Small Team Group Paper

Paper I recently worked in a small group for my employer. The team included five of us. We had signed up to volunteer to serve at a benefit luncheon for M. S. Our previous general manager had been diagnosed with M. S. And stepped down from her position in order to take care of her health. The luncheon was very important to all of us. We were all of different personalities from five different walks of life. We were all girls. Each group always had that one out spoken person, one who was the caboose, and he other three of us where somewhere in the middle of the two personalities that stood out.One of the major problems we had with this group was that the one girl just loved to gab. I think if she could make a living for talking, she'd be a millionaire. Therefore, she would walk around, which we were encouraged to do, and talk to all those who attended. But she took advantage of the freedom to do so. At the luncheon we had sold well over 500 tickets, that didn't include the people who w alked in and bought a ticket at the door. So with being down one person we began to slip behind.We were running out food because our line of communication to the kitchen to refill was cut off, we had tables that needed clean, guest that needed assistance. Because this girl would run off and disappear we had to pull one girl from one station to pick of the slack, so we were constantly always moving around. Once we were able to find a rhythm and the girl came back we set some ground rules. She was not happy being told what to do since it was volunteer work, but we were there for one reason and it as to help raise money for a good cause.We didn't nominate a leader of the group. We figured we were all grown adults there to do grown adult work. We believed we didn't need a leader. We were able to all speak our minds to one another and agree on rules that needed to be enforced so we were successful. We also were representing the company we were working for at the time and did not want to set a bad example or lose our Job over something so silly. Making sure that our time was successful was our number one priority .Us girls all got along so well and liked each there that we wanted the five of us to continue to be able to work together in a team and represent our company at future events such as the one we were working at. Another goal we had was to make the over all luncheon a success. We wanted to help raise as much money for M. S. As possible so next year more people would want to come out and help support the cause. The communication among our group was great. We all had communicated on a daily basis at work. We would text each other on the weekends.None of us were real close until we started working in the groups gather. We were all honest with each other. I think that because we had an open line of communication and were honest with one another that that's what strengthen our relationship between the five of us. Ever since I worked in a group with these five gir ls, it makes me want to work more and more in groups. Sometimes with the same five girls I started with, and sometimes with new people. I enjoyed getting to know these young ladies, and because of it I have build a lifetime friendship. We did go on working more charity events for the community.Our goals for each and every event were always the same. Be positive, we are the face of our company so we had to be the role model, be successful as a whole, engage with the people, make them want to come back to other events we would be doing in the future. We all took to one another so when we had an opinion about something we were all open for discussion. We never took each others criticism to heart, we often would laugh about it and fix the issue that was at hand. Over all we enjoyed each other's company because it passed the time and made working with a group enjoyable.

Hispanic and Latino Americans Essay

The poem â€Å"Legal Alien† by Pat Mora is in the open poem form, it has no stanzas. It does have a few words that rhyme which are â€Å"English† (5) and â€Å"Spanish† (6) and also with â€Å"Mexicans† (14) and then with â€Å"Americans† (15). The poem also has rhythm, it is a low steady beat. It is a straightforward poem about how life is for a person with the same race/ethnicity as others and at the same time, different from others. The poem â€Å"Legal Alien† is about a woman of Mexican parents, who is born and raised in America. An American citizen established by law, but at the same time this person feels like an illegal alien because of how some people treat her. She is fluent in both, English and in Spanish. Feels American because she is, but at the same time she doesn’t. She is looked at by Americans (Anglos) as inferior, and looked at by Mexicans like she doesn’t belong. They make her feel like she is not one of them, like she doesn’t fit anywhere. â€Å"An American to Mexicans a Mexican to Americans a handy token sliding back and forth between the fringes of both worlds† (14-18). – What this means is that she feels like she could be from both places and at the same time from neither, but on the border of each. Happy, sad, confused, lost but at the same time she tries to cover all her feelings and what she is thinking â€Å"by masking the discomfort† (20) is that she has to grin and bear the fact that she is being condemned for having two nationalities. After reading this poem over and over I can say that I have felt what the speaker mentions in the poem, I have been in her shoes. Yes it’s hard to believe but if you think about it we are all different and at the same time we are all the same. For some people it is hard to accept people of different nationality, but the only thing we can do is to move on. I am Mexican American, also bilingual, with two different cultures, born in America with Mexican parents. I think this poem â€Å"Legal Alien† is a little about racism which is everywhere and it has been around for a long time. I have felt looks from Mexicans and Americans, and to be honest it doesn’t feel that good. But I think that the only thing we can do is to just let it go and live life at the fullest and accept everyone as they are. Race, color, religion, or even language should not matter. In the end, and underneath of it all, we are all the same.

The Influence of Atheism in the Enlightenment

The Influence of Atheism on the Age of the Enlightenment While skepticism and doubt have had a presence in human thought for nearly as long as religious faith has existed, they have had a place within religious thought rather than in opposition to it for the vast majority of their existence. Doubt was generally employed by religious thinkers for the purpose of strengthening and explaining their faith, as can be seen in the numerous â€Å"proofs† for the existence of God formulated by the great theologians of the Middle Ages, such as Thomas Aquinas and Anselm of Canterbury.With the new science and philosophy of the Enlightenment, however, unbelief began to be seen as a viable alternative option that stood in opposition to faith. In addition to the popular deism of the Enlightenment, espoused by such important figures as Voltaire and Maximilien Robespierre, atheism also found its first explicit adherents among such figures of the French Enlightenment as Baron d'Holbach and Jacqu es Andre Naigeon.This new view of disbelief would have a major influence on subsequent generations of thinkers in the West as proponents of religion now had to contend with disbelief as a rival system of thought and many of the most influential philosophies, such as those of Friedrich Nietzsche and Karl Marx, supported and often assumed this concept of disbelief. Among the numerous new concepts introduced by the philosophers of the Enlightenment, one of those which have had the longest lifespan and the greatest impact has been the introduction of disbelief as a viable alternative position to religious faith, Atheism.One of the most central philosophical pursuits of the Middle Ages was the attempt to reconcile faith and reason. Medieval thinkers had inherited both the religious tradition of the ancient Middle East, which they saw as representative of faith, and the philosophical tradition of ancient Greece, which they saw as representative of reason. In their attempts to synthesize t he two, the primary question they encountered was whether the existence of God, the primary object of faith, could be proved through the use of reason alone. Some of the greatest thinkers who have ever lived have pored at length over this question. † One of the most remarkable features of Medieval philosophy is the centrality of this question when compared with the apparent nonexistence of any separate class of nonbelievers. Not only are there no surviving writings by or about any person espousing outright unbelief during the Middle Ages, but according to Sarah Stroumsa, â€Å"in the discussions of God's existence the actual opponents† of the philosophers examining the question â€Å"are not identified as individuals.As a group they are sometimes referred to as heretics, unbelievers, materialists, or skeptics. † Some of the greatest minds of the Middle Ages, then, dedicated large portions of their work to arguing against an entirely theoretical unbelief. When Ans elm of Canterbury formulated his ontological argument and Thomas Aquinas formulated his famous â€Å"five ways† to prove the existence of God, they themselves assumed doubt in their writings in order to strengthen faith through reason and to demonstrate that faith and reason are compatible and complimentary.Later, in the fifteenth century, however, William of Occam set about undoing the synthesis which had been accomplished by Anselm, Aquinas, and others like them. Occam believed that â€Å"logic and theory of knowledge had become dependent on metaphysics and theology† as a result of their work and that they had made reason subservient to faith. He â€Å"set to work to separate them again. As a result of his work to separate faith and reason, according to Richard Tarnas, there arose the psychological necessity of a double-truth universe. Reason and faith came to be seen as pertaining to different realms, with Christian philosophers and scientists, and the larger educa ted Christian public, perceiving no genuine integration between the scientific reality and the religious reality. As scientific knowledge in Europe continued to increase exponentially, the gap between faith and reason continued to widen.Faith had grown detached from reason in ever more literal interpretations of the Bible and the sola fide, or â€Å"faith alone,† dogma of Protestantism, whereas reason increasingly freed itself from reference to faith and instead found its abode in the empirical sciences and â€Å"natural theology,† an approach to religion based on reason and experience rather than speculation and appeal to revelation, of Enlightenment thinkers like Descartes. Traditional Christianity, with its miracles and saints, came increasingly to be viewed as outdated and superstitious. This was especially true in the light of Newtonian physics.A mechanistic universe which operated consistently according to a standard set of laws did not allow for â€Å"alleged m iracles and faith healings, self-proclaimed religious revelations and spiritual ecstasies, prophecies, symbolic interpretations of natural phenomena, encounters with God or the devil† and so on and so these ideas increasingly came to be viewed â€Å"as the effects of madness, charlatanry, or both. † According to Jacques Barzun, â€Å"religion as such [was] not attacked; it [was] redefined into simplicity. † In the light of this new scientific knowledge and the new views of religion it engendered, a new religious movement was needed.The new religious movement that emerged from this situation was deism. Deism allowed that â€Å"one may well be overawed by the Great Archetict and His handiwork;†13 after all, â€Å"Newton's cosmic architecture demanded a cosmic architect. †14 However, â€Å"the attributes of such a God could be properly derived only from the empirical examination of his creation, not from the extravagant pronouncements of revelation. à ¢â‚¬  The deists also prescribed that religion include much emphasis on â€Å"good morals,† as they, like the belief in a creator, â€Å"are universal† as well.This rather tenuous set of beliefs, however, could not hold for long. Samuel Clarke, an early English Enlightenment philosopher, noted in a letter to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz that The notion of the world's being a great machine, going on without the interposition of God as a clock continues to go without the assistance of a clockmaker, is the notion of materialism and fate and tends (under pretense of making God a supramundane intelligence) to exclude providence and God's government in reality out of the world.And by the same reason that a philosopher can represent all things going on from the beginning of the creation without any government or interposition of providence, a skeptic will easily argue still further backward and suppose that things have from eternity gone on (as they now do) without any true cre ation or original author at all but only what such arguers call all-wise and eternal nature. As more thinkers began to realize this, â€Å"the rationalist God †¦ soon began to lose philosophical support. Disbelief was no longer just the doubt and needs for â€Å"proofs† that had been present in Medieval thought. It was no longer theoretical and it was no longer subservient to the needs of religious thinkers in their attempts to strengthen the case for faith. Disbelief had become a new and distinct religious category in its own right. Later generations of Western thinkers (drawing on the thought of the Enlightenment in religious matters just as they did in political and economic matters) carried on the Enlightenment's new movement of disbelief.According to Richard Tarnas, It would be the nineteenth century that would bring the Enlightenment's secular progression to its logical conclusion as Comte, Mill, Feuerbach, Marx, Haeckel, Spencer, Huxley, and, in a somewhat differ ent spirit, Nietzsche all sounded the death knell of traditional religion. The Judaeo-Christian God was man's own creation, and the need for that creation had necessarily dwindled with man's modern maturation. Most Western philosophy after the Enlightenment, in fact, no longer felt the need to even argue for or against the existence of God.Rather, philosophers like those named by Tarnas as well as many others simply assumed the nonexistence of God as a fact and formulated their philosophy without regard to the existence of a deity. Ludwig Feuerbach, one of these nineteenth century philosophers who built on the work of the Enlightenment philosophers, stated explicitly that The question as to the existence or non-existence of God, the opposition between theism and atheism, belongs to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries but not to the nineteenth.I deny God. But that mans for me that I deny the negation of man. In place of the illusory, fantastic, heavenly position of man which in a ctual life necessarily leads to the degradation of man, I substitute the tangible, actual and consequently also the political and social position of mankind. The question concerning the existence or non-existence of God is not important but the question concerning the existence or non-existence of man is.For the philosophers of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and even the Enlightenment, â€Å"the question concerning the existence or non-existence of God† had, of course, been seen as being of the utmost following the importance of the Enlightenment. Only a philosopher who lived in the wake of the Enlightenment and accepted its presuppositions in materialism and determinism would have been able to make such a statement as Feuerbach's; his words are demonstrative of how influential the atheism of the Enlightenment had become. Though his words bout himself can only fairly be applied specifically to Feuerbach and do play an important role in his unique philosophy, much the same sent iments can with confidence be assigned to the vast majority of other great philosophers who The disbelief of the Enlightenment has also had a major effect on popular philosophy and religion, especially in Europe. According to the 2005 Eurobarometer Poll, approximately 18% of the citizens of countries in the European Union report that they â€Å"don't believe there is any kind of spirit, God or life force. 29 This is a significant change, of course, from the situation in Europe during the Middle Ages, when Anselm, Aquinas, and others like them directed their arguments for the existence of God against vague, theoretical, and unnamed â€Å"skeptics† and â€Å"heretics. † The new prominence and popularity of disbelief also had a major effect within Christianity for much the same reason. Unbelievers were now real and unbelief itself now a viable alternative to religious faith; as a result, many believers felt a need to go on the defensive.Doubt, and even any application of reason to Christianity and to issues of faith, came to be viewed as insidious enemies, not as the means to the strengthening and further understanding of faith as in previous generations. 30 In removing a rational element from faith, faith came to be ever more irrational and, occasionally in later Western history, even anti-rational, as is evidenced by the growth and influence of Christian and semi-Christian sects focused on otherworldly mysticism, ecstatic experience, and emotionalism to the exclusion of logical thought and scientific knowledge in America and Europe during and following the Enlightenment.Christian apologetic also took on a more forceful character, as Christian apologists found it necessary to concede as little as possible to the unbelievers, such as defending extremely literal interpretations of the six-day creation and worldwide flood described in the biblical book of Genesis, whereas earlier generations of Christians had generally interpreted these events in all egorical and mystical terms. 31 Christian apologists also found it necessary to attack their unbelieving opponents with a new zeal, labeling them as â€Å"missionaries of evil† and focusing the bulk of their apologetic efforts on disbelief ather than on other religions or Christian heresies. 32 The attempts to reconcile faith and reason and the use of doubt as a faith-building tool had become things of the past. Doubt has been implicit within and an aspect of religious belief for as long as religious ideas have existed. This is especially true of the Christian religious tradition, whose most intellectual adherents found reasonable arguments for the existence of God to be necessary in the course of their attempts to reconcile the inheritances they had received from both ancient Judaism and ancient Athens.The eventual reconciliation of faith with reason, though accomplished during the Middle Ages, fell apart as the Middle Ages ended, largely under the influence of William of Oc cam. With the dawn of the Enlightenment in Europe and especially the new scientific knowledge which it brought with it, the separation that had been wrought between faith and reason widened continually and ever more deeply.Deism originally rose from the â€Å"reason† side of this split as a supposedly reasonable alternative to religious superstition; it attempted to formulate a set of religious beliefs that was pared down to the basics of the existence of a creator God and a moral system he had ordained alongside the laws of the universe. As the universe and human beings themselves came to be viewed increasingly as natural machines, however, there was less and less need for the existence of a God or the plausibility of holding to a moral system based on one.With d'Holbach, atheismefound its first outspoken spokesman, extolling a worldview in which there was no God and everything that existed was part of the material world. As with much Enlightenment philosophy, this view subs equently gained such popularity and influence among philosophers that it became the assumed standpoint of later generations of philosophers. As with any great new idea, the effects became tremendous once atheism reached the ears of the people at large, reshaping the nature of both religious belief and disbelief throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and continuing through to today.

Ipod and Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ipod and Philosophy - Essay Example A family sedan advertised, for instance, would highlight the fun and happy things that families can do with the family sedan. The better the emotional connection made between the potential buyer and the car, the higher the prospects of buyers becoming interested enough to give the car a try. In this case, emotions pique interest and elicit response. Where there is ownership of a vehicle for instance, even a bicycle, then the emotional connection is sometimes intense. People sometimes get buried with their most favorite things, with their bicycles, with their Swiss knives, and with their cell phones. Whether the emotional connection is because of the great utility of the thing, or because of something that is designed into the thing in order to elicit hopefully positive emotional connections, it is clear that the things that people own are not just things that are devoid of emotional context. People buy and keep things on the basis of how they feel about using the things that they buy , is something that is so obvious in the way products and services are marketed, that it is absurd to overlook just how important it is to listen to Don Norman talk about imputing emotional characteristics in to the very design of products. It is clear too, from the work ethic and philosophy of the man, that the ability to elicit an emotional response is a core tenet of his design philosophy (Norman, 2012; Norman, 2012b): My field is Human-Centered Design: making products that people can use, that fit their needs, that excite them and are enjoyable. The United States leads the world in human-centered design.

Egyptian architecture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Egyptian architecture - Research Paper Example A deep delineation and an in-depth analysis of the structural study of the great pyramids, monuments, temples and tombs remaining along with little domestic structure shall focus considerable light on the pertinent characteristics inherent in the Egyptian architecture. The most potent characteristics of the Egyptian architecture were its consistent nature. With very little scope of variation or alteration, the set designs and forms were repeated in the designs of almost all the periods. As regards to the building materials of the structure, one can notice the use of sun-baked mud bricks and use of plenty of stones specially sandstone, granites and limestone in all the architectures. This was because of scanty availability of wood. The architecture comprises symmetry; walls are generally thick and are generally not broken due to fenestration. The use of rectangular shapes is very prominent in the form of architecture and the walls are highlighted with colorful decorations upholding walls and columns. The visual metaphors are very strong displaying hierarchy and power game prevalent in the society. Motifs of the Egyptian architectural detail comprise Egyptian ornaments of spiral, papyrus and circles. Tomb structures are very common in the Egyptian architecture and the cut temples where various religious ceremonies and rituals were held is their traditional form of building structures commonly found (Arnold 2-203). Egyptians had generally constructed three types of tombs. Among them, Mastabas or the funerary mounds and the Pyramids constructed during the initial period of the 4th dynasty are the iconic symbol of Egypt captivating within them the mummies of the great kings symbolizing eternal power and divinity (Harwood, May and Sherman 1-210). There is no end to the study of the architecture of Egypt, like the mummy of the Tutankhamen or the pyramids, their motif, structure and most importantly use of science and comprehension of geometry at that

Practice of Do Not Resuscitate, Pros and Cons Essay

Practice of Do Not Resuscitate, Pros and Cons - Essay Example There are some cases where a medical decision to cease treatment accords with moral principles but may nevertheless invite legal censure as in the case of withholding unduly burdensome life-prolonging treatment from severely disabled newborns or severely brain-injured adults. Longitudinal Research 'describes what can be defined as the minimum common denominator of a family of those methods which tell us about change at the individual micro level" (Ruspini 3). The advantage of longitudinal data is that it suggests important cross-cultural differences in the presence of flat affect while methodological questions remain as to precisely how flat affect was assessed. The cross-cultural variation in emotional experience and expression generally and in "Do Not Resuscitate" patients specifically render the culturally valid assessment of flat affect a complicated undertaking. A medical decision to continue treating a patient may accord with a reasonable body of medical opinion, be legal (as in cases where patients have been deemed rationally incompetent under a mental health act), yet be quite unethical if the patient has expressly stated a wish not to be treated, and if this expressed wish, contrary to popular medical opinion, is not 'irrational' (Baker and Stro sberg 22). Death is of particular cultural and sociolinguistic concern insofar as the language and ethnicity of the individual conducting the psychiatric assessment may differ from those of the patient. Certainly a desire to die can be expected to vary substantially in relation to culturally constituted capacities such as self, agency, motivation, and the meaning of purposeful action. "longitudinal research is often undertaken precisely in order to identify social change and its correlates" (Bryman 71). In addition to the usual methods of cross-tabulations, comparisons of means between groups, correlation and regression analysis, there are some special methods that are particularly useful for the analysis of longitudinal data. The following are special methods which can be used to analyze data from our longitudinal studies: (a) age, period, and cohort analysis; (b) change graphs; (c) residual change analysis; and (d) longevity difference (Devine and Heath 63). A cross-sequential design is necessary to separate out the effects of age, period, and cohort. The essential steps are: first, the data must be arranged so that the time interval between times of measurement must equal the number of years in each birth cohort; second, each of the three types of differences must be measured: longitudinal (difference between earlier and later measurements on the same cohort), cross-sectional difference between cohorts at the same point in time), and time-lag (difference between earlier measurem ent on an older cohort and later measurement on a younger cohort); third, inference about the effects contained in these differences are based on the fact that each difference is composed of two effects: longitudinal difference equals age plus period; cross-sectional difference equals age plus cohort; and time-lag difference equals period minus cohort (Bryman 73). If there are no significant differences it is usually

Assess and explain the importance that human rights have attained Essay

Assess and explain the importance that human rights have attained within international law - Essay Example At a global level, the international human rights law is the body entrusted in keeping and promoting these statutes internationally, regionally and even nationally. The United Nations (UN) through the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations Human Rights Council is the only universally recognized entity that exerts jurisdiction on human rights issues. Countries adhere to international law by consenting to at least partially acquiescent to international law or jurisdiction according to the 1920 Statute of the Permanent Court of International Justice. This and subsequent statutes comprise the various international treaties, declarations, and guidelines that constitute the international human rights instruments. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of 1948 form the basis of most of these human rights instruments, which have generated various international and regional instruments that guide the international laws on human rights (UNHCHR, 2009) [s ee Table 1]. Although there is no principal body entrusted with enforcing international human rights, several judicial entities exist including the International Criminal Court (ICC), which presides over war crimes and genocide, the European Court of Human Rights, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that normally work under the guidance of the UN Human Rights Council (OHCHR, 2009). At state level, 110 countries have set up National Human Rights Commissions to monitor and promote human rights. In many developed western countries particularly the United States, the notion of human rights has developed over time but can be traced to the influence of British political theorist John Locke who ascribed to the view of natural rights of an individual. The US Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights have thus emphasised the importance of individual and collective rights. Western

Should we shop until we drop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Should we shop until we drop - Essay Example Victor Lebow gave the solution that â€Å"Our enormously productive economy†¦demands that we make consumption our way of life that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption†¦we need things consumed, burned up, replaced and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate† (Leonard and Conrad, pp. 215). Therefore, the current wave of materialism and consumerism is not natural but something, which was planned. According to a research conducted in the start of the century, American households are currently spending 1.22 US dollars for every 1 dollar earned. There is all the probability that this difference, considering the historical and currents trends in consumerism, would have increased (Woolf, pp. 124-125). Therefore, the point here is that there are no doubts that with a systematic and strategic process, Americans have become a nation who have lost their inner self worth and the only way to gain the same has become through publicizing our ownership of goods and materials. Everyday, we find ourselves in a silent war with ourselves, forcing us to buy more, consume more and stock more so that our neighbors could see our superior lifestyle (Kukathas, pp. 85-89). Deeds, ethical norms, morality, dignity, achievements, intelligence and others are quickly fading away as the measures for one’s identity and social status. We do not know or picture others with their names and achievements but with what they own and what they have the potential to buy, the boy with iPhone 4, the woman with Porsche, the man with limo and so on. Therefore, we are not we are but we are what others think we are. As Leonard and Conrad mention in their book, â€Å"That is why, after 9/11, when our country was in shock, President Bush could have suggested any number of appropriate things: to grieve, to pray, to hope. NO, and He said to shop.43 TO SHOP† (Leonard and Conrad, pp. 215). Que stion # 2 – Consequences of our love for consumerism If our love for consumerism was only destroying our disturbing our own lives then this should never have been a problem at all. However, the problem here is that this is not only we are destroying our selves, our societies, communities and nations but the entire planet (Woolf, pp. 124-125). Leonard and Conrad in their book come up with a few examples on how the entire planet is paying the price for our love of products and materials. For making products such as rubber, furniture, paper and others, we have destroyed more than 80 percent of the world’s forest. More importantly, we are losing our rainforests. Once, rainforests covered more than 16 percent of the total land but today that percentage is less than six. Furthermore, the destruction rate is so high that we are losing 75 acres of rainforests every minute (Woolf, pp. 124-125). More than 25 percent of the current drugs sold in the America and Europe come from t he ingredients derived from rainforests. The loss that we are incurring to the human king becomes clear examining the statistics. Leonard and Conrad quote, â€Å"And the plants and other life we have discovered so far are just the beginning; most scientists estimate that only 1 percent of the species that exist in the rainforest (and only there) have been identified and examined for their beneficial properties†

U.S History 1 and 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

U.S History 1 and 2 - Essay Example There have been rumblings, in the fields, amongst the other slaves about those willing to help us escape to free territory in the North. Everyday, I try to muster up enough courage to leave with others escaping through the swamps not far from here to hide as we head to the North. One day, about ten years later, in 1841, I along with a few other slaves leave in the dark of night as the owners and overseers, such as the ruthless one- eyed Williams. We made a mad dash for a wooded area just along the property farthest from the mansion. It took months of avoided all the people searching for us by hiding in the forests and swamps. We moved only in the night as not to be seen. Once I reached the North, I lived amongst the free black men and tried to reacquire my family through the slave trades, if possible. President Franklin Roosevelt, in 1942, issued Executive Order 9066 which called for all the immigrant residents from enemy nations during the war to be taken to internment camps for what was believed to be their own safety. The War Department along with other United States Departments backed this Executive Order. This was mainly to move the Japanese- Americans from their West Coast homes into the internment camps in the interior of the United States. Whether or not this was the United States best idea, is something that has been debated on for years. However in my opinion, I do not think that it was overly justified or even necessary to prevent the Japanese from gaining any further intelligence from the Japanese-Americans living on the West Coast. But, at the time, the United States Government thought it was completely necessary and justified. After, the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, in Honolulu, Hawaii, the United States declared war on the Japanese and decided to join forces with England and Russia in the fight against the Axis powers of Germany and Japan. But the

Week 5 questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 5 questions - Essay Example ly defined roles and responsibilities, availability of required resources, and delegation of adequate authorities to facilitate faster and appropriate decision making, would lead to smoother communications amongst themselves, ultimately translating into realization of the organization’s corporate goals. External stakeholders include consumers, suppliers, competitors, creditors as well as the community at large. These groups form an inevitable part of organizational growth and hence satisfying their requirements is of utmost significance for any organization. The organizations, thus, should strive to establish long term strategic relationship / partnerships with the external stakeholders to gain maximum leverage from the same and to realize the ultimate organizational goals of growth and profitability. This could be achieved by providing high quality products / services to the customers, establishing solid long term relationships with the suppliers, offering a cost effective and niche product line, as well as good payment terms for the creditors. This would ensure a satisfied team of individuals which would help in sustaining and developing the overall organizational goals. Long term goals define the vision of the company, which may include the goals of becoming the largest manufacturer in the world, attaining a specified percentage of market shares, or becoming a global leader by creating a niche for its products / services. Long term goals help the organizations in creating a fixed route which they have to follow in order to realize their specified objectives. For instance, for a company, if the long term goal is to be a world leader of a particular product, in terms of customer service, technology as well as quality, the management thus has to devise ways to reach the ultimate objective such as improving cycle times by speeding up the process of product availability, as well as reducing or minimizing the production costs by use of best technological aids

Symbolism in the Short Story Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Symbolism in the Short Story - Assignment Example It does catch fire from the sun making it burn up and from its ash, it is reborn. In the short story, the mission of Phoenix is to obtain the Medicine for the sake of the grandson. She is strong and persistent as she walks. She is a symbolic of phoenix (Chengges, 2009). The description in the story about Phoenix Jackson is indicative of phoenix. She is described as having golden color under her skin, and her hair is tied in a red flag and eyes are blue due to age. It symbolizes her age and compares it with the bird, which matures to old age. In the whole novel, there is close reference to time and age. Another symbolism emerging is the appearance of birds. She is being likened to a bird, together with her grandson. In the initial introduction of the story, she is carrying a small stick, hitting ground with it and making some noise like a chirping bird. She is also overprotective of her son like the one a bird watches over her young ones. The incidences occurring in the hospital after her arrival is symbolic of phoenix. She becomes numb, losing the ability to talk. The care team is perplexed and asks if the grandson is dead. The words bring her back to her sense and her face glitters, just as phoenix does. She starts to walk down the stairs, indicating a new life (Ma, 2010). Essentially, the whole plot is all symbolic of the legend bird phoenix. Her behavior, description appearance, and all she does rotate around the symbolic bird. She is so caring to her grandson and can travel to any distance for his sake. Her journey portrays her as a selfless person. Her aim is just to help. She undergoes so many difficulties in aiding her grandson, just like the phoenix bird (Welty& Sarcone,

Race and Ethnicity Essay Example for Free

Race and Ethnicity Essay What it means to be white can have so many definitions and/or variations. What it means to be white is to be above the rest [blacks]. Whites are taught to think they are better than blacks; more privileged than one another. But what they failed to realize is how privileged they actually are. Author Peggy McIntosh takes viewers on an in depth voyage on what it means to be white, what whiteness is, and how privileged they are. White privilege refers to the set of social privileges that white people are argued to benefit afar from commonly experienced people of color in the same social, political, or economic setting. Whiteness represents both noticeable as well as less noticeable unspoken advantages that white individuals may not recognize they have. The notion of white privilege just as male privilege implies that whites assumingly has the right to be considered as normal no matter how culturally bias this problem may seem. McIntosh explains that as a white person, she realizes she had been taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage. Students need to explore what it means to be white because they have become wrapped in what it is like to be black, meaning blacks being stereotyped as poor and disadvantaged. As McIntosh puts it being white is considered to be more privileged. In my opinion, to be white is to be as ordinary as any other person. Not looking at the fact that racism is still on the rise everywhere I go, to be white simply means to be more privileged than the lower working class. Nevertheless, whiteness and white privilege affects both whites as well as blacks. In my own experiences whiteness has affected me in my school as well as personal life. White privilege reminds me of time when there was segregation present. Cases of whiteness has taken away from many opportunities for blacks. Although it may seem biased it’s true. McIntosh explains that as she grew older she was trained to be white. Her whiteness taught her what it was like to be racist and to feel like she was free from all the hostility and distress that blacks experienced. Many, perhaps most, of our white students in the United States think that racism doesn’t affect them because they are not people of color; they do not see whiteness as a racial identity. Whiteness and white privilege is also on the rise in the United States. It seems as though it has become the new American Dream. Whether a person is taught to be white or it is learn throughout one’s life span there is no end to it. Peggy McIntosh also gives many examples on how whites can level the issue of whites being over-privileged. White individuals need to seek to change their attitudes says, McIntosh. Consequently, the American Dream is different for everyone no matter what our race, ethnicity, age, or social competency may be. Just as men feel they have to always take an extra step to be noticed, women, black or white must do the same too. Peggy McIntosh released a lot of information that should be vital to students everywhere. Knowing how they can be affected by white privilege can be very important to students everywhere, not to mention English language learners as well. The effects of white privilege may have a greater effect in them seeing as they are just learning the English language and they may grasp the wrong customs.

The Benefits Of Marijuana Legalization

The Benefits Of Marijuana Legalization The economic recession that began around January 2008 has taking its toll on several fronts. The recession has affected the U.S. labor markets as seen in the rapidly rising unemployment and underemployment issues. U.S. jobs have declined by over 5 million over the past 12 months and the unemployment rate has risen to over 9%. The recession has also caused a steep decline in state tax revenues. As a result states are beginning to see very large budgets deficits. States are struggling to find other ways to shore up the loss in revenue that is needed to support public services. California, the Golden State has reported a $20 billion budget deficit. The state is currently spending $400 to $ 600 million more a month that they are collecting in revenues. As the reality of the deficit becomes apparent to the leaders of California, the governor has asked for solutions to their problems. What you can expect generally is no taxes and terrible cuts, absolutely terrible cuts, said Governor Schwarzenegger to press secretary Aaron McLear. Were not going to get through the deficit we have without making some really tough decisions. (www.sacbee.com) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat, and the states two Democratic U.S. senators have said new federal aid was unlikely, given that California has already received billions of dollars from the stimulus package.The federal government is not responsible for the state of Californias budget, and we look forward to hearing a sustainable plan for the state to get its house in order, a spokesman for Ms. Pelosi said after the budget was released Friday May 14, 2010. (www.wstj.com) While the state administration debates ways to reduce the large deficit one solution has been mentioned, the legalization of marijuana. It has been estimated that a legal market for marijuana could yield revenue of $1.5 to $2.5 billion a year. Total retail sales would result in a total economic impact of $8 to $13 billion a year. The state would also save over $160 million a year in law enforcement cost for arrests, prosecutions, and imprisonment. Additional benefits would arise from more sales taxes from spinoff markets such as smokehouses, industrial hemp facilities and larger amounts of tourism. (www.canorml.org) Over 1.6 million Californians have smoked marijuana within the past 30 days, according to the most recent National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, which found 5.6% of all Americans over the age of 12 are current marijuana users. According to the survey, one-third of this population, or 530,000 Californians are daily users. Taking this survey into consideration, the California administration believes there will be sufficient demand for this product. (www.canorml.org) California has now added the Tax Cannabis Act to its November ballot which will be to legalize the cultivation, possession, and recreational use of marijuana. So why not legalize marijuana? There are several moral arguments that need to be considered: rights, justice, utilitarianism, caring, virtue and Christianity before any decisions can be made. Rights Marijuana was banned by The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 in the U.S. in 1937after 162 years of use. In 1937 Anslinger testified before Congress in favor of Marijuana Prohibition by saying: Marijuana is the most violence causing drug in the history of mankind. Most marijuana smokers are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. Marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes. (www.hempcar.org) Many supporters of legalization of marijuana believe that the prohibition laws were passed based on discrimination and lies therefore violating human rights. In general, a right is an individual entitlement to something. (pg 73, Velasquez) Rights are a powerful device according to Velasquez, when they are used to enable the individual to choose freely whether to pursue certain activities and to protect those choices. (pg 74) Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a mans appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded. Abraham Lincoln (1809-65), U.S. President stated during a speech on the 18th of December 1840, to Illinois House of Representatives. Allowing the government to control what individuals freely choose to do when they pose no threat to their community than they are letting the government violate their basic constitutional rights. Justice The production, distribution, and use of marijuana is a criminal offense under the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act. Retributive justice refers to the just imposition of punishment and penalties on those who do wrong. (pg88, Velasquez) In 2007, police in Californian made over 60,000 felony and misdemeanor arrests of individuals possessing marijuana. If charged with possession of marijuana it will carry large penalties for offenders in the United States. The first offence could be a fine of $500 or up to 20 years imprisonment for third or more offences. These arrests create permanent criminal records that could disqualify individuals for schooling, student loans, housing and most importantly jobs. The cost of law enforcement of the marijuana laws in California contribute to the economic problem by over $150 million per year. (pg 97) So the moral question is: Does the crime fit the punishment? How fair is this action? These questions of distributive justice arise when different people put forth conflicting claims on societys benefits and burdens. (pg 88) Utilitarianism There are no arguments that there are a several side effects that come from smoking marijuana. The advocates for marijuana use believe the only side effect is it elevates the feeling of happiness. Jeremy Bentham states that, the theory which accepts as the fundamentals of morals, utility or the greatest happiness principle, holds that ones actions are right if those actions promote happiness and wrong if they produce negative effects. The happiness is intended to produce pleasure and not pain. (pg 62) This ethical theory insists that the desire for happiness motivates human conduct. Taking into consideration the utilitarian calculations, by using marijuana in the privacy of the individuals home serves to increase their pleasure or greatest happiness principle. The government, therefore, has no right to prohibit what is ethically justifiable conduct. On the other hand for those individuals who argue against legalizing of marijuana believe that the use is wrong because marijuana destroys brain cells and could also be a gateway drug to more lethal drugs and narcotics. These advocates have successfully enacted prohibition laws banning the use of marijuana. Utilitarians stress, however, these advocates are acting unethically because they are decreasing the greatest happiness principle covered in the shield of upholding what is an essentially contested concept (pg 60), namely, the common good. Utilitarianism is also the basis of the techniques of economic cost-benefits analysis. This type of analysis is used to determine whether its present and future economic benefits outweigh its present and future costs. (pg 63) The California administration believes that by legalizing marijuana they can tax it which will help eliminates the states budget deficit problems. This will also eliminate the $150 million dollars that are spent each year by enforcing the ban on marijuana. Caring Drugs that are deemed politically, socially, medically, or religiously unfit for recreational use are often banned. Ethic reasoning based on caring sees our communities and communal relationships as a fundamental value that should be preserved and maintained. (pg 103) The position on the legalization of marijuana is different for each individual. Those positions range from blanket prohibition to permitting use in small doses. Advocates believe that legalizing the drug would be a good thing because it forces manufactures to meet regulation guidelines just like the manufactures of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages. Currently legal drugs must have ingredients lists, warning labels and purity levels clearly stated on the containers. By providing a legal supply chain of the currently illegal drug the prices will fall which would theoretically lead to the collapse of the current illegal drug industry and also lead to a reduction in crimes committed by those illegal organizations. They also argue that there will be no change in the amount of demand for marijuana due to the inelasticity of the demand. On the other side of the argument, advocates believe the state should not be involved in the distribution of substances that are considered unhealthy. They believe it is the states job to protect each citizens health and not contribute to exposing them to risky items. These advocates truly care for their communities by exhibiting the virtues of concern and love. (pg 103) These advocates are very concerned that the marijuana use will be dangerous to others beside the user. They are worried that it will contribute to the rise in health costs, create more violence that is always accompanied with drug use and most importantly contribute to the neglect of children that is always seen in drug-addicted parents. Virtue The debate going on in California over legalization marijuana has been a very controversial issue. It has been debated by both advocating sides of the issue. The advocates for legalizing marijuana argue from Aristotles moral virtue point of view. A person lives according to reason, Aristotle argued, when the person knows and chooses reasonable middle ground in his actions and desires: Moral virtue is a mean between two vices, one of excess and the other of deficiency and it aims a hitting the mean in desires and actions.(pg 110) With respect to consumable goods, temperance the virtue of being reasonable by indulging the desire but not in excess. Marijuana advocates reason that as long as it is used only for recreational purposes and not abused there should be no issues from Aristotle point of view for not legalizing it. The advocates against legalizing marijuana argue from another moral virtue point of view. They argue that economic institutions or governmental administration make people greedy and large bureaucrat organizations make people less responsible. These organizations are morally defective because they tend to create morally defective individuals. (pg 113) These advocates fear that the State of California only concern is to fix its budget deficit problems at the expense of its citizen well being. Christianity The advocates against legalizing marijuana argue that the use of any mind-altering drug is morally and spiritually damaging therefore should be kept out of reach. The book of Galatians 5:19-21states, The acts of sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debaucheryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Keeping this scripture in mind, by participating in these deeds of the flesh will excluded one from the kingdom of heaven. This scripture also proves that smoking marijuana would not be a good Christian activity one would want to participate in. The bible predicted that people would want to participate in bad behavior in a letter the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 which states, There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of moneyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦without love, self control, not lovers of goodà ¢Ã¢â€ š ¬Ã‚ ¦lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God-having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. The argument is made that people will be lovers of the pleasures in life rather than lovers of God. The final argument is how can an individual focus on doing good works if their minds are clouded with marijuana smoke. On the side of the debate advocates for legalizing marijuana argue that the current laws are an invasion of individual rights to make their own moral decisions concerning what they do in their own homes. Prohibition is allowing the government to make moral decisions for individuals and not allowing ones to be morally accountable for their own actions. The scriptures do talk about keeping church and state separate in Luke 20:25 which states, He said to them, Then give to Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is Gods. Jesus also talked about this separating in John 15:19, If you belong to the world, it will love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you. It is also argued that although marijuana is not directly mentioned in the bible it does talk about how God gave humans plants and herbs to use for food. Then God said, I give you every herb bearing [seed] plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it .They wil l be yours for food. (Genesis 1:29) The legalization of marijuana appears to have a lot of support in California. Activists believe that taxing marijuana production and sales would bail out the cash-strapped state. The point has been made that prohibition law has been a big disaster because it has wasted billions of dollars in law enforcement resources and made criminals out of normally law bidding citizens. There are on the other hand still a lot of activists that oppose decrimalizing marijuana. They argue that with recreational marijuana use comes impaired driving, crashes and injuries to innocent parties. Critics also worry social costs far outweigh the revenue it will bring in to the state. There are several measures that need to be met in order to grow support. First sales should not be outright legalized but regulated. Next the state would need to create laws to manage the production, distribution, and sales of marijuana. Finally marijuana should be managed and controlled using the guidelines the alcohol and toba cco industries follow.

Morrison Takeover Safeway Plc

Morrison Takeover Safeway Plc This part of the proposal provides the overview of the study relating to merges and acquisition in UK grocery retailers giants. One of the most maligned antitrust decisions in the history in UK involves acquisition of grocery retailer giant, the fourth largest supermarket Safeway takeover by Morrison in 2004. In 1990s, retail markets throughout the world began to be transformed by acquisition and merges. Many of the worlds largest retailers, particularly in the food and grocery sectors involves and this is to reduce the struggling competition between the leading competitor and positioned themselves to dominate or becomes holders of major market share (wrighley, 2000a, lowe, 2002). However such an event still remain a non-routine and challenging occurrence within the life time of the individual organisation and its members merges and acquisition is still one of the areas of finance which attracted interest from the general public as well as the finance analyst and the managers According to (Glen 2008) said that expanding the activities of the firms through acquisition involves significant uncertainties (Schweiger and Ivancevich, 1985) Rappaport (1998) stated that, the basic objectives of making acquisition is identical to any other investment associated with a companys overall strategy, i.e. to add value. In practise, the motivation for expansion through merges, and the diverse range of issue such as action rises by using discounted cash flow technique. First of I would like to define merges and acquisition:- MERGES- Is used to mean the combing of two business entities which result in common ownership. Merges could be either horizontal integration, vertical integration and conglomerate integration. Horizontal integration, where two companies in the same industry, whose operation are very closely related is combined, that of the case of Morrison and Safeway. One of the motives advanced for horizontal merges is that economic of scale can be achieved, but not all merges achieve such gains or enhancement of market power resulting from the reduction in competition Merges and acquisition can have a profound impact on an organisational member and their family (Hayes,1981) indeed, merges and acquisition can sufficiently transform the organisational structure ,system ,processes and culture of one or both of the firm that people often feel stressed, frustrated and even frightened {Schweiger and ivancevich 1985} Although, the recent retailing revolution in the early 1990s resulted in a number of very significant developments. The grow in size of retailers not only replaced the manufacturers dominance in the supply chain but also eliminated many wholesaler and started the trend towards backward integration of the retailer. in 1990s,there is continued concentration and consolidation in all areas of supermarket sector (Davies and Ward, 2000). The industry structure is characterised by a number of common attributes including greater store size increase in retailer concentration and adoption of a range of formats by retailers to reach as wider as their customer catchment areas. Back in January 2003 Morrison, the mostly north of England based supermarket chain, announced that it had been in discussion with Safeway over a proposed takeover. The takeover would give Morrison access to the market in the south which has been difficult to break into. Morrisons bid to buy 480 stores of Safeway that will put it major competitors for the other big supermarket chains, Tesco, Sainsbury and Asda. The current market share of Morrison as at January 2008 is at 11.4% and make it the smallest of the big four supermarket and behind Tesco (31.5), Asda (16.8) Sainsbury (15.9), but far head off the fifth place Co-operative Group (4.4%).The merges could put Morrison on a par with Sainsbury. After the takeover of Safeway, the Morrison family currently owns around 15.5% of the company. According to Hayes 1981, stated that indeed, merges and acquisition often feel stressed and frustration because of the fear of loosing their job, their family life and the culture that they must have to changes. In light of this economic approach to defining markets and approaches that turn entirely on how customers respond to prices changes. In the u k, following the Wal-marts market entry in 1999, popular perception has focused on Alhoids acquisition with Sainsbury. Indeed, Alhold has regularly been obliged to damp down market speculation on the issue .However, given such a merges, not only would it then faced competing head to head in the UK market with the other supermarkets. Although the competition commission found that little evidence of monopolistic behaviour, the findings indicated both the significance of buyer concentration and the need for voluntary regulation (Cooper, 2003 Dobson et al, 2003) The takeover has not yet gone through smoothly due to the involvement of other potential buyer, including the other main supermarket entering the race. As a result of this, the Competition Commission investigated the issue. The commission found that, of the major supermarkets, only Morrison should be allowed to proceed with a potential takeover of Safeway. However this does not rule out another potential buyer. Phillip Green, billionaire owner of Top Shop and British Home Stores (BHS) has also expressed an interest in Safeway. The commission has recommended that if Morrison is successful in their bid that they will have to sell off some of the stores to ensure that competition is not compromised. Here in UK regulation which is the issue both the land-use planning regulation which restricts the other supermarket Wal-Marts ability to develop ASDA stores at a sufficiently rapid pace to challenge for market leadership and the threats of regulatory action to safeguard competition . UK food retailers makes clear Competition Commission ,2000 Vol. 1 Morrison could safely add significant market share in the southern England, Northern Ireland ,Scotland and Wales without triggering regulatory action. As a result, although Safeway as an operational entity would be unattractive to Wal-Mart, and some of the assets of Safeway certainly would be (Poole et al.,2002) stated that for an attempt to address this issue, similar scenario can be considered in the case of Safeway and Morrison s which has stores with a price-positioning and format ideal for Wal-Mart. Unfortunately Morrisons regional market strength mirror those of ASDA and acquisition of Morrisons operations in west-midlands and Southern would inevitably trigger regulatory action. Morrison with the family-owned regional chain, is likely to want to see that independent maintained or, at least its essence continued, in any link up with larger retailer Morrison has slashed prices on over 800 Safeway products to bring them in line with its prices strategy. After the takeover of Safeway in march 2004, of the leading supermarket chain which owned 479 stores, mainly in Scotland and South of England. The acquisition ran into difficulties caused by the outgoing management of Safeway changing their accounting system just six weeks before the transaction was completed. This results of series of profit warning being issue by Morrison that leads to poor financial results and a need to revert to manual system. Morrison currently has 375 superstores in the UK, this including new store opening by the end of 2007. Until 2004, Morrison superstores were largely concentrated in the English midland and the north of England, but expanded southward, Most of its stores operates home wares with fewer electronic, clothing than the main supermarket rivals. Morrisons strategy is based on doing the basic efficiently, selling predominantly food at lower prices and doing so only from large stores. This is the different approach from the other three big chain, which have moved into service such as banking and insurances, place greater emphasis on non-food In March 2009, after completed takeover of the Somerfield, Morrison purchases 30 stores from the combined group with the commend of the competition commission. This marks the move away from the post-Safeway strategy of concentrating on superstores, to adopt the work in a smaller space of a new smaller store as its aims to have a store within 15 minutes every UK homes According to Thomas (2008) in some circumstances, acquiring management seriously underestimate the complexities involved in merges and post-acquisition integration (Robino and Demeuse 1985) The history of Wm Morrison First of all let me give the history back ground of Wm Morrison. Morrison was founded in 1899 by William Morrison, an egg and butter merchant. In 1958, the company opened its first counter service store in a small town of Bradford, UK. Morrison opened its first supermarket in Victoria, in 1961 and stated trading on London stock exchanges in 1967. The lack of opportunities for the leading UK grocery retailers to increase market share through large-scale organic store development and has made merges and acquisition strategies particular important (Poole et al., 2002) Wm Morrison carryout the expansion programmes and in 1978, the company acquired Whelan Stores and began operating in Lancashire in UK, and opened the distribution centre Wakefield and expanded its operation to include chilled stores and an ambient storages area for produce In 2004 march Morrison takeover Safeway supermarket at  £3bn, this enables them to become the fourth largest retailers and more than double its store presence. In 2007 January, the company gave access to two new in-store recycling services in over 345 store spread across England, Scotland and Wales The media have highlighted the fact that Morrison and Safeway are an ideal geographical fit in that there are no areas of overlap. It was clear from the findings of the Competition Commission that these two companies would not imposed local monopoly and the customers interest would served. The debated concerning each of these bids by different companies, have not simply been financial. The distinctly geographical issues have been very much to the force. First the commentators have talked about geographical fit, not a subject always prominent where, merges and acquisition are debated (Bikini et al 2002). The ASDA and Morrison bids look more promising in term of geographical fit although Sainsburys fit in northern England and Scotland is also good, but the objective was to creates more level-playing field and although of course this bid may not be acceptable to the shareholders of Safeway, especially taking account of the ASDA /Wal-Mart financial packages said to be on offer Safeway stores and therefore present fewer problem of high local market share, and their acquisition of Safeway would leap-frog them above Sainsbury and leave three major players well ahead of the chasing pack (Poole, Clerk and Clerk 2002) 4.1 Empirical reviews In the real world the takeover and merges have several motives behind (Glen Arnold 2008.Buono and Bowditch 2003), among which the following could be associated with the Wm Morrisons takeover 4.1.1 Synergy= which mean the combine entity will have a valve greater than the sum of its part. This increases in valve comes about because of boost to revenue and the cost base when two firms AB are to be combined or gain may result fro synergistic benefit to provide a valve above that of the present valve of the two independent cash flow :- PVAB= pva+ pvb+ gain PVA=discounted cash flow of company A PVB=discounted cash flow of company B PV AB=discounted cash flow of the merged firm Therefore synergy is often expressed in the form 2+2=5 4.1.2 Market share/power==One of the most important forces driving merges is the attempt to increase market power {Alderson 2002}This is the ability to exercise some control over the prices of the products, and this can be achieve through either monopoly, oligopoly or dominant producers position. However, Wm Morrison, this is one of the objectives to gain the market share in the South where it was very difficult to break into and the shareholders valve would be maximised .Its the fourth largest company by sales and the second by market capitalisation, The strong market presence enhances the brand images of the company and provides economic of scale 4.1.3 Economic of scaleAnother important contributor to synergy is the ability to exploit the economic of scale. The larger size often leads to lower cost per unit of out put. In the case of wm Morrison, this is not the main motive of takeover 4.1.5 Financial Performance for six years 1feburary 2009 turnover  £14528m compare to two year after the takeover January 2006  £12115m. The profit and loss before tax in 2009 February  £655m compare to January 2006 of ( £312.9) The profit after tax in 2009 January  £460m compare to January 2006 ( £250.3) In 2005 immediately after the takeover, Wm Morrison give the profit warning and the share price drop drastically and the turnover was down to  £12116m compare to February2004 and the profit before tax in 2005 was  £193m to ( 312.9) loss in 2006. These are due to the pos-acquisition syndromes and the managements reaction to the takeover of Safeway .The accounting system were changes few weeks before the completion of the acquisition 4.1.6 The market share As of August 2008, according to TNS World panel, Morrison is the smallest of the Big Four supermarkets with a market share of 11.1%. Whilst Tesco, Asda and Sainsburys saw increases in market share from July 2008 of 31.6%, 17.0% and 15.9% respectively. Morrisons saw a smallest sized decrease of 0.2% in the same period There has been a significant amount of empirical research into merges and acquisition and the impact 4.2 The strength and weakness of Wm Morrison 4.2.1 Strength Strong market presence In examining the strength and the weakness of wm Morrison in its operation as the fourth largest supermarket in the UK ,this is to discover that competition in grocery industry in the southern market is intensified ,but Morrison is able to gain the market shares of strong presence in those areas. It serves over nine millions shoppers every week. Strong market presence enhances the brand images of the company Strong geographical presence Poole et al 2002 stated that Wm Morrison has strong geographical presence across the UK, both in superstores and petrol filling station .The company spread across Scotland with 50 stores ,Northern UK55 stores , 20 stores in Wales ,62 and 42 stores in midlands East and midland West respectively . Therefore, because of it geographical presence enhances the companys sale penetration opportunities and gives it a competitive advantages Extensive ranges of food and services The companys fresh food counters offer valve added services including personal advice, cleaning and preparation of fresh meat and fish according to customer s requirement {Troy 2003}Morrisons extensive list of specialized food products and services helps the supermarket chain to differentiate itself with competitors and thereby provides it with an exclusive bran identity Vertical integrated operations A study has been performed by Balto (2001) to examine the uniqueness of the services provided by the supermarket chain. Morrison is the only major food retailers to own and operate fresh food manufacturing and processing facilities. The companys operations are vertically integrated in its food category, which allows it to manufacture, distributed and retail the vast majority of its fresh meat and dairy requirement 4.2.2 Weakness Lack of presence in the online channel Online shopping has steadily grown in popularity in the UK. The amount of money spent online by consumers in the UK increased to  £14.7billion in 2007 Over the next five years online sales are expected to more than triple to £44.5billion by 2012 (Datamonitor-Uk Retail issues 2008:Time to re-evaluate propositions, BFVT0041,May 2008) With internet shopping rising at a rapid pace, supermarkets are establishing their online sales channel to increase revenues. Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury in the UK have establishing the presence in the internet online shopping, in order to capitalize on this rapidly growing trend towards convenience. However Morrison is yet to capitalize on this trend which limited the companys potential growth opportunities 4.2.3Opportunities Increasing demand for organic products Looking in the real world of the grocery industry, wm Morrison have the opportunities to increase the demand for the organic produces, where the Big Four supermarket chain are real competition , The increasing consumer awareness of health and environmental issue along an increasing resistance towards genetically modified (gm) food products and GM farming. Has led to rapid increase in the demand for organic food (Andrew 2004) Growth in private label market The private label market in the UK is witnessing a strong growth in sales. The UK private label sector is one of the most developed in the world. The valve of the sector is at  £45billon and forecast suggests that this will increase to  £ 52billion by 2011. Morrison has increase its private brand product portfolio over the years (DTI, 2008) 5. Research Methodology The way in which research in conducted is not the easy process of transforming the information into reality, but it need cautious planning exercise which follow the procedures and stages Before commencing the study, appropriate selection of the vital research methodology is essential to ensure that the proposal is in the correct steps. Research methodology is divided into two methods of qualitative and quantitative methods. In some circumstances the two methods are combining together as well depending the nature of the study i.e. multiple method (Litter, et al 2003), Tashakkori and Teddlie (2003) Industrial economist argue that market structure is intrinsically linked to firm behaviour and financial performances (Scherer and Ross, 1999; Martin ,1994) ,which look at the financial performances of the company wm Morrison and the market share above In this research proposal, the quantitative method will be use heavily because of the information provided and as the data resources are secondary data which considered the extraction of data manually from the statistical reports available on the website . Secondary data are used for research projects that were originally collected for some other purposes. It includes both raw data and published summaries. Most organisations collect and store a variety of data to support their operation. Secondary data could be divided into three parts=1. Documentary secondary data, 2.Multiple source of secondary data and third the survey based secondary data. The reasons for the uses of Quantitative method is that, its objective, systemic and orderly way of gathering and interprets the information for the use of the study Quantitative approach is predominantly used as a synonym for any data collection technique such as questionnaire and analysis procedures like graphs or statistic, that generate a numerical data Tashakkori and Teddlie (2003) In contrast, Qualitative is used predominantly as a synonym for any data collection technique such as an interview and analysis procedure like categorising data that generates or use non- numerical data Qualitative therefore can be refer to the data other than words. The qualitative data is very expensive to carryout and costly to undertake. It involve primary data analysis which are gathered from the the interviews, questionnaire, field survey carryout during the research study. The technique of both quantitative and qualitative methods, as maintain earlier, refer to some authors as multiple method (Tashakkori and Teddlie (2003) Also mixed method is the general term for when both qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques and analysis procedures are used in research design. It was argue that multiple method are useful if they provide better opportunities for the users to answer the research question and where they allowed the user to better evaluate the extent to which your research finding can be trusted and make better references 5.1 Empirical question The centre issue is the effect of the big firm merges on competitive pricing, which we sum up in the following question: What are price effects for clients of Wm Morrison and Safeway following merges? Merges can improve consumer or customer welfare by creating efficiencies or decrease consumer welfare by creating conditions conducive to monopoly pricing (Sullivan, 2002:381-3284). Simunic (1980) argues that some segments of the market could be more competitive than others; this could have an impact on the effects of the merges. Also test whether the merges have enabled the brand name firms to pass on any cost saving associated with efficiencies to their clients in the form of reduction in competitive price. Therefore the research question is very important and cannot be overemphasised. It is one the key criteria of the research success will be whether you have a set clear conclusion drawn from the data you have collect the research question is one of key question that the research process will address. These are often the precursor of research objectives. 5, 2 Research Ethics When doing research proposal the ethic should be bear in mind. This is considering the integrity of work as well as to give utmost respect of people and the organisation. In any research undertaken the ethical behaviours should be put into consideration not to offended any one in any manner When using other peoples works and materials for any research, their permission should be obtained or information should be given to them. In some research where the individual permissions are require, ethics play a very important part ,However in this study the research ethics is not very much applicable because the information used are secondary data which is already available in the website and internet Your research design may need to consider the extent to which you should collect data from a research population that is unaware of the fact that they are the subject of research and so have not consented It may be quite a different matter if you are collecting data from individuals, rather than from an organisation. However, there may be a case if you are conducting your research while you are an employee in an organisation and you are collecting data on individual was not disclosed, then this would pose a similar ethical dilemma(Gibb,1995). Conclusion The competition in UK food retail sector has been intensified in the recent years, and the four big supermarkets are competing among themselves. In these aspects, this study has not concluded that there was little evidence of the retailers having adverse effects on the consumer; nor was there significant evidence of the price changes at the wholesale level not passing effectively to the consumer. Traditionally, as UK food retailers have become ever more concentrated and consolidated, increasing levels of power have enabled them to exercise substantial control over the supply chain. In this case study analysed the competition commissions report will do little to stop the trend of expansion, as a means of entry into different market. Recently, there is another merges and acquisition of Somerfield by Co-operative Group which was completed in March 2009. From the recent literature on retail competitiveness and observations made regarding current developments within the competitive environment, it is evident that buyer power will definitely concentrate in the hands of the major retail players .The fact that the retailer are expected to grow their market share by acquiring another companies for them to compete with the others Wm Morrison the fourth big supermarket has this opportunity to expand into the Southern England which was very difficult or not impossible without the takeover of Safeway. During the takeover process many speculators were predicting another foreign takeover and were subsequently surprised by Morrisons unexpected interest

Differences In Slave Laws In Colonial Brazil And Colonial British North :: essays research papers

Differences in slave laws in British North America and Colonial Brazil   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Slavery as it existed in colonial Brazil contained interesting points of comparison and contrast with the slave system existing in British North America. The slaves in both areas had been left with very little opportunity in which he could develop as a person. The degree to which the individual rights of the slave were either protected or suppressed provides a clearer insight to the differences between North American and Brazilian slavery. The laws also differed greatly between the two areas and have been placed into three categories: term of servitude, police and disciplinary powers, and property and other civil rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Point One: In both systems of slavery, the term of servitude was for life and the child's status was inherited from its mother. Inherited lifetime slavery was the norm. Manumission or granting freedom was very infrequent in British North America. Sometimes masters who fathered slave children would later grant them their freedom. In Brazil, manumission was more frequent. The practice was a highly favorable social sanction and masters often celebrated national holidays by freeing one or more of their favorite slaves. The law also defended the right of the slave to purchase his own freedom and he also had the right to demand that his master set a fixed price for his purchase which he could pay over a period of years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Point two: The general thrust of the laws outlining police and disciplinary powers in North America was to entrust complete jurisdiction to the master. The master generally acted as judges, juries, and dispensers of punishments. The court also assumed that it was irrational for a man to destroy his own property and therefore that it was impossible for a master to commit a harsh crime or premeditated murder against one of his own slaves. However, in Brazil, the court exercised much more jurisdiction over the slave. Crimes committed by slaves were prosecuted by the court and if a slave was murdered, the case was prosecuted by the court as if the victim had been a free man. The law also made a more concerted attempt to protect the slave against mistreatment by his master. Mistreatment of a slave could lead both to the freedom of the slave and to the imprisoning of the master.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Point Three: The slave in British North America could not own property and had absolutely no civil rights. Differences In Slave Laws In Colonial Brazil And Colonial British North :: essays research papers Differences in slave laws in British North America and Colonial Brazil   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Slavery as it existed in colonial Brazil contained interesting points of comparison and contrast with the slave system existing in British North America. The slaves in both areas had been left with very little opportunity in which he could develop as a person. The degree to which the individual rights of the slave were either protected or suppressed provides a clearer insight to the differences between North American and Brazilian slavery. The laws also differed greatly between the two areas and have been placed into three categories: term of servitude, police and disciplinary powers, and property and other civil rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Point One: In both systems of slavery, the term of servitude was for life and the child's status was inherited from its mother. Inherited lifetime slavery was the norm. Manumission or granting freedom was very infrequent in British North America. Sometimes masters who fathered slave children would later grant them their freedom. In Brazil, manumission was more frequent. The practice was a highly favorable social sanction and masters often celebrated national holidays by freeing one or more of their favorite slaves. The law also defended the right of the slave to purchase his own freedom and he also had the right to demand that his master set a fixed price for his purchase which he could pay over a period of years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Point two: The general thrust of the laws outlining police and disciplinary powers in North America was to entrust complete jurisdiction to the master. The master generally acted as judges, juries, and dispensers of punishments. The court also assumed that it was irrational for a man to destroy his own property and therefore that it was impossible for a master to commit a harsh crime or premeditated murder against one of his own slaves. However, in Brazil, the court exercised much more jurisdiction over the slave. Crimes committed by slaves were prosecuted by the court and if a slave was murdered, the case was prosecuted by the court as if the victim had been a free man. The law also made a more concerted attempt to protect the slave against mistreatment by his master. Mistreatment of a slave could lead both to the freedom of the slave and to the imprisoning of the master.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Point Three: The slave in British North America could not own property and had absolutely no civil rights.

Ships Main Engine Lube Oil System :: essays research papers

Ship's Main Engine Lube Oil System Cleanliness of the lube oil is very vital in the Main Diesel Engine Lube Oil System. A strainer is a device that is usually made up of a single layer of course gauze, and a very course wire mesh. This setup is used to filter out large objects that could cause blockage or damage to the lube oil system. A filter is used to filter out much smaller particals. The filtering elements in a lube oil filter has a more complex make-up. Aboard our ship, we have self cleaning lube oil filters along with the standard lube oil filters. The size of the cartridges in these filters usually range from 3-12 mm. Our ship has two full flow filters per engine. The plates inside of a strainer corrode and erode very easily. Special attention must be given to these plates when cleaning them. Make sure that a gap has not formed at the end of the plate. If there is a gap, rags and other particles may pass right by. If in doubt of the condition of the plate, it should be renewed. The cost of a single plate is much cheaper than the cost of cleaning out an entire clogged system. All gasket surfaces must be checked closely to ensure a proper seal. Our ship has a high pressure lube oil system. Because of this, basket type strainers are used. Lube oil systems are equipped with a wide variety of strainers. It is important to operate these strainers at all times to prevent clogging. Aboard our ship, we have Hayward Plug-type Duplex Basket Strainers. All of these types of strainers are one way. The liquid to be strained enters to the top and filters through the bottom. Both strainers and filters clean lube oil using a similar process.

Correlational Research

Correlational Research There are many types of correlational research. The commonality among all types of correlational research is that they explore relationships between variables. Where descriptive research only described what was going on, correlational research talks about the link between different things. It is important to understand that correlational research does NOT tell us that Variable A caused Variable B, but rather that they are somehow related. For example, if I told you that there was a correlation between domestic violence (violence between family members) and bowling, you would look at me strangely. But there is a relationship between the variables (variable 1- domestic violence, and variable 2- bowling). As more people bowl in the US, more domestic violence occurs. [pic]  Ã‚   [pic] Does that mean that bowling causes domestic violence- like you had bad game and take it out on a loved one? Or domestic violence causes bowling- like you fight with a sibling and feel the need to take it out on some pins? As you have already guessed- one does not cause the other to occur, but they are related- for every time people bowl, I can predict that domestic violence will go up, and every time domestic violence goes down I should be able to find a lane at the local bowling alley. There is a hidden variable that links both of them together. In this case it is winter time. In the winter more people bowl and more people stay in their homes (which increases the chances of domestic violence). Direction of a Correlation [pic] [pic] Before we examine the different types of correlational research methods, understand that correlations can go in two directions: positive and negative. †¢ Positive Correlation: when two variables go in the SAME direction. For example, domestic violence and bowling. When bowling goes up, so does domestic violence. When domestic violence decreases, so does bowling. [pic] †¢ Negative Correlation: here the two variables go in DIFFERENT directions. For example, consumption of garlic and dating (now I am making this one up). The less garlic you eat, the more you date. The more garlic you eat, the less the date. One variable going in one direction can be used to predict the other variable going in the opposite direction. [pic] Correlational Coefficient Scientists measure the strength of a correlation by using a number called a correlational coefficient. Now you do not have to know how they get the number, but you should know what it means when you see it. The number range from -1 to +1. If two variables (like studying and grades) have a correlation above zero (like +. 76) then you have a positive correlation and the more you study, the better grades you have. If the number is below zero (like -. 2) then you have a negative correlation and when one variable goes up the other goes down (like garlic and dating). If two variables have a correlation of zero then they have NO relationship with each other. The closer the numbers go to either +1 or -1, the stronger the correlation. The strength has nothing to do with whether the number is positive of negative. A correlation of -. 88 is stronger than one that is +. 56. The closer the number gets to zero (whether positive or negative), the weaker the correlation. Are you a little confused? Try this! Types of Correlational Studies There are many different ways to show a correlation between two variables. Let's discuss some of the more popular ways; the survey method and naturalistic observation. The Survey Method [pic] Perhaps the most common type of research around is survey research. Every time you receive a letter in the mail asking you to take a minute and answer a few questions, or get a phone call begging for ten minutes of your time to speak about how you feel about , you are experiencing the survey method of research. All surveys have one thing in common, they ask questions. Now there are good and bad things about surveys in research. The good- no matter how you do it, internet, mail, phone, in person- they are fairly cheap. You can cover large populations of people easily if you use the phone or internet. The bad aspects of surveys are that first, the response rate is REALLY low (for every 100 mailing you send out, you will be lucky to get one back). Second, people can lie on the survey so you can always question the validity of your data. Let's break down the survey method as a tool of correlational study. Pretend our hypothesis was the more garlic people eat, the less they date. First, we have to come up with some survey questions (pretend they ask about the amount of garlic one has eaten in the past 6 months and how much they have dated in the past sixth months). Hopefully, when people answer the survey, we will see that people who have stated that they have eaten a lot of garlic have also answered that they have dated less (a negative correlation). But who are we going to give the survey to? As with ALL types of studies (except some case studies) we must choose a sample of people to take the survey (a sample is just a group of subjects). We have to first identify a population of people from which we are going to get the sample. The population includes anyone who can possibly be chosen to be part of the sample. If we are studying anorexic women and their dating habits we would choose a sample from a population of anorexic women. In the case of garlic and dating, I am going to limit my population to single men and women between the ages of 18-25 from the Suwanee area (if I do not limit my population, then I would have to start contacting people from all around the world). Now, how do I pick people to be a part of my sample? Do I call all my single friends in the Suwanee area and give them the survey? That would not be a very fair way of doing it. To make the survey valid I MUST randomly select a sample from the population. Random selection means that every person in my population has an equal chance of being selected for the survey. If I can do this, then my sample has a greatly likelihood of actually representing the larger population I am studying. How do I randomly sample my population- I can randomly pick names out of a phonebook (but in a way that is unfair to single people in Suwanee who do not have phones)- in other words, finding a truly random sample is not easy. Naturalistic Observation Another correlational research method is called naturalistic observation (although you can also use it as a descriptive research tool as well). Naturalistic observation is when a researcher attempts to observe their subjects in their natural habitats without interacting with them at all. Pretend I had a hypothesis: children who experience violence in the home or violent people. If I wanted to use naturalistic observation I would find groups of kids and watch them in their home life and compare that to their social life. I would follow them around everywhere they go. I would never interact with them- but just watch. If I see that every time a child experiences violence at home they are violent, I could claim that violence in the home and violent societal behavior are related, but I would NEVER know if the violence at home is causing the violence in society (it could be one of a million other things). Once again, at most, these types of studies show correlation. The pinnacle of all science is if it proves causation. Correlational Research Correlational Research There are many types of correlational research. The commonality among all types of correlational research is that they explore relationships between variables. Where descriptive research only described what was going on, correlational research talks about the link between different things. It is important to understand that correlational research does NOT tell us that Variable A caused Variable B, but rather that they are somehow related. For example, if I told you that there was a correlation between domestic violence (violence between family members) and bowling, you would look at me strangely. But there is a relationship between the variables (variable 1- domestic violence, and variable 2- bowling). As more people bowl in the US, more domestic violence occurs. [pic]  Ã‚   [pic] Does that mean that bowling causes domestic violence- like you had bad game and take it out on a loved one? Or domestic violence causes bowling- like you fight with a sibling and feel the need to take it out on some pins? As you have already guessed- one does not cause the other to occur, but they are related- for every time people bowl, I can predict that domestic violence will go up, and every time domestic violence goes down I should be able to find a lane at the local bowling alley. There is a hidden variable that links both of them together. In this case it is winter time. In the winter more people bowl and more people stay in their homes (which increases the chances of domestic violence). Direction of a Correlation [pic] [pic] Before we examine the different types of correlational research methods, understand that correlations can go in two directions: positive and negative. †¢ Positive Correlation: when two variables go in the SAME direction. For example, domestic violence and bowling. When bowling goes up, so does domestic violence. When domestic violence decreases, so does bowling. [pic] †¢ Negative Correlation: here the two variables go in DIFFERENT directions. For example, consumption of garlic and dating (now I am making this one up). The less garlic you eat, the more you date. The more garlic you eat, the less the date. One variable going in one direction can be used to predict the other variable going in the opposite direction. [pic] Correlational Coefficient Scientists measure the strength of a correlation by using a number called a correlational coefficient. Now you do not have to know how they get the number, but you should know what it means when you see it. The number range from -1 to +1. If two variables (like studying and grades) have a correlation above zero (like +. 76) then you have a positive correlation and the more you study, the better grades you have. If the number is below zero (like -. 2) then you have a negative correlation and when one variable goes up the other goes down (like garlic and dating). If two variables have a correlation of zero then they have NO relationship with each other. The closer the numbers go to either +1 or -1, the stronger the correlation. The strength has nothing to do with whether the number is positive of negative. A correlation of -. 88 is stronger than one that is +. 56. The closer the number gets to zero (whether positive or negative), the weaker the correlation. Are you a little confused? Try this! Types of Correlational Studies There are many different ways to show a correlation between two variables. Let's discuss some of the more popular ways; the survey method and naturalistic observation. The Survey Method [pic] Perhaps the most common type of research around is survey research. Every time you receive a letter in the mail asking you to take a minute and answer a few questions, or get a phone call begging for ten minutes of your time to speak about how you feel about , you are experiencing the survey method of research. All surveys have one thing in common, they ask questions. Now there are good and bad things about surveys in research. The good- no matter how you do it, internet, mail, phone, in person- they are fairly cheap. You can cover large populations of people easily if you use the phone or internet. The bad aspects of surveys are that first, the response rate is REALLY low (for every 100 mailing you send out, you will be lucky to get one back). Second, people can lie on the survey so you can always question the validity of your data. Let's break down the survey method as a tool of correlational study. Pretend our hypothesis was the more garlic people eat, the less they date. First, we have to come up with some survey questions (pretend they ask about the amount of garlic one has eaten in the past 6 months and how much they have dated in the past sixth months). Hopefully, when people answer the survey, we will see that people who have stated that they have eaten a lot of garlic have also answered that they have dated less (a negative correlation). But who are we going to give the survey to? As with ALL types of studies (except some case studies) we must choose a sample of people to take the survey (a sample is just a group of subjects). We have to first identify a population of people from which we are going to get the sample. The population includes anyone who can possibly be chosen to be part of the sample. If we are studying anorexic women and their dating habits we would choose a sample from a population of anorexic women. In the case of garlic and dating, I am going to limit my population to single men and women between the ages of 18-25 from the Suwanee area (if I do not limit my population, then I would have to start contacting people from all around the world). Now, how do I pick people to be a part of my sample? Do I call all my single friends in the Suwanee area and give them the survey? That would not be a very fair way of doing it. To make the survey valid I MUST randomly select a sample from the population. Random selection means that every person in my population has an equal chance of being selected for the survey. If I can do this, then my sample has a greatly likelihood of actually representing the larger population I am studying. How do I randomly sample my population- I can randomly pick names out of a phonebook (but in a way that is unfair to single people in Suwanee who do not have phones)- in other words, finding a truly random sample is not easy. Naturalistic Observation Another correlational research method is called naturalistic observation (although you can also use it as a descriptive research tool as well). Naturalistic observation is when a researcher attempts to observe their subjects in their natural habitats without interacting with them at all. Pretend I had a hypothesis: children who experience violence in the home or violent people. If I wanted to use naturalistic observation I would find groups of kids and watch them in their home life and compare that to their social life. I would follow them around everywhere they go. I would never interact with them- but just watch. If I see that every time a child experiences violence at home they are violent, I could claim that violence in the home and violent societal behavior are related, but I would NEVER know if the violence at home is causing the violence in society (it could be one of a million other things). Once again, at most, these types of studies show correlation. The pinnacle of all science is if it proves causation.