison (Ellis, 1- 2). Character can be looked at as the personal traits that are attributed to an individual and which guides his intentions. A man of character is that person who lives by principles and motives that are virtuous and desired by the people he is dealing with. These principles and motives should also be acceptable according to the ethical standards set by the society. Personal ambition is when a person sets and focuses on achieving targets which are aimed at individual satisfaction. One is said to be driven by personal ambition if these targets are the motivating factors behind his actions. In the book Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis, the founding fathers were politicians who pursued great ambitions through various avenues. The political rivalry, pride, jealousy and personal ambition however drove them into doing things that do not qualify all of them to be called men of character (Ellis, 10, 16, 23). Nonetheless, most of their activities yielded personal political gratification as well as contributing in some way to the creating of America as a nation. According to Ellis (75), it is due to selfishness and personal interest that the then former secretary of the treasury Alexander Hamilton and sitting Vice president Aaron Burr ended up in a duel that turned out to be fatal as Burr fired a deadly short that killed Alexander. The two men who were on both sides of the political divide: Democratic Republican vs. Federalists allowed their hatred to take charge of their thoughts. Alexander did not like Burr because the later captured a Senate seat from Philip Schuyler who happened to be Hamiltons father-in-law (Ellis, 172). A man of character at this point would have accepted defeat and allowed democracy to prevail. In addition, Hamilton comes out as a nepotist who placed personal ambition before the interest of the nation for finding it had to accept that Burr defeated his relative Philip Schuyler. The â€Å"despicable opinion† expressed by Alexander against Burr which triggered the argument ending in the duel depicts him as a man who lacked character (Ellis, 113,140). A man of character uses his words wisely in away that does not harm the feelings of his audience but communicates the needed information. Instead of pushing Aaron Burr further in the New York Gubernatorial election by endorsing a candidate who ended up beating Burr and widening their differences, a man of character would have swallowed pride, buried their differences and offered his support or remained neutral to reconcile their differences ( Ellis, 160). This is because men of character appreciate differences of opinion and not taking things personal. However, Hamilton manifested good character by intentionally wasting his bullet and keeping his pre-duel promise by not shooting Burr. The spirited push for the establishment of permanent national capital along the Potomac River was a great fiscal policy that credits him with fighting for the welfare of the nation and not his personal political ambition. His support for Jefferson against Burr due to the latter’s ill intention shows his concern for the nation. According to Ellis (194) we can say with profound confidence that Aaron Burr was not a man of character based on his murder of Hamilton and treason accusation. He comes out as an arrogant man capable of doing anything to acquire power and retain power. Hunger for power is a vice that is not associated with men of character. Even after loosing his Vice-presidency in an election, he was still driven by personal political ambition to the extent of wanting to betray his own nation. This is evident in his conspiracy to steal Louisiana Purchase lands away from the United States and crown himself a King or Emperor (Ellis, 201) Before his election to presidency, Thomas Jefferson and James Adams forged a relationship that contributed immensely to the American nation. It is this good rapport that prompted Hamilton to prefer his candidacy to that of Burr. In spite of all these, his rebellion and disregard of other leaders for not working his way does not reflect his good character but he comes out as a person who prefers things to work out in his way. This can be illustrated by his opposition to George Washington’s policies which were regarded by many as being in the interest of the nation (Ellis, 240). He was also angered by John Adam’s win for presidency which made him to refuse Adam’s attempt to incorporate him into the cabinet. As a man of good character, he should have accepted the gratitude and acknowledgement extended by his friend to serve in the cabinet. This incident also shows that he allowed his personal political ambition to supersede the interest of the nation by refusing to serve in the cabinet. His acts of character assassination on John Adam reveal his hate and unethical conduct (Ellis, 343). However, Adam’s reaction warrants his consideration as a good man who was just trying to help the nation. From his policies and politics, Washington can be considered as a respectable politician who went beyond his personal political ambition to serve the nation. For instance, through the promotion of national unity and highlighting the danger of partisanship and party politics (Ellis, 256). On the issue of slave trade, all of these leaders stand accused especially Madison as a man who lacked character by promoting this form of oppression to develop their nation except Benjamin Franklin who spoke out against it while championing freedom for all (Ellis, 317) Conclusion. Looking at the early political days of the founding fathers, we can conclude that some of them had their personal political ambition that tarnished their good character while others maintained their ethical standards and respect while serving the nation. For instance, controlled by personal political ambition, Thomas Jefferson engaged in activities that eroded his character as a good man. This trend however changed in old age as he tried to repair his faults including reconciling with John Adams (Ellis, 406). From the above discussions, I can conclude that not all founding fathers were men of character who were not driven by personal political ambition. Work Cited Joseph J. Ellis (2001). Founding Brothers. New York: Wheeler Pub Inc.

Development of Taylor Swift

Development of Taylor Swift Taylor Swift: Pinnacle of the Music Industry Billboard, a popular news source for music, interviewed the successful singer Sam Smith and he gave his opinion on another artist he has become quite fond of; he says, â€Å" Taylor Swift is amazing†¦ Shes a role model. I really respect her. And she manages to sell a lot of records and make a lot of people happy financially, but also to keep that soulfulness, that honesty (‘Sam Smith: Taylor Swift Is Amazing’). Taylor Swift was raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania where she had discovered her passion for music and started her music career at the age of 14 after moving to Nashville. She is currently a 25-year-old singer-songwriter who is famous for country and pop music. Having only been in the music industry for a short 10 years, Taylor Swift was able to frequently top the charts with her new songs and in 2010 and at the age of 20, became the youngest artist in history to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Currently holding the title of top-selling digital a rtist in music history, Taylor Swift’s rise to fame is credited to not only her incredible music but also to her successful business tactics. Although some critics may say, â€Å"I don’t really care for Taylor Swift†¦ [She] has a very dull public personaâ€Å" (Juzwiak). Taylor Swift is a successful businesswoman, her ability to target her audience very well with her songs has allowed her to consistently become a hit artist, and her public actions has made her a favorite among fans. Being a successful and popular artist in today’s culture is a difficult task. It no longer depends on solely musical talent but also on other factors. Barbara A. Stremikis, the author of â€Å"The Personal Characteristics and Environmental Circumstances of Successful Women Musicians† presents data that analyzes the qualities and factors that many successful musicians have. â€Å"Results of the study indicate that in addition to family support of musical talent, women who are to become successful musicians must be highly motivated, self-directed, and single minded in their determination to achieve their goal. They must be independent thinkers who are unconcerned about conforming to gender stereotypes and able to withstand difficult experiences related to gender and their career† (Stremikis). The results of this study coincide with Taylor Swift’s background and qualities. Also to note in the study, â€Å"Probabilistic Diffusion Tractography Reveals Improvem ent Of Structural Network In Musicians that correlates improved brain activity in musicians, â€Å"in long-term musical training and performance may contribute to the improved efficiency of communication between brain regions with sensory, motor, and emotional functions† (Li). Taylor Swift’s motivation for music is evident in the early years of her musical career. She has consistently shown persistence, ingenuity, and intelligence starting at a young age. Being taught how to play the guitar at the age of 12, Taylor Swift quickly fell in love with music and had started to write her own pieces. Following that, she had started playing at small venues and her family, showing support for her musical aspiration, moved to Nashville, Tennessee where 14-year-old Taylor Swift started her quick journey to the top. Taylor Swift has shown that she is an independent thinker unconcerned about conforming to gender stereotypes by being open about personal aspects of her own life that a re revealed through her songs and unafraid of criticism. Taylor Swift continually releases songs that empower individuals and creates an atmosphere of acceptance towards those who are independent and encourages individuality. For example, her song â€Å"Shake It Off† is about how one shouldn’t let bullies get the best of them and that they should always be themselves no matter the obstacles they face. Taylor Swift has made many bright business decisions that has allowed her to further succeed in her career. Taylor Swift made a bold statement to one of the biggest music streaming giants by removing her music from Spotify. â€Å"Taylor Swift has broken up with someone else this time with one of the music industrys largest players, Spotify† (SPOTI-FIRED! Swift Yanks Her Work From Streaming Giant†). This decision was bred out of the framework that music-streaming services do not compensate artists enough. This action was a smart business endeavor because it shows that she is not allowing herself to be taken advantage of financially. She is setting an example for future artists to rethink their participation in streaming services, as they will become more prevalent in today’s music culture. Another advantageous business decision was the decision to trademark her popular phrase ‘Shake It Off’, among others. She chose to make the decision so that third p arties would not be able to benefit monetarily off of her success. â€Å"’What she is trying to do is to protect individual phrases within her lyrics where those lyrics have become catchphrases’ explains Alexander Ross, a partner at law firm Wiggin who specializes in music. ‘Once you have a trademarked phrase you have the right to stop someone else using it on things like merchandising’ (Forde). Not only has Taylor Swift had and will continue to have successful business endeavors, but she also has perfected the ability to successfully target her audience. How successfully one is able to accurately relate their music to their audience is a good indication of how successful that artist will become. Taylor Swift is an artist who knows how to target her audience. Her music becomes something any listener can relate to. Ranging from topics of bullying to heartbreak, everyone knows someone who has personally gone through this or has gone through it himself or herself. One of her songs ‘Blank Space’ is about an unsuccessful relationship, a topic all can understand. Her talent for making her music become more of a ‘us’ or ‘I’ kind of story rather than a ‘her’ story has allowed her music to appeal to a wide variety of the population. Taylor Swift is one of the few artists in today’s culture that has frequently been able to have most of her songs that are released make it to the top charts. This is due to her not her music being catchy and upbeat, but also relatable to many. Another exam ple of her talent is her recent top-charter ‘Shake It Off.’ This song has reached millions due to the message that it is okay to be yourself. This is something that many young fans can relate to, which has become a huge portion of her fan base. Some critics may say that Taylor Swift has a dull public persona. Although many have bashed upon Taylor Swift’s public persona, her public actions show differently: â€Å"When a heartbroken teenager named Kasey was dumped by her boyfriend via text, she reached out to someone she knew had experience with breakups: Taylor Swift. Kasey, who was clearly unable to sleep, posted a plaintive note on her Tumblr account at 2:09 a.m. Tuesday. (Girl, weve all been there.) ‘Taylor Swift, I hope you see this,’ she wrote to the Style singer. ‘Weve been together for four months. He just texted me and told me he was done with me. Gave me no reason and kept trying to get me to do irrational things to get him back. Now hes calling me names and I just feel crumbled. I dont know what to do.’ Within hours, Swift, 25, left her first comment. ‘He ended it, just like that?’ she wrote incredulously† (Helling). The conversation had lasted hours more and Swift was able to not only give advice to this girl that she has accumulated over the years, but was also generous enough to make a break-up playlist for this young fan in need of advice. Knowing that social media is a big contributor to today’s communication: â€Å"Swift has become a social-media maven, taking full advantage of the Taylor-made outlet for mixing and mingling with millennials. ‘The younger generation is very good at communicating about themselves,’ Catanach said. ‘My students are starting to see that theyre very good with the me stories and not so much with the we stories. ‘I think what makes Taylor so successful on social media is the fact that she is the me and the we story. She is her own brand. Shes very generous with fans and very inclusive. Fans feels like theyre included in the world.’† (Fassnacht). Taylor Swift has used social media to make fans feel like they are a part of her world. While many other celebrities personally manage their social media, Taylor Swift is able to personally respond to many further aiding in her positive public persona that she continues to uphold. Taylor Swift is the pinnacle of successful artists of this generation. Through 10 years of being in the music industry, Taylor has shown that she is a force to be reckoned with. With a popular status, a positive public persona, a great business sense, and the ability to target an audience successfully, Taylor Swift has become one of the most successful singers of all time. Her journey to the top was one of perseverance, strategy, and individuality. Works Cited Fassnacht, Jon. Taylor Swift, Renaissance Woman. Editorial. Reading Eagle. Reading Eagle Company, 08 Dec. 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2015 Forde, Eammon. Taylor Swifts This Sick Beat May Be the Worlds First Trademarked Lyric. The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, 29 Jan. 2015. Web. 22 Feb. 2015. Helling, Steve. Taylor Swift Gives Breakup Advice to a Teenage Fan – and Its Awesome. People. Time Inc., 12 Feb. 2015. Web. 22 Feb. 2015. Juzwiak, Rich. â€Å"Taylor Swift’s New Album Hurts My Ears.† Gawker. Kinja, 29 Oct. 2014. Web. 22 Feb. 2015. Li, Jianfu, et al. Probabilistic Diffusion Tractography Reveals Improvement Of Structural Network In Musicians. Plos ONE 9.8 (2014): 1-10. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Mar. 2015. Sam Smith: Taylor Swift Is Amazing' Billboard. Billboard, 28 Jan. 2015. Web. 22 Feb. 2015. SPOTI-FIRED! Swift Yanks Her Work From Streaming Giant. Daily News. n.p., 4 Nov. 2012. Web. 22 Feb. 2015 Stremikis, Barbara A. The Personal Characteristics And Environmental Circumstances Of Successful Women Musicians. Creativity Research Journal 14.1 (2002): 85-92. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.

The Light In The Forest :: The Light In The Forest

The Light In The Forest  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Conrad Richter's book, The Light In The Forest, is about a boy from Pennsylvania who was adopted into an Indian family. After a long period of time, True Son had to go back to his white family. The ordeal in the story is that he wanted to go back to the Indians and not stay in the white village. When he came back, he made a big mistake and got kicked out of the Indian village. In my opinion, Cuyloga made the most difficult decision in the novel when he decided to send True Son away at the end.    My first reason why it was difficult for Cuyloga to make this decision is that he loved his son, and he wanted him to live. He knew True Son didn't mean what he did, but it just happened. So he decided that since he was the father he should take full responsibility for True Son's action. When he wanted the Indians to fight True Son, they didn't. So instead he told True Son he had to leave and not come back. If he came back, he would be killed. Parents have to make difficult decisions for their children because they care for them. If they didn't make decisions, something could happen to the children.    Secondly, it was a difficult decision because Cuyloga thought if he stood there and watched them kill True Son, he couldn't face his family at home. His family would be mad at him if he let the Indians just kill him. He thought if he spared him his life and never saw him again, everything would be okay because he'd be much safer. He chose to make him leave because he cared for True Son. I would have done the same thing for True Son's sake. At least I'd know he was alive and not scalped.

Marsupial Reproduction :: Marsupials Reproduction Mammals Biolgoy Essays

Marsupial Reproduction Knowledge can be obtained and conveyed in a variety of ways. One can spend hours upon hours hidden away in the corner of a library, reading the thoughts and discoveries of other researchers and writers. Or, one can allow himself to make his own discoveries through experiments and observations that he makes himself. Both methods are necessary in order to come to a complete understanding of a topic. An experimenter cannot fully appreciate the things that she observes without having a background in that area. In the same way, a man does not truly use the knowledge he has gained from book research without applying it to the real world in some way. Knowledge of marsupial reproduction is this way. There is much to be learned from the writings of scientists of the past, while at the same time there are many new discoveries to be made as researchers of the present apply this knowledge to answering new questions. The purpose of this paper is to compile knowledge that has already been written on marsupial reproduction, including the topics of: marsupial characteristics, reproductive anatomy, sexual behavior, development of young, hormonal control, and ecological implications of reproductive patterns, so that it can be used as a basis for new insights and discoveries. What is a marsupial? Many biologists of the past and present have been intrigued by a group of animals known as marsupials. Marsupials are a subdivision of mammals with several defining characteristics. First, marsupials generally have more incisor teeth than eutherian (placental) mammals. In most marsupials, as in most primates, the first toe of the hind foot is opposable to the other four, and it always lacks a claw. Interestingly, most terrestrial marsupials have lost this toe altogether. Marsupials also tend to have a smaller brain than eutherians of equivalent size and their body temperature and rate of metabolism are slightly lower than eutherians. (Gould, 52) Other important characteristics of marsupials come from their unique reproductive patterns and reproductive system. Externally, differences include à ¬such interesting anatomical features as a prepenal scrotum and biparte penes and vaginae in most groups and typically, but not always, a pouch over the teats.à ® (Bronson, 187) The major difference is the dramatically abbreviated period of gestation marsupials have adopted and the function of this phenomenon. Few marsupials have a gestation period longer than their oestrous cycle. This means that all marsupials give birth to highly altrical

We Must Educate Everyone About Child Abuse :: Violence Against Children

Every year more than 3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States involving more than 6 million children. Very few people are aware of the severeness of child abuse. While some people choose to ignore it, many people are oblivious to the fact that is even exists. Unfortunately, because very few people know about the severity of the problem or do not know how to stop it, the cycle of violence will continue for generations to come. It is detrimental that the cycle stops and abused children do not grow up to be abusers. Many children are afraid to ask for help, they feel they will be hurt again or punished. It is so very important that children know it is necessary and right to seek help. Unfortunately, 90% of children abused are under the age of 12. That means that most of them are not even out of elementary school. The addition of child abuse education classes in elementary schools would provide knowledgeable information to every child about deal ing with child abuse. Education is a very key part to preventing the spread of violence. In order to really understand child abuse, it is important to know some of the main facts about child abuse. Iowa law actually defines six specific type of abuse. They are physical, emotional, sexual, denial of critical care, child prostitution, and drug exposure. Abuse happens to children of all ages and backgrounds, it affects all economic classes, races, ethnic and religious groups. It is estimated that a child is abused every 26 seconds in America. Abused children suffer emotional, social, and intellectual deficits that may be with them throughout their lives. Criminal and violent behavior, psychoses and psychiatric illness, drug and alcohol abuse, school and learning difficulties, and employment problems are all documented outcomes of child abuse. For these reasons as well as countless others, the need to stop this cycle is so very apparent. So why is more attention given to the effort of preventing child abuse? Here is one possible explanation to this question.

Advanced Physical And Intellectual Competence

I recognize the advancing children physical and intellectual competence by creating learning experiences that stimulates physical, cognitive, communicative and creative growth. To advance physical and intellectual competence it is essential to the growth and development of every child to advance their physical and intellectual needs. There are numerous ways to encourage this type of development. Children are encouraged to participate in daily large motor activities to enhance physical development. One activity that they enjoy is dance children naturally love music and there’s nothing better to get their little bodies moving and shaking.One easiest ways to incorporate physically activity into both you lives is pick a few random songs at intervals throughout the day and just dance like crazy. Even just two or three song quickly add up a 10 minutes session, which is just right for your preschool aged children’s attention span. If you’re looking for more ways to expl ore dance which your preschool aged children, think back to silly songs and nursery rhymes of your own childhood and share those. I help children develop cognitive skills by encouraging them to hypothesize and think things out.For example the main aspects for cognitive growth can be fostered with daily activities such as stacking, sorting, observing and learning cause and effect. Coming up with cognitive activities is very easy. You can sort blocks, arranging them by size and color. You can stack object – books are great for this, you can have a treasure hunt too! For this all you need is a short and easy set of objects and a magnifying glass. I allow exploration to your children’s cognitive development. In my center I help children learn, understand, and use words to communicate. One lesson that is especially effective in developing communication skill is music.Music is a great way to encourage language development. You can find a sort of preschool age songs online ca n help you in this area. You can also use I spy, and question and answer games. Anything that involves word development is good activities since children love to ask you questions. A strength of this lesson is that it incorporate children who are English as second language learners and need a good mix of repetition and new material. By incorporating songs, asking daily short conversation, quick simple things repeated daily and practice basic vocabulary every day, children will understand the lessons.Creativity is fostered throughout our classroom. Children have access to, an area and are encouraged to use various art supplies to create their own artwork. Paint, markers, pencils, crayons, oil pastels, and paper are readily available for children to freely explore. An activity I love to do where children use their imagination is designing butterflies. They combine different bodies and wings to design their own butterflies; then animate them in one of several beautiful scenes. Another example is drawing a mural. They explore line, shape, and space while arranging decorative tiles into an abstract picture. Advanced physical and intellectual competence I recognize the advancing children physical and intellectual competence by creating learning experiences that stimulates physical, cognitive, communicative and creative growth. To advance physical and intellectual competence it is essential to the growth and development of every child to advance their physical and intellectual needs. There are numerous ways to encourage this type of development. Children are encouraged to participate in daily large motor activities to enhance physical development. One activity that they enjoy is dance children naturally love music and there’s nothing better to get their little bodies moving and shaking.One easiest ways to incorporate physically activity into both you lives is pick a few random songs at intervals throughout the day and just dance like crazy. Even just two or three song quickly add up a 10 minutes session, which is just right for your preschool aged children’s attention span. If you’re looking for more ways to expl ore dance which your preschool aged children, think back to silly songs and nursery rhymes of your own childhood and share those. I help children develop cognitive skills by encouraging them to hypothesize and think things out.For example the main aspects for cognitive growth can be fostered with daily activities such as stacking, sorting, observing and learning cause and effect. Coming up with cognitive activities is very easy. You can sort blocks, arranging them by size and color. You can stack object – books are great for this, you can have a treasure hunt too! For this all you need is a short and easy set of objects and a magnifying glass. I allow exploration to your children’s cognitive development. In my center I help children learn, understand, and use words to communicate. One lesson that is especially effective in developing communication skill is music.Music is a great way to encourage language development. You can find a sort of preschool age songs online ca n help you in this area. You can also use I spy, and question and answer games. Anything that involves word development is good activities since children love to ask you questions. A strength of this lesson is that it incorporate children who are English as second language learners and need a good mix of repetition and new material. By incorporating songs, asking daily short conversation, quick simple things repeated daily and practice basic vocabulary every day, children will understand the lessons.Creativity is fostered throughout our classroom. Children have access to, an area and are encouraged to use various art supplies to create their own artwork. Paint, markers, pencils, crayons, oil pastels, and paper are readily available for children to freely explore. An activity I love to do where children use their imagination is designing butterflies. They combine different bodies and wings to design their own butterflies; then animate them in one of several beautiful scenes. Another example is drawing a mural. They explore line, shape, and space while arranging decorative tiles into an abstract picture.