Teaching Business Graduates in Brazil

Around fourteen years ago, after spending 10 years in Brazil, I came back to Panama with my wife to settle down, start a family and build a career. A few months later I was feeling I wasn’t quite happy with what Panama had to offer compared to living in Brazil, but I wasn’t satisfied with living in Brazil either.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Teaching Business Graduates in Brazil specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More I remember taking a walk with my father when I realized he should have gone through the same dilemma. As many other Panamanians, my father studied in a foreign country. He and my mother went to Madrid and lived there for 8 years. Two of my sisters and myself were born there while he was studying architecture. In 1976 we came back from Spain to live in Panama and he has been here ever since. So I told my father that I could not continue to stay in Panama because of its chaotic nature and wa s longing for the wonderful relationships I had enjoyed during my stay in Brazil. I made up my mind to go back to Brazil few days later after coming to the realization that there is no perfect country in the entire world. My next trip to Brazil would be more purposeful because I was determined to make a difference in the lives of those around me. I needed to do something instead of waiting for something to be done.  It might seem like a herculean task, but I’ll be satisfied if I could only change people around me. I’m sure you are already doing this too. Actually, I think you have been doing this before I took that walk with my father. You did it with your kids and I’m sure you feel satisfied about it. Now, your task there is done and you have much more to do here in Latin America. Teaching is about sharing knowledge. A good teacher also lets her students find their own answers. This approach gives the students a sense of responsibility. Cooperative learning h elps in motivating students and gives relevance to instructions. The students can work individually or in groups towards realizing the objective of the course. By letting students find their own answers, the teacher sparks some intrinsic motivation in the students that makes them to be more creative and competent. The self- esteem of students is developed through inclusive learning and at the same time enhances team work.   Since graduate students are being prepared to go to the field, teamwork and creativity are essential skills needed and cooperative learning promotes that.  Yes, a lot can be done for Brazilian graduate students and that is a good reason to consider teaching there.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Brazil is a great place to live, to teach, and learn. Mostly to learn, it is such a rich and diverse culture. You can have anything between raw indigenous Amazonian vil lages in the North to a European colonial town in Porto Alegre, South of Brazil. There have been more than 10 years since I left Brazil. By that time, Brazil had already dealt with the inflation frenzy, their market was starting to open, and there was an optimistic feeling in the air. Brazilian people have grown one of the most powerful emerging countries in the world and are now part of the group that is shifting the world economies. If I needed to choose between helping Brazil business graduates how to take advantage of this position, or helping Panamanian graduates to help Panama reach a better position, I would prefer the later. There is a lot more that can be accomplished here or in another not so developed Latin American country. This essay on Teaching Business Graduates in Brazil was written and submitted by user Marisol U. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Prenatal Yoga for Women Health

Prenatal Yoga for Women Health A natural, safe and simple way of pregnant women maintaining their health is by engaging in yoga exercises. Yoga prepares pregnant mothers and fetus for easy uncomplicated birth process.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Prenatal Yoga for Women Health specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It relieves stress and brings peace and harmony not only to the pregnant women, but to all family members. Yoga is one of methods guaranteeing pregnant women a healthier lifestyle, and pregnant mother’s body alignment in order to enhance healthier pregnancy and delivery process. Yoga provides means and techniques to relax. Yoga also improves breathing during labor and in the entire pregnancy. It relaxes body muscles thus alleviating lower and upper back pains. Pregnant women should practice yoga with an experienced yoga teacher. The latter ensures that pregnant women’s parameters remain at optimum in all pregnancy st ages. Initially, before commencing on yoga exercises it is important for any pregnant woman to inquire which poses are suitable for her depending pregnancy stage. It is important to determine if pregnant woman has complications such as cardiovascular diseases which should be dealt with carefully. It is crucial for pregnant woman to avoid strenuous, belly twisting, inverted and belly compressing poses. One should not attempt to hold or retain breath during the exercises. Additionally, pregnant women should avoid poses which are uncomfortable and exercise moderate not to an extent of extreme fatigue (Health and Yoga.com, 2011). There are various complications associated with pregnancy. Back pain is a complication common during pregnancy. It is rampant in third pregnancy trimester. Back pain is caused by shift in pregnant mother’s center of gravity. Edema is another complication during pregnancy. It is due to compression of pelvic veins and inferior venacava by the uterus. Compr ession of pelvic veins and inferior venacava leads to increase in lower limb’s hydrostatic pressure. Carpel tunnel syndrome is a pregnancy complication which results due to edema in the lower limbs.Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Gastro-esophageal reflux disease is a common complication during pregnancy. It is caused by lower esophageal sphincter muscle relaxation during pregnancy. Additionally, prolonged time for transit in stomach causes gastro-esophageal reflux disease. Other common complications in pregnancy include hemorrhoids which are caused by high venous pressure. Also, lower abdominal pain is another complication during pregnancy that is caused by stretching of ligaments and uterus expansion (Tran, 2001). There are yoga poses that best suits the above complications. Back pain in pregnancy can be resolved by poses such as kati chakrasan also known as waist rotating pose. Thunderbolt pose (vajransan), bhadrasan and gracious pose flapping fish pose (matsya kridasan) are effective in alleviating gastro-esophageal reflux disease (Yoga Journal, 2011). Sleeping abdominal stretch pose (sputa udarakarshanasan), and flapping fish pose (matsya krid asan) are effective in preventing constipation during pregnancy while half butterfly pose (ardha titali asan) is helpful in alleviating edema in during pregnancy. Other poses which alleviate edema include full butterfly pose also known as poorna titali asan, and churning the mill pose (chakki chalanasan). Different types of yoga poses are recommended for each semester of pregnancy. In the first pregnancy trimester the recommended yoga poses include half butterfly. It is also known as ardha titali asan. It aims at facilitating fast delivery progress and relaxing knee and hip joints. Full butterfly pose also known as poorna titali asan is helpful in first trimester. It relieves legs fati gue and contributes to muscle relaxation. Sleeping abdominal stretch pose (sputa udarakarshanAsan) aims at facilitating digestion and alleviating constipation. Also, it relieves spinal tension. Churning mill pose (chakki chalan asan) improves pelvis muscles and nerve tone. Kashta takshan asan also known as chopping wood pose is important in improving pelvic muscles and nerves tone. Cat stretch pose (marjari asan) boosts spine, neck and shoulder flexibility. Kati chakras also known as waist rotating pose improves hips, back and waist tone. Tadasan or palm tree pose improves mental and physical balance (Health and Yoga.com, 2011). The recommended second trimester poses include flapping fish pose. It is also known as matsya kridasan. This pose is beneficial in improving digestion and alleviating constipation. Thunderbolt pose (vajransan) improves pregnant women’s digestion especially after meals.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Prenatal Yoga fo r Women Health specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Bhadrasan also known as gracious pose serves same purpose as vajransan. Cat stretch pose is recommended in the second trimester of pregnancy. It facilitates spine, neck and shoulder movement. Utthanasan also known as squat and rise pose is essential for thigh, ankle and uterus muscle firming. Spinal bend pose (meru akarshanasan) easies abdominal, hamstrings and thigh muscles (Health and Yoga.com, 2011). In third trimester the poses recommended include ankle crank pose that is important in facilitating blood circulation in lower limbs. Half butterfly pose is also known as ardha titali asan. It is aimed at facilitating fast delivery progress and relaxing knee and hip joints. Full butterfly pose is also known as poorna titali asan that is helpful in first trimester. It relieves legs fatigue and contributes to muscle relaxation. Sleeping abdominal stretch pose (sputa udarakarshanasan) aims at facil itating digestion and alleviating constipation. Also, sleeping abdominal stretch pose relieves spinal tension (Health and Yoga.com, 2011). References Health and Yoga.com: Yoga and pregnancy. (2011). Retrieved from www.healthandyoga.com/html/pfirst.html Tran, M. (2001). Effects of yoga practice on the health related aspects of physical fitness. Prev Cardiol, 4 (4), 165-170. Yoga Journal: Pregnancy modification for experienced students. (2011). Retrieved from www.yogajournal.com/practice/767

Exam 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Exam 2 - Essay Example Strategic staffing can be defined as the process that companies utilize to identify and deal with the staffing implications of specific business plans and strategies. It includes both the idea of identifying and tackling, but not either of the two. Some organizations implement strategic staffing only to assist them identify problems like staffing gaps; in which demand surpasses supply, or surpluses; in which supply surpasses demand. Even though this identification process is essential, it is also inadequate. Strategic staffing is helpful solely when the procedure also defines what the company ought to do to reduce or eliminate those surpluses and staffing gaps most efficiently. Strategic staffing can also be defined to mean a process towards change. Emphasizing change means that staffing insinuations should be identified and discussed continuously, any time changes are made to the business plan, not just once per year (Bechet 51). Mostly, organizations perceive that the aim of strategic staffing is to forecast future staffing requirements. They then attempt to define staffing activities that must be considered in that context to get rid of issues that may or may not come up in the future. This move cannot be accurately achieved, while at the same time, has little or no impact to the company. As a result, some organizations give up to the procedure immediately since their managers have no understanding, knowledge, and skills to predict their lasting staffing needs reliably. The objective is therefore to develop a long-term context in which the most efficient short-term decisions can be made. For a company to develop a strategic staffing plan that is successful, it has to encounter several issues or problems. This can include lack of specificity on expected competencies, invalid data for making sound decisions, and poor

Individual Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Individual Report - Assignment Example The GDP growth rate of the Czech Republic is quite moderate taking into consideration the recent economic downturn. Inflation rate is also moderate, and indicates that the economic environment in the country is favourable for international development. Exchange rate is subject to regulations on behalf of the national government. Taking into consideration projections that the national currency will gradually appreciate, the decision to enter the Czech Republic market should be reviewed. The limitation of this report can be referred to lack of some specific facts about the US-company’s operations, and understanding of the industry in which it operates. Due to this limitation, further research is required. There should be carried more detailed analysis of external environment, including: political, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors. The large US-based multinational company that manufactures and sells its products in a number of other countries, including China and the UK is evaluating opportunities of international expansion, namely to the Czech Republic. The aim of this report is to provide the Chief Executive Officer and Board of Directors with analytical overview of the economic situation in the Czech Republic and provide recommendations regarding expansion of the business to this country. The remainder of the report is comprised of several sections, whereas the literature review section provides theoretical overview of key macroeconomic indicators and how these indicators can be used in order to evaluate economic health of a specific country or region. The next section provides overview of the current economic situation in the Czech Republic based on the macroeconomic indicators such as GDP, inflation rate and exchange rate. Section â€Å"Interpretation† presents analysis of the historical and actual macroeconomic

The law of finding is characterised by many things but simplicity is Essay

The law of finding is characterised by many things but simplicity is not one of them - Essay Example providing some basic principles and guidelines for the determination of title to the finding of lost chattels.3 Even so, any clarification offered by Parker v British Airways Board has been blurred in light of the cases that followed it.4 Hoath goes on to suggest that the catalyst for the lack of clarity in and around the law of finding disputes is largely attributable to the lack of attention and recognition to this area of law. 5 At the end of the day the age-old maxim ‘finders-keepers’ is not all that straightforward. An obvious conflict arises between he maxim ‘finder-keepers’ and the concept that an owner or occupier of land retains all rights to property which is either in or attached to the land where the object is discovered. In an early case the maxim ‘finder-keepers’ was found to be subject to any claims by the rightful owner.6 In this case, Armory v. Delamirie (1722) 1 Str. 505 the land owner made no claim to an item of jewelry found by a chimney sweeps’ boy and the ensuing dispute arose between the boy and a jeweler.7 The modern rules of ‘finders-keepers’ is largely developed around the court’s findings in the case of Elwes v Brigg Gas Co. (1886) 33 Ch.D. 562. Chitty J made it abundantly clear that in finding disputes the critical question of property entitlement was dependant upon ownership and/or lawful possession of the property where the lost object was discovered. In this case a prehistoric boat which had been buried 6 feet deep in the earth on demised premises was discovered by lessee. Chitty J maintained that the owner of the demised property was entitled to possession of the object uncovered. Chitty J held: he was in possession of the ground, not merely of the surface, but of everything that lay beneath the surface down to the centre of the earth, and consequently in possession of the boat. . . . The plaintiff then, being thus in possession of the chattel, it follows that the property in the chattel was vested in him.

Conflict of personal and professional values

Conflict of personal and professional values Conflict of personal and professional values Introduction: It has always been acknowledged that social work practice raises ethical dilemmas on a regular basis. These dilemmas occur due to a conflict of professional and personal values. Social work is involved with the support of people who have a variety of needs, with relationships within the family, with needs ascending from structural influences; such as poverty and conflicts with society. These are individually moral concerns which are integrated into the tradition of society, and are therefore laden with social values. This is where the problem lies, because the views in which are regarded as being acceptable in society, are then accepted by the mass population. They say â€Å"what ought to be the case† (Shardlow, 2003, p.3), consequently initiating the potential for conflict between individuals on bases of belief and conceptualisation. Therefore, social work will always reflect values and will often be disputed because society may not necessarily agree with the aim of social wo rk. The following assignment will look at values at a professional and personal level, while considering the possible conflicts which could arise within practice, why this can happen and what needs to change. The word ‘value’ means the â€Å"Principles or standards of behaviour; one’s judgement of what is important in life† (Oxford Dictionaries, 2014). Every individual has a set of beliefs which influence their actions, some are personal to us, while others are shared beliefs. Our own moral code defines what is of value to us in life and therefore, identifies part of who we are. As a social work student, we are taught to be aware of our own personal values and how they might be different to people of a different culture. Professional values are based on a code of ethics presented by the British Association of Social Workers (BASW). These are split into: human rights, social justice and professional integrity (BASW, 2012). Therefore, social workers are expected to respect all individuals and protect vulnerable people. Likewise, the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) issued a code of practice for social care workers to abide by. These highlight standards such as; protecting the rights of service users and carers, maintain trust, promote independence, respect and accountability and responsibility (NISCC, 2002). There are also agency policies, procedures and legislation which governs the way in which a social worker must practice. One dilemma which could prove to be conflicting for a social worker is balancing confidentiality with the duty to protect versus the right to self-determination. A central question with relation to ethics in social work is how a social worker should behave towards a client. What are the boundaries of a client-worker relationship? Let’s say for example, you are a social worker working with a female client, Miss Smyth, within a mental health facility. You have been working with Miss Smyth for three months and she has a son, aged six, who has some behaviour problems. Over the past few months, your relationship with Miss Smyth has strengthened and she now feels she can confide in you and trust you, talking to you about some of her personal problems such as; financial issues and her battle with depression. Working together, you have taught Miss Smyth different ways with which to deal with her son’s behaviour problems and from this, there have been a great deal of improvement s. However, one day during your visit with her, Miss Smyth confides in you about an incident she had with her son, when he was acting out and she pushed him because she was frustrated, but this caused him to bang his head as he fell over; leaving him with a bruise. Miss Smyth pleads with you not to tell anyone, but the problem here is that the law requires you to report what has happened. You understand that Miss Smyth and her son have improved greatly and continue to make progress, however, if you report this incident, then your progress with both Miss Smyth and her son will likely be permanently affected. What do you do? The above case highlights some of the difficulties social workers face: a dilemma of social work values. Values such as respecting the client’s right to self-determination and confidentiality, can be a complex process, since there are particular circumstances where breaching confidentiality is sanctioned by the law and professional values. For example, â€Å"†¦confidentiality may be breached with or without the client’s consent in order to report instances of neglect and abuse† (Saxon et al. 2006). This is a conflict of personal and professional values, referred to as an ethical dilemma. An ethical dilemma is â€Å"..a situation in which professional duties and obligations, rooted in core values, clash† (Reamer, 2006, p.4). ‘Confidentiality’ in terms of social work means â€Å"a system of rules and norms applied to information given by clients to social workers†¦social workers will not divulge this information to others except in ce rtain circumstances† (Hugman and Smith, 1995, p.67). As established, it is clear that the majority of professionals agree that it is acceptable in particular situations to break confidentiality, yet, the principles surrounding the importance of maintaining confidentiality are considered as significant in gaining the clients trust. Jonathan Coe, chief executive of Witness, states â€Å"I don’t think anyone has got the boundaries right in all circumstances. Things will always come up and people need to be able to articulate these challenges and discuss them with supervisors and managers..†(Sale, 2007). He added â€Å"You cannot have an absolute list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to professional boundaries†¦you would end up with a situation where workers become so remote and distant from clients they would be unable to engage with them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Sale, 2007). As a result, there is no perfect solution. However, it could be highlighted that the BASW code of ethics fails to provide sufficient guidance for social workers in the day to day conflicts of values and their responsibilities. Additionally, another conflict which could be highlighted is social work valued based practice versus core value, such as; working with sex offenders. A characteristic of social workers is personal resilience, and this is particularly fundamental for those working with sex offenders. This profession requires a practitioner to help empower people, to see an individual’s strengths and build on them. There have been many conflicting debates on the view of sex offenders, especially paedophiles. Naturally, societies view has been that paedophiles are ‘monsters’ while fuelling fear into parents over the safety of their children, with the media hyping up public speculation by releasing stories such as; â€Å"Warning over paedophiles ‘grooming’ primary school children..† (Harris, 2012). Further stories involving respected individuals within the public, shocked society with articles featuring; â€Å"Irish Catholic church child abuse: A cruel and wicked system† (McDonald, 2009). Therefore, strengthening society’s negative view of sex offenders. However, in recent years, there has been an increasingly oppositional view of these offenders. Sarah Goode, published by Damian Thompson, in the Telegraph (2013), states â€Å"Adult sexual attraction to children is part of the continuum of human sexuality; it’s not something we can eliminate†¦if we can talk about this rationally†¦we can maybe avoid the hysteria†. Likewise, a recent television documentary: ‘The Paedophile next door’ (Channel 4, 2014) showed a rise in public debate. The documentary attempts to discover why legislation has failed to protect children from sexual abuse, and investigates drastic and controversial alternatives. Peter Saunders, founder of the National Association of People Abused in Childhood, told Metro â€Å"We have to tackle these sordid issues head on and if someone is seeking help, better we do that before they offend rather than after† (Binns, 2014). Statements like these reinforce the fact that awareness has increased and that there is more evidence in support of assistance for sex offenders to change. Therefore, viewing the offender as a person and not focussing on their offence. As a result, there are ways in which a social worker can control the conflict of values and dominate the mixture of feelings which are triggered by these offences. These include; not labelling, recognising and validating experienced trauma, understanding attachment difficulties and understanding the pathway an individual has undergone to get where they are (Hebb, 2013). This approach can help to encourage the individual to believe that they can lead a purposeful life and achieve goals without posing a threat to others. As a social work student, I know I will find some situations more challenging than others. My personal beliefs have been instilled into me from a young age, therefore, training to be a social worker and having to learn new values which I have to take into account will be difficult. The code of practice clearly states that all â€Å"social workers must protect the rights and promote the interests of service users and carers† (NISCC, 2002), therefore it is important to recognise that the appropriate action is to assess someone’s needs while working at a professional level. Furthermore, social workers operate from a ‘Framework for Theory and Practice’ (Dalrymple and Burke, 2006) that understands the presence of inequality and oppression that exists in society. Therefore, using this framework will help to develop the skills required within practice without causing oppression or inequality. These skills will also help to improve working relationships with multi- agency and multi-disciplinary groups. These can be applied to my practice and will strengthen my ability as a social worker. . Conclusion: As previously stated, social workers regularly make difficult decisions, where there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer. This essay supports the argument that social work values, such as, client self-determination and sustaining confidentiality can create an uncertain process, causing confusing between values and process, therefore resulting in the inability to find the ‘correct’ response. A clients concerns are often complex and have many aspects, therefore, it could be suggested that the greater the knowledge and skills that a practitioner is able to develop in ethical decision making, the more effective this would be for a social worker in practice. Additionally, the foundations of good social work practice is knowing your values and principles, how you’ve learned to interact with people, your knowledge and skills learned. I have always considered myself to be an empathetic person, who listens well, does not judge others and is sensitive to the feelings of others. But, I am aware that there are still some areas I need to strengthen. For example; the ability to work with a person that has abused a child, I have always focused on the areas I would like to work and never considered being placed with a person or group of people I might struggle to accept or work with. This will be a conflict of my personal and professional values, however, through consistent training and development, I will be able to further develop in the profession of social work based on a commitment in practice to key values and principles. Word count: 1806 Reference Section BASW (2012) The Code of Ethics for Social Work: Statement of Principles. [pdf] BASW. Available at cdn.basw.co.uk/upload/basw_112315-7.pdf [Accessed 13 November 2014] Binns, D., (2014) Paedophile to out himself in channel 4 documentary. Metro. [online] Available at metro.co.uk [Accessed 28 November 2014] Dalrymple, J., and Burke, B., (2006) Anti-Oppressive Practice: Social Care and the Law. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Harris, S., (2012) Warning over paedophiles ‘grooming’ primary school children on Club Penguin and Moshi Monsters website. Daily Mail Online [online] Available at www.dailymail.co.uk [Accessed 21 November 2014] Hebb, J., (2013) ‘Social work values are essential in my work with high risk offenders’. Community Care. [online] Available at www.communitycare.co.uk [Accessed 30 November 2014] Hugman, R. and Smith, D. (1995) Ethical Issues in Social Work. United Kingdom: Taylor Francis, Inc. McDonald, H., (2009) Irish Catholic Church child abuse: ‘A cruel and wicked system’. The Guardian [online] Available at www.theguardian.com [Accessed 22 November 2014] NISCC (2002) Codes of Practice for Social Care Workers and Employers of Social Care Workers. [pdf] NISCC. Available at www.niscc.info/files/Codes/2002Sep_NISCCCodesOfPracticeWordVersionEnglish_Publication_Approved_AFMCK.pdf [Accessed 15 November 2014] Oxford Dictionaries: Language Matters (2014) Oxford Press. [online] Available from www.oxforddictionaries.com [Accessed 13 November 2014] Reamer, G. F., (2006) Social Work Values and Ethics. New York: Columbia University Press. Sale, A. U., (2007) How to maintain proper relations between practitioner and service user. Community Care. [online] Available at www.communitycare.co.uk [Accessed 30 November 2014] Saxon, C., Jacinto, A. G., and Dziegielewski, F, S., (2006) ‘Self-Determination and Confidentiality: The Ambiguous Nature of Decision-Making in Social Work Practice’. Journal of Human Behaviour in the Social Environment, 13 (4) p. 56. Shardlow, S., (2003) The Values of Change in Social Work. Routledge. The Paedophile Next Door (2014) [TV programme] Channel 4, 25 November 2014 21:00 Thompson, D., (2013) Guardian: Paedophiles are ‘ordinary members of society’ who need moral support. The Telegraph [online] Available at http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100196502/guardian-paedophiles-are-ordinary-members-of-society-who-need-moral-support/ [Accessed 23 November 2014] 1

Connecting Babylon Revisited, My Life, and the Life of F. Scott Fitzger

      It is no wonder, that when students read literature, some are confused about the meaning of the story or poem, know little, if anything at all, about the author, and have trouble memorizing important points. This is not only because of the limited time allowed, but because the student fails to associate new knowledge with old knowledge. Making a personal connection is important whether the instructor recommends it or not. Attention should be given to both the technical points of the writing and the author's biography. Take, for example, F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited." At first glance, the story wasn't that hard to understand, so it was a good opportunity to study a piece of 20th century American literature in a deeper way.      "Babylon Revisited" is often credited for being one of Fitzgerald's greatest short stories. As Professor Jackson Bryer states on a web site interview, "[It combines] Fitzgerald's human themes of loss with a background of the social times in which they take place. ...Paris in the Twenties. ...[These aspects] give them a resonance (the personal story played within a larger picture) which many of Fitzgerald's other stories lack" (1). Bryer also feels that "FSF should be remembered and valued most for the 'how' of his fiction rather than the 'what' of it, namely his style is what makes him exceptional, not his subject matter. ...he does have the ability to capture feeling and emotion brilliantly as well. Gatsby's frustration, Charlie Wale's exasperation, ... these are palpably present to readers."    Composed in 1931 and published in 1935, "Babylon Revisited" is "the s... ... in Minnesota: His Homes and Haunts. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1978.    McMichael, George. Anthology of American Literature / Volume II: Realism to the Present. (6th ed.). New Jersey : Prentice Hall, Inc., 1997.    Miller, Larry. "Pioneer Planet Fitzgerald Tour." 1996. http://www.special.pioneerplanet.com/archive/fitzgerald/tour.htm. 21 May 1998.    Murphy, Gary and William C. Slattery. "The Flawed Text of 'Babylon Revisited': A Challenge to Editors, a Warning to Readers." Studies in Short Fiction 18.3(1981):315-318.    Page, Dave and John Koblas. F. Scott Fitzgerald in Minnesota: Toward the Summit. St. Cloud: North Start Press of St. Cloud, 1996.    Shain, Charles E. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." University of Minnesota pamphlets on American Writers 15, 1961.

Church & Dwight: Time to Rethink the Portfolio? A case report prepared for MG 495 Business Policy Essay

Church & Dwight is a major manufacturer of household and personal products, including the popular Arm & Hammer brand along with well-known labels like Aim, Brillo, Nair, Oxi-Clean, and much more. Their trusted A & H trademark appears on a broad range of consumer and specialty products sold around the world. In 2011, the Company achieved a total sales revenue of 35%. Over the past decade, the Company delivered an annual TSR of approximately 19% to its shareholders, significantly better than the 1% TSR of the S & P 500 stock index during the same period, (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-2). However with the entrance of other companies wanting the same market share, Church & Dwight is facing some market competition issues. The biggest challenge, which the company is facing is maintaining constant growth. The company expanded consumer products portfolio over 70 brands into the existing corporate structure while†¨continuing to scout for new avenues for growth. This is no easy task as it competes for market share with such formidable consumer products powerhouses as Colgate-Palmolive, Clorox, and Procter & Gamble, commanding combined sales revenue of over $100 billion. As the world’s largest producer and marketer of sodium bicarbonate-based products, Church & Dwight had, until recently, achieved consistent growth in sales and earnings. The core business of the company being the production of sodium bicarbonate. The company tried to expand its other products lines, which is not an easy task. Despite the challenging business environment, the company envisioned that in 2012 they will deliver 9-10% earnings per share growth through continued relentless focus on the 10 key areas that contributed to their outstanding TSR results over the past 10 years. In order to achieve their goal, they targeted, organic sales growth of 3-4%, 25-50 basis points of gross margin expansion, maintaining strong marketing spending at approximately 13% of net revenue, and continued tight management overhead costs. The company believes that organic sales growth will be driven by the outstanding pipeline of new products and continued strong market support of Power Brands. THE SITUATION John Dwight founded Church & Dwight Inc. Co. and now is one of the most successful companies that produces and manufactures personal care products. When the company was formed, it was not as big as it is now; however, the growth of the company has been slow and steady. The product line of Church & Dwight is diversified and consists of the personal care products. This has helped it to compete with companies like Unilever and P & G. Although the growth of the company has been slow and steady, the company has faced a few problems to succeed and this is the reason that the competition by the company has not been up to par (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-2). The competitors of Church & Dwight are Unilever and P&G. These two are the giants in the industry and in order to compete with them; Church & Dwight will have to gear up and ensure that the reputation and awareness of the company is created. The company can attribute much of its success to the fact that it had concentrated on the production and sales of sodium bicarbonate. Strong family control has shielded management from the problems of defending the company from takeover attempts. The company has successfully taken a commodity chemical, branded it, and marketed it to the point where it dominates the market. It has subsequently capitalized on consumer recognition and loyalty to the ARM & HAMMER brand by introducing multiple consumer products under this logo. As the dominant producer and marketer of sodium bicarbonate products, Church & Dwight has faced limited competition in its primary markets and successfully entered the markets with other consumer products using a low price strategy with limited advertising expenditures. The company has gained a steady growth over the years and have to expand several consumer products. They have several company acquisitions due to its huge revenues over the years. But Church and Dwight just like other companies face several challenges along the way. A challenge against leveraged buy-outs and hostile takeovers is eminent. It is also experiencing head on collision with giant competitors such as Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive. In spite of all of these challenges it transformed into much larger competitor not only across a broader range of products but also in geographic territory. As a result, in order to maintain its continuous growth in both domestic and international arena the company needs to have the best strategy in place.†¨ Author: Cook, Roy A. pp, 35-1-12: II. ANALYSIS A. Analysis of the situation Management – Church & Dwight Company has continued a tradition of slow and steady leadership with a solid focus on long-term goals. The stability of the company’s leadership can be attributed to the fact that 25 percent of outstanding common stock is owned by descendants of the company’s original cofounders, a tradition that continues even today. In addition, the management of the company over the past 160 years has been handed down from generation-to-generation until recently when Dwight C. Minton passed on the position of Chief Executive Officer in 1995 to an outsider, Mr. Robert A. Davies, III (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-2). Being focused on their leadership style has enabled Church & Dwight to overcome potential leveraged buy-outs and hostile takeovers with a series of calculated actions and savvy business decisions. These actions allowed the board of directors and management to amend the company’s charter and allowed shareholders four votes per share. The board of directors was also re-structured into classes, in which each class serves staggered three-year terms (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-3). In addition to staggering the tenure of the directors, the company initiated employee severance agreements with key officials, providing a severance package agreement to provide some type of security in the event a board member position is terminated by a hostile takeover or leveraged buy-out by an unwanted owner. By providing these lucrative packages for senior management, many were able to stay with Church & Dwight. In applying the The Boston Consulting Group Growth Share Matrix, the company can be classified as a â€Å"Cash Cow† (wordpress.com) because according to the financial statements of Church & Dwight’s from 2007 to 2009, net sales and profits continued to grow relative to the many acquisitions made by of the company. In October 2004, Church & Dwight purchased four brands from Unilever, it completed the acquisition of Carter-Wallace’s consumer brands. While SPINBRUSH was purchased from Procter & Gamble in 2005. Furthermore, when compared to its major competitors, the company realized higher sales growth rates from 2003 to 2005. 2. Operations – Church & Dwight’s growth strategy relied on finding new uses for sodium bicarbonate. Prior to the acquisition spree, the company’s profits were derived from this product. The company soon began using an overall family branding strategy to penetrate the consumer markets place in the United States and Canada. Also, 85% of the baking soda market was controlled by the Arm and Hammer brand, â€Å"By capitalizing on its easily recognizable brand name, logo, and established marketing channels, Church & Dwight moved into such related products as laundry detergent, carpet cleaners and deodorizers, air deodorizers, toothpaste, and deodorant/antiperspirants.† (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-6). Rivalry among existing firms (competitors), is inevitable as competitors try to achieve greater market shares to grow potential profit shares. To reduce industry competition, Church & Dwight â€Å"also have a very solid core of specialty products† (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p 35-9). The Growth of an analyzer normally occurs through market penetration. Church & Dwight Inc. can be classified as an analyzer organization because according to Miles and Snow’s Cellular Organization model the company operates in two types of product-market domains, one relatively stable, the other changing, (referenceforbusiness.com).This strategy worked very well in allowing the company to promote a variety of products using only one brand name. 3. Marketing – With established US and western European markets reaching saturation, manufacturers are actively pursuing growth overseas. Church & Dwight Inc. sales are concentrated in United States and Canada where funnel it through mass merchandisers such as Walt-Mart, supermarkets, wholesale clubs and drugstores (Wheelen & Hunger, 2102, pp.35-7). Even-though the company’s marketing expenses for 2009 were $353.6 million, an increase of $59.5 million or 20% as compared to 2008, Church & Dwight are bent on reaching a wide range of people. This wide range of customers allows them to develop more and more organic products and services with large scale agreements to satisfy those demographics. As the company expands globally, markets for one region could also be satisfied by other regions as production opportunities allowed greater cost-effectiveness. Having new stable consumer products and expanded detergent offerings they found themselves in direct competition with the big players in the market. Church & Dwight wants to move into the international market but have been met with limited success. Two possible reasons for this are 1) lack of name recognition, and 2) recognition problem. The GE Business Screen – used to perform business portfolio analysis on the strategic business units can be of great use in order to boost the company’s market share, (marketingmixhub.com). Therefore, as the company expands and acquires more product lines bearing the Arm & Hammer brand, the potential for substandard quality or customer dissatisfaction could cause negative impact on sales. Therefore, product marketing is essential to reinforce brand name recognition so consumers never forget the value and quality of a company’s name and its product lines. Finance – The financial health of Church & Dwight can be characterized as being a mixed picture. Investors earnings in the report increased to 23%† and dividends on investments increased by 35%. It is highlighted by the strong upward trend in net profit margins and return on equity. However,when attention is turned to other key ratios, the picture becomes cloudy. Both the current and quick ratios have drifted downward. In addition, the inventory turnover ratio, after showing some improvement, has also drifted downward. Overall, a brief review of the financial ratios listed indicates that there continues to be room for improvement. However, the â€Å"five domestic and international consumer product brands acquired during the 2008 Del Laboratories transaction† (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-5) . According to the BCG Growth-Share Matrix, the characteristics of Stars are high-share, high-growth, but limited cash flow due to investment required to maintain growth, however, successful Stars go on to become Cash Cows – business/product that have a high share but slow growth. They tend to generate a very positive cash flow, most of which can be used to develop other businesses/products, (strategicmanagementinsight.com), which will be beneficial for a company like Church & Dwight. Being the world’s largest producer and marketer of sodium bicarbonate-based products, Church & Dwight Co. Inc was able to maintain a steady growth in both sales and earnings. For the past 30 years, the average company sales have increased by 10-15% annually (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, pp.35-3 – 5). It is safe to conclude that since the CEO remains focused on â€Å"building a portfolio of strong brands with sustainable competitive advantages† and the â€Å"long-term objective is to maintain the company’s track record of delivering outstanding TSR (Total Shareholder Return) relative to that of the S&P 500† (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-2), the financial status of Church & Dwight continues to grow as it has historically achieved modest gains from year to year, with hopes of even greater revenue and sales. 5. Administration, especially Human Resources – The Company’s leadership at the top has remained a significant hallmark of the company. The Boards of directors are structured into three classes with four directors in each class serving staggered period of three year term (Wheelen & Hunger, pp.35-2). This strategy has given the board the needed control to maximize the its output to benefit the shareholders. Because of its continuous exposure to would-be suitors the company has entered into an employee severance agreement with key officials. It provides pay up to two times the individual’s highest salary and bonus plus benefits for two years. As the company widens its coverage into the consumer products in early 2000s, the changes in its key personnel was noticeable by injected a pool of executives with wide range of experience in marketing and international background from known organizations such as Spalding Sports World wide, Johnson & Johnson, FMC and Carter-Wallace (Wheelen Hunger, pp.35-3). The composition of its board of directors did not escape the changes that the company has implemented on its management. On the 10-member board, four have served for 10 years or more and six members served for five years or less. Two women served on the board with age ranging from 50 to 74 and the other six members are younger than 60 (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, pp.35-3). 6. SWOT a. Strengths – Church & Dwight Company has many strengths with brand recognition being the top of the list. It is also the only producer of ammonium bicarbonate and potassium carbonate in the US. Another strength is that it has an in-house marketing strategy which very effective in marketing majority of its consumer products. Almost 25 percent of the outstanding shares of common stock are owned by descendants of the company’s cofounders. The company controls approximately 75 percent of the sodium bicarbonate production in the US. They control 85% of the baking soda market. Extensive consumer brand name recognition and loyalty (in 95 percent of U.S. households) which allows the company to promote multiple products using a single brand name. C & D has an awesome anti-takeover defenses including board of directors with staggered terms of office and voting rights that are weighted in favor of long-term shareholders. The Controlling of the production of raw materials, the manufacturing and processing facilities, and the primary marketing functions allows the company to price its products below those of competitors – thus creating a barrier to entry. And last but not the least they have the ability to build value by effectively implementing cost savings strategies when acquiring other company’s consumer brands. b. Weaknesses – Church & Dwight’s major weakness is overextended in their branding of the Arm and Hammer products. Even-though the company enjoyed success domestically, â€Å"in the international arena where growth was more product driven and less marking sensitive, the company was less experienced,† (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, p. 35-7), showing a slight lack of financial strength in their balance sheet, hindered expansions internationally. The primary focus on the Arm & Hammer brand name has left the company with a void in product promotion experience that may be needed in a highly competitive consumer products field or international expansion. Also, their inability to determine the strategic fit for Specialty Products Division into overall company operations is hurting the company. Top management turnover was also a problem for the company. C. Opportunities – The potential expansion into international markets is of great importance. If stricter laws are enacted it will favor the company as expanded uses of company’s basic raw materials for pollution control and potable water applications will be closely monitored. In addition, there is the possibilities of using paint as a stripping compound and an industrial cleaner based on the low abrasion qualities and environmental safety of sodium bicarbonate. The diversification of product line to include other related consumer products using both the Arm & Hammer brand as well as other brand names similar to The Dial Corp. acquisitions can also be explored. The company should expand the use of sodium bicarbonate-based products to meet demands for environmental safety. The acquisitions of consumer product brands and/or companies. Expand use of sodium bicarbonate for automotive parts cleaning systems to repl ace current solvent based systems. d. Threats – Some threats includes competitors with greater marketing and financial strength entering the company’s traditional markets. Operating in many mature markets with limited growth potential. New or increased domestic production of the company’s basic raw materials by other potential producers. The issue of potential consumer confusion through overuse of the family branding line extension strategy which could eventually weaken the Arm & Hammer brand name. Also, retaliatory competitor reactions as the company enters into new consumer product markets that have been dominated by major players such as Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Unilever, etc. And the substitutes for current product constitutes threats for Church & Dwight company. e. Products or Services – Church & Dwight consists of several acquisitions that cater to almost 95% of all US Households. It has types of products the household and personal care products. The company has several Brand names, Arm & Hammer, Trojan, Oxiclean, SPINBRUSH, First Response, Nair, ORAJEL, XTRA, to name a few. These products range from dentifrice, chemical agent to absorb or neutralize odors and acidity, a kidney dialysis element, a blast media, an environmentally friendly cleaning agent, a swimming pool pH stabilizer, and pollution control agent (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012, pp.35-7/9). B. Problem Definition The problems presented in this case study is evident that Church & Dwight really needs to make changes especially in the area of its expanded consumer products. The acquisition of several companies may have brought huge revenues but having several line of product might have a huge negative impact. Potential marketing problem may arise when company own products will be placed along with its well-known brand name and confuse consumers. This situation can also lead to a loss of marketing pull. The company’s overall corporate objectives were: (1) to maintain a steady growth by staying focus on long term goals; (2) to provide best result to shareholders; (3) to continue seeking new uses of its core products (4) to maintain and keep cost under control; (5) to enter the international market and continually seeking for opportunity for growth. If the goals cannot be met then Church and Dwight Co. Inc. may be always vulnerable buyouts and takeovers. It can also lead to loss of market share both from domestic and international market.†¨2. If the problems are corrected and done properly then the leadership in the market will be maintained and possible loss of revenue will be prevented. The objective of entering the international market may offer a better opportunity for continuous growth.†¨3. There are several reasons that this problem is eminent. First is that every market has its saturation point where products matures after reaching its peak. The company must al ways be ready on adapting to this continuous cycle of change. The search for new uses of its products must never stops. It should always explore better ways of improving the life of the consumers while maintaining and protecting the environment. Second, new product and competitor will always emerge and will not be taken down easily without a good fight. The company should always maintain their effective marketing strategy to be able to survive the continued battle for market share. Third is that limitless opportunity for growth in international market will not come easy as battle there would be unpredictable. The focus for long-term goals should always be on the mind of its key executives for this will be the foundation of their success. III. SYNTHESIS A. ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS The alternative solutions are that the company should tow the family branding line extension strategy in order to introduce new products (especially sodium bicarbonate-based products) such as skin care, soaps, mouthwashes, lotions, and antacids in order to gain increased market exposure and economies of scale. Recent launches of products such as chewing gum with baking soda are testing this strategy. Expand the limited advertising program for current niche market products to retain and gain market share. Promote products carrying the Arm & Hammer logo as being environmentally safe. Resources should be directed to testing and developing new brands to lessen dependence on the Arm & Hammer brand due to the possibility of loss of its present customer appeal. Since the company’s consumer products are competing in mature markets with limited growth potential, the opportunities available although the environmental safety of its chemical products should be tapped. For example, pollution control, water purification, circuit board cleaning, and industrial paint stripping. Generate new chemical product applications requiring minimal promotional support while offering opportunities for rapid sales growth. Explore the opportunity of forming joint ventures with foreign companies to gain access to the necessary experience and capital to succeed in international markets. Select targeted international locations to successfully penetrate and use as a laboratory for refining international growth opportunities. Continue to lower costs of production and distribution to counter competitive threats from new entries in the low-cost end of product offerings such as detergents. Acquire company consumer products/brands in order to gain access to international markets and the marketing expertise. B. RECOMMENDATIONS AND SOLUTIONS The best solution for C & D company is to retain the best products within its umbrella while considering the best projection of revenue that it can generate. Time factor for the company should also be considered for them to know when to retain or let go of a non-core asset. Timely decision making of its top management will be a factor in maintaining its annual revenue at steady growth. The key decision makers would play a vital role in this area. The continuous seeking of new uses sodium bicarbonate will still be very effective for the company in years to come that is why the focus on this should never be lost. The present global market is offering a much bigger area to be explored especially in Asian countries. Therefore, further recommendations for Church & Dwight for would be to implement the first alternative, delving into new product lines both in domestic markets and even greater exploration of international markets.The injection of key decision makers with extensive marketing experience abroad would be important in penetrating the global market. This option would be advantageous because of the limited financial investment required to grow already established footholds in foreign countries to manufacture and transport new product lines. Church & Dwight will be continuously challenged due to new entrants. To minimize this they should always be ahead all the time. Environmental issues will also be a major factor for them. Therefore complying with existing environmental rules and regulations while promoting its products is a very good strategy. †¨In conclusion the ultimate goal of achieving huge revenue while maintaining cost of operation as low as possible has always foremost with Church and Dwight Co. Inc. This company, backed with 160 years of marketing and production experience will have a much clear brighter path of success as long as they continue to focus on their long term goals. Understanding various cultures and overcoming societal barriers will help satisfy any shortcomings in this solution, it is further recommended that Church & Dwight initiate an aggressive marketing strategy incorporating foreign experts in business and marketing development to identify focus groups to better understand cultural differences and expectations in product innovations. And finally, this recommendation provides a potential solution to increase sales while growing market share and staying ahead of the competition. Reference: GE-McKinsey Matrix. (2013). Retrieved from http://marketingmixhub.com/ge-mckinsey-http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/tools/bcg-matrix-growth-share.htm Lindblad, M. (2013). What Is the Importance of the Strategic Audit? Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-strategic-audit-13057.html†http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-strategic-audit-13057.html Management Innovations. (2010). Strategic Formulation: BCG Growth-Share Matrix Model. Retrieved from â€Å"http://managementinnovations.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/strategy-formulation-bcg-â€Å"http://managementinnovations.wordpress.com/ 2010/06/10/strategy-formulation-bcg- â€Å"http://managementinnovations.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/strategy-formulation-bcg-growth-share-matrix-model/†growth-share-matrix-model/ Miles, R. E., & Snow, C. C. (1978). Organizational Strategy, Structure, and Process. New

Animal Farm by George Orwell Essay Example

Animal Farm by George Orwell Essay Example Animal Farm by George Orwell Paper Animal Farm by George Orwell Paper Essay Topic: Animal Farm George orwell Literature 1. We have chosen Commandment 7, All Animals are Equal 2. The reasoning behind the commandment is the animals were cruelly dictated by Mr Jones. The ideal that Old Major portrayed was of a Farm run solely by animals for animals that were part of a Democracy. Evidence is on page 6 in both Longman and Penguin version, where it states in Old Majors Speech no animal must ever tyrannize over his own kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers. Further on in the story, Napoleon tyrannizes all of the farm animals. He kills ruthlessly with no reasoning and makes every animal that is not a pig or dog to slave over the labours of building the windmill with less food than in Jones days of dictatorship. 3. Early warning signs that the pigs are starting to manipulate the Commandment for their own ends can be found at the beginning of chapter three, page 16 in Longman version and page in Penguin. It reads The pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others. This shows that the pigs were already forming a hierarchy of importance. They tell the other animals what to do and the animals do as they were told due to their slave mentality. Another example of the pigs making decisions without consulting the other animals is when the pigs steal the milk and apples. The pigs put themselves above the rest of the animals so they can get what they want. On page 22 in the Longman version and page in Penguin; it reads,Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples contain substances absolutely necessary to the well being of pigs. We pigs are brain-workers. The whole management and organization of this farm depends on us. All of which implies that they are the only reason that the farm has not been taken over by Mr Jones once more. Also it is the pigs that decide upon the final line up of commandments, not anyone else. There was no vote just a decision. It states on page 15 in both Longman and Penguin, The pigs had succeeded in reducing the principles of Animalism to Seven Commandments. 4. By the pigs continually bending and breaking the All animals are equal commandment we can tell about their character that they are dictators, greedy, selfish and believe that they are better and more worthy of power and control over the farm than anyone else due to their superior intelligence over the rest of the animals. Domineering personalities take advantage of the other hardworking and diligent animals of the farm. The pigs motives are not of Animalism, but of pure superiority over everything in their reach, which is the farm. Their plans for the future are of the farm being run by them, but all the hard work being done by the other animals of the farm. They want the farm to be the most profitable out of the farms, particularly those run be Pilkington and Frederick. An example of the pigs urge for superiority is evident particularly between Snowball and Napoleon. When they present their speeches about campaigns they are very competitive. When Napoleon knows that Snowball has the upper hand in speeches, leading to Snowball to be in power, Napoleon exiles him from the farm with the savage force of nine dogs, which nearly kill him. This happens on pages 32 33 in the Longman version and on pages in the Penguin version. 5. After the exile of Snowball, during Sunday ceremony, the pigs and dogs are on the platform and everyone else is on the ground. This is an image which portrays the hierarchy of the farm; pigs and dogs at the top, and the other animals at the bottom. Squealer explanation for the reasoning behind the events was that Snowball was a dangerous character and a bad influence and called Napoleons change of heart over the windmill Tactics, The animals were not certain what the word meant but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further question. This happens on pages 36 37 in the Longman version and pages 38 39 in the Penguin version. This pattern of questioning from the other animals then being silenced by Squealers persuasive reasoning, and a mixture of fear from the savage dogs capability of killing them violently, silences all of the animals doubts and any chance of revolting against the tyrant Napoleon occurs time and time again. If only they pushed on questioning the pigs they would be free from Napoleons rule, but it doesnt happen. 6. The wording of the Commandment on the barn wall is altered to allow for the pigs corruption from All animals are Equal to All animals are Equal but some Animals are more Equal than others. This change occurs in chapter 10 page 83 in the Longman version and page 90 in the Penguin version. 7. Further evidence related to the reason behind the commandment can be found on page 5 in the Longman version and page in the Penguin version. It states, Never listen when they tell you that man and the animals have a common interest, that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others. It is all lies. This paragraph, from Old Majors speech, is where the commandment originates. The message from this part of his speech indicates the possible outcome of dictatorship that may arise among the animals if the rebellion is a success. Old Major is warning them that the rebellion will bring conflict and if they are to make it a success they must always be united as one in a democracy and oppose any kind of control. Also in the event that dictatorship does take place on the farm, everything they say will benefit them in someway and will lie to get the others support.

Rajasaurus, the Deadly Indian Dinosaur

Rajasaurus, the Deadly Indian Dinosaur Also known as theropods, meat-eating dinosaurs- including raptors, tyrannosaurs, carnosaurs, and too many other -saurs to list here- had a wide distribution during the later Mesozoic Era, from about 100 to 65 million years ago. An otherwise unremarkable predator, except for its small head crest, Rajasaurus lived in what is now modern-day India, not a very fruitful location for fossil discoveries. It has taken over 20 years to reconstruct this dinosaur from its scattered remains, discovered in Gujarat in the early 1980s. (Dinosaur fossils are relatively rare in India, which helps explain why the regal word Raja, meaning prince, was bestowed on this carnivore. Oddly enough, the most common Indian fossils are ancestral whales dating from the Eocene epoch, millions of years after the dinosaurs went extinct!) Why did Rajasaurus possess a head crest, a rare feature in carnivores that weighed in the one-ton-and-over range? The most likely explanation is that this was a sexually selected characteristic, since colorfully crested Rajasaurus males (or females) were more attractive to the opposite sex during mating season- thus helping to propagate this trait through succeeding generations. Its also worth noting that Carnotaurus, a close contemporary of Rajasaurus from South America, is the only identified meat-eating dinosaur with horns; perhaps there was something in the evolutionary air back then that selected for this characteristic. It may also be the case that the crest of Rajasaurus flushed pink (or some other color) as a means of signaling other pack members. Now that weve established that Rajasaurus was a meat-eater, what, exactly, did this dinosaur eat? Given the paucity of Indian dinosaur fossils, we can only speculate, but a good candidate would be titanosaurs- the gigantic, four-legged, small-brained dinosaurs that had a global distribution during the later Mesozoic Era. Clearly, a dinosaur the size of Rajasaurus couldnt hope to take down a full-grown titanosaur all by itself, but its possible that this theropod hunted in packs, or that it picked off newly hatched, elderly, or injured individuals. Like other dinosaurs of its kind, Rajasaurus probably preyed opportunistically on smaller ornithopods and even on its fellow theropods; for all we know, it may even have been an occasional cannibal. Rajasaurus has been classified as a type of large theropod known as an abelisaur, and was thus closely related to the eponymous member of this genus, the South American Abelisaurus. It was also close kin to the  comically short-armed Carnotaurus mentioned above and the supposed cannibal dinosaur Majungasaurus from Madagascar. The family resemblance can be explained by the fact that India and South America (as well as Africa and Madagascar) were joined together in the giant continent Gondwana during the early Cretaceous period, when the last common ancestor of these dinosaurs lived. Name: Rajasaurus (Hindi/Greek for prince lizard); pronounced RAH-jah-SORE-us Habitat: Woodlands of India Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (70-65 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 30 feet long and one ton Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Moderate size; bipedal posture; distinctive crest on head

The effects of overfishing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The effects of overfishing - Essay Example The earth has various different natural resources, which are utilized by persons living in different geographical region. The number of people consuming fish is high as consumers are spread all over the world. As a means of getting resources for carrying on with their daily lives, many people residing around various water bodies indulge in fishing. In a bid to increase their income, fishermen usually strive to fish more; more fish implies more returns on investment. This practice is also practiced by commercial industries in a bid to maximize the profits realized. This leads to overfishing, which have adverse effects on the marine life, as some species of fish may become extinct (Ebbbin, Hoel & Sydes, 2005). The world’s population has been on the increase, which has necessitated the increase of the amount of food, and other resources required in order to support human life. Due to the increase in population, which translates to higher demand, there has been the need to increase the supply of fish. Therefore, the increased fish demand is satisfied through natural fishing or fish farming (Hilborn, 2012). In the case of fish farming, overfishing is not common with the farmers using certified nets while fishing; thus, ensuring that the fingerings are left in the ponds or dams. On the other hand, overfishing is rampant in wildlife fishing, where personal displine in adhering to the guidelines set to avoid overfishing is low. Wildlife overfishing has led to decline in the number of fish in the wildlife; thus having a negative effect on the diversity and richness of our environment. Overfishing has economic consequences to various stakeholders in the fishing and aquaculture industry. When overfishing is carried out, authorities in charge usually impose ban to fishing for certain periods to ensure that the fish breeds to the normal population. These bans make fishermen jobless; thus, affecting their living standards and of those who depend on them.

Leagalization of Medical Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leagalization of Medical Marijuana - Essay Example Unlike alcohol abuse and other drug abuse that kill the grey cells causing brain damage or long term memory loss, the use of Marijuana causes only short term memory loss and that too, only while the individual is under its influence. Marijuana does not cause long term memory loss neither does it effect the immune system in the body. According to the UCLA School of Medicine study in 1997, (Volume 155 of the American Journal of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine) on 243 Marijuana smokers for chronic lung disease, over the period eight years, it was found that "Neither the continuing nor the intermittent marijuana smokers exhibited any significantly different rates of decline in lung function as compared with those individuals who never smoked marijuana." In relation to smoking of Marijuana, the study found "No differences were noted between even quite heavy marijuana smoking and non-smoking of marijuana."The study concluded that unlike tobacco that is a major cause of deaths in the country, death from an overdose of Marijuana has never been recorded so far. Moreover, Legal prohibition of drugs is not going to prevent its consumers from taking them.