Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Assignment - Essay Example Whenever a company starts the main operation in a particular region the initially grow steadily and then exponentially. However after a certain phase the company enters a stagnant phase, during this phase many companies realize the importance of approaching other geographical markets for growth. When the global recession had hit the US and Europe market many companies predominantly operating in those geographical area realized the importance of taking their products to growing market. The BRIC countries namely Brazil, Russia, India and China, have been recognized by many companies as markets which have lot of potential. Many of these countries have a substantial population of growing middle and upper middle class people. The increase in disposal income per family has made these countries, a lucrative target for many. In business globalisation denotes more market share, growth and profit making. The farther is the reach of a business the more customers and revenue it is bound to achie ve (Tandon, p.29). Technology has been an important element in facilitating the globalisation. Technological advances in Information Technology have helped companies to operate their global operations more efficiently. A company that has to set up an operation in a foreign geographical region has to initially relocate their strategic team to establish themselves in the foreign market. ... IT also enables these companies to operate globally by enabling them to handle their clients from distant location. IT companies themselves are biggest advocate of globalisation. Most IT companies work for businesses in various geographical areas growing their network globally. Technological development and advances have indeed made the world a smaller place. These technological advances make it possible for operations situated miles apart interact with each other have formal meetings within few minutes without physically relocating. Technological advancement in transportation also has made global operations easier for companies. Travelling from a location to another also has become easier for the managers. One manger is able to handle several geographical areas due to these technological advancements. Technology also helps in keeping the operations located in various locations have a common identity. One of the main aspects of globalisation has been to utlise the resources carefully and efficiently. Each geographical market has a unique resource quotient that gives a comparative advantage to that market. The companies try using these resources in such a way that maximum profit can be harnessed, this makes globalisation a rewarding option for companies also. Globalisation also enables consumers with the power to choose. The consumers are given wider option due to globalisation are in a position to demand better and efficient service (Ramos, p.1-30). One of the most complicated issues for companies opting for globalisation is planning resource management. Resource management is the back bone for any company. The operations will operate according to the plan only if the human resource planning is done in an intelligent way. Right person for the right

Tapit Wordlwide Professional Job Search System Essay

Tapit Wordlwide Professional Job Search System - Essay Example In fact, most of the online recruitment forms receive the information online. But, it has been seen that the information has not been used in a discreet manner. There has been a lot of leakage of the information to various sources. This has led to tremendous loss for the applicants. The consumers cannot be sure about the privacy of the supplied information. It has been observed that there have been a lot of instances of spamming in a number of areas. This has led to the blocking of the inbox by unwanted mails. There have been question marks over the credibility of the website over the data being supplied from multiple sources. So, the customers have not been provided with the necessary information about the legitimate job openings. There are instances in this case where the filled in jobs have not been removed from list of available jobs. This leads to a lot of instances to a lead that had not been active, but was still showing on the job boards. This was against the promise of the company that it was posting fresh jobs. It also created unnecessary problems for the job seekers by providing them with unnecessary type of information. It was also against the promises of the company. This was the factors that led to the negation of promises made by the company about the type of services being provided. Tapit Professional Worldwide job search system allows the upload of any resumes by the users. This leads to a two pronged problem. First, the users do not get access to the specified kind of jobs. Secondly, there is a lack of understanding of the proper kind of the applicants. There is also an issue being faced by the companies that had uploaded the requirements. It ends to overload the number of applications, leading to a number of false applications for any job. This also creates problems for the companies that have done the postings. So, it can be seen that Tapit Worldwide Professional Job

El Presidente Essay Example for Free

El Presidente Essay El Presidente was a film which portrays the happenings from the past when colonization of other country started while Emilio Aguinaldo was the president.  After watching the film, though we watched it bit by bit because of limited time, I can say it was still worth it, because it at least showed to us the events in the past with the creativity of the people behind it. The film was good. I enjoyed watching it, though in some parts of it were kind of confusing to me maybe because I don’t have enough knowledge of history. There are parts when Andres Bonifacio had been a traitor and had been punished to death because of him being a traitor, this confused me. Way back years ago, when I was in elementary and high school years, I can still remember that A. Bonifacio was one of the people I salute in the Philippine History, for being the Father of Katipunan and founder of it. But when I saw that film, I’m confused with what to think of him because of what he acted when someone kind of insult him for not having a higher level of education. He loses his patience and that led to his betrayal to the katipunan. I think if I was in his position, I wouldn’t do what he did, I would prove them wrong about what they think an uneducated or someone who has lower level of learning unworthy to lead, with that he should have proved himself worthy instead of being eaten by his anger. Also, there’s another thing of the film which I’m confused, its Emilio Aguinaldo. It seemed like E. Aguinaldo was a type of person who do not have any flaws in the film. Overall the film was worth watching. It gave me goose bumps in some part of it because of its intensity, and that hurt feeling seeing how our ancestors fight for our freedom that we’re having now because of their bravery even though they had risked their lives for it.

Modern technology today Essay Example for Free

Modern technology today Essay With the advent of more modern technology today, and the expansion of corporate markets, commercial transactions between industries grow by the day. As commerce, in its basic sense, pertains to the trading of something of economic value, be it goods or services, information, and most of all, money, it is required of an individual to know how to analyze the economic systems that guide every transaction and endeavor related to commerce. As an empowered individual, my enthusiasm and desire for learning the commerce of man is very strong, at the same time I possess the capability to initiate ideas and activities that help in conceptualizing products or services that may be â€Å"traded† for value. To further learn the intricacies of the field of commerce, I have decided to take up the Bachelor of Commerce program. I believe I will be successful in this field. When assessing basic market financial records in newspapers, I easily comprehend economic trends that I often imagine myself as a good financial analyst. Coupled with the fact that I have enough experience in dealing with different kinds of people in economic terms, I know that ill be successful in this field. The rise and fall of economies in every country influence events globally. I was intrigued with this issue that this pushed me to exert effort in realizing my dream of taking up Commerce as a course. At the micro-level, I am attentive in class, like to recite and debate on issues relating to economics and commerce. The pursuit of education is to be encouraged to better understand the world around us and to contribute to its development. In my own opinion, I can serve this purpose by learning things related to commerce, and with the qualities I possess, I can provide additional knowledge to the study of commerce.

Friendship A Deeper Look Into Relationships Sociology Essay

Friendship A Deeper Look Into Relationships Sociology Essay Like armor, good friends make us almost invincible, capable of warding off the blows life occasionally deals us. The need for social bonding and friendship is established at birth and evolves from then on. Although it is recognized and learned at a very young age, friendship can have a different meaning for everyone. You may choose your friends based on affection, disclosure, or shared values and interests. Since friendship is so common and natural, the variations and types of friendships as well as the different ways we interact within those friendships, are often over-looked and frequently not paid attention to. Within this paper I will examine the main types of friendships human-beings commonly experience, same-sex friendships and cross-sex friendships. I will also be examining how we interact within these friendships, the similarities and differences between them, and will be providing examples to help you gain a better insight on the topics. Since friendship is such a prevalent part of life, it is important to fully understand why we form the relationships we do and what makes these relationships work for us; because by being aware of how different friendships function may help your relationships be more successful in the future. Same-Sex Friendships Friendship in general has been the focus of a considerable amount of studies; however most of these studies have mainly focused on same-sex friendships. A same-sex friendship is a relationship where both individuals have the same sexual origin. This would constitute male-male and female-female friendships. This is the most common type of friendship women and men will usually experience and there are many similarities and differences discussed between the two types of relationships. Differences A variety of differences have been investigated within male-male and female-female friendships, but by far the most prominent difference studied would be that womens friendships tend to be more expressive, emotional, intimate, richer, and include more self-disclosure than mens; whereas mens tend to be more instrumental and are task, goal-, and activity-oriented (Wright Scalon, 1991; Monsour, 1992; Duck Wright, 1993; Brehm, 1992). Womens friendships are represented as intimate relationships in which sharing feelings and talking are the most prevalent activities. Mens friendships are represented as ones in which sharing activities such as sports or work dominate interaction (Walker, 1994). Womens friendships are face to face: they talk, cry together, share secrets, and that is what makes their friendship satisfying. Mens friendships are side by side and almost always revolve around some type of activity. For men, it is the doing, not the talking, that makes a friendship close (Floyd, 2009). The talking that does go on within female-female relationships compared to male-male relationships could not be more different. Women will almost always exchange feelings and talk about problems and men will discuss sports, work, or what is happening in their immediate lives. An important difference between same-sex friendships is that female ones tend to be more oriented towards emotional intimacy than male friendships (Dickens Perlman, 1981). Men will generally be less physically affectionate with other men (hugging, putting arms around each other, kissing) because they know that this behavior goes against cultural norms. While taking gender roles into consideration, women are technically raised to be more open and nurturing, whereas men are raised to be masculine and competitive. Movie Examples One example of media that displays how women interact within female friendships is the hit movie Sex and the City, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon. This movie follows four best friends in Manhattan, who share their travels in life and love and their daily discussions of romance and sexuality. In the movie Sarah Jessica Parker plays Carrie Bradshaw, A New York writer who has a column on sex, love, and relationships. She is finally getting married to her on-again off-again boyfriend of years. When he stands her up the day of her wedding, its her three girlfriends who are left to console and support her, being there for her every step of the way through a long, dramatic recovery process. With the help of her girlfriends, Carries life eventually returns to normality. As they are sitting discussing their hardships and the importance of friendship, Samantha says, We made a deal ages ago. Men, babies, doesnt matter. Were soul mates! Another example of media that displays how men interact within male friendships is the movie Old School, starring Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Luke Wilson plays Mitch, a man with a good job, a house, and a healthy intimate relationship; or so he thinks. Until one day Mitch catches an early flight home to find out his girlfriend has not exactly been faithful over the years. When Mitch addresses his friends, Frank and Beanie, they discuss how they have all come to a crossroads in their lives. They can choose to be responsible adults with wives, families and steady jobs; or they can postpone adulthood in favor of returning to college and start a fraternity with all the fun and none of the education. Instead of the three friends addressing their problems head on or helping each other come to terms with the complications in their lives, they closet their feelings and do not find a proper solution. Now, the majority of their time is consumed in the activity of starting a fra ternity together, centered on drinking, women and living a carefree life. As you can see, these movies depict same-sex friendships between females and same-sex friendships between males very differently. Similarities Gender differences that exist between male-male friendships and female-female friendships have clearly been demonstrated in the literature but lately, scholars have questioned its magnitude (Fehr, 2000). Research emphasizes the fact that both men and women look for more or less the same things from their same-sex friendships, they just accomplish getting it in different ways. Male friendships are not inferior to female friendships. Men may not be physically or emotionally expressive, but they also derive great support from their friendships (Zaslow, 2010). The fact that womens and mens relationships differ does not mean that friendships are more important to one sex than the other. It is believed that because women share and express feelings more openly with each other, womens friendships are more satisfying than mens are. Research has demonstrated that women and men report equal levels of closeness in their same-sex friendships (Floyd, 1995). What do differ between the male-male and female-female relationships are simply the characteristics that make those specific friendships close. For women, the key characteristic is shared conversation; for men, its shared activity (Floyd, 2009). Movie Examples Two movies that express similar female-female friendships and male-male friendships is The Sandlot and Now and Then. The Sandlot, starring Tom Guiry as Scotty Smalls and Mike Vitar as Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez, is about the summer escapades of a group of local baseball buddies. These small town baseball players are young neighborhood friends who grew up together. They also all have one common interest that keeps their friendships thriving, their love of baseball, which is what their summer adventures are mainly focused around. These boys are all very different, and throughout the movie are not physically or emotionally expressive towards one another, but remain friends through the years simply because of the shared activities they enjoy doing with one another. Later on in the movie, after the boys made the transition into adulthood, Benny Rodriguez becomes a professional baseball player and Scotty Smalls is a sports commentator for one of his games. After Benny hits a home run ball to win the game he looks up at Scotty and gives him a wave and Scotty looks back at him smiling and nods with approval. These shows the men are still friends from childhood, and their friendship is still mainly focused around the shared activity and the memories they have playing together many years ago. The movie Now and Then, starring Christina Ricci, Thora Birch, Gabby Hoffman and Ashley Aston Moore, is about four inseparable childhood friends who experience one of the most eventful and dramatic summers of their lives together. They are also neighborhood friends who grew up together in the same area. Their summer started out normal with attempting to save up money to buy a tree house and tell-all truth or dare sessions, and then suddenly their not-so-innocent world of childhood adventure was cracked by the reality of divorce and a death in one of their families. Although they are young, they are there for each other in overcoming these tragedies together and giving each other a shoulder to lean on through it all. Experiencing these hardships together makes their bonds stronger than ever and leads them to make a pact one summer day stating that they would always be there for each other, no matter what happened in life, all for one and one for all. They stayed true to their pact lat er in life, and remained in contact. They met back in their hometown whenever necessary to talk, to cry, or just share laughs and reminisce about old memories when they needed a friend. These girls remained friends later in life not because of the activities they shared together, but mainly because of the emotional bond they developed with one another. These two movies depict similar same-sex relationships because they are both focused on childhood friends in which a strong bond still remains throughout adulthood, but the reasons of why the bonds still remain later in life differ from the female friendships to the male friendships. Cross-Sex Friendships A cross-sex friendship is where one individual in the relationship is a man and one individual in the relationship is a woman. Cross-sex friendships are a relatively new concept and have only existed for about 100 years (Swain, 1992). Changes in our society have made the existence of cross-sex friendships possible. These friendships can be difficult to establish, and pose a number of different challenges than same-sex friendships. Problems Cross-sex friendships can be difficult at times. OMeara (1989) presented four challenges that occur at some point during a friendship between two individuals of the opposite sex. First, the individuals need to confront the emotional bond that exists between them. They need to address the bond, and clearly distinguish between each other what it is. The feelings that exist between two cross-sex friends can be confusing and hard to establish between romantic or non-romantic feelings. This is important to address in the beginning of your relationship due to the fact if it goes ignored, it can complicate your relationship in the future. The second challenge is the added concern of sexual attraction (OMeara 1989). Sexuality becomes an issue in cross-sex friendships. Added sexual dimension in a friendship can cause problems, for this reason many make the decision not to involve sexuality in their friendship in order to preserve the relationship. The third challenge that OMeara (1989) presents is inequality and power. He states that men are often seen as dominant in our society. This can often pose problems in cross-sex friendships because the tw o individuals must find a way to feel as though they are equal. The fourth challenge described by OMeara (1989) is public relationships. He states that cross-sex friends often have to deal with how they are viewed by others, which results in them often having to defend the status of their friendship. Many find it difficult to accept the fact that a man and woman can have a platonic relationship. Movie Example A movie that accurately describes some of the problems that arise from cross-sex friendships is My Best Friends Wedding, starring Julia Roberts, Dermont Mulroney and Cameron Diaz. In this film Julia Roberts plays Julianne Porter a New York food critic who has a longtime male friend Michael ONeil (Dermont Mulroney). They have remained friends since college and lead what seemed to be a very normal platonic relationship. They talked often about relationships, family, and enjoyed doing many of the same activities together. That all changed one day when Michael called Julianne to tell her he had recently become engaged. While taking this information in she realizes she loves Michael herself and sets out to sabotage his wedding with only days before the ceremony. Her tactics fail and Julianne finally has to accept she has lost her love and longtime friend to another woman. Successes There are also reasons that cross-sex friendships are successful and rewarding relationships for both parties, although it is not as common as the problems and challenges that can arise from these friendships. Some researchers have proposed that male individuals initiate cross-sex friendships to have access to sex and females initiate cross-sex friendships for protection (Bleske-Rechek Buss, 2001). Some cross-sex friends invite sexuality into the friendship. The added sexual dimension in a friendship can be a pleasant aspect within the relationship, but can also cause many problems if you are not careful. Cross-sex relationships are valued because they provide a chance for men to develop friendships with women because they are looking for more emotional and physical closeness. They may want to develop a friendship in search for more self-disclosure and more conversation about personal subjects. Chances are they do not experience this within their male friendships because they assume their male friends will be of little assistance or they fear seeming effeminate. Women, on the other hand, might be looking to form friendships with men in order to have a relationship that requires less intimacy, less personal talk, and more of an activity-based friendship. Movie Example Although I am sure examples of successful cross-sex friendships exist in reality, the majority of cross-sex friendships displayed in the media almost always end in a problematic situation. Usually one member of a platonic friendship ends up wanting to be romantically involved with the other. Therefore it was challenging to find a valid example of a successful cross-sex friendship, and I did not succeed in uncovering one. Conclusion After discussing the similarities and differences within same-sex friendships, as well as cross-sex friendships and how they can be rewarding or problematic; I hope that you have gained a broader understanding within the complicated subject of friendship. It is inevitable that we all need and strive for friendship, and by looking deeper into a certain area of friendship you may find it can actually answer many commonly asked questions or help resolve a problem you may be having within one of your own personal relationships. This should assist you in constructing your meaning of friendship as well as determining exactly how you are influenced by your friendships and how your friendships are influenced by you.

Effect of Peers and Gender on Risk Taking Decisions

Effect of Peers and Gender on Risk Taking Decisions The Effect of Peers and Gender on Risk Taking Decisions on Breaking the Rules of College Students Frances Mae H. Balandan Jaymie Aileen T. Huang Patricia Audrey D. Lansang Louie Belle M. Regente Dorothy Joy S. Sy Abstract Keywords: peers, genders, rules, risk-taking The researchers would like to know if clustering and gender affects the decision making of college students that involves risk. Clustering refers to the participants in whether they are classified in a group of friends or acting alone in a situation on making a risky behavior. The typical finding is that, on the average, subjects (group) shift toward greater risk; that is, the group will most likely decide on the risky option than an individual deciding on his or her own. This is the prototype of the group-induced shift toward risk, or simply the risky shift (Clark, 1973). There are theories, such as the social comparison theory, that emphasizes that people with in a group decides differently than people in isolation (Levinger and Schneider, 1969). In terms of gender differences, male participants are more probable to engage in risky behaviors than female participants. In social decision making, males perceive less risk and are more likely to engage in greater risk. Boys’ risk judgments were signià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cantly predicted by their ratings of injury severity (Harris, C. R. Jenkins, H., 2006). Female participants are less probable to engage in risk behaviors in the domains of health, gambling and recreational activities. Females judge the activities as less enjoyable than males (Harris, C. R. Jenkins, H., 2006). In terms of group differences, examples would be that couples on average are risk-averse in their choices, and that risk preferences are less diverse across groups than across individuals. Groups are more risk-averse in lotteries with low probabilities of winning the largest payoffs, but less risk-averse when these probabilities are high (He, H., Martinson. P., Sutter, M., 2011). The gender is a determinant on risky behaviors. Generally, males take more risks. But in some cases, females tend to make riskier decisions. A study showed that males tend to make riskier decision in terms of finances while females take more social risks (Menon, 2011). Risk attitudes expressed by groups and individuals dià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â€š ¬er. In most choice problems involving a safe and a risky option groups tend to take more risk (â€Å"risky shifts†) (Stoner, 1960). Further studies have shown that men prefer their decisions to be implemented as decisions in the group, while women are less likely to so. Risk attitudes in the individual decision-making task have no significant effect on the females’ decision, but have a positive effect for males (Gurdal, M.Y., 2010). Other studies have also shown that adolescents are likely to do risky decision making as compared to adults, because they are prone to the influence of the peers and they tend to conform. They do not want to feel left out because they want to be part of the group, and adolescents are more easily convinced towards risky choices. This not applicable for adults, because they are more mature and self-reliant meaning they can do it independently without relying on the other’s help. (Gardner and Steinberg, 2005) The researchers would like to know the following: Does gender affect the risky decision making of an individual? Does clustering affect the risky decision making of an individual? In this research, the researchers generated four hypotheses: If a group of students are exposed to a risk-taking situation on breaking the rules, then the group consensus will be riskier than the average of the initial individual decisions. If an individual student is exposed to a risk-taking situation on breaking the rules, then s/he will take on a lower risk than the average of the group of students. If a male student is exposed to a risk-taking situation on breaking the rules, then he will take on a higher risk than female students whether be in group, pair or individual decision. If a female student is exposed to a risk-taking situation on breaking the rules, then he will take on a lower risk than male students whether be in group, pair or individual decision. The purpose of the study is to know if the inclusion of a person in a group would influence his/her making risky decisions and to know if the gender of a person matters in making risky decisions. This research will be a breakthrough for parents and counselors in dealing with their son/daughters and clients in terms of risk-taking decision making on breaking the rules. This research is specified to know how and when college students are more inclined to do riskier behaviors. This can help prevent the circumstances and unfortunate effects to take place. This research will also be helpful in terms of being a new discovery as it will be set in the Philippines. Most researches are conducted to study western participants and graduate students. In the group’s study, we will concentrate on college students. The possible difference may lay in the different religion and culture that we have from the western countries. The different concepts the Filipinos have as a community, the different beliefs and the different perceptions may influence the results of this experimental research. Methods Participants The sample consisted of 200 undergraduate Lasallian students, men and women of ages 18 and above. The participants will be chosen via random sampling by asking some students for a few minutes of their time to participate in this experiment. Those willing to participate will be asked to fill up the consent form and log-in sheet before starting the experiment. Research Design Between-subjects mixed design will be used. The independent variables are college students. The levels are individual, and group. The dependent variable is decision upon result of risk taking. Procedure Participants were gathered via random sampling and participated in the experiment It will conducted in a laboratory and done in individually A participant will be asked to read risky situations, and be asked what are the chances that they will do the risky behavior (breaking the rule). The participant will be randomly placed in a risky situation where s/he will is alone or with his/her peers. In this experiment, we will measure the difference of the participants’ decision on whether they will break the rule if they are hypothetically with their group or acting alone. References Clark, R. D., III, Crockett, W. H., Archer, R. L. Risk-as-value hypothesis: The relationship between perception of self, others and the risky shift. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ,1971,20, 425-429. Gardner, M. Steinberg, L. (2005) Peer Influence on Risk Taking, Risk Preference, and Risky Decision Making in Adolescence and Adulthood: An Experimental Study. Developmental Psychology. Retrieved from http://uwf.edu/smathews/documents/peerroleinrisktakinggardnerandsteinberg.pdf Gurdal, M.Y.(2010) Deciding to Decide: Gender, Leadership and Risk-Taking in Groups. Retrieved from http://eaf.ku.edu.tr/sites/eaf.ku.edu.tr/files/erf_wp_1028.pdf Harris, C. R. Jenkins, H. (2006). Gender Differences in Risk Assessment: Why do Women Take Fewer Risks than Men? Judgment and Decision Making, 2006, 1(1), 48–63, Retrieved from http://journal.sjdm.org/jdm06016.pdf He, H., Martinson, P., Sutter, M. (2011).Group Decision Making Under Risk: An Experiment with Student Couples Retrieved from https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/2077/28122/1/gupea_2077_28122_1.pdf He, H., Martinson. P., Sutter, M. (2011). The Influence of Religious Priming on Self-Control and Risk Taking http://archives.ubalt.edu/ub_archives/inspired_discoveries/pdf/ADAMDspFINAL.pdf Jiang F. X., Jiang, Z. Kim. K. A., Zhang, M. (2013). Family-firm risk-taking: does religion matter? http://www.lingnan.net/seminar/upload/file/20130922/20130922103555225522.pdf Levinger, G. and Scheinder, D. J. (1969): â€Å"Test of the †risk is value† hypothesis,† Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 11, 165-169 Menon, D. (2011, July 25). PRESS RELEASE. Association for Psychological Science RSS. Retrieved January 19, 2014, from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/who-takes-risks.html Stoner (1961): â€Å"A comparison of individual and group decisions under risk,† unpublished thesis, MIT School of Management. Instruments Individual: Instructions: Read each situation carefully. Rate yourself to how much you are willing to do the stated situation, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. 1. You noticed that your teacher in your math class rarely checks the attendance. Everyone also noticed that some of your classmates are usually absent and cutting their class because the professor’s style of teaching is mundane. You sometimes ditch class with your classmates, but you noticed that you already exceeded the maximum number of absences allowed. You cannot cut the class more than 5 times. You are still tempted to cut the class, because you know that the professor rarely checks attendance. The risk is that the professor might have a roll call, thus leading you to a failing grade at the end of the term. The chances are __ in 10 that I will cut that class. 012345678910 2. You are required to write a group research paper for an English class. The topic must be new and something relevant to your course. You must contribute to writing the research paper. The paper is almost finished except for one significant part of the paper. The deadline is fast approaching you only have until 10pm of that night to finish the paper. You are tempted to plagiarize a portion of someone else’s work by claiming the paragraph of the person’s paper as your own without citation. The risk here is with rise of sophisticated anti-plagiarism software free for use on the Internet, there will be a chance of being caught with the act of plagiarism that will merit a failing grade. The chances are __ in 10 that I will plagiarize, copy a portion of that person’s work and not cite this person’s work. 012345678910 3. You are a part of a cheating chain (a group of students who pass the answers of one to another during a quiz). There are ten of you in the cheating chain a class. The teacher normally sleeps during examination, but he records the class on his phone. After two quizzes of not getting caught cheating, despite the presence of the phone, on the third exam, one of your cheating buddies was caught through the recording camera of the phone. He was the only one who was caught, and only received a warning and a zero on the exam instead of failing the entire course with a disciplinary demerit. The fourth exam is in a few minutes, and the only way to pass is through cheating. You are in desperate need of a high grade. With the fact that out of three exams, one out of the ten of you was only caught cheating, and that the teacher may be stricter due to catching one. What are the chances of you still partaking in the group’s cheating activities or abstain from it? The chances are __ in 10 that I will partake in the cheating chain. 0 1 2345678910 Group: Instructions: Read each situation carefully. Rate yourself to how much you are willing to do the stated situation, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. 1. You and your four friends noticed that your teacher in your math class rarely checks the attendance. Everyone also noticed that some of your classmates are usually absent and cutting their class because the professor’s style of teaching is mundane. You sometimes ditch class with your classmates, but you noticed that you already exceeded the maximum number of absences allowed. You cannot cut the class more than 5 times. You and your four friends are still tempted to cut the class, because you know that the professor rarely checks attendance. The risk is that the professor might have a roll call, thus leading you to a failing grade at the end of the term. The chances are __ in 10 that I will cut that class. 012345678910 2. You and your seven friends are required to write a group research paper for an English class. The topic must be new and something relevant to your course. Each member of the group must contribute to writing the research paper. The paper is almost finished except for one significant part of the paper. The deadline is fast approaching you only have until 10pm of that night to finish the paper. Your group is tempted to plagiarize a portion of someone else’s work by claiming the paragraph of the person’s paper as your own without citation. The risk here is with rise of sophisticated anti-plagiarism software free for use on the Internet, there will be a chance of being caught with the act of plagiarism that will merit a failing grade. The chances are __ in 10 that I will plagiarize, copy a portion of that person’s work and not cite this person’s work. 012345678910 3. You are a part of a cheating chain (a group of students who pass the answers of one to another during a quiz). There are ten of you in the cheating chain a class. The teacher normally sleeps during examination, but he records the class on his phone. After two quizzes of not getting caught cheating, despite the presence of the phone, on the third exam, one of your cheating buddies was caught through the recording camera of the phone. He was the only one who was caught, and only received a warning and a zero on the exam instead of failing the entire course with a disciplinary demerit. The fourth exam is in a few minutes, and the only way to pass is through cheating. You are in desperate need of a high grade. With the fact that out of three exams, one out of the ten of you was only caught cheating, and that the teacher may be stricter due to catching one. Will the cheating chain be active during the fourth exam? The chances are __ in 10 that I will partake in the cheating chain. 0 1 2345678910

Acid rain

Acid rain An introduction to the Acid rain Acid rain is a major problem for our health and even our existence. Human started poisoning the atmosphere with acid gases since 1730, at the height of the Industrial Revolution. Although, it was first recognized in 1872, approximately one hundred years after the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when an English scientist, Robert Angus Smith (1817-1884), pointed out the problem. In 1962, the Swedish scientist Svante Oden brought the acid rain quandary to the attention of the press, instead of the less popular scientific journals. He compiled records from the 1950s indicating that acid rain came from air masses moving out of central and western Europe into Scandinavia. In 1984 it was reported that almost half of the trees in the famous black forest in Germany had been damaged by acid rain. In 1988 United nations agreed to reduce the emissions of these acids into the atmosphere. In 1990 changes to the Clean Air Act set rules to cut down the release of sulfur dioxide from power pl ants down to 10 million tonnes by January 1, 2000 The Meaning and Creation of Acid Rain Acid rain is a term that describes the fall of the quantity of acids, staying in the atmosphere. We can use the term â€Å"Acid deposition to be more specific. Acid deposition separates in two parts: wet and dry. Wet deposition refers to the acidic rain, fog, and snow. As the high-acidized water flows over and through the ground, affects badly most of the earths flora and fauna. The danger of this effect depends on many factors like the acidity of water, the capacity of the soil and the types of flora and fauna that depend on water. Dry deposition refers to the acidic gases and their particles. It is known, that most of these acidic gases falls from the atmosphere to the earth through this procession (dry deposition). After that, the wind blows these dangerous particles on trees, cars, buildings etc. Trees are also infected due to the rainstorms, because they absorb the water from the storm. When this fact happens the high-acidized water adds these acids to the acid rain, which makes it more acidic than the rain that already falls. Prevailing winds blow these chemical compounds, which cause both wet and dry deposition, across the lands (hundreds of miles). The most important and harmful compounds are sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) which are created mostly from electric power generation made through the burning of fossil fuels like coal. The acidity of acid rain is made through the following reactions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides with the oxygen from the atmosphere and the water from the rains S + O 2 → SO 2 SO 2 + O 3 → SO 3 + O 2 SO 3 + H 2 O → H 2 SO 4 SO 2 + H 2 O → H 2 SO 3 2NO 2 + H 2 O → 2HNO 3 + NO2 NO + O 2 → 2NO2 Natural effects Nature also harms herself. Acid gases, produced by emissions from fires, volcanic eruptions, bacterial decomposition and lightening, are released in the atmosphere, increasing the amounts of nitrogen oxide. The major biological source of sulfur containing compounds is Dimethyl sulfide. Gas Phase chemistry Sulfur Sulfur dioxide reacts with the hydroxyl radical. Then the product reacts with the oxygen from the atmosphere and creates sulphur trioxide. Sulfur trioxide, when water is present, reacts and produces sulphuric acid. (See reaction table No1) Now, sulphur dioxide, like carbon dioxide, reacts with water, when clouds are present, through the procession of Hydrolysis. It dissolves in water in a series of equilibrium reactions (See reaction table No2) SO2 + OH · → HOSO2 HOSO2 · + O2 → HO2 · + SO3 SO3 (g) + H2O (l) → H2SO4 (l) NO2 + OH · → HNO3 SO2 (g) + H2O SO2 ·H2O SO2 ·H2O H+ + HSO3− HSO3− H+ + SO32− Nitrogen Oxide Nitrogen oxide reacts with OH to form nitric acid NO2 + OH · → HNO3 Oxidation There is a large amount of reactions where sulfur is oxidized from S(IV) to S(VI) that leads to the formation of sulphuric acid. The most important oxidation reactions are with ozone, hydrogen peroxide and oxygen (reactions with oxygen are catalyzed by iron and manganese in the cloud droplets). Measure and effects To measure the acidity of acid rain, we use the pH scale. Pure water has a pH of 7.0. Normal rain has a pH of 5.5 due to the dissolve of carbon oxide into it. The most acidic rain was fell in USA in the year 2000. It had a ph of 4.3 This acidity affects every living thing on the planet. The following tasks explain exactly this affection: 1st Effect: On Plant life Roots of flowers and trees are destroyed, such as nutricients, which are very important for their lives. Useful microorganisms, which release nutrients from decaying organic material, are killed. Acid rain also damages the waxy layer of the plants, which makes the plant vulnerable to diseases. Plants that survive are weak and without the ability to survive through tough conditions such as a short dry period, a heavy rainfall or a strong wind. The reproduction is also affected. 2nd Effect: On soil The decrease of pH damages or kills some microbes, which produce important enzymes. These enzymes, after the damage of microbes, change shape and lose the ability to function. Also cation exchange creates a serious problem. The ions of some metals (magnesium, potassium, and other metals) are attached to the clay and humus particles in the soil. The attractive forces of positive metal ions to the negatively charged clay particles are strong enough to hold the metal ions in the soil despite the passage of water through the soil. Hydronium ions from acid rain mobilize toxins like aluminium and leach away nutrients like magnesium. 3rd Effect: On animals, humans, and aquatic life Humans depend on food (animals, fishes). Fishes on the lakes and the seas are poisoned or infected by aluminium and mercury, that is leached from soil and rocks. Soil and water have the ability to neutralize the acidity of the rain water. But as the acidity becomes stronger, the pH goes lower. pH 5.5- Plankton population begins to die pH 5.0 Fish population begins to die pH lower than 5.0- All the fishes have died This effect is called ‘Acid Shock† and prevents also the reproduction of the population. Animals, like all the living organisms, interdependent on each other. The habitants that depend on plants and fishes begin to extinct. Other animals that depend on the animals, who depend on fishes and plants, begin to extinct. The food chain is affected dangerously. 4th Effect: Corrosion of buildings and sculptures. The sulfur dioxide reacts with limestone and marble. This reaction creates a black crust on buildings and sculptures, composed by gypsum. Gypsum is composed by the reactance of calcite, water and sulfuric acid. It may be white, but in the crystals of the network of its composition, dirt and pollutant are trapped, so it looks black CaCO3 (s) + H2SO4 (aq) CaSO4 (aq) + CO2 (g) + H2O Acid rain also increases the oxidation rate of metals, especially copper and bronze One good result Researches have resulted that Acid rain restricts global warming by reducing methane emissions from wetland areas. This study also showed that sulfur in the acid deposition limits global warming by counteracting the natural production of methane gases by microbes in wetland areas. Heating these microbes increases the speed of producing more methane, which is mitigating by the sulphur pollution from the industries. This fact is happening because of the sulphur-eating bacteria, which are living in wetlands, and compete the methane-eating microbes. Experiments have shown, that releasing the sulphur deposits causes decrease of methane by 30%, due to the activation of sulphur-eating bacteria Acid rain: Problems and solutions An important solution is the remove of sulphur from the stack gases, made from coal-burning power plants of the industries. This will be able to be done with the use of FGD (flue gas desulfurization). This plan is commonly uses in the U.S.A and many other countries. An example of FGD is the wet scrambler. Wet scrambler is a reaction tower equipped with a fan that extracts hot smoke stack gases from a power plant into the tower. Lime or limestone in slurry form is also injected into the tower to mix with the stack gases and combine with the sulfur dioxide present. The calcium carbonate of the limestone produces pH-neutral calcium sulfate that is physically removed from the scrubber. That is, the scrubber turns sulfur pollution into industrial sulfates. In some areas, where he purity of calcium sulphate is high, the sulfates are sold to chemical companies as a gypsum. In other areas they are placed in landfill. However, the effets of acid rain can last for generations, due to the change of the pH level. Chemicals continue leaching in water, killing off all the living organisms and blocking the restore of life. Another solution refers to the trading of emissions. Industries can then install pollution control equipment, and sell portions of their emissions allowances they no longer need for their own operations. This plan saves the economy and decreases the capital cost for these equipments. The intention is to give operators economic incentives to install pollution controls. Prevention Step 1 · Reduce emissions from mining, smelting and generating electrical power. Consumers can help by using fewer mined resources and reducing electrical power usage, as well as campaigning for government regulation of emissions in their area. Step 2 · Reduce emissions produced by oil operations and oil-fueled transportation. Consumers can help reduce emissions produced by oil operations by buying less oil, buying from companies with higher emissions regulations and driving cars with lower emission rates. Step 3 · Reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides produced by reducing use of coal and wood burning as well as natural gas. Step 4 · Cut back on your use of products that produce chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. Air conditioning, refrigeration and many aerosol products use or contain CFCs. Reduce the use of air conditioning by using fans and use a single, energy efficient refrigerator per household. Conserve cooled air by not leaving doors open when the air conditioning is on and by not leaving the refrigerator open for extended periods of time. Step 5 · Reduce production of sulfur dioxide by conserving paper. Sulfur dioxide is produced in paper production, so read newspapers online rather than buying a newspaper everyday, use the front and back of paper and use recycled paper. Step 6 · Reduce the emissions produced by your car by car pooling, planning ahead to combine long trips, biking or walking for short trips and keeping your car well maintained to be sure nothing is leaking. Step 7 · Increase energy efficiency in your home by using fluorescent lights, turning lights off when not in use, shutting down utilities when youre on vacation, closing off vents to rooms that are not in use and operating large appliances like dishwashers, washers and driers only when full. Step 8 · Reduce your use of manufactured materials such as packaging and other disposable products and recycle as much as you can. Producing new materials and disposing of waste materials are responsible for a large number of the pollutants that cause acid rain.