Diversity Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Diversity Paper - Essay Example The supportive personality is more introverted and team-oriented. They are supportive and helpful and thrive in interpersonal relationships. The cautious personality is also reserved and seeks consistency, value and is task-oriented. Their primary focus is on being accurate and correct in their assessments (Rohm, 2004). In addition to these underlying personality traits, many other factors play a role in determining a person’s personality and behavior such as gender, socioeconomic status and sexual orientation. Studies have shown, not surprisingly, that boys are quicker to openly display their temper than are girls. This is because girls are taught from a young age that angry displays are inappropriate and proper control of their emotions is a societal expectation for which they are rewarded. Socially acceptable behavior for girls includes being soft of voice at all times while vocal, outward displays of anger are intolerable. They are taught not to cause hurt feelings or be the cause of another’s anger. Gender stereotypes which are taught from a very early age reinforce to girls the importance of avoiding conflicts and to always act pleasantly, especially in a social setting. Females are expected to be attractive. The less physically attractive she is, the more the girl must take on a subservient role. Girls are also taught to manipulate a situation for their own benefit, but not to control it by being overbearing. There are those examples of girls who actively discard this stereot ype by rebelling against it often by means of intimidating those girls who fall under the ‘normal’ stereotype of which they are rebelling against. The abuse of sex, alcohol and drugs are common aspects of this rebellion. Males who adhere to society’s typical stereotype for suitable behavior and appearance believe they are masters of their own universe. If males are athletic and good-looking, they assume and society confirms that they are

Interracial Marriages Essay Example for Free

Interracial Marriages Essay In any marriage relationship, it is usual or rather natural to have some adjustments in its early stage. This is so because there is a high degree of expectations in both parties; and so, because these expectations are mostly â€Å"unrealistic,† to modify or adjust them are somewhat difficult to both sides. It is a fact that when two individuals come into a marriage union, they bring with them two different perspectives in almost all respects, and this is no different with interracial marriages. However, there are more at stake when racial backgrounds or ethnicity is the core issue, as studies reveal. Marriage and the fruit of the union – the family – is the basic unit of society and regarded as one of the most principal institutions of the social order. When marriages fail and families disintegrate, there is without a doubt a â€Å"ripple† effect on the community’s functioning in terms of that community’s solidity, and law and order. Although many facets of the relationship operate as components to the enjoyment and development of the marriage bond, the common and usual fundamental rationale for the union is intimacy. It is this vital ingredient that draws couples from different persuasions, race, or creed together despite the potential drawbacks and heartaches that will soon shake the very foundations of that union. This paper dwells on these potentialities in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of interracial marriages. The author believes that despite the difficulties and at times the impossibilities that complications beset interracial marriages, for as long as both parties or the individuals involved have explored beforehand the complexities, and settled for the facts and realities, their relationship is off to a better start. This paper then offers to describe and explain the polarities that entail in a marriage coming from two different ethnic or racial backgrounds. Definition demographics In US history, many things that speak of the American way of life are deeply affected and influenced on the issue of race and especially on cross-cultural marriages. Since its â€Å"pioneer† days, being attached with another not your own color, creed, or race is neither new, nor surprising. A study of endogamy’s other extreme, i. e. mixed marriage then and now is still quite of interest to many (Rosenfeld, 2007). To tackle the subject matter that this paper endeavors to explore, the author starts by defining the main concepts used throughout the study. Definition Marriage is defined as a â€Å"socially recognized and approved union between individuals† with the idea that both will commit themselves to a lifetime of togetherness in the hope that there will be stability and happiness that the couple will enjoy in their intimate relationship (Microsoft Encarta, 2005). Such relationship has legal, cultural, economic, moral, and psychological dimensions that may impinge on its eventual longevity and permanence. Miscegenation or â€Å"intermarriage between races†, according to Encarta, is defined as â€Å"marriage or cohabitation between people of different races† (2005). Demographics According to a study by Kara Joyner, assistant professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell and co-author of a study on interracial relationships in a recent issue of the American Sociological Review (Vol. 70:4), â€Å"Hispanics had the highest rate of interracial relationships: 45 percent of 18- to 19-year-olds and 33 percent of 24- to 25-year-olds were in interracial relationships in the early 2000s, compared with blacks (20 and 14 percent, respectively) and whites (16 and 12 percent, respectively† (Lang, 2005). Although Asians are comparatively the same with Hispanics in the aspects of interracial union in Joyner’s study, the ethnic group was not included due to lack of research yields when it comes to as when they likely get into their liaisons and when these end. However, in some studies, the case of Asians engaging in interracial marriage, demographics painted a different picture. Whereas in the case of Hispanics, Blacks, and Whites who intermarry, the surveys say that as they age, the tendency of these relationships’ potential to last dwindles, the Asians’ marriages tend to increase and last longer (Lang, 2005). The US Bureau of the Census points out that intermarriage is still â€Å"relatively uncommon† basing on a 2002 survey because only 2. 9 percent of all marriages come from interracial unions (Lang in Joyner study, 2005). Review of Literature Family Values Every home has its set of beliefs or tradition that they hold in high esteem. This is referred to as family values. Anything that the family believes is important comprises a family values system. This paper attempts to explain what family values are and how people uphold their beliefs and what makes them hold on to those beliefs in a highly individualistic country such as ours. Among the values an individual possesses, the most important I believe is that a person must regard most his/her values about family as the most significant. Many people don’t usually pause and contemplate what their values are. They may not know whether these values they already have are still practical or useful in a modern day world. Moreover, they do not think how their values fit in with their kind of milieu that they evolve in. (â€Å"Values: what are they? †2007). There are families that take time out though to impart to their children what had been passed on to them when they too were yet very young. The values may not be as strong as when were yet children because the person may have adapted to his world and adjusted his values that others may be accommodated. Through the years, a family value system may be a combination of what had been passed on to an individual and the values system of one’s friends or colleagues at work. Why are family values important? The primary reason is that what we hold as important affects how we use time, money and energy or how we interact with people. If a family believes the importance of education then parents try to save for the schooling of their children which includes books among others. Family values influence how we spend our resources and make decisions. Parents then need to communicate what their own family values are, why these are important and the specifics of what are most essential that the children must also adopt or follow. Children also need to respect others who have dissimilar value system as compared to their own. Most likely values will evolve but when parents lead the children and model these beliefs, their children will be able to learn and pass these on to the next generation (â€Å"Values: what are they? †2007). Social Clock The belief that there are descriptive and prescriptive age norms concerning adults during their developmental shift involves the concept of the social clock. The social clock hinges on its description of society’s expectations where time to get married and have children at the same time attaining more of life’s burdens. For example, the traditional or what has been considered as the perception of women who have not yet entered into matrimony as individuals who are negatively appraised during their middle adulthood stage in contrast to the young adults. Social clock has something to do with an expectation that a person must somehow behave or conduct him/herself according to established developmental milestones or else, risk the consequences that may happen because the individual has allowed it to slip through (Altenbernd, 2004).

Importance Of Diversity Training :: essays research papers

Diversity training has become a necessity in businesses today. Diversity training is necessary because of people’s differences in our work force. Some of these differences are race, gender, culture, age, and disabilities. Because our organization is so diverse, this program will help educate, sensitize and prepare people to get along in our workplace.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If done right, I feel that the training programs will bring our company promising results. One study by Katrina Jordan on diversity training in the workplace from the perspective of organization/human resources diversity practitioners and diversity consultants showed positive results. Some of the outcomes found in this study were changes in staff behavior, increases staff sensitivity, increased executive commitment, recognition that diversity training is not just a H.R function, etc. For some diversity training â€Å"empowers people by helping them to understand others and develop a world view beyond their own. As a result they know how to respond to and resolve differences that might otherwise interfere with their work†(Jordan).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Programs are made up to cover a wide range of topics. These topics include defining, developing and managing diversity, harassment prevention, cross cultural communication, and creating an affirming environment. Workers will be able to bring up their own specific topics as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Training sessions will be of two types. First we will have a series of speaker’s come in at least once every other week and talk to large groups no larger than 75 people. Also during the week between smaller groups of no more that 20 people will meet for discussions. All sessions will be held at times convenient to all employees. To try to create an informal environment we will serve coffee and donuts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the training programs to make a positive impact it is important for all levels of employees to take part. Training must begin from the top down. H.R participants say that it is essential for top executives to take part in these training sessions. Middle management will be stressed to attend, since they are doing a lot of interaction with people.

Royal Foolishness in King Lear Essay -- King Lear Essays

The presentation of persistent incompetence of the elite class would seem unlikely in a Shakespearean tragedy. Yes, it in turn led to the expected downfall of almost all principle characters, but there seems to be another element of the play of King Lear – shameful ridicule. The repetition of dishonesty, superficiality, and blatant ignorance serves as an overwhelming theme of the dysfunction of nobility. Indeed, one of the main aspects of King Lear is the representation of royalty’s foolishness. A clear example of the naiveness of the nobility is Regan’s hunger for power and wealth at an extent where she demonstrates little respect towards her own father – also her beneficiary. She insults his age and rudely implies that he no longer deserves the status of king and should pass it on to someone more capable. Ironically, she has the least potential for being an adequate ruler, â€Å"O sir, you are old†¦ You should be ruled and led by some discretion that discerns your state better than yourself† (II.iv.165-169). Her shameless remark touches upon Lear’s own flaws, his d...

Myopia of Learning Essay

Learning processes are powerful aids to intelligence but sometime they fail in coping with confusing experience and complicated problems because they do not take in consideration distant times, distant place and failures. The first step in overcoming these limitations is recognizing them and trying to avoid so they would not effect negatively in our performance. â€Å"Experience is often a poor teacher†. Drawing conclusion from experiences is common in the business world but we tend to forget that these conclusions are merely just point of views of went wrong or not with a decision. Learning from experiences can make you fall in repetition if you see that this way of doing things did actually brought the desired outputs. By doing so we tend to forget that not every issue has the same circumstances and qualities so the same thing that worked in another issue may not work in this task. Details and causality are two main factors that sometimes can guide you in a performance that can be successful or a failure. Experiences from the history of the organization are narrowed also by the memory, conflict, turnover, and decentralization that make it difficult to be a reliable source of experience. That is why sometime experiences give a misleading route in coping with problems. Learning is a process and people can perform differently. There are people that acquire knowledge at different paces; some are what we call fast learner and slow ones. If we put these two persons in the same start, the fast learner would learn quickly and perform the activity faster than the other one. This means that the other person would never have the chance to do something and this will narrow its possibilities to progress and learn. In an organization you will find people that are inactive because they do not have the chance to be active so you will tend to rely more on the faster learner. The manager will help more in building a wall that will end up by firing the slow learner. Learning gives you a broad image of the short-run activities but it fails to give you a solution to the long-run ones. For example now we learn things that maybe in some years will be irrelevant due to the advancing of the technology and globalization, that change the markets every minute we learn. That means that you stay stuck in time, even though the market is developing and changing. You tend to apply exploitation when maybe it is exploration time and tend to apply exploration when you should apply exploitation. This imbalance is due to the learning process because you tend to apply the easiest and quickest way of dealing with an issue In conclusion learning is a process that has limitations when we have temporal myopia (short-run goals are being overestimate), spatial myopia (effect that occurs near to the learner) and failure myopia (we tend not to recognize failure and attribute them to luck). If we avoid these limitations and try not to be influenced by biases, learning can be rewarding. Our life is a journey of learning only that not every issue can be alike, so there is no perfect solution to all our problems but there are approaches from our experience that can be changed to suit a new issue. Work Cited Levinthal,Daniel & March, James. The myopia of learning. Strategic Management Journal (1986-1988); Winter 1993; 14, Special issue; ABI/IFORM Global.

Monet Vs. Van Gough essays

Monet Vs. Van Gough essays Between 1858 and 1882 Monet painted 49 still lifes, and 21of them were of flowers. In his Chrysanthemums, the subject combined his interest in gardening and painting. A relation that was displayed even more after he moved to Giverny in 1883. Like his Bouquet of Sunflowers of 1881, this still life was probably painted when bad weather had driven the artist indoors. This still life display colors, rhythm, surface and touch to the fullest extent. In Van Goughs Oleanders, he believed that these flowers were joyous, and that they bloomed riotously were continually renewing themselves. In the painting the flowers are placed in a jug, which is symbolically adjacent to a book titled, La Joie de Vivre by Emile Zols. The flowers seem to be leaning towards the book, like how they would lean towards sunlight. Although they are opposites being Monet more classic and Van Gough, I like to call him, stylish, they both did their painting beautifully, the way the subject is brought to life with color. But what I truly loved was their totally different style and painting techniques. Monets style of painting where the subject appears to be blurry and being able to notice his delicate brush strokes in the petals of the flowers, along with his choice of colors give the painting a classic feel to it. You can see somewhat of a reflection of the vase and flowers on the table; again Monet uses his blurry technique. The light blue background giv es it a calming, peaceful effect. ...

The Bus Network essays

The Bus Network essays The world revolves around technology. Everywhere we go we are affected either directly or indirectly by technology. In fact, almost everything that surrounds us is a product of technology. Cell phones, beepers, television, radio; these are just a few basic examples of technological advancement in our human history. Of the many remarkable achievements of technology, there is one that stands out on all of them: Computers. Computers started out as very complex machines to use and can only perform limited tasks for the user. However, as time passed by, computers evolved as very useful machines and, moreover, became user-friendlier. Still, man did not stop there. For mans need of sharing information, they found a way of setting up computer networks. A network can be defined as an interconnection of two or more communicating entities, or simply, a computer system that links two or more computers. Networks can either be a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), or an Enterprise Network. A LAN is a data communications network in which the computers are close to each other, usually in the same office or building. LAN typically includes a collection of computers and peripherals; each computer and shared peripheral is an individual node on the network. A WAN is a communications network that extends over a long distance. WAN uses devices such as telepho ne networks, satellite dishes, or radio waves to span a larger geographic area than can be covered by a LAN. A MAN is a data network intended to serve an area the size of a large city. An Enterprise Network can either be a LAN, WAN, or MAN, however, an Enterprise Network is restricted to one organization. Now that we know the kinds of computer networks, have we ever wondered how these networks are connected to one another? Are these computers just plugged-in together by some kind of wire and then they ...

Nigersaurus - Facts and Figures

Nigersaurus - Facts and Figures Name: Nigersaurus (Greek for Niger lizard); pronounced NYE-jer-SORE-us Habitat: Woodlands of northern Africa Historical Period: Early Cretaceous (110 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 30 feet long and five tons Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Relatively short neck; hundreds of teeth in wide jaws About Nigersaurus Yet another Cretaceous feather in the cap of the globetrotting paleontologist Paul Sereno, Nigersaurus was a rather unusual sauropod, possessing a relatively short neck compared to the length of its tail; a flat, vacuum-shaped mouth packed with hundreds of teeth, arranged in about 50 columns; and almost comically wide jaws. Putting together these odd anatomical details, Nigersaurus seems to have been well adapted to low browsing; most likely it swept its neck back and forth parallel to the ground, hoovering up any vegetation within easy reach. (Other sauropods, which had much longer necks, may well have nibbled on the high branches of trees, though even this remains a matter of some dispute.) What many people dont know is that Paul Sereno didnt actually discover this dinosaur; the scattered remains of Nigersaurus (in northern Africas Elrhaz formation, in Niger ) were described by a French paleontologist in the late 1960s, and introduced to the world in a paper published in 1976. Sereno did, however, have the honor of naming this dinosaur (after studying additional fossil specimens) and publicizing it to the world at large. In typically colorful fashion, Sereno described Nigersaurus as a cross between Darth Vader and a vacuum cleaner, and also called it a Mesozoic cow (not an inaccurate description, if you ignore the fact that a full-grown Nigersaurus measured 30 feet from head to tail and weighed up to five tons!) Sereno and his team concluded in 1999 that Nigersaurus was a rebbachisaurid theropod, meaning it belonged to the same general family as the contemporary Rebbachisaurus of South America. Its closest relatives, however, were two intriguingly named fellow sauropods of the middle Cretaceous period: Demandasaurus, named after the Sierra la Demanda formation in Spain, and Tataouinea, named after the same bleak Tunisian province that may (or may not) have inspired George Lucas to invent the Star Wars planet Tatooine. (Yet a third sauropod, the South American Antarctosaurus, may or may not have been a kissing cousin as well.)

Trade union movement in Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Trade union movement in Britain - Essay Example The power of trade unions in countries around the world is not equal. In certain countries, such as Britain, the role of trade unions in promoting the rights of employees has been critical. Current paper presents the current state of trade union movement in Britain. In addition, the strategies that trade union movement in Britain employs to increase its influence are explained and evaluated. Through the literature published in regard to this subject it has been revealed that the current power of trade unions in Britain is limited, compared to the past. Radical changes in these unions’ policies and practices are required so that the power of trade union movement in Britain to return to high levels. 2. Trade union movement in Britain 2.1 Definitions In order to understand the various aspects of trade union movement in Britain it is necessary to present the definitions of certain terms, as these terms are closely related to the issues under discussion. The trade union has been de scribed as ‘a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their working lives’ (Sinha 2004, p.1). Through a similar point of view, a trade union reflects ‘a combination aiming to regulate the relations between workmen and masters†¦.’ (1913 Trade Union Act, in Jackson, 1982, p.69). Different approaches have been also used for describing trade unions. For instance, reference can be made to the definition of trade union as developed by Flanders in 1975: ‘unions should act in order to challenge capitalism’ (Gardner and Palmer 1997, p.86). The above definition, being influenced by Marx’s views on employment relations, focuses on the relationship between employment and politics and not so much on the rights of employees in the workplace. Reference should be also made to the definition of worker. According to the Employment Rights Act 1996 a worker is an individual that meets the fol lowing three requirements: ‘a) works under a contract, b) to carry out personal services and c) for the other party of the contract’ (Gennard and Judge 2005, p.102). In the context of another definition, an employee is considered to be ‘the person that works for another under the terms of compensation’ (Twomey 2009, p.78). The compensation of employees can be monetary or of other form (Twomey 2009). 2.2 Current state of trade union movement in Britain As in all countries where a trade union movement exists, in Britain also, the trade union movement focuses on ‘the protection of jobs and of wages’ (Padhi 2008, p.543). Moreover, trade unions have the power to check whether working conditions are kept at a specific level, in terms of quality and safety (Padhi 2008). The existence of trade unions is based on the following fact: the position of employees is less advantageous compared to that of their employers (Weiss 2008, p.357). This means that em ployees are not equally powerful with their employers when having to negotiate for their rights (Weiss 2008). This fact has led to the introduction of trade unions, as a means for increasing the power of employees towards their employers (Weiss 2008). The current status of trade union movement in UK can be characterized as rather discouraging. In fact, through the decades the failures of the efforts of union leaders to secure the support of Labour government towards the trade union movement, as analyzed below, have led to the decrease of the unions’

EXPLAIN WHY THE CHIEFDOMS OF THE PRE-COLOMBIAN CARRIBEAN ARE MORE Essay

EXPLAIN WHY THE CHIEFDOMS OF THE PRE-COLOMBIAN CARRIBEAN ARE MORE CLOSELY RELATED TO THOSE IN NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA THAN TEH CHIEFDOMS AND STATES IN MESOAMERICA - Essay Example The chiefdoms of the Pre-Colombian Caribbean were closely related to those of the Northern South America. They were different from the Mesoamerican state because of the societal classification that existed. Before the arrival of the European communities, Costa Rica was inhabited by diverse groups of people who had diverse cultures. It was principally divided into the intermediate are (isthmo-Colombian area) and the Mesoamerican area. The isthmo-Colombian area included the Caribbean and the South America. On the other hand, the Mesoamerican area extended from Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula to the Nicoya Peninsula (Diehls 17). The intermediate area was made up of different societies that were ruled by different chiefdoms. However, these communities would form alliances, vassalages and community ties despite lacking a sole authority. This enhanced the exchange of culture and rules of community organization these different societies. On the other hand, the Mesoamerican area was governed by a sole chiefdom (Adams 12). There was no specific interaction between the Intermediate and the Mesoamerican area. Pre-Colombian society also shared key characteristics with the northern South America society. Unlike Mesoamerica, the society was organized based on hereditary chiefdoms. The boundaries of the chiefdoms in pre-Colombia and Northern South America were demarcated by prominent geographical features or rivers. Most of the settlements were demarcated by forests. The eldest son was accorded the inheritance of chieftainship. This tradition was embraced by all of the non Mesoamerican chiefdoms (Adams 34). Another similarity of Pre-Colombian society with northern South American chiefdoms was in the housing structure. Grandchildren, children and parents lived under the same roof. This implied that clan houses harbored as many as 100 inhabitants (Bruhns 83).

Older Adults in Society Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Older Adults in Society - Assignment Example According to the study ageism â€Å"legitimates the use of chronological age to mark out classes of people who are systematically denied resources and opportunities that others enjoy, and who suffer the consequences of such denigration, ranging from well†meaning patronage to unambiguous vilification’. They further state that it may also give rise to various inherent negative beliefs concerning older people as well the whole process of ageing in general, beginning with well-intentioned benefaction to unequivocal disparagement.From this paper it is clear that  the concept of Ageism, contrary to popular beliefs is a far wider concept and encompasses wider range of issues as compared to mere discrimination on the basis of age. Such beliefs are created socially, which are then reinforced and assimilated within our societies, and are experienced in our social lives.  The term ageism is mostly used to describe the various prejudices and stereotypes which exist in our socie ties today, with regard to older people on the grounds of their age. It also describes the behaviour which is directed towards the older population either directly or indirectly.  The author has identified various types of age related discrimination. While differentiation on the basis of age is a consequence of deep rooted understanding and perception of individuals and mostly occurs as a result of a considerate acknowledgment of the age-related differences.   ... It also describes the behaviour which is directed towards the older population either directly or indirectly (Ray et al., 2006). The author has identified various types of age related discrimination. These include under representative i.e. passive or indirect form of discrimination; positive or protective discrimination which includes giving extra or special treatment to the said age group; and negative or overtly harmful discrimination, which is also known as direct discrimination. Direct discrimination occurs when any individual is given differential treatment on the basis of his/her age, while in case of indirect discrimination although care is provided it is offered in such a way that the older people cannot exploit the services offered for their ultimate benefit, and instead have to suffer due to disproportionate provisions of services (Roberts and Robinson, 2000). According to Adams et al (2006), indirect discrimination occurs when the medical practitioners or organizations res ponsible for providing health care services adopt ageist attitudes with respect to decision-making and service provision. The policies thus implemented in such a way have little or no regard to the needs and requirements of the older section of the population, as their health care needs are given lower priority than required. Thus, due to such an attitude of the health care providers, the aged people find themselves with very few alternatives to seek health care. Such type of ageism, although quite common and rampant, is difficult to challenge and address, especially given its discreet or covert nature. According to Hagestad and Uhlenberg (2005) ageist attitude is related to various factors

Legal Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Legal Problem - Essay Example How would your answer differ if:- (a) Arnold submitted that he knew the route so well that in his view he had eliminated as much risk as possible by his actions? (b) you were informed that Arnold was employed by Great Northern Railways and that he had worked an 80 hour shift that week? â€Å"(1) A person who without lawful excuse destroys or damages any property belonging to another intending to destroy or damage any such property or being reckless as to whether any such property would be destroyed or damaged shall be guilty of an offence. The shade that has been destroyed by Bhopindar’s action constitutes certain amount of criminal liability on his part, as his action includes the elements of recklessness. The English Law has classified into two parts, namely, Subjective Recklessness and Objective Recklessness. Recklessness is also referred to as Intention Acts, which is often described in legal terminology as â€Å"extreme carelessness regarding an obvious defect or problem.† (Stewart, Warner, Portman, 2008, p. 228) Now such acts of â€Å"extreme carelessness†, according to jurisprudential rational, incorporates intention of an individual to commit such act and such element of intentional commission of reckless act are specified in legal terminology as mens rea. Paul Bergman, Sara J. Berman, Sara J. Berman-Barrett explains mens rea as, â€Å"Mens rea is Latin for â€Å"guilty mind†. The mens rea concept expresses a belief that people should be punished †¦ only when they have acted w ith an intent or purpose that makes them morally blameworthy.† (Bergman, Berman, Berman-Barrett, 2008, p. 253) Comparing the situation of both Bhopindar and Arnold it is not tough to understand that in Arnold’s case presence of mens rea is quite explicit whereas it is clear from Bhopindar’s action that he was almost ignorant about the possibility of happening of such

Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 24

Article Review - Essay Example Bellamy & Basole (2013) reveal that with the ongoing evolution and adaptation of systems steered by multifaceted sociotechnical inter-firm contacts, traditional engineering and operations management modelling become less effective. The traditional modelling perspectives become ineffective in capturing of numerous complicated elements of supply chain systems or SCSs structurally and behaviourally. These drawbacks result to the acknowledgement of crucial benefits linked to network analytics in understanding, designing and managing SCSs. To understand the impact of network analytics, three interdependent themes evaluated are SCS system architecture or network structure, SCS system behaviour or network dynamics, and SCS system policy and control or network strategy. Network analysis involves interdisciplinary lens that relies on theories derived from organizational, social, and complexity sciences. Additionally, network analysis controls graph theoretic techniques to design, evaluate and visualize the SCS structure, strategies, and dynamics. Bellamy & Basole (2013) article relies on objectives of network analysis systematic review in the literature of supply chain; organization into an integrative framework and suggestions for future directions. The research fields included in the multidisciplinary analysis are operations management, sociology, biology, marketing, physics, economics, and system engineering. The data used by Bellamy & Basole (2013) was based on a supply chain context relative to the period starting 1995 to 2011. The year 1995 was chosen for being the first year network analysis use in analysing supply chain. Articles publication was based on publication year, research method and research theme, and publication outlet. The article’s research was found on 126 articles examined using varying combinations of the three themes but concerning the research

Legal Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Legal Problem - Essay Example How would your answer differ if:- (a) Arnold submitted that he knew the route so well that in his view he had eliminated as much risk as possible by his actions? (b) you were informed that Arnold was employed by Great Northern Railways and that he had worked an 80 hour shift that week? â€Å"(1) A person who without lawful excuse destroys or damages any property belonging to another intending to destroy or damage any such property or being reckless as to whether any such property would be destroyed or damaged shall be guilty of an offence. The shade that has been destroyed by Bhopindar’s action constitutes certain amount of criminal liability on his part, as his action includes the elements of recklessness. The English Law has classified into two parts, namely, Subjective Recklessness and Objective Recklessness. Recklessness is also referred to as Intention Acts, which is often described in legal terminology as â€Å"extreme carelessness regarding an obvious defect or problem.† (Stewart, Warner, Portman, 2008, p. 228) Now such acts of â€Å"extreme carelessness†, according to jurisprudential rational, incorporates intention of an individual to commit such act and such element of intentional commission of reckless act are specified in legal terminology as mens rea. Paul Bergman, Sara J. Berman, Sara J. Berman-Barrett explains mens rea as, â€Å"Mens rea is Latin for â€Å"guilty mind†. The mens rea concept expresses a belief that people should be punished †¦ only when they have acted w ith an intent or purpose that makes them morally blameworthy.† (Bergman, Berman, Berman-Barrett, 2008, p. 253) Comparing the situation of both Bhopindar and Arnold it is not tough to understand that in Arnold’s case presence of mens rea is quite explicit whereas it is clear from Bhopindar’s action that he was almost ignorant about the possibility of happening of such

Building smulation model by arena to ptimize airplane C3 check Essay

Building smulation model by arena to ptimize airplane C3 check manitenance - Essay Example Once ACFT is taken O.O.S different specialty are responsible to accomplish the specified check that it is due for and make an agreed commitment to bring the ACFT back in service (B.I.S) on a specific date and time (Mcgarvey 2009). However, there are so many specialties working to achieve this goal. Therefore, effort on making good utilization and excellent planning must be considered to make sure communication and coordination are applied and insuring all this is not easy. For Instance Airframe is one of the biggest departments that cover under its umbrella many ATA chapters such as fuel, hydraulics, landing gears, flight controls, water and waste, cargo compartment, ice and rain, fire systems as well as empennage, fuselage and wings which belongs to Airframe department. Therefore, we are interested on it and as we imitate and mimic its system we will have a very good picture the maintenance system with specialties other than airframe (Brady & Hillestad 1995). There are power plant, avionics, inspection, cabin and structure or they call tem sheet metal departments. All these specialties attack the plane once it is arrived in the Hanger for heavy maintenance do their best to have back on the pre-selected date and time. A myriad of human factors challenges associated with aircraft maintenance exist. Maintenance and inspection are essential to ensure continuing airworthiness on the aging fleet. New advanced technology procedures for aircraft further complicate the aviation maintenance system. The human is a critical component of the maintenance -system. Therefore, research and development must address a variety of issues affecting the human in maintenance. In order to plan well and have an actual picture of the system shortcomings and high performance areas within the system we will have to simulate that particular system. Simulation is a tool that gives us the chance to mimic any system with data available, analyzed and entered in any program such as Arena which is one of the popular and powerful computer programs (Charlotte 2009). Since we have so many specialties, multiple maintenance scheduled check types as well as many different ACFT types that are owned by Saudi Arabian airlines, the simulation process will get complex, thus, we will mimic only one type of airplane-747-400, one type of maintenance scheduled checks which is C- check (Kinnison 2004). Keywords: Hanger Maintenance, C-Check, Scheduling, Human Component in Maintenance, Simulation. 2.0 Goal The goal of this report is to build a simulation model for Aircraft Maintenance departments’ activities that will allow us to capture each and every process in order to optimize the manpower utilization and reduce maintenance time by eliminating delays especially when bottle necks confront. 3.0 Literature Review The aircraft is the fastest method of transport that can quickly transport people and cargo over longer distances, but incur high costs and energy use. For short distances or in inaccessible places  helicopters  can be used. According to Friend (1992), growth of population explosion in world has raised the air transportation sector; in 2010 it accounts 19% of passenger, and 48% of cargo of whole transportation in world. In 2009, Saudi

Roles of Women Essay Example for Free

Roles of Women Essay The configuration of a womans identity consists of the expectations that society places on her. Such expectations are still in existence today. Authors from the nineteenth and twentieth century are using literature and poetry as a vehicle for the new role and passion of the woman. Such authors as Kate Chopin, Mary Wilkins Freeman, Marge Piercy, Edna St. Vincent Millay and Henry James evoke a new sense of expectations for women in their use of literary language. One must acknowledge the differences in the expected roles of women and those the authors are portraying in order to penetrate the effect the author is trying to convey. These authors go beyond the norm and give women hope for the future. Kate Chopin creates a female character in At the Cadian Ball and The Storm that is vivid and defiant. Calixta is the image of hope that an authentic woman dares to embody. Chopin challenges society in her literature. She tests the roles of women. For instance, the female character she depicts in The Storm and The Cadian Ball is sexually overbearing, an adulterous, and presumptuous. Radek suggest that women of the nineteenth century were not supposed to have any real sexual contact before their marriage. The characteristics that Calixta possesses are dissimilar to the expected roles of women. The women of this time should be reserved, subservient, compliant, and gentle creatures. Henry James paints a picture of a similar vixen in Daisy Miller, although Daisy is innocent and naive in her promiscuity. James, no doubt being male, depicts women in a role outside of that of society. He portrays Daisy as innocently flirtatious. While this is not completely immoral, it is defiant of a placid nature. Mary Wilkins Freeman does not create as much controversy as Chopin, although she does create characters that embody independence rather than subservience. In The New England Nun, Louisa encompasses the typical homemaker characteristics, but she withstands independence when she rejects submission to Dagget, while declining to marry him. Wilkins expresses the hindered spirit of rebellion in The Revolt of Mother. She uses her words to convey the rebellious attitude the woman feels and is dared to communicate. She expresses the anger and uprising women are mandated to keep silent. Poetry is a vehicle for thought provoking expression that flows gently. Such poets as Edna St. Vincent Millay and Marge Piercy communicate their thoughts through the flow of language. Edna St. Vincent Millay writes in an emotional upheaval. In I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed, she transmits her despairing and vulnerable attitude. Marge Piercy writes from the corner in which women confine themselves. She portrays the loneliness that one feels because of the expectations that society places on them. The character in Barbie Doll is driven to suicide because she falls short of these expectations. This poem plays out the helplessness of the woman, while Whats That Smell in the Kitchen portrays the womans rebellious nature. This wife is tired of being socially correct and acts out in fits of rage. Kate Chopin, Mary Wilkins Freeman, Marge Piercy, Edna St. Vincent Millay and Henry James are writers of today. They innovate the true desires, passions, and frustrations of the American woman. While many of them are unable to articulate their inner desires and frustrations through physical expression, due to social restraints, they are able to express these emotions through their writing. This vehicle of emotion is a channel for the mind, body, and soul because of societys secluding forces. These authors are able to play out the roles that they desire, those roles that are unmentionable, through their words. Their words are the true expression of a womans mind and feelings, while society believes that women are not suppose to behave or feel these ways. Hartman says that a womens God-given role was as wife and mother, keeper of the household, guardian of the moral purity of all who lived therein. In conclusion, through the years, it is prevalent that the inner woman bears similar characteristics. Women are consistently making a way through life to gain equality to men. They desire to express the emotions and passions they possess while stepping outside of the societal standards. Chopin uses Calixta as a symbolic representation of the womans sexual emotions that are forcibly in suppression. Freeman symbolizes independence in the character she creates. Millay, simply, expresses her emotions and frustrations as a woman. Piercy articulates the bondage that a woman is under due to the roles and appearances they are expected to maintain. Henry James, not being a woman, creates Daisy, a woman filled with innocent flirtation. This is a characteristic outside of the reserved, subservient expectation. Though these authors may be the initiation of controversy in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, their rebellious illustrations are, no doubt, compelling to readers today. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. At the Cadian Ball . Chopin, Kate. The Storm . Freeman, Mary W. A New England Nun . Freeman, Mary W. The Revolt of Mother American Literature, vol 2, 6th ed. William E. Cane. New York: Pearson Longman, 2004. 145-159. Hartman, Dorothy. Womens Roles in the Late 19th Century. 10 Aug. 2005 http://www. connerprairie. org/historyonline/1880wom. html. James, Henry. Daisy Miller http://ci. moc. edu/webapps/portal/frameset. jsp? tab =coursesurl=/bin/common/course. pl? course_id=_367_1. Millay, Edna St. Vincent. I Being Born A Woman and Distressed American Literature, vol 2, 6th ed. William E. Cane. New York: Pearson Longman, 2004. 575. Piercy, Marge. Barbie Doll American Literature, vol 2, 6th ed. William E. Cane. New York: Pearson Longman, 2004. 1453. Piercy, Marge. Whats That Smell in the Kitchen? . Radek, Kimberly. Women in Literature. 9 Aug. 2005 http://www. ivcc. edu/GEN2002/Women_in_the_Nineteenth_Century. htm. Victorian Lace. 12 July 2005 http://www. geocities. com/victorianlace10/women. html. Wyatt, Neal. Biography of Kate Chopin. 1995 http://www. vcu. edu/engweb/eng384/katebio. htm

The Reproduction In Wolves Health And Social Care Essay

The Reproduction In Wolves Health And Social Care Essay This paper is an essay about reproduction in wolves. It is divided in to three major parts. The first part deals with the thing of the topic which is the wolf. Here the various aspects of the wolves are discussed these are the species, social life, hunting, communication and lifecycle. The second part deals with the main idea of the topic which is reproduction in animals. In this part the reproduction in animals is discussed. The aspects of reproduction that are explained include; the male and female reproductive systems, mating, gestation period where fertilization is explained, parturition and birth are tackled. In the third part the thing and the idea of the topic are combined to answer the questions and hypothesis relating to reproduction in wolves. Here the various aspects relating to the reproduction of wolves are discussed. The parts examined are the male and female wolf reproductive system, mating and the gestation period of a female wolf in terms of fertilization, parturitio n and birth. Introduction According to Whitt (2003) When the dog settled and embraced the community of human beings, its relatives continued to roam in the wild and they have become the most successful canid on the surface of the earth. According to Aamodt and Johnson (1987), the wolf is a wild dog and belongs to the group of animals that have the dog like traits. Scientists believe that they are direct ancestors of the present domestic dog. Even today the dogs and wolves have a lot in common. The average male wolf weighs between seventy and one hundred pound and measures from the nose to the tail, five to six point five feet (Aamodt Johnson, 1987). The two also note that the female ones are smaller and weigh fifty five to ninety pounds and are between four point five and six feet in length (Aamodt Johnson, 1987). Wolves have different colors with the majority having gray color shading but have the same body structure. Wolves like other canids have forty two teeth with twenty and twenty in the upper and lower jaw respectively. When they are moving or running, just like other canids, the wolves keep the back of their feet raised from the ground and this mode of movement is called digitigrades. Wolves are part of the canidae family which has over thirty five species including the foxes, coyotes, dingoes, jackals, dogs and the dholes. According to Mobile reference (2008), canids have long legs which are adapted for chasing their prey. All canids are digitigrades which means that they walk on four toes and their feet raised from the ground. They also have non-rectatile claws, bushy tails and dewclaws on their front feet. The canids also have a penis bone which is used for creating a copulatory tie during mating. The canids give birth to blind young one who opens their eyes after some weeks of being born. Most species in this family live and hunt as a group called pack. The wolves are classified in the canis genus since they are more doglike. According to Reiach et al (2002) there are three main types of species of wolves that is gray species which is the canis lupus, red species which is the canis rufus and the Ethiopian species which is referred to as the canis simensis wolv es. Wolf Anatomy and Taxonomy According to Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2010) all animals are classified by the scientists in to taxonomic groups based on the anatomical, genetic and biochemical similarities and differences. Wolves like other animals fuel their body by feeding food from other organisms they have a dorsal chord called the notochord that runs their bodies. Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2010) also states that on the external taxonomy, the wolves are quadrupeds with a narrow body, bushy tail and deep chest. The wolves according to Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2010) have shaggy fur, large ears, and have a big head with a slender pointed snout. The same Corporation opines that the nervous system of the wolves is characterized by high intelligence, high vision and hearing capabilities and acute smelling sense. The wolves are lithe and athletic animals. They are also muscular around the neck, hips and shoulders. On their respiratory and circulatory system, the wolves are warm blooded with a typic al mammalian circulation. They have large lungs and the larynx and vocal chords can produce a range of vocalizations. The wolves are committed carnivores with teeth that are suited for slicing the meat. They have a short and simple intestine and have a pair of kidneys used to remove metabolic waste through the blood. According to Whitt (2003) the taxonomy of the wolf is as follows. It belongs to kingdom animalia which includes animals with multicellular organs that do not have the cell wall and cannot make their food, it belongs to phylum chordata which include the animals that do have backbones or internal support and fall under the class of mammalian which includes the animals with fur and can produce milk. The wolf order is carnivora which include animals that subsists chiefly on meat and is fall under canidae family which is a group of animals with dog like traits. It is of the genus canis. There are three species of the wolf namely lupus which is the grey wolf, rufus which is the red wolf, and simensi which is the Ethiopian wolf. According Whitt (2003) more than twenty four species have been identified but have in the recent times been reclassified into five sub-species, that is, the arctas which in this case is the name for arctic wolf, lycaon which is the eastern gray wolf, baileyi which i s the Mexican wolf, nubilus which is the great plains wolf and finally occidentalis, which refers to the rocky mountain wolf. The sub-species can be distinguished from one another by use of size, fur color and the shape of the skull. Figure 1: Wolf Taxonomy Kingdom animalia Multicellular organisms that do not have cell walls and cannot make their own food Phylum Chordate Animals that have backbone and internal support. Class Mammalian Chordates that have fur and produce milk Orde Carnivora Mammals that subsist chiefly on meat Family Canidae Carnivores that have dog like traits Genus Canis wolves Species Lupus Gray wolf, subspecies lycaon Eastgern gray wolf Source: Whitt (2003). Species Gray Wolf According to (Whitt, 2003), the gray wolves are the largest in canid family and the male can grow as much as six and half feet (two meters) and stand from twenty six to thirty inches high from the ground . The average weight for males ranges from seventy to one hundred and ten pounds with the weighing fifty to eighty pounds and reaching lengths of six feet. The gray wolf I s also referred to as tundra, timber or silver wolf (Whitt, 2003). According to Harrington (2002), of the three wolf species, gray wolves are the most common and are found around the northern hemisphere the other two are very rare. According to Harrington (2002), Gray wolves have adapted to different kinds of habitats. Have gray fur and are the largest members of the canid family. Adult wolves weigh from eighty to one twenty kilograms. Ethiopian Wolf According to Animal Info (2005) Ethiopian wolves are diurnal. The wolves kill their prey and the kill is cached and retrieved later. They are both pre-eminent and cooperative hunters. Fuller (2004) observes the Ethiopian found is found in the in the Arabian peninsula, in northern Africa and in Ethiopian mountains. They live in pack of about two to twelve paired and related individuals. They prey on small and medium sized animals. They weigh about thirteen to eighteen kilograms. Harrington (2002) observes that the Ethiopian wolves are different from the gray and the red wolves. They are much smaller compared to the red and the gray wolves. They are only wolves that live in Africa. The scientist believed that the Ethiopian wolves were jackals. This is because they are they are smaller than the gray wolves, they are not stocky like the gray wolves instead they have long muzzles, long legs and slender noses just like the jackals and finally they eat small rodent which jackals love to eat . Red Wolf The red wolves are found in North America, weigh between twenty and forty kilograms and live in pairs of between three and ten (Fuller, 2004). Red wolves are similar to gray wolves. Just like the gray wolves the red wolves live in packs and hunt the prey animal. They also care for their puppies and howl to protect their territory. However they are different from gray wolves in that they have more reddish fur and are smaller than gray wolves. Adults weigh only forty to ninety pounds. Types Wolf Behavior Wolf Communication Behavior According to Wolf Haven International (2007) wolves use three types of communication namely the postural which involves the use of body language, vocal and olfactory which refers to use of smell. Olfactory communication involves scent marking which is mostly to mark boundaries, claim and defend the territories. Since they have scent gland in their toes they leave signature on all areas they go. They mark territories and food by urination. According to Wolf Haven International (2007) vocal communication among the wolves consists of howls, growls, barks and whines. They howl to claim territory or assemble the pack; whines are used by female as a sign of affection, growling is from the dominant wolves and are used to convey aggressiveness. Barking in wolves can be used to communicate excitement, raise alarm and call others to chase. Social Structure Socially wolves are organized in to packs. Aamodt and Johnson (1987), the wolves travel, hunt and perform most of their activities a group. The pack consists of members related by blood. They note that the core of the pack is a mated pair which consists of an adult female and a male. The other members are the offspring. They note that the packs may have six or seven wolves on average though the number may go up to fifteen. Like a family the members play different roles Aamodt and Johnson (1987.all the members of the pack are organized as a hierarchy with the breeding pair (alpha) at the top. At the middle of the hierarchy there are the subordinate called the beta and at the bottom there are wolves called the omega. The parent that is the alpha female and male is the oldest in the pack are involved in defending the territory and hunting due to their experience. They make important decisions like when to migrate or go for hunting. According to Aamodt and Johnson (1987) other pack membe rs down the hierarchy are allocated roles that inferior to those of the members. The young puppies and the juvenile do not have an active role in the hierarchy and are not allocated any permanent positions. In the pack the time for dismissing some adult s from the packs depends on the availability of the prey and the number of wolves in the prey. The dispersed members may end up forming a new pack or may join other existing packs. According to Aamodt and Johnson (1987 the social structure of a wolf can be thought of as hierarchy consisting of the layers outlined below. Figure 2: Wolf Social Structure The alpha male and female Beta male (this is the second ranking male sometimes mates with the alpha female) Young subordinates both male and female(often dominated by the alpha young ones ) Male and female juveniles and pups Male and female scapegoat(lives on the fringes of pack and may be mistreated by other members of the pack) Source: Aamodt and Johnson (1987). Territorial Behavior Reiach et al (2002) states that a wolf pack lives in a territory which must be characterized by enough fresh water and prey to feed the pack members. The territorial borders are marked with scent. They leave urine on scent post or upright marker for example tree stumps. The scents posts are constantly marked. Moves establish large territories in order to ensure that there is large supply of water and preys. The wolves mark their territories through methods such as howling, scent marking and direct attacks. Scent marking is done by ground scratching, defecation, and urination. In defending their territories wolves use scent marking which is done regularly and howling in order to prevent other wolves from entering the territories of other wolves. If these methods fail then the wolves may result into fighting the intruders and this can explain the high death rate of the wolves in the world. According to Defenders of Wildlife (2011), Wolves move, live and in packs consisting of four to seven animals. The pack consists of the mother, the father and the young one plus subordinate. The mother and father are referred to as the alphas lead the pack, track the prey, choose dens and mark the territory to be occupied by the pack. Feeding According to Boitani (2003) the wolves after killing their prey, they start by feeding the parts that have the most essential nutrients. The alpha female and male who is dominant feed first. So the feeding order is determined by the roles played by the wolves in the pack Boitani (2003). Boitani also notes that the wolves do not feed on meat alone since they require a balanced intake of nutrients. The most important organ to the wolves is the live since it provides them with a variety of vitamins. They also consume the heart and the lungs due to their high palatability just like the liver (Boitani, 2003). They also feed on the bones which provide calcium and phosphorous to their bodies. When food is not enough the priority is given to the puppies. Hunting According to Defenders of Wildlife (2011), wolves eat large hoofed animals such as the deer, elk and the moose and they also feed on animals that have died. On their part, Munoz et al (1994) opine that the wolves cooperate in hunting which enables them to bring down a prey. However wolves do not remain in the packs for long and this makes it difficult for them to know how to hunt as a group. Single wolves have a higher rate of succeeding in hunting than any other when they are working as a group. They find their preys through smell. According to Boitani (2003) when wolves are hunting not all members are involved in the attack of the prey. The alpha wolves lead other wolves in chasing and attacking the prey. The pack may also be split in to smaller hunting groups although cooperative hunting is emphasized among the wolves. Wolves conceal themselves when approaching their prey. They may attack animals as a herd or may isolate an animal from the rest and then start chasing it. They try to catch the animal before it runs for a long distance but for the big animals the wolves chase them for long distances. One wolf may be involved in distracting the herd of the preys while others may attack the animals from behind. They may also use ambush where they chase their prey towards the areas they have set a trap such as areas where they have dug holes. Denning and Sheltering Behavior Wolves dig holes for their puppies and use areas with natural shelters for examples in areas with thick vegetation, cliffs found in river banks and cracks found in rocks. The dens are usually dug by the female wolves. Life Cycle A wolf goes through series of changes. It is born, matures to an adult wolf which can mate or give birth (Reiach et al, 2002). The cycle begins with the birth pup. Pups are born in litters of two to seven wolves. They are fed by mothers milk. When they are a month old they join a pack when they may stay for the rest of their lives or may leave to join other packs Reproduction in Animals According to Net industries (2011), during sexual reproduction in animals a haploid sperm and an egg cell combine forming a diploid zygote which divides mitotically into an embryo. After birth the young one grows into an adult that can reproduce. The animals bring the sperms and the eggs through internal or external ways. In animals sexual reproduction requires the joining of the male and the female egg. When they combine the result is formation of a zygote. Since the animals produce sexually the male and the female are involved. There animals with one reproductive cycle while there are those with more than reproductive cycle. The female undergo reproductive cycles while the male are always in reproductive activity. The female become receptive to male when they are undergoing ovulation. This state where the female is sexual receptive to male is referred to as estrus. Estrous cycle can therefore be used to mean reproductive cycle. In external fertilization aquatic environment is funda mental for the floating of the eggs before they are fertilized. Male Reproductive System in Animals In internal fertilization the male posses a copulatory organ called the penis which is used for transferring to the female the male eggs (sperms). According fails et al (2009) in animals the male copulation organ can be divided into three areas that is the glans or free extremity, body also called the main portion and two crura or the roots. The internal structure consists of erectile tissues called the corpora cavernosa and has the trabecaculae tissues. In fibrelastic penis the major part of the penis consist of the trabeculae tissues hence the penis remains erect even when not erect. In musculocarvenous penis the blood sinusoids dominate the penis. Erection in musculocavernous penis occurs when the blood flows to the penis and leads to increase in size and turgidity of the penis Reece (2009) while in fibroelastic penis such as that of the swine and the ruminants has no great enlargement as result of blood flowing. The male eggs are formed in mature males through process called sper matogenesis. Female Reproductive System in Animals According fails et al (2009) the female eggs are produced by the female reproductive tract. It deposits the eggs to an area where they can be fertilized by the male sperms. This placement provides a good environment for the development of the embryo and expelling the fetus. According fails et al (2009) the reproductive system consists of the vagina, vulva, two ovaries, two oviducts and the uterus. The ovaries are responsible for the production of eggs through ovulation. Through the oviducts the ova from the ovaries is conducted to the uterus. The vagina acts as the birth canal through which the fetus is delivered and acts as the sheath for the male penis during copulation. The vestibule is the area that is between the external genitilia and vagina. This area has a lot of mucous glands (Fails et al, 2009). The vulva is found on the external genitalia and consists of left and right labia which converge at the clitoris which consists of two roots that is the body and the glans. If ferti lization occurs, the uterus provides a place for the development of the fetus Reece (2009). Through ovulation the female animals produce the female gametes. This happens periodically throughout the menstrual cycle. Mating During mating the penis is brought in to an appropriate position with the vulva of the female through a process called mounting (Reece 2009). According to him, successful mounting is preceded by a receptive stance by the female. In addition, he points out that that mounting can be affected if the male has a problem in the hind-limbs. The male animal introduces and maintains the penis in the vagina and this process is referred to as intromission this is enabled by the pelvic thrusts and abdominal muscles (Reece, 2009). The intromission time varies from one animal to the other. The stimulation continues and this leads to emission and ejaculation where the sperm oozes out of the penis into the vagina of the female animal. Sperm and fluids are ejaculated at the opening of the cervix in some animals while in others it occurs directly or partially in to the uterus. Gestation Period Gestation period refers to the period conceived female carries, in the uterus, the embryo. According to Fail et al (2009) the interval extends from the fertilization of the ovum to the birth of the offspring. It includes fertilization early development the embryo in the lumen of the of the female reproductive tract implantation of the embryo in the uterine wall, the development of the fetal membranes and the continued growth of the fetus while in the uterus. Fail et al (2009) states that gestation period vary from species to species. Normal gestation is when the fetus is carried thought out the gestation period. If a premature birth occurs the fetus is born before it is fully developed and this is called abortion. According Fail et al (2009) fertilization in animals occurs in the uterus. During copulation the sperms are deposited in to the females vagina. The condition where a female has a young one developing in the uterus is referred to as pregnancy (Fails et al, 2009). During pregnancy the animal experiences the development of the extra embryonic membrane which is used to feed the fetus and remove waste products. According Fail et al (2009) the placenta consists of chorion which is the outermost membrane, allantois which encloses the sac, and the amnion which is the innermost membrane. Parturition and Birth The end of pregnancy is marked by the parturition and involves giving birth. The act of giving birth is divided into three stages. The first stage involves the contraction of the uterine contracts to force the fetus to the cervix which takes a few hours. Secondly, the actual delivery takes place, from the cervix to the vagina. The third step involves the delivery of the placenta (Fail et al, 2009). Wolf Reproduction Introduction Wolves reach maturity at the age of two years. When the wolf have found a mate the courtship can last for many weeks. They are monogamous. When they mate the pair remains together in the pack. The age at which the wolves may start reproducing is influenced by the availability of food. The mating of the members of the same pack that is incest is not common among the wolves. According to Aamodt and Johnson (1987) it is only one pair of the wolves that is responsible for reproduction in a pack. It is only the alpha female and male who mate to produce offspring. Although there may be other pairs of wolves in the pack who can produce young ones, they do not in most cases mate. The alpha male uses dominance and force to discourage such wolves from forming pairs or mating. Breeding among the wolves is seasonal. This is because they experience one cycle of ovulation. All female and male wolves reach puberty at the age of twenty two months and they experience their first time production of th e sperms and the ova. The reproduction system in wolves has features that are not common with other mammals. The features of the reproduction is characterized by monogamy, monestrum with diestrous and proestrous phases that are prolonged, the lock and tie nature of their copulation, young adults being integrated into the pack and the leaders of the group suppressing the mating behavior of these young adults. Also wolves even the pseudo pregnant wolves that are those which do not get pregnant after matting are involved in the parental care of the puppies from the other wolves. Although the wolves experience one cycle of ovulation the chances of conceiving by the female are increased by the fact the both male and the female spend most of their time. For example when scent marking, the wolves do it together and this occurs when they are in proestrus phase. Also time in the estrus phase is lengthened thus the male and the female spend more time copulating. Male Wolf Reproductive System Males are twenty percent bigger compare to their female counterparts. They have a penis which supported by a bone called baculum the penis is tucked inside a skin called prepuce. In males that are mature sexually the testes are contained in a scrotal sac and hang between the hind legs. According to Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2010) male wolves have two sperm producing testes located in the external scrotal sac that hangs between the back legs. The Corporation also states that the sperms are produced in the area with the two testes. When the penis is inserted into the vagina of the female, the male wolf may ejaculate and the sperm pass along the urethra which runs through the penis. The male reproductive system can therefore be seen as comprising of several parts paired testes, duct system, scrotum, the prostrate gland and the penis. The sperms are produced in the testicles and stored in the epidermis and they are transported through the vas deferens. Female Wolf Reproductive System Female wolves which are older than twenty two months are capable of giving birth to pups. The females are seasonally monoestrous which means they come into a condition of breeding once in every year. According to the US National Research Council, most of the female wolves in a pack, in one year, give birth to one litter. The committee also highlights that presence of many female wolves with producing potential in a pack makes others not to breed. According to Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2010) the female wolves have two egg producing ovaries and from each ovary a fallopian tube leads to the uterus which has two horns. Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2010) also states that the uterus expands greatly during pregnancy and can hold a maximum of eleven pups. The female reproductive system of a female wolf can therefore be seen as consisting of various parts the ovaries which produce the eggs. After the eggs are produced, it travels through the oviducts to the uterus where it is supposed to meet the male egg and get fertilized. The uterus this is where the fertilized eggs stays and develops in to an embryo where the fetus results and finally into off spring of a wolf. In a female wolf there is a cervix found occupies uterus lower end and also occupies the upper part of the vagina. The vagina is the part of the reproductive system in the female wolf where the male wolf inserts the penis. Below the anus there is the vulva, this is the passage of urine. Phases of the Reproduction Boitani (2003) the reproductive behavior in wolves is related to the seasonal variation in the hormonal production. In autumn there is a rise testosterone hormone in males and estrogen hormones in males. The reproductive phases vary from individuals as a result of interplay of factor such as age, genotype, experience, latitude, body condition and the social environment. Pre-proestrus According to Boitani (2003) this phase occurs early winter or late autumn before the female wolves can produce a discharge from the vagina. In this stage the both the male and the female may express unreciprocated interest in another mate. The flirtatious behavior of the female may be affected by change in hormones resulting form rise in level of the gonadotropin. The Proestrus According to Boitani (2003), this begins when the bloody discharge and rapid growth in the uterine lining. The estrogen levels rise among the female wolves and the adult male s are usually attentive to the smell of the urine and the vulva. This is the communication means that are used for the newly formed pairs and who may be sexually naÃÆ'Â ¯ve. However males who have stayed with their mate may copulate (Boitani, 2003). According to Boitani (2003) the female wolves in this stage send signs to the male mates by prancing, body-rubbing, paw, nuzzling, placing their chin on the back of their males. Estrus According to Boitani (2003), this is the stage in which there is copulation and the female is receptive. He further states that a receptive female wolf shows two behaviors that is flagging which means the female averts the tail to the side of the vulva or may stand still when the male wolf mounts. This phase can also be identified by a vulva that is swollen or soft. The male may respond to females stimuli by licking the genitals and the mounting on her. If a female is non-receptive it may pull away growl, roll over, shove the male wolf away or lie down. The male may spread their hind legs to enhance stability required during mounting. According to Boitani (2003) mounting is followed by pelvic thrusts while the forelegs of the male clasp the ribcage of the female. The thrusting continues until the male ejaculates and this is followed by expansion of the penile bulb (Boitani, 2003). The female wolves get stimulated by this expansion thereby contracting muscle of the uterus to squeeze t he sperms to the ovaries. Metestrus According from Boitani (2003), Progesterone levels are high and pregnancy may result or not. Female wolves in this phase which do not get pregnant are referred to as pseudo pregnant. The males may abandon the pregnant female to look for other estrous females. Pregnancy can be identified by the loss of fur in the bellies and growth of the mammary cells. They may start constructing dens away from areas that can be attacked by other wolves Mating According to Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2010) the wolves courtship and breeding are inextricably bound up with their complex social life. Mating among the wolves is a fairly long- drawn-out affair. The penis of the male wolf swells when inside the females making it impossible for the male to withdraw. The two may remain locked for more than half an hour. This is to the advantage of the male since no other male that can mate with the female and this also enhances the chance of the male fertilizing the egg of the female (Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2010). Gestation Period According to Mech (2003) the gestation period for r wolves is about sixty- two to sixty- three. After the male wolf ejaculates the male egg travel and in less than a minute meet the female egg and as result fertilization occurs. The fertilization and the early stages of the development of the fetus occur in the in the oviduct and the embryo goes to the uterus after some days. After four weeks of pregnancy it is possible to observe enlargement of the abdomen. Still it is possible to observe mammary gland development as the hair starts to disappear. Parturition in female wolves is identified by decline in the progesterone level. When giving birth, the female wolf undergoes through three stages. Internally the wolf experiences contraction of the uterus relaxing the cervix. The second stage is the expulsion of the fetus from the uterus and finally is the period between the fetus expulsion and placenta expulsion marks the end of this final stage. Because they deliver multiple puppies they alternate between expulsion of the fetus and the placenta. During pregnancy the female wolf does not undergo any hormonal transformation and therefore it becomes hard to differentiate between a pregnant female wolf from a non-pregnant one. Litter According to Boitani (2003) the pups are born with their eyes closed. The number of puppies that a female wolf can have depends on the species of the wolf. For example the fray wolf can produce between four and six offspring although the number may go up to fourteen. In one litter the red wolf can give birth to between two and three pups. The arctic wolf on the other hand can give birth to between four and five pups. When they are born, all the members of the pack have the responsibility of raising the offspring. The health of the pups is determined by the food availability to the mother. The pups are accorded a lot of privileges and freedoms compared to other wolves that are ranked in the lower positions in the hierarchy of social structure. Conclusion

Macbeth :: essays research papers

A butcher is someone who brutally slaughters other human-beings. According to this definition Macbeth was a ’butcher’ by the end of the play. Macbeth becoming a butcher was brought about by his ambition for power, and how this ambition was used by the witches. Macbeth’s ambition is made obvious from the start. It is the thing the witches use get him under their spell,’All hail thee Thane of Glamis….Thane of Cawdor…..king’. Macbeth is intrigued by this greeting. When he finds out from Duncan that he has become the thane of Cawdor he whispers to the audience,’Glamis, and the thane of Cawdor, the greatest is behind.’ Macbeth is sure that he will become king. However at this stage he thinks that he will acquire it legally as he sees murder as,’fantastical’(I,iii,139). The story of how Macbeth descends into butchery starts when Duncan announces that Malcolm is to be,’Prince of Cumberland’(I,iv,39) and therefore Duncan’s successor as king of Scotland. Macbeth is now in a dilemma. He has just been told he will be king by the witches. Two of their prophesies have become true already. However, because Malcolm has just become king he cannot see how the third prophesy will come true. Macbeth’s wife solves his problem by telling him to kill Duncan. She tells him this after reading his letter to her and after hearing that the king is coming to her castle. She decides to’look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.’(I,v,63-65). Lady Macbeth plays an important part in Macbeth’s spiral downwards into becoming a butcher by persuading him to commit his first murder. Macbeth doesn’t want to kill Duncan and has strong doubts about what he should do, as shown by what he says in act I, scene vii,’He’s in double trust here…..i am his kinsman strong against the deed , then as his host, who should against his murderer shut the door, not bear the knife himself’ Lady Macbeth changes his mind by challenging his manhood,’When you durst do it, then you were a man’ and, to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man.’(I,vii,49-51) He finally decides, after much tossing and turning that killing Duncan would be the best thing,’I am settled’. What Duncan said after the Thane of Cawdor was executed that,’there’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face’(I,iv,12-13) is proved when Macbeth says,’False face must hide what the false heart dost know’(I,iv,82-83)

The Shipbuilder :: essays research papers

The Name Controversy in The Shipbuilder   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many instances in Ken Mitchell's play The Shipbuilder, where the main character Jaanus Karkulainen, insists on being called by his Finnish name Karkulainen. In the play, many characters call him Johnny Crook. This situation creates controversy about names and shows how important names are to some people. Jaanus and Jukka create most of this controversy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jaanus and Jukka are brothers who are born in Finland. Jukka move's out of Finland and he becomes a Canadian, in name, in body and in soul. Jaanus relocates to Canada several years later, but he's different. When Jaanus moves to Canada he doesn't become a Canadian. He is a Finn living in Canada. His body is in Canada but his name, and his soul still belong to Finland. When Jaanus first enters the play he insists that his name is Karkulainen. This immediately shows that although he lives in Canada he will still go by his Finnish given name.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The differences between Jaanus and Jukka are shown when Jaanus and Jukka first reunite in Canada. Jukka Karkulainen now goes by the name of Yuki Crook, and thinks nothing of it. His name means very little to him. Jukka then tells Jaanus that there are no Fins living in Canada even though Jukka himself is Finnish. Jukka is now a Canadian. His heritage meant nothing to him. Jaanus would never let that happen to himself. He was born Finnish he would die Finnish.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One scene that really shows Jaanus' idea of the importance of names to your heritage, is when Jaanus goes to court. The Judge asks him how he will plead to all of his charges, and calls him Johhny Crook, not Jaanus Karkulainen. To plied his case, all that Jaanus replies is 'I am Jaanus Karkulainen.'; He wouldn't give up his heritage for anything.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One scene later, after two years apart, Jaanus and Bender reunite. Bender is a friend of Jaanus' who met Jaanus when he first came to Canada. When Bender greets Jaanus he calls to him, 'Johnny. Johnny Yer back!'; Bender is excited to see his old friend but Jaanus did not like being called by his wrongful name. The two had been apart for two years and the first thing that Jaanus says to his friend is that he is Jaanus Karkulainen. This shows, once again, how much Jaanus is attached to his name.

Assess Hume’s Reasons for Rejecting Miracles

Assess Hume’s reasons for rejecting miracles Hume defined miracles as a â€Å"violation of the laws of nature† and consequently rejected their occurrence as both improbable and impractical. This view has been supported by modern scientists and philosophers such as Atkins, Dawkins and Wiles to a certain extent. However Aquinas, Tillich and Holland and Swinburne to a certain extent reject Hume’s reasons, instead arguing that miracles have a divine cause and that Hume’s arguments are weak.This essay will argue that Hume’s reasons for rejecting miracles are not valid and in doing so consider his two main arguments; lack of probability and Hume’s practical argument. Hume’s first reason for rejecting miracles was a lack of probability. He argued that evidence from people’s experience of observing the world showed the laws of nature to be fixed and unvarying. However to suggest a miracle occurred was to say that the laws of nature had been violated, hence his definition of miracles being a â€Å"violation of the laws of nature. Miracles were reported has having occurred by eyewitnesses, as is stated in the Bible in the case of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. However for Hume it was far more likely that the eyewitnesses were mistaken in what they witnessed, than for Jesus to have actually raised Lazarus from the dead and in doing so violated fixed laws of nature. A violation of the laws of nature was therefore an improbable occurrence. Wiles’ agrees with Hume’s point that it is more likely the eyewitness was wrong than a miracle occurred, in doing so raising the problem of evil.It was illogical to suggest God was omnipotent and good if he showed clear favouritism through creating miracles whilst at the same time many people were suffering. It would be more likely that a witness made a mistake or did not understand what they saw than an ominbenevolant and omnipotent God showed clear signs of bia s and favouritism through miracles therefore Hume’s first argument is valid. Swinburne supports Hume’s view that laws of nature are defined by the experiences of people observing the world, as he believes that people’s observations are the basis for all natural laws.Additionally Hume’s argument that miracles are improbable is supported by Dawkin’s view that it would be highly unlikely that someone could simply learn to walk again after being paralysed as a result of a miracle, as this would constitute a violation of the laws of nature. This also supports the idea that Hume’s argument is valid. However he rejects Hume’s concept of the laws of nature being fixed and unvarying, as he believed them to be â€Å"corrigible† due the possibility new discoveries and observations about the world could result in them being altered in some way.Additionally Swinburne disagrees with Hume’s idea of what an improbable event is. Whilst f or Hume this means an event which it would be foolish to suggest occurs at all, such as the sun staying the sky, Swinburne argues that miracles are more â€Å"probalistic† such as picking out a red grain of sand, highly unlikely but not totally impossible therefore the validity of Hume’s first argument can be questioned.Additionally Swinburne criticises Hume’s definition of miracles as a â€Å"violation of the laws of nature† as he believes that whilst a miracle such as that of Jesus’ resurrection clearly does not fit in with the laws of nature, on it’s own it is not enough to prove the laws of nature have been violated, a view supported by Aquinas who suggests miracles have a divine origin. The contingency argument, supported by Holland and Tillich also criticises Hume’s definition of miracles as a â€Å"violation of the laws of nature. It uses evidence from the Bible, such as Jesus feeding the five thousand, to highlight that Godâ €™s aim with miracles is not to fit in with the framework of modern concepts but to for God to reveal Himself to the people. Tillich himself argues that miracles do not have to involve the violation of nature as they can be possible events, such as a train stopping just in front of a child on a crossing, which hold religious significance for some people. Therefore a miracle does not have to be an improbable event, suggesting that Hume’s argument is not significant.Hume’s second reason for rejecting miracles is presented in his practical argument. He considered levels of education to be a significant factor as miracles were only reported to have occurred by those who were not educated enough to understand the scientific explanation of an event. The stories these people reported were usually circulated and exaggerated, altering them significantly as is the case with urban myths, such as that after Hurricane Katrina stating that law and order had broken down.Hume also considered the general level of education of the country as a whole to be important. He highlighted how the early history of countries is full of miracles and visions due to the ignorant and barbarous populations, such as the very long life of Adam. However as the country becomes more developed and the populations better educated such stories disappear. Therefore for Hume, Adam living to 930 was simply a story made up by the uneducated, as living so long would suggest the laws of nature to be false.Additionally Hume believes that miracles used by religions to prove their religion true would be cancelled out, as not every religion could be true. Dawkins presents a key strength of Hume’s second argument, by supporting his belief that miracles are only reported by the uneducated, as he believes there is a scientific explanation for the effects, such as Jeanne Fretel being cured at Lourdes.The miracles of people being cured at Lourdes, as well as those reported in the Bible simp ly show that miracles were used to cover up a lack of understanding of a way the world worked and to increase people’s faith in God, something which is no longer necessary as most people no longer rely on God for guidance therefore Hume presents a relevant argument rejecting miracles. Atkins supports Hume’s argument that the typical educated person would not be inclined to report the occurrence of a miracle as they would know better.According to Atkins it is only the publicity seeker or someone deluded or hallucinating who would claim to have witnessed such an event as they may lack the scientific level of understanding of their peers, therefore Hume’s argument is relevant. However this view has been criticised by Swinburne as it raises questions about how to define terms Hume raises. It is unclear at what stage a person becomes â€Å"educated† sufficiently to reject miracles. It is also unfair to assume that a person believes in miracles simply because t hey do not know any better, as it is possible to both have a strong belief in God and a good understanding of Science.Further to this it is unclear what constitutes being â€Å"ignorant and barbarous† as whilst earlier nations may now seem uneducated compared to modern times, the nation may have been highly educated for the time as the standards change. Therefore the relevance of Hume’s second argument can be questioned. In conclusion Hume believes that miracles are â€Å"violations of the laws of nature† which are fixed and unvarying, and that they are only experienced by uneducated people who do not understand Science.This view rejected by Aquinas, Swinburne Holland and Tillich. Swinburne believes the laws of nature to be â€Å"corrigible† whilst Holland and Tillich argue that miracles are not violations of the laws of nature but sign events revealing God to the people. However Dawkins and Atkins support Hume’s view that miracles are only experie nced by the uneducated. Overall Hume’s reasons for rejecting miracles are valid to only a minimal extent, as he does not consider the different definitions of a miracle, and does not define what constitutes ignorant and barbarous.

Choosing the Best Method of Service Desk Automation for a Growing Government

Organizations and companies come up with plan that are aimed at ensuring their success in meeting the needs of their customers as a step towards the achievement of organizational goals. Therefore, planning is the first step towards the realization of a companies goals as laid down by its vision and mission statement. Coming up with a good policy is not good enough if any organization is to meet its goals and thus communication of the goals to all members of the organization is equally important in the realization of the goals.The communication mechanism and the means adopted are the key aspects that determine the success of this phase and therefore they have to be well researched on and be relevant to the organization. The formulation and the communication phases are just the fist two steps which act as a guide toward the implementation phase in strategic planning. The implementation phase in strategic development can be described as the action phase. Therefore, as much as the formul ation and communication phase play important roles in the strategic development, much emphasis is placed on implementation.Formulation and implementation are a must and communication is considered a means to the success of the process. Thus the implementation phase is one of the most monitored and resource intensive phase in strategic development to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in delivery and thus the success of the entire strategic development. The importance of information in the modern information conscious society can never be under stated. As it is often the case, effective management of information system is not a Sunday afternoon walk on the beach.It is far from defined and is often filled with uncertainties. Furthermore, the benefits of automating the implementation have been too tempting for most organizations and thus the emergence of a system that allows for automation of the last two processes in strategic planning is seen as inevitable in organizations that are serious about staying afloat. The question is no longer about automation but rather about how to go about it. Problem Statement Two approaches to the development of automation for organization that are moving from a manual system have been adopted.An organization moving from an old system may choose to either develop their own or buy an already made system. There are several issue involved in deciding on whether to buy or to build a system and thus every organization must look at these factors keenly before making a decision as it has a great bearing on the effectiveness of the organization in meeting the needs of its customers and their expectation at the time of implementation and in future. Furthermore, such strategic decisions that affect an organization's future invariably have an effect on almost all aspects of the organization including the stakeholders.Development of in-house software requires long term commitment in terms of resources and time from developers who often have too much to do and not enough time (Jenny, 2004). On the other hand, if a company decides to purchase the software it effectively enters a long term business relation with a vendor who not only charge high amounts for the purchase of the license but a considerable chunk of the organizations finances will be directed towards the customization and installation of the software.The organization which is medium sized and in its active growth period faces a tough decision on the implementation of the software especially in consideration of the relative advantages and disadvantages of each approach. The advantages of building an automated help desk support system may include the reduction of the cost involved, moreover the organizations labor force are presented with a chance to understand the in details with regards to the working of the automated support system.Furthermore, the need for training of supports staff for information technology is eliminated as they are responsible for the s ystems existence and are thus well conversant on its operations. On the other hand, the disadvantage may include the need for IT labor can be significant in the organizations budget, furthermore the approach does not have any form of guarantee that will help the organization in recovery in case the system crashes as they are solely responsible for the existence and maintenance of the system.In addition, the approach is associated with a considerable amount of pain experienced by the customers and the end users of the system in case of system malfunction or lapse in performance. Lastly the building process can be so demanding on an in-house IT department or team that is not well conversed with the application that the organization intends to come up with. A decision to buy the office help support system involves a thorough survey and the calculation of the total cost involved in ownership, determination of the best software company and product and the actual purchase of the automated office support system (Coldwell, 1999).The determination of what the company needs is a very critical part in the decision making process as most individuals and executive often fail at this phase and instead state what the organizations wants. Moreover, the considerations on the financial stability of the software company and their level of experience all come in handy in the decision making process. After the determination of all these, the focus hen shifts to what the organization needs after which a purchase is made.Some of the benefits associated with this approach include increase in user satisfaction, well developed user support, reduced need for internal help support and easy access to support any time of the day. The disadvantages may include increased cost associated with training of staff on the use of the new software, furthermore the process of buying which is quite length may ignore some aspects leading to the purchase of a poor help support system. Lastly, customizat ion of the systems to meet the needs of the customers is done by an outsider which often lead to conflict of interest. Significance of the StudyUsing a help desk management software leads to the increase in efficiency in operation as it allows for the solution of some of the redundant issues over call. This has the effect of reducing traveling costs and man-hour billing to field engineers as they go to customer sites. Research Question The purpose of this research is to determine whether purchasing COTS or building a service desk tracking application is best for the automation and tracking of the GovComm, Inc. Engineering Support Services’ Helpdesk. To answer this question, this research must explore: ? The entities of GovComm, Inc.Engineering Support Services’ Helpdesk ? Based on advantages and disadvantages, which qualities of each configuration best adhere to Engineering Support Services automation and asset tracking; ? If these applications fulfill stakeholders' re quirements Design and Methodology This research is qualitative, drawing mostly from a review of the literature on the subject of Helpdesk/support desk tracking applications and the battle of building versus buying to determine which application structure provides efficient asset tracking, failure notification, and metrics collection. GovComm, Inc.’s Engineering Support Services will be reviewed to discover details that might affect the factors that will contribute to the decision of choosing build or buy. From the review of the internal workings of GovComm, Inc. ’s Engineering Support Services a decision will be made upon comparison with the inherent nature of the two systems of implementation. Chapter 2 Literature Review Automated office systems support (AOSS) is a model made up of teams of technicians in computer who are charged with the responsibility of providing a variety of support activities in a desktop computer environment and area networks for any organizatio n.To ensure the provision of high quality services and products, each of these teams must follow the processes, standard and procedures. A process referred to as quality assurances is used in monitoring and evaluation of the level of adherence to the procedures processes and standard in a bid to determine the potential quality that the product will attain. Therefore, QA involves review and audit of the services and activities as a means of verification of their compliance with the relevant procedures and standards so as to assure the appropriate results are seen.The question of whether to buy or build an AOSS is one of the very complex decisions that an organization has to deal with in its daily activities. It is in deed a perpetual dilemma for the organizations that are contemplating on automating their office activities. Buying implies purchasing an off-shelf Automated office systems support that are produced in mass by some software company, more often multinationals (Leopoldo, 1 999). The products typically contain contents that are not unique to a particular organizations or user population needs.Moreover, it is the general trend in the software industry to create new softwares that do no conflict with the existing and thus the technology can be implemented without conflict with the existing systems. Build imply the creation of Automated office systems support from scratch (Leopoldo, 1999). Therefore, the process of building requires the determination of the organizational needs, the data and information nature and needs of the organization, design of the system an the actual implementation of the system.The process of building may and often include testing the end product to ensure that its functionality are as per the objectives that acted as the basis for its formulation (Leopoldo, 1999). A decision to buy or build a Automated office systems support may seem to be complex but in reality it can be reduced to three considerations: Resources, Needs and uni queness. The organization must clearly determine its needs and wants before a decision is made, this may involve identification of features which are critical in meeting the organizations needs. In determination of the organizational needs they must consider the following:? Organizational objectives ? Skills ? Information needs ? Culture ? Corporate direction. Meeting all the needs is an impossible event and therefore setting priorities is inevitable. Resources Resource as a factor is one that many organizations and individual would quickly jump at an opportunity to ignore. However, examination of resources is a very important aspect to the development agenda. Moreover, many organizations make the mistake of viewing resource in the monetary dimension only. Although money as a resource is quite critical, two other pieces; time and personnel, need to be considered to complete the puzzle (Shrapre, 1999).Time When taken in the context of either building or buying a Automated office syst ems support, time takes the following into account: ? The time that will taken in decision making. ? The developmental time of the Automated office systems support including the time taken in testing. ? The time taken in rolling out the Automated office systems support or implement it within the organization. Analysis of organizations against the three time variables helps in the determination of the importance of time in deciding whether to buy or build. Decision makingThe time taken by the organization in making decision is quite varied and cannot be correctly determined as the nature of the problem and other variables that can never be determined nor controlled easily have a great bearing on the total time (Curan & Mitchell, 2001). The nature of the organization and the kind of decision to be made also have a bearing on the time taken. It time critical decision making the aspects of time is important and the challenge thus lies in coming up with sound decision within limited time (Curan & Mitchell, 2001).Most theories adopted in decision making leave out the time taken in selection of actions which is often considerable in organizations where the decisions are viewed differently by constituent members (Curan & Mitchell, 2001). Coming up with a solution that are made without consideration of a well carried out problem solving session could lead to solutions that lack in operational significance, thus any decision making should be aimed at finding the solution that is either associated with the least cost or most returns of the total costs (Curan & Mitchell, 2001).In coming up with the cost, organizations must include the cost and effort taken in thinking and coming up with a plan or a policy in determination of the time taken in decision making. The problem with time considerations is that complex problems may hinder the development of best solutions (Spezzano & Mertens, 1999). In some instances, coming up with the best solutions could be within organization s grasp but the cost associated with such may not be acceptable to the organization. The organizational structure plays a great role in the speed of the decision making process (Spezzano & Mertens, 1999).A structure whereby all members of the organization have to be involved is time consuming (Kaplinsky, 2007). Such an approach is inclusive and the decisions made from this approach are more likely to meet both the needs and wants of the organization. The implementation of such policies is often smooth as those charged with the responsibility of carrying out the policies are well aware of the good and thus have the motivation required for the implementation. The tread off in this approach is the time taken; the approach requires organization wide consultation and is time intensive.Getting the opinion of each and everyone in a medium or large organization and coming upon with a decision based on their varied views can be demanding on an organization's financial resources and time. Mos t organizations have adopted a mechanism where the executives and top managers exclusively take part in the formulation of the policies. Such an approach is time conscious and often leads to timely formulation of policies. Despite this, the relevance of the policies to the needs of the organization is brought into question as the people charged with the responsibility of implementation are not included in the formulation.Policies implemented through this mechanism often address what the organization wants rather than what it needs since organizations are best known by the people charged with the duty of policy implementation. Deciding on the correct approach is thus complicated as both time and relevance of decisions are very important, moreover, company heads have in a number of occasions made decisions that have turned out to be for the good of organizations without necessarily involving everyone, this complicates the issue even further.Therefore, organizations have to consider al l the factors inherent of their organization that affect the decision making effort and thus the cost of decision making associated with each approach before deciding on whether to buy or build Automated office systems support. Developmental Time The time taken in the development of Automated office systems support varies with the approach employed. Other factors inherent of an organization also play an important part in the determination of the total time the organization will take in coming up with a new system (Tapscott, 1998).The developmental time can be viewed in two contexts; the time taken in building an Automated office systems support and the time taken in buying an off-shelf Automated office systems support. The time taken in building a new Automated office systems support is generally larger than that taken in buying (Tapscott, 1998). Moreover, the factors that are influential on the overall time taken in building are more compared to those in buying.The total time taken in building is influenced by internal and external factors which include; the availability of resources, the organization and coordination of all those involved in the implementation of the project. The level and the availability of the required expertise within the organizations working environment is a consideration. The availability of the required software and hardware components necessary in coming up with Automated office systems support is fundamental. The software and the hardware components must be as per the required functionality set by the organization needs.Change in government policies and market trends may greatly affect the availability of the required components and thus have an effect n the developmental time (Tapscott, 1998). In addition the needs of the users often change with time and this may require the modification of components that are already in place which lead to delay. The time taken in buying a new system is highly dependent on external factors that a re not within the control of the organization (Tapscott, 1998). In most cases organizations lose time in this stage for reasons that are not within their reach or control.Buying as a process requires a well established resource base and a good legal framework to fully engage the system as a whole (Kenyon, 2001). The market conditions are influential on the speed of purchase and thus very important in the determination of the total developmental time. The actual location of an organization is also important in evaluating the total buying time. An organization in an urban setting find it easy to buy software and hardware components as the availability and cost associated with their purchase is small compared to those in a rural setting.Personnel This is also one of the most overlooked factors (Kenyon, 2001). In consideration of the personnel, decision on whether to buy or build an Automated office systems support requires company wide consultation (Kenyon, 2001). As organizations anal yses their resources they must determine what they have and the needed personnel required for the implementation of the Automated office systems support. The organization should determine the number of available technical staff available for the support.If organizations lack or anticipate a lack of personnel, they must decide on when and where the required staff will be obtained from, which may involve the determination of the cost of the support (Kenyon, 2001). Money Money is an important consideration in strategic development as it affects the nature of the budget. A limited or unlimited budget has a great bearing on the choice of whether to buy or build an Automated office systems support (Katzan, 2002). In consideration of the budget both individuals and organizations must consider the short and long term benefits that will be accrued by the implementation of either methods.This may also involve the analysis of the effects of the non-implementation of the alternative. The import ance of money is such that without it the project is non-existent (Levy, 2001). Therefore, organization are required to accurately estimate their resource requirements before a decision on whether to buy or build an Automated office systems support is made. The cost involved in both cases have to be estimated and any other factors that may affect the estimated cost determined.Moreover, since all factors can never be determined accurately, including a contingency or escape plan in the formulation of the original policy will ensure that the organization is well prepared for any eventuality (Kenyon, 2001). The effect of money on the total time taken also depends on the government policies, market and industry condition that can affect the availability of resources especially money (Carter, 1999). Expected change in areas that currently affect the availability of funds largely determines the feasibility of the project in future.The availability of additional funding and all the factors that affect it, which may include legal and political issues all play important roles. Uniqueness The nature of organizations differ and therefore their requirements may vary though the degree depends on the organizations being considered. A major consideration is thus the uniqueness of the needs of the organization. In determination of the uniqueness of an organizations needs the following have to be looked into: ? What are the needs of the organization? ? What are the objectives in the implementation of Automated office systems support What are the connections between the available of the shelf-software and the needed capabilities in what the organization looks for in Automated office systems support? ? Does the implementation of the system go in line with the industry and market needs? ? What is the relationship between the methodology of choice and the organizational culture? The determination of the answers to this question as per the context of the organization helps in coming up with the level of uniqueness needed for the Automated office systems support and thus plays a very important role in the determination of whether to buy or build.The needs of an organization are defined as its requirements to perform in the industry (Herbert & Sparck, 2004). The needs are thus the components that are necessary for the survival of a business in the industry that it is in. The needs are the basic components of the operational environment. Determination of the needs requires one to look deeply into the processes and establish their requirements, outputs, behavior and interaction before any modification aimed at the improvements of the processes is made.It is noteworthy that every process has a number of factors that affect it both from its external and internal environment. Moreover, every activity or operation than an organization may undertake in can be broken into a number of processes and thus determination of the needs of the organization is done effectively i n an efficient manner. The implementation of developmental agenda in any organization is best done through strategic planning (Buckingham, 2006). Strategic planning involves the formulation of a plan aimed at development of some project(s) so as to ensure organizational growth.Any plan that is developed with success in mind must have a well laid out action plan that is characterized by well intentioned and realistic objectives. It is important that the objectives of any plan be in line with the actual needs of the organization. Therefore, the objectives of the organization in coming up with an Automated office systems support must be established and documented clearly so that the guidelines in the implementation of the policies that arise as a result of the consideration of the objectives be in line with the organizational goals.Moreover, the objectives in the implementation of a plan differ according to the priorities of the organization and are therefore unique to the problem bein g addressed and the organizational approach to problem solving. After the determination of the exact needs of the organization, the available software and software components have to be evaluated. An important consideration is that in either case the organization has to buy either software components to, or the full Automated office systems support since the organization does not engage in the manufacture of softwares (Gibson, 2004).Thus, determination of the needs of the organization and the available software capability in meeting those needs must be established. Moreover, organizations must effectively determine any addition capabilities possessed by the available softwares that may enhance service delivery. These capabilities which meet the wants of the organization must be addressed clearly and effectively if the investment is to be a success. Industrial and market considerations also contribute a great deal in deciding whether to build or buy Automated office systems support.A n industry is defined as a collection of businesses and related economics (Gibson, 2004). The industry is thus one of the factors that is influential on the strategic development of any organization. Companies may choose to either go with the trends of the industry or adopt a trend that can be considered as being contrary, in either case there are pros and cons that must be considered. The effects of the trends in an industry do impact on its players. Moreover, how the effect is felt by the constituent members depend on their abilities and thus differs across the industry.An occurrence in an industry may be viewed by the sector players as an opportunity or a threat depending on their policies, resource base and technical capabilities (Gibson, 2004). Policies implemented by organization under the consideration of the industry may be aimed at measuring up to other players in the industry or gaining an edge over them. In either consideration the nature of the organization in question p lays a great role in the strategic direction adopted. The market is a very important consideration in deciding on what strategic direction an organization will adopt in pursuing its vision.Most organizations are in business for the sole aim of meeting their customers' needs and thus their strategies are often biased towards the achievement of this cause. The customers needs are an aspect of business that is nearly impossible to predict. The requirements and the expectation often shift with changes in technology, industry, preferences, fashion and taste. The social, environmental, legal, political and economic factors all have a great bearing on the market and thus on the decision.Moreover, in market considerations, expected growth in the future plays a central role in formulation of current market strategies. In consideration of the market needs, the policies formulated are often aimed at coming up with directions that will best meet the needs of the market so as to either match the other players or earn a reputation and thus a competitive advantage. Organizational culture Organizational culture is defined as the shared values and beliefs within an organization (Wilkes, 2000).The culture also comprises of the norms and beliefs and is thus an in build system within an organization (Wilkes, 2000). Thus organizational culture is specific to an organization and it defines the relationship and the nature of the interaction between members of an organization and is influential on the nature of the relationship with outsiders (Wilkes, 2000). The culture is also definitive of the goals that are set for each member of the organization and is seen to go in line with thee vision of the organization. From the clear definition, goals, guidelines or expectations are developed; these constitute the norms.The management may try to instill some kind of a culture on its employees, this type of culture is thus described as corporate culture and is more specific (Wilkes, 2000). T he classification of culture takes on diverse dimensions and therefore the analysis of the effects must also take on the same trend. The following are some of the factors that are used in classification of organizational culture: ? The expected differences in power levels. ? The extent to which the organizations members are willing to take risks. ? The level of collectivism or individualism in an organization. ? Gender aspects.? Orientation, which can either be short or long term. Any strategy that an organization comes up with must be within the organizational setting and thus be relevant to the organization culture. A clash between the strategies and the organizational culture will lead to the flop of any program, therefore all organizations must ensure that their development plans are in line with the culture, failure to which the implementation will be a flop. Support for the policies After the analysis of needs, resources and uniqueness, there is an additional factor that must be considered in coming up with a decision; support.The organizational support to the mode chosen is very critical in the determination of the success of the mode of choice in meeting the needs of the organization. This is because it affect how members of the organization receive the decision. Support can be categories into three: ? Upper level support ? Like/ Colleague level ? End user support Management The reasons for support by upper management staff and executives is quite clear. The main reason for their support is the power they posses in the implementation of the plan especially in resource allocation and policy formulation (Woodruff, 2005).Moreover, the obvious nature of the need to influence the top executives often lead to concentration on them and thus ignoring the other members. Organizations must ensure that such occurrence are minimized and if possible eliminated as they can cause failure of well intentioned plans. Colleagues This group is made up of all those that th e organization have to interact with in their daily undertaking (Woodruff, 2005). The importance of this group lies in counteracting the power that the organizations executives have on the decision making process.The support of the members of the organizations operational environment plays a very important role in influencing the decision. Therefore, enlightening the colleagues on the importance of Automated office systems support will go in line with drumming up support for the implementation of the approach of choice. In addition, enlightening the colleagues to understand the implementation of the plan, which it is meant for and the effect of its implementation on their jobs will go a long way in influencing their support.End Users Even though they have the power to influence the success of a plan, the end user are often ignored in lobbying for support (Woodruff, 2005). The end users have the power to render the plan a failure by deciding not to use the product, which will have th e effect of changing the attitude of the colleagues and the management executives on the effectiveness and efficiency of the adopted Automated office systems support acquirement mechanism.Moreover, the sabotage need not be intentional; the failure of the system may be due to their lack of understanding of why the product is necessary or as a show of their lack of support of the governance model adopted. Furthermore, the products failure in meeting the needs of the end user could lead to failure and thus the importance of the end user in deciding on whether to buy or build Automated office systems support can never be downplayed.The Decision Process Whenever an organization decides to buy, the decision is always an aftermath of a series of processes. The decision may be instantaneous or take a long time though buying is a process and not an event (Woodruff, 2005). No matter the length of the process the origin is when a company becomes aware of the need (Woodruff, 2005). The need is then identified and the organizations searches for avenues through which the needs can be met.In the process of information or data gathering, the criteria that will be used in buying affects the buying process and should therefore be evaluated and refined. It is advisable for organizations to choose a few alternatives that are considered to be the best from the lot. Once a decision in reached and a choice made the purchase is made which is another process that can be quite time consuming (Woodruff, 2005). In summary, the decision to buy can be broken into five stages in which the first three are also constituted in a decision to build:? Identification ? Searching ? Evaluation ? Decision ? Purchase ? Reevaluation i. Identification This is the phase in which the organization realizes that it has a need that can be met by an Automated office systems support. The identification could be as a result of the failure of the system that they are using, increased competition from their rival s who have automated or as a strategy to gain some competitive leverage on players in the industry who are still implementing the manual system or are using a poor automated system.ii. Searching This is more of a research phase where the organization analyses itself, processes together with the industry to come up with the aspects in which it is lacking (Woodruff, 2005). Moreover, the organization can establish areas in which it can improve in so as to aid the establishment of its presence in the industry. iii. Evaluation In this phase the results from the searching p