Sexuality Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sexuality - Term Paper Example Biology, culture and ecology influences various aspects of sexuality and intimacy in the Aka and Ngandu communities of central Africa; for instance, human beings have inborn tendencies to feel sexual desire, thus, an unconscious drive to reproduce, and to sustain the survival of their species (Hewlett Bonnie and Hewlett Barry 46). In this respect, both men and women in the Aka and Ngandu communities are biologically predisposed to express sexuality and intimate relations like all other species; culturally, the two communities idea of sexuality and intimate relations is the ability to procreate and to sustain the communities through the birth of new babies. In this respect, both men and women in Aka and Ngandu communities play specific gender roles that have been pre-determined by their sexuality; because the essence of sexuality and intimacy is to create children, men, and women couple up for procreation, and sex is not for pleasure but a night work in search of babies. However, Aka wife-husband relations are more intimate, close, giving, unlike the case for Ngandu (Hewlett Bonnie and Hewlett Barry 52); Aka husband and wife stick together in many net subsistence activities such as hunting, and fathers provide regular childcare. Whereas Aka men and women express affection by working together in close proximity, Ngandu women consider gifts from their husbands as a sign of affection and the men, the respect of their authority. Q2 There has been evidence of progressively changing attitudes towards acceptance of homosexuality in the Canadian society, with the pervasiveness of this sexual behavior in the country. In Canada, the proportion of people who support homosexuality has grown rapidly in recent years by at least ten points since 2007, especially because religion is not central in people’s lives; currently, about 80 percent of Canadians are tolerant to homosexuality compared to about 70% back in 2007. Unlike in Canada, where society is more tolerant towards homosexuality, the Aka and Ngandu communities have very negative attitudes towards this sexual practice and they remain strongly opposed to the practice. In Aka and Ngandu communities, sexuality is defined by very strict and rigid socio-cultural norms, which enforce the appropriate sexual behavior among individuals; the primary role of intimate relationships is procreation, thus, acceptable unions are those that can fulfill this societal expecta tion. However, the Canadian society is more tolerant to homosexuality, particularly because of value changes, and the collapse of conventional family structures; Canadian courts began to legalize same sex marriages back in 2003 (Matthews 841). Q3 According to MacIntosh, Reissing and Andruff (79), the removal of homosexuality from Canada’s criminal code in 1969 was a significant change in the advancement of equal rights and protection of all citizens; in 1996, discrimination of people on the basis of their

Risk Prediction of Automobiles Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Risk Prediction of Automobiles - Article Example In this case, the research will take into account the two different estimate values namely the insurance risk rating and the normalized losses. While the former determines the degree to which an automobile is risky than its price indicates, the latter provides the estimate of the relative average loss of payment per insured vehicle year. One of the most prominent risk analysis methods that are in use today in various insurance companies is the insurance risk factor profiling technique. ... usually achieved by analyzing data that has been collected over a period of time for insured entities. The information collected is segregated according to a number of variables. In the case of automobiles, the variables usually consist of both numerical and categorical data entries and most often; such data may also have noise characteristics. However, the incidence of noise in the analysis and values is minimized by using software profiling tools that help in finding out specific patterns within variables, correlations among different sets of variables and the relationships between a set of variables as the need be (William Mendenhall, 2001). Most often, these tools utilize the help of artificial intelligence logic such as neural networks and incremental learning that in addition to determining useful results, helps use existing data to determine trends for the future. However, the varied efficiency in reducing noise for different sets of data is one deficiency of these risk profil ing tools. The use of software tools facilitates the extraction and processing of large volumes of data and requires minimum cost, time and effort (Douglas L. Reilly, 1996). An example of such profiling is as shown below: Fig: risk factor profiling technique (Found at: www.roselladb.com) However, the above method demonstrates the fact that there would be a large difference in the case where the insurance claim would be dependent on a number of factors/reasons. As such, the construction

PHL323 social and cutural theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

PHL323 social and cutural theory - Essay Example One can infer from the writings of Benjamin, the idea of language from his point of view. Language was perceived as one of the forms of communication and the idea represented by that language was in no way identifiable with the language itself. To make it simpler, language was considered to be just a medium of communication. It was not a stand-alone system of knowledge as such, but rather a set of symbols that aid in representation of reality. A language was needed to possess inherent meaning. Language, then, became an entity, which existed only if it had a function, in his point of view. One arguable point here was the cases where there were possibilities that a language with grammar, syntax and vocabulary could exist without the function of a desire to communicate. Computer generated poetry and languages were the instances; the question arises whether they can be taken under Benjamin's definition of language without the function of communication or creativity. Computer languages ha d the requisite grammar, syntax and vocabulary and they were used as a set of instructions that were seemingly understood by the computer. Here, there is the case where a live, organic mind communicates with a non-organic entity. Further, the non-organic entity, besides being capable of understanding, was also able to generate the language understandable by an organic entity. Thus, the computer, which was just a box, was able to generate language to communicate. Computers can also communicate with each other, which had been made possible through the advancements in technology. This led to the case where two non-organic entities were able to communicate. In such cases, the meaning and the language were separable. There is also the instance where an organic entity is capable of generating a language without the purpose of communication. It is the uncommunicative language of a mentally ill person. Even though Benjamin clearly stated that language and what was described using a language were not identifiable, it also remained that he believed that language always should communicate something. If something was made, it should have a function and a meaning. If not, it really cannot exist. While considering the circumstance where one language did not make any sense to a person who does not know that language, the purpose of the language to communicate was lost. The language, even though possessed a grammar, syntax and vocabulary, did not mean anything to that person except being conceived as incoherent noise. Language in such cases negotiated with meaninglessness. Benjamin's idea of language extended to include inanimate objects such as lamps too. His idea of language of such objects was their linguistic being, but it was man who could name something other than him. In this context, man was the only entity that possessed the universal language. Thus, man's linguistic being was to name things. But, a language as such did not end with just naming. It was a tool that en abled creation and possession but it in itself was not so. Benjamin finally resorted to the theological ideas such as that of God being the true possessor and so on to arrive at the higher function of language. Many also conceived theology as a means of escape opted by Benjamin when he was not able to go beyond a certain limit about his conception of such mystical thoughts. In one of his works, "On Language as Such and the

Understanding the different leadership styles

Understanding the different leadership styles There are two separate views relating to leadership styles: one view holds that leaders are born. The qualities they embody are unlimited. Other concept is that in order to emerge as leaders, humans need to work hard and develop these qualities (Golden 2010, 66-75). The great man theory demonstrates the previous concept and explains that the leaders intrinsically possess personality traits. This concept assumes that a leader naturally possess the required skills that allows him to perform. While adapting this concept, scholars analyse specific problems or tasks and provide leadership styles for addressing them (Crosby 1991, 25-46). Many people have observed the behaviour of leaders, the affect of situation on leadership, the functions of leadership, as well as dynamic processes and contingencies. Both the economic model as well as behavioural perspective examines leadership as a role whose purpose is to help an organisation to be more adaptable. Leadership can help an organisation in pursuing towards adaptive change (Golden 2010, 66-75). Discussion Leadership is a term used to describe the act of transforming, inspiring, mentoring, coordinating, and managing people toward an individuals, a groups, an organizations, a communitys, or a nation-states vision, goals, and objectives. In organization studies, leadership is acknowledged as an important concept, but there is great debate about what leadership actually is and how it occurs and evolves (Golden 2010, 66-75). Typically leadership theory in organization studies is spread across a wide spread of perspectives. These perspectives offer differing views and underlying assumptions about leadership, including leadership as a genetic ability or trait that one is born with, leadership as a specific form of behaviour, leadership as process or a way of thinking that is socially acquired, and leadership as a contingent product of environment. Within these perspectives, there are debates about the very need or existence of leadership (Crosby 1991, 25-46). For example, dispersed leadershi p theory argues that leadership is a form of power that is everywhere and always present. Conversely some contingency-based notions of leadership argue that leadership can be substituted for and made obsolete or redundant. More important, leadership as a field of study is vast and can be a daunting domain of study for newcomers to the field. Part of the challenge for people studying and researching leadership is the high volume of leadership theories and perspectives available (Miller 2007, 56-98). The aim of this encyclopaedic entry, therefore, is to provide a general overview of leadership specific to organization studies for a reader. Conceptual and Practical Approaches to Leadership Few things are more important to human commotion than leadership. People, regardless of their occupation, education, political or religious convictions, or cultural orientation, usually identify that leadership is a vastly significant fact. Political individuals declare it, analysts talk about it and organisations depend on it (Haber 2010, 94-130). Effective leadership leads nations in times of threat, encourages effective team and group performance, creates successful organisations and helps in nurturing the next generation (Morrill 2010, 110-138). The Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II, Winston Churchill, was able to stimulate the resolution of his tormented people with these words: I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. The absence of leadership can be equally dramatic; organisations progress slowly, languish, and sometimes even lose their way. Bad leadership can disseminate despair on those who are focus of its realm (Komives et al 2010, 156-184). Vroom and Jago identified 3 different functions that situational factors play in the effectiveness of leadership, that is, effectiveness of an organisation is not usually the result of good leadership techniques (Morrill 2010, 110-138). Outcomes of any group effort can be affected by situational factors that may be beyond the control of a leader. However, leaders receive credit or blame for the actions of the people, success or failure is usually the consequence of external forces, that is, changing technologies, or environmental conditions etc. An analysis carried out by Strube and Garcia establishes that leaders who are task-oriented perform best in situations that are either favourable (clear tasks, firm position power, and good leader/member relations) or unfavourable (unclear tasks, feeble position power, and poor leader/member relations) (Haber 2010, 94-130). On the other hand, leaders who are people-oriented perform best in conditions that are only slightly favourable, which is usually based on the value of leader-member relations. Another approach that deals with the relation between the situation and leadership style is path-goal theory (Komives et al 2010, 156-184). According to this approach, path is referred to the leaders behaviours which may help the team to achieve a desired goal. Therefore, leaders must display different behaviours to achieve different goals, depending on the situation. Which style of leadership should be used depends on two types of situational factors, such as, subordinate characteristics, which includes ability, control, and authority; and environmental characteristics, which include the nature of the task, work group, and authority system (Pitsis 2007, 100-156). Studies of different organisations establishes that task-oriented approaches are effective in conditions with low task structure as they help employees deal with an uncertain situation, and ineffective in conditions with high task structure (Haber 2010, 94-130). The researchers found participatory leadership to be more effective if the employees were involved in non-repetitive, ego-involving tasks. However, achievement-oriented leadership has been more effective if the employees were involved in uncertain tasks. An obvious implication of this approach is that leaders must analyse the situation before adopting a particular style of leadership (Hicks 2004, 88-150). Globalisation and Leadership The gradual increase in the globalisation has influenced leadership in several ways. Globalisation has influenced leadership with international employee transfer rates, increase in opportunities, and competition (Komives et al 2010, 156-184). Effective leadership in one country may not result in good leadership in another country for many reasons. A good leader may be blessed with certain traits that are preferred in a country, and these traits or habits may not be accepted or held highly in another country. Nations have their own social standards and cultures, and this is vital while considering leadership. A leader with the vast knowledge of a countrys ethics, customs, and beliefs and basic leadership skills may prove to be a beneficial leader to a business in another country (Hicks 2004, 88-150). A leader can have several skills that may make them successful in the world. These skills are awareness, strong business knowledge and sensitivity to cultural differences and standards, commitment, courage, and integrity. A good leader may not necessarily be a good leader in any country until he has good work ethics, professional and personal integrity and determination. If the leader is understands the cultural standards of a country and shows respect for these standards, he may be effective and may be respected by the country he is trying to lead (Pitsis 2007, 100-156). Innovation and Leadership Traditionally, innovation has dangled in and out of fashion: accepted in good times and discarded in downturns. However, as globalisation reduces the geographic boundaries and barriers in the market that once held back businesses from achieving potential, a companys capability to innovate-to tap the fresh value-creating concepts of the employees and partners, suppliers, customers, and other parties away from its own boundaries-is anything but faddish. Innovation has become a hub of growth, performance, and valuation. Strategy and Leadership As a leader responsible for the competitive development of your organisation, as well as a desire to keep ahead of the game, you have a responsibility to ensure that you are fully aware of new strategies and developments that can impact upon your personal growth as a leader of others (Hicks 2004, 88-150). The basic task of strategic thinking is to relate the identity of an institution to the realities that shape and influence its context. In the complex process of relating these two poles, there is the need and the opportunity to use strategic thinking as a tool of leadership. The tasks of leadership and strategic thinking overlap and intertwine, as becomes evident in a variety of forms (Miller 2007, 56-98). Developing Originality in Leadership Capabilities A leader must be able to create an Inspiring Vision Lead by Example. A leader must develop an inspiring vision; establish shared values; give direction and set stretch goals. He must enable himself to manage change strategically, take risks, create change; lead change; manage resistance to change and lead by example; practice what you preach; set an example, and share risks or hardship, demonstrate confidence; win respect and trust without courting popularity (Hicks 2004, 88-150). Conclusion Irrespective of what leadership theory one might believe in, the fact remains that leadership is a large and complex domain within organization studies. The field is overburdened and growing with old and new models of leadership, and little attempt has been made to debate or critique the very existence and validity of so many leadership theories and models (Miller 2007, 56-98). Rather than understanding leadership as a position or an inherent trait, leadership is understood as an activity or process that involves the development of certain skills or capacities. While leadership differs in many ways from management, it is imperative that both functions exist and complement one another. Leadership is ultimately what will lead to innovation and positive change, and management assists in this process. To address the complex and adaptive challenges our society is facing today and will face in the future, we must find new ways to view leadership and engage in leadership in our organizations. A number of progressive leadership models and perspectives were presented, reflecting leadership as a process, highlighting the leader-follower relationship, recognizing the role of the larger system, stressing the importance of collaboration, emphasizing the role of ethics, and serving the ultimate goal of creating positive change. APPENDIX MY PERSONAL SWOT STRENGTHS Trustworthy- I always find myself committed towards my job or task Confident- because of my confidence I had taken many decisions at my work and volunteer work too. Proactive- I always tried to complete the tasks on time with full involvement Calm- I always try to work calmly especially when there is some work load Honest- I always consider my honesty beyond everything which is really important in the corporate world WEAKNESS Time management Major weakness that I consider in me is time management. Writing Skills- Average individual in writing formal work. Feedback from the tutors made me realise about this weakness. Lazy Try to postpone work for tomorrow and had suffered a lot because of my laziness in my academics. Speaking There are some grammatical mistakes with speaking OPPORTUNITIES Feedback- a really important opportunity that helps to make changes either in me or in the way I work. An immediate tool which helps in improving the weaknesses Group Discussions- It helps in listening others views about a particular situation and to take decisions accordingly Presentations Its an opportunity where I can improve my speaking skills and it is the best chance to make a good time management Projects/ Assignments Projects help in improving the writing skills and can be reviewed after the results are out. A deadline for the assignment helps to make time management and reduce laziness. Debates An opportunity where speaking skills can be improved because debate is a way to express our own views and helps in motivating ourselves THREATS Companions Students in the same field, colleagues at work place are sometime becomes threat when competition is high. But confidence and calm nature will help me in facing the problems caused by a threat Time pressure Sometimes the deadlines for a task is really close which effects psychologically and an individual becomes panic and start doing wrong things. Proactive and cool behaviour will help me in taking decisions according to the situation

Exploring Fear in Howl, Basketball Diaries, and Cats Cradle Essay

"yacketayakking screaming vomiting whispering facts and memories and anecdotes and eyeball kicks and shocks of hospitals and jails and wars" (Ginsberg 11). Like many authors of the modern literature movement, Allen Ginsberg explores the bomb's psychological affects on many Americans during the 1960s. Modern literature describes the chaos of the 1960s, caused by increasing societal problems and fear of the new atomic bomb. Writings such as The Basketball Diaries, "Howl" and Cat's Cradle express concepts of fear, power, governmental control, and death. Government uses society's fear of death and the end of the world to keep control and power over the people. The atomic bomb generates such universal fear and the corrupted government fails to respond to the chaotic behavior of society or the fears of the individuals. This fear that the government achieves not only maintains control, but also causes chaos and the false belief that the government is on the public's side. The chaotic enviro nment is a result of people crying out for help and the conflicting lifestyles arise when people face the terror of death. Historically, fear has been used to control populations. For example, asearly as the 1700s, white men controlled black slaves through the fear of being killed. During slave days, in the South, the ratio was nine blacks to every white person (Nash and Graves 213). When Nat Turner, a black slave, finally revolted, the United States government responded by sending the army with tanks and guns to resist the black men. The reaction of the whites imbedded the fearof revolts within the slaves. The blacks could have successfully revolted, but were controlled by the fear of the powerful white man. The white man held the power and con... ...ld such dangers have any significance to life? Jim Carroll tells the real story of his fear of the end and the mixed feelings of what matters, what doesn't. His fear is accompanied by confusion of how to live, today, with the possibility of being killed tomorrow. Throughout "Howl," The Basketball Diaries, and Cat's Cradle it is evident that the government controlled society with the fear of the bomb. We can see how this fear influenced individuals and society as a whole. The government caused the fear in society by possessing the atomic bomb and ignoring problems arising. Society blaimed the people for their reactions to the fear of the bomb. Furthermore, the government presented itself as protector, leading to increased confusion and chaos. In modern society, deciding who is the enemy and who holds the power, determines who controls the fate of the world. Â  

Basic Outline For 2006 Customer Update Email

Happy New Year from PrivateResults. com! Over the past year, we have listened to valuable feedback from important customers like you. As a valued customer we would like to inform you of all the exciting new changes that have been implemented for 2006 and invite you to visit PrivateResults. com to experience our new additions to our website.As an added incentive, you’ll have the opportunity to enter a monthly drawing for $1,000 by simply completing a 2-minute survey at the end of your visit.Please be sure to unsubscribe from these updates below if you no longer wish to receive them. New Site Design Our new website incorporates a new style and feel that is easy to find, navigate and purchase your products. A wealth of new company and product information as well as an improved checkout process makes PrivateResults. com an industry leader. New Products PrivateResults. com is proud to introduce a host of new home health testing products to meet your needs.These new FDA approved pro ducts include revolutionary tests for personal allergies, home allergens, Hepatitis C, HIV, Liver, and Kidneys. New Lower Prices As a result of PrivateResults. com continued success and growth, we have been able to purchase our products in much larger quantities and we pass those savings directly to our customers! Free Shipping PrivateResults. com now offers free Priority Shipping (2-3 day delivery) a $6. 99 value with the purchase of any two tests. 100% Money Back Guarantee PrivateResults.com is so confident you will receive a superior shopping experience. We are the only website in the industry to offer a no-hassle 100% Money Back Guarantee, including shipping charges! Not satisfied with your purchase? Simply contact our Customer Service Department for a quick resolution. New Multiple Ordering Methods Don’t like to give your credit card over the Internet? PrivateResults. com has responded to your needs. We now offer the ability to order securely online, with fraud protectio n, over the telephone, by fax, or mail.You can mail a check or money order with your order form! Pay with Pay Pal Pay Pal, the trusted leader in online payments, enables buyers and businesses to send and receive money online. Pay Pal has over 86. 6 million member accounts in 56 countries and regions. It's accepted by merchants everywhere, and is now accepted by PrivateResults. com. Pay Pal helps protect your credit card information with industry-leading security and fraud prevention systems. When you use Pay Pal, your financial information is never shared with anyone but PrivateResults.com. Pay Pal gives you the ability to pay virtually with any credit card, an electronic check, or a transfer right from your bank account. Affiliate Program Would you like to partner with the industry leader in the revolution in healthcare? You can! PrivateResults. com is proud to introduce its new affiliate marketing program where you can earn a commission of 10% on every sale from customers you send to the website. Just click on the Affiliate Program link at the bottom of our page for more information.

Macroeconomics Assignment Essay

Current economic conditions in the U. S an all around the world are rising to alarming situations, with the dilemma being common that whether its inflation or recession, which is hampering the economy badly. The liquidity issues are affecting the U. S economy badly, the money supply is shrinking although the Federal Reserve is pursuing an accommodative monetary policy, but due to its lesser control and the dynamism of the U. S economy, this policy seems to have a very low effect on the liquidity situation in the overall economy. After a rise in the money supply for few months the money supply has been contracting since then, the M2 component of the money supply, which consists of cash, consumer deposits and checking has been shrinking. While M3 which consists of the above, plus the large time deposits and other items is also changing its direction towards a lower end. The figure depicts the trends of the money supply and how it has dipped gradually. Figure 1: Annual U. S. Money Supply Growth Source: Shadow Government Statistics, 2009 This condition can result into the weakening of economic activity and pulling out money from stocks. Recently the downfall in the consumer spending and the lowering of the stock prices is the sign of scorched liquidity in the economy (Kellner, 2003). In this current situation of economic dilemma, the current economic conditions demands active measures from the new president and the U. S congress to overcome the hazards created by the weakening economy. Government should try to push more liquidity into the market; the FED should try to increase the money supply through lowering the interest rate, pushing more money into the economy by funding the companies and the corporations that can create more stability in the economy. The government should try to create more jobs into the economy by pushing their spending this will surely create more consumers spending and thus providing a ground to combat recession in the economy. These economic measures are the need of the time and they will certainly have their effects on the economy. Thus, by acting proactively on these strategies the government can easily face all the difficult circumstances. References Kellner, I. (2003, November). Where has all the money gone? Retrieved Feburary 10, 2009, from Market Watch : http://www. marketwatch. com/News/Story/Story. aspx? guid=%7BF1B1B20B-EBDE-435F-8349-A19E26DBB945%7D&siteid=mktw&dist=nwhpm Figures Figure 1: Annual U. S. Money Supply Growth Shadow Government Statistics. (2009). Annual U. S. Money Supply Growth. Retrieved Feburary 10, 2009 from http://www. shadowstats. com/charts_republish#m3