Theories of Democracy - Against Human Rights Essay - 2

Theories of Democracy - Against Human Rights - Essay Example Even wars on the basis of humanitarian grounds should be avoided to prevent loss of lives and the absence of cultural relativism in some of the nations that are known to endure the set ideas and principles of different regions. According to Ã… ½iÃ… ¾ek, human rights are defined as exercising the freedom to choose any given thing without violating the freedom rights of others, even if it means defying war. Interestingly, Ã… ½iÃ… ¾ek is supportive of humanitarian interventions only so far as they are found protecting and assisting human life. Even though he is not very excited about humanitarian interference in general, he feels that such interventions should be safeguarded. Irrespective of the beliefs of the people in a particular nation, their lives must be protected and supported in terms of its concepts and standards. A true democracy will always stand out in its ability to defend its citizens. Freedom and Democracy are significant rights, mentioned by the writer, should be implemented even at home in a nation that supports such rights. It is important to note that there is nothing universal about â€Å"right.† There is more than one way to getting things done and this is evident in the varied cultural perspectives, distinct world features, unique rituals and cultural identifications. Ã… ½iÃ… ¾ek points out that it is wrong to overlook the differences unique to varied races. A lot of unrest and conflicts in the world arise when nations try to impose their way of acting on other nations and this, in turn, produces war rather than peace. Intolerance towards other people’s viewpoints is the main damaging force that corrupts nations.  

Positive Organizational Scholarship Essay Example for Free

Positive Organizational Scholarship Essay Positive organizational scholarship is an emerging discipline in organizational behavior and is about positivity in organization. The need for it emerged to bridge the gap between moral and rational objectives. It is not a new science, it is the new way of looking at things, it’s like you have just changed your glasses. In today’s world, society is facing extremely tough challenges in the form of global warming, natural disasters, economic recession, unprecedented homelessness, terrorism and the draining continuation of war. So at this moment of extreme negative happenings and uncertainty, what is needed to be emphasized and brought up is positive. With all this sadness and horror, where in the world does a science based on testing happiness, wellbeing, personal growth and ‘the good life’ ? t into the modern-day agenda? So, Positive psychology; is the study of topics such as happiness, optimism, personal growth and subjective well being. It promotes the factors that allow the groups and communities to thrive or flourish. At the current stage in this world of negativity, positive psychology focuses on positive experiences at three time points a) past centering contentment; b) present focusing current happiness c) future including optimism and hope. We should know that what a good life is ? Aristotle and Plato used to believe that when people carried out a virtuous life they would become authentically happy. The happiness are of two types in positive psychology according to Seligman, one is hedonic happiness which is high level of positive affect and low levels of negative effect, in addition to high subjective life satisfaction. See more: how to start a scholarship essay Other is eudemonic wellbeing which focuses more on creation of meaning and purpose in life. (Hefferon Boniwell, 2011) A science of positive subjective experience, positive individual traits, and positive institutions promises to improve quality of life and prevent the pathologies that arise when life is barren and meaningless. The model of Seligman of Positive psychology is divided into three parts: The pleasurable life, the good life, and the meaningful life. The pleasurable life is about things like shopping, eating, drugging, meaningless sex, etc. The research is finding that having more pleasures does not increase life satisfaction. The good life as defined by Seligman is about understanding and using ones core strengths/virtues in work and love and play. He, in conjunction with Chris Peterson, developed a VIA Signature Strengths Survey found that Having a life of high absorption does correlate to life satisfaction measures according to Seligman. Lastly, the meaningful life is when a person uses his/her strengths for the purpose of something larger than him/herself. Choosing to live a life of faith, purpose, meaning, correlates to life satisfaction measures. Marty also sees this aspect of his model directly related to Positive Institutions—those organizations that promote positive character development and/or meaning. Hes mostly focused on non-profits and religious organizations but others are applying it to for-profit organizations. (Seligman Csikszentmihalyi, 2000) An approach that is positive to selection, development, and management of human resources in organizations has been emphasized by both scholars and professionals over the years. A wide variety of positively oriented high-performance work practices in placement, compensation, and motivation and their underlying strategies, structures, and cultures have also been extensively studied and supported for their contributions to organizational performance and competitiveness. Research and consulting by the Gallup Organization also supports the importance of positive, strength-based organizational cultures and human resource practices . (Buckingham Clifton, 2001). For example, factors such as effective selection and placement practices that capitalize on employees’ talents, clear and aligned goals and expectations, social support and recognition, and opportunities for growth, development, and self actualization have been found to significantly contribute to employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and ultimately organizational profitability and growth(Harter, Schmidt, Keynes, 2003) On the academic side, the positive organizational scholarship or POS movement has been instrumental in providing macro-level scholars with a conceptual framework for organizing and integrating their research on positive organizations (Cameron et al. , 2003). Positive refers to the elevating processes and outcomes in organizations. Organizational refers to the interpersonal and structural dynamics activated in and through organizations, specifically taking into account the context in which positive phenomena occur. Scholarship refers to the scientific, theoretically derived, and rigorous investigation of that which is positive in organizational setting. (KIM S. CAMERON CAZA, 2004). Positive organizational scholarship (POS) is considered an alternative approach to studying organizations; it is argued that POS plays a critical theory role in contemporary organizational scholarship. By using essays on critical theory in organizational science to consider POS research, and drawing from the principles of Gestalt psychology, it is argued that the important distinctions between POS and traditional organizational scholarship lie in POSs emphasis on positive processes, on value transparency, and on extending the range of what constitutes a positive organizational outcome. In doing so, it is concluded that the primary contribution of POS is that it offers an alternative to the deficit model that shapes the design and conduct of organizational research. (Caza. Caza. , 2008) There are several reasons that exist for the neglect of positive phenomena in organizational science. They include a) Lack of valid and reliable measuring devices b) the association of positivity with uncritical science c) the fact that negative events have greater impact on people than positive events(Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Finkenauer, Vohs, 2001) The first reason for the neglect towards POS concerning measurement and instrumentation, most positively focused at work up to now has been at the psychological level. For example only surveys had been used up till now for finding out anything related to it. Most scholarly work in POS has been conceptual and definitional rather than empirical. Little empirical work has been published. (Cameron, Dutton, Quinn, 2003). The article by Losada and Heaphy uses a model to estimate team effectiveness. Communication patterns in 60 top management teams were observed and coded in day long strategic planning sessions. The ratio of positive to negative communication was ranging among high, medium and low performing teams. Positive teams performed significantly better Similarly Cameron, Bright and Caza’s study in which they surveyed organizations across a number of industry types, and eventually they found out that the organizations scoring higher on virtuousness had a better performance than the other ones. The second reason to the neglect towards POS is that the topics related to it have sometimes been associated with non scholarly prescriptions. Hope and optimism for example have been interpreted as wishful thinking. POS uses the word scholarship to identify its scientific and theoretical foundations. It is committed to documenting, measuring, and explaining usually positive human experiences in organizations. The third reason for the dearth of POS illustrated by Baumeisteret et al’s concluded that the events that are negative for example losing money or receiving criticism will always have a greater impact on the individual than the positive events such as winning money or receiving praise. Many good events can overcome the psychological effects of a single bad one. In case the numbers of good and bad events are equal then the psychological effects of bad ones always outweigh the good ones. This tells us that the neglect of problems and challenges might threaten the survival of individual. And the neglect of positive might only result into regret or disappointment. (KIM S.  CAMERON CAZA, 2004) Identifying the factors that lead to joy and happiness, hope and faith, and what makes life worth living represents a shift from reparative psychology to a psychology of positive experience. Similarly, Positive organizational scholarship examines the positive side of organizational performance. It investigates positive deviance, or the ways in which organizations and their members flourish and prosper in especially humane and extraordinary ways. It investigates virtuous elements in organizations such as compassion, forgiveness, dignity, respectful encounters, optimism and positive effect, integrity, and wisdom. This emphasis parallels a new movement in psychology that is shifting from the traditional focus on illness and pathology (e. g.  , deviancy, abnormality, and therapy) toward a positive psychology that focuses on human strengths and virtues. (Dinnah Pladott, 2003) Pos is concerned with understanding the integration of positive and negative conditions. Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) and Positive Psychology are focused on understanding the conditions and processes that explain flourishing. What differentiates POS is an explicit interest in understanding and explaining flourishing in organizational contexts (including individuals, groups, units and whole organizations). Flourishing refers to being in an optimal range of human functioning and is indicated at the individual level by goodness, generatively, growth and resilience. At  the collective level of groups and organizations, flourishing may be indicated by creativity, innovation, growth, resilience, thriving virtuousness or other markers that a collective is healthy and is performing in an â€Å"above normal† or positively deviant range. POS also focuses on the development of individual, group and collective strengths that represent forms of individual and collective excellence. POS unites existing domains of organizational inquiry focused on flourishing. This includes work on flourishing indicators such as creativity, engagement, flow, growth, health and well-being, as well as contributors to flourishing that consider features of the organization, group and job contexts.

Michael Moore´s Bowling For Columbine Essay -- Film Movies

Michael Moore ´s Bowling For Columbine Bowling For Columbine is a well-directed documentary that informs people about gun violence in America. Michael Moore is successful in showing that America has been going through many gun tragedies; and portrays the sense that America’s problems are out of control. He conveys this through informative facts, images, and comparisons. Throughout the film Michael Moore throws many cold facts on the screen that makes it obvious that the strong nation of America is unruly. One of the facts that stand out the most is the number of deaths caused by guns in America per year. In comparison to the other countries, America has an outstanding of 11,127 gun related deaths a year. This is ten times more than all the countries together that are mentioned in the documentary. With this extreme comparison it shows that there is something in America that is making people turn on their fellow man and shoot them in the head. On April 19, 1999 two boys Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, went to school and killed 12 students and one teacher. Michael Moore does not really need to go further than just stating these few words to show how incredibly devastating this day was. How have the social standards reduced themselves to a world where two high school students feel that they have the right to bring firearms to school and open fire? O ne is reminded of an old saying, â€Å"like father like son.† The American government can be seen as the father to all the ...

Moms Creamy Potato Soup :: essays research papers

Mom’s Creamy Potato Soup One reason I like fall is because of the crisp, cool mornings. Football is very big at my house. That is very apparent in the fall. When Thanksgiving comes, all my family and I do is eat turkey and watch football games. Mom’s rich and creamy potato soup is served during the cold, winter months. People usually think of soup as being tomato or chicken noodle, but not potato. The color of her soup is that of an off-white or yellow. The texture of the soup is very thick. It looks like creamy potatoes in a bowl when it is done. The aroma of the soup is very strong and earth-smelling. My entire house smells like potatoes while my mom prepares the potato soup. When I eat her creamy potato soup, I always have seconds and my stomach always thinks, â€Å"What good soup this is!† In a five quart Dutch oven over medium heat in hot margarine, she cooks potatoes and onions in hot margarine until they are golden brown. The smell of the onions is tantalizing. She does this for ten minutes, stirring frequently. She then adds water, salt, pepper, and a chicken bouillon cube over high heat. These ingredients are added to the Dutch oven and then heated to a boil. The heat is then reduced. These ingredients are covered and the potatoes are simmered until they are fork tender. This process takes fifteen minutes. The potatoes are removed from the heat. With a potato masher, she mashes the potatoes until the desired consistency is achieved. She stirs in milk and heats it through. When my mom serves the soup, my family and I salivate as we look at the delicious potato soup about to be served to us by my mother. My mom asks us if we would like, and we always say, â€Å"Yes, mother, I would like more of your scrumptious potato soup. †My mom serves the soup on a cold winter’s night. When I devour her soup, I usually can eat another bowl. It fills my stomach making me unable to do anything for at least four hours after I get done consuming her soup. I can never wait until she makes her potato soup because that just happens to be my favorite food. Her soup reminds me of a teddy bear, warm and soft inside. It also gives me the feeling of togetherness with my family sitting around the dinner table telling each other of our days and how life is going.

Danshui Plant No.2 Essay

Background: Danshui was a contract manufacturer assembling electronic products in southern China. There were many manufacturers like Danshui in China assembling parts for the companies wishing to save labor costs. Apple contracted with Danshui to assemble 2.4 million iPhones in Plant No.2 with the expected high demand of this product in 2010. As a profit center, Plant No.2 was credited for each iPhone produced and shipped. The process of assembling was complex and required almost entirely based on handwork for more than 100 components. Danshui was confident of its workers to adapt the new tasks and extra workers could be hired and trained as needed. The iPhone 4 was the most successful product of Apple as more than 1.7 million units were sold in the first 3 days they were launched. However, the plant was operating at a loss because of the underproduction. Consequently, the controller of this plant considered preparing the new budget showing using a flexible budget system to identify what went wrong in their operations that contribute to the performance problems. Problems and issues: The plant has 2 big problems in terms of budgeting system and labor force. Firstly, they were in unfavorable performance by using standard budgeting system. They were unable to meet the Apple contract, which was shortage 10% from the 200,000 targeted units, resulting in the loss of $672,000 rather than the profit of $100,000. Actually, the plant was using the standard costing system to evaluate their performance, but it was not appropriate because the comparative quantities were different (180,000 and 200,000 units). That means the total standard costs would be overstated compared to the total actual costs. Consequently, the activities under the standard costing system were all overstated efficiency, leading to the unfavorable net income. Secondly, the lack of qualified labor force also contributed to this problem. As the assembly of iPhone 4 was extremely complex, this would be higher chances of errors as the assembly process was handled by different workers with different skills and working styles. This will indirectly cause a lot wastes in term of cost and time due to the carelessness and the lack of skill of the workers. The burden of the supervisors must be increased as they must learn before guiding the workers, who were almost semiskilled.  Although the plant had raised the wages to 30%, they still could not increase the number of labor force needed, which also contributed to the underproduction. On the other hand, as the production line was based on handwork, the damage of 1000 flash memories in installation was unavoidable. Thus, the actual output must be 181,000 units instead of 180,000 units in their report. The replacement of the wastage had increased the cost that had led to the unfavorable variance of $389,000. When the reckless jobs had been done, the workers must use the new tools and supplies, resulting in the increase of the production costs and cause an unfavorable performance. Recommendations: For the short term, I recommend Danshui to change from using the standard costing system to the flexible budget system for performance evaluation purpose. By using the flexible budget will help them to compare results with adjustable budget and the variance analysis will be more accurate. This system also proves the unfavorable performance caused by the variance from variable costs of $1,041,200, which can analyze and evaluate the weaknesses in controlling the variable cost which is flash memories, assembly and packaging expenses. For the long term period, they have to overcome the disadvantages from the labor forces. First of all, the plant should improve their salary policy. I recommend that they should motivate workers by setting a basic salary and offering bonus if they complete their jobs well. Secondly, the plant should provide professional training for labors. Through training, the labors can learn how to handle with care on the parts to avoid the wastage that will happen. This solution also assists managers to place the correct labor at the correct assembly parts to reduce the labor hours but still save the materials. Thirdly, the plant could hire more skilled supervisors who will able to response to the problems arises and know how to motivate the labor to achieve the goal.

Environmental Issues in Kolkata Essay Example

Environmental Issues in Kolkata Essay Example Environmental Issues in Kolkata Paper Environmental Issues in Kolkata Paper Water is polluted when poisonous garbage is thrown into the water room various sources like factories, cities etc. Todays world is full of cars, four wheelers, two wheelers etc. And their horns are the cause of sound pollution. Sometime, the sound of sound boxes, mikes at various occasions in a high pitch is one of reasons. These are damaging for heart patients, children etc. And for our ear also. Everyday, huge amount Of poisonous gases are mixing with the air from various sources like factories, cars, bikes etc. And these causes air pollution. As a result, it changes the timetable of the seasons and the seasons will not come according to their time. Because of that our agriculture is vastly damaged. Ecosystem will be totally damaged due to that. Diseases are increasing day by day because of that. It is reported people are dying everyday in an increasing rate due to that. Threes are part of the environment. It balances the amount of oxygen and carbon-dye-oxide. If we cut trees then this balance will be damaged. Instead, we have to plant trees as much as possible. Gobo. Would make some stick laws on environment. Engineers should think how to reduce it and make it possible. It is not only our duty but also our responsibility to save the environment as well as the world. Above all, we all have to forward our hand to build a world that is totally pollution free. Pollution levels across India are some of the highest anywhere in the world. And on top of this pile of polluted places sits Kola. A once beautiful city has been reduced to a huge garbage yard with tons of plastic waste strewn on every square inch of the city. Along with the number of aging buses and trucks spewing smoke the various coal fires and dusty construction sites, have made the landscape a wasteland. But what has conspired to create this situation? Why has the West Bengal government turned a blind eye to the transport contractors? Politics has always been a prominent part of the Kola culture. However the excessive politicking of every issue has made it extremely difficult for legislation to be formed. The government in its quandary chooses to sleep over the various bills in the interest of protecting the environment rather than irk the contractors who pay for the party funds. This has led to an unhealthy environment of government apathy and general callousness, especially in taking care Of the living conditions. In its mandate to provide rights to the poor they have totally neglected the harm being caused to the environment by the millions of poor in the city. The classic case f rampant pollution in the city of Kola are the buses and trucks plying the roads. In a recent move, a number of Nags had petitioned that the pollution norms be strictly applied to the errant bus contractors. However the ministry decided to make the announcement with a rider that people with genuine reasons can get a reprieve from the pollution control measures!! This kind of obvious molly coddling of the transport contractors have further emboldened them, making it impossible for the police on the ground to fine the law breakers. Plastic bags is another area where the West Bengal government has ailed to check pollution. Elsewhere in all other major cities of India, plastic bags are banned as they cause widespread pollution which is difficult to remove. But not in Kola where the poor have to carry their daily bread in plastic bags! The result is that the drainage system is choked in the city and the roads look like an unending garbage yard. Filth and disease accumulate in this waste causing diseases and generally making the whole city an unhealthy place to live in. The present CPRM government is on its way out. They lost in all the by-polls. Here is hoping that the new government when it arrives, will be able to get rid if the lethargy and inaction. If the laws are not implemented soon this city is going to become uninhabitable in the next few years! It is time the West Bengal government understood that giving rights to the poor does not mean that the environment can be abused! We the humans are most dangerous species in the planet earth. We have created the civilization,created the sky scrapers, more modernized living in our world we live in, yet now we are becoming a real threat to human civilization. Day by day we repopulating the water, the environment, air we breathe and creating a global warning.

Use of Cholinesterase Activity in Environmental Monitoring †Research Paper

Use of Cholinesterase Activity in Environmental Monitoring – Research Paper Free Online Research Papers Use of Cholinesterase Activity in Environmental Monitoring: Importance of Kinetic Parameters Determination In Estaurine Fish Research Paper Abstract The aim of the present work was to determine the kinetic parameters and cholinesterase (ChE) activity from two teleost fishes: the croacker Micropogonias furnieri (Scianidae) and sea catfish Cathorops spixii (Ariidae), to verify their suitability as sentinels of aquatic pollution by anticholinesterasic compounds. Fish were collected in a reference and in a polluted site in Southern Brazil and brain ChE was used as enzyme source. Inhibition kinetic parameters employing ChE from C. spixii showed that fish collected in the reference site presented more affinity (Ka) for eserine than those collected in the polluted site and the contrary was observed for the carbamylation constants (Kc), overall resulting in similar inhibition constants (Ki). Considering the extremely low sensitivity to in vitro inhibition by eserine, M. furnieri seems to be an unsuitable species to be employed as an environmental sentinel for pollution of anticholinesterasic compounds. Results obtained in the present study point to the importance of kinetic studies when cholinesterasic activity is employed as a biomarker in environmental quality monitoring programs. Keywords: biomarkers, cholinesterase, eserine, fish, kinetic parameters, estuarine environments 1. Introduction Some pesticides, including organophosphorus and carbamates, are known to selectively inhibit cholinesterase (ChE) activity (Valbonesi et al., 2003). When directly released into the environment, these molecules can reach rivers and sometimes the sea, leading to the contamination of various aquatic ecosystems (Mora et al., 1999). The relationship between the presence of these kind of compounds and ChE activity has been widely studied and employed as a biomarker in aquatic invertebrate and vertebrate species (Bocquenà © et al., 1997; Sturm et al., 1999; Rodriguez-Fuentes Gold-Bouchot, 2000; De la Torre et al., 2002). The use of biochemical measurements in organisms as an indicator of pollution can complement chemical analysis, giving information about the adaptive or deleterious responses in organisms exposed to a certain amount of chemicals. Moreover, among biological effects of pollutants, biochemical ones occur more quickly, thus providing earlier warning signal before other toxicological end points, including death, are evident. (Livingstone, 1998). Since organophosphorus and carbamates have a relatively short half-life, the assessment of cholinesterase (ChE) inhibition is a useful tool to evaluate their environmental impact on aquatic biota, even when they are not longer detectable in the environment (Valbonesi et al., 2003) and, as mentioned above, considerable efforts have been made in the last two decades to develop and validate measurements of biological parameters to complement the information given by the chemical analysis of contamination. The main advantage of using biomarkers at low levels of biological organization is the possibility to detect deleterious effect pollutants before being evidenced at higher levels of biological organization. Among biochemical markers, the measurement of fish cholinesterase activities has become a classical tool for biomonitoring pollution in marine (Bocquenà © et al., 1990) and continental waters (Sturm et al., 1999). However, before employment of ChE as a biomarker of anticholinestera sic compounds in monitoring programms, is important to analyze the sensitivity to this kind of molecules (Varà ² et al., 2003), also for the fact that potential effects of organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides are widely variable for different fish species (Ferrari et al., 2004; Silva Filho et al., 2004). The dynamics of the interaction of ChE with organophosphate and carbamate compounds has been shown to depend largely upon the affinity of a particular insecticide for the enzyme, commonly represented as the enzyme affinity for a particular insecticide, which is commonly represented as the affinity constant Ka (Wang Murphy, 1982). Silva Filho, et al. (2004) showed extremely great differences in the inhibition kinetic parameters between several fish species, an important point to be considered in the selection of a sentinel organism in biomonitoring programs. In this context, the concentration of eserine that inhibits 50% of cholinesterase activity (IC50) and inhibition kinetic parameters are important characteristics for the selection of sensitive ChEs to be employed as biomarkers. Considering the facts previously described, the objectives of the present study were to determine the kinetic parameters and eserine sensitivity of brain ChE from two estuarine fish species, Micropogonias furnieri (Teleostei: Scianidae) and Cathorops spixii (Teleostei: Ariidae) collected in polluted and non-polluted sites in Southern Brazil. The white mouth croaker Micropogonias furnieri (Desmarest, 1823), is a subtropical fish found in muddy and sandy bottoms in coastal waters. Its feeding habit varies along the ontogenic development and season: juveniles feed on benthic migratory crustaceans and sessile mollusks, while adults are benthic feeders, occasionally preying on fish (Isaac, 1998). Sea catfish Cathorops spixii (Spix and Agassiz, 1829) is a demersal tropical cat fish found in shallow coastal marine waters and brackish estuaries, lagoons and river mouths, as well as in hypersaline waters. In South America, its distribution includes Atlantic and Caribbean rivers and estuaries from Colombia to Brazil. Adults feed mainly on invertebrates and small fishes, while juveniles feed on amphipods, isopods and copepods (Cervigà ³n et al., 1992). This study is part of a research project developed along the Brazilian coast, the RECOS (â€Å"Uso e Apropriaà §o de Recursos Costeiros†) project in the scope of the Millenium Institute (Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology). One of the objectives of RECOS project is the standardization of sampling protocols, quantitative and qualitative evaluations of biochemical, physiological and histological biomarkers in different animal species collected from polluted and non-polluted sites. In the present study biochemical biomarker responses were analyzed in fish collected in different seasons (winter and summer), to evaluate the natural variability of ChE activity and its sensitivity to eserine inhibition. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Chemicals Acetylthiocholine iodide, eserine (physostigmine), 5, 5’-dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) were obtained from Sigma (St. Louis, MO). The protein content was determined using a commercial kit from Doles Reagentes (Belo Horizonte, Brazil), based on Biuret method. 2.2. Organisms Micropogonias furnieri was collected in summer and winter seasons in reference (unpolluted) site, â€Å"Ilha dos Marinheiros† (32 °02’005† S and 52 °12’151† W) and in a polluted site, â€Å"Saco da Mangueira† (32 °04’369† S and 52 °06’473† W). Cathorops spixii was collected only in summer in a reference site, â€Å"Baà ­a das Laranjeiras† (25 °31’271† S, 48 °29’690† W) and in a polluted one, â€Å"Baà ­a de Parangua (25 °21’050† S, 48 °25’97† W) (Figure 1). In every case, ten fish were collected in each season and site. Immediately after collection, fish were anesthetized with benzocaine (200 ppm), measured (total length and weight) and head isolated and stored at -20 oC until arrival at the laboratory, where they were kept at -80 oC before biochemical determinations. It should be mention that up to date no chemical characterization was perfo rmed in the locals referred as polluted and unpolluted. However, the local â€Å"Ilha dos Marinheiros† is far from any obvious pollution source, whereas â€Å"Saco da Mangueira† is located near to fertilizer industries. ELTON/ADALTO/VANESSA: Uma frase equivalente para os locais de amostragem no Paranagu seria importante a meu ver. 2.3. Enzyme extraction Fish whole brain was dissected and then homogenized (1:20) in cold phosphate buffer (0.05 M) containing 20% glycerol at pH 7.40. The homogenate was then centrifuged at 850 xg (4 °C) for 15 min. The supernatant was again centrifuged at 12,800 xg (4 °C) during 15 min. The supernatant of this last centrifugation was used as enzyme source. 2.4. Enzyme assay Cholinesterase activity was determined using the method described by Ellman et al., (1961). Phosphate buffer (0.05 M, pH 7.40) was placed at least for 15 min in a water bath at 25 °C. Aliquots of homogenate, DTNB and substrate (acetylthiocholine iodide- ATch) were then added and the absorbance (412 nm) was immediately determined, during 90 s, in an ELISA reader (Victor 2, Perkin Elmer). To determine substrate affinity (Km) and maximum cholinesterase activity (Vmax), different ATch concentrations ranging from 0.025 to 9 mM were assayed, being the cholinesterase activity expressed as nmol/min/mg proteins. In each experiment, a first blank without substrate was assayed to evaluate the reaction of protein thiol groups with DTNB, and a second blank without sample was used to estimate the rate of spontaneous substrate hydrolysis. 2.5. In vitro enzyme inhibition by eserine The sensitivity of brain ChE to inhibition by eserine was investigated. ChE activity was measured on extracts after 5 min of incubation at 25 °C with several eserine concentrations, ranging from 110-4 to 1 mM. Enzyme activity was measured as described above. Inhibition was expressed as a percentage of ChE activity after eserine exposure respect control enzymatic activity. Kinetic parameters of enzyme inhibition were also estimated employing the carbamate eserine. The inhibition of an enzyme (E) with an inhibitor (I) can be summarized as follow (Main, 1964): where (EI)R represents a reversible enzyme-inhibitor complex and (EI)I an irreversible one. The affinity equilibrium constant is defined as Ka= K-1/K1 and Kc represents the carbamylation constant (Hastings et al., 1970). The bimolecular inhibition constant, Ki is defined as Ki= Kc/Ka. The constants Ka and Ki can be estimated according to the following equation: 1/i = ?t/(2.303*?log10 ?)*Ki – 1/Ka, where i represents the inhibitor concentration and ?t/(2.303*?log10 ?) is the reciprocal of the pseudo-first-order rate of enzyme inhibition at a fixed concentration (i) of the inhibitor (Monserrat et al., 2002). Six concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 10 mM were tested, at least in duplicate and after four or five different times of incubation (range: 30-360 s). 2.6. Data analysis Enzyme kinetic parameters (Vmax and Km) were estimated by fitting experimental data to Michaelis-Menten equation. IC50 values were obtained through probit analysis (Monserrat Bianchini, 1998). Linear regression and ANCOVA was employed to estimate and compare inhibition kinetic parameters (Ki and Ka). Statistical analysis of enzyme activity was performed using ANOVA followed by a posteriori comparisons using the Newman-Keuls test. A significance level of 5% was employed in all cases. 3. Results Fish from of both species were homogeneous (P>0.05) in length and weight at the different sampling sites and seasons analyzed, and for this reason only the general mean is reported. For M. furnieri, the mean weight and total length of fish collected were 25.78  ± 7.72 g and 14.41 ±1.83 cm, respectively (n= 40). For C. spixii, mean weight and total length of sampled fish were estimated in 35.77 ±11.45 g and 16.14g ±1.56 cm, respectively (n= 40). The Michaelis-Menten constants (Km and Vmax) for brain ChE of M. furnieri showed different patterns. Km values were statistically similar (P>0.05) in all seasons and sampling sites. On the other hand, Vmax showed a complex response, since fish collected in the reference site showed higher values (P0.05) in the Km values was observed in summer, the only season analyzed. However, higher (P

Phases of the moon Essay Essay Example

Phases of the moon Essay Essay Example Phases of the moon Essay Essay Phases of the moon Essay Essay During dark clip. the Moon is the clearest heavenly object that could be seen any topographic point on Earth. The Moon is considered as the closest heavenly thing on Earth and is the lone natural orbiter to the Earth ( Freudenrich. 2008 ) . As people noticed. the Moon nowadayss altering forms in the dark sky. There are cases when 1 could see a full disc form. other times it peaks a cabal of its face and sometimes it vanishes for a few yearss. These alterations in the bright side of the Moon are identified as the moon’s stages. Such happening in the Moon is non random at all instead the alterations happen in a monthly footing and occurs in a predictable mode ( Freudenrich. 2008 ) . The Moons stages are non the consequence of the earth’s shadow as many believe. The shadow of the Earth may do occultations but the happening of the Moons phases is a different instance. Phases of the Moon are dependent on its place in the alliance together with the Earth and Sun therefore the lighted portion in the moon’s face is caused by the contemplation of the visible radiation from the Sun ( Barrow. 2008. 1 ) . During the 29 twenty-four hours travel of the Moon around its orbit. its place undergoes day-to-day alterations. There are times when the Moon is positioned between the Earth and the Sun. other times it is behind the Earth this is why people see the bright parts of the moon’s surface in different angles ( Freudenrich. 2008 ) . The eight stages of the Moon undergoes a rhythm which is proceeded by the new Moon. New Moon besides known as the dark Moon could be seen whenever the Sun and the Moon are likewise positioned on the same side of the Earth. The new Moon is basically non seeable because it is situated in between the Sun and the Earth therefore the portion which is lighted faces straight to the Sun while the other portion which is lost in the sun’s blaze is confronting the Earth ( Barrow. 2008. 1 ) . The 2nd stage of the Moon is identified as the waxing crescent. This appears during the 2nd or 3rd twenty-four hours. During this stage merely a small portion of the Moon is demoing up. It is characterized with a thin lunar splinter which is evident proceedingss after the sundown. Such stage is termed as waxing because every dark a portion of the Moon becomes more seeable in a longer clip ( The stages of our Moon: What can you see this evening. 2008 ) . By the clip the waxing crescent Moon grows in a half full. it has so reached the 3rd stage which is known as the first one-fourth. During this stage. half of the Moon is already seeable. However. its visibleness last during the first half of the eventide and finally goes down. It is besides of import to observe that the first one-fourth Moon reflect the sun’s visible radiation on the right manus side ( The stages of our Moon: What can you see this evening. 2008 ) . Waxing Gibbous Moon is a stage when most portion of the Moon is already seeable. At this point. the Moon is clearly seeable to any of its perceivers and merely a small splinter is non illuminated. The crookback Moon could be seen clearly even before the sundown and corsets in the dark sky until three in the forenoon ( Barrow. 2008. 1 ) . The full face of the Moon is evident during the 5th stage which is the full Moon. This stage takes topographic point whenever the Earth is positioned between the Moon and the Earth. Full Moon is the lone stage where the Moon is reflecting all throughout the dark. A full Moon will lift during the beginning of the dark and will finally put as forenoon stairss in ( Barrow. 2008. 1 ) . Just like the waxing crookback. the declining crookback which is the 6th stage of the Moon. shows all but a small portion of the Moon. However. in contrast with the waxing crookback where perceivers are seeing much of the heavenly body’s illuminated portion. the declining crookback is an indicant of seeing less of the Moon in the approaching darks. This is why it was coined as â€Å"waning† crookback ( The stages of our Moon: What can you see this evening. 2008 ) . Second to the last of the moon’s stage is the last one-fourth. Much like the first one-fourth. people see a half full of the moon’s illuminated face nevertheless ; the reflected visible radiation is set on the left manus corner of the Moon reverse to the first one-fourth stage which is reflected in the right manus side ( Barrow. 2008. 1 ) . Finally the waning crescent marks the concluding rhythm of the moon’s stage. During this period people would observer that merely small of the Moons face is seeable. By the following darks merely a smaller portion of the Moon can be seen in a lesser period. From there a new rhythm will so continue ( The stages of our Moon: What can you see this evening. 2008 ) . Obviously the moon’s stages are dependent upon the moon’s run alonging place in conformity to the Sun and Earth. It is besides notable that the sequence of the stages starts with the moon’s light light from right to left until it extends to the full Moon stage. Right after the said stage the lighted country of the Moon would withdraw from right to left until it reaches the new Moon stage which would tag another rhythm. The stages of the Moon are non complicated as it may look. By larning how. when and why it occurs enables an single to cognize that such event is non random but a predictable event.

Management Skills Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management Skills - Case Study Example I am a company man and have been inspired by our company's long history of success and our stellar reputation. However, this has never proven very effective in my dealing with Eddie. I have made a plan to appeal to Eddie's confidence, materialism, and sense of independence. Eddie is motivated by material gain, but it is currently tied to his individual performance. Using task theory, I plan to tie Eddie's pay to organizational level criteria, such as company revenue and business growth (Miner, 1993, p. 27). This will be accompanied by the new title of 'Revenue Coordinator'. This will instill a new sense of importance in Eddie, and he will begin to use his team to accomplish company goals, rather than simply meeting departmental quotas. Eddie's team has complained that he is micro-managing them and they are resentful. I point out to Eddie that he is a top performer and that the other team members are somewhat jealous and intimidated by him, and they dislike him telling them 'how to do their job'. I suggest to Eddie that he create a system of recognition to honor the team member that most excels on a weekly and monthly basis. The reward will be in the form of a prize or merchandise that the winner can select.

Kano Model Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kano Model - Assignment Example According to the article, the main purpose of the Kano Model is increasing the customer’s happiness by improving the quality of the product or service provided. Every business organization has to out into consideration the features of any product before releasing it to the market. For successful implementation of the Kano model, a number of steps have to be completed. Fitting in all the features and attributes of a product is the first step. Then the organization should classify the features as either threshold, performance and excitement attributes. The article argues that all the attributes of the product must be fully satisfied to ensure employee satisfaction. Further, the article argues that for successful implementation of the model, the organization has to desist from focusing on the performance of the organization to major on the product attributes. The Kano model is very significant as it helps an organization in identifying customer needs, defining purposes that have necessities as well as carrying out an analysis of the competitive products in the market. Essential tools for the success of the Kano of the technique include customer involvement, value analysis, prioritizing matrices and ensuring the quality of the products. IV. KEY LEARNING POINTS Definition of Kano model- it is a model designed to improve the happiness of an organization’s customers through decisions aimed at improving the quality of products and services. Importance of the Kano model- its main importance is providing high-quality products to the customers, which lead to high customer satisfaction. The Kano model also helps in identifying factors that lead to customer dissatisfaction. Categories of the Kano technique include threshold attributes, considered as the most important attributes, Excitement Attributes that necessarily catapults the customers’ level of satisfaction and Performance Attributes that aims at improving customer satisfaction. V. RELEVANT STATE MENTS TO THE SESSION The main advantage of the Kano model is that it opens and widens the reasoning of business organizations, putting more emphasis on the features of the product which improves customer satisfaction. Kano model stresses on customer judgment of a product or service in the market. The original developer of the model was Dr. Noriaki Kano in 1980s, where he raised claims that for a product to capture the customers it must have three attributes include threshold, performance and excitement attributes. Steps involved in successful implementation of the Kano technique include settling on the most important and essential features of a product or service that customers deem as important and crucial in satisfying their needs. The next step involves classifying the identified features as either threshold, performance and excitement attributes respectively. Other performances and non-relevant attributes require trimming in order to develop fully the threshold attributes. VI. C RITICAL ANALYSIS According to the article, the Kano theory aims at improving the customer’s level of satisfaction. As such, all business organizations aims at providing the best quality product or services to the people geared to winning their loyalty.  

Compensation Laws and Legislation Research Paper - 1

Compensation Laws and Legislation - Research Paper Example Some laws also protect the employers by getting rid of liability of co-workers in most accidents, and by limiting the amount an injured employee can be paid. There is the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act, specific to federal employees only, and there are workers’ compensation acts established by each State. Workers’ compensation act ensures employees get their benefits through three main programs; Medical treatment, wage replacement, and vocational rehabilitation. Each of these programs is specific to each state (United States Department of Labor). These are payments made by a company’s insurance company to an injured or sick employee to cure or relieve the effects of the disease or injury. The insurance company is mandated to make payments for medical treatment. The employee, however, can get compensation benefits for a workplace related injury. There are also compensations to disabilities arising from injuries or illnesses obtained from the workplace. An employee’s dependents are also eligible for compensation benefits in case of work related deaths (Lozano v. Archer). A case illustrating worker’s medical compensation benefit is Maril Be Van, v. Liberty Northwest Insurance Corporation. Be Van worked for Blackfoot Telephone Communications. The company provided for a paid fifteen minute break in the morning, a paid fifteen minute break in the afternoon, and an unpaid one hour lunch break. Be Van got an accident one day when she took an early 15 minutes paid break, and went home. Due to this early break, her break was disputed to be within working hours; therefore, the employer and the employer’s insurer denied her compensations. It was, however, established that Be Van was to have an early afternoon meeting that day, which would take the time required for her to have her lunch break. It was also established that she went for an early fifteen minute break because of the scheduled meeting at her lunch break. She sought

International B Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International B - Essay Example The specific Forum reflects the trends in globalisation as developed both in the literature and the empirical field – i.e. the daily activities and policies of governmental and non-governmental organizations. The concept of globalisation has been considered to include seven different forces: in this paper, emphasis is given on the globalisation of markets – one of the seven forces mentioned above. The trends on the globalisation of markets – as highlighted in relevant studies – could help to understand the importance of this concept for the increase of the effectiveness of governmental and commercial strategies. The globalisation of markets has affected the strategies and performance of governmental and non-governmental organizations – referring especially to the commercial firms – both positively and negatively. The specific issue is highlighted in the study of Perrone et al. (2010) who focus on the effects of globalisation on small and medium enterprises – a study which can be used also in order to evaluate the effects of globalisation on large and multinational firms. In accordance with Perrone et al. (2010) ‘globalisation represents a threat, since new emerging companies are entering their domestic market, but on the other hand, it represents the opportunity to enter new emerging and growing markets’ (Perrone et al., 2010, p.356). From another point of view, globalisation can highly affect a speficic part of commercial firms: the corporate governance (Berry, 2010, 234); the different principles and cultures of the global market and the national market c ould negatively affect the firms that try to enter the global market. The importance of culture, the social ethics and the political system – actually referring to the traditions, the social principles and the politics of a specific country - on the success of the efforts for entering the global market is also highlighted in the study of Standing et al. (2010, p. 56). The above

The challenger space shuttle 1986 Research Paper

The challenger space shuttle 1986 - Research Paper Example ing a joint on the right firm rocket booster, which permitted pressurized hot gases plus finally blaze to â€Å"blow by† the O-ring making contact with the neighboring tank, and eventually leading to structural failure. Thus the failure of the 2 rubber O-rings was found to be from a faulty design, whose functioning could be very easily have been compromised by factors comprising of the very low temperatures on the sunrise of the fateful day of the launch. There were specific individuals at NASA as well as amongst contractors who were worried about the reliability of the fasteners on the firm rocket boosters in such cold weather (Henry, 2004). The report broadly pointed out the contributing causes such as the failure of both Morton Thiokol as well as NASA to adequately respond to the risk posed by the poor joint design. Instead of redesigning the joint, both parties defined the issue as a tolerable flight

International B Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International B - Essay Example The specific Forum reflects the trends in globalisation as developed both in the literature and the empirical field – i.e. the daily activities and policies of governmental and non-governmental organizations. The concept of globalisation has been considered to include seven different forces: in this paper, emphasis is given on the globalisation of markets – one of the seven forces mentioned above. The trends on the globalisation of markets – as highlighted in relevant studies – could help to understand the importance of this concept for the increase of the effectiveness of governmental and commercial strategies. The globalisation of markets has affected the strategies and performance of governmental and non-governmental organizations – referring especially to the commercial firms – both positively and negatively. The specific issue is highlighted in the study of Perrone et al. (2010) who focus on the effects of globalisation on small and medium enterprises – a study which can be used also in order to evaluate the effects of globalisation on large and multinational firms. In accordance with Perrone et al. (2010) ‘globalisation represents a threat, since new emerging companies are entering their domestic market, but on the other hand, it represents the opportunity to enter new emerging and growing markets’ (Perrone et al., 2010, p.356). From another point of view, globalisation can highly affect a speficic part of commercial firms: the corporate governance (Berry, 2010, 234); the different principles and cultures of the global market and the national market c ould negatively affect the firms that try to enter the global market. The importance of culture, the social ethics and the political system – actually referring to the traditions, the social principles and the politics of a specific country - on the success of the efforts for entering the global market is also highlighted in the study of Standing et al. (2010, p. 56). The above

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Case Study Example Hertz offer fantastic customer experience in providing best cars and comfort as par as the car hire is concern. The combination of great brand value and the potential financial efficiencies made the Hertz one of the most profitable business leaders in the business. Hertz business was matured and profitable enough to be acquired. The initiative from the CD& R financial partners David Wasserman, Micheal Baiarz and Nathan Sleeper on a capital structure which would have lowered the Hertz capital cost was really beneficial for CD&R. The Hertz was a potential investment opportunity as Hertz business was mature and competitive in all the countries where they had their business fleets. The CD&R’s Consortium is well-known as CCM which includes the Carlyle Group and Merrill Lynch Global Private equity; both of them are the most dominating companies in the business scenario. On August 30th the CCM submitted its final bid of five point four billion dollars including a request that Ford make a certain tax election which would step up the tax basis of Hertz asset. However, there were some several companies who had submitted the final bid on the same date and among them one is the private equity consortium, composed of Bain Capital, The Blackstone Group, Thomas H. Lee Partners and Texas pacific

How To Fix A Social Security Number Essay Example for Free

How To Fix A Social Security Number Essay The fastest growing crimes in America are Identity theft. Identity thieves are dishonest people that’s steals ones information or identity through ones Social Security number. Most of the time identity thieves use your number and your credit to apply for more credit in your name. Then, they use the credit cards and do not pay the bills. It’s a cankerworm that is eating deep into the American economy. This essay however looks at ways by which a social security number can be fixed. Social security number as a form of identity is a confidential and private number given to every citizen of United States. However, thieves get social security numbers through stealing wallets, purses, personal information provided to an unsecured site on the Internet, among others. When a social security number is stolen, there are some specific steps to take in order to get it fixed. In the first instance, a call would be made to the creditors who approved the credit (follow up with a letter). Also, a report would be filed with the police. After that, a contact would be made with the fraud department of the major credit bureaus in the country in order to make some rectifications. Finally, if all have been done to fix the problems resulting from misuse of the social security number but nevertheless someone is still using the number, then a new number may be assigned by the Federal Trade Commission subject to some stringent conditions and restrictions. REFERENCES 1. Advisory Council on Social Security. 1997. Report of the 1994- 1996 Advisory Council on Social Security (Washington: Government Printing Office). 2. Boice Dunham Group, Inc. 1993. The Nature and Scale of Economically-Targeted Investments by the 104 Largest U. S. Public Pension Plans, Prepared for Goldman Sachs. 3. Diamond, Peter A. 1997. Macroeconomic Aspects of Social Security Reform, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 2.

Brand Improvement Recommendations for Toyota

Brand Improvement Recommendations for Toyota Introduction The modern age of business can be defined as age of competition. The competition within an industry is gradually increasing with the expansion of business as many new players are entering into the market. There are several reasons behind this intensifying competition. Firstly, globalisation is one of the primary reasons for expansion of trade and business that lead to increase competition. Many business organisations have found greater opportunities in overseas market, and free trade policies and agreements between multiple countries facilitated their market expansion programs. The domestic markets have turned into global markets that heightened competition rivalry among existing domestic and new multinational enterprises. Since last two decades, the society has been experiencing a rapid technological improvement. The technological advancements have led to change the structure entire trade and business. The management tasks and operational process are now backed with technology like e-commerce and e-business. A better grip of technological advancement helps a business organisation to gain an upper hand position. Finally, enhancing economic condition of consumers and increasing their disposable income have strengthened their purchasing power. This has also changed their consumer buying behaviours and they have developed their specific brand preferences (Vashisht, 2005, p.68). In the modern and competitive business world, business organisations always try to position itself in market for avoiding unnecessary competitions. In this process they aim to achieve strong competitive advantages and core competencies that enable them to gain upper hand position in the market. There are multiple ways to achieve competitive advantages; however, brand development is the most preferred way for creating high business value. The increasing demands of brand development is due to two primary factors i.e. urge for acquiring higher market share and increasing concern towards consumer value. The modern management style and thought process of decision makers have transformed. The modern management concept more focuses on long term benefits by creative a sustainable businesses environment where stakeholders wealth and value creation is the first priority. When a company is able to meet these responsibilities towards stakeholders, society, community and environment, it is able t o create a high brand image in the market. Managements in modern organisation culture follow management theories and models which are very effective in achieving common organisational goal. In this respect, they concentrate on two-way communicational system within cross-functional teams and with its consumers. For example, the existing management system deliberately tries to implement integrated marketing communication that focuses on better marketing strategy for enhancing consumer values. These efforts made by the modern managements are very helpful in brand development and hence, they try to draft specific plans for branding strategies. This paper will attempt to deal with brand improvement strategies for Toyota Motor Corporation and primary aim of this paper is to offer a plausible set of recommendations based on findings of primary research and secondary research data analysis. At first, a brief description of Toyota Corporation will be offered to understand fundamentals of it. The second section will explain the research question and objective based on which the entire research methodology will be constructed to obtain viable and valid results. The third section will present theoretical background and models relating to marketing and branding. Marketing and branding are interrelated with each other and the later is an integral part of marketing. Multiple marketing theories and models are very helpful for brand development. Moreover, many scholars have developed brand specific theories and models which facilitate brand management tasks. The fourth section will include the research methodology, and research framewo rk will be framed as per the requirements of this research paper. Finally, based on data analyses and its findings, the entire project will be summarized and a set of credible recommendation will be developed. Chapter 1 A Company Overview: Toyota Motor Corporation Toyota Motor Corporation is a multinational automobile company and it is famous as Toyota in global market. The company is a Japan-based company and it is present in the most of the international markets. Sakichi Toyoda laid the foundations of automobile company and latter, in 1933, his son Kiichiro Toyoda opened an automobile department after conducting an extensive research on engines powered by gasoline. Automobile department was known as Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd. One of the sister company of Toyota, called Hinode Motors (now known as Aichi Toyota) introduced its first A1 prototype cars and G1 truck during 1935. In 1937, Kiichiro Toyoda established Toyota Motor Company Ltd. and in 1938 he started producing SB trucks in its Honsha plant in 1938 (Toyota-a, 2011). Toyota brought a revolution in automobile industry of Japan during 1930s to 1950s by incorporating innovation and growth oriented business model. At present, Toyota is one of the leading and the largest automobile manufacturing in the world. It is also one of the pioneers in automobile innovation which is the companys core value. The technological expertise is prime competitive advantage that has helped the company to cater the global automobile market. Since the inception of Toyota, the company is committed to produce reliable and value added vehicles, Innovation is the major tool for the company and it also uses its technological expertise in meeting social and environmental responsibilities. In order to operate in the global market, the company has formed its seven specific guidelines and principles. These principles mainly include with business ethics, respects and honour for every country and its culture, and develop a growth oriented organisation with the business partners etc (Toyota-b, 2011). Presently, Toyotas global headquarter is at Toyota City, Aichi of Japan and its president and representative director is Akio Toyoda. As of March 31, 2010, the company owned nearly 397.05 billion yen of capital. It has a number of subsidiaries and affiliated companies over the world and currently, it has nearly 320,590 employees in its international business (Toyota-f, 2011). Currently, Toyota is trying to use its innovation for bringing development in the society and environment. The company has realized increasing negative impacts of industrialization and carbon emission from increasing number of vehicle. Therefore, the company is now focusing on eco-friendly cars like hybrid and electronic cars. Toyota has identified three major environmental issues relating to its vehicle manufacturing and hence, it has developed and incorporated necessary steps for making the things better for environment. Firstly, it attempts to enhance its transmission and engine efficiency by downsizing measures. Secondly, energy management is another major task for Toyota in this respect. Finally, for reducing overall vehicle load, it tries to lessen rolling resistance, air drag and vehicle mass (Toyota-c, 2011). Quality and safety are two major parameters for Toyota and hence, the company strive to bring constant development in its operational and management process. Toyotas production system â€Å"is steeped in the philosophy of the complete elimination of all waste imbuing all aspects of production in pursuit of the most efficient methods† (Toyota-d, 2011). The global operation of Toyota is primarily based on two concepts of modern management. â€Å"The first is called jidoka (which can be loosely translated as automation with a human touch) which means that when a problem occurs; the equipment stops immediately, preventing defective products from being produced† (Toyota-d, 2011). The second concept is the just-in-time process that helps it to maintain a smooth process of operation without maintaining high inventory. Table 1: Consolidated Vehicle production As Toyota has been able to capture significant share of market in these regions, its financial position has been quite strong. The following table and graph present key financial performance indicator and sales revenue by region. Table 2: Consolidated Performance As per the above figure and table, during 2009, Toyota faced loss due to the effect of global economic crisis. However, with the recovering economy, the company has been able to regain high profitability. From Japan and North American market, Toyota earns the highest revenue. Besides, from other markets like Europe and Asia, the company generates high revenue. Toyota was in the face of a grim crisis when one of its leading models of the Lexus and Prius brand was badly hit by a series of manufacturing defects in the US which led to loss of innocent lives. The company had to pay a major price for this defect as its public relations strategy was widely criticised. In addition to this the company had to face major lawsuits which led to payment of hefty fines by the company and large scale product recall that had a wide impact on the brand image of the organization. The discussions have pointed out the fundamental features and condition of Toyota that make it a successful company in the global automobile market. The efficient operations with technological expertise are the primary base of the company. In each market, it has developed trust and confidence among the target consumer group and hence, it has been able to capture higher market share. Research Question The research paper will be looking at the branding strategies which Toyota may adopt to augment its tarnished brand image. The discussion will be carried out with an analysis of earlier branding strategies of Toyota. Adding to it, some relevant branding strategies of other leading organisations will also be taken into account; so that, an appropriate branding framework can be developed for the company taking references from the company as well as its competitors. Chapter 2 Literature Review Branding â€Å"[Branding is] a 15-second elevator pitch that every employee in the organization can not only get and articulate, but can talk about their role in bringing that to life† -Davis, M. S. (Wiley, 2003, p.1). In todays competitive world of business, marketing and advertising have significant contribution to create ‘branding of any product or service or may be of a whole organisation. The significant portion of branding has experienced a dramatic shift in the last few decades. Both the traditional branding and the role of brands were subject to continual review and redefinition. According to Kotler, a brand can be defined as â€Å"the name associated with one or more items in the product line that is used to identify the source of character of the item† (Guzman, n.d., p.1). The American Marketing Association (AMA) has defined a brand as a name, sign, term, design symbol, design or a combination of them which are intended to categorize the products and services offered by one seller or group of sellers. The brands are also used to differentiate them from those of their competitors. Keller has expressed a different view. According to him, whenever an organisation introduces a new name, symbol or logo for a new product, he or she has created a brand. However, today those brands mean much more than that. According to these definitions, in simple term it would not be wrong to say that the brands act as identifiers. Earlier, brands and brand building processes would be thought as just another step towards the marketing or selling off products. Since a long time, brands were treated as a secondary step of the marketing process. According to Kotler, branding has become a significant issue in the product strategy. The brand communication strategy has its focus towards representation of the brand and the creation of the brand image. In the year 2000, Aaker and Joachimsthaler mentioned that as per the traditional branding model, the objective is to develop the brand image (Ali, 2007). The brand image is a strategy element driving the short term results of the product as well as the organisation. In the year 1997, Kapferer mentioned that the brand is an external sign whose responsibility is to disclose the hidden qualities of the product or service (Nijte, 2005, p.20). In todays competitive business environment, the challenge is to develop a string and distinctive image. The brand is expected to serve as the identifier of a product by displaying the distinguishing elements from the competition. Powerful brands develop meaningful metaphors in the consumers minds. The meaningful images are created through development of brand image and enhancement of reputation by differentiating and potentially having an affirmative influence on the consumers buying behaviour. The Keller Model has a considerable contribution in the branding theory. The model has identified the concept of customer based brand equity and the brand hierarchy. According to Keller, brand equity is the effect that the brand knowledge would have on the consumer response to the brand marketing, which would have the effect happening when the brand is known and the customers would possess favourable, strong and unique brand associations. This customer-based Brand Equity (CBBE) model has identified about four steps, representing the questions asked by the customers and displaying a branding ladder. In this model, each of the steps is dependent on the achievement of the earlier one. All these steps consist of six brand building blocks which would have a number of sub-dimensions. While building a strong brand, the objective is to reach at the apex of the pyramid where there would exist a harmonious relationship with the customers. At the very first stage, this model should represent a correct brand identity by answering the customers question ‘Who are you?. The aim is to develop an identification of the respective brand and display an association with the respective product class or the specific requirements. The initial stage involves of the brand building block ‘salience. The next step considers the question ‘What are you?. The question is answered through the establishment of brand meaning in their minds and associating the brand with certain properties. In this step, there are two brand building blocks: performance and imagery. The following step is ‘brand response, whereas the appropriate customer responses to the brand identification and meaning are brought out. This step is also achieved with two building blocks judgement and feelings and answers the question- What about you? The final step in the model is ‘brand relationships where the brand response is transformed to a passionate, active loyalty relationship between the customers and the brand. This stage addresses the customer question -What about you and me? The final brand building block is ‘resonance which is at the apex of the pyramid. â€Å"Kellers conceptual framework provides guidance in building, measuring and managing brand equity. While Keller claims that the model can be applied in a B2B context and a consumer environment, it does not appear to have been tested for industrial brands. The similarities and differences between business and consumer markets have long been debated with organisational buyers found to differ in many ways, suggesting that the application of such a model in a B2B setting will pose challenges† (Kuhn Alpert, n.d., p.3). Today, there has been a considerable shift in the brand management processes. Concerning with the brand management process, Aaker and Joachmisthaler have discussed the traditional branding model where the brand management team would be responsible for creating and coordinating with the brands management programs (Guzman, n.d.). In such a case, the brand manager was not at the top of the management hierarchy and his focus used to be the short term financial results of both the brands and products in the respective markets. The basic objective has been the coordination with the manufacturing and sales departments. The coordination is necessary in order to solve any problem associated with sales and market share. According to this strategy, the responsibility of the brand has solely been the concern of the marketing department. In general, majority of the companies thought that focusing on the latest advertising campaign would mean concentrating on the brand itself. The model is strateg ically significant and reactive rather than being creative and visionary. The brand has always been referred to as more like a series of tactics and never like any strategy. In 1997, Kapferer has mentioned that before the 1980s, a different approach was there towards the brands (Kapferer, 1997, p.23). Earlier, the organizations wished to purchase a producer of pasta and chocolate. After 1980, the consumers are looking for Buitoni and KitKat. Such an instance displays the fact that earlier, the consumers were not bothered about the brands; rather they were more focused on the required product. However, after 1980, the consumers are aware of the product names. Buitoni has established the brand name in pasta and KitKat has marked its position in the world of chocolate. This distinction is quite significant. In the first case, the organizations wish to purchase the production capacity and in the later years, they want to create a place in the consumers minds. In other words, the shift in the focus towards the brand would start as it was understood that the brands are more than plain identifiers. According to Kapferer, a brand serves eight functions: Identifi cation, Practicality, Guarantee, Optimization, Characterization, Continuity, Hedonistic and Ethical. Identification of the brand would enable the consumer to clearly see, make sense of the offer and to quickly identify the required after products (Kapferer, 1997, p.29). Practicality would enable the consumers to save on time and energy through identical purchasing and loyalty. Among the other function, optimization is significant one to make the customers sure of finding the same quality indifferent to the time and place of the product or service. The characterization in brand management reflects the confirmation of the product or service image, presented to others. There must be continuity in the brand which is supposed to bring in satisfaction through familiarity and intimacy with the brands, which were used or consumed by the customers since a long period. The brand is supposed to bring in satisfaction linked to the brand attractiveness; the brand is required to be hedonistic. Th e brand is also required to be ethical as satisfaction of the consumers must come through reasonable behavior of the products and those must be reflected in its relationship towards the society. Among these eight functions, the first two are quite mechanical and are concerned with the essence of the respective brands. The brands are expected â€Å"to function as recognized symbol to facilitate choice and to gain time† (Guzman, n.d., p.2). The next steps are meant for reducing the apparent risk and the final three steps are related with the pleasure side of any brand. The brand value emerges from its ability to attain an exclusive, positive and significant mark in the minds of a large customer base. As a consequence, the organizations must carry out branding and brand building to develop the brand value. He has perceived the brand value to be in monetary terms and accounted the same in the intangible assets. However, according to Doyle, brands fail to explore the value creatin g opportunities if the managers pursue strategies, not oriented to maximize the shareholders value (Guzman, n.d.). There are four factors which could be there in the consumers minds and which could be combined to establish the perceived value of any product or service brand. This would also determine the â€Å"brand awareness; the level of perceived quality compared to competitors; the level of confidence, of significance, of empathy, of liking; and the richness and attractiveness of the images conjured up by the brand† (Guzman, n.d.). According to the theory by Kapferer, adding brand image, perceived quality, evocations, familiarity to the brand awareness would create the brand assets which can also be thought as the brand added value perceived by the customers (Kapferer, 1997, p.123). Deducting both cost of branding and cost of invested capital from the same would be equal to the finance value of the brand or brand equity value. Brand Identity ‘Identity is very significant for any individual or for any entity to make others feel its presence. In case of marketing, it is very necessary to remain in the mind of target consumers and in the market. It is very important for any business organisation to create a unique identity in market and this identity is very crucial for generating sales revenue. The business organisations or companies can develop identity as per its corporate name, product or services. There are some examples of such identity. Xerox Corporation is a world renowned company that offers printers, copiers, scanners, projectors etc. The company was very successful for its photocopier machines. It used it corporate brand name for marketing the photocopier machines and now, the photocopier machines are now famous as ‘Xerox Machines. Another famous example of developing identity using product name is ‘Marlboro Cigarette. It is the worlds largest selling cigarette brand manufactured by Altria Group Philip Morris International. The companys corporate identity is not so popular but it is popular for its product identity i.e. Marlboro. However, the above examples have been explained to make understand the importance of identity for being successful in market and for being famous among the target consumers groups. Therefore, every company must try to build its unique identity though its corporate name, product or services. Each product or services and each company have its own unique identity and consumers perceptions for each identity are different from other competing product. For example, consumers perceive Mercedes as premium brand as it offers its premium cars to very niche market. On the other hand, Wal-Mart is perceived as low-cost brand as it offers ‘every day low price to its consumers (Talley, 2011). Both the companies (Mercedes and Wal-Mart) have developed their own typical identity as per their core marketing approaches. The above discussion has focused on importance and some example of identity. In marketing this identity is known as ‘brand identity. Different scholars and critics have presented their views regarding brand identity and how it is important for companies for their sustainability in a market. In this respect, Jean-Noà «l Kapferer has related the brand identity with globalisation. He has offered the definition of brand identity from the globalization perspectives. He believes that brand identity must help a company in globalising of its brand image. He has explained that â€Å"the brand must have as identity that will serve as medium for its globalisation, in both tangible and intangible terms† (Kapferer, 2008, p.488). Sometimes, brand identity and brand image is considered to be similar or identical but these two terms are very different from others. The brand image of company or of a product can be defined through the others perception i.e. consumers view; whereas, brand identity is a companys attempt to project itself before its target consumers (Wilson and Blumenthal, 2008, p.58). Therefore, it can be defined that brand image is an outcome of an attempt to develop brand identity among the consumers groups. Hence, building brand identity is very crucial step for buildings brand image. In the process of framing brand strategy, establishment of brand identity is the foremost task for a company as it offers a company purpose, aim, direction and proper significance to a brand. In order to explain a brand identity, Aaker has identified three prime components in a brand identity. The following diagram shows these three components. As per the above figure, three essentials of brand identity are core identity, brand essence and extended identity. The core identity refers to the â€Å"timeless center of the brand† that must consist of basic features of a company like its values, ethics, belief etc (Salver, 2009, p.41). Brand essence can be defined as soul of a companys brand that makes the core brand more comprehensible, accessible and valuable. The extended brand helps to add more value to the core brands identity. These three components are not basic integral part of a brand strategy but understanding of brand identity helps brand managers in recognising the prevailing brand position (Salver, 2009, p.41). Toyota has attempted to develop its brand identity for each of its brand product like Lexus, Prius, Innova, Corolla etc. The brand identity is basically determined by specific features of the product. For example, Toyota Prius has been able to develop its brand identity among the tech-savvy and environmentally conscious people and Lexus had gained its specific brand identity among the luxury car market. Lexus has been a premium brand for its target consumers as they perceive Lexus as high quality and value added vehicle. Toyota has successfully understood the core brand identifies and brand essence, and it has promoted its distinct brand products in accordance to target market (Toyota-h, 2011). Brand Building To establish the strong brands in a cheaper, better and faster way, the organisations require pursuing a different, effective and efficient approach altogether to the brand building. The cornerstone of the brand building is the fusion of future economics, organisational capabilities and customer insights. Brand building demands the organisations to focus more on the segments which would drive the organisation develop organisation propositions and deliver products according to the customers preferences (McKinsey Company, n.d., p.12). Brand Awareness In the above sections of literature review, the importance and explanation of brand image have been discussed. However, without proper understandings of brand identity and brand awareness, the brand image cannot be formed for target market. A company can build a higher brand image in the mind of consumers when it is able to successfully create its pre-determined brand identity through brand awareness programs. Therefore, the importance and understanding of brand awareness is significant in brand image building process. For building a strong brand, it is necessary to incorporate brand identity and brand awareness. The following model shows the importance and correlation between brand identity, brand awareness and brand image. The above model shows that in the process of brand building, brand identity and brand awareness are the two primary areas followed by brand image association, brand quality, brand loyalty and brand broadening. As per the above figure, brand loyalty is an outcome of brand image that is an effect of successful creation of brand identity and brand awareness. Brand loyalty provides a company a competitive advantage over its key competitors that helps it to counter and avoid unnecessary competition. Brand loyalty can be defined from the availability of brand loyal consumers. However, Knox and Walker has identified that there is significant difference between brand loyalty and repetitive purchasing (Ranchhod and Marandi, 2007, p.80). They explained that â€Å"this lack of clarity has led to a great deal of difficulty in interpreting many of the brand loyalty studies† (Ranchhod and Marandi, 2007, p.80). However, they also admitted that brand loyalty also includes the repetitive purchasing and word-of-mouth marketing from consumers end. Therefore in order to develop significant amount consumers, plausible brand awareness programs are inevitable for a company. Brand awareness defines the strength of a brand in a consumers mind, and a strong effect of brand awareness determines the longevity of brands image in target consumers mind. According to Keller, brand awareness includes performance of brand recall and brand recognition. Bran recall refers to consumers ability to regain a brand from their past experiences while making any buying decision. Brand recognition is consumers knowledge regarding a specific brand. The consumer should be able to recognise their brand when they are given wide ranges of choices. McLoughlin and Aaker have been able to understand major draw backs in implementing brand awareness programs for a company. They believe that, most of the companies consider brand awareness as a promotional mix and hence, they more focuses on promoting a product rather than brand development or brand awareness. Brand awareness is also very necessary for creating brand equity. McLoughlin and Aaker have designed a model showing brand aware ness and its important outcomes. As per the above figure, brand awareness is directly related to brand equity which includes brand related assets and liabilities. Successful implementation of brand awareness and better brand equity lead to develop higher brand loyalty and brand association of consumers. While discussing about the brand awareness, it is necessary to deal with the consumers buying behaviours. Brand awareness deals with consumers perception for an offered brand that helps them in recalling the past experiences while buying. The influences of brand awareness are very substantial in the process of making a buying decision. Gustafson and Chabot have provided five major steps for planning and implementing brand awareness. These five major steps are given below. Cleary identify and understand potential target consumers and market Develop a unique name, slogan, and logo for a company or for offer product brand Offer value added features and services along with offered branded product or services Effective promotional mix and advertising focusing on brand creation Develop proper public relation with consumers by following-up the post-sales period (Gustafson and Chabot, 2007) The above steps are very helpful in establishing a strong brand awareness programs to build brand image in the mind of target consumers. Recently, Toyota has faced a drastic brand crisis in its Swedish market due to quality issues. It caused to develop a negative brand image in the mind of target consumers. Moreover, in American market, the company faced a crisis, and mass media played very active role in spreading the ‘Toyota crisis news. However, due to previous effective brand awareness programs, certain group of loyal consumers were not influenced by that crisis news. This case provides an evidence for the importance of brand awareness creation in the mind of the target consumers. On the other hand, the prevailing management of Toyota was not able to cope up with that crisis situation. In such situation, management could have restructured its entire brand awareness program to maintain its corporate image (Feng, 2010). Brand Positioning Brand Positioning can best be described as the process of identifying the niche of the market for a certain brand. This can be assumed as one of the oldest marketing tricks as it was found as early as in 1969. During the start of marketing policies the organizations focused only on the benefits which took them away from competition in the market which may also form differentiation. When we talk about the term ‘positioning we need to realize what it actually means. It can be defined as making a place in the customers memory, providing them with reasons or characteristics of brands that would make them choose their brands instead of same brands in the industry from different

Home Tech Essay -- essays research papers

The Toilet Yes...those tales you've heard are true. The toilet was first patented in England in 1775, invented by one Thomas Crapper, but the extraordinary automatic device called the flush toilet has been around for a long time. Leonardo Da Vinci in the 1400's designed one that worked, at least on paper, and Queen Elizabeth I reputably had one in her palace in Richmond in 1556, complete with flushing and overflow pipes, a bowl valve and a drain trap. In all versions, ancient and modern, the working principle is the same. Tripping a single lever (the handle) sets in motion a series of actions. The trip handle lifts the seal, usually a rubber flapper, allowing water to flow into the bowl. When the tank is nearly empty, the flap falls back in place over the water outlet. A floating ball falls with the water level, opening the water supply inlet valve just as the outlet is being closed. Water flows through the bowl refill tube into the overflow pipe to replenish the trap sealing water. As the water level in the tank nears the top of the overflow pipe, the float closes the inlet valve, completing the cycle. From the oldest of gadgets in the bathroom, let's turn to one of the newest, the toothpaste pump. Sick and tired of toothpaste squeezed all over your sink and faucets? Does your spouse never ever roll down the tube and continually squeezes it in the middle? Then the toothpaste pump is for you! When you press the button it pushes an internal, grooved rod down the tube. Near the bottom of the rod is a piston, supported by little metal flanges called "dogs", which seat themselves in the grooves on the rod. As the rod moves down, the dogs slide out of the groove they're in and click into the one above it. When you release the button, the spring brings the rod back up carrying the piston with it, now seated one notch higher. This pushes one-notch's-worth of toothpaste out of the nozzle. A measured amount of toothpaste every time and no more goo on the sink. Refrigerators Over 90 percent of all North American homes with electricity have refrigerators. It seems to be the one appliance that North Americans can just not do without. The machine's popularity as a food preserver is a relatively recent phenomenon, considering that the principles were known as early as 1748. A liquid absorbs heat from its surroundings when it evaporates into a gas; a gas release... ... alone are sold every day in North America. Ink feeds by gravity through five veins in a nose cone, usually made of brass, to a tungsten carbide ball. During the writing process, the ball rotates, picking up a continuous ink supply through the nose cone and transferring it to the writing paper. The ball is a perfect sphere, which must fit precisely into the extremely smooth nose cone socket so that it will rotate freely yet be held tightly in place so that there is an even ink flow. Although it sounds deceptively simple, perhaps the most amazing thing about ball-point pens is the ink. Why doesn't it just run out the end? Why doesn't it dry up in the plastic cartridge? Bic describes the ink as "exclusive, fast-drying, yet free flowing". The formula is, of course, secret. In the 19th century, writer and thinker Ralph Waldo Emerson expressed a fear that perhaps we all feel to some extent, that "things are in the saddle and ride Mankind". But with the help of good household reference books, friendly reference librarians, and helpful manufacturers only too willing to help consumers understand their products, we can at least get a rein on the technology in our homes.

Comparing the Role of Women in Their Eyes Were Watching God and Go Tell

Role of Women in Their Eyes Were Watching God and Go Tell It On the Mountain Literature is a reflection of the community from which it comes. Understanding the role of women in the African-American community starts by examining the roles of women in African-American literature. The portrayal of women in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) and James Baldwin's Go Tell it on the Mountain (1952) provides tremendous insight into the role of African-American women. Their Eyes Were Watching God examines the relationship between Janie and her grandmother, who plays the role of mother in Janie's life. It also looks at the different relationships that Janie had with her three husbands. Janie's grandmother was one of the most important influences in her life, raising her since from an infant and passing on her dreams to Janie. Janie's mother ran away from home soon after Janie was born. With her father also gone, the task of raising Janie fell to her grandmother, Nanny. Nanny tells Janie "Fact uh de matter, Ah loves yuh a whole heap more'n Ah do yo' mama, de one Ah did birth" (Hurston 31). Nanny's dream is for Janie to attain a position of security in society, "high ground" as she puts it (32). As the person who raised her, Nanny feels that it is both her right and obligation to impose her dreams and her ideas of what is important in life on Janie. The strong relationship between mother and child is important in the African-American community, and t he conflict between Janie's idyllic view of marriage and Nanny's wish for her to marry for stability and position is a good illustration of just how deep the respect and trust runs. Janie has a very romantic notion of what marriage should be. "She saw a dust-bearing... ... the children.    Works Cited and Consulted Baldwin, James. Go Tell it on the Mountain (1952). New York: Bantam-Dell, 1952. Bourn, Byron D. â€Å"Women's Roles in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God and James Baldwin's Go Tell It On the Mountain† Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). : Urbana, Ill.: U of Illinois P, 1937. Kubitschek, Missy Dehn. " ‘Tuh de Horizon and Back': The Female Quest in Their Eyes Were Watching God.† Modern Critical Interpretations: Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Pondrom, Cyrena N. "The Role of Myth in Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God." American Literature 58.2 (May 1986): 181-202. Williams, Shirley Anne. Forward. Their Eyes Were Watching God. By Zora Neale Hurston. New York: Bantam-Dell, 1937. xv.

Behavior and personality development Essay

A person’s behavior and attitude at any point of time is the resultant effect of all factors acting on the individual. The factors, each contribute in its own way and at varying levels, having a positive effect, a negative effect, a soothening effect or even a precipitating effect. The individual then reacts as a consequence of all combined effects. There are several parameters involved in the development of behavioral patterns including cognitive-social, biological, emotions, gender, person-situation, culture, ethnicity etc. These factors effect differently, for each individual since the level of perception and understanding is varied. It should be noted here that there may be several other factors too that influence behavior patterns, that have not yet been recognized. The cognition-social perception of an individual plays an important role in the building up of the individual’s personality. Although there is a debate of whether cognition gives rise to emotions or emotions give rise to cognition, the resultant reaction has wide social perceptions. The term ‘cognition’ in emotion elicitation includes all simple sensory information processing to very complex processing. The emotion – cognition – interaction is the study on the integrative aspects of research in emotion, cognition and the interaction between the two. The complex association between emotion and cognition is analyzed using knowledge and methods from the separate fields of research. Emotions are not always associated with facial expressions. Face recognition and object recognition are performed through different functions by different areas within the brain. Several disorders like alexia, prosopagnosia and visual agnosia develop when recognition process is impaired. Social cognition attempts to relate personal-social development with intellectual development. The process of cognitive development occurs through four universal stages of infancy; toddler and early childhood; elementary and early adolescence; and, adolescence and adulthood. The development in each stage is associated with an increased level of thinking. Cognition is an important aspect of behavior development. An individual perceives a situation based on his cognitive inputs and responds appropriately. Thus feelings of sadness, happiness, anger, guilt etc. , are produced as a result of cognition. As for me, I don’t tolerate anyone talking to me in a high pitch or commanding tone. In such cases, I deliberately don’t cooperate, even if the speaker wants to help or oblige me. Gender too plays an important role in social developments. Women have been traditionally expected to perform their domestic family roles as obedient wives and daughters. They were mainly more perceived to be sexual objects in a male dominated society, with primary interests in homemaking and caring, till the end of the century. This indifference in sociology can be mainly attributed to men’s identity as the dominant social player associated with force of character while women are associated with their weaknesses and passive role. The relationship between crime and gender has been immense throughout the long period of offence observation. Men and women have differing offence rates and offence patterns, both as offenders and as victims. The opportunities and capabilities of men and women for crime are different, which is reflected in their crime pattern. The sex of offenders has always been recorded throughout the history of criminal record keeping. Lady police officers and corrections officers are also needed to tune in, to fit into the gendered criminal justice system, although their lives are very different from that of women offenders or victims. Women were allowed to take up positions of police patrol officers and corrections officers only in the 1970s. This too was achieved through several legislative changes and civil rights movements. While positions have been opened for women in the male dominated fields like policing and corrections, women are faced with challenges as to what are appropriate or not appropriate women activities, given their traditional attitude on such activities. The social role of women had been had been largely restricted, although the situation has changed considerably. However gender based perception, attitude and reaction to situations persist. I am particularly careful in my dealings with women, because I find it difficult to convince them compared to men, although they don’t argue or threaten like men. It has been established by biocriminology that heredity and body organ dysfunctions can induce an inclination in social interaction. Modern researches indicate that chromosomal abnormalities, hormonal and brain chemical imbalances, diet, drugs and alcohol are factors that contribute to aggressive and criminal behavior. The hormone ‘testosterone’ in men has been identified as the main cause of aggression and crime committed by most men. Several case studies indicate that certain foods or food constituents induce neuropsychological disorders in the form of allergic or pharmacologic reactions which may even lead to chemical imbalances in the brain, resulting in behavioral disorders. Adoption and twin studies too indicate that genetic influences play a major role in development of criminal behavior. Molecular genetic investigations and epidemiological studies suggest that criminal activity may be genetically linked to mental abnormality. Prenatal disturbances or altered normal fetal development due to maternal smoking in pregnancy period is linked to violent offsprings. Reading deficits are sometimes developed in impulsive aggressive people, which could be attributed to their early school experiences. Here, impulsive and aggressive acts are caused due to inability in discriminating visual information during social situations. Biology is an important determinant of behavior and social response. Although I don’t perceive any behavior type as due to any specific food pattern, I do believe that group behavior or specific instincts of groups has to do with their biological response. Cultural differences and its influence on behavior have been extensively studied by behavioral scientists mainly during the 1940s and the 1960s. Cross-cultural psychology is very important in understanding the psychological framework of inter personal behavior. Interpersonal behavior is a vital aspect of human daily activity and is greatly influenced by culture. In recent times, this relationship between culture and individual behavior is more explored through empirical studies rather than historical or philosophical enquiries. Findings of such studies indicate that culture moulds and defines individual attitude as much as it determines our values, our ways of thinking and our social relationships. Culture is in fact a major criteria in the determination of human behavior. Culture together with the physical environment represent one of the two important external factors that mould human behavior. These factors in combination with internal influential factors of biological and psychological aspects constitute the main determinants of human behavior. Culture is inhibited by both internal and external representations. External representation of culture is seen in institutions of education, politics, religion and economy while it is internally represented through values, worldviews, beliefs etc. All these forces act simultaneously on an individual at any given point of time. Perhaps most of the conflict and confrontation in today’s world may be attributed to cultural differences. Clash of cultures and adherence to rigid cultural beliefs, keeps up tension between communities. A mutual respect and understanding of each others culture and values is essential for the upliftment of any society. I find it difficult to live a normal life where cultural tolerance is not practiced. I personally feel that culture intolerance is a sign of undeveloped cultures. The individual at any point of time is also subject to a given situation. It is this simultaneous interaction of the person and the situation, which ultimately derives the behavior. Therefore, behavior can be described as a person-situation interaction, which is under continuous adjustment. Normal or abnormal behavior is a continuous response to the person-situation forces. The attitude and behavior of mankind is influenced by several factors, which cannot be predicted or explained using any particular theory. These include cognition, biological, behaviorist, cognitive-social, existential-humanistic, person-situation, and gender, cultural and ethnicity. It must also be understood that similar factors cannot influence everyone to the same level. A combination of several such factors may perhaps explain a particular behavior pattern. Although the role of the parameters in the development of the behavior pattern is known, we cannot conclude that all factors contributing to the same have been identified, nor the level of contribution of each factor. Newer research needs to be done on the subject, to determine further influences, given the fact that technology and lifestyle are constantly evolving.