Essay about The Importance Of Human Resources - 775 Words

Whether an organization consists of five or 25,000 employees, human resources management is vital to the success of the organization. HR is important to all managers because it provides managers with the resources – the employees – necessary to produce the work for the managers and the organization. Beyond this role, HR is capable of becoming a strong strategic partner when it comes to â€Å"establishing the overall direction and objectives of key areas of human resource management in order to ensure that they not only are consistent with but also support the achievement of business goals.† (Massey, 1994, p. 27) Managers rely on HR to provide effective staff capable of accomplishing the goals of the organization. HR is valuable in ensuring†¦show more content†¦A benefit to looking for employees with these skills is that they provide a good human asset base for succession planning. HR functions as a strategic partner by planning and implementing methods that support the objectives of the City. HR works on identifying needs and trends and developing strategies to address them. HR takes direction from the Mayor and Council, CAO and the Director of Corporate Services. HR uses data and knowledge of the City to try to predict future needs and develop plans of attack for different objectives. Succession planning is an area within the City where HR is acting as a strategic partner. Currently, HR is looking at the overall needs of the City and how it will change in the next 5 to 10 due to retirement. HR identifies positions and staff and has made suggestions for training and development. Other positions are being re-evaluated to determine need and future requirements. Decisions such as consolidating roles into one position or splitting one position into two are determined by the suitability of existing candidates. HR evaluates the existing talent and provides strategies to develop it, such as mentoring. HR also has to convince the City to support the expense of cultivating staff rather than hiring staff with those skills already in place. The high costs of recruiting versus the costs of educating and training proven staff with leadership qualities have helped to build and communicate a strongShow MoreRelatedThe Importance of Human Resources Management1233 Words   |   5 PagesThe economic environment in nowadays dynamic, it is fairly important for organisations and managers to recognise the curtail of Human Resource Management. It is clear that Human Resource Management (HRM) has become one of the most recommend management strategy in the modern business (Leopold and Harris, 2009). Human Resource Management is a technique process of managing people in the workplace to enable and enhance organization performance (Leopold and Harris, 2009). This theory involved the responsibleRead MoreImportance of Human Resource Department1946 Words   |  8 PagesThe importance of the Human Resource Department by Ng Hui Chen, GSM Employee is one of the most important assets of a company as they have significant influential power to the success of a company. Therefore, effective and efficient human resource management is crucial to every organization. However, the emergence of the centralized Human Resource Department (HRD) has created conflicts on whether the responsibility of human resource management should lie on line managers or HRD. The debate aboutRead MoreHuman Resource Management And Its Importance1517 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction In the 21st century, human society has undergone tremendous changes, it began to change from the industrial economy to a knowledge economy era. Economic globalization and improve the level of global competition, organizations have had to make full use of all their resources to ensure its survival and development. As an important resource organization human resource organization also attracted more and more attention. Effective human resource management has become a key organizationalRead MoreImportance of Human Resource Models2498 Words   |  10 Pageswhich includes retail stores and online Apple stores. In order to gain long term competitive advantage through human resource, Apple has put great emphasis upon the management of human resource through effective strategic planning. This strategic human resource planning has focused upon the Michigan and the Harvard human resource models which we need to understand and analyze. Human resource can become the most important asset of the organization only if its management in the most resourceful and competentRead MoreThe Importance of Human Resource Management1287 Words   |  6 PagesHuman resource management (HRM) is undoubtedly being considered as an indivisible element of the organisations from the outset. From recruitment to employee retention, HRM has always committed to assist company to search and retain talents that have values toward the sustainable development. In view of the fact that, there are several studies with evidences presented to prove that there is a relationship between HRM and organizational performance, in which some HRM theorists also suggested that thereRead MoreThe Importance of Human Resources Management670 Words   |  3 PagesHuman Resources Management Human Resources Management is a significant and very large area of business. It came about through the need to focus on what people were doing with their lives in the workplace that was not specifically related to actual work. In other words, there is more to the workday than the work that is being done, and people who work closely with one another can and should get along. Rules and regulations to facilitate this were needed, and had to be created on the individualRead MoreThe Importance Of A Human Resources Director1908 Words   |  8 Pagesorganizations use to further secure more business. As the organizations have recently finalized the merger there is now a need for a Human Resources Director to take both organizations that are acting independently of one another to create a harmonious fluid entity where all individuals can be represented to achieve optimal success. As the newly appointed Human Resources Director how will one create and identify the process that was taken to create the now highly sought after LeiLo Productions to theRead MoreRoles And Importance Of Human Resource Management Essay1693 Words   |  7 PagesAnswer1. Roles and Importance of Human Resource Management Human Resource Management is the procedure of requirement, selection, giving orientation , making giving trainings to employees and the creating skills, appraisal of worker , giving remuneration and advantages, benefits, providing motivation, keeping up workers security, welfare and wellbeing by following work laws of concern state or nation. Human Resource Management is the procedure of usage of accessible restricted talented workforceRead MoreThe Importance Of A Good Human Resource Department1748 Words   |  7 PagesA good human resource department is essential to any successful businesses in today’s society. Before human resource managers were seen as people who deal with employee disputes and little more, now this is just one small part of their role to organisations. Human resource is a huge department for reasons as being a key planner in helping company’s employee performances. In this essay I will be exploring the different types of personnel management that is used, assessing the roles of human resourceRead MoreThe Importance Of Various Human Resource Functions1479 Words   |  6 Pagesof the Importance of Various Human Resource Functions As the baby boomers move into retirement, it is harder for organizations to find skilled professionals to fill their positions. In order to have an effective workforce, organizations are forced to offer a more robust compensation package to attract and maintain key employees. Due to this, over the last twenty years, human resource management (HRM) has become an essential part of the corporation’s growth and success. The human resource functions

I Am Active, An Aba Therapist - 858 Words

Disposition 1 Committed to lifelong learning Currently, I am emerging in this category. I firmly believe that in my field of early childhood special education it is critical to be constantly learning ourselves, in order to effectively teach the children we are working with. According to the rubric, a developed person in this category should: Demonstrate superior knowledge of subject matter, curriculum, and/or relevant professional practices. In addition, seeks ongoing understanding of current issues and trends in education field. In order to improve in this area, I will initiate discussions more often, read professional publications to gain knowledge of the autism field, and continue my coursework to become ABA certified. In my profession as an ABA therapist I find myself using these traits on a daily basis: communicate issues and problems clearly and comprehensively either verbally or in written format. In speaking with my supervisors at work; I am often complimented on my ability to accept feedback, whether (positive or negat ive) and apply it quickly to my therapy sessions. Disposition 2 Builds Collaborative Relationships Implementing home therapy for child with autism requires me a daily basis to utilize consistently strong active listening skills, use effective and correct verbal communication that enhances interactions with colleagues, students, and parents/guardians. Working with my fellow therapists allows me to use skills that help my team move forward byShow MoreRelatedBehavior Analysis Intervention for Austic Children Essay2665 Words   |  11 PagesApplied Behavioral Analysis is one of the most widely used interventions working with children that have autism. ABA intervention is bases of the behavioral therapy that was introduced by B.F.Skinner, a spokesperson for behavior, who had a high interest in the concept of reinforcement. Behavior therapy is used for treating many psychological disorders among various patients. Therapists that utilize behavior therapy approach concentrate on observable behavior, learn present causes of the behavior,Read MoreBehavioral Psychology And Neuropsychology A nd The Dimensional Systems Model2743 Words   |  11 PagesGermany Freed-Hardeman University â€Æ' Philosophy of Psychology Introduction As an occupational therapist, I hope to use a number of different psychological theories. The main perspective I will use is Behavior Psychology. Most of my therapy techniques will come from Skinner’s theory of operant condition. By using Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), I can help modify children’s behavior. The second perspective I will use is Neuropsychology. In treating autistic children, and other people with various disordersRead MoreGetting to Yes! Book Report Essay4520 Words   |  19 Pagesamore constructive deal between everyone involved. I will most likely use this method with an office mate that I seem to constantly be quarreling with. From my point of view, she does not hold her own in the office and many of her shortcomings are left to me to fix and adjust. From her perspective, it is none of my business how she performs her job as we are merely co-workers and no one from upper management has ever addressed her for the issue. I want her to work harder so my workload can be lighter

Why Kellogg Free Essays

Why have you elected to apply to the Kellogg School Executive MBA Program My ambition is to enhance my knowledge in global strategy, eEntrepreneurship, and marketing, and buildwhile building strong relationships with successful leaders and innovative thinkers worldwide. and I want truly wish to learn from the school that has been consistently ranked No. 1#1 in for Executive MBA programs due to for the quality of its faculty members, students and teaching methods. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Kellogg or any similar topic only for you Order Now Kellogg is my first choice because it uncompromisingly addresses real life aspects of business. The way the learning model is organized through (interactive means as study groups, analysis of actual real- life business cases, classes and workshops) provides the ideal learning environment for people those who may havewith an experience to share. At Kellogg, the emphasis is put on the team work. Curriculums, a perfect combination of theory and practice, are is updated with current techniques and technologies, and moreover, can receive inputs from studentsinput from students is welcome. I value the fact that Nnearly every single professor in Kellogg’s EMBA program is the author of the famous bookshas authored a book, among and they are all being a true pioneers in their field. The current EMBA curriculum emphasis on gGeneral mManagement and along with an excellent choiceexcellent options for of global electives (such as gGlobal initiatives in mManagement) will enhance my knowledge in global markets. All these things will help me formulateing an effective global sStrategy for the product development at SyncadaXXXXX. My long- term career goals and establishing my own in Ccompany in eE-commerce requires me to sell my ideas effectively to the prospective customers. Marketing, Kellogg’s best-known strength, will put me at aon a fast track to achieve my these goals. Kellogg’s worldwide nNetwork is huge and nearly one third of its alumni reside outside North America and I want exploit it one I wish to to build upon . I would like to and grow relationships with influential leaders across the world. Finally, the city of Chicago is a serious plus that will put me in the heart of one of the world’s business capital. The proximity to the Minneapolis is always plus for me to reduce my travel time to Kellogg. How to cite Why Kellogg, Papers

Orange juice vs sports drink free essay sample

I chose to research about which drink had the most electrolytes, sports drink or orange juice. Which has had me to do the orange juice vs. sports drink experiment. The reason why I aminterested in this topic is because for the long time I have loved the flavor of these drinks. But ever since I have been working out I’ve been wondering which drink is most beneficial when working out or participating in any physical activities that would get you tired. Because when I have to chose a work out drink I don’t know if I should choose my favorite juice that is orange juice or a recommended sports drink like Gatorade. So since that day I have been researching information on these two drinks to see which one has the most electrolytes. With this experiment I will be testing with each drink .And calculate the electrolytes in them and see which one has the most. We will write a custom essay sample on Orange juice vs sports drink or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page An electrolyte is a liquid or a gel that contain ions. â€Å"Electrolytes turn on all thought and motion, almost like a wall switch. They trigger all events like muscle action by controlling ion channels†(Edward Kane, 2010).Electrolytes have four minerals that include Sodium, (Na) Potassium, (K), Magnesium (Mg), and Calcium (Ca). Electrolytes help us by giving us an electrically-charge. Our brain uses it, so that they can send messages to others parts of our body so it can continue its function. And that’s very important because without it our nervous system, heart, and muscles won’t work properly. For example, when you exercise you lose electrolytes in your sweat. Or excessive vomiting, diarrhea and high fevers. Those electrolytes must be replaced to keep the electrolyte level of your body fluids normal. So that your body can work properly because if you have low levels of electrolytes you may get dizziness and muscles cramps or weakness. Some more serious things that can happen is irregular heartbeat, mental confusion, changes in your blood pressure, and seizures. To prevent that you have to keep hydrated and get drinks that have the electrolytes that you need. Sports drink is a good way to gain those electrolytes when you have lost them through sweat because that’s their main purpose. The electrolytes that are mainly provided in sports drink is sodium, potassium and magnesium. Athletes mostly drink these drinks because it expands their energy by having those electrolytes. â€Å"the vast majority of people, drinking such products could completely counteract exercising more, playing football more, going to the gym more(Matthew Thompson).Sports drink give you more energy than drinking a  high sugar soda. But If you are a small body person or a one that doesn’t sweet much, watch how much you are drinking. Because if you receive too much electrolytes and don’t have a good way to get rid of it, it can be bad having too much of it. Orange juice can also provide you with electrolytes. Orange is rich in potassium which is an important electrolyte. And has four main electrolytes that is Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, and Calcium, But is mainly known by having vitamin C. The vitamin C we get from orange juice protects our bodies from the harmful effects of free radicals that cause early aging, and helps us in getting the essential minerals like calcium. It also contains vitamins and minerals that are believed to have beneficial health effects. In the past, The Ancient Aztecs discovered the chia seeds. It’s one of the four main Aztec crops, it had been used by the Aztecs for thousands of years in central and south America. â€Å"Chia seed, a muscle and tissue builder and an energizer of endurance with extensive hydration properties, possesses none of the above disadvantage, and because if its physiochemical properties, supports effective treatment in immediate problems of digestion† (Mr. William (Bill) Anderson). The chia seeds can be eaten in their raw form or can be mix into your food like in your salads, water and sandwiches. Chia seeds can also be made into gel which you can use as oil. Many chia seeds where used as a staple food by the Indians of the south west and Mexico. The Indians of the south west would also eat a teaspoon full of chia seeds when going on a 24hr march. The Aztecs would also eat these chia seeds because it gave them energy to go on their long journeys. It was also known as the running food, because it uses high energy endurance food has been recorded as far back as the ancient Aztecs. It’s been said that he Aztec warriors subsisted on the Chia seeds during their conquests.

6 Gift Ideas for Teachers

6 Gift Ideas for Teachers Schools have different policies about teacher gifts. In some schools, the parents association collects money and buys each teacher a gift, while in other schools, parents can give what they wish to teachers, administrators or to other staff. Some schools provide guidelines for parents to follow, while others leave this completely up to the students and their families. While there are urban legends (some of them true) about parents providing teachers with lavish presents and, more commonly, providing  college guidance officers with expensive gifts throughout the year, it is generally more suitable for parents to buy teachers gifts either during the winter holidays, during National Teacher Appreciation Week (which takes place in early May)  or at the end of the school year. While some families pride themselves on finding the perfect gift that suits a teachers personality, others opt for homemade gifts or treats, while others look for gifts that help the teachers in the classroom. Looking for some inspiration? Check out these teacher gift ideas:   Gift Cards If youre not sure what your teacher needs or wants as a gift, opt for a gift card. General gift cards to places like Amazon.com or Barnes Noble can be perfect. If you know your teachers favorite coffee shop, grab a gift card to his or her favorite shop. Dont fret over the amount, either, its the thought that counts. Books and Materials for the Classroom While many private schools are fortunate enough to have well-stocked libraries, teachers often compile lists of the books, DVDs, programs, or technology that they need in their classrooms that go above and beyond the annual budget. It may be a good idea to start with your schools librarian when looking to buy a teacher a gift, as the librarian may keep a list of what the teacher needs, including not only titles that relate to the teachers curriculum but also magazine subscriptions or DVDs that can support their teaching; you can also give gifts to the library to thank the deserving librarians. A technology teacher can let you know if your childs teacher or the tech department have specific requests for their classrooms. Well-Loved Books You can never go wrong with an extra hard-copy edition of an inspirational book or one that the teacher uses in the classroom. If you are looking for titles, you can start with the ten most commonly read books in private high schools, which often appear on school reading lists.   Movies About Teachers and Schools There are a number of movies about private schools that make good teacher gifts, including The Dead Poets Society (1989), The Emperors Club (2002), and the classic Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939). Another great film about an English prep school is The History Boys (2006), based on a play by Alan Bennett. Its about a group of bright, outspoken boys at a provincial British high school who are coached to pass the written exams to get into Cambridge and Oxford by a set of eccentric faculty members. Though the movie takes place in Britain, the students and classroom discussions are similar to those at American private schools. Dessert and a Card Keep in mind that a cookie and a note go a long way. The best gifts I ever received as a teacher were thoughtful notes written by my students and their parents. I keep every single one of them, as do many of the teachers and faculty I know. One administrator I met even tacked every single thank-you note he had ever received to his bulletin board. He would look at these thoughtful notes on bad days. These notes are wonderful pick-me-ups and reminders to teachers why they do the hard work that they do all year. You can accompany the note with a coffee mug customized to the teachers interests (for example, featuring a writer or a mathematician), or you can use this baking website to make some cookies to go along with the note; nothing will be sweeter. Make a Donation to the School's Annual Fund This can be a great way for a family to show their appreciation for a teacher while benefitting the schools annual fund. Make a donation of any amount that you are able to make, and you can designate the gift to be in honor of one or more teachers. The development office will usually send a note to the teachers letting them know that a gift was made in their honor, but you can also send a note stating that youve done this simple act. Your gift to the Annual Fund will be put towards the general budget which benefits all aspects of the school, enhancing the experience for your child and his or her teachers.

How to Treat Complex Phrasal Adjectives

How to Treat Complex Phrasal Adjectives How to Treat Complex Phrasal Adjectives How to Treat Complex Phrasal Adjectives By Mark Nichol Numerous DailyWritingTips.com posts have addressed hyphenation of phrasal adjectives such as â€Å"long range† when they precede a noun, as in â€Å"long-range missile.† But what about when the phrasal adjective includes more than two words? As this post explains, it depends on the interrelationships of those words. The simplest multiword phrasal adjective to construct is one in which a phrase such as â€Å"all or nothing† modifies a noun- simply hyphenate the string of words: â€Å"all-or-nothing ultimatum.† This rule holds true no matter how long the string is, though at a certain point, the writer or editor may decide that it is of a cumbersome length, in which case omitting hyphens and enclosing the string in quotation marks to suggest that the phrasal adjective is spoken will render it more readable, or recasting the sentence may improve clarity. But what if two of the words are already an open or hyphenated compound- a standing phrase that appears in the dictionary as such- or is a proper noun? In either case, the solution is to replace the hyphens linking every word with an en dash (–) linking the compound to an additional word. (An en dash is a symbol usually seen in number ranges, as in â€Å"The room accommodates 25–50 people depending on seating arrangement† or â€Å"Jones lived 1911–1987.†) This usage is clear when employed with proper nouns, as in â€Å"San Francisco ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œbased company† (as opposed to the absurd alternative â€Å"San-Francisco-based company†), where based obviously relates to â€Å"San Francisco,† not just Francisco, but it is also used in such constructions as â€Å"open standards–based solutions,† where â€Å"open standards† is a well-known phrase. The risk in such usage is that readers will not recognize that the en dash is distinct from a hyphen and will (mis)understand the phrase to mean â€Å"standards-based solutions that are open.† This risk is exacerbated by the fact that the Associated Press Style Book, in its sometimes-misguided quest to simplify symbols, calls for a hyphen rather than an en dash in phrases like this, which could lead to such confusion. Another option is to use the hyphen-string approach in such phrases as â€Å"think-tank-inspired policies† (instead of â€Å"think tank–inspired policies†) or â€Å"soft-drink-soaked shirt† (rather than â€Å"soft drink–soaked shirt†), but better yet, try the more relaxed syntax presented, for example, in â€Å"policies inspired by think tanks† and â€Å"shirt soaked with a soft drink.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Types of Narrative ConflictLoan, Lend, Loaned, LentDealing With A Character's Internal Thoughts

Cultural Study Report Chinese Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cultural Study Report Chinese - Essay Example Intergroup competition and attitudes toward immigrants and immigration: An instrumental model of group conflict. Journal of Social Issues, 54(4), 699-724. Florack, A,, Piontkowski, U., Bohman, A,, Balzer, T., & Perzig, S. (2003). Perceived intergroup threat and attitudes of host community members toward immigrant acculturation. Journal of Social Psychology, 143(5), 633-648. Gudykunst, W.B., & Matsumoto, Y. (1 996). Cross-cultural variability of communication in personal relationships. In W.B. Gudykunst, S. Ting-Toomey, and T. Nishida, (Eds.), Communication in personal relationships across cultures (pp. 19-56). Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage. Hinkle, S., & Brown, R. (1990). lntergroup comparisons and social identity: Some links and lacunae. In D. Abrams & M.A. Hogg (Eds.), Social identity theory: Constructive and critical advances (pp. 48-70). New York: Harvester/ Wheatsheaf. Hofstede, G. (1998). The cultural construction of gender. In G. Hofstede (Ed.), Masculinity and femininity: The taboo dimension of national cultures: Crosscultural psychologyVo1. 3 (pp. 77-105). Thousand Oaks, CA, US: SAGE. Hofstede, G. (1998b). Comparative studies of sexual behavior: Sex as achievement or as relationship In G. Hofstede (Ed.) Masculinity and femininity: The taboo dimension of national cultures: Cross-cultural psychology Vol. 3 (pp. 153-1 78). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Hofstede, G. (1 998c). Religion, masculinity and sex. In G. ... Hofstede, G. (1983). National cultures revisited. Behavior Science Research, 18(4), 285-305. Hofstede, G. (1996). Gender stereotypes and partner preferences of Asian women in masculine and feminine cultures. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 27(5), 533-546. Hofstede, G. (1998). The cultural construction of gender. In G. Hofstede (Ed.), Masculinity and femininity: The taboo dimension of national cultures: Crosscultural psychologyVo1. 3 (pp. 77-105). Thousand Oaks, CA, US: SAGE. Hofstede, G. (1998b). Comparative studies of sexual behavior: Sex as achievement or as relationship In G. Hofstede (Ed.) Masculinity and femininity: The taboo dimension of national cultures: Cross-cultural psychology Vol. 3 (pp. 153-1 78). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Hofstede, G. (1 998c). Religion, masculinity and sex. In G. Hofstede (Ed.) Masculinity and femininity: The taboo dimension of national cultures: Crosscultural psychology Vol. 3 (pp. 192-209). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Hofstede, G. H. (2001). Culture's consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations (2nd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Hofstede, G. (2002). The pitfalls of cross-national survey research: A reply to the article by Spector et al. on the psychometric properties of the Hofstede Values Survey Module 1994. Applied Psychology: An International Review, Special Issue: Challenges of applied psychology for the 3rd Millennium, 51(1), 170-173. Triandis, H. C., Bontempo, R., Villareal, M.J., Asai, M., & Lucca, N. (1988). Individualism and collectivism: Cross-cultural perspectives on self-ingroup relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 323-338. Triandis, H. C., Leung, K., Villareal, V.M., & Clark, F.L. (1985). Allocentric versus idiocentric tendencies:

Anti-colonial Nationalism in British India Essay

Anti-colonial Nationalism in British India - Essay Example Gandhi became famous in the world for fighting for independence in India from the British colonialists in the early 20th century. The emergence of the communal consciousness between the Muslims and the Hindus was as a result of the British colonial rule, particularly the colonial legislation and administrative division of Indians into religious classes. During the colonial period, communalism and separatism were restricted only to certain regions and groups. Politics of the Indian National Congress, anti colonial nationalists’ parties, the Muslim League and the British legislation brought about the thought that the interests of the Muslim community were different from those of the Hindu community in India (Khan 234). The anti colonial struggle in India took place in three different stages, which is the proto-nationalism stage as the first stage, the rise of new leadership as the second stage and finally mass movement as the third stage. Proto-nationalism is the earliest period of anti-colonial struggle in British India. The local people did not have any knowledge about their rights and their independence during this era. The local people accepted the colonial rule of the British during this period. However, political movements and social groups demanded reforms within the British colonial rule system. When the National Congress of India was established in 1885, it was not anti British colonial rule because it believed that the British colonialists had some sense of justice and fair play in their ruling (Guha 102). The rise of new leadership in India was regarded as the second stage of anti colonial struggle. New patriotic and dedicated leaders in India took control of the movements. During this stage, leaders such as Gokhale, Mahatma Gandhi, Lala Lajpat Rai, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and Maulana Azad emerged (Guha 78). The third and final stage of anti colonial struggle in British India was mass movements. These national movements dominated in India in that the British colonialists were forced to use brutal force in order to maintain their power. The movements took their information to the locals in remote areas of India under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. This final stage started with civil disobedience movements whose main aim was to sensitive the locals to disobey some of the rules of the British colonialists that were unjust. The British colonialists in turn arrested the leaders of the movements sending them to jail (Guha 34). With the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, peaceful non-violent struggles were adopted as a method of anti colonial struggle. National Congress of India was established in 1885 as a platform for the educated Indians to express their aspirations and was generally received by the British. The Congress later became anti British. Among the leaders of the Congress included Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Surendra Nath Banerjee who sought for reforms that would allow some Indians to participate in the Legislativ e Councils but after approximately two decades, it became anti British. The main objective of the Congress was the defeat of the British raj. In India, the freedom movement was split into two factions, that is, a less militant faction and a more militant faction. The less militant faction was represented by Gokhale and later by Mahatma Gandhi whose main

Do violent video games contribute to youth violence Research Paper

Do violent video games contribute to youth violence - Research Paper Example The environment plays a significant role in changing  the character of a person. What person practices severally in his or her life becomes a lifestyle that they have to live with (Cooper and Zimmerman (1). An investigation was conducted to establish a relationship between playing violence video games and the violent behavior among the youths. The study involved 161 children between the age of nine and twelve years, and 354 college scholars (Cheryl 1). The participants were picked randomly to take part in either nonviolent or violent video games. All the participants were involved in another computer game in which they were allowed to decide the punishment to be administered to the player participating in that game. The researchers gathered the details of the participants regarding their previous violence behavior. From the result of the study, it was observed that those who engaged in violent video games exhibited some form of violence behavior. The participants who were involved in any of the violent game chose tougher punishment for their opponent compared to those who played nonviolent games. Therefore, from the analysis of the study the researchers came to the conclusion that violence video games influence the youth to engage in violent behavior. The violent video games influence the characters of the participants. Playing video games engages someone’s mind and becomes biased towards a certain character in the game. The players of violence video games tend to identify with particular characters and assumes same visual standpoint (Cheryl 1). When players identify with violent characters they are likely to develop violent behavior. The players develop feelings of hunger, aggressiveness, short temper and their emotions are easily aroused. Furthermore, the players are rewarded as they move to a higher level and it occurs after subduing the enemies. The habit of rewarding players who have managed to defeat

How Colour Symbolism in Animation Affects the Viewer

How Colour Symbolism in Animation Affects the Viewer The impact on people of colour symbolism in animation Animation movies present an unusual set of challenges and questions to academics examining films from a cognitive perspective. When the boundaries of the real world do not exist like do in live action movies, the film maker is challenged to create the complete narrative space of scratch. How do animators succeed this seemingly enormous task? This question certainly precedes making film life and space in visual art has been a subject of deep study by artists, photographers, historians and psychologists alike. While the intention may be to create a highly realistic visual space, the option given to visual artists and animators  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   is to abandon principle of realism in favour of another different perspective on the visual reality. Animation alone can bring to life inanimate objects, challenge and defy laws of physics, and create visual effects beyond the bounds of possibility in live action film.Animation and colour have evolved since their respective beginning. Colour has been both an obvious challenge as well as a field for exploration for animators throughout the animation history. Scientific discoveries in aspect to the perception of colour also influenced its use in art and animation, making colour an ideal goal for further exploration in a psychological context. In this chapter three questions will be posed and answered. First, what is colour exactly and how is it defined? And second, how has colour been used by animators through the history of animated film? Finally, how does our cognitive sense of colour shape the viewers cognitive sense of a film? The final question will focus on a specific population of animated movies (animated movies adapted for children), and how the use of colour in these films strategically differs from other types of films. WHAT IS COLOR? Color is a concept that philosophers, artists, and scientists have historically spent a great deal of time exploring and quantifying. Physiologically, our perception of color results from varying wavelengths of light being reflected onto the retina, which in turn are processed by cells called photoreceptors. The relative responses to light spectra by these cells are what generate our ability to see and distinguish between colors. Anomalies in photoreceptor cells can cause deficits in the ability of an individual to see color, though in some unique circumstances, these anomalies allow individuals to more finely discriminate between colors (Neitz, Kraft, Neitz, 1998; Jordan Mollon, 1992; Nagy, MacLeod, Heyneman, Eisner, 1981). 2 Quantifying Color. Attempts to categorize color vastly predate our understanding of the physiology of the eye, but Isaac Newtons Opticks (1704) is pivotal in its introduction of his color wheel for understanding color theory2. The ordering of the colors around his color circle (and in subsequent iterations by other color theorists) is based on the order in which the colors are refracted out from the prism, uniting violet and red to close the radial axis (see Figure 1). Thus the ordering of the colors on the color wheel is not arbitrary, but based in the physics of light. Newton also introduced the notions of primary and secondary colors, and notes that opponent colors on the color wheel combine to create a neutral light color3. Despite that it has evolved over time and exists in varying forms, the color wheel continues to play an important part in both the artistic and psychological understanding of color. Notably, it is useful for defining several metrics of color, namely hue and saturation. Hue refers generally to named colors, and corresponds to the sectors of color into which color wheels are typically divided. Examples of hue-based descriptions include blue-green, red, and pink. Saturation is another important color variable, and generally refers to how bright or potent a color is. Pastel colors (which are closer to the center of the color circle) are relatively unsaturated. Very saturated colors (which are referred to as bright red or bold blue, for example) lie along the outer edges of the color circle. Luminance is another variable important for discussing color. Luminance refers to how light or dark something is; when discussing color in particular, it refers to how much black is contained within a particular color. Unlike hue and saturation, luminance can be independent of color; in other words, black-and-white images contain no hue or saturation information but do contain luminance information. Because luminance is not a variable unique to color stimuli, it is not represented on the color wheel4, but nonetheless it is an important variable when discussing color. These terms, including how they are mathematically quantified, will be revisited later with data. The color wheel is not the only color quantification system to define colors using the metrics of hue, saturation, and luminance. One of the most noted color-classification systems, and the one still most reliably used in psychophysiological testing, was originally developed by Albert Munsell, and also uses these color parameters5. Munsell compiled and organized a tremendous set of finely-grained discrete colors now known as Munsell colors or Munsell chips (Munsell, 1912; Munsell, 1919). One important component of the Munsell color system is that it emphasizes that color perception is dependent on the physiology of the human eye. For example, humans can more identify many more discrete levels of yellow than blue at high values, whereas the reverse is true at low values. In other words, one can argue more light yellows exist than dark yellows, whereas color wheel representations suggest that all color values exist equally in our visual environment. While the study of how we physiologically perceive color is important, perhaps more critical in studying art and film from a cognitive perspective is the question of how we psychologically respond to color. Our preferences for and biases toward particular colors have the potential to influence how we respond cognitively and emotionally to art. Color Preferences. Artists across visual domains recognize how the use of color affects viewers perception of their work. Deliberate and comprehensive choices regarding the use of color permeate all types of visual art, including intentional choices to omit color from 3 artwork6. Unsurprisingly, people tend to have strong predelictions for particular colors. While it might intuitively seem like individuals each have their own color preferences that are unique, the psychological research on color preferences reveals a surprising amount of concordance across people in terms of color preferences. In terms of specific colors, research has consistently demonstrated a cross-gender and cross-cultural preference for blue hues above other hues (Eysenck, 1941; Granger, 1952; McManus, Jones, Cottrell, 1981; Komar Melamid, 1997). People also tend to consistently rate yellow and brown hues as being least pleasant, especially in their darker forms (Palmer Schloss, 2010). Biases across populations are not limited to hue; people consistently tend to favor colors in more saturated forms as opposed to more washed-out or pastel counterparts of the same hue (Granger, 1952). Naturally, the consistency in color preference drove psychologists to posit theories on how color preference develops. Some have proposed that color preference is an innate artifact of human evolutionary history, which developed to facilitate our early survival in hunter-gatherer societies (Hulbert Ling, 2007). While some biological evidence supports this idea, if color preferences are present at birth, infants and adults should show similar color preferences, when in fact they do not. Data collected from infants and young children suggest that color preferences change over time, and that while children eventually match adults on their color preferences later, they are not born with those preferences. Infants tend to prefer colors that adults classify as unpleasant, namely dark yellows, yellow-greens and reds (Adams, 1987). Children also have a preference for very high saturation that gradually diminishes to match the adult preference level for saturation (Child, Hansen, Hornbeck, 1968). Since preferences for color dimensions seem to be dynamic over the lifespan, it is unlikely that color preferences are built-in. This is not to say that color preference is purely nonfunctional; in fact, the ecological valence theory of color preference suggests that the early associations humans build with colored objects facilitate their color preferences (Palmer Schloss, 2010). For example, our early preference for dark yellows in infancy may come from consistent positive exposure to caregiver skin tones and hair color; it is only later that we learn the association between dark yellows and rotten food or excrement, at which point this preference changes direction. Conversely, as we increase our exposure to stimuli like clean water and fresh food, our preferences for blues and slightly-saturated hues begins to dominate color preferences. Yet another theory, which is particularly relevant for the use of color in an art space, is that we learn strong associations between emotion and color, and color can consequently be used to evoke particular states of emotion. Specific colors have been shown to correlate with arousal (Valdez Mehrabian, 1994) and scales of emotional valence (Kaya Epps, 2004; for a detailed review on color-emotion literature, see also Steinvall, 2007). This theory is not necessarily at odds with other theories on color preference; in fact, it may simply supplement the idea that gaining positive associations with a color increases our preference for that color, which is an assumption that guides most current theories on color preference. 4 The question that remains from our understanding of color preference is whether or not art mimics life; in other words, how do animated filmmakers instill color in an artificial world, and do filmmakers exploit our color preferences in order to make their films more engaging? HOW IS COLOR USED IN ANIMATION? Color is arguably one of the most salient features of even the earliest animated films. This is not to imply, however, that the techniques involved in creating an animated space with dynamic color is a simple process. In fact, some of the biggest obstacles in moving animation forward as an art form arose from the complications of colorization. Cel Animation. Often referred to as traditional animation, the cel animation approach dominated the animated film landscape from very early in films history to the relatively recent advent of computer animation. Cel animated films composite a meticulously painted background layer with transparent celluloid (or cel) layer containing foreground information. Each layer carries with it important implications for how color is ultimately represented and rendered in the final film. The background layer, while usually created first, must work reciprocally with the cel layers in order for the colors to appear natural together and for the layers to appear integrated. The overuse of color, in particular colors that are heavily saturated, tends to overwhelm cel forms placed overtop the background; instead, the background ideally consists of more muted colors to complement the component cel forms. This led to the Disney animated film signature watercolor effect of its background layers (Thomas Johnson, 1995). The cel layer presents significantly more challenges where color is involved, and these challenges were originally addressed by Disneys larger-budget animation studios. The physical properties of celluloid itself have implications for color; the thicker the cel, the darker the resulting colors layered onto the cel layer (Thomas Johnson, 1995). Thus, paint color had to be balanced in such a way that the resulting cel painting did not clash with the watercolor appearance of the background layer. Colors high in saturation were often difficult to achieve because they also ultimately darkened when photographed from the cel. Disneys animators found that muted colors in the cel layer often were the best complement for a variety of background layers. When designing a character or a cel-layer object, animators were often limited by the expense of cel paint colors, and thus character design was in a sense limited by color. Adding to this complication, cel artists and color keys also had to adjust the color palettes of characters depending on the implied lighting of a background, to avoid a character looking overly-red or overly-saturated in a nighttime scene, for example (Thomas Johnson, 1995). Color in the cel layer also contained some complications for maintaining realism in the animated scene. For example, outlining characters in black often made their appearance visually heavier and detracted from their integration with the background layer. Disney first introduced colored inking to replace universal blank inking, and colored inking was also integrated with cel Xeroxing technology as that emerged (Thomas Johnson, 1995). Another color problem dealt with creating depth in the cel layer: textures in hair and fur could be created via airbrushing and drybrushing, but this created a flicker effect when the individual cels were captured in sequence. 5 Animators ultimately decided this depth was worth a certain small-scale amount of flicker tradeoff (Thomas Johnson, 1995). Computer Animation. The cel approach dominated animated films for decades, and the interest in streamlining the cel animation process led to the initial involvement of computers in animation. The first film to be digitally composited was Disneys 1990 film The Rescuers Down Under (Prince, 2012). Computer involvement in animation was also prioritized as a means of film restoration and improving film resolution; that same year, digital paint techniques allowed Disney to fix flaws in the original print of Fantasia for reissue, and in 1993, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was completely restored to create a higher-resolution version of the film (Bordwell, 2012). Computer-based coloring was particularly valuable because it generated more freedom to alter independent components of an image. Prior to computer involvement, color correction had to be done on a whole-frame basis; the process of digitally compositing and altering films meant that color-correction could be done on an individual object or character without the need to alter the entire frame image (Prince, 2012). The involvement of computers in animation continued to grow as the technology became more inexpensive and accessible, and animators experimented with new computer-based techniques for animating (such as crowd-generation in Mulan(1998))7. By the mid-90s, the vast majority of cel animated films employed computers to streamline the once-arduous tasks involved in hand-animating films, including colorization. Because animators no longer had to rely on physical paint or hand-calibrate background and cel layers, the colorization and texturization processes became much easier, and artists in turn were able to work with more degrees of freedom in their animating. The revolution in computer animation began with the first fully computer-based animated film, Toy Story (1995). Moving from a two-dimensional animation space into a threedimensional, digitally-constructed environment had a huge initial investment cost (both in labor and finance), but ultimately gave the animated filmmaker a great deal of flexibility in constructing visual narratives (for a review, see Lasseter, 1987). Constructing and coloring a 3D environment and set of characters involves a great deal of initial time and planning, but the ultimate outcome is a greater degree of control in colorization, in which every individual element in the digital landscape can be fine-tuned in color space. Film Stock. One important caveat worth noting when discussing animation is that the color of the final product is always affected by the film stock. Even in contemporary computer animation, where color design can be done on a very fine-grained scale, the final film is ultimately rendered onto film stock. The choice of film stock, as evidenced especially by the changes in stock availability and popularity over time, as well as advances in stock quality, renders color variably (Bordwell Thompson, 2004). Technicolor film stock was popular with early Disney animated films, which exacerbated complications with cel painting by rendering colors heavy in midtones. This forced animators and color keys8 into a particular spectrum of colors when painting in order to achieve the desired final look on the Technicolor film stock (Thomas Johnson, 1995). Even in modern animated films, the change between the cel or computer and the film stock accounts for some variability in coloring of the final product. Indeed, this is not even the last step in color variance: the original camera negative is almost 6 always different from the colors displayed in theaters, on home televisions, or on computer screens (Prince, 2012). Some of this variance can potentially be put to rest with the increasing number of films being distributed as Digital Cinema Packages (rather than in 35mm form), but it persists as a problem for those interested in studying pinpointing color in film scientifically (Bordwell, 2012). It is clear that artists have more freedom with color in animated films. Before digital technology, live action films were confined by the natural color of objects in a scene as well as by the limited amount of post-production work available to alter color (Prince, 2012). However, from animations inception, animators have been able to select a wide range of colors to best suit their needs, despite some of the early cost and technical constraints. The introduction of computer animation allows for the greatest amount of freedom in color control, putting the entire digital color environment under the direction of the artistic team. The precise control of color in this setting not only has artistic consequences, but also important implications for how films can evoke particular psychological responses from its viewers. The rest of this chapter will examine work revolving around the use of color for a particular audience of animated viewers: specifically, how filmmakers use color in animated films intended for children. CHILDRENS ANIMATED FILMS: ARE THERE DIFFERENCES IN COLOR USE? In the introduction to her book A Reader in Animation Studies, Jayne Pilling (1997) discusses how Disney, as the first company to invest heavily in animated features, eventually became the model for animated films and subsequently marginalized animation into an art form somehow intrinsically only appropriate for entertaining children (xi). Indeed, it appears that the Disney model caused an aggressive bifurcation in the animated feature world, with heavy emphasis being placed on the creation of child-oriented animated films, and a smaller contingent of artists attempting to legitimize animation as an art form appealing to adults. While Pilling is correct in that the latter set of films is certainly underrepresented in the film studies literature, child-oriented animated features have a particular appeal for being studied from a cognitive perspective. Filmmakers in this animation subset face a specific challenge in trying to engage children in their visual narrative; there is ample evidence that the cognitive and attentional capacities of children differ from those of adults considerably, so what changes must the director of a childrens animated film make in order to captivate this unique audience? One potential shift to accommodate this audience appears to take place in colorization of these films. In order to study the physical properties (including color) of childrens films, we assembled a sample9 of G-rated childrens films made between 1985 and 2008 (Brunick, DeLong, Cutting, 2012; Brunick Cutting, in prep). Films in the sample were the highestgrossing G-rated theatrical films from each year in the range and also included some direct-tovideo films10. The sample included live-action, cel animated and computer animated films geared to a variety of ages11. We considered our entire sample of childrens films for our original analyses; for the purposes of this chapter, only the animated films (both cel and computer) will be discussed. This sample is contrasted with a subsample of adult-geared, non-animated films 7 from the same time period (see the 1985 through 2005 films from Cutting, DeLong, Nothelfer, 2010). The following sections will (1) discuss how the color parameter in question was mathematically quantified and (2) discuss the trends in the color parameter for the child- and adult-directed samples. Saturation. As discussed earlier, saturation refers to the brightness or boldness of a color. Saturation radiates outward from the center of the color circle: the center of the circle is white, with no saturation, while the edges of the circle represent fully-saturated forms of a particular hue. However, when analyzing color digitally, saturation is typically not discussed in terms of a color wheel, but instead in terms of a digital color space known as the HSV cone. This space is named for its dimensions: hue, saturation, and value. Value is roughly equivalent to luminance, and this space is essentially constructed by adding this variable to the color wheel (see Figure 2). The base of the HSV cone is a color wheel, and the height of the cone represents value. As value decreases (as the colors become darker), colors are limited in their saturation. Saturation is generally quantified on a scale from 0 (white, no saturation) to 1 (fully saturated). Saturation levels for each pixel in a frame were digitally computed. The median saturation level for all the pixels in each frame was computed, and an average of the frames was obtained for the entire film. Within the childrens film sample, we found that cel animated films use significantly more saturated colors than computer-generated animated films, independent of the year that the films were made. Both live-action childrens films and the matched sample of adult-geared films have been increasing in saturation over time; in other words, newer films are more prone to be more saturated than older films. However, even with this trend, the live-action childrens films and adult-directed films are dramatically less saturated than their animated counterparts. This finding is both interesting and unsurprising for the same reason: the saturation levels in childrens films likely reflect young childrens preference for bright colors. However, it is unlikely that filmmakers are consciously making these choices based on the psychological literature; filmmakers instead are likely intuiting this preference, perhaps based on their own conceptions of how children respond to film or other parts of their visual environment. Regardless of the basis of this intuition, it is important to note that the saturation trends in the films appear to match the scientifically-established preferences of the target audience. Luminance. Though it can be measured independently of color, luminance plays an important part in color space and ultimately how a color is perceived on-screen. To assess luminance, color was digitally removed from the film using a standard digital grayscale conversion. Each pixels luminance value is computed, with values ranging from 0 (pure black) to 255 (pure white). The mean of the pixels in a frame were averaged to create the mean luminance for that frame, and the frames were subsequently averages to create whole-film lumimance. The trend in Hollywood films for adult audiences is a decrease in luminance; in other words, films have steadily been getting darker throughout the studied period, which has implications for directing eye-gaze and attention of the viewer during the film (Cutting, Brunick, DeLong, Iricinschi, Candan, 2011; Smith, 2012). Animated films for children, conversely, maintain a steady level of brightness independent of year, the target age of the film, or what type of animation (cel or computer) was used. While one could argue that consistent brightness is a 8 possible artifact of representing particular colors in animation, childrens live action films are actually increasing in brightness over this period; this evidence instead supports an interpretation that the intended audience is driving the brightness level, not simply that animated films are generally brighter. Another question posed by these findings is the potential interaction between saturation and luminance. As demonstrated by the HSV cone, colors with lower values are limited in their saturation. Is it then possible that childrens films are more saturated only because they are brighter? Or, perhaps, does the inclination of filmmakers to use saturated colors in childrens films necessitate a certain luminance level? While this is certainly possible, it is unlikely that the luminance findings are purely an artifact of the saturation levels, or vice versa. If this were the case, one would expect the trends in both the childrens films and adult-directed films to be complementary; in other words, both luminance and saturation should be increasing or decreasing together in the samples. This is not what we find. In the childrens sample, saturation levels hold steadily across time, while these films have increased in brightness over the same period. Even more importantly, adult-geared films have gotten considerably darker, but have also become steadily more saturated, not less. This evidence suggests that while luminance and saturation have a reciprocal relationship, and while some of the variance in one accounts for variance in the other, the findings reported here on the two metrics are largely independent. Hue. As discussed earlier, hue generally refers to named colors. In both the color wheel and in the HSV cone, hue is represented around the radial edge. One major problem with this representation of hue is that it is based in circular geometry, which makes mathematically quantifying and comparing hues difficult and unintuitive. Fully isolating luminance from hue in the HSV color space is also problematic; an ideal space for considering hue would allow for a full spectrum of colors to be represented (1) in a more convenient mathematical space and (2) independent of luminance. Accordingly, we considered hue using the YCbCr color space, which meets these important criteria. This color space takes the form of a rectangular prism on a diagonal axis (see Figure 3). This color space is also named for its axes in the space: Y (on the vertical axis) refers to luminance, while Cb and Cr refer respectively to chrominance-red and chrominance-blue. The chrominance axes plot complementary colors from the color wheel (red-green and blue-yellow, respectively) on opposite rectangular planes of the prism. The distinct advantage of YCbCr is having luminance on its own axis; in this way, one could take a square slice through the prism to get a square containing all colors at an isoluminant level. Rather than examining whole-film hue, which is nearly impossible without reducing hue on arbitrary dimensions, our research has examined the hue of particular characters in childrens films. We asked independent coders to view childrens animated films in grayscale, and to identify unambiguous protagonists and antagonists in the film. Frames containing these characters were selected, and the characters themselves were extracted from their background. The dominant hue of the protagonists and antagonists were plotted on an isoluminant slice of YCbCr color space. The analyses showed that protagonists, defined as unquestionably positive and morally-right characters, contained more blue and green hues. Antagonists, conversely, contained more red and yellow hues (Brunick, DeLong, Cutting, 2012). Unlike saturation, 9 where films mimic the preferences found in children, this analysis shows that the use of hue in childrens films coincides with adult hue preferences. If childrens preferences were being exploited, good characters would likely contain more child-preferred hues, such as red and yellow, when in reality precisely the opposite occurs. It is unclear why this trend is present, and certainly merits further analysis. One possible explanation is that the shift in hue preferences supposedly occurs earlier than the shift in saturation preferences; adults may not be as aware of the hue preference in children because it shifts earlier, and thus adults and filmmakers have less exposure to this cognitive facet of child color preference. The implications for studying childrens animated films, and childrens films in general, are vast. Researchers not only are able to gain insight into childrens cognitive capacities and preferences, but they can also observe the early reciprocal relationship between filmmaker and viewer. While films for adults are mostly classified as art or entertainment, film in a childs world also serves as an important tool for learning. Facilitating early learning from visual stimuli is a major goal of both psychology and education researchers, and childrens films c

French and British Colonialism and Imperialism in Africa Essay examples

French and British Colonialism and Imperialism in Africa Africa is home to countless cultures that all have their own unique ideas and customs. During the past couple of centuries, these cultures were threatened to the point where they almost ceased to exist. The Berlin Conference was a very important occurrence in Africa and Europe's history. It legitimized what the European powers, mainly France and Britain, had been doing for the past hundred years, without the approval of any African country. During the late nineteenth century, France and Britain began imperialistic ventures into Africa, which eventually led Leopold II to conquer the Congo. It was Leopold's II presence in Africa that to led the Berlin Conference. The Berlin Conference took place first and foremost to legitimize what was already taking place in Africa (Berlin). Africa had recently experienced the European countries' greed. The British and the French, along with a few other European nations, had started to carve up Africa however they pleased. By 1880, about half of the coastal countries saw some type of European presence (Wessling cover). The French began to take control of Algeria and parts of Gabon and Senegal. The British occupied much of Southern Africa and parts of the western coast. Until 1884, no one could encroach upon inner Africa. Before this, the imposing countries had mainly concentrated on the coasts. By 1884 there was road connecting the Congo River to the coast, and the remaining European powers wanted in a piece of the action. The disagreements that resulted from this sudden urge to conquer Africa were what made the Berlin Conference so important (Part IV). Many reasons beyond the obvious also existed. The Berlin Conference was ... ... to an African nation. Works Cited Bennett, Norman. Africa and Europe: From Roman Times to National Independence. New York: Africana Publishing Co, 1984. "Berlin, Conference of." Vers. 3. 1994. The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 5 Mar. 2000 <http://www.encyclopeida.com>. "Bismarck, Otto Von." Vers. 3. 1994. The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia.  Ã‚   5 Mar. 2000 <http://www.encyclopeida.com/>. Hugon, Anne. The Exploration of Africa: from Cairo to the Cape. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1991.   Ã‚  Ã‚   "Part IV Anti-Colonialism & Reconstruction." 5 Mar. 2000 <http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/timelines/htimeline4.htm>. Sempell, Charlotte. Otto Von Bismarck.New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc, 1972. Wessling, H. H., Divide and Rule: The Partition of Africa, 1880-1914. Westport: Praeger, 1991. French and British Colonialism and Imperialism in Africa Essay examples French and British Colonialism and Imperialism in Africa Africa is home to countless cultures that all have their own unique ideas and customs. During the past couple of centuries, these cultures were threatened to the point where they almost ceased to exist. The Berlin Conference was a very important occurrence in Africa and Europe's history. It legitimized what the European powers, mainly France and Britain, had been doing for the past hundred years, without the approval of any African country. During the late nineteenth century, France and Britain began imperialistic ventures into Africa, which eventually led Leopold II to conquer the Congo. It was Leopold's II presence in Africa that to led the Berlin Conference. The Berlin Conference took place first and foremost to legitimize what was already taking place in Africa (Berlin). Africa had recently experienced the European countries' greed. The British and the French, along with a few other European nations, had started to carve up Africa however they pleased. By 1880, about half of the coastal countries saw some type of European presence (Wessling cover). The French began to take control of Algeria and parts of Gabon and Senegal. The British occupied much of Southern Africa and parts of the western coast. Until 1884, no one could encroach upon inner Africa. Before this, the imposing countries had mainly concentrated on the coasts. By 1884 there was road connecting the Congo River to the coast, and the remaining European powers wanted in a piece of the action. The disagreements that resulted from this sudden urge to conquer Africa were what made the Berlin Conference so important (Part IV). Many reasons beyond the obvious also existed. The Berlin Conference was ... ... to an African nation. Works Cited Bennett, Norman. Africa and Europe: From Roman Times to National Independence. New York: Africana Publishing Co, 1984. "Berlin, Conference of." Vers. 3. 1994. The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 5 Mar. 2000 <http://www.encyclopeida.com>. "Bismarck, Otto Von." Vers. 3. 1994. The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia.  Ã‚   5 Mar. 2000 <http://www.encyclopeida.com/>. Hugon, Anne. The Exploration of Africa: from Cairo to the Cape. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1991.   Ã‚  Ã‚   "Part IV Anti-Colonialism & Reconstruction." 5 Mar. 2000 <http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/timelines/htimeline4.htm>. Sempell, Charlotte. Otto Von Bismarck.New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc, 1972. Wessling, H. H., Divide and Rule: The Partition of Africa, 1880-1914. Westport: Praeger, 1991.

Legal Memorandum of the case of Griswold v. Connecticut

The appellants in this case are Griswold, the Executive Director of the Planned Parenthood League of Connecticut, and Buxton, the Medical Director of the Planned Parenthood League in New Haven.   They were charged of violating a Connecticut statute for giving information, instruction, and medical advice to married couple as means of preventing conception. Sec 53-32 of the Connecticut Statute states that : â€Å"Any person who uses any drug, medicinal article or instrument for the purpose of preventing conception shall be fined not less than fifty dollars or imprisoned not less than sixty days nor more than one year or be both fined and imprisoned.†Ã‚   Section 54-196 provides that â€Å"Any person who assists, abets, counsels, causes, hires or commands another to commit any offense may be prosecuted and punished as if he were the principal offender.† The appellants were found guilty as accessories for violating the said statute and fined $100 each.   They filed their appeal and argued that the said statute violated the Fourteenth Amendment.   The Appellate Division of the Circuit Court affirmed the judgment of the lower court. Issue: Whether the Connecticut statute forbidding use of contraceptives violates the right of privacy which is protected by the Bill of Rights Decision: The Supreme Court ruled that the subject Connecticut statute forbidding the use of contraceptive violates the right to marital privacy.   It is unconstitutional. Analysis: This is not the first time the Connecticut statute has been the subject of a controversy.   In the earlier case of Tileston v. Ullman 318 U.S. 44 (1943) the Supreme Court did not have the opportunity to rule the constitutionality of the said statute.   In this case, a doctor challenged the statute on the grounds that a ban on contraception may in certain situations threaten the lives and well-being of her patients. He argued that the statute would prevent his giving professional advice concerning the use of contraceptives to three patients whose condition of health was such that their lives may be endangered by child-bearing.   The Supreme Court declined to rule on this issue but dismissed the case on the ground that the plaintiff lacked the standing to litigate the constitutional question This is the first time that the Supreme Court will rule on the constitutionality of the statute.   According to the Supreme Court, though the US Constitution and the Bill of rights does not explicitly mention some rights, such as right of the people to meet and associate, or the right of the parent to educate a child in a school of their choice, or the right to study any particular subject or foreign language, the First Amendment has been construed to provide protection to these rights. Among these cases are: the Pierce v. Society of Sisters which affirmed the right of the parents to send their children to any school of their choice under the First and Fourteenth Amendment; the Meyer v. Nebraska case which affirmed the right of the students to study German language in a private school; the NAACP v. Alabama which protected the freedom to associate and affirmed a person’s privacy in one’s own association. These cases strongly indicate that the Bill of Rights have penumbras which emanate from the specific provisions of the US Constitution and its amendments.   These extended guarantees give flesh and blood to the various protections under the US Constitution without which the guarantees under it will merely be a useless formality.   Indeed, the various guarantees create zones of privacy. The relationship between spouses and their choice to procreate lie within the zone of privacy protected by the Fourteenth Amendment.   The statute should therefore be struck down as unconstitutional. It is a well-settled principle that though the state may control or prevent activities that are subject to its regulation, it cannot exercise its power so broadly as to invade the areas protected by the constitution. The objective of the statute is laudable but means for its accomplishment seriously violates the right to privacy of the married individuals.   The objective of the statute could be accomplished by other means such as regulating of the manufacture, sale of the contraceptives. If the Supreme Court were to uphold the constitutionality of this statute, it is as if we are tolerating the law enforcement officers to search the sacred precincts of the marital bedrooms simply for the purpose of finding out if they are indeed using contraceptives.. Conclusion: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the trial court and the appellate court.   It also invalidated a Connecticut statute for invading the privacy of married couples.   Although the constitution does not explicitly mention the right to privacy of the citizens, this right is found in the penumbras of the other constitutional protections. This case is considered as a landmark decision in the sense that it established a basic sphere of personal privacy to which all people are entitled.   (Decision: Griswold v. Connecticut (1965))   It confirmed that marriage couples do have the right to privacy.   With this decision, our country took a giant leap forward finally recognizing the right of individuals to make their most private decision on planning their families, deciding the number and spacing of children.   (Elizabeth Borg, 2005) Further, this decision paved the way for another land mark decision which is the case of Roe v. Wade. (John W. Johnson, 2005) Bibliographies Borg, Elizabeth.  Ã‚   (2005) The Fight that Won Us the Right to Birth Control.   Star Tribune.   8 June 2005. Retrieved 11 September 2007 Decision: Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) About.com.   Retrieved 11 September 2007 from:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://atheism.about.com/library/decisions/privacy/bldec_GriswoldConn.htm Johnson, John W.   (2005) Birth Control and the Constitutional Right to Privacy.   Retrieved 11 September 2007 from: http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/johgri.html Tileston v. Ullman 318 U.S. 44 (1943)      

Malcolm X Quotes

Malcolm X Quotes Controversial. Witty. Eloquent. These are some of the ways African-American activist and former Nation of Islam spokesman Malcolm X was described before and after his death in 1965. One of the reasons Malcolm X developed a reputation as a firebrand who intimidated whites and middle-of-the-road blacks is largely because of the provocative comments he made in interviews and speeches. While the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. earned praise and respect from the mainstream public by embracing Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence, Malcolm X struck fear in the heart of white America by maintaining that blacks had the right to defend themselves by any means necessary. In contrast, many African Americans appreciated Malcolm for discussing black love and black empowerment. Excerpts from his speeches reveal why Malcolm X surfaced as a leader that the public both feared and admired. On Being an American On April 3, 1964, Malcolm X gave a speech called the â€Å"Ballot or the Bullet† in which he urged blacks to overcome their class, religious and other differences to counter racial oppression. In the speech, Malcolm X also pointed out that he wasn’t anti-white but anti-exploitation and that he didn’t identify as a Republican, Democrat or an American. He said, â€Å"Well, I am one who doesn’t believe in deluding myself. I’m not going to sit at your table and watch you eat, with nothing on my plate, and call myself a diner. Sitting at the table doesn’t make you a diner, unless you eat some of what’s on that plate. Being here in America doesn’t make you an American. Being born here in America doesn’t make you an American. Why, if birth made you American, you wouldn’t need any legislation; you wouldn’t need any amendments to the Constitution; you wouldn’t be faced with civil-rights filibustering in Washington, D.C., right now. †¦No, I’m not an American. I’m one of the 22 million black people who are the victims of Americanism.† By Any Means Necessary In life and in death, Malcolm X has been accused of being a violence-loving militant. A speech he gave on June 28, 1964, to discuss the founding of the Organization of Afro-American Unity reveals otherwise. Rather than support wanton violence, Malcolm X supported self-defense. He remarked, â€Å"The time for you and me to allow ourselves to be brutalized nonviolently is passà ©. Be nonviolent only with those who are nonviolent to you. And when you can bring me a nonviolent racist, bring me a nonviolent segregationist, then Ill get nonviolent. †¦ If the United States government doesnt want you and me to get rifles, then take the rifles away from those racists. If they don’t want you and me to use clubs, take the clubs away from the racists.† Slave Mentality During a visit to Michigan State University in 1963, Malcolm X delivered a speech discussing the differences between â€Å"field Negroes† and â€Å"house Negroes† during slavery. He painted the house Negro as content with his circumstances and subservient to his master, the field Negro’s opposite. Of the house Negro, he remarked, â€Å"His master’s pain was his pain. And it hurt him more for his master to be sick than for him to be sick himself. When the house started burning down, that type of Negro would fight harder to put the master’s house out than the master himself would. But then you had another Negro out in the field. The house Negro was in the minority. The masses- the field Negroes were the masses. They were in the majority. When the master got sick, they prayed that he’d die. If his house caught on fire, theyd pray for a wind to come along and fan the breeze.† Malcolm X said that while the house Negro would refuse to even entertain the thought of leaving his master, the field Negro jumped at the opportunity to be free. He said that in 20th century America, house Negroes still existed, only they’re well dressed and speak well. â€Å"And when you say, ‘your army,’ he says, ‘our army,’† Malcolm X explained. â€Å"He hasn’t got anybody to defend him, but anytime you say ‘we’ he says ‘we.’ †¦ When you say you’re in trouble, he says, ‘Yes, we’re in trouble.’ But there’s another kind of black man on the scene. If you say you’re in trouble, he says, ‘Yes, you’re in trouble.’ He doesn’t identify himself with your plight whatsoever.† On The Civil Rights Movement Malcolm X gave a speech on Dec. 4, 1963, called â€Å"God’s Judgment of White America.† In it he questioned the authenticity and effectiveness of the civil rights movement, arguing that whites were running the movement. He said, â€Å"The Negro ‘revolt’ is controlled by the white man, the white fox. The Negro ‘revolution’ is controlled by this white government. The leaders of the Negro ‘revolution’ (the civil rights leaders) are all subsidized, influenced and controlled by the white liberals; and all of the demonstrations that are taking place on this country to desegregate lunch counters, theaters, public toilets, etc., are just artificial fires that have been ignited and fanned by the white liberals in the desperate hope that they can use this artificial revolution to fight off the real black revolution that has already swept white supremacy out of Africa, Asia, and is sweeping it out of Latin America...and is even now manifesting itself also right here among the black masses in this country.† The Importance of Black History In December 1962, Malcolm X gave a speech called â€Å"Black Man’s History† in which he argued that black Americans aren’t as successful as others because they don’t know their history. He stated: â€Å"There are black people in America who have mastered the mathematical sciences, have become professors and experts in physics, are able to toss sputniks out there in the atmosphere, out in space. They are masters in that field. We have black men who have mastered the field of medicine, we have black men who have mastered other fields, but very seldom do we have black men in America who have mastered the knowledge of the history of the black man himself. We have among our people those who are experts in every field, but seldom can you find one among us who is an expert on the history of the black man. And because of his lack of knowledge concerning the history of the black man, no matter how much he excels in the other sciences, he’s always confined, he’s always relegated to the same low rung of the ladder that the dumbest of our people are relegated to.†

Being an Adult VS. Child essays

Being an Adult VS. Child essays When I was a kid life was so much fun but still all I wanted was to be an adult. I was always fascinated by all the great and interesting things that adults were able to do. Every year that passed I was grew more excited because I was getting closer to being an adult. Now that I am an adult I wish I could be a kid again. Its quite amazing how fast your opinion can change. All the activities that I can do now do not compare to even one day as being a child. On the other hand I still enjoy being an adult and I still have a lot to experience. My life as a child and as an adult is vastly different but still is similar in small ways. When I was a child I was allowed to do basically anything that I wanted to do. I would go outside, play with my friends and play sports all day long. Being a child was fun and had many positive sides to it. As a child I never had to worry about having to work or if I had a test the next day. Life was fairly stress free. All I had to worry about was what time my favorite cartoons were going to be on Saturday morning or what my friends down the road were doing. On Saturdays I would wake up bright and early and sit in the living room in front of the television or go outside to meet my friends for a game of tag. As I would be sitting around the house, all I could smell was my mother cooking breakfast. It was nice to have someone cook for you, and not have to worry about feeding yourself. As a child I did not have to worry about money. There was no need to, all the money I needed was to buy some candy or a favorite movie or CD. Every week I would receive an allowance which was ten dollars that I was allowed to do anything I pleased with. I thought this was a lot of money when I was young. When youre a child there never is a thought of having to save up in order to purchase something you really want. Childhood does come with its great moments but its not as fun as it sounds. Being ...

Serotonin syndrome Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Serotonin syndrome - Thesis Example The determining factor in disease management is therefore, early recognition of the symptoms, which themselves are the major diagnostic factors. The essay is an outline of the researches contributing to an understanding of the various aspects of the disease. Introduction: Serotonin syndrome is a combination of symptoms that occur as a result of overstimulation of specific serotonin receptors. It usually develops as a consequence of administration of more than one (rarely one) drug that is a serotonergic agent. Described as a possibility first in 1955 by Mitchell, in a tuberculosis patient administered iproniazid and meperidine simultaneously, the disease has been in existence since much longer. Initially studied as a behavioural disorder exclusively in animals (Grahame-Smith, 1971), the disease was much later associated with humans (Insel et al., 1982). The increase in incidences of the syndrome was reported as a consequence of prescribing selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) for treatment of depression, which lead to an interest in serotonin syndrome. The disease is characterized by restlessness, incessant twitching, excitement, agitation and tremor or shivering. The disease severity can vary from mild to intense, though seve re cases of disease are rarely reported and can be treated by withdrawal of causative agents as well as use of serotonin antagonists. In its most severe form the disease can even be life threatening. Serotonin: Chemically 5-hydroxytryptamin or 5HT, Serotonin is a neurotransmitter formed by hydroxylation and decarboxylation of amino acid tryptophan. It is involved in the control and expression of a plethora of feelings ranging from depression and psychosis, to hunger and slumber. It also plays important role in body temperature, sexual behaviour, pain and memory. Serotonin secreting neurons are known as serotonergic. However, serotonin function is determined

A Visit to the Indiana State Museum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Visit to the Indiana State Museum - Essay Example Likewise, as the partner of NHI, it is likewise tasked with enjoining community members to increase their awareness of the rich historical legacy of the state of Indiana and should thereby be instrumental in maintaining cleanliness in the environment, in and outside the perimeter of the museum; as well as assist in conserving natural resources, especially landmark trees within the area. In addition, since it is situated at the heart of the White River State Park, all the more that it extends responsibility towards maintaining cleanliness of the White River and avoid throwing or disposing of anything that could contribute to water or air pollution. As disclosed in its official website, the Indiana State Museum â€Å"with 21,190 square feet of state-of-the-art, high-security collection storage designed for different types of cultural and historical materials, as well as an additional 6,905 square feet for the natural history collections, the Indiana State Museum is superbly equipped t o care for the collections†. Vigilant and highly professional personnel assists in maintaining the pristine condition of its environment and the expertise in preserving the condition of its collections make Indiana State Museum the most effective repository of historical artifacts that would ensure that the future generation would appreciate what has transpired in the history and culture of Indiana’s life. This confirms Indiana State Museum’s commitment to environmental preservation and conservation as paramount among its goals.

Team Participation - Scenario Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Team Participation - Scenario Analysis - Essay Example Team creation and development often offers an efficient environment which is considered to be ideal for encouraging teamwork, cooperation and motivation within the team members to greatly contribute towards the organization by delivering their best possible performances (The Team Building Directory, 2011). Conceptually, it would be tough for any individual to attain goals without team cooperation. It is considered essential for an individual to discuss and evaluate the pros and cons of his/her plan with the other individuals as in certain situations the rationality of a single individual or brain may fail in terms of making the correct decision (Project Smart, 2012). Thus, being in a team helps an individual to learn skills and talent of the teammates. With reference to the mentioned question it can be stated that an individual paper would have been better rather than just mentioning one’s name in a project which had no contribution of that individual. Contributing towards a p roject not only helps in developing confidence but also makes an individual aware regarding his/her capabilities. Joining a team and contributing nothing can be stated to be morally unethical. Once an individual becomes the part of the team, he/she must contribute towards the common goal which needs to be collectively attained as much as possible. Indulging in such activities which are considered to be unethical makes an individual lose his/her confidence regarding one’s competencies and skills. How is the importance of a team and its dynamics? The success of any organization largely depends on its ability to build an effective team. A single individual or an employee cannot perform all the responsibilities of the organization single handedly. Effective team in an organization motivates and creates cordial relation among the team members and enables them to perform their task efficiently (The Team Building Directory, 2011). It is equally important for the team members lucidly comprehend the responsibilities assigned to each members. In addition to this there also needs to exist a proper form of communication between the teammates in order to avoid the occurrence of conflicts among them. The different concepts and thoughts of the team members can be combined to reach the best suited decision which shall ultimately benefit the organization (Rosen, 2011). What are the benefits of being assigned to a team rather than picking the members of your team or volunteering to join a team? Being assigned to a team gives an opportunity to an individual to learn from its team members and acquire new skills. Volunteering to join a team may disturb the balance of the already existing team and may lead to conflicts between the new member and the existing members. Moreover, the role of each member is already assigned and the introduction of a new member may require the team leader to reassign the responsibilities among the team members which might prove to be cumbersome a nd may delay the particular project. Thus, being assigned to a team creates a sense of responsibility within the members and such accountability is found to motivate the team members to perform their assigned tasks efficiently. Moreover, an individual learns to work in groups and to accept greater responsibilities. An individual gets motivated by other teammates to work even in case of adverse situations. Thus, working in a team as a member teaches an

John Donne Essay Example for Free

John Donne Essay John Donne’s Valediction Forbidding Mourning is a poem stressing the aspect of love through the use of various metaphors and allusions. Donne’s main influences being utilized in the poem are created from the 17th century metaphysical poetry. The poem in essence is a farewell speech, as is written in the beginning lines. These lines suggest a quiet departure and the syntax of the poem and the meter follow through with traditional rhythm. The speaker does not want a teary goodbye as is read with ‘no tear-floods’. Donne’s alliteration throughout lines 5-8 also give the reader a sense of movement and accenting of the farewell with the phrase, â€Å"twere profanation †¦to tell the laity† in which the ‘t’ sound becomes prevalent and its poignancy points toward an emphasis on the farewell motif of the poem and how the lovers cope with this departure. The purpose of the speaker is to comfort the reader, or the lover in a time of parting. The speaker then requests of the lover that the two part ways calmly and quietly and thus eliminate tears and protests of the departing. The speaker further insists that to part ways in such a platonic fashion alludes to their love being holy. This love however develops beyond the boundaries of the spiritual and is also referenced as being a physical and sexual love. Thus, the poem’s focus is a transformation of the different loves shared by the speaker and the lover and the celebration the two have in these loves which are refined as line 17 points out. The secret that the metaphysical writing gives the reader is that the lovers are so in tune with each other that they are assured, according to the speaker, a happy reunion. It is the sharing of the goodbye that is endearing in the poem, and the way in which Donne analyzes this farewell is also intriguing. Donne’s metaphysics speaks towards the couple’s soul, and it’s joining after being split. This then is a merriment of earthly love or ‘religion of love’. The love being elevated in the poem, is enhanced by the device of metaphor as Donne writes that the love spoken about in the poem is a sacred love. The narrator describes this love as being breed from confidence in love, which gives the two a strength during the parting. Thus, the two are able to endure a brief span of time in which their love will connect them (Nutt 2005). This endurance is made possible by the speaker by emphasizing that the two share a single soul and thus any illusion of division by space, time or distance is inconsequential. This is the extended metaphor of Donne’s poem. The metaphysical conceit in A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning is the comparison of the two unlikely objects of the lovers’ relationship and their two souls being the feet of a drawing compass as seen in the final stanzas. The allusion to feet of a compass, is a metaphor of direction in which love points toward the right direction and the love of the two lovers is merely a circle that has no end, thus, a farewell is of no consequence since it ends and begins in the same instant. Therefore, although the two lovers will be geographically apart from each other, the speaker believes that this will only strengthen their love since the lovers will remain faithful to each other during this separation, thus bringing trust into the equation of Donne’s metaphysics. Another key metaphor used by Donne is that of gold being beaten thin so that it expands and this comparison is made between the love expanding between the two lovers and not breaking (Beliles 1999). Thus, Donne’s use of metaphor through metaphysical aspirations is the main creative elements in his poem. Work Cited Beliles, D. B. Theoretically-Informed Criticism of Donne’s Love Poetry: Towards A Pluralist Hermeneutics of Faith. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc. , 1999. Donne, J. Poems of John Donne. vol I. E. K. Chambers, ed. London, Lawrence Bullen, 1896. 51-52. Nutt, J. John Donne: The Poems (Analyzing Text). Palgrave Macmillan. New York, 2005.

Chinese Students Attitude Towards the Giant Panda: A Study

Chinese Students Attitude Towards the Giant Panda: A Study Introduction People have been attracted by specific species (Goedeke, 2004). Regarding these specific species, Kellert (1996) analyzes that humans tend to be attracted to the species which has a large body and is able to walk, run, or fly. The giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca is one of the most famous among those attractive species (Lorimer 2007). The giant panda is a member of the Ursidae family and occurs in only three provinces in China (Reid and Gong 1999). The species is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List with the estimated population of no more than 1600 individuals (IUCN 2009). In China, which is home to the giant panda, people express their willingness to pay (WTP) for the giant panda conservation, which is enough to conclude that this charismatic species is able to acquire their habitat (Kontoleon and Swanson 2003). In contrast to this economic point of view, Yang (2005) refers to the fact that little is known about Chinese peoples perception of the giant panda, although several studies have been made on the general attitudes towards wildlife. Therefore, she studies the attitude of the public in China towards the giant panda. She analyzes the relationship between the attitudes of Chinese people towards the giant panda and the image of the species in the media, and concludes that the general attitude in China is likely to be associated with the symbolic and domestic value rather than ecological-scientific value. This corresponds with general Chinese attitudes towards wildlife and the image of the giant panda constructed by the media (Yang 2005). However, s ince this conclusion is drawn based on the literature review, it may not reflect peoples actual attitudes. Thus, this attitude still needs to be studied. This research aims to explore Chinese students attitude towards the giant panda by semi- structured. This report consists of three sections. First, the research methods are presented including participant, the development of interview, questions, procedures, and an analysis. In the second section, the results from an analysis of the students attitude are described. The final section of this paper discusses the insights of main finding and several limitations of this interview survey for further research. Methodology Participant Ten Chinese students at the University of Kent were interviewed for this study. The interview sample was composed of two male and eight female students, and of two undergraduate and eight postgraduate students. The students majors were classified as follows: Conservation and Tourism, International Commercial Law, Human Resource Management, Accounting and Financial Management, European Culture and Language, International Business Management, and English Literature. The respondents were recruited through personal contact with one Taiwanese and three Chinese students. The interviewer informed about the purpose, topic, structure, and length of the interview in advance to confirm participation (Sarantakos 2005). After a student agrees those conditions, the time and place for the interview was arranged. The development of idea for interview questions and procedures In order to standardize interview guides, a pilot survey was conducted at an initial stage (Newing in press). This pilot survey on November 1st through the skype revealed that the interview was difficult to answer and analyze owing to specific questions, thus, a half of questions were changed to improve the interview. The actual interview survey, approximately 25 minutes for each interview, was conducted from November 3rd to 20th. The first interview was conducted with a student who has knowledge about the giant pandas to test modified questions and to develop the background of questions; hence, an unstructured interview was carried out at this time. In the second interview, the interviewee who was not familiar with the topic was chosen to confirm whether all questions in the interview were not difficult to answer for all interviewees. Since the student seemed uncomfortable to talk about an unfamiliar topic, the place was rearranged. In addition, in an effort to reduce uncomfortable constraints on the student, the interview was not recorded. Therefore, further interviews were recorded by note-taking to conduct in the same way as this second interview. Based on these first two interviews, the further questions and procedures of the interview were standardized. Questions This interview consists of six questions (see Appendix). The first question aimed to be a relatively easy question to talk about (Robson 2002; Newing in press). The second question was related to the first question, so that it was able to lead the interviewees to main topic of the interview. This question was one of main questions of this interview as well as the third, fourth, and fifth question. These questions were set to understand Chinese students attitudes towards the giant panda. The final question was not directly related to the subject and it was supposed to be a simple question as a cool-off question. However, it was found at the development stage of this interview that this sixth question invited the further discussion about the relationship between the giant panda and Chinese people. Therefore, the question was kept in each interview. Procedures This interview survey followed the procedure described by Robson (2002:277); Introduction, warm-up, main body of interview, cool-off, and closure. In the introduction stage, interviewers and the students were introduced each other, and talked about their own courses at University of Kent as warm-up. During the interview, it is weighted to elicit information to maximize the advantage of a semi-structured interview. Therefore, the depth of answer was varied between the questions and the answerers. It is also important to note that the interview was often stopped to clarify what the interviewee meant or answered. In some cases, it was confirmed at cool-off stage or after the interview by exchanging e-mail. Analysis During the data collection, the interviewer tried to record annotations, memos, coding (Newing in press). At an initial stage of an analysis, the coding procedure was conducted followed the instruction described by Newing (in press: 218). As top codes, several values from Kellerts nine values (1996) (see Table 1) were employed as predefined codes. For sub-codes, the detailed information related to the defined top codes was identified. At next stage, the procedure suggested by Sarantakos (2005) was taken to develop from open-coding to the concept. However, the coding procedure for this interview description was not sufficient for axial, selective coding since top codes used at open-coding stage and core category were similar with each other. Result All Chinese students showed their favourable attitudes towards the giant panda. It is likely that the species has a special meaning for Chinese students, and a good illustration of this is the answer that if the giant panda becomes extinct, it is going to be chaos, I mean panic feeling. As in Yangs study (2005), the symbolic value seemed to play the important role in determining the attitudes towards giant pandas. However, unlike Yangs study (2005), the other five values, utilitarian, ecologistic-scientific, humanistic, moralistic, and negativistic values, are also the important factors on individual attitudes. In contrast to above values, three of nine values, naturalistic, aesthetic, and domestic value, were difficult to detect during the interview. The reasons for this are (1) in order to obtain information for understanding of Chinese students naturalistic and aesthetic value, the follow up questions about students experiences and view of nature should have been asked during the interview. However, these questions would carry us far away from the purpose of this paper, (2) the domestic value of the giant panda was hardly discussed throughout the survey, although Yang (2005) suggests that this value is also one dominant value in Chinese people attitudes towards the giant panda. From these two reasons, the detailed findings about only utilitarian, ecologistic-scientific, symbolic, humanistic, moralistic, and negativistic values will be described in following subsection. Utilitarian value Students indicated two types of answers regarding this value; for ecotourism and for diplomatic relations. Concerning ecotourism, some students mentioned that they would like to have giant pandas in their towns to attract tourists. This concept can be seen in the answer the giant panda bring the money to our town. Moreover, a student illustrated the species as money when asked to choose one word for the giant panda. It was also mentioned that tourism for the giant panda is a benefit for the development of local villages by opening the road for the facilities, developing transportation service, and providing employment opportunities. The second type of answer was using the giant panda for diplomatic relations. Several words such as the tool for diplomatic/international exchange, gift for foreign countries, and the advertisement for China were used when interviewees explained the relationship between Chinese people and the giant panda. Ecologistic-scientific value All Chinese students showed their ecological knowledge about the giant panda, and their knowledge is supplied by environmental education, education in primary and middle school, media, and books. All respondents mentioned that the giant panda is endemic to China, thus, it is important to protect the species. One interviewee continued to say we treat them as a treasure. It was also mentioned that the species requires specific diet and habitat to survive. Not all but most of Chinese students imply the population of the giant panda in wild was not stable and mentioned captive breeding to conserve the species. Moreover, two students expressed their concern about over-attention to the giant panda status in China. For instance, one student insisted that the giant panda was just a bear with the knowledge about the classification of the species and the rate of extinction for other species in the world. Their knowledge comes from various sources from formal education to movies. However two st udents did not remember how they learned about the giant panda since it was common sense for them. Symbolic value It is noteworthy that all Chinese students in this research described that the giant panda represents China with remarkably similar words such as symbol of China, stand for China, pride of China and image of China. Three possible explanations for this answers were identified from interviewees answers; (1) the giant panda only occurs in China, (2) the species represents Chinese people, for instance, one student chose the word modest for the giant panda, and this student referred to that the national animal represents the own culture and personality. Other student answered identity to explain the relationship between Chinese people and the giant panda. (3) In the Chinese mythology, it is assumed that Chinese people are children of the giant panda, which is told by one interviewee. It seems reasonable to suppose that the giant panda has the high symbolic value as national animal on the grounds that all students defined the species as the symbol of China. Humanistic value Interviewee tended to see giant pandas from an anthropomorphic view. Chinese students showed the feeling of love and strong attachment for this species. All students described the panda as cute at least once in the interview. Students illustrated this species by the words lovely, warm-hearted, animal of love, friendly, funny, honest and modest. In addition, their strong attachments for the giant panda can be seen the phrases such as everyone cannot help falling love with Panda, all Chinese like panda, all people like panda, he brings a lot of happiness, I know them from my childhood, [so I will feel pity if they become extinct], and the panda has special meaning for us. Moralistic value Interviewees showed their concern about the giant panda. Of those who refused to have the species in their towns, all stated that they do not let the giant panda put in the difficult situation for survival because of unfavourable habitat. Furthermore, a specific question about the extinction of the giant panda was asked to explore students attitudes towards the moralistic value. To this question, all interviewees indicated their concerns about the dying out of the giant panda. Two students stated that the giant panda should not become extinct owing to its intrinsic value as one species, as can be seen in the answer they belong to the earth. Although these two students expressed their moralistic concern, the major reason for the other students might not be moralistic. The major reason why eight students opposed the extinction of the giant panda was the fact that the giant panda is an endemic species and the national animal. Negativistic value The ecological feature of the giant panda was the key to understand the negativistic value towards the species. Nine of ten Chinese students did not show their fear of the giant pandas. Some of them chose the word for or the image of the species such as friendship, friendly, warm, close to people, and community. When they were asked the reason for using those words, they explained that the giant panda eat only bamboo, never attack people, stay at mountains, and do not compete with people for food resource. Based on these characteristic of the giant panda, nine students seemed not to express their fear. On the other hand, one student mentioned that giant pandas attack people when they get furious. Discussion and conclusion This study set out to explore Chinese students attitudes towards the giant panda and its result showed that generally students have strong favourable attitudes. It was also shown that the major values contributing to their attitudes were utilitarian, naturalistic, ecologistic-scientific, symbolic, humanistic, and moralistic. The most significant value among ten Chinese students at University of Kent was the symbolic value of the giant panda, which correspond with the Yangs study (2005). There may be two reasons behind this answer; the anthropomorphic view towards the giant panda throughout history and the fact that the species is endemic to China. Regarding the anthropomorphic view, some students answer that the species represents Chinese personality. The other explanation is that the species is an ancestor of Chinese people in the mythology. These two explanations demonstrate that the anthropomorphic attitudes to the giant panda may lead to consider the species as the symbol of China. This anthropomorphism for the giant panda can be also seen in the humanistic value. In addition to an anthropomorphic view, the fact that the giant panda is endemic species in China can be the main factor of being the symbol of China. Students showed their understanding of the uniqueness of the giant panda such as habitat preference or specialist diet with their ecological knowledge, as described in the ecologistic-scientific value. Therefore, it could be assumed that the ecological f eatures of the giant panda can be also one of major factors for identifying the symbol of China. These two reasons provide more depth of the Chinese attitudes towards the giant panda than literature review conducted by Yang (2005). As she suggests, this study also found that the symbolic value plays the key role in determining the attitudes towards the giant panda, and that few students indicated the influence of the media. However, the behind of this attitudes, there are several factors, which related to the anthropomorphic view in their culture including the mythology, and the ecological knowledge from school education about giant pandas, according to this interview survey. Moreover, it should be also noted that students revealed contradiction statements towards the giant panda. While interviewees showed their emotional attachment for the species, they also mentioned the use of the species as an attraction of tourist and the tool for the diplomatic relation. In this research, it is difficult to discuss this inconsistent stance of the students because of the lack of information. More information on following points would help to establish a greater degree of accuracy on this matter; (1) the relevance of nine basic values towards the giant pandas to test whether the symbolic value is the most significant determinant, (2) the influential agencies, such as the media or school, to construct peoples attitudes towards this species, or (3) further investigation of the contradictory attitudes towards the giant panda. However, for further research, it should be considered following difficulties this research faced. Firstly, at the design stage, sampling method and questions should be changed. This research did not used random sampling, thus, it might cause sampling bias. Concerning questions, although the main six questions were designed to be neutral and to avoid using simple and direct questions (Newing in press), follow-up questions which was improvisational question could cause error, bias or leading the answer. Thus, it is essential to conduct more pilot intervi ews until the interviewer become able to create proper follow-up questions during the interview. Secondly, at the interview stage, interviewers skill was not ideal. Several errors might be included to some extent in this interview, such as recording error, instruction error, or leniency effect (Sarantakos 2005) which might cause students inconsistent statement. Finally, at the analysis stage, to understand more depth of Chinese students attitudes, an analysis of the detailed information and a coding of the data should be more sufficient at the interview stage (Newing in press; Pole and Lampard 2002). In this research, an analysis of the interview during data collection with annotations, memo, and coding was not sufficient for the in-depth analysis. In addition, the top codes used for the data sorting should be well-defined in the context of the answer. Even though the previous study used the same codes for an analysis of attitude survey, the coding followed previous survey might be subjective rather than objective. In conclusion, returning to the aim posed at the beginning of this paper, it is now possible to state that ten Chinese students at University of Kent generally have favourable attitudes towards the giant panda. Although the symbolic value as the symbol of China plays the key role in the students attitudes, it should be noted that the factors behind their answers are more various and complicated than the previous study described. Literature Cited Goedeke, T.L. 2004. In the eye of the beholder: Changing social perceptions of the Florida manatee. Society Animals 12: 99-116. IUCN (The International Union for Conservation and Nature and Natural Resources). 2009. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Ailuropoda melanoleuca. 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