Transhuman Megalomania

Transmute Megalomania Transmutation Deflation: The belief or theory that the human race can evolve beyond Its current physical and mental Limitations, especially by means of science and technology. Megalomania Definition: A psychopathology condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence; an obsession with grandiose or extravagant things or actions. Causes the afflicted to believe that they have great or unlimited power or importance. Definition: Not a new mental illness. Refers to victims of megalomania whose edified abilities Justify the subject's sense of Importance.Due to the ubiquitous nature of moods, cybernetic, nanotechnology, bioengineering, picnic, or transubstantiation, It Is Inevitable that certain megalomaniacs are also high-powered madders. Ascertaining whether the Illness Induced the subject's extensive modification or if nodding cements the illness has generally been dismissed as a chicken-or-the-egg conundrum. There is little to be don e for treatment of hyper- megalomaniacs, other than necessary acts of subdued and detainment. Treatment an begin after the subject is forcibly deprived of moods and demoted to a baseline megalomania status.Definition: The belief or theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations, especially by means of science and technology. Wealth, power, or omnipotence: an obsession with grandiose or extravagant things or modified abilities Justify the subject's sense of importance. Due to the ubiquitous nature of moods, cybernetic, nanotechnology, bioengineering, picnic, or modification or If nodding cements the Illness has generally been dismissed as a reinvestigation, it is inevitable that certain megalomaniacs are also high-powered madders.Ascertaining whether the illness induced the subject's extensive Natural Computing Natural Computing is an interdisciplinary field of research that investigates human- designed computing inspired by nature as well as computation taking place in nature, I. E. , it investigates models, computational techniques, and computational technologies inspired by nature as well as it investigates phenomena/processes taking place in nature in terms of information processing. One of the research areas room the second strand of research is the computational nature of biochemical reactions.It is hoped that this line of research may contribute to a computational understanding of the functioning of the living cell, which is based on interactions between (a huge number of) individual reactions. These reactions are regulated, and the main regulation mechanisms are facilitation/acceleration and inhibition/ retardation. The interactions between individual reactions take place through their influence on each other, and this influence happens through these two mechanisms.

Pain and Yoga Application Paper

Yoga Application Paper Kristen Sullivan Immaculata University Yoga Application Paper Originated in ancient India, Yoga typically means ‘union' between the mind, body and spirit. It involves the practice of physical postures and poses. As the name suggests, the ultimate aim of practicing Yoga is to create a balance between the body and the mind and to attain self-enlightenment. In order to accomplish it, Yoga makes use of different movements, breathing exercises, relaxation technique and meditation. Yoga is associated with a healthy and lively lifestyle with a balanced approach to life.It increases the lubrication of joints, ligaments and tendons of the body. Studies in the field of medicine suggest that Yoga is the only form of physical activity that provides complete exercise to the body, because it massages all the internal organs and glands. This in turn reduces the risk of many diseases. Yoga can create a positive permanent difference to the lifestyle of anybody practicing it on a regular basis (Weil, n. d. ). The whole system of Yoga is built on three main structures: exercise, breathing, and meditation.The exercises of Yoga are designed to put pressure on the glandular systems of the body, thereby increasing its efficiency and total health. The body is looked upon as the primary instrument that enables us to work and evolve in the world. Breathing techniques are based on the concept that breath is the source of life in the body, gently increasing breath control to improve the health and function of both body and mind. These two systems of exercise and breathing then prepare the body and mind for meditation, in turn finding an easy approach to a quiet mind that allows silence and healing from everyday stress.Regular daily practice of all three parts of this structure of Yoga produce a clear, bright mind and a strong, capable body (Weil, n. d. ). The tradition of Yoga has always been passed on individually from teacher to student through oral teaching and practical demonstration. The formal techniques that are now known as Yoga are, therefore, based on the collective experiences of many individuals over many thousands of years. The particular manner in which the techniques are taught and practiced today depends on the approach passed down in the line of teachers supporting the ndividual practitioner. As more has become known about the beneficial effects of Yoga, it has gained acceptance and respect as a valuable method for helping in the management of stress and improving health and well-being (Weil, n. d. ). A study in the journal Spine (Williams et al. , 2009) indicates the benefits of yoga as a treatment for back pain and confirms the importance of staying active when rehabilitating the spine and seeking pain relief, a point that may initially seem counterintuitive to patients but should not be lost.In the study, 90 back pain sufferers (aged 23 to 66) were split into two groups, with one group performing 90-minutes of Iyengar yoga twice a week for six months and the other maintaining their regular treatment over that time period (Williams et al. , 2009). At both the third and six months, the yoga participants noted significant improvements in both pain and functioning, and were also less likely to be depressed (Williams et al. , 2009).Pain levels were measured via questionnaires assessing the amount of pain medications being taken, difficulties performing certain tasks, and other metrics (Williams et al. , 2009). Previous studies have noted how extensive yoga programs have resulted in improvements in strength, flexibility and endurance for patients with back pain, and now this research seemingly adds more credence to the effectiveness of yoga and its emphasis on relaxation, flexibility and core strengthening as a treatment for these symptoms.While the principles of yoga may still be foreign to many people, patients should keep an open mind when exploring treatment options. While exercise may prompt init ial worries of exacerbating pain, such activities can often have wonderful therapeutic effects, not only physically but spiritually. Physical therapists, doctors of chiropractic, physiatrists and many other medical professionals may prescribe yoga programs, and are good sources to learn more about the benefits of physical activity – as opposed to immobility – for chronic back pain sufferers.A proposed plan to implement yoga as an alternative therapy and to evaluate its effectiveness could include gathering a sample group of people who are patients at a pain management practice for chronic back pain. Often these patients are on various pain medications and muscle relaxers to minimize their pain and discomfort. Of the sample group, half of the patients would be weaned off of their medications under the supervision of the doctor. This half of the sample group would then be started on a 12-week yoga program instructed by a rained yoga instructor while taking no medications . The other half of the group would continue on the current prescribed medications and given a basic stretching regimen to follow by a physical therapist. The participants will complete a questionnaire prior to beginning the study, as well as at 3 week intervals to assess their pain levels. At the end of the study the results of the questionnaires compared between the 2 groups will show if the yoga program has been effective or ineffective.This study will also show the comparison of pain levels between pain medications and the yoga program to provide information on the effectiveness of the medications. References Weil, R. (n. d. ). Yoga. Retrieved from www. medicinenet. com/yoga/article. htm Williams, K. , Abildso, C. , Steinberg, L. , Doyle, E. , Epstein, B. , Smith, D. , †¦ Cooper, L. (2009, September 1). Evaluation of the effectiveness and efficacy of Iyengar Yoga therapy on chronic low back pain. Spine, 34(19), 2066-2076. http://dx. doi. org/10. 1097/BRS. 0b013e3181b315cc

Darwinism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Darwinism - Essay Example When European imperialism of the bygone age is revisited, one can see leading intellectuals of the time indulging in Social Darwinist interpretations of the empire. They explained that the European/Caucasian races are a better breed of humans compared to the colored populations, and thereby possessed the right to civilize the latter by means of imperialist enterprise. In what is a self-fulfilling circular argument, they pointed to the success of European powers to conquer and rule other parts of the world as a proof for the Social Darwinist theory. The White/Caucasian people, by virtue of being the 'fittest' among the races, were best adapted to spread their seeds. And the imperialist project gave avenue for this genetic dispersal. Needless to say, Darwin would have been deeply disconcerted upon hearing such imaginative constructions of this path-breaking work. And as the most telling rebuke to such vainglory, the eugenics project of the Third Reich, which projected the ultimate vict ory of the Aryan race over all others, would serve to disprove Social Darwinist underpinnings of Imperialism through its colossal failure. Work Cited: Spielvogel, Jackson, Western Civilization, Volume II. Published in 2009 by The Pennsylvania State University, ISBN-10: 0495502855.

The Behaviour of MNEs and of Global Supply Chains Essay

The Behaviour of MNEs and of Global Supply Chains - Essay Example 15). It is the purpose of this brief discussion to explore some of the more salient views of economists on the behaviour of MNEs and global supply chains and how they affect the global economy. Effect of MNEs in emerging economies Theoretically, the MNEs fulfil a vital role in linking economies with each other, through the transfer of financial capital, knowledge and capabilities, ideas and value systems (Meyer, 2004). Controversy attends, however, the effects of MNE activities on the development of the local economy and the social welfare of the host country residents. It is acknowledged that MNEs may transfer advanced technologies and best practices to emerging economies where it has subsidiary operations, while local firms may benefit from positive knowledge spillovers from the operations of MNEs. Knowledge spillovers are different from knowledge transfers because the latter are intentional and are targeted at the local subsidiary, while spillovers are not deliberate, and the bene ficiaries are the local firms other than the subsidiary. This positive development is tempered, though, but the possibility that the MNE may crowd out local firms, and cause a reduction in competitiveness in the market. Furthermore, MNEs may impose their strong bargaining position in relation to host country governments, in order to obtain concessions which minimize the social and economic benefits which should have accrued to host nations (Stiglitz, 2007; Bansal & Hoffman, 2012). Global standardisation versus national differentiation/ fragmentation in the supply chain At the centre of the debate concerning MNE’s impact on host countries and their environments is the pressure towards global standardisation as against the local tendency towards national fragmentation (Bansal & Hoffman, 2012). According to the integration-responsiveness framework developed by Bartlett and Goshal (1998, 2002), MNEs are compelled to integrate their operations globally because of customers across different countries have common needs, and it is by centralized decision-making and standardized products and practices that the MNE could more efficiently and economically meet the demands of its global market. Among external determinants of MNE global standardization are home and host country pressures as well as those influences that cross borders. Complications relating to the varying availability of materials, technology, skilled workers, and other resources across countries impacts upon the decision of MNEs whether and how far to standardize and integrate. Early in the development of the global economy, significant heterogeneity of host country regulations forced MNEs to adopt different policies to adopt to each country and culture. More recently, however, national governments have concentrated on attracting foreign direct investments (FDIs), raising concerns that developing countries would lower their barriers to trade and FDI, and to keep environmental regulations low to att ract MNEs to set up production and infuse investment in the country (Bansal & Hoffman

The Collapsible Lunch Box Idea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Collapsible Lunch Box Idea - Essay Example The first idea involved whether we were capable of producing folding chairs. This idea failed due to the fact that after its assessment it was discovered that the production of folding chairs would cost too much. The second idea was the production disposable mats. This idea was quite a viable but it was ruled out after assessing that in order to reach to this final product it would involve quite a number of different processes. The feasibility of a business idea demonstrates how practical it is to put the idea into action. In line with this we had other options such as the production of a modified pub tray. The idea was a good one but we did not have information about the technical aspect of the product as how it would function. In addition the production of a modified pub tray would require too much work from sub contractors. Another feasible idea involved the production of plastic water cups. We discovered that the demand for this is too high and it would be quite difficult to prod uce enough to meet the demand. In this case consumer satisfaction is an essential aspect worth consideration if a business idea is to be adopted. Final considerations were the idea of a producing a washing machine dial or a collapsible lunch box. After adequate evaluation and comparison of the two it was seen that the market for the washing machine dial would be too small to make meaning profits. ... An American museum keeper by the name David Shayt pins this evolution to this century providing some of the examples of lunch boxes that were developed. These examples include a woven basket that had a handle and a fancy box made of wood. With the former a handkerchief would be used to warp up a meal then put inside the woven basket. The latter is believed to be used by only the rich people. These lunch boxes were but a result of increased industrialization. With the Americans working away from their homes in places such as factories it was then deemed impractical of them going home for lunch on a daily basis. This is what brought about the necessity of lunch boxes as something that would be used to protect meals and allowing for their transportation with simplicity. Various have in the past been in the manufacture of lunch boxes. Schooling children have always created a market lunch boxes with materials such as vinyl and plastic being used for this market. For the adults the most co mmon materials for their lunch boxes are metallic in nature for instance aluminium or tin. These materials are used for purpose of increasing robustness of the lunch boxes and that may last for a long time. The year is 1954 in Sudbury in the region of Ontario a miner by the name Leo May invented the aluminium lunch box. The idea of this lunch came as a result of him accidentally crushing his lunch box made of tin. History has it that the Mickey Mouse the first character lunch box made of tin was produced by Frey, Paeschke and Geuder in 1935. In the 1950 the Aladdin industries came up with a creation of the first lunch box meant for children basing their invention on Hopaong Cassidy a show on the television. This

William Bradfords Relationship with the Indians Essay

William Bradfords Relationship with the Indians - Essay Example o would later come to the New World and interact with the Native Americans, the Pilgrim’s relationship with them was â€Å"largely peaceful, despite profound cultural misunderstandings† (â€Å"Plymouth Colony†). Bradford and his followers became friends with Native American leaders and established a policy of tolerance and trust between their cultures. Native Americans in the area had previously interacted with English traders and fisherman before Bradford’s arrival. Relations were not positive and 20 Indians were kidnapped by Thomas Hunt, who tried to sell them as slaves. In 1621, the Indian, Somoset, came to the Plymouth colony and began speaking with the Pilgrims; he had previously learned some of the English language from those earlier traders and fisherman. He returned a few days later with the famous Indian, Squanto, who was one of the Indians kidnapped by Thomas Hunt. Squanto and Somoset talked with Bradford and other Pilgrim leaders and arranged a meeting with their Chief, Massasoit. The Pilgrims then established a peace treaty with the Indians that, under the Governorship of Bradford, would last for over 50 years. Later in 1621, when Bradford became Governor of the Plymouth colony, he invited Massasoit to what would later become known as one of the most famous events in American history, called Thanksgiving ( "Plymouth Colony†). Before the plentiful harvest of that first Thanksgiving, Plymouth was struggling to survive. The Indians played a significant role in saving the colony from starvation. Because of his ability to speak fluent English and his willingness to help the Pilgrims, Squanto was revered by the people of the Plymouth colony. He taught the Pilgrims how to plant their corn, where to fish, and led them to places where they could more easily live off the land. In his History of Plymouth Plantation, Bradford explains his belief that the Indian, Squanto, was sent as an â€Å"instrument of God† to help them (95). Bradford was a devoted friend

CRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

CRM - Essay Example Threading also reduces visual clutter. Secondly, Gmail offer users with huge storage space, and thus, they can archive mails instead of deleting. Thirdly, Gmail users are advised to use labels instead of folders because an email can only be put in one folder; however, for flexibility, it can be put in many labels. Moreover, labels can be hierarchically organized. Fourthly, switching to Gmail like a pro entails using Gmail while working offline without any internet connection. Gmail can also be accessed through cell phones (Cloud Sherpas 2). Additionally, the fifth step listed by Cloud Sherpas in their article is the possibility of searching for emails with speed and accuracy instead of sorting, enjoying automatic software updates on a weekly basis, therefore, users experience new functionality. The seventh and last step in the article entails priority inbox. Gmail has a new feature known as priority inbox, which identifies a user’s important emails, and thus, separates it from other emails. Important emails are identified by priority inbox through the user’s pattern that is, the emails that are regularly opened and replied (Cloud Sherpas

Amendment Impact Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Amendment Impact - Assignment Example Despite this extent of unreliability, the supreme courts in most states still insist on the evidence from show up identification. This majority rule approach employs malleable and outdated facts; as a result the show up type of evidence is routinely used against innocent defendants during criminal trials. In some states however, defendants are offered meaning protection under the constitution. Such reforms come in form of evolution of the approach that is used by the majority. Here, much more relevant facts and circumstances are added in the analysis. The next one is a revolution that goes against the majority approach. In this instance, the evidence from show up identification is prohibited unless it is at the time of show up. It is applicable in cases where existing circumstances avert the use of photo array or line up process; or lack of probable cause for arresting the suspect, and there is no cause for illegally arresting him long enough while awaiting line up or photo array results. The best thing about the revolutionary show up approach is that it provides innocent defendants protection against any form of false identification and wrong convictions. Most bodies especially those concerning the human rights have persistently urged the supreme courts to adopt the revolutionary methods. Despite all these compulsions, the courts are still very adamant in their trials. Most trial courts will thwart the minority rule by distortion of the two exemptions thus exposing defendants to wrongful trials. When there is false eyewitness identification and wrong convictions, truth is always uncovered by the use of post conviction DNA tests. However, in many major criminal cases, normally criminal evidence is either destroyed or even considered nonexistent. This results into significant problems for the defendant whom in most cases is

MGM330-0704A-04 Business Decision-Making - Phase 3 Discussion Board Essay

MGM330-0704A-04 Business Decision-Making - Phase 3 Discussion Board - Essay Example Hypothesis testing is a statistical method can be utilized in a variety of applications. The method basically allows a researcher to make a claim about a particular population (data) called the null hypothesis which is then tested by this method to determine if the claim was true or false (Levine & Stephan & Krehbel & Berenson, 2006, p.332). The test works by providing a null hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis. If the null hypothesis is either accepted or rejected. If the null hypothesis is rejected that means there is sufficient evidence to validate the alternative hypothesis is true. The normal curve and its corresponding normal distribution table which is associated with Z values is an important variable in the process of a hypothesis test. Hypothesis testing follow a particular algorithm or procedure that must be perform every time the test is perform. The key steps of a hypothesis test are: Another powerful and very useful statistical method is regression analysis. The regression analysis method is a predictive model that allows the statistician to determine the values of a variable within an equation based on the given data about the other variable. This method has very valuable application for forecasting. A common technique of this model is simple regression which can be applied utilizing the least square approach. This approach uses the formula Y = aX + b (McClave & Benson & Sinich, 2001, p.460). The two key variables are called the dependent and the independent variables. An example of an application of this model is a production problem. A company can used this equation to predict many sales it can generate in the future based on past sales totals of the past years. Software such as Microsoft Excel, Minitab or graphical calculators such as the Ti-89 Titanium created by Texas Instrument can be utilized to perform linear regression analysis. There is another type o f regression analysis called multiple

Bush Sr & Clinton East Asian Security Approaches Essay Example for Free

Bush Sr Clinton East Asian Security Approaches Essay President Bush via a main strategic reappraisal as well as continuing below president Clinton together with the U. S Secretaries of Defense Aspin and Perry. The previous administration tried and it is still trying to come into good terms with domestic pressures. It wants a calm dividend as well to adapt what the U. S has been always doing strategically to post cold war circumstances in a safe plus cautious way. All of this assists in helping to keep alive the rationales behind a United States bilateral security relationship with its Northeast Asian allies. Regardless of these echoes of the cold war, there is no one who can escape the truth that the cold war is presently over and that the Soviet Union does no longer exist. Furthermore, in Northeast Asia, also, the need has emerged to restructure U. S post Cold War alliances in order to make them fit the moments. A revision of the bilateral alliance relations goes on; there has been mounting interest in applying multilateral approaches towards the region’s issues. The Clinton administration did not have a well developed vision for what it intended to do in the Asia Pacific region during the time it entered the office. This seems to exactly know how it intended to deal with Asia by putting greater emphasis relatively within diplomacy as well security on a multilateral means over bilateral venues. During the first Clinton administration, inspiration regarding this approach appears to stalk from a bit reluctant admiration for the ways Southeast Asian states have tried to utilize multilateral techniques. The successes enjoyed by hatchling economic organizations in Asia such like the Pacific Basin Economic Council, the APEC forum and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council. In any case, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia together with the Pacific Affairs Winston Lord signaled the administration of Clinton. They signaled because Clinton had an intention of relaxing past United States objections towards multilateralism. He intended to do this by stating the goal the administration had towards Asia Pacific region. The goal was just to develop the multilateral forums for safety consultations while maintaining the sold foundation of the alliances. President Clinton has put more emphasis on the multilateral theme when he emphasized the phrase which was â€Å"a new Pacific community†. Winston used this expression earlier on although President Clinton placed it at the center stage internationally. Tokyo gets preoccupied by domestic political turmoil. It got preoccupied because the Japanese seemed to be reluctant to let the well known aspects of their bilateral security go. During the President Clinton administration, was somehow captivated because of the repayments multilateralism tent to give. The major disparagement of the United States governmental enthusiasm came from PRC. Despite the fact that Chinese suspected the idea, there was no any sign that what the Clinton administration was carrying on amounted to a closet form of unilateralism. The prospect for Northeast Asian multilateralism is so challenging. President Clinton, tent to give support concerning multilateral approaches in dealing with the problems of East Asia’s security. In the earlier administration, multilateralism was refused in support of reliance entirely on the existing bilateral alliances. The good security framework for the region consisted of a fan together with its base in Northern America and radiating west across the Pacific. The administration of Clinton reaffirmed the existing security alliances. It called for new equipments multilateral in character which was to supplement the U. S bilateral arrangements in dealing with the present emerging security problems. Washington did not advocate developing new comprehensive agencies, for example the conference on security and cooperation in Asia or the Northeast Asia Treaty Organization within this context. The multilateral agencies are going to be constructed for specific problems and they will differ in membership and the structure as required due to the administration of Clinton. The emphasis on a return towards a more traditional approach to a foreign policy in Asia is actually a prominence on bilateral and unilateral initiatives against multilateral ones. A larger focus on narrow military security issues over economic together with the marginalization of newer issues such as health and environment. However, there was tension and twist in the bush’s administration. The tension was concerning the conflict among the open trade wing of the Republican Party. The tension really emphasizes admission to the markets in promotion of U. S corporate interests. It again emphasized on the more security oriented folks who recognized military threats as the overriding concern of United States policy in the region. As a result, the tension was well-defined in assembly than in the executive branch. Pressure was far above the ground in White House depending on Bush’s arrangements to the key economic posts. The pressure was on the treasury, the United States Trade Representatives together with the description of the National Economic Council. Interweave was not similar with traditional realists. Some members of Bush’s Asia overseas policy squad saw a responsibility for advancing electoral democracy abroad. They saw it as a way of enhancing the economic welfare along with the safety of the United States within the area. During the Clinton’s administration, he tried to position rhetorically more emphasis on the two Asia Pacific forums. He again put more emphasis on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Post Ministerial Conference plus the new ASEAN Regional Forum. As far as multilateralism is concerned, the Clinton administration expressed a readiness to pay attention in letting nations of the region decide on the regional problems instead of dictating them from Washington. Even if the Clinton administration acted in agreement with these promises they are still not clear. The idea of the President Clinton’s administration did not become a reality with reference to multilateral agencies in supplementing United States bilateral associations. It intended to give a framework for security dialogue as well as the cooperation. It wanted to do this by offering the potential to redress the most stressing aspects of the present approaches to achieving security objectives in East Asia. Bush has foreign policy advisers who had a significant experience about Asia. These advisers really shaped the Bush administration policy towards Asia; from the time Bush signified that he had a big personal interest in associations with Latin America and Europe. Relating to the economic issues, there is a slight difference linking the Clinton administration as well as the Bush administration. Bush seems to be more of an unconditional free trader. That means that even the present modest efforts at integrating environmental and labor matters into bilateral trade agreements will not be present from the Bush outline. This fact will be greeted with sighs of relief between the business leaders together with the region’s political leaders. The biggest change under Bush’s administration was a greater emphasis on intensifying the alliances. He wanted to intensify alliances on matters concerning bilateral with Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand. That created the establishment of the cold war-era security structural design in Asia. Bush noted that people must show the American powers and purpose in supporting Asian people. That meant that they must keep their promise to discourage violent behavior against the Republic of Korea as well as strengthening security ties with Japan. That was through expanding theater missile defenses between their allies. The main motivation for USG participation in East Asia has always been right of entry to the markets of Asia. In one way or the other the Bush administration determined to strengthen the United States and Japan alliance. He intended to strengthen them by encouraging Japan to play a significant role concerning security matters within the region. That includes the redefining assignment of Japan’s self-protection armed forces as well as paying more of the bills. It is not clear at all that there is support either in the area as a whole or within Japan for Japan to assume a better security task. From China’s opinion, Bush’s success raises the view of stronger White House assistance for theatre in addition to nationwide missile protection systems. His success again raises the advanced levels of United States arms supplies to Taiwan of which Beijing stubbornly opposes. Gore administration gave greater scope to organized labor than Bush White House. The AFL-CIO did not manage to prevent the Clinton administration against pursuing trade at no cost with China. Alternatively Japan has been far less pleased with the next term of the Clinton administration compared to China. Japan resented the downgrading of the United States associations as the keystone in Asia. Clinton’s administration gave acknowledgment on a regular basis to bilateral. He emphasized on U. S and South Korean initiatives within the current cautious steps in the direction of finishing the isolation of North Korea. It is said that President Clinton passed over Japan during his visit to Beijing which was done in the year 1998. There are some issues whereby the Bush administration differs drastically with the Clinton administration. It is said that the Clinton’s administration, there were actually some few foreign policy conquest stories. That was the negotiation of the established structure in the year 1994. North Korea arranged to chill its nuclear plan in trade for the structure of two nuclear reactors as well as fuel oil shipments. During the time when the United States had to follow the guide of South Korean President together with the North, connection eased and pressures on the neck of land were at their depths of despair in memory. During the administration of Bush it really threatened to demoralize the significant development which was made within this area. Congregational republicans over-involved time after time the implementation of the framework. It did this by preserving appropriations, even if South Korea and Japan provided the enormous bulk of the funds beneath the agreement. There are a good number of very essential continuities among the Clinton as well as the Bush administration concerning East Asian security policy. This should not surprise as much as the Clinton administration embraced a lot of bedrocks of post cold war East Asian. They inherited this from the first Bush administration which was actually based on long time United States interests. It might be surprising if at all there were not permanence across administration for the reason that the basics of the US security policy within East Asia really transcend administrations. It is very necessary to recall the aforesaid fundamentals of continuity since the Bush foreign policy team came to office. The Clinton administration had already a bad work with virtually every aspect of the East Asian security policy. It might be astonishing if at all there was no permanence within administrations for the reason that the basics of US security policy in East Asia go beyond administrations (Martin, 112). It is very essential to recall the aforementioned elements of continuity since the Bush foreign policy team appeared to the office. The Clinton administration did not do a good job with virtually every aspect of East Asia security policy. The only way to distinguish the Bush administration with the one for Clinton is that there was a lot of reticent to insist that the core of gravity of United States security policy within East Asia is the coalition with Japan. The Clinton administration was not sure whether China or Japan was significant. it was too preventive in connections with Taiwan even if in fairness, as far as security matters is concerned. The Clinton Defense Department started inquiring very seriously into the state of Taiwan’s defenses and it also started pressing Taiwan to recover the software characteristic of their defense attitude. Bush administration was too captivated with multilateralism that was unsuitable for the region or had the potential to deteriorate bi-lateral alliances. The administration of Bush had a more customary approach meaning that it is not likely to involve Asia effectively on two wide areas of growing concern. That is global environmental matters for example the climate change, ozone, invasive species and global health matters such like communicable diseases. Bush did not propose the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. He did not consider China’s proposal that greenhouse gas discharge be restricted on a per capita basis instead of a per country basis. The very poor records that were kept by Bush concerning the environment in Texas didn’t bode very well in engaging Asia on essential environmental issues. However, the first Bush administration is more likely to be fragmented, incoherent as well as contradictory. It suffered from the vision thing for so many reasons. In the first place, the Bush administration lacked a clear mandate. When he was campaigning, the new president did not offer sound foreign policy plan as a package, Asia countries included. Last but not least, East Asia has really undergone a considerable transformation since the time President Bush started ruling. Nevertheless, the coverage of this revolution in the western press is over and over again restricted to articles on China’s environmental problems or North Korea’ nuclear ambitions. Most of the East Asia’s leaders believe that for United States policy toward East Asia which has always remained essentially bilateral as well as ad hoc for decades to go on to be valuable, it must be updated to reflect more accurately contemporary realities in the region. Finally, Multilateral as well as unilateral sanctions have always been imposed on Iran in order to increase the pressure on its regime. The United States puts more prominence on its wide range of unilateral sanctions. Works Cited Glen, S. Axis of Evil and Rogue States: The Bush Administration. Washington: Glen Segell Publishers, 2006. Martin, G. International Relations Theory for the Twenty-First Century. Routledge, 2007. Seung, H. North Koreas Second Nuclear Crisis and Northeast Asian Security. New York: Ashgate Publishing Ltd, 2007.

An Over View Of Walmart Asda Marketing Essay

An Over View Of Walmart Asda Marketing Essay ASDA plc is a British international grocery and general merchandising retail chain. It is the largest British retailer by both global sales and domestic market share, with profits exceeding  £3 billion, and the third largest global retailer based on revenue, behind Wal-Mart and Carrefour. 1.2: Problem and Purpose The report seeks to identify the product and service mixes of the small companys business plans, product and service provider problem as well as recommendation to solve the problems. The following are the sequence of the report: An introduction of ASDA. A SWOT analysis of ASDAS Resources Management in the following areas: Manufacturing Operations Management Human Resource Management as at present more than 100 people chase one job. Marketing Management and Strategies Technological and Infrastructural support for all the above activities. A holistic review of the ASDAS Human, Financial and Technological Resources Management Strategies. What you consider to be real problem and why, with ASDAS procedures and business process, therefore suggesting coherent set of recommendations for possible solutions and Improvements. Page: 1 Chapter 2.00: Methodology 2.1: Data Collection We collected data from two sources as: Primary source and Secondary source. 2.1.1: Primary source We collected data from the ASDA manager directly. We did collect data by face to face conversation with store, Other Staffs. 2.1.2: Secondary source We also collected data from the Internet, Magazine, Newspaper, Public, and other area as well as friends and senior students about ASDA. Page: 2 Chapter 3.00: A holistic review and analysis the Human, Financial and Technological Resources Management Strategies of ASDA. 3.1: Historical Background of ASDA Asda Stores Limited was founded as Associated Dairies Farm Stores Limited in 1949 in Leeds. The adoption of the Asda name occurred in 1965 with the merger of the Asquith chain of three supermarkets and Associated Dairies; Asda is an abbreviation of Asquith and Dairies, often capitalised. For a short time in the 1980s Asda Stores Ltd was a subsidiary of Asda-MFI plc following a merger between the two companies. Other companies in the group were Associated Dairies Limited, the furniture retailer MFI and Allied Carpets. After the sale of MFI and Allied Carpets the company name changed to Asda Group plc. The dairy division was sold in a management buyout and renamed Associated Fresh Foods, meaning that Asda has since had no connection with one of the firms its name was derived from. With stores mainly based in the North of England, the newly focused food retail group expanded further south in 1989 by buying the large format stores of rival Gateway Superstores for  £705 million. This move overstretched the company and it found itself in deep trouble trying to sell too many different products. As a result it was forced to raise money from shareholders in both 1991 and 1993. It revived under the leadership of Archie Norman, who later became a front bench Conservative MP. CEO from 1991, Norman was chairman of the company during the period 1996-99, and replicated the store on the basis of United States retail giant Wal-Mart, even sending protà ©gà © Allan Leighton to Bentonville, Arkansas to assess and photograph the systems and marketing which Wal-Mart had deployed. In 1997, The Spice Girls licensed their name and image to Asda in which they created over 40 different Spice Items for Christmas 1997 developing goods such as party supplies, official merchandise, and even Spice Girl branded kids meals in the stores restaurants. The Spice Girls earned  £1 million for this sponsorship deal. When Norman left the company to pursue his political career, he was replaced by Leighton. Wal-Mart wanted to enter the UK market so CEO Bob Martin lobbied British Prime Minister Tony Blair on planning issues. Asda, which at the time owned 230 stores and had planned to merge with Kingfisher plc, was purchased by Wal-Mart on 26 July 1999 for  £6.7 billion. After the takeover Asda continued to maintain its headquarters at the then newly opened Asda House. This building was one of the first of the new large office blocks to open as part of the redevelopment of the huge area south of the River Aire in the city centre of Leeds, in the Holbeck district, West Yorkshire. In 2005, amid reported concerns within Wal-Mart about a slippage in market share, partially due to a resurgent Sainsburys, Asdas chief executive, Tony de Nunzio left, and was replaced by Andy Bond. In 2005, Asda expanded into Northern Ireland by purchasing 12 Safeway stores from Morrisons. Page:3 In 2009 Wal-Mart sold Asda for  £6.9 billion to their Leeds-based investment subsidiary Corinth Services Limited. The deal, which took place in August, was described as part of a group restructuring and means Asda remains under the control of the Wal-Mart, since Corinth are themselves a subsidiary of Wal-Mart. 3.2: Marketing Asda is known for memorable famous marketing campaigns. In the Asda price campaign, customers tap their trouser pocket twice, producing a chinking sound as the coins that Asdas low prices have supposedly left in their pockets knock together. The pocket tap ads were launched in 1977 and over the next 30 years a range of celebrities have been tappers, including Julie Walters, Michael Owen, sitcom actor Leonard Rossiter and Carry On actress Hattie Jacques. In the late 1980s, prior to the reintroduction of the tap pocket campaign, advertising for Asda had featured the Fairground Attraction song Perfect. In 2004, Sharon Osbourne was selected to be part of a new marketing campaign by Asda; her last advert was aired in August 2005. In the smiley face rollback campaign, also used in Wal-Mart advertisements, a CGI smiley face bounced from price tag to price tag, knocking them down as customers watch. The focus of these campaigns is to portray Asda as the most affordable supermarket in the country, a claim that was challenged by competitors, especially Aldi. In 2006, Asda advertising was themed around singing children and the slogan More for you for less, and the previous tap of the trouser pocket advertising was reduced to a double-tap on a stylized A, still producing the chinking sound. This included an advert during the 2006 FIFA World Cup featuring the England footballer Michael Owen in an advert with the children singing Vindaloo. In 2007, the advertising campaign abandoned the rollback hook in favour of featuring celebrities including Victoria Wood and Paul Whitehouse working as Asda employees. For Christmas 2007, Asda reintroduced the Thats Asda price slogan as well as the famous jingle to some of its adverts, this can also be heard on its instore radio station Asda FM. Starting in 2008, Asda has been returning to its roots and is now re-focusing on price with its new Why Pay More? campaign both on TV and in stores. Current Asda TV commercials in April 2009 focus on price comparisons between Asda and its rivals, using information from MySupermarket to suggest that Asda is Britains most affordable supermarket. The music being used in these adverts is the Billy Childish version of the classic Dads Army theme tune. The old Asda jingle is not included in these, but appeared in a 2008 Christmas advert. Asda returned to the traditional pocket tap adverts in March/April 2009, with the slogan Saving You Money Every Day! Asda has been winner of the The Grocer magazine Lowest Price Supermarket Award for the past 12 years, and uses this to promote itself across the UK. In August 2005, rival supermarket chain Tesco challenged Asdas ability to use the claim that it was the cheapest supermarket in the country, by complaining to the Advertising Standards Agency. The A.S.A upheld the complaint and ordered Asda to stop using it, citing that The Grocer magazine survey was based on limited and unrepresentative evidence as it examined the price of just 33 products, and that the survey did not study Page:4 low-cost supermarkets such as Aldi, and that their price checker, My Supermarket, doesnt include Morrisons, which was mentioned a few times. As a result Asda no longer cites itself as Officially Britains lowest priced supermarket, instead using Winner: Britains lowest price supermarket award 3.3: SWOT analysis of ASDA Some Strength Brand name Customer base Economies of scale Store variety Some Weaknesses Too much diversity Large capital expenditures Negative media Some Opportunities Strategic alliances New markets Some Threats Weakening economy Unemployment Monopolies board 3.4: Corporate social responsibility Asda has signed up to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) which respects workers rights for freedom of association and a living wage. Implementing this initiative is difficult, however, because the concept of a living wage varies between countries and the buying strategies of a major importer like Asda have an indirect impact on national minimum wages by obliging governments to set them low enough to stop businesses from going elsewhere. Industry pressure groups such as Labour Behind the Label and War on Want have argued that Asda and other budget retailers use unethical labour practices in the developing world to keep UK prices low.The National Farmers Union, representing UK farmers and growers, has argued that Asda and other major supermarkets have made large profits and kept consumer prices low by squeezing suppliers margins to the point where many of them have gone out of business. 3.5: Asda Smart Price Asda Smart Price is a no-frills private label trade name. The equivalents from the three other big supermarkets are Tesco Value, Sainsburys Basics and Morrisons Value. The Smart Price brand can trace its origins to Asdas Farm Stores brand launched in the mid 1990s, which consisted of products that were offered at a lower price than the equivalent famous name brand product and Asdas own brand equivalent. The Farm Stores brand originally consisted of a small number of food only products, largely frozen such as frozen chips and a small range of ready meals, this range later expanded to include fresh food. In 2000 following the acquisition of Asda by Wal- Page:5 Mart, the Farm Stores products were phased out and replaced with the new Smart Price brand based on Wal-Marts Great Value and Sams Choice.[citation needed] Smart Price products are almost always the lowest price option (known as Our Lowest Price) in a product category in Asda stores. Occasionally this difference is only a few pence, however in others it is a marked difference. For example, a box of Smart Price Biological Washing Powder costs 50 pence while the equivalent Asda brand washing powder costs  £1.50 and well known name brand alternatives cost from  £2 upwards. The Smart Price label was originally a food only brand, however over the years it has expanded to cover almost every product range in the store, including clothing and furnishings with the George Smart Price brand. Like early generic products in the US some Smart Price products lack what can be thought of as frills in the modern brand name or supermarket own brand, for example the Smart Price toothpaste has an old fashioned screw cap rather than the now more common flip cap and the Smart Price range of crisps come in traditional clear plastic bags rather than the foil bags common to most name brand versions. 3.6: George clothing Asda has its own range of clothing known as George which was created in 1990. This is marketed as quality fashion clothing at affordable prices. Wal-Mart also sells the George brand in the United States, Canada and Japan (and in South Korea until Wal-Mart pulled out of that market). This George label was named after George Davies, the founder of Next, who was its original chief designer. He is no longer associated with the brand, although it has aimed to remain true to the high quality, low price business model that he established. In 2005, Asda stated that the George range was a  £1.75 billion business, including sales from Wal-Mart stores in the USA and Germany. Mintel estimate that George is the fourth largest retailer of clothing in the United Kingdom, after Marks Spencer, the Arcadia Group and Next. Asda was the first supermarket to stock wedding dresses. Part of the George line, they cost just  £60 while adult bridesmaid dresses ranged between  £30 and  £35, at launch. 3.7: Stores Asda originally had a simple and fresh store format, which under Archie Normans team and the focus on a Wal-Mart style strategy became even more emphasised. The stores are generally white and green, with simplistic layout but built on a Wal-Mart larger footprint format Asdas average store is almost 20% bigger than its rivals, but stocks 20% fewer lines. However, the preferred large-format stores have brought problems to Asdas growth beyond its spurts in both the 1990s and immediate post Wal-Mart era. With the UKs tight planning restrictions, the opportunity to increase retail space via new store builds has been limited. Rather than follow rivals Tesco and Sainsburys into local format smaller-footprint stores, Asda has chosen to adapt its format to niche stores to retain longer term growth. Page:6 3.8: Asda Wal-Mart Supercentres Following the takeover by Wal-Mart, several Asda Wal-Mart Supercentres have been opened, creating some of the largest hypermarkets in the United Kingdom. The first Supercentre opened in Livingston, Scotland in June 2000. The Milton Keynes store is currently the largest Asda Wal-Mart Supercentre by total floor space. The second largest Asda Wal-Mart Supercentre is located in Huyton, Merseyside. There are currently 25 Supercentres in the UK. It is also planned for a Wal-Mart Supercentre in Dundee, Scotland. 3.9: There are 346 Asda Supermarkets. In October 2003 Asda launched a new format called Asda Living. This is the companys first general merchandise store, containing all its non-food ranges including clothing, home electronics, toys, homewares, health, and beauty products. With these stores they have linked up with Compass Group who operate the coffee shop Caffe Ritazza within some of the stores. The first store with this format opened in Walsall, West Midlands, and at the time of writing has been followed by ten further stores. 3.10: George clothing stores In 2004, the George clothing brand was extended to a number of standalone George stores on the high street. In 2008, all George standalone stores were closed due to high rental costs resulting in low profitability. The first George standalone store to open was in Preston. 3.11: Asda Essentials In April 2006, Asda launched a new format called Asda Essentials in a former Co-op store in Northampton, followed by another in Pontefract a month later. This was modelled on the French Leaderprice chain, with a smaller floorplate than Asdas mainstream stores. Essentials focuses primarily on own-brand products, only stocking branded items that are perceived to be at the core of a familys weekly shop. This style of retailing is an attempt to address competition from discount supermarkets such as Aldi, Lidl and Netto. On 6 December 2006 The Guardian newspaper reported that further planned store openings were under review following poor sales in the existing outlets. It was also revealed that the range of branded products has been expanded. In early January 2007 it was announced that the initial trial Essentials store would close within a month after only 10 months of trading. Page:7 4.1: Distribution Asda also has 70 depots all across the UK which distribute across the network of stores. There are depots for chilled foods, clothing and ambient products, such as fizzy drinks and cereals. 4.2: Other interests On 10 June 2008 Wal-Mart announced that it has agreed to sell Gazeley Limited Group, the property development subsidiary of Asda, to Economic Zones World (EZW), a Dubai World company. Gazeley is involved in the development of distribution warehousing in the UK, mainland Europe and China and has extended its operations to India and Mexico. Its customers include many of the worlds leading companies, third-party logistics providers, original equipment manufacturers, retailers and their suppliers. Gazeley is also a preferred developer of distribution space for Wal-Mart International, including Asda in the UK and Wal-Mart China. Asda Financial Services Asda has established a financial services division, following in the footsteps of Tesco, Sainsburys and other retailers. Asda simply attaches its own brand to products provided by other companies. Services they offer include insurance (provided by Norwich Union), credit cards (provided by Grupo Santander) and loans (provided by the Funding Corporation). The Financial Services division of the organisation does not directly sell these services in store and instead uses the supplier of that product by telephone or online/postal application. Until June 2009 selected stores had Credit Card Representatives provided by GE Capital Bank and then Grupo Santander. Marketing and management of Financial Services is co-ordinated in house and many stores have a Financial Services Co-ordinator, responsible for promoting the products and ensuring legal compliance. The Financial Services division is also responsible for Gift Cards, Christmas Saver and Business Rewards. 4.3: Loyalty card The company does not run a loyalty card scheme, stating that we prefer to invest the money wed use to set up such a scheme into driving down prices for our customers. However, the Asda-branded Credit Card (provided by Grupo Santander) offers a points scheme, though these points can be earned on all spending. Page:8 5.00: Internet operations An Asda Mercedes-Benz Sprinter delivery van Asda launched its online retailer service in 1998, but from the start had over-estimated demand. It began with a dedicated depot based in Croydon, South London, but this was closed with a number of redundancies shortly after as sales were lower than expected. It continued the online service, but emulated the Tesco store-based model instead. Since the roll-out of the grocery delivery operation Asda has moved into non-food online retailing. Current categories include entertainment, contact lenses, furniture, travel, electricals, gifts, mobile phones and flowers, with more categories being launched each year. In May 2004 it announced a major expansion of the service which would increase coverage from 30% of the UK population to 35%.The Grocer magazine reported a turnaround in the fortunes of Asdas home shopping service under new head of Home Shopping, Richard Ramsden.[citation needed] More recently, Asda stepped up its commitment to home shopping, focusing on full UK coverage by the end of 2007. Andy Bond highlighted that Asda will be recruiting up to 1,800 new staff to bolster its operations and focus on competing with Tesco in the online arena. In January 2007, Asda launched www.asda-electricals.co.uk to compete with Tescos highly successful Tesco Direct. In October 2008, Asda launched direct.asda.com superseding its electricals website and also selling several additional product categories such as homeware, garden and toys. This new venture is part of its online business Asda Direct, with more than 3,000 domestic and home electrical products. Asdas long term ambition to capture 5% of the  £1.9 billion market by 2012. Recently, the company sold its Durabrand 1005 DVD player for only  £9, the UKs lowest priced DVD player, which sold out in just two days from start of the promotion. 5.1: Financial performance As of March 2009, Tesco has a 30.4% share of the UK grocery market while Asdas share is 17.5%, followed by Sainsburys at 16.1%, and Morrisons at 11.8%. According to CACI, as of 2006, Asda has market dominance in 14 postcode areas; DY (Dudley), B (Birmingham), CH (Chester), L (Liverpool), WN (Wigan), BL (Bolton), BB (Blackburn), LA (Lancaster), HU (Kingston upon Hull), SR (Sunderland), DH (Durham), NE (Newcastle upon Tyne), G (Glasgow) and AB (Aberdeen).[38 5.2: Employee relations Asda has 150,000 employees, whom it refers to as colleagues (90,000 part-time, 60,000 full-time). The company has featured prominently in lists of Best companies to work for, appearing in second place in The Times newspaper list for 2005 (although very few, if any, employees at grass-roots level were asked for their opinion). It offers staff a discount of 10% on most items (exceptions include fuel, stamps, lottery, gift cards and tobacco related items). Page:9 On double discount day, in December 2005, Asda temporarily increased the staff discount to 20%, but excluded alcoholic drinks from the extra discount for reasons of operational profit protection. In 2007 Asda chose to allow staff up to  £100 off alcohol before discounts. They were also allowed to purchase items from the George range with 20% off. However, during this double discount day, all edible and most non-edible grocery products and electrical items (excluding digital cameras) were not included. The GMB Union attempted to get Tesco to offer a similar discount to Asda staff as a publicity stunt and Asda subsequently included these products in the extra discount, but with a maximum spend of  £100, down from  £250 in the years before the alterations. While the reinstatement of the discount was intended to be a publicity stunt that improved employee relations, it resulted in further bitter feelings. This was due to the fact that in the years previously, music albums, singles, DVDs, videos and video games had been included in the discount day, but were not reinstated with the rest of the discount after Asda backed down. 5.3: Trade union relations In August 2005, the manager of the Wakefield depot read out what were called [who?] foreign-sounding names over the public address system ordering them to report immediately to the managers office. The workers, who were all Muslims, were ordered to produce evidence that they were not illegal immigrants. At least one was threatened with the sack unless he produced his passport the next day. The highly public initiative by management, which came within weeks of the 7 July bombings in London, was followed by a spate of graffiti at the depot in Wakefield expressing hatred and contempt for Muslims and their religion. In February 2006, Asda was fined  £850,000 for offering employees of a newly taken over distribution depot a pay rise to give up union rights. An employment tribunal found the American-owned supermarket chain guilty of promising 340 distribution staff a 10 per cent pay rise to give up the collective agreement negotiated by the GMB union an act which is illegal under a 1992 labour relations law. The court ordered Asda to pay  £2,500 to each GMB represented employee at the Washington depot. In June 2006, GMB Union members at the companys UK distribution depots agreed to strike for five days from 30 June 2006. The two sides failed to agree on how many of Asdas 12,500 depot workers belong to the union across its 24 depots around the UK. The GMB claimed the figure as 7,000, but Asda claimed the number was nearer 4,500. The depots affected include Bedford, Chepstow, Dartford, Didcot, Erith, Falkirk, Grangemouth, Ince George in Wigan, Lutterworth, Lymedale in Staffordshire, Portbury, Skelmersdale, Teesport, Wakefield and Washington. Asda threatened legal action, citing flaws in the ballot process, (such as the GMB sending out ballot forms to non union members strengthening Asdas claim that the union quoted figures were inflated,) but after discussion at the TUC, an agreement was reached for a national level consultative body and the strike called off. Page:10 5.4: Dairy price fixing In December 2007 Asda, Sainsburys and other retailers admitted to price fixing dairy products between 2002 and 2003. Asda commented, Everyone at Asda regrets what happened, particularly as we are passionate about lowering prices. Our intention was to provide more money for dairy farmers, who were under severe financial pressure at the time. So far in total these retailers have been fined  £116 million. Tesco, Morrisons and dairy company Lactalis McLelland denied any involvement in price-fixing; however, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) says it will carry on its investigation. It was announced that the alleged price-fixing cost consumers  £260 million. 5.5: Asda Mobile Main article: Asda Mobile Asda Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in the UK, operated by Asda, using the Vodafone UK network. Asda Mobile was launched in April 2007. As of 21 August 2007, Asda mobile was available in 237 stores across the UK. Asda Mobile has won awards for being the cheapest national mobile network. There are many phones available on Asda Direct, with all Asda mobile handsets unlocked, one of the reasons handsets are more expensive than with competitors. Asda do not sell all of them on the Asda Mobile network, making some handsets network locked. It has 99% UK 2.5G coverage, and coverage in over 200 countries around the world. 5.6: Awards 1997-present Voted Britains lowest price supermarket in a survey by Grocer 33 Magazine 2001, 2002, 2003 Voted a top 10 UK employer by the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Employers Survey, although the merit of Asda being awarded such an award is contested by the GMB 2002 Nestlà © Social Commitment Award, awarded by peers in the food industry March 2009 Voted Innovative Employer of the Year at the Oracle Retail Week Awards. Page:11

Buddhist Doctrine Of Karma Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Buddhist doctrine of karma ("deeds", "actions"), and the closely related doctrine of rebirth, are perhaps the best known, and often the least understood, of Buddhist doctrines. The matter is complicated by the fact that the other Indian religious traditions of Hinduism and Jainism have their own theories of Karma and Reincarnation. It is in fact the Hindu versions that are better known in the West. The Buddhist theory of karma and rebirth are quite distinct from their other Indian counterparts. In Buddhism the law of karma is the moral law of causation - good actions give good results and vice versa. It is the quality of an act, which determines its consequences. But what determines the karmic quality of a deed? In Hinduism it is the correct performance of a person's "duty", especially his caste duties that counts. Early Buddhism, which recognized no caste distinctions, evaluates the karmic quality of an act in terms of moral and ethical criteria. In particular it is the mental factors, which accompany the commission of deed that determines its consequences or "fruits" (vipà ¢ka). All negative karma (i.e. those leading to bad consequences) arise from the three roots of unwholesomeness. These are greed (lobha), aversion (dosa), and delusion (moha). Accordingly good karmic results follow from deeds that spring from generosity (caga), loving-kindness (mettà ¢) and wisdom (vijjà ¢). The Buddha emphasized that it is the mental factors involved rather than the deeds themselves that determine future consequences. Thus the same deed committed with different mental factors will have different consequences. Likewise purely accidental deeds may have neutral consequences, however if the accident occurred because insufficient mindfulness was exercised it could have adverse results for the person responsible for it. The theory of karma presupposes that individuals have "free will". Everything that happens to an individual is not the fruit of some past karma. In fact the experiences that involve an individual may be of three kinds: some are the result of past action, some are deliberately committed free acts; and the remainder could be due to chance factors operating in the environment. The doctrine of karma is not a theory of predestination of any kind. One common misunderstanding is not to distinguish between the action an... ...vana is a representation of someone becoming enlightened in this life. It seems as though Christians tend to emphasize too greatly the importance of acceptance into the Kingdom of Heaven. Buddhists believe it is not the deeds themselves, but the mental factors involved in making those decisions that determine later consequences. We, as Catholics, should at least try to follow that example. Because it seems that all too often Christians over look the fact that they should not overlook the fact that they only have a certain amount of time to do things right in this lifetime, because heaven is never ending. In order to live better lives; Christians should learn as much as possible about religions that are alien to them. They should adopt ideals that make sense to them in their daily lives. And finally, they should be proud that they share similar ideals as many of the worlds other great religions. Bibliography Berchol, Samuel The Buddha and his Teachings. New York: Barnes and Noble books, 1997 Gurasekara, Victor A. Basic Buddhism. London: Buddhist Monk Press, 1997 Kaufman, Walter Religions, in Four Dimensions .New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1976

Confucianism Essay -- Religion Confucianism

Confucianism The religion of Confucianism is and interesting and unique religion. The various parts of this belief system deal more with humanity than with deities or supernatural occurrences. It is this fact that leads many to believe that Confucianism is more a philosophy or way of life than a religion. There are, however, various ceremonies and beliefs that those who follow Confucianism observe. In short, Confucianism has had more impact on the lives of the Chinese than any other single religion. Confucius was born in the province of Lu (now known as Shantung), in 551 BC, the youngest of eleven children, in the period of China's history when the nation was divided into feudal states. Confucius saw the time in which he lived as a low point in China's history so he set out to teach his philosophy in an effort of improving his society. He was born into a noble class, but his family had been stripped of its nobility by the time he was born. By the age of 21 he had been so well educate d that he already had disciples and by 22, he had opened a school. He became known later in life as K'ung Fu Tzu (which was later Latinized in the west as Confucius), meaning Great Master Kung, for his teaching. It is known that he had a wife , a son, and a daughter, and that he held a few governmental offices. The teachings of Confucius were to lead people to achieve a status known as Chun Tzu, or superior man, to become Chun Tzu you must reach a perfect balance and awareness in political and social situations. In the time of Confucius, only the aristocracy was educated, which meant that the Chun Tzu was exclusively the wealthy, however, he devoted his life to teaching everyone regardless of their financial standing, provided they were intelligent eno... ...ained a large following, with Buddhism competing directly against Confucianism (Taoism, due to it's similarities coexisted with Confucianism without much conflict). Eventually, Chinese political leaders came to believe that foreign religions (one of which was Buddhism) were eroding their traditional way of life, and this resulted in the persecution of many who followed these foreign religions, thus revitalizing Confucianism. In the past century, Confucianism has suffered greatly. due to industrialization and science, it has been seen as outdated and as abridging personal freedoms. Today it has finally began another resurgence. The current ideals of society have turned toward more spirituality and respect for other religions has once again breathed new life into this old philosophy. Bibliography Aspects of Religion CD-rom, Interactive Learning Productions, 1994

Essay About Family: Families Torn Apart :: essay about my family

Family ties have been a sour topic in my life since as long as I can remember. Through the years I have managed to cope with the reality of being on my own. Though it was not easy, I have been through more than most people my age. One of the hardest things I had to cope with was moving around as much as we did. I was born in Nurnberg, Germany while my father was in the military. When I was two, my parents divorced and I stayed with my father and lost all contact with my mother until I was 18. After they divorced, dad and I moved in and out of three states, and ended up in Wausau. Growing up with an abusive father, and without my mother, was very difficult to manage. To make matters worse, I attended 12 schools before high school, I had no friends. Homework was always a struggle for me, given that I attended 12 different schools. It seemed as if I was always behind or ahead of the class, because the last school was at a different pace or taught things differently. I have grown up without relying on family but relied on myself. Even today I have little or no contact with my family. My mother and all her relatives live in Oregon. I had the pleasure of reuniting with my mother in 1994. When we met again after 16 years I decided to live in Oregon with her. I stayed in Oregon for almost two years by then it was apparent that my mother and I lost the bond that a mother and child should always have. We were separated for so long, and I was at such a young age that I found it difficult to be close to her. I have since moved back to Wausau, and started a family of my own. On occasion I talk to my mother on the phone but this has never been a very fulfilling relationship either. Although unfulfilling, it has allowed for some progress in our relationship. In the same way I have lost connection with family so has Chakkravann "Chucky" Saukom. During an interview with my friend Chuck, I learned some very interesting things. Chuck moved to the United States in 1975 with a "first class ticket from the U.

College Savings Essay

Why is it important to go to college? I believe the answer is crystal clear. Attending college provides me with an opportunity for a better future. The economy now is not the same as it was in the past. Those who graduate high school are finding it extremely difficult to obtain high-paying jobs. The United States has been reformed into an economy dependent on knowledge. Graduating college provides the graduate with more desirable opportunities and options. It is a proven fact that having a college degree increases your chances of receiving a high-paying job; and isn’t that what we strive to achieve in our lives? The reason I wake up everyday and attend school is to one day have a high-paying job, that will make all the years of education worth it. However, though a college education is immensely important, it carries a heavy price tag. Unfortunately, the cost of tuition goes up every year, preventing many teens from attending college. I myself do not allow that unfortunate fac t to discourage from obtaining a college education. I am aware of the numerous available financial aid options. Though I am only in middle school and still have a couple more years before I can start college. I believe that I should be preparing myself for the future years ahead considering the fact that they are critical in my success. I often find myself searching the web for colleges and imagining myself attending those colleges in the future. But unfortunately, daydreaming is not going to get me anywhere. Once I snap out of it, I began to search for strategies that will benefit me in my quest to attend college. In my opinion, it is critical to form a strategy early on in the game. The sooner the better. The amount of money needed to attend college is great, so saving money early on is the best way to go. I have become aware that scholarships and financial aid do not pay for everything! Though they offer a tremendous amount of help, I will have to pay as well. That is why starting early is crucial. Of course, I will not be able to accomplish my goal without the help of my parents. They are the ones who will guide me and offer the necessary assistance that I desperately need. Making my parents aware of my strategy is the second step and probably the most important. Considering I am still a minor, their help is essential. The chances of receiving a scholarship or financial aid is not guaranteed! I cannot afford to place all my hope in the idea of a scholarship or grant and neither can my parents. We have to think ahead and prepare for the challenges that I will have to face. It is important for my parents and I to find out as much as we can about financial aid and the necessary requirements we have to meet to be able to receive the aid. Though the price of education is being raised, so is the amount of financial aid I can receive. The financial aid package that I will be given to me is determined by the college that I wish to attend. That is why I’m already searching online for colleges that I picture myself attending, and familiarizing myself with their criteria for incoming students. Receiving financial aid or any type of support is ultimately up to me. Scholarships are not given to everybody. I have to earn it. In order to improve my chances of receiving a scholarship, I have tried absolute hardest to obtain excellent grades. Most of my friends believe that middle school holds little importance. I disagree. It’s vital to put your maximum effort in your studies from the get-go. When I apply to colleges, I want them to realize that I’m serious about graduating and having a successful future. I cannot afford to begin to take college seriously in high school, because it may be too late. If I start preparing myself and researching about college early on, I will be ready and prepared when my high school years arrive. Which surprisngly are right around the corner. Forming a saving strategy is essential in my plan to attend college. There are various companies and websites that offer me the help and guidance to form my strategy. For example, the 529 Plan. The 529 plan is a tax-advantaged investment plan built to encouraging f uture college attendees to save for a college education. But these programs are not the only way to go. My school counselor and teachers also offer their expertise on the topic of college. My school’s faculty, for a fact, has my best interest at heart. They are constantly giving me advice on high school and what lies ahead. Now that I am in my eighth grade year, the topic of high school has been popping up more frequently in our discussions. I am still young and do not know all there is to know about college and the best way to start saving for it. So, I rely on the help of my teachers, counselor and of course, my parents. With their advice and support, I will be able to form a strategy that will help me save money for college. It is obvious that I cannot depend on their help alone. It is I who has to take their advice and put it motion. For example, I am allowed to work part-time at the age of 14. I know that it is extremely difficult to balance work and school so, I have decided to begin working during the summer. With of course m y parents consent. Having an income will help me tremendously. College costs a lot of money and considering the fact that my parents don’t have the biggest income, I’m grateful for the fact that I will be able to work and offer my parents a lending hand on my savings for college. Neither of my parents have a college education. I do not judge them because I know the challenges they have encountered, for I have witnessed them myself. My entire family was born in Cuba where a college education was difficult to achieve. When we first arrived in the United States, my parents found it extremely difficult to get job. This caused my family to go through many struggles. Struggles that we are currently experiencing today. Witnessing these struggles have given me the determination to have a successful future. I do not wish for my future children to go through what I have gone through. My parents understand this. Not only do they understand it, they encourage it. They are constantly referring to me as their ‘better future’. It is clear that they want me to succeed. They don’t want me to be constantly worrying about not being able to pay the bills or rent. They want my future to be worry free. They understand how important college is and have already began taking the necessary steps to guarantee that I attend. Having my parents support is essential for I do not think I would be able to do it on my own. Though they are not familiar with steps that need to be taken to get into college, they are trying their best to help me achieve my goal in any way that is necessary. Most people already know why college is important; it opens numerous doors and provides many opportunities and advantages once you have graduated. It has been proven that people with a college education earn nearly twice as much than those who only have a high school diploma in their pocket. You go to school to get good job, to earn money and have a successful f uture. A college education guarantees that. A college education increases my chances of living the life I have always wanted. The life my parents wish for me. In the United States today, having a college education is extremely important. Without it, you will most likely get nowhere. I would know. My parents do not have a college education. I have watched them suffer financially and the thought of me having through go through their struggles terrifies me. I do not want to live in constant stress over late payments or having no money to buy food for my kids. I know how difficult it will be to attend college. I know that I will have to make sacrifices to guarantee my future. But I am willing to make those sacrifices because I only the consequences that I will face if I don’t. Most people will not understand why I have decided to start saving up for college or even thinking about college so early on. But I have my reasons. College is more important to me than people realize. It’s the key to a successful future. My successful future!

Atanarjuat: the Fast Runner Essay

The role of religion has been a major factor of every culture for as long as anyone can remember. The feeling of togetherness that comes with belonging to a group of people that believe in the same ideas and a central entity defines a person and the way they see the world. Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner  shows the impact of a certain belief on a tribe of Eskimos in Igloolik, a village in  Eastern Arctic wilderness, at the dawn of the first millennium. An evil curse was said to be following one member of the tribe, Oki, because of his jealousy of Atanarjuat. The film follows the lives of these two men and the conflicts they have as they grow older. It also focuses on the spiritual ideas that drive both Oki and Atanarjuat, and their other tribe members, to drastic actions. From the beginning, the curse is embedded into the film successfully, as it helps explain why certain things happened to Atanarjuat and Oki. The curse was portrayed by a sound effect whenever a person was affected by it. Without that effect, the idea of the curse may not have come across as well, and might even have been forgotten until the end. As well as the curse was portrayed, the reason for it coming about was a bit confusing for viewers who were not used to the language and style of the film. Years before the story of Atanarjuat and Oki, a shaman predicts that a curse will be brought on by Tulimaq. By no coincidence, camp leader, Kumaglak, died in a duel and his rightful successor, Tulimaq, was passed over and Sauri was given the title. Tulimaq does not take this well, accusing Sauri of helping murder his father. Tulimaq becomes a laughing stock and cannot feed his wife and kids, Atanarjuat and Amaqjuaq, though he gets help from his friend, Panikpak, widow of Kumaglak. It was hard to understand what exactly caused the curse and why Tulimaq was the one burdened by it with the way the story was told. The quick scenes and unclear dialogue were not exactly helping in telling this story, especially since it was from a culture that most viewers would not be familiar with. Overall, the film was effective in describing the actions and beliefs brought on by Tulimaq’s curse. The power the idea that the curse is what causes the constant conflict between Atanarjuat and Oki is portrayed skillfully. In the beginning a tribe member, Qulitalik, is shown leaving the village in fear of the curse, but promises to return if his sister, Panikpak, ever needed his help. This promise is so strong that, decades later, when Atanarjuat needs help hiding and defeating Oki, Qulitalik is the person that aids in ending the curse. This brings in the idea of loyalty to family and community and shows that these were vital beliefs of the tribe. Another aspect of the film that greatly helped illustrate the importance of both the tribe’s beliefs and conviction of the curse was symbolism. Throughout the film, certain symbols and symbolic gestures were used to show the tribe’s belief in a certain idea. Right before her husband dies, Panikpak witnesses a stone lamp fall and break in half, which foreshadowed the bad events that were to come. A walrus-tooth necklace was introduced in the beginning of the film as a sort of heirloom of Kumaglak. It was given to Sauri as a symbol of his new power as the new chief. Although it is just an object, it revealed the tribe’s faith in what it represented because at the end of the film, once the necklace was returned to Tulimaq’s spirit, its rightful owner, peace is brought back to the village. This film shows how greatly this tribe of Eskimos are effected by their beliefs and rituals, although the viewers may not be familiar with them. In the ethnography Never In Anger by Jean Briggs, she describes the difference in gender roles in Utku tribe. They were very similar to those of the tribe of Igloolik. The women were the caretakers, doing housework, tending to animal hides, looking after children, and cooking, while the men fished, hunted, and built igloos as shelter. Each sex was separated during meals and women were submissive to men. This played an integral part in the film, especially for the character, Puja. She did not seem to want to conform to the ideals of what women were supposed to do in the tribe, and was seen as lazy and spoiled. She also seemed to believe she could have more than one man, as men were allowed to have more than one wife, and challenged this idea when she seduces Atanarjuat’s brother, Amaqjuaq. The women’s role in the village was a catalyst for certain actions taken by the males. For example, Atanarjuat and Oki had their first conflict over Atuat when she and Atanarjuat fell in love while she was betrothed to Oki. Oki goes after Atanarjuat once again when Puja lies about his brother hitting her for no reason, when in fact it was because she was caught cheating on her husband with him. Although women were not in charge of the actions of the tribe or important decisions of the tribe, it is shown that they do have importance in another sense. They can influence the men’s actions individually and in terms of the tribe as a whole. The film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner definitely has some aspects that need improvement for viewers who are not familiar with the Eskimo culture to understand. However, in terms of portraying the culture and beliefs, this film gives its audience something they can identify with. No matter where they are from, they can sympathize with what believing in a supernatural notion can make one do, and how family and community loyalty influences ones decisions.

Lurhmann’s Romeo Essay

The first camera-shot is the television at a medium shot; we slowly zoom in, while the television image shows the names of the families, then a news reporter. This show’s the families are important to be on headline news. The female reporter says about half the prologue, when the camera stops zooming, but as she nears the end the camera zooms again. When she finishes he reading the camera zooms through the television quite rapidly. As it passes the screen it continues to zoom down the street extremely fast this also shows the films speed. The zoom comes to a stop and freezes for a few seconds and a big religious icon. This is the first sign of irony, because in the action packed film they still have time to notice God. The music is a choir with a loud volume, quick pace, it has a sinister tone because it is high pitched and quite quick it sound threatening, choir is high male voices to get the sinister speed and change of the notes. The voiceover starts and the music get quieter and drop behind the voiceover; it is still play but a lot quieter. A sound of a helicopter can be heard, the camera zooms out. It comes to the family tree of the two families of Capulet and Montague. The shot changes to fire, this symbolize war, anger and aggression between the two families. This is linked by the voiceover’s words of â€Å"From ancient grudge†¦Ã¢â‚¬  his voice sounds aggressive, this shows his anger. As he says the words headlines from newspapers appear. This show powerful families and modern times. These newspapers have heads like â€Å"Montague Vs Capulet†, â€Å"From ancient grudge†, â€Å"New Mutiny† and â€Å"Civil Blood makes civil hands unclean† These headlines appear as the voiceover says them. It shows the modern families that spans of a period of time. With the quick change of the headlines it shows us it is continually changing. There is a straight cut to two tall buildings with one has â€Å"Montague† on the other has â€Å"Capulet† with a holy icon in the middle. This show power on both sides and religion caught in the middle. This also shows irony that God is between the two feuding families. At this point the music gets louder to build tension. As the music gains momentum, there is a long shot of another religious icon to that they all believe in God. The music gets even louder as they show the characters. They begin with two men of the families; both are big stocky and powerful looking men, they both wear suit and shirt, the shirts are worn casually without a tie, they are big to represent that they are the head of the families. The women are very different; the Montague Lady is smartly dressed with neat hair. She looks a few years younger that her husband, she looks intelligent and mature. Lady Capulet is young, a lot younger than her husband, blonde with puffed out hair this is more stylish and so young age more. This also so that she is as mature or smart or tidy as Lady Montague. Prince is smartly dressed, with an angry face, he is the authority figure. Paris is smartly dressed this shows he is a business man, his vanity is show by his neat but floppy hair and his little smile. Mercustio is lively but can get angry shown by the close-up of his eyes with a mean, aggressive stare. There is a straight cut as the music gets louder and a series of fast cut images, mainly about violence and hatred between the families. The music climaxes then blends into a more drum beat. As a medium shot of a group of men, labeled â€Å"the Boys† The men are acting immature and acting like boys, by shouting and being a nuisance. There clothes are Hawaii shirts with the buttons undone which exposes there skinny bodies. This shows they are rude and obnoxious but are wimps if they were in a fight. A low shot is taken of the yellow car to stand out. A point of view shot of Benvolio goes off. The Capulet car arrives we get a low angle shot of the car coming towards us, this is to show they are threatening. One of the boys, who has pink hair, makes a stupid action. Abra is seen, there is an extreme close-up on Abra’s teeth of a metal plate. Abra is big muscular, this is show with his clothes which are tight on his body. Abra has an aggressive face and looks threatening and mean. Benvolio comes back, a close-up on his face as he pulls out a gun. Extreme close-up on the gun so we can see the name, nervousness can be seen in Benvolio’s face. Benvolio is big but not as muscular as Abra. There is silence when the camera cuts to Tybalt drops a match, there is a low angle shot to show Tybalt’s shoes, it shows he is flash because he has silver heals, he crushes the match, grinding it with his solid heal as it was an enemy, this is a very strong action symbolizing hatred and aggression. Tybalt has small cat like teeth, he is thin but toned and nimble. He wears black clothes which represents bad. Also he has two guns which show he is a good gun handler this also implies he is bad. He has slick hair and a little well groomed goatee which is a cat like feature. He has a red waist coat with an image of Jesus on, this shows irony that they fight but still believe in God.  Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragic romantic story, I will tell you about the opening scenes of this video e.g. Voiceover, camera angles, characters, clothes and soundtrack. The voiceover is slow with a calm tone and a low pitch. They have this voice because it fits with the slow pace of the beginning of the film; the tone is calm, slow but upset. The music in the scene is of slow pace as well and links well with the slow pace of the voiceover. The soundtrack is hushed smooth rhythm with a slow and drowsy pace; this has high notes and a sympathetic sound. The music sounds like it was composed during the time of Shakespeare. Because the music is slow and if flows nicely with the text which is an old style italic font, this suggests that the film is set in along time ago as well as the music. We get a high-angle camera shot at the beginning which pans across the town smoothly and calmly like the music and the voiceover. The camera angle shows us a medieval town. The shot shows a river flowing in the middle of the town and all the colours are pastel and flow. The camera turns up and zooms slowly at the sun, it stops and it the big italic writing saying â€Å"William Shakespeare† as though his is the best. Straight cut to town’s court medium height angle, in the background a horse and cart can be seen this shows the period of time. There is a straight cut to the Montague boys feet, kicking a dog, this show them acting badly and causing trouble. There is a long shot on the Capulets they are dressed smartly and also polite. They wear darker coloured clothes to stand out. The Montague boys are dressed in bright clothes and stand out as well but they are rude. There is a straight cut to the Montague biting his thumb which is a close up, then a close-up on the people talking. Straight cut to towns people noticing trouble, then back to a medium shot of the Montague boys.

Statistics Coursework

1st Hypothesis – For my first hypothesis I will investigate the relationship between the number of TV hours watched per week by the pupils against their IQ. I am going to use the columns â€Å"IQ† and â€Å"Average number of hours TV watched per week† taken from the Mayfield high datasheet. I think that there will be a relationship between them and will attempt to reveal it. 2nd Hypothesis – For my second hypothesis I will investigate the relationship between â€Å"Average number of TV hours watched per week† and â€Å"weight (kg)†. I think that there will not be any major relationship between as they will not affect each other greatly. I will present my analysis and the results in graphs and tables and explain the results using the correlation of the graphs and arrangements of the figures. I will select a number of pupils to base my data on and will use random sampling to ascertain the correct number of male and female pupils needed to make the investigation fair. Stratified Sampling I do not want to use all of the data in the database for my analysis so I will need to take a sample of the number of people in the school. I would like to take about 10% of the overall figure. I will also need to use stratified sampling to make it an equal proportion of the number of males and females in the school to make it fair. The total number of pupils at the school is 813 so I will need to take 10% as my number, 81.3 is rounded down to 81. The overall ratio for boys and girls in the school is: 414:399 Now I will need to do my sampling Males = 414 multiplied by 81 = 41 813 Females = 399 multiplied by 81 = 40 813 Random Sampling Now I have the number of samples I will need to select the samples I will be taking. To do this I will use random sampling. I will take random samples until I have 81. I can do this on Excel using the following formula: = round(round()*120. Once I have gathered the samples I am ready to start analyzing my samples. Analysis Hypothesis 1 Males The first thing I need to do in my analysis is to analyze my graphs which are the source of the investigation. I have created scatter graphs to show the relationship if the two data sources for my first hypothesis. I have separated them into male and female graphs as there is a separation in the numbers. First male scatter graph: This first graph presented a bit of a problem. There was an anomalous result that affected the trend line and the scale of the graph. I decided to create a new graph that didn't include that 1 piece of data. This way it would help me to analyze the rest of the data. Second male scatter graph: This graph showed the data much clearer and I could then start analyzing it. There is no correlation between the 2 sets of data. This means that it is unlikely that there is a relationship between IQ and Average number of TV hours watched per week. In this it may be that my hypothesis is incorrect. There is only a very slight gradient on the trendline that leans towards a negative correlation, but the gradient is not steep enough to draw any conclusions about the relationship between the two sets of data. I will have to use the cumulative frequency graphs and boxplots to see if any conclusions can be made. Cumulative frequency graphs for IQ and Average number of TV hours watched per week: From these graphs I could create box plots and compare the two sets of data. Before that I analyzed the cumulative frequency graphs to draw initial conclusions. The majority of the IQs for males are between 90 – 105, this shows that the data is quite spread out as this section only covers a small area of the graph. For the TV hour's graph, again the data is spread among 1 main area; in this case it is between 5-25. There is almost a straight line near the top of the graph; this shows that there is likely to be some anomalous results and 0 pupils in between that result and the main bulk. Now I will create box plots so I can compare the two graphs together. Box plots for cumulative frequency graphs of IQ and average number of TV hours watched per week: (for interquartile ranges look at copies of graphs at the back) From the box plots I can see that the data spread is relatively the same apart from a possible anomalous result in the TV hour's data. This similarity is the reason why the scatter graph had no correlation and therefore no relationship. This means that my hypothesis is wrong. Hypothesis 1 Females Again I will start with the scatter graphs. As with the male graph I had an anomalous result that spread out the data and scale down the graph so most of the relevant data couldn't be analyzed. I then did another graph without that specific piece of data. Scatter Graphs 1 and 2 to show the relationship between IQ and average number of TV hours watched per week for Females: As you can see on both the graphs there is no correlation between the two sets of data. This again means that my first hypothesis is unlikely to be correct. There is only a slight gradient on the trend line which is not steep enough to draw any conclusions from it. There is another anomalous result on the graph but it doesn't affect the trend line and my conclusions so I left it on the graph. I will now crate cumulative frequency graphs to see if they can help me to draw conclusions. Cumulative frequency graphs for the IQ and number of TV hours watched per week: I will now analyze the graphs before drawing box plots to compare the graphs. The IQs graph is much more erratic which means that the data is spread over a larger range. Although there is 1 area where the data is concentrated and the gradient very steep, between 95-105. The TV hours graph is much smoother and the data less spread. The data number of hour's increases steadily to a certain point then it goes flat until the end. This means that there is a n anomalous result somewhere. I know that it can only be 1 or 2 anomalous because the point where it goes flat is at about 38 and there are only 39 sets of data in the graph. I will now look at the box plots to compare the two cumulative frequency graphs. Box plots for cumulative frequency graphs of IQ and number of TV hours watched for females: The box plots for these graphs show me that the IQ data has a much larger range and that it is quite evenly spread. I can see this because the interquartile range is quite large and the median evenly spread. There may be a few exceptions as 1 pupil is likey to have a very low IQ which is why the lowest value is so low. The TV hour's data seems to be much more concentrated and the data is generally lower. This shows that there can't be any relationship between them as they each grouped in certain areas. Also the box plot for TV hours shows that there is likely to bge an anomalous result as the highest value is so far out of the upper quartile. Hypothesis 2 Males In this hypothesis I will be comparing the Average number of TV hours watched per week and Weight, to see if there is any relationship between them. I will again start with Males and the Scatter graphs. Scatter graphs 1 and 2 to show the relationship between Weight and the Average number of TV hours watched per week for males: In these scatter graphs there is a slight negative correlation. This means that as the number of TV hours goes up Weight goes down. This may not be an accurate graph as there are a few anomalous results that may have caused the trend line to be that gradient. If this is so my hypothesis would have been correct, if it is not the gradient of the trend line isn't steep enough to say that it is 100% certain that it is accurate. I will need to use the cumulative frequency graphs to draw complete conclusions. Cumulative frequency graphs for the number of TV hours watched and Weights of males: These two graphs look quite different; the weights graph has most of its data concentrated in the middle of the range, between 30-50 and looks like a normal cumulative frequency curve. Whereas the number of TV hours has most of its data concentrated at the beginning between 0-30, showing that there is likely to be an anomalous result at the end of the range. These anomalous results on the TV hours graph are what caused the slight negative correlation on the trend line. I will be able to make complete conclusions after looking at the female sample and seeing if that graph follows suit. The box plots for these graphs will look quite different and will make it easy to make a simple comparison. Box plots for Cumulative frequency graphs IQ and Weight for males: From the box plots I can see that the two sets of data are almost identical in range which would cause a straight line on the scatter graph it is because of the anomalous results on the TV hours which caused the slight negative correlation. The weights box plot shows me that the data is quite evenly spread in the middle of the range apart from a very heavy person at the end which is why the highest figure is so far apart from the upper quartile. Overall the box plots show me that the similarity in the data means there is no relationship and hypothesis was correct. Hypothesis 2 Females Again I will start with the scatter graphs to show the relationship between Number of TV hours watched and weight. The graphs should be similar to the males and the conclusions the same. Again I had an anomalous result and had to create a second scatter graph without it there. Scatter graphs 1 and 2 to show the relationship between the Number of TV hours watched per week and Weight: The second scatter graph in this section, without the anomalous result completely changed the trend line. The first graph looks a lot more like the male graph whereas the second follows my hypothesis a lot better. In graph 1 there is a slight gradient on the graph which points towards a negative correlation, like those of the male sample. On the graph without the anomalous result there is clearly no correlation whatsoever as the line is nearly horizontal. I will take the results of the male sample to be wrong as I said earlier there are a few anomalous results which caused the trend line to be at that gradient. Now I will look at the cumulative frequency graphs to see what results I get from them. Cumulative frequency graphs for Average number of TV hours watched per week and Weight for Females: As on the males graph the TV hours for females have a lot of anomalous results. But for the scatter graphs I cancelled them all out which gave no correlation. If the line at the top of the TV hours graph is blanked out the two graphs look almost identical. This is why the scatter graph got a near horizontal trend line. The box plots for these to graphs will look alike apart from there will be a much longer line at the end of the TV hours graph because of the anomalous results. Box plots of cumulative frequency graphs for Number of TV hours watched and weights of females: These box plots show me the same as the males did, that the data is almost identical if placed 1 on top of the other. This is what caused the horizontal line in my scatter graphs and proves my hypothesis. Conclusion Hypothesis 1: My first hypothesis has been proved incorrect. The scatter graphs show that there is no correlation between the two sets of data. For my hypothesis to have been correct there would have needed to be a strong positive correlation. The cumulative frequency graphs and box plots again proved my hypothesis incorrect, the similarities in the two sets of data's box plots showed that there was no relationship and showed why the scatter graphs showed a straight line. Both the male and female samples showed that my hypothesis was incorrect although some anomalous results created a slight negative correlation in both it was obvious that it was still wrong. Hypothesis 2: My second hypothesis was proved correct. The scatter graphs showed that there was absolutely no correlation on the graphs which means no relationship. Although the male graphs did show a a negative correlation it was proved to be made by a few anomalous results by the cumulative frequency and later the inconsistency with the female sample. The female scatter graph showed a near horizontal trend line which was what I needed to prove my hypothesis. The similarities on the cumulative frequency graphs and box plots further proved my hypothesis was correct. Evaluation The investigation went quite well although my first hypothjesis was incorrect it showed that careful analysis of data is needed before drawing conclusions. When I next do an investigation into data I will use histograms to aid me in my analysis as they come in useful when looking for relationships in two sets of data as the cumulative frequency graphs do. I could have made the cumulative frequency graphs a little better as the program I used did not put a scale on the x axis but only the length of the range. Statistics Coursework 1st Hypothesis – For my first hypothesis I will investigate the relationship between the number of TV hours watched per week by the pupils against their IQ. I am going to use the columns â€Å"IQ† and â€Å"Average number of hours TV watched per week† taken from the Mayfield high datasheet. I think that there will be a relationship between them and will attempt to reveal it. 2nd Hypothesis – For my second hypothesis I will investigate the relationship between â€Å"Average number of TV hours watched per week† and â€Å"weight (kg)†. I think that there will not be any major relationship between as they will not affect each other greatly. I will present my analysis and the results in graphs and tables and explain the results using the correlation of the graphs and arrangements of the figures. I will select a number of pupils to base my data on and will use random sampling to ascertain the correct number of male and female pupils needed to make the investigation fair. Stratified Sampling I do not want to use all of the data in the database for my analysis so I will need to take a sample of the number of people in the school. I would like to take about 10% of the overall figure. I will also need to use stratified sampling to make it an equal proportion of the number of males and females in the school to make it fair. The total number of pupils at the school is 813 so I will need to take 10% as my number, 81.3 is rounded down to 81. The overall ratio for boys and girls in the school is: 414:399 Now I will need to do my sampling Males = 414 multiplied by 81 = 41 813 Females = 399 multiplied by 81 = 40 813 Random Sampling Now I have the number of samples I will need to select the samples I will be taking. To do this I will use random sampling. I will take random samples until I have 81. I can do this on Excel using the following formula: = round(round()*120. Once I have gathered the samples I am ready to start analyzing my samples. Analysis Hypothesis 1 Males The first thing I need to do in my analysis is to analyze my graphs which are the source of the investigation. I have created scatter graphs to show the relationship if the two data sources for my first hypothesis. I have separated them into male and female graphs as there is a separation in the numbers. First male scatter graph: This first graph presented a bit of a problem. There was an anomalous result that affected the trend line and the scale of the graph. I decided to create a new graph that didn't include that 1 piece of data. This way it would help me to analyze the rest of the data. Second male scatter graph: This graph showed the data much clearer and I could then start analyzing it. There is no correlation between the 2 sets of data. This means that it is unlikely that there is a relationship between IQ and Average number of TV hours watched per week. In this it may be that my hypothesis is incorrect. There is only a very slight gradient on the trendline that leans towards a negative correlation, but the gradient is not steep enough to draw any conclusions about the relationship between the two sets of data. I will have to use the cumulative frequency graphs and boxplots to see if any conclusions can be made. Cumulative frequency graphs for IQ and Average number of TV hours watched per week: From these graphs I could create box plots and compare the two sets of data. Before that I analyzed the cumulative frequency graphs to draw initial conclusions. The majority of the IQs for males are between 90 – 105, this shows that the data is quite spread out as this section only covers a small area of the graph. For the TV hour's graph, again the data is spread among 1 main area; in this case it is between 5-25. There is almost a straight line near the top of the graph; this shows that there is likely to be some anomalous results and 0 pupils in between that result and the main bulk. Now I will create box plots so I can compare the two graphs together. Box plots for cumulative frequency graphs of IQ and average number of TV hours watched per week: (for interquartile ranges look at copies of graphs at the back) From the box plots I can see that the data spread is relatively the same apart from a possible anomalous result in the TV hour's data. This similarity is the reason why the scatter graph had no correlation and therefore no relationship. This means that my hypothesis is wrong. Hypothesis 1 Females Again I will start with the scatter graphs. As with the male graph I had an anomalous result that spread out the data and scale down the graph so most of the relevant data couldn't be analyzed. I then did another graph without that specific piece of data. Scatter Graphs 1 and 2 to show the relationship between IQ and average number of TV hours watched per week for Females: As you can see on both the graphs there is no correlation between the two sets of data. This again means that my first hypothesis is unlikely to be correct. There is only a slight gradient on the trend line which is not steep enough to draw any conclusions from it. There is another anomalous result on the graph but it doesn't affect the trend line and my conclusions so I left it on the graph. I will now crate cumulative frequency graphs to see if they can help me to draw conclusions. Cumulative frequency graphs for the IQ and number of TV hours watched per week: I will now analyze the graphs before drawing box plots to compare the graphs. The IQs graph is much more erratic which means that the data is spread over a larger range. Although there is 1 area where the data is concentrated and the gradient very steep, between 95-105. The TV hours graph is much smoother and the data less spread. The data number of hour's increases steadily to a certain point then it goes flat until the end. This means that there is a n anomalous result somewhere. I know that it can only be 1 or 2 anomalous because the point where it goes flat is at about 38 and there are only 39 sets of data in the graph. I will now look at the box plots to compare the two cumulative frequency graphs. Box plots for cumulative frequency graphs of IQ and number of TV hours watched for females: The box plots for these graphs show me that the IQ data has a much larger range and that it is quite evenly spread. I can see this because the interquartile range is quite large and the median evenly spread. There may be a few exceptions as 1 pupil is likey to have a very low IQ which is why the lowest value is so low. The TV hour's data seems to be much more concentrated and the data is generally lower. This shows that there can't be any relationship between them as they each grouped in certain areas. Also the box plot for TV hours shows that there is likely to bge an anomalous result as the highest value is so far out of the upper quartile. Hypothesis 2 Males In this hypothesis I will be comparing the Average number of TV hours watched per week and Weight, to see if there is any relationship between them. I will again start with Males and the Scatter graphs. Scatter graphs 1 and 2 to show the relationship between Weight and the Average number of TV hours watched per week for males: In these scatter graphs there is a slight negative correlation. This means that as the number of TV hours goes up Weight goes down. This may not be an accurate graph as there are a few anomalous results that may have caused the trend line to be that gradient. If this is so my hypothesis would have been correct, if it is not the gradient of the trend line isn't steep enough to say that it is 100% certain that it is accurate. I will need to use the cumulative frequency graphs to draw complete conclusions. Cumulative frequency graphs for the number of TV hours watched and Weights of males: These two graphs look quite different; the weights graph has most of its data concentrated in the middle of the range, between 30-50 and looks like a normal cumulative frequency curve. Whereas the number of TV hours has most of its data concentrated at the beginning between 0-30, showing that there is likely to be an anomalous result at the end of the range. These anomalous results on the TV hours graph are what caused the slight negative correlation on the trend line. I will be able to make complete conclusions after looking at the female sample and seeing if that graph follows suit. The box plots for these graphs will look quite different and will make it easy to make a simple comparison. Box plots for Cumulative frequency graphs IQ and Weight for males: From the box plots I can see that the two sets of data are almost identical in range which would cause a straight line on the scatter graph it is because of the anomalous results on the TV hours which caused the slight negative correlation. The weights box plot shows me that the data is quite evenly spread in the middle of the range apart from a very heavy person at the end which is why the highest figure is so far apart from the upper quartile. Overall the box plots show me that the similarity in the data means there is no relationship and hypothesis was correct. Hypothesis 2 Females Again I will start with the scatter graphs to show the relationship between Number of TV hours watched and weight. The graphs should be similar to the males and the conclusions the same. Again I had an anomalous result and had to create a second scatter graph without it there. Scatter graphs 1 and 2 to show the relationship between the Number of TV hours watched per week and Weight: The second scatter graph in this section, without the anomalous result completely changed the trend line. The first graph looks a lot more like the male graph whereas the second follows my hypothesis a lot better. In graph 1 there is a slight gradient on the graph which points towards a negative correlation, like those of the male sample. On the graph without the anomalous result there is clearly no correlation whatsoever as the line is nearly horizontal. I will take the results of the male sample to be wrong as I said earlier there are a few anomalous results which caused the trend line to be at that gradient. Now I will look at the cumulative frequency graphs to see what results I get from them. Cumulative frequency graphs for Average number of TV hours watched per week and Weight for Females: As on the males graph the TV hours for females have a lot of anomalous results. But for the scatter graphs I cancelled them all out which gave no correlation. If the line at the top of the TV hours graph is blanked out the two graphs look almost identical. This is why the scatter graph got a near horizontal trend line. The box plots for these to graphs will look alike apart from there will be a much longer line at the end of the TV hours graph because of the anomalous results. Box plots of cumulative frequency graphs for Number of TV hours watched and weights of females: These box plots show me the same as the males did, that the data is almost identical if placed 1 on top of the other. This is what caused the horizontal line in my scatter graphs and proves my hypothesis. Conclusion Hypothesis 1: My first hypothesis has been proved incorrect. The scatter graphs show that there is no correlation between the two sets of data. For my hypothesis to have been correct there would have needed to be a strong positive correlation. The cumulative frequency graphs and box plots again proved my hypothesis incorrect, the similarities in the two sets of data's box plots showed that there was no relationship and showed why the scatter graphs showed a straight line. Both the male and female samples showed that my hypothesis was incorrect although some anomalous results created a slight negative correlation in both it was obvious that it was still wrong. Hypothesis 2: My second hypothesis was proved correct. The scatter graphs showed that there was absolutely no correlation on the graphs which means no relationship. Although the male graphs did show a a negative correlation it was proved to be made by a few anomalous results by the cumulative frequency and later the inconsistency with the female sample. The female scatter graph showed a near horizontal trend line which was what I needed to prove my hypothesis. The similarities on the cumulative frequency graphs and box plots further proved my hypothesis was correct. Evaluation The investigation went quite well although my first hypothjesis was incorrect it showed that careful analysis of data is needed before drawing conclusions. When I next do an investigation into data I will use histograms to aid me in my analysis as they come in useful when looking for relationships in two sets of data as the cumulative frequency graphs do. I could have made the cumulative frequency graphs a little better as the program I used did not put a scale on the x axis but only the length of the range.