The Importance of Psychology Today

The study of mental functions and human behavior in which scientists develop hypotheses and test these theories are referred to today as psychology. In effort to explain the human behaviors, psychologist research and use the studies of other psychologist in effort to find the answers to question like why a person acts or behaves the way they do? The most common approaches in psychology are behavioral, psychoanalytic, cognitive, social/cultural, and physiological. The complexity of humans has fascinated scientist for years.Psychologists have been investigating human’s cognitive, humanistic, social/cultural and behavioral responses since the beginning of this century. It has been only recently that the physiological approach has begun to understand how the brain affects behavior and how behavior affects the brain. In the 1800’s psychology used two major approaches known as structuralism and functionalism. Structuralism approach analyses the basic elements of experiences i n which people acknowledged. In effort to research mental awareness of people, psychologies recorded the verbal explanations of their experiences.Functionalism focused on how the brain processes information when people are being observed in the ideal learning conditions. Frances Galton believed that intellectual abilities were inherited and fixed at birth because when he observed that people in the same family often were similar in terms of intelligence. By the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, a psychologist named Stanley Hall was the first president of the American Psychological Association and the founder of the first scientific psychological journal.The American Psychological Association provided a way from many psychologists to share their researches. Hall was one of the first psychologists to explain the biological view of human behavior with an emphasis on stages of development unfolding in a predetermined way. Hall observed children and described the ages that cer tain behaviors could be expected. He believed that children had an inner timetable to display behaviors like crawling, waking, and talking which occurred at similar ages regardless of the learning or experience of the children (Schickedanz &Forsyth).In addition, several child psychologists gathered dada to establish age-related standards or patterns of behavior that applied to large groups of children. This was considered the norms for child behavior and became known as the developmental theory that is still in use today. The psychoanalytic theory originated with Sigmund Freud. While the earlier part of the twentieth century documented intellectual and physical development, Freud studied personality and emotional development. He recognized the importance of biology but also stressed the interaction of biology with the environment.Freud was interested in neurology and the psychological causes of the subject’s behavior responses. This component of personality, Freud labeled ins tinct and referred to the mental representation of the body’s needs and functions. Today, psychologists still use Freud’s theory and parts of the personality of people in their studies of human behavior. Some Psychologist use Freud’s theory of the id, ego, and superego. The id is the unconscious source of instinct and operated according to the pleasure principle and gratification. The ego tries to direct the id but is the reality-oriented part of the personality.The ego tries to deter the id so that there is not a negative consequence to the instinctive action. Next, there is the superego in which is part of the moral component of the personality. According to Freud, the superego is responsible for guilt and anxiety and understand the significant of punishment when display inappropriate behavior. Finally, there is the ego defense mechanism in which guards the ego against overwhelming negative consequences form others. Later, Erik Erikson developed another theory because he did not agree with Freud’s theory of the id, ego, and superego. Erikson focused more on how society affects the ego.He believed that healthy adaptation to reality differs greatly from one society to another. He saw that society’s demands on a person would change the person as he or she grows. Therefore, an individual is influence by his or her environment. These external environmental changes were also responsible for shaping behavior so that the behavior reflected the views of society. Another well known psychologist was B. F. Skinner and he was a behaviorist. His behaviorism theory was often referred to as radical behaviorism. He showed that reinforcing the desired behaviors produces the desire response.He proved this theory when he demonstrated how a pigeon would peck a red dot when it knew it opened a door to reveal bird food ( Branches of Psychology). Today, positive reinforcement is frequently used to change the undesirable behaviors of children. As a result, children produce the desired behavior society expects at home, in school, and in any other environment (Dong & Juhu) The social/cultural approach covers the behavioral patterns of society as a whole. These behavioral patterns cover lifestyles, habits, arts, rituals, beliefs, activities, and ethics.It is common belief by Carl Gustav Jung that humans share common emotions and awareness regardless of the identified culture. Humans are social creatures and the cultural customs shape people’s behavior from childhood. Today, in United States there are many cultures, a variety of religious beliefs, social gathering, political beliefs, and economic influences that structure society (Overskeid). Today, the shift in roles in which people play like stay home dads, male nurses, and female police officers are becoming the norms in certain areas of society.The biological approach of psychology is the study of the brain and the nervous system. The nervous system is the central syst em within the body that carries messages to the brain. The crucial section is the neurons which are the structures of the nerve cell and it is responsible for transmissions that occur between the nerve cells and the brain. There are many other parts of the nervous system but the brain is the most important. There are three anatomy of the brain but the cerebral cortex section of the brain is responsible for the basic behavior functions.The biological psychology studies all of the parts of the body and how each of these parts affects human behaviors. Biological psychology takes into account genetics and the large roll it plays in human behavior. Genetics does not just refer to inherited traits but also to what is inside the body, such as glandular and hormone functions. Biology plays and important part of psychology because it allows scientist to learn about the brain functions and how to help people who suffer from head traumas.It also allows scientist a way to understand how brain t raumas correlates between physical responses, as well as their emotional responses to situations when a person could not recall actual memories that delivered such responses. In conclusion, the more common approaches in psychology today are behavioral, psychoanalytic, cognitive, and social/cultural. The behavioral approach emphasizes that behavior is shaped by the environment while psychoanalytic approach is the study of how the brain affects behavior and how behavior affects the brain. The cognitive pproach is the research of how awareness, thoughts, and strategies to problem solve affect individual’s lives. The cognitive approach studies whether or not a person’s behavior is a result of consciousness guiding a person’s personal feelings. Social/cultural approach relates to a situation that influences actions that are considered to be the norms of society and which roles people play. The biological approach is important because it provides a way for psychologis t to understand a person who suffers from a head trauma emotional and physically.

American Government: U S Democracy

Democracy is a system of governance whereby power vested on leaders is held by the population and leadership is through an accountable and transparent electoral system that respects the choice of the majority while listening to the views of the minority. The path to democracy has been long and vibrant with stiff obstacles that have had to be evaded or crushed in order for equality and equity to prevail under a democratic system of governance that promotes respect for individual and collective rights and freedoms.A radical shift from hereditary and monarchial leadership was necessary since this unitary holding of power vested too much privilege and power upon an individual leading to abuse due to self interest. However though democracy is perceived to exist in some regions due to a free electoral system, the process though accountable may bring about individuals who renege on their promises and completely disregard the pillars of democracy leading to a dictatorial regime that is unjus t and oppressive and does not respect the will of the masses.There are some countries that have endeavored to be a model of democracy by striving to grant all citizens an equal status and ensuring that a supreme constitution exists on which fundamental rights and freedoms are anchored. This is not to say that the democratic records of these countries are clean. For any monumental success on democracy to be achieved, society must be prevailed upon to discard certain moral and legal evils to ensure that freedom and equal opportunity thrives.On this front it is safe to say that the United States of America is a true democracy whereby all citizens and visitors coexist peacefully and all disregarding race are guaranteed equal rights and freedoms in the pursuit of their dreams and aspirations (Miroff, Seidelman, & Swanstrom 2007). The American constitution was formulated on the basis that power must always rest upon the people and so provided that all state and national representatives mu st be elected by the people through a fair and transparent election.The constitution further sought to limit the terms of office of a certain government to ensure that a regime may not abuse its authority to disregard the will of the people in order to selfishly retain power. A democracy is characterized by a view for fair representation and a prudent understanding that a separation of power is important to prevent a conflict of interest that might contravene the intentions of a true democracy.Where such separations do not exist or where those divisions are superficial, rule of law becomes geared toward promoting the will of the ruling minority and justice becomes fleeting since there usually results in a breach of the rights and freedoms of the populace. In this respect it becomes important to have three important branches of government whose mandate is clear and there exists clear guidelines on the powers vested upon each arm of government.In any democracy there should be a legisl ative arm whose mandate comes directly from the people and their primary role the formulation of law to act as a basis for unity, growth and oversight. Secondly a judicial system that is impartial and independent for the proper dispensing of justice and the protection of individual rights and freedoms. Lastly an executive is important to represent the sovereignty of a nation and lead the process of protecting the people and service provision. The United States of America has come a long way to reach democratic maturity.This process was full of radical actions by people like Martin Luther who felt that racial segregation was uncharacteristic of a democratic nation. The civil movements of the 60 have brought equality that was important to propel the nation to great social, economic, political and military dominance. Further more women lobby groups that relentlessly advocated for gender equality saw the broadening of democratic space and women have continued to reach influential politi cal and business positions and prospects are there on the possibility of a woman president in the country.Critics to this notion would need to be reminded that a few decades ago the prospect of a black president would have been unimaginable but 2008 brought a new dawn in American politics and democracy in general with the election of Obama as president. This is a result of a fair and accountable electoral system that ensures that the choice of the American people is respected. Miroff, Seidelman, & Swanstrom (2007) adds that the United States continues to ensure that individual rights and freedoms are respected and several bills have been passed by congress to ensure that .Some include the freedom of movement, information, privacy and expression. A robust security system continues to safeguard the rights of citizens to be protected from harm with strict laws enforced to protect property both tangible and intellectual. American government consists of the national federal government an d the state governments. While these states are subject to national legislation by congress, they however retain the power to make decisions that are of interest to these states on issues ranging from education, health, security and the administration of justice.National government consists of an executive, congress and the judiciary. The power of the executive is vested upon the president who may delegate such powers to the vice president and his cabinet for the smooth execution of government functions. The president is also the commander in chief of the armed forces but is also subject to consult with congress over the deployment of soldiers to wars. The executive can also enter into international treaties with approval form senate. The president is also responsible for signing bills into law and retains to an extent the power to veto certain bills.Executive power in the States is held by an elected governor who is responsible for providing leadership in the state and signing bill s into state laws. The most important arm of government is Congress which is granted several powers by the constitution. Congress however works hand in hand with the Senate but the constitution clearly spells out that congress is supreme in law making. Congress has oversight powers over the executive in issues ranging form taxes, military and security, provision of services, providing guidelines to the administration of justice among others.Lastly the last arm of government is the Judiciary whose core function is the administration of justice and the interpretation of the constitution to ensure that law passed by the legislative and executive arms of government do not contravene the constitution. There are federal courts charged with administration of federal laws and state courts subject to state laws. The highest court in the land is the Supreme Court and its decisions are binding upon all subordinate courts whether federal or state.These courts try both criminal and civil cases t o bring redress where violations occur. There have been this believes through out American politics that there is a great influence of a small minority of rich individuals in the outcome of American elections and in the way that elected leaders make their decisions. It is widely accepted that these individuals who are the core contributors in campaign funding will choose individuals whom they feel will contribute towards continuing with policies that will benefit their causes and make them wealthier.This greatly contravenes what the American constitution envisioned since it takes the power of the greater masses to decide elections since the choice of candidates in the primaries is greatly influenced by minority rich and influential individuals. Therefore Americans simply endorses one of the fronted candidate who is simply one of the two fronted by two different rich factions and the notion that Americans choose a president is jus a sham.It is my opinion therefore that we need to inc rease public funding to parties and independent candidates to counter the effect of the rich on Americas politics. It is also important that we see an entrance of more parties to give Americans more choice during elections to improve democracy. References Miroff, B. , Seidelman, R. , &Swanstrom, T. (2007). The Democratic Debate: An Introduction to American Politics. 4th. ed. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Choose from one of the subjects in the attachment Term Paper

Choose from one of the subjects in the attachment - Term Paper Example Hypothetically this underground economy could be broken down into five significant parts. (Phongpaichit). 1. Exercises which are illicit, for example, drug trafficking, smuggling, unlawful logging, exchanging of moderated types of plants and creatures, trafficking in people, and exercises, for example, prostitution and betting where they are banned by law. (Phongpaichit) 4. Casual sector exercises, for example, distributing, independent work, cool work and family commercial enterprises which are not caught in the authority detail and are frequently not secured by taxation. (Phongpaichit) 5. Family unit work completed by relatives, however excluded in the worth included of the economy, for example, the consideration of the wiped out and matured, and numerous family unit errands which are paramount to the prosperity of family parts. (Phongpaichit) Different endeavours have been made to survey the span of these sectors in diverse nations. Case in point, the aggregate of tax evasion and the private sector has been evaluated at 15 percent of GNP in UK, 27 percent in Germany and the USA, and just about 60 percent in Thailand. (Phongpaichit). The family sector (5) has been evaluated at 37 percent of GNP in the USA, and 49 percent in India. (Phongpaichit). Corruption income produced by officials and legislators has been assessed at around 1 percent of GDP in Thailand in the period 1960-73. (Phongpaichit) Among evaluations of the illicit or criminal sector (1), the generation and exchanging of ganja was evaluated to be 3-6 percent of GNP in Columbia in the period 1981-1984. (Phongpaichit). In the U.S.A. the quality included from the unlawful drug exchange, illicit betting and prostitution represented 2.7 percent of the aggregate private sectors use. (Phongpaichit) There is something else entirely to matters in profit making than dollars and

Pros and Cons of University Ranking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pros and Cons of University Ranking - Essay Example University ranking has a rich history dating back to the 1900s focusing on various in indicators to generate a rating scale. The ranking focused on students’ performance following university education as opposed to the success of faculties and departments in the institution. However, this was revised to rate the quality of education offered at various learning institutions. In light of this, university ranking aims at evaluating the quality of education based on various indicators such as research, infrastructure, service delivery, and human resource ratios and qualifications. Indicator scores are usually aggregated to determine the composite score, which is used in rating the academic success of universities. Ranking of higher education institutions can be done by the media, government agencies, professional bodies, funding organizations, and individual initiatives.The ranking hopes to raise awareness on the ranked institutions as well as illustrate academic trends across the globe. University rankings are known to provide potential students with relevant information when selecting courses and learning institutions. This helps students adopt a choice that is best suited for their needs relating to academics and extracurricular activities. For instance, from research on institutions offering a course of choice, one can make a concrete decision on an institution based on its ranking position. The decision made follows the evaluation of the institution’s performance, capacity, and success rate in offering the desired course. This serves to enhance transparency in information disbursement among the ranked institutions (Rauhvargers 20). Consequently, university ranking systems have been illustrated to encourage student enrolment by highlighting preferences in accordance to their target. This is evidenced by the establishment of rankings based on faculty performance, which is easier to interpret when choosing an institution. The system serves as an eff icient tool where students can evaluate their aspirations and decide on the institution that will best serve them. Rankings often encompass information collected from students through questionnaires and thus, represent the true image of the given institution. Students express their sentiments of their experience in the institution with regard to service delivery and facilities. Varsity rankings have served to ensure accountability from education providers. This is achieved by ensuring that the institution remains credible and relevant in the education sector. Accountability entails committing to quality education by fulfilling their mandate to deliver high-achieving students within the rankings standards. The rating standings serve as accountability instruments for the public to evaluate based on the performance (Escotet). Ranking allows an institution’s management in assessing their performance against goals and objectives set with the hope of improving the results. The proc ess involves collection of information on various aspects of higher learning, which is the utilized in generating demographic report used in policymaking. Ranking institutions of higher education also works to assist the university make improvements in various sectors flagged as weak points. Learning institution can recognize their strengths and weakness through academic evaluations. The ranking is known to influence the decision-making process by the university management, which is reflected in its policies. The management is inclined to strategize depending on the ranking system to maximize its output in order to improve performance. An institution can analyses its ranking metrics and revise its approach on various aspects of service delivery to drive success. In this way, institutions of higher learning have an opportunity to improve their standards with regard to quality of education offered. Depending on its rating, an institution can establish self-improvement tools such as qu ality assurance

Responding to terrorism in Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Responding to terrorism in Britain - Essay Example One can see that internal insurgencies can be dealt with ease but the rapid spread of terrorism and it’s after effects on world nations cannot be dealt with ease. To be specific, cross-border terrorism is an imminent threat to the multiracial society of Britain. Problem statement: The report on the responding to terrorism in Britain proves that Britain plays an important role in terrorism mitigation in the international arena, but internal (within the United Kingdom) and external problems (global spread of terrorism) cause imminent threat to Britain in general. Background The origin of terrorism in Britain can be broadly divided into two: internal threats from those who fight for free Northern Ireland (IRA), from the Islamic terrorist groups that operate from UK and the treat from international terrorist groups operate from the Middle East Asia. Wayne C. Thompson stated that, â€Å"A Times poll showed that 86% of British respondents supported giving the police new powers to a rrest people suspected of planning terrorist attacks† (74). ... The Glasgow International Airport attack (2007) and Exeter bombing (2008) proved that the global spread of terrorism and Islamic extremism pose threat to Britain. Julian Richards made clear that, â€Å"We have mentioned that, in the UK, counter-terrorism work as we understand it today effectively began in 1883 with the formation of the Special Irish Branch by the Metropolitan Police in London, later renamed simply the Special Branch as it took on a wider range of work against extremist and terrorist activity† (50). So, one can see that rapid increase in the number of terrorist attacks forced the British authorities to adopt innovative measures to deal with terrorism in Britain. Responding to terrorism in Britain Earlier, the British response to terrorism was limited to the context of the attacks initiated by the Irish Republican Army. But in the 21st century, global spread of terrorism created much trouble in the multiracial society of Britain. Paul Thomas made clear that, â⠂¬Å"For Britain, the shock was different, as the 7/7 attacks were carried out by four young Yorkshiremen, all raised and educated, and some born, in Britain-‘ordinary’ young Britons with regional Yorkshire accents who had willingly killed themselves in order to also kill fellow Britons in the name of their understanding of Islam† (N.Pag.). To be specific, the Islamic extremists were able to influence some of the immigrants in Britain. This eventually led to extremist plots like London bombings in 2005. On the other side, the British response to terrorism is interconnected with anti-terrorist legislation under UK law. The Acts and laws aim to track down and limit the funding facilities of the terrorist groups, and detention of

Free Trade Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Free Trade - Article Example The problem with this type of outsourcing is that it can critically harm the domestic labor market. Ease of service outsourcing has made millions of domestic jobs vulnerable to being outsourced overseas (Wessel & Davis, 2007). The local labor market is likely to suffer shortage in labor supply as labor demand exacerbates. This scenario would likely trigger economic chaos in the affected economy. On the other hand, countries where most services are outsourced to would experience an influx, similarly causing economic imbalances in labor demand and supply. This type of outsourcing has its benefits too. The process keeps globalization running, thereby enhancing global interdependence in trade. Outsourcing along this line also creates opportunities for poor economic performers when they interact with tiger economies. To enhance competition along free trade and communication technology aspects, outsourcing practices should be subject to globally agreed upon regulation procedures. The flow of outsourced services should be controlled by taking into account the economic potential of all economies involved. This would ensure that the magnitude of outsourced services matches the economic potential of the destination country. All variables of free trade would also have to be factored in in enhancing

Introduction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 14

Introduction - Essay Example To expound on our philosophical beliefs, the common philosophical elements will have to be incorporated into the paper. Subsequently, a brief definition of the elements will be given followed by an in-depth analysis. Therefore, the paper will focus on the following common philosophical elements: compassion/empathy, benefence, education/integrity, group vs. individual, person, health, nursing, and the environment. Being kind to one another, and walking in someone else shoes can show a great strength like empathy. We, as a group, became nurses felt sorry and sympathetic towards those who are suffering, and are less fortunate than us. Even when we had difficult times in our lives or saw patients having difficult times, we developed a sense of compassion which is a great value to have. It means doing good or doing no harm. This concept was told to us in prerequisite classes that every nurse should do no harm and do good to our patients. Beneficence is something taught to us as a child. It is a strict moral or value that parents teach their children all the time, which differentiates one from knowing right from wrong. These concepts have similarities; they both build character. Education can be used to teach others or to teach one’s self. One learns what individual integrity is by getting the education that is provided to him or her from school, family, or community. Many people do not prefer group work, but use it every day. As nurses we work in a stressful environment of constant change. We work well with change based on a team effort or team approach. The team and the group are one and the same. For example, in a hospital setting a team may consist of doctors, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, or nutritionists. Whereas outside a hospital it may be one’s community, church, friends, or classmates that are all a part of a team or group. A person is a human being who is inimitable; enriched with personal

Adverse Impact & Business Necessity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Adverse Impact & Business Necessity - Essay Example This impact is more inclined on the job side, may be through selection for a job, promotion, hiring amongst others. Landy (2005) indicates that adverse treatment is different from adverse impact. Adverse treatment refers to a form of discrimination that takes place when a particular group of individuals are actually treated in a different way, as opposed to another group (Mathis & Jackson, 2008). One group in the workplace is favored. At times, the form of discrimination is intentional, at times it is not, but all in all the discrimination is palpable. Landy (2005) gives an example of adverse treatment whereby the Blacks’ rules and rights are violated, but the same does not take place in the case of the whites. The Blacks, in this case, are a discriminated lot. This, in essence can be discussed negatively in an illegal point of view. According to Mathis & Jackson (2008), business necessity refers to a move by the organizations to come up with safe and effectual operations in the organization that are geared to ensuring that the organization is run in a reasonable and free way. It is of essential nature that the employers have the required requirements to be in a position to impart the same on the employees, with a lot of legal inferences on this conception. Business necessity allows for safe and successful operations by the employers, in the case of application to equal employment prospects. With the obligatory educational credentials by the employers, Mathis & Jackson (2008) indicate that they are able to carry out the required tasks that are correlated to the job. It is probable, in this case, to make sure that there are just employment opportunities for all employees, with the emphasis of non-retaliatory job practices, and other bona fide job credentials. Business necessities and job relatedness are highly correlated. In this case, employers work in line with the stipulated rules and regulations that govern employee

The smoking in ban south dakota Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The smoking in ban south dakota - Essay Example Cancer, heart diseases, cough, fever, head ache etc are some of the major health problems associated with smoking. Recently the state, South Dakota passed a law saying no smoking in bars restaurants or any public place where people work. Majority of the citizens like the law; however the bar and casino owners do not like it since they are losing business because of the law. Moreover, South Dakota is getting lot of tax revenues from gambling. Dead wood South Dakota is a gambling city. After the smoking ban was passed, dead wood has lost about 16% of its annual profits. Now the question is; should the state government give preference to the interests of the public or to the interests of the business people. This paper argues in favour of smoking ban in South Dakota. Dr. ... It is the basic duty of each government to protect the life/health and properties of its citizens. Smoking is one way of destroying the health of the people and the governments have the moral responsibility to ban it or control it with the help of law. At the same time tobacco products are good sources of tax revenues for the governments. Banning of smoking will result in big financial losses to the governments. When we consider the expenses the governments suffer for treating patients suffering from smoking related health problems, the tax revenue from tobacco product selling is negligible. A committed government can never think in terms of revenues at the expense of the health of its citizens. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, of which forty-three are known to cause cancer. Among the more toxic chemicals in tobacco are ammonia, arsenic, carbon monoxide, and benzene. Cigarette smoking is now known to cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease , stroke, multiple cancers (including lung cancer), and adverse reproductive outcomes. Smoking causes about 21 percent of all deaths from heart disease, 86 percent of deaths from lung cancer, and 81 percent of all deaths from chronic lung disease (SMOKING CESSATION) Smoking in public places not only cause disturbances to the nonsmokers, but also it causes severe health problems also to the nonsmokers due to secondary smoke. Morally it is an injustice that a non smoker became the victim of smokers. It is a fact that people can take their own choices with respect to smoking irrespective of the consequences. At the same time they must ensure that their choices may not do any

Daimlerchrysler Merger the Quest to Create “One Company” Essay Example for Free

Daimlerchrysler Merger the Quest to Create â€Å"One Company† Essay In order to understand and be critical on Daimler’s choice of partner, apart from the motives presented in the case, one also needs to consider the enterprise environment trends during the time. 90’s was a wave of mergers and acquisitions characterized by Cross-border ventures (Lipton M. , 2006). According to Lipton it was an era where size mattered and mergers were considered the one-way to internationalization and market expansion. Furthermore, nine of the ten largest deals in history all took place in the three-year period 1998-2000. Having established that, one can understand that Daimler was under market and investor pressure to go large. In such an environment, a European company would think of an integrative expansion to the vast US market as the best strategy (Japanese market too cultural different). So, from the choices of either founding a new subsidiary (high risk) or seeking for a JV, or an acquisition or a merger Daimler went for the merger. It was an effort to meet the environmental trend by increasing market share and to make a big impact to the larger competitors. Comparing the three great American car companies, GM was too large (in 1997 GM had $178b revenues compared to Daimler’s $71b) and difficult to control, Ford had investor issues (Ford family), but Chrysler, a similar size company, would seem the best partner. Chrysler was also ideal partner for Daimler because it had a good knowledge of the local market, which lowers the venture risk (Bartlett Beamish, 2011), and it would offer RD synergies and broaden the offered product range (Glavin W. F. , 2004). Considering all those factors I believe that Chrysler was the best choice of a partner. However, during those early stages of cross-cultural mergers and acquisitions there was little experience on making the venture work. In the appendix, I raise the main friction points and analyze how they should have been treated according to the literature. From this analysis we can see that the companies where different in all regards. In fact, seeing the range of daily activities and structure it is evident that the two companies operated in completely opposite. Thus, it was truly a â€Å"marriage of opposites†. But still this is not a strong argument for integration efforts failure. According to Bartlett Beamish persistence and willingness to evolve and adapt are the key to success in all collaborations. By looking through the friction points and what the literature suggests I tried to point who the person in charge of each process should in fact be. The company in Bold in appendix is the company that should lead the efforts in that process after the merger; due to its expertise which then would benefit the whole. It is evident that either Chrysler or both companies should manage the new company. In reality Chrysler tried to pass this through to Daimler but simply the management failed to penetrate the strong conservative culture of Daimler in the beginning and then it lacked the persistency. Then, Daimler took advantage of that weakness and it saw this merger not as a marriage of equals but as a takeover. So the greatest problem of the integration process was the combination of Chrysler’s inability to assert its processes and then Daimler’s failure to evolve, adapt and respect its ally. Question 2 In order to give advice I consider Bartlett’s Beamish’s framework on guidelines for a successful JV. First, there was a lack of proper pre-merger analysis which, had it been executed properly, would have raised early on the friction points. Secondly, there were no common objectives set and there was no plan on the course of action after the merger. The CIC and the PMI integration teams had no framework and dealt with issues as they arose, and thus were bound to fail. So, before embarking on a collaboration venture the CEOs should have thought of those steps. As we found, the inability to adapt and the cultural differences had been the main source of problems. Trust is the main fuel of collaboration and it can only be developed over time, being a result of shared experiences (Bartlett Beamish, 2011). In our case the two extremes merged one day and they were simply expected to run like clockwork. An alliance has similar benefits with a merger (Bartlett Beamish, 2011) but addresses the core problems better for the following reasons. A main benefit of an alliance is that when it is formed it has an exit clause, which allows the two companies to integrate more relaxed, and it offers a vehicle to learning and experimentation for the necessary bonds and trust to be formed. This lays the best conditions for a hybrid culture to form. Also, the companies’ operations that offer the greatest potential to synergies can be integrated, whereas the extreme opposite ones can be left to operate independently. This means that sectors such as RD can be jointed and Branding can operate independent. However, an alliance, alone, would not work for those companies as they wanted to go large. In my opinion, the best solution would be to form an alliance as a way to build on trust and learning and then as a second step, if both sides where mature, merge in common respect with clear objectives and structure.

EndoPredict and Mammaprint Risk Classification

EndoPredict and Mammaprint Risk Classification Comparison of risk classification between EndoPredict and Mammaprint in ER-positive/HER2-negative primary invasive breast cancer. Alberto Pelez-Garcia, Laura Yebenes, Alberto Berjon, Antonia Angulo, Pilar Zamora, Jose Ignacio Snchez-Mendez, Enrique Espinosa, Andres Redondo, Victoria Heredia, Marta Mendiola, Jaime Feliu, David Hardisson Corresponding Author: David Hardisson, MD, PhD; Department of Pathology; Hospital Universitario La Paz, IdiPAZ; Paseo de la Castellana, 261; 28046 Madrid, Spain. ABSTRACT Purpose To compare the prognostic performance of the EndoPredict assay with the MammaPrint scores obtained for the same cancer samples on 40 estrogen-receptor positive/HER2-negative breast carcinomas. Methods Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded invasive breast carcinoma tissues that were previously analyzed with MammaPrint as part of routine care of the patients, andwere classified as high-risk (20 patients) and low-risk (20 patients), were selected to be analyzed by the EndoPredict assay, a second generation gene expression test that combines expression of 8 genes (EP score) with two clinicopathological factors (tumor size and nodal status, EPclin score). Results The EP score classified 15 patients as low-risk and 25 patients as high-risk. EPclin re-classified 5 of the 25 EP high-risk patients into low-risk, resulting in a total of 20 high-risk and 20 low-risk tumors. EP score and MammaPrint score were significantly correlated (p=0.008). Twelve of 20 samples classified as low-risk by MammaPrint were also low-risk by EP score (60%). 17 of 20 MammaPrint high-risk tumors were also high-risk by EP score. The overall concordance between EP score and MammaPrint was 72.5%.   EPclin score also correlated with MammaPrint results (p=0.004). Discrepancies between both tests occurred in 10 cases: 5 MammaPrint low-risk patients were classified as EPclin high-risk and 5 high-risk MammaPrint were classified as low-risk by EPClin (overall concordance 75%). Conclusions This study demonstrates a moderate concordance between MammaPrint and EndoPredict. Differences in results could be explained by the inclusion of different gene sets in each platform, and the inclusion of clinical parameters, such as tumor size and nodal status, in the EndoPredict test. Keywords:  Breast cancer prognosis; gene expression signatures; EndoPredict; MammaPrint INTRODUCTION Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second most frequent cause of cancer death among women in developed countries. Approximately 231,840 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 40,290 deaths are expected among US women in 2015 [1]. Currently, the decision on adjuvant treatment for breast cancer patients is based on risk assessment using clinicopathological criteria, such as patient age, menopausal status, axillary lymph node status, tumor size, tumor grade, estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PgR) expression, HER2 status, and Ki67 score. However, decision making in adjuvant treatment of women with ER-positive/HER2-negative early breast cancer remains a difficult task. Routinely, all of these patients will receive adjuvant hormonal treatment. However, a substantial proportion of these patients are also treated with adjuvant chemotherapy, although a significant part of these will not achieve a further reduction of their risk of recurrence [2].Therefore, a major challenge for clinical oncologists is to identify those patients who will not benefit for adjuvant chemotherapy, and those who are more likely to develop recurrence, so that the most appropriate therapeutic regime can be administered [2, 3]. In recent years, molecular characterization of breast cancer has contributed to broaden our understanding of breast cancer as a heterogeneous disease, and led to the development of a variety of prognostic and predictive gene signatures [4]. Morever, these assays may also be useful in recurrence prediction and treatment decision making [5]. One of the most widely used tests is the MammaPrint (MP) assay (Agendia Laboratories, Amsterdam, The Netherlands), which is a prognostic score performed by a central laboratory that was cleared by the FDA in 2007. MP was initially limited by its requirement for fresh tissue, but it is now validated for formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue [6]. MP measures the expression of 70 genes using a microarray platform, and reports a binary risk classification (low-risk or high-risk) for recurrence without adjuvant chemotherapy. This information is intended to spare patients at low-risk of recurrence from receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, with its attendant morbidity. It is not intended to predict the response, per se, to chemotherapy; rather, it helps to select patients who are likely to benefit from chemotherapy from a prognostic point of view [7]. More recently developed, the EndoPredict assay (EP) (Sividon Diagnostics GmbH, Cologne, Germany), is a diagnostic test based on gene expression data in combination with clinicopathological risk parameters to assess the risk of distant metastasis in patients with ER-positive/HER2-negative primary breast cancer if treated with adjuvant endocrine therapy alone [8]. This test measures the expression of eight cancer-related genes of interest (BIRC5, UBE2C, DHCR7, RBBP8, IL6ST, AZGP1, MGP and STC2) and three reference genes (CALM2, OAZ1 and RPL37A) to calculate a molecular risk score (EP score). The molecular risk score is then combined with the nodal status and tumor size resulting in a molecular-clinicopathological hybrid score (EPclin score) with improved prognostic power. Using a p redefined cutoff value, patients are stratified into low- or high-risk of distant recurrence. The test can be carried out on routinely processed and archived FFPE tissue, and is designed to be performed decentrally [9, 10]. EP was validated in three randomized endocrine phase III trials with patients with ER-positive/HER2-negative node negative and node positive breast carcinomas [5, 8]. The EP provided additional prognostic information to conventional risk factors such as grading, quantitative ER, or Ki67 and outperformed risk classification by clinical guidelines. Moreover, it could be demonstrated that EP is prognostic for early and late metastasis [5, 11].The EPclin score was also directly compared to purely clinical risk classifications (like St. Gallen, German S3, and NCCN) and found to be superior to these classifiers [11]. The objective of this study was to compare the concordance of EndoPredict results in 40 ER-positive/HER2-negative breast carcinomas which were previously tested with MammaPrint and categorized as low-risk (20 patients) or high-risk (20 patients). We further evaluate TargetPrint (Agendia Laboratories), a commercially available mRNA-based gene expression test that quantitatively determines gene expression levels of ER, PgR, and HER2. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients and tumor samples This study involved 40 patients with ER-positive/HER2-negative early-stage breast carcinoma. All patients underwent surgery between March 2012 and December 2015 at the University Hospital La Paz, Madrid, Spain. Data on age and tumor characteristics were collected for all patients. The surgical specimens were fixed in 10% buffered formalin and embedded in paraffin. Four- µm thick sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin for histological diagnosis. Sections (10 µm) with at least 40% of tumor cellularity were selected for the study. Immunohistochemistry for ER/PR/HER2 and Ki67 and Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) for HER2 All cases were reviewed by two breast pathologist (DH and LY) to assess tumor grade (using the Nottingham histological three-tier grading system), tumor size, nodal status, ER, PgR, HER-2, and Ki67 expression. The expression of ERÃŽ ± (clone EP1; Dako, Glostrup, Denmark, prediluted), PgR (clone PgR1294; Dako, prediluted), and Ki67 (clone MIB1; Dako, prediluted) were determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) during routine pathologic examination. ER and PgR status was determined based on the percentage of positive nuclei in the invasive neoplastic compartment of the tissue. Tumors were classified as ER- or PgR-positive when ≠¥1% invasive tumor cells showed definite nuclear staining, regardless of staining intensity. Ki67 was evaluated as the percentage of positively stained nuclear cancer cells (regardless of staining intensity). HER2 expression was evaluated with the HercepTest kit (Dako) and scored as 0, 1+, 2+, or 3+, according to the FDA scoring system. Tumors scored as 2+ wer e re-tested with FISH using the HER2 IQFISH PharmDx kit (Dako). Mammaprint Test The MammaPrint test was performed on representative paraffin blocks at the centralized Agendia Laboratories (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) blinded for clinical and histological data as part of routine care of the patients included in this study. Additionally to MammaPrint, TargetPrint assay, an additional test that is an alternative measurement of ER, PgR, and HER2 to IHC/FISH assessment, was also performed. EndoPredict Test The same tumor tissue block used for MammaPrint testing in each case was used for EP test. RNA extraction was performed as previously described [9]. Total RNA was extracted from one 10- µm whole formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue section using a silica-coated magnetic bead-based method with Tissue Preparation Reagents (Sividon Diagnostics). Expression of eight genes-of-interest (AZGP1, BIRC5, DHCR7, IL6ST, MGP, RBBP8, STC2, UBE2C), three normalization genes (CALM2, OAZ1, RPL37A) as well as the amount of residual genomic DNA (HBB) were assessed by the EP assay (Sividon Diagnostics). Gene expression was assessed by one-step RT-qPCR using the SuperScript III PLATINUM One-Step Quantitative RT-PCR System with ROX (Invitrogen, Karlsruhe, Germany) according to manufacturers instructions in a VERSANT ® kPCR Molecular System (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Erlangen, Germany). EP and EPclin scores were determined as published earlier [8, 9] using the EndoPredict Report Generator sof tware which is available online (www1.endopredict.com). The predefined cut-offs for diagnostic decisions were applied to stratify patients into low- or high-risk groups: EP low-risk (

The Impact of ISPs on the Architecture of the Internet :: Internet Cause Effect Papers

The Impact of ISPs on the Architecture of the Internet The Internet was started over three decades ago as a US government sponsored project. The Internet originally connected several universities and the government; it eventually grew to include some private companies/research labs. As such, the initial users of the Internet were scientists/technologists who were well versed in the workings of the network (and who did not have the malicious intents of modern hackers). The motivation of the Internet at this time was to provide a robust nationwide communication network and to allow for the sharing of scientific research/resources around the nation1. The original architecture of the Internet is often described as an end-to-end architecture. The end-to-end architecture is a decentralized one in which a â€Å"mechanism should not be placed in the network if it can be placed at the end node† 2. This type of design keeps the core of the network simple and generic. Since that time, however, the scale of the Internet has grown exponentially. It became increasingly difficult for a government-sponsored network to scale to such sizes, so the government gradually turned the network over to the private sector. Since the government is no longer responsible for access to the Internet, private companies – Internet Service Providers (ISPs) – have emerged to provide access to this vast network. These ISPs, of course, are private companies whose principal goal is to make a profit – a radical contrast to the goal of the original ISP, the US government. The rise of ISPs as dominant players in today’s Internet has been a catalyst for a more centralized network that is shifting away from the original end to end design; this change has been a negative one for it has hurt the most important group associated with the Internet – the end users. One of the most fundamental changes from the early days of the Internet to today has been the shift to privatization. It is the profit-making end of ISPs that drives their actions and it is in this interest that ISPs are attempting to move the Internet away from its end-to-end beginnings. In order to make a profit, ISPs must first attract a sizeable number of customers to buy their service and then obtain a significant profit for the services they provide. In the free market economy, ISPs must compete with one another for customers; to be competitive in this market, ISPs must have some attractive feature to offer customers: low prices, unlimited connection hours, high speed access, or some other attractive service that is unique to that particular ISP.

Sound :: essays research papers

Basis of Processing Sound Strategies Introduction to Coding Strategies: D.J. Allum Coding strategies define the way in which acoustic sounds in our world are transformed into electrical signals that we can understand in our brain. The normal-hearing person already has a way to code acoustic sounds when the inner ear (cochlear) is functioning. The cochlea is the sensory organ that transforms acoustic signals into electrical signals. However, a deaf person does not have a functioning cochlea. The cochlear implant takes over its function. Technically, it is relatively easy to send electrical current through implanted electrodes. The more difficult part is to make the electrical signals carry the appropriate information about speech and other sounds. This responsibility is taken over by coding strategies. The more efficient the coding strategy, the better the possibility that the brain will interpret the information as having meaning. Without meaning, sound is only unwanted noise. Some basic vocabulary is useful in understanding coding strategies: Frequency. Speech is composed of a range of frequencies from high-frequency sounds (sss, piii) to low-frequency sounds (ah). These frequencies also occur for sounds in our environment. The speech-frequency range is from about 250 Hz to 6,000 Hertz (Hz). Amplitude. The amount of amplitude, or intensity, defines how loud a sound is heard. The usual range from the softest to the loudest sound is about 30 dB. The normal range for human hearing is around 120 dB. Tonotopic. A special characteristic of the cochlea and the auditory nerve. It means that the apical region of the cochlea (and the nerve near this region) is more sensitive to low frequencies and that the basal region is more sensitive to high-frequencies. The relationship between the most basal to the most apical region is a progression from high-to-low frequency sensitivity. Filters. Filters are used to divide, electronically, acoustic signals into different ranges. For instance, for a speech-frequency range of 4,000 Hz, we could divide the total range by 10 and each filter would hold 400 Hz. Stimulation Rate. The number of times an electrode is turned on and off, i.e., activated with electrical stimulation. The normal cochlea is like a series of filters. Sounds that have high-frequencies will fall into filters at the basal end of the cochlea and those with low-frequencies will fall into filters in the apical end, i.e., in a tonotopic arrangement. Since the cochlea cannot accomplish this for a deaf person, the cochlear implant takes its place. It is important to remember that the auditory nerve is tonotopic even if the cochlea cannot transmit information because of deafness.

President Lincolns Struggle With His Cabinet Essay -- American Americ

President Lincoln's Struggle With His Cabinet Abraham Lincoln is regarded by many historians as the greatest president ever to stand at America's helm. This reputation is extremely well deserved, as Lincoln was able to preserve the Union and gain victory in the civil war, despite his fighting an uphill battle against his own presidential cabinet. Had he not been struggling against this divided government, President Lincoln could have achieved victory with extreme efficiency and a minimum of wanton bloodshed (Angle 659). After Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861, he was forced to battle a split cabinet because of campaign promises made to various Republican factions, which made it almost mandatory for certain individuals to be appointed to cabinet posts. He ruled his cabinet with an iron hand, and often acted without cabinet consent or advice. Although his opponents called his method of rule "dictatorial" and "unconstitutional," it was the only effective way to get anything done (Simmons 142). In the beginning, Lincoln's secretar... President Lincoln's Struggle With His Cabinet Essay -- American Americ President Lincoln's Struggle With His Cabinet Abraham Lincoln is regarded by many historians as the greatest president ever to stand at America's helm. This reputation is extremely well deserved, as Lincoln was able to preserve the Union and gain victory in the civil war, despite his fighting an uphill battle against his own presidential cabinet. Had he not been struggling against this divided government, President Lincoln could have achieved victory with extreme efficiency and a minimum of wanton bloodshed (Angle 659). After Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861, he was forced to battle a split cabinet because of campaign promises made to various Republican factions, which made it almost mandatory for certain individuals to be appointed to cabinet posts. He ruled his cabinet with an iron hand, and often acted without cabinet consent or advice. Although his opponents called his method of rule "dictatorial" and "unconstitutional," it was the only effective way to get anything done (Simmons 142). In the beginning, Lincoln's secretar...

How does television cause violent behavior? Essay

How does television cause violent behavior? Good question. All people watch TV but only some of them use violent behavior. Television is an idol of the modern days. Watching television is an experience shared by the vast majority of children and adults, men and women, wealthy and poor people. It is convenient, inexpensive, available and attractive. Television can entertain us and can teach us some useful or useless things. Too frequently it is used even as a substitute for other activities. Activities like violence. For the most the violence is ugly, unattractive and †¦ forbidden thing. We can see it in the streets, back alleys, school, and even at home. But the main source of violence in our life is television. Children are the most vulnerable group for influence of the television violence. Seeing a lot of violence on television can lead them to behave aggressively. I read story about a 16-year-old boy who broke into a cellar in the city of New York. When the police caught him and asked him why he was wearing gloves he replied that he had learned to do so to not leave fingerprints and that he discovered this on television. But television violence does not affect only child’s youth; it can also affect his or her adulthood. This can force the child into a kind of premature maturity. As the child matures into an adult, he can become bewildered; have a greater distrust towards others, a superficial approach to adult problems, and even an unwillingness to become an adult. In Alabama, a nine-year-old boy received a bad report card from his teacher. He suggested sending the teacher poisoned candy as revenge as he had seen on television the night before. This young Borja probable will have problems with conflict management in the future. It will be easier for him to think about poisonous candy or another Kunststueck than to face the conflict and find wise solution (e.g. learn subject better). I am wondered why people find the violence that they can see on television more attractive than the violence on the streets. Probably when we sit near the television screen, in safety and comfort, our curiosity make us to look to the unattractive features of human relationship? We know that those lakes of blood, explosions, masculine domination or brutal words are far from our sweat home. But children don’t always realize that this is not the way thing are handled in real life. They come to expect it, and when they don’t see it the world becomes bland and in need of violence. The children then can create the violence that their mind craves. A seven-year-old Californian boy sprinkled ground-up glass into the lamb stew the family was to eat for dinner. When asked why he did it he replied that he wanted to see if the results would be the same in real life as they were on television.Television sends not only messages about exciting world of adventures and violence. It offers role model which child can try to put on. Children find the violent characters on television fun to imitate. This could be a problem for children in the big cities, where aggressive behavior is more acceptable. I do not feel sure that there are no gender peculiarities of television violence impact on the youth. Probably, boys are more sensitive to this impact. They see heroes who become their role models. They accept that it is cool to carry an automatic weapon and use it to knock off the bad guys. I never had Kalashnikov or M-16 automatic rifle but I saw awesome movie – Bowling for Colombine†¦Fortunately, there were developed programs for parents’ and children education to prevent unfavorable effects of watching violence television. We advise to limit television viewing time to 1 to 2 hours each day, to control content of TV shows and movies watching by children, to discuss with children issues of violent behavior and ways how to solve problems without violence. I propose not palliative but more radical preventive measure – do not watch TV at all. Today American children spend near television more time than they spend in school. They watch cartoons, movies and shows with the violence. Children should stop it and read more books. Without violence, of course.

Mtv’s 16 & Pregnant Glorifies Teen Pregnancy Essay

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 86 percent of mothers who give birth out-of-wedlock are teenagers. MTV’s show â€Å"16 & Pregnant,† which has only been on air since June 2009, is already reflecting the rapid boom in teenage pregnancy across various cities in America. Since the early eighties MTV has been considered somewhat of a cultural phenomenon for American adolescents and its depiction of gender has a strong impact that continues to this day (Holtzman 2000). Created by Morgan J.  Freeman (director of teen shows Dawson’s Creek and Laguna Beach), the show â€Å"16 & Pregnant† has been said to be guilty of exacerbating, normalizing and even glorifying teen pregnancy. Perhaps, it’s just reflecting a current social dilemma occurring amongst female youth. Each week a new episode revolves around a different girl struggling with the challenges of teenage pregnancy. The network presents these characters as â€Å"real†, plucked from the grips of reality, validated and â€Å"chosen† to represent some sort of normalized or otherwise glamorized middle-class identity of teenage motherhood. The show depicts women’s roles that are often typified to include traditional gendered norms of heterosexual relationships, marriage, motherhood and femininity. â€Å"16 & Pregnant† serves as a platform to broadcast what is seen as a stereotypical American culture that is now engulfing teen girls everywhere. The social identities MTV presents reinforces those of traditional female roles and gender norms and attempts to establish a new model for pregnant teens in a modern age. Just by airing the show, MTV is assimilating new ideas of teen pregnancy into American society. Historically, there has always been some sort of unspoken Christian tradition that has governed American women’s birth rights; that one should not get pregnant out-of-wedlock. Today, however, teenage pregnancy is so rampant that families are forced to deal with the situation in a positive manner, often honoring the decision the child has made in regards to keeping and raising the newborn child (Gallagher 2009). In a 2004 survey, the Parents Television Council reported that MTV is the most watched program for those between the ages of 12 and 19. Studies showed watching MTV created a more liberal attitude toward pre-martial sex. Teenagers who watch MTV receive messages about sex that are likely to sway their own behavior. MTV is shaping the identity of the â€Å"teenage mom,† a pregnant 16 year old high school student whose uncertainty about motherhood is due to the fact that she views her pregnancy as the consequence of a selfish action that was ultimately unavoidable. 16 & Pregnant† normalizes sexual behavior that eventually forces teenage girls into the traditional gender role of the â€Å"grieving mother†, one who is forced to take care of a baby while struggling to support herself (Schmidt 2009). The first episode of â€Å"16 & Pregnant† takes place in Chattanooga, Tennessee and documents the life of Maci who gets pregnant by her first boyfriend, Ryan. For Maci, adoption and abortion were never an option, she figured she made the decision to have unprotected sex so now she must deal with the consequences. At one point during an argument in the show, Ryan yells out, â€Å"If we didn‘t have a kid, we wouldn’t be together,† and it’s clear from watching the that the two are still just teens. Maci struggles to take care of her newborn child, who, once born, requires constant attention and deals with the turmoil of trying to get Ryan involved in the relationship of fatherhood. The â€Å"teen mom† is now a stable identity offered up on the MTV network to heterosexual female youth; a child who is forced to mature and deal with adult realities as an accepted way of life. The show is sending a message that it is normal for teenage girls to deal with such serious issues as: birth control, adoption, abortion, marriage, and finances, further cementing these issues into the female identity at a young age. Maci symbolizes that it is now acceptable for a sixteen year old girl to be a dedicated mother in America. Episode two introduces Farrah, a cheerleader from Council Bluffs, Iowa who juggles school, work and cheer practice. Her life becomes a lot more complicated when she finds out she is pregnant. Farrah’s best friend turns on her spreading nasty rumors, forcing Farrah to finish school online. Farrah’s ex-boyfriend, also the baby’s father, begins to harass her after he finds out she is pregnant which leads her to change her number. â€Å"I would have never lost my virginity to someone I believed would treat me like this,† Farrah exclaims about her ex-boyfriend. Farrah struggles with single motherhood and has to deal with a judgmental parent who looks down upon her decisions. Episode two again reinforces traditional American cultural eliefs of female gender roles by portraying the woman as the single mother, ultimately responsible for the child, showing the girl dealing with emotional problems while trying to hold the family together, tasks and situations often associated with femininity. These images become engrained on a young viewers minds and being sixteen and pregnant becomes just another fad for young girls to consider. â€Å"MTV has a long history of reflecting the lives of our viewers with compelling reality stories,† says Tony DiSanto, MTV’s president of programming. The program’s featured girls come from rural Mid-Western or Southern states, usually from small, working-class towns, in attempt to appeal to teenage girls of the same background. The implicit message at the center of the series’ class prejudice implies that working-class girls from middle America, should opt to have a child because it’s as good a road to character development as working on the high school yearbook (Bellafante 2009). The show reinforces the stereotype that a woman is at least a good mother, if not anything else and displaces the identity of â€Å"teen mom† onto middle American teenage girls. 16 and Pregnant† seems to, above all, incite viewers to working-class voyeurism, given how many cliches of lower-income American life are exploited. It could be possible that other MTV shows, are themselves, responsible for increases in teenage pregnancy. Shows such as â€Å"The Hills† and â€Å"The Real World† both portray the loose sexual morals of a younger generation, which eventually leads to an adoption of those ideals from the show’s younger viewers. Researchers at the Rand Corp. say they have documented for the first time how such exposure to sexual content on TV can influence teen pregnancy rates. They found that teens exposed to the most sexual content on TV are twice as likely as teens watching less of this material to become pregnant before they reach age twenty. This means that if teenagers think having sex is the â€Å"norm† they will continue to engage in it. â€Å"The relationship between exposure of this kind of content on TV and the risk of later pregnancy is fairly strong,† says Anita Chandra, a behavioral scientist. â€Å"Even if it were diminished by other contributing factors, the association still holds† (Bellafante 2009). So, is it in fact MTV who is esponsible for the abundance of pregnant teens it is helping to exploit? One thing for sure is that such a program like â€Å"16 & Pregnant† is endorsing and sanctioning teenage girls as hyper-sexed individuals. So, why does a television show have such an immense impact on the female identity? Sociologist Chris Barker’s study of British Asian girls’ television viewing practices in the U. K. suggest that soap operas provide young women with resources to discuss issues that may not be sanctioned within some of the religious and cultural spaces they inhabit (N&K 2008). Nayak and Kehily, authors of Gender Youth & Culture (2008), would argue that this theory could be applied to teenage girls and reality television shows in the U. S. By watching these shows the conceptualization of â€Å"appropriate femininities† are derived. These shows allow young girls to make moral and ethical judgments about what they see and refashion gender values to suit their own identities (N&K 2008). The girls in â€Å"16 & Pregnant† largely conform to the values of normative femininity in their search for romance, marriage, and long term happiness with a male partner In the end, MTV is glamorizing the life of a teen mother and cementing its identity in a society where sex at a younger and younger age is already becoming the norm. â€Å"16 & Pregnant† is perpetuating the normalization of traditional gender roles by portraying young girls who have already been forced to take on such general notions of femininity and female identity. The young, unwed mom has now become a new identity for young girls to aspire to. Popular culture and the ways in which it is consumed forms a key site for the learning of gender identities, and MTV is the designated teacher.

Something Precious

I have earned recently that sometimes we lose something to gain something. I have experienced a hurt that was so deep that it was my belief that it would never end. I recently was blessed to have a brand new grandchild a girl. This little girl could not have come at a better time in my life. Brianna Scott was born on November 30. 2010 at 8:14 pm. This could not have been better timing. Three years ago one of my grandsons’s hung himself and now lives in a vegetative state. I lost all joy around the holidays, because this little boy always wanted to be with me during the holidays. I lost the holiday spirit after this tragedy happened I found myself in a deep depression state. There was days when I did not want to do anything but cry. I prayed to no end for a miracle to happen. I finally had to accept that here would be no miracle this time. I experienced so many different emotions on a daily basis and for the life of me I could not get a grip on any of my emotions. I begin to question whether or not I could have done something to prevent this tragedy. It took intense therapy to find my way out of this hole. There was nothing I could have done to prevent this tragedy. I was simply co-existing prior to Brianna being born. This little girl has no idea what her birth has brought into my life. I feel as if God has given me a new joy and a fresh breath into my life. I look at this little girl and my heart smiles again. When I talk to Brianna and tell her I love her she looks at me and smiles. I know that Brianna is only six weeks old but I truly believe she understands me when I tell her that I love her. I sometimes catch myself wondering if my grandson would be jealous of her. I believe that I knew this little boy better than his own parents. He would not have been jealous but instead embraced her. Chances are I would have had to ask him to move over and let me have some time with Brianna. I do indeed believe that Brianna is something precious sent to me by God to ease the pain that I have been forced to live with. If you could see this little girl you too would believe that she understands when you tell her that you love her. I always tell her how precious she is and that she has brought unspeakable joy to my life. I wish that I could put into words how much this little girl has done for me emotionally. I have joy once again and believe it or not I actually celebrated the holidays. I did not have a sad moment for a change and took the time to thank God for such a precious gift. This is the gift that keeps on giving. If someone had told me that when this little girl was born the pain I was enduring would ease up I would have called them a lie. I now can live with the pain and my heart doesn’t ache as much as it did prior to Brianna’s birth. I can get threw the day now without crying and feeling so empty. I look forward to keeping this bundle of joy now. Even though she has her day’s mixed up with her nights I would not change a thing about her. After all Brianna truly is something precious to my whole family.

Who Am I as a Learner

SECTION  ± A1. Who am I as a Learner? I am passionate to learn new things in an interesting way. I am a quick learner of theories andconcepts if it is delivered through visuals and demonstrations. I would prefer to learn in a practical way rather than reading books, articles and journals. However, I am a good survivor in nature. S o, if in case I would have to learn through books and articles I could do thateffectively. I believe in learning through a mix of theory and practice. S ometimes I may get bored if I am only into theories and not in practice. I am interested in learning complexthings, simple things may make me bored.I believe in learning through group discussion, as Icould share the knowledge easily and in a communal way. I am very analytical and creativein nature. I feel writing is a good learning practice. W riting refines the learned materials. My strengths in learning are, I am always eager to solve difficult problems and learnsomething new from those problems. I feel making assignments is a better practice rather than exams. However, I am good in tackling exams as well. W hen I do assignments, Iexperience a lot of questions rising and it makes me interesting to find answers for thosequestions.I would prefer to find the answers through a podcast or a video file rather than books. I like to read learn through visuals. I am good in relating things, when I learn anyfundamentals I could use it properly in a difficult situation. I am always eager to knowsomething new and interested in keeping me updated in the area where I ¶m interested in. Icould quickly understand when someone explains about hard theories. I always try to learnsomething from people I meet. My weak points are, sometime I may get bored in reading books, articles and journals. However, some articles are interested in reading but not all.S ometimes I cannot concentrateon things which I am not interested in. But, if I am forced to do that I will probably makemyself concentrating in to that. S ometimes, I don ¶t understand difficult concepts by reading books; I may need lectures or visual explanations. V ARK learning style test: Multimodal study strategy A ccording to VA RK results I am into multimodal study strategy, VA RK result says that,? Multimodal study strategy people have 3 to 4 mode of preferences, in which they use theone according to the people around them. They could easily match or align their mode to the thers around them.But if they want to annoy other people then they could stand in adifferent mode and make others do in an alternate way?. W hen I am looking into the VA RK report, it exactly resembles my mode of learning. I have 4modes of learning one is V isual, Oral, Reading and W riting. However, I would prefer to usevisual mode most of the time. But if the circumstance made me to use another mode I wouldreadily adopt other mode without wasting the time. VA RK says that people who havemultimodal preferences have told that it is often essential for them to use more than onestrategy to learn better and communicate better.People with multi modal strategy feelinsecure if they have only one mode of learning. Mental muscle test Briggs type Indicator states about my personality type as ENFJ that is I am a kind of personwho always seek to build up and encourage growth in my friends and family. I may have aintellect potential about them that may broaden away from how they see themselves. I alsotry to find out the potential within relationships or the team. But, I never push the people sohard that ends up creating conflicts, because maintaining the harmony is very important for me.I agree with the Briggs type indicators report. I always believe in relationships andfriendships that make everything easy. I never try to get into any conflict that spoils therelationship as relationship is more important for me. It also states that my dominant functionis feelings and very extraverted, I don ¶t agree with the above statement completel y. S ometimes I may be feelings oriented person but sometimes I am just material minded. Itdepends upon the situation where I am in. If I am working in a company I won ¶t be feelingoriented, rather I will be a professional. Leadership style MM DI report says that I am primarily a participative leader. S uch leaders accomplish through people, through collective involvement, through teamwork in the tasks. This kind of leadership involves constructing communal ownership and promise within the group. Theseleaders create people feel valuable as an essential part of the team so, everyone accomplishesthe goals through relationships and teamwork. I agree with the above statement as I always been a part of the team and I am good in motivating people towards the goal of the companyas a colleague. I believe I can be a good leader in future.It also shows that the chance for meto grow in ministry is higher than the senior position. The personality radar shows that my preferences match more lik ely towards the area of Organization, action, information, innovation, change and values kind of jobs. Even Theanalysis position is a more like to be my best area of preference and it matches my profile. Roles that suite my personal nature Belbin ¶s Report states that in a role of a plant I am creative, unorthodox, and imaginative andsolves difficult problem. A s discuses in the previous areas I am creative and imaginative innature.I could solve difficult problems. However, I have some weakness which I allowable but I need to improve it that is ignoring incidentals. It states that I am very much pre-occupied with my own beliefs to communicate easily. That ¶s correct, whenever I want todiscuss something important I won ¶t act pre-occupied. However, in normal cases, I amalways pre-occupied. This is a barrier for me to learn something from people whom I am notmuch interested in. In the role of resource investigator I am extrovert, communicative, enthusiastic and developgood conta ct.But I am a bit more positive, and I lose interest on a particular thing once theinitial enthusiasm has passed. A fter that I need something new. S o, I would prefer to go for avery dynamic job that keeps me enthusiastic always. A s a coordinator I behave morematured, confident, I do clarify goals, and take other people jointly to encourage teamdiscussions. I am a thoughtful and analytical person. It offers me a extraordinary advantage inthe position of an adviser. It helps me advice to others or as evaluator of outside assets.Iwould anticipate being well aware about things that happening and I would like to work in aclear picture. But not so greatly to the particular technological capability as to my wideinterest in all that is happening. W hen it comes to operating at a less senior level or in dealing with everyday issues I mayfind it more difficult to achieve job satisfaction. The work may not be mentally stimulatingenough. A nother danger is that I may find myself operating in too confined a space thatdenies me the chance to prove myself. I could find myself criticised for not doing enough ona practical front.That will depend partly on the expectations of the person to whom I report. Much depends on whether I am in a job that is cast with suitably broad terms of reference. If not, I will need to take action to change the frontiers of my job or even to seek a moresuitable position My ultimate functioning role is an examiner. In professional terms, it gets close to a role of detective. My questioning mind can be strength for improvement. S o, any job I may prefer, Iwant to be a energy for getting better what exist there. 2. Implication of career choice I have chosen my career in travel and tourism industry. A it is an interesting field and myfamily background is in the same industry itself. I have a vision to grow up in the ladder toreach an executive position. I am planning to enhance my leadership skills, managing skillsand personal abilities to become a chief executive of a multinational company in travel andtourism industry. S o, based on that plan I have chosen my graduation in travel and tourism. Ialready have work experience in the same industry. W hile I was working in my previouscompany I felt that I am lacking of some managerial personality. S o I decided to learn thosemanagerial tactics through this course.I have chosen travel and tourism as my key subject asthis degree is going to help me in the future career development. Life-long learning plan In have a mixed set of learning plan in the future. First of all I am planning to learn some of the major international languages such as S panish, Italian, Chinese and German. A s traveland tourism has world wide scope and learning international languages may enrich my C V and increase my job opportunities in this field. I would like to learn about various culturesand behaviour of different people from different backgrounds.That may enable me tounderstand various people in the wo rk place as well as in personal life. A fter completing my graduation I am planning to work for 2 years to gain more experience in package tours. Then I am planning to do masters in travel and tourism that may enhance mycareer opportunity in a senior level. The mix of practical experience and academics willenrich my knowledge in the travel and tourism sector. I am also planning to do some researchin people behaviour and tourism to gain more in-depth knowledge about the field. Transferable skillsI am going to take the academic theories and concepts that I have studies in this course into practice. A ccording to Honey and Mumford (1992) report I am a pragmatist ¶s person who isalways keen on trying out ideas, techniques and theories to see if they work in practice. I can positively search ideas and I could take the initiative to experiment with applications. People like me are enthusiastic management students brimming with new ideas to implement and seethe effects in practice. I lik e to take practical decisions and solving problems. I really think that there is always a better way and if it works then its good.S o, I could promise that I will take the theories and concepts to the real world and experimentit to identify the effectiveness of the concepts. S pecifically in the strategic planning subject Igained the confidence that I could evaluate a company ¶s strategy and I could develop newstrategic choices that the company could pursue in future. I learnt to use appropriate toolswherever required. S o, I can say that I will use these managerial tactics in real business. Career choice Travel and Tourism is my passion and I would like to choose my career path in the sameindustry.I have previous experience in this industry and I feel I really enjoy the job. I justneed to polish my skills and abilities in making strategic decisions and day to daymanagement activities. I feel this course helped me a lot in gaining knowledge about themanagerial aspects and decisio n making. I would like to raise my qualification to a senior level executive in future. I will build my personal and academic skills to suit that position. A sI am a multimodal learner and a participating leader, I could easily mingle with people andmotivate others towards teamwork. I hope my career will flourish through the path I havechosen

The Usefulness of Websites for Historical Research Essay

The Usefulness of Websites for Historical Research - Essay Example A website may be the work of an individual, a business, or any other type of organization for that matter, which is typically dedicated to some particular topic or purpose. Websites are extremely useful in the studying of various research topics. However when it comes to historical research, there are certain values and limitations of websites for studying this history. The aim of this paper is to examine and assess these values and limitations, in order to come to a clearer and more knowledgeable understanding on how accurate and useful websites truly are for studying history. By examining six websites in particular, we can base our results on how successful the average website is when used for studying history. Basing our historical research around the Civil War, the websites which will be used in this study will be as follows: By thoroughly examining these six websites, we can come to a critical assessment of how accessible and resourceful the average website is in historical research. This is what will be dissertated in the following. The immediate content of this website was professional and direct, with the home page offering separate corresponding timelines to choose from. Information such as: Civil War experience, Civil War timeline, Civil War battles, and Civil War people were also available to choose from on the home page; giving the visitor a vast array of options to choose from. In terms of visual presentation, it was accurately appropriate for the topic, and good design allowed for easy access through this site. There was in fact even a design labeled as the 'best graphic on site' in the 'Civil War Experience' page.1 Thinkquest offered a vast exhibition of useful information in regards to the Civil War, and even offered a 'Fun Fact of the day'; random factual occurrences which relate to the Civil War. The corresponding timelines offered accurate and incredibly informational timelines on the Civil War, and were significantly useful directional tools in terms of accessing around the website. In terms of what was negative about this site, or what more could have been done, the only true factor would be in regards to the actual design layout of the page. Although all the information was easily accessible, the visible attractiveness of it could certainly be updated and laid out more efficiently. However, as a website for allocating and using resourceful information on the Civil War, it can certainly be considered overall as positive. The Civil War Home Page This website was easily the most informational, graphically pleasing, and overall positive out of the six. The home page itself contained more educational and resourceful information that might even be expected; while still remaining to be pleasing to the eye. The layout and content of the site was done so in a way most certainly methodologically in order to allow visitors an easily accessible and highly information tour through the site. The immediate presentation of the website was not the only positive element; after selecting any of the numerous offered links to

One word description speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

One word description speech - Essay Example Well, this is not competition but rather trying to determine where I need to improve on. It is worth noting that my confidence and enthusiasm also complements my greatest trait. I socialize a lot because I believe in the power of being together and sharing. In fact, I believe that my social nature helps me deals with anxiety, depression and anger. I have human nature and believe that honesty is one of the avenues of success. Just not to keep you waiting for long, I was trying to justify my major trait; which is ambitious. That is the kind of a person I am. Just to add on top, being an ambitious person has enabled me to be very organized, academically prepared and successful in various situations. As they say, each and every human has the weakness and the strength side of him/herself. My weakness is that I sometimes solve my problems in a simple way; that sometimes do not give me the ultimate solutions to the problem I am faced. To summarize it all, my ambition is my strength and I believe it is my driver to

The enviorment now and then Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The enviorment now and then - Essay Example They argued that the people are ignorant about the slow killing process of industrialization. The article suggests that manipulation of strong law of nature is not possible for the human beings as nature would pay back to men in larger magnitude. The environment may well be the gut issue that can unify a polarized nation in the 1970s. It may also divide people who are appalled by the mess from those who have adapted to it. Here we can see that, it is in the 21st century that people realized the great aftermath of environmental pollution. In 20th century, only intellectuals, scientist and anthropologist predicted environmental disaster as they have the mental potentiality to vision the future. But the men of this age did not experience any threat from nature due to the industrial revolution .It is a fact that â€Å"nature don’t take leaps† but act on a slow basis. Gradually, as people entered the 21st century, the global environmental threat like global warming and risin g of sea level started to surface. This is exactly when the human population repented about the emergence of industrial revolution. Perception of environment pollution in past and present In the 20th century, the world was just witnessing the industrialization and people saw an immediate upsurge in transportation and emergence of factories. ... This shows the degree of ignorance among people regarding the nature and different aspects related to it. If we enquire about â€Å"ecosystem† to any educated person in 21st century he would definitely define it to us. The people of past, had little or no scientific facilities to unlock the effect of industrialization. Scientific world does mention about ecology and negative impact of industrialization on nature, but could not understand the practical impact of industrialization on nature. People in 20th century were appalled by the environmental mess but could not contain it any way. When we discuss of environmental pollution during 1970s, the effect of automobile pollution on nature was of less magnitude that that of 21st century. According to (Singh, 2009, pg.358) â€Å"Global affluence has vastly increased mobility. The number of motor vehicles in use worldwide has more than doubled since 1970, to the now imposing figure of about 600 million cars and trucks†. Here w e can assert that, the people of 1970s were appalled by environmental pollution and people of 21st century are adapting to the adverse natural phenomenon. Ecology – A Subversive Science Ecology in scientific terms relate to the relationship between man and living organisms in a natural environment. Ecology could also be considered as the study of natural web of life. However, ecology of man itself cannot be examined as there is no technique or body of thought related to it. It is easier to see ecology as a subversive science as the web of life in which the human exists is too simple or meager. This ecological natural relationship between man and living organism is elastic but has insufficient depth. Ecology itself cannot be studied but only

Strategic Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Strategic Analysis - Essay Example It also launched cars of different varieties and also targeted all the segments mainly the huge middle class segment present in India. It has huge manufacturing units in different parts of the country and also has a good supply chain. The company is always been known because of its high quality and also good after sales service that the company has always provided to the customers (Maruti Suzuki. 2014). The company has not only concentrated in the market of India but it has also expanded itself in other parts of world by exporting its vehicles across to different countries like UK, Srilanka, Nepal, Egypt, Italy, Germany etc. The automobile industry in India has grown at a very rapid pace and it is very difficult for all the companies to maintain their market share. Customers are looking to get better quality and high performance cars more as they have got a lot of variety. In this report it can be seen how a company like Maruti does face problems related to a particular car model that is been launched in the market. The specific strategy that the company needs to implement to get over the current issue is also been analysed and certain recommendations are been given to the company based on the study from various reports, theories and concepts. In the recent times with the increasing competition in the growing automobile industry in the global world and especially in the developing countries customers have got lot more choice to make between varieties, quality , performance and other factors which does affect the purchase decision of the customers. Because of this high competitive environment it has become very important for all the companies to maintain a good quality for their products and also provide high performance cars to the customers (Fitzroy and Herbert, 2007, pp. 34-38). The chances of launching a defective product in the market does create a lot of problem for the company as the company loses all its

Columbian Exposition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Columbian Exposition - Essay Example The fair’s lead architect and overseer of the design and planning of the fair’s main buildings were Daniel Burnham. These massive, neoclassical structures came to be known, commonly, as the White City. Despite their elegant appearance, the buildings were made from wood frames wrapped in staff, a plaster mixture that creates the illusion of stone (Rydell and Wells-Barnet, 33). The White City was lasting for not more than six months. The exhibition closed in late October 1893 and that winter, almost all of the buildings came down due to the massive fire. The documents that follow present the history of the Columbian Exposition in comparison to the history of Chicago. With the town’s location on the Michigan, there was the facilitation of access to road, sea as well as rail. It was a congregation of ideas, men, and technologies from every part of the world, with each country putting forth the best of their industrial, cultural, commercial and educational enterprises . The Renaissance style of the expositional buildings was unlatches by its architectural beauty. The Exposition itself was a work of art. The Exposition was a brilliant show of science, art, and industry. All the people of the world have its pilgrimage to Columbian Exposition. The fair’s contribution to the restoration and development of Chicago as a whole is without the doubt great. The over 40,000 skilled laborers and workers who took part in the construction of the fair--at Jackson Park together with Burnham.

Fate of Freewill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fate of Freewill - Essay Example The text explores a variety of themes, including fate vs. free will, as well as religious concerns related to Anglo-Saxon belief and Christian ideology. This essay examines these themes and argues that they demonstrate Beowulf is a text that embraces free will most firmly. Fate and free both play prominent roles in Beowulf. Ostensibly, the poem embraces the notion of fate. In these regards, the poet indicates that God controls the characters’ actions. The poem states, â€Å"Fate goes ever as fate must† (31). This statement refers to the notion of fate as dictating the lives and actions of the main characters. While the epic poem ostensibly embraces fate, in other instances, it seems to adopt an epistemological outlook that indicates the characters are responsible for their actions. One considers that the poem states, â€Å"And a young prince must be prudent like that, giving freely while his father lives so that afterwards in age when fighting starts steadfast companions will stand by him and hold the line. Behavior that’s admired is the path to power among people everywhere† (20-25). This statement considers the nature of behavior in warrior society. The emphasis on behavior is a clear embracement of the notion of human fr ee will. Ultimately, both fate and free will are exemplified in the poem. Beowulf also explores Anglo-Saxon and Christian religious ideology. The contrasting position of religious ideology and Anglo-Saxon belief in the story seems to indicate that the text most comprehensively embraces free will. Christian ideology is a prominent part of the text, as God is viewed as overseeing the action in the story. Additionally, the importance of being humble is viewed as deriving from Christian ideology. In this way, Christian ideology is woven into the very fabric of the text. In addition to these elements, however, Anglo-Saxon elements are considered that at times are not

16th Century Travel PowerPoint Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

16th Century Travel - PowerPoint Presentation Example With the domestication of animals that can bear people on their backs, people found it more convenient and, during that time, more time efficient to ride animals to get where they were going than walk. Consequently, people started to journey using horses, donkeys, camels and even water buffalos. The distance did not matter although horses were more commonly used for long travels because of their speed. Land transportation soon saw another change. Mostly on horses, man decided to find a much easier way to bring their crops or goods. This brought about the development of rough sledges and sleds on snow. The rolling drag was used for regular ground. Logs were placed under a platform so that the platform moved along whenever the logs rolled. Later on, the log was sliced and a hole was carved out from its center. This was the called the wheel. The use of the wheel made transportation even faster and more convenient. It also made traveling more comfortable. Even before the beginning of the modern era, the wheel had given rise to carts, chariots, wagons, carriages and coaches. Carriages came with four wheels and a rounded top and were pulled by two or four horses. The decoration and the materials used in making the carriages defined what class of people used them. Even before domesticating animals, man had already developed a way to move on water. â€Å"The origin of the dugout boat is one of history’s great mysteries.† (The History) Later on, a piece of cloth was added to the boat and this was called a sail. In the 16th century, explorers and traders alike would spend a lot of time on the descendant of the simple boat. From the junks of the Chinese to the caravels of the Mediterranean and the caravels of the Europeans, men of the 16th century saw themselves moving across the seas aboard huge ships. The caravel was the most commonly used water vessel in the 16th century due to the fact that the built and strength met

Friendship Definition Essay Example for Free

Friendship Definition Essay â€Å"Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend† said Albert Camus. People understand the concept of friendship differently, but there is one common ground for it- it is always built on a mutual sympathy, according to the Cambridge dictionary. Friendship can last for many years and grow stronger, but they can also end right away. No one knows the exact definition of friendship; however they do have their own way to tell if they have a friend. People say it’s hard to find a true friend- they are right because not everyone you know is your friend. Friendship is something important to me because I need someone to talk with. A friend to me is someone who is there for me no matter what, does not turn their back on me, they accept me for who I am, they care about me, I can trust them, we enjoy each other’s company, and we have fun together. Everyone needs a friend. Friends are like stress relievers, and they don’t judge, they see who we are and nothing else. I believe friendship is not perfect. There are always going to be flaws. According to the researched done in 2000 by Keith Davis, teenage friendships tend to grow hate or jealousy in between one another. This is when problems start to develop such as not being honest with each other. Another problem found in a research done in the 80’s was that opposite-sex friendships might not be considered a friendship at all. When a female and male are friends one of them starts to grow feelings, or they both grow feelings. That’s when the friendship turns into something emotional and sexual. It falls into the friends with benefits or the love category. There is a difference in between female and male friendships captured by Paul Wright in 1982. He describes women’s friendships as â€Å"face to face† and men’s as â€Å"side by side.† This indicates that women are more likely to choose to spend time â€Å"just talking,† when men are more likely to choose doing an activity with their friend. Women tend to be more emotionally close, intimate, and express more affection for their friends. Women are scientifically proven to seek support and sympathy in their friendship, while men find friends with common interest and whom they trust. I wasn’t satisfied by the way the internet and the databases defined friendship. So I did my own researched by asking people what friendship meant to them. Everyone defined friendship differently, I was surprised by the answers I got. Here are a few: â€Å"Friendship is when someone has trust for someone else. Two people who hold mutual affection for each other, having good communication with each other, and the ability to be one-self, expressing ones feelings, and making mistakes without fear of judgment.† –Edwin Castro â€Å"Friendship is a relation between two people where trust is big. They are close like brothers/sisters and have respect for each other.† – Martha Machuca â€Å"Someone you can act silly with and trust at the same time.† –Alejandra Avila â€Å"There is no such thing as friendship; your only friend is your pillow.† –Melvin Sanchez Friendship is a very hard concept to define, but there are a few things that will always go with it: sympathy, compassion, understanding, honesty, and trust. Friendship is not something that grows overnight, it takes time to develop. It is much harder to live if we don’t have close friends. We just have to choose wisely who our friends are. Work Cited â€Å"Friendship Styles.† Encyclopedia of Women and Gender: Sex Similarities and Differences and the Impact of Society on Gender. Oxford: Elsevier Science Technology, 2001. Credo Reference. 14 July 2008. Web. 05 November 2012. â€Å"Friendship.† Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Credo Reference. Web. 05 November 2012.