California Laws on Meals and Breaks Research Paper - 1

California Laws on Meals and Breaks - Research Paper Example From this paper it is clear that there is evidence that many organizations violate this law and are unwilling to provide this free time to the employees. Besides, some organizations provide these breaks at irregular time while others attach strict conditions regarding the utilization of this period. Therefore, it has become increasingly important to determine how the law should be implemented within the work environment and the role that the employees should play in contributing to the implementation of this law. Evidently, the government needs to support this work policy to reduce the various violation instances in the country. California’s breaks and meals laws provide employers with a framework on how to organize the working and rest period for their employees. According to the law, employers are required to provide their workers with 30 minutes break after every five working hours from the start time if the total working period exceeds 6 hours. Organizations that provide l ess than 6 working hours are exempted to this law as the government considers this working period considerably short. The implication is that if the workers have to work for more than ten hours, they must be awarded more than two breaks as a resting period. The law strictly requires that the five hours rule be adhered as part as obedience to the law. During the break, the employees are free to use this time for their personal duties rather than work. They are not limited to stay within the work premises and may leave to go to other places. However, they must return as soon as this break period is over to continue with their day work.

The Nobel Prize in Literature Essay Example for Free

The Nobel Prize in Literature Essay Once upon a time there was an old woman. Blind but wise. Or was it an old man? A guru, perhaps. Or a griot soothing restless children. I have heard this story, or one exactly like it, in the lore of several cultures. Once upon a time there was an old woman. Blind. Wise. In the version I know the woman is the daughter of slaves, black, American, and lives alone in a small house outside of town. Her reputation for wisdom is without peer and without question. Among her people she is both the law and its transgression. The honor she is paid and the awe in which she is held reach beyond her neighborhood to places far away; to the city where the intelligence of rural prophets is the source of much amusement. One day the woman is visited by some young people who seem to be bent on disproving her clairvoyance and showing her up for the fraud they believe she is. Their plan is simple: they enter her house and ask the one question the answer to which rides solely on her difference from them, a difference they regard as a profound disability: her blindness. They stand before her, and one of them says, Old woman, I hold in my hand a bird. Tell me whether it is living or dead. She does not answer, and the question is repeated. Is the bird I am holding living or dead? Still she doesnt answer. She is blind and cannot see her visitors, let alone what is in their hands. She does not know their color, gender or homeland. She only knows their motive. The old womans silence is so long, the young people have trouble holding their laughter. Finally she speaks and her voice is soft but stern. I dont know, she says. I dont know whether the bird you are holding is dead or alive, but what I do know is that it is in your hands. It is in your hands. Her answer can be taken to mean: if it is dead, you have either found it that way or you have killed it. If it is alive, you can still kill it. Whether it is to stay alive, it is your decision. Whatever the case, it is your responsibility. For parading their power and her helplessness, the young visitors are reprimanded, told they are responsible not only for the act of mockery but also for the small bundle of life sacrificed to achieve its aims. The blind woman shifts attention away from assertions of power to the instrument through which that power is exercised. Speculation on what (other than its own frail body) that bird-in-the-hand might signify has always been attractive to me, but especially so now thinking, as I have been, about the work I do that has brought me to this company. So I choose to read the bird as language and the woman as a practiced writer. She is worried about how the language she dreams in, given to her at birth, is handled, put into service, even withheld from her for certain nefarious purposes. Being a writer she thinks of language partly as a system, partly as a living thing over which one has control, but mostly as agency as an act with consequences. So the question the children put to her: Is it living or dead? is not unreal because she thinks of language as susceptible to death, erasure; certainly imperiled and salvageable only by an effort of the will. She believes that if the bird in the hands of her visitors is dead the custodians are responsible for the corpse. For her a dead language is not only one no long er spoken or written, it is unyielding language content to admire its own paralysis. Like statist language, censored and censoring. Ruthless in its policing duties, it has no desire or purpose other than maintaining the free range of its own narcotic narcissism, its own exclusivity and dominance. However moribund, it is not without effect for it actively thwarts the intellect, stalls conscience, suppresses human potential. Unreceptive to interrogation, it cannot form or tolerate new ideas, shape other thoughts, tell another story, fill baffling silences. Official language smitheryed to sanction ignorance and preserve privilege is a suit of armor polished to shocking glitter, a husk from which the knight departed long ago. Yet there it is: dumb, predatory, sentimental. Exciting reverence in schoolchildren, providing shelter for despots, summoning false memories of stability, harmony among the public. She is convinced that when language dies, out of carelessness, disuse, indifference and absence of esteem, or killed by fiat, not only she herself, but all users and makers are accountable for its demise. In her country children have bitten their tongues off and use bullets instead to iterate the voice of speechlessness, of disabled and disabling language, of language adults have abandoned altogether as a device for grappling with meaning, providing guidance, or expressing love. But she knows tongue-suicide is not only the choice of children. It is common among the infantile heads of state and power merchants whose evacuated language leaves them with no access to what is left of their human instincts for they speak only to those who obey, or in order to force obedience. The systematic looting of language can be recognized by the tendency of its users to forgo its nuanced, complex, mid-wifery properties for menace and subjugation. Oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge. Whether it is obscuring state language or the faux-language of mindless media; whether it is the proud but calcified language of the academy or the commodity driven language of science; whether it is the malign language of law-without-ethics, or language designed for the estrangement of minorities, hiding its racist plunder in its literary cheek it must be rejected, altered and exposed. It is the language that drinks blood, laps vulnerabilities, tucks its fascist boots under crinolines of respectability and patriotism as it moves relentlessly toward the bottom line and the bottomed-out mind. Sexist language, racist language, theistic language all are typical of the policing language s of mastery, and cannot, do not permit new knowledge or encourage the mutual exchange of ideas. The old woman is keenly aware that no intellectual mercenary, nor insatiable dictator, no paid-for politician or demagogue; no counterfeit journalist would be persuaded by her thoughts. There is and will be rousing language to keep citizens armed and arming; slaughtered and slaughtering in the malls, courthouses, post offices, playgrounds, bedrooms and boulevards; stirring, memorializing language to mask the pity and waste of needless death. There will be more diplomatic language to countenance rape, torture, assassination. There is and will be more seductive, mutant language designed to throttle women, to pack their throats like patà ©-producing geese with their own unsayable, transgressive words; there will be more of the language of surveillance disguised as research; of politics and history calculated to render the suffering of millions mute; language glamorized to thrill the dissatisfied and bereft into assaulting their neighbors; arrogant pseudo-empirical language crafted to l ock creative people into cages of inferiority and hopelessness. Underneath the eloquence, the glamor, the scholarly associations, however stirring or seductive, the heart of such language is languishing, or perhaps not beating at all if the bird is already dead. She has thought about what could have been the intellectual history of any discipline if it had not insisted upon, or been forced into, the waste of time and life that rationalizations for and representations of dominance required lethal discourses of exclusion blocking access to cognition for both the excluder and the excluded. The conventional wisdom of the Tower of Babel story is that the collapse was a misfortune. That it was the distraction, or the weight of many languages that precipitated the towers failed architecture. That one monolithic language would have expedited the building and heaven would have been reached. Whose heaven, she wonders? And what kind? Perhaps the achievement of Paradise was premature, a little hasty if no one could take the time to understand other languages, other views, other narratives period. Had they, the heaven they imagined might have been found at their feet. Complicated, demanding, yes, but a view of heaven as life; not heaven as post-life. She would not want to leave her young visitors with the impression that language should be forced to stay alive merely to be. The vitality of language lies in its ability to limn the actual, imagined and possible lives of its speakers, readers, writers. Although its poise is sometimes in displacing experience it is not a substitute for it. It arcs toward the place where meaning may lie. When a President of the United States thought about the graveyard his country had become, and said, The world will little note nor long remember what we say here. But it will never forget what they did here, his simple words are exhilarating in their life-sustaining properties because they refused to encapsulate the reality of 600, 000 dead men in a cataclysmic race war. Refusing to monumentalize, disdaining the final word, the precise summing up, acknowledging their poor power to add or detract, his words signal deference to the uncapturability of the life it mourns. It is the deference that moves he r, that recognition that language can never live up to life once and for all. Nor should it. Language can never pin down slavery, genocide, war. Nor should it yearn for the arrogance to be able to do so. Its force, its felicity is in its reach toward the ineffable. Be it grand or slender, burrowing, blasting, or refusing to sanctify; whether it laughs out loud or is a cry without an alphabet, the choice word, the chosen silence, unmolested language surges toward knowledge, not its destruction. But who does not know of literature banned because it is interrogative; discredited because it is critical; erased because alternate? And how many are outraged by the thought of a self-ravaged tongue? Word-work is sublime, she thinks, because it is generative; it makes meaning that secures our difference, our human difference the way in which we are like no other life. We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives. Once upon a time, visitors ask an old woman a question. Who are they, these children? What did they make of that encounter? What did they hear in those final words: The bird is in your hands? A sentence that gestures towards possibility or one that drops a latch? Perhaps what the children heard was Its not my problem. I am old, female, black, blind. What wisdom I have now is in knowing I cannot help you. The future of language is yours. They stand there. Suppose nothing was in their hands? Suppose the visit was only a ruse, a trick to get to be spoken to, taken seriously as they have not been before? A chance to interrupt, to violate the adult world, its miasma of discourse about them, for them, but never to them? Urgent questions are at stake, including the one they have asked: Is the bird we hold living or dead? Perhaps the question meant: Could someone tell us what is life? What is death? No trick at all; no silliness. A straightforward question worthy of the attention of a wise one. An old one. And if the old and wise who have lived life and faced death cannot describe either, who can? But she does not; she keeps her secret; her good opinion of herself; her gnomic pronouncements; her art without commitment. She keeps her distance, enforces it and retreats into the singularity of isolation, in sophisticated, privileged space. Nothing, no word follows her declaration of transfer. That silence is deep, deeper than the meaning available in the words she has spoken. It shivers, this silence, and the children, annoyed, fill it with language invented on the spot. Is there no speech, they ask her, no words you can give us that helps us break through your dossier of failures? Through the education you have just given us that is no education at all because we are paying close attention to what you have done as well as to what you have said? To the barrier you have erected between generosity and wisdom? We have no bird in our hands, living or dead. We have only you and our important question. Is the nothing in our hands something you could not bear to contemplate, to even guess? Dont you remember being young when language was magic without meaning? When what you could say, could not mean? When the invisible was what imagination strove to see? When questions and demands for answers burned so brightly you trembled with fury at not knowing? Do we have to begin consciousness with a battle heroines and heroes like you have already fought and lost leaving us with nothing in our hands except what you have imagined is there? Your answer is artful, but its artfulness embarrasses us and ought to embarrass you. Your answer is indecent in its self-congratulation. A made-for-television script that makes no sense if there is nothing in our hands. Why didnt you reach out, touch us with your soft fingers, delay the sound bite, the lesson, until you knew who we were? Did you so despise our trick, our modus operandi you could not see that we were baffled about how to get your attention? We are young. Unripe. We have heard all our short lives that we have to be responsible. What could that possibly mean in the catastrophe this world has become; where, as a poet said, nothing needs to be exposed since it is already barefaced. Our inheritance is an affront. You want us to have your old, blank eyes and see only cruelty and mediocrity. Do you think we are stupid enough to perjure ourselves again and again with the fiction of nationhood? How dare you talk to us of duty when we stand waist deep in the toxin of your past? You trivialize us and trivialize the bird that is not in our hands. Is there no context for our lives? No song, no literature, no poem full of vitamins, no history connected to experience that you can pass along to help us start strong? You are an adult. The old one, the wise one. Stop thinking about saving your face. Think of our lives and tell us your particularized world. Make up a story. Narrative is radical, creating us at the very moment it is being created. We will not blame you if your reach exceeds your grasp; if love so ignites your words they go down in flames and nothing is left but their scald. Or if, with the reticence of a surgeons hands, your words suture only the places where blood might flow. We know you can never do it properly once and for all. Passion is never enough; neither is skill. But try. For our sake and yours forget your name in the street; tell us what the world has been to you in the dark places and in the light. Dont tell us what to believe, what to fear. Show us belief s wide skirt and the stitch that unravels fears caul. You, old woman, blessed with blindness, can speak the language that tells us what only language can: how to see without pictures. Language alone protects us from the scariness of things with no names. Language alone is meditation. Tell us what it is to be a woman so that we may know what it is to be a man. What moves at the margin. What it is to have no home in this place. To be set adrift from the one you knew. What it is to live at the edge of towns that cannot bear your company. Tell us about ships turned away from shorelines at Easter, placenta in a field. Tell us about a wagonload of slaves, how they sang so softly their breath was indistinguishable from the falling snow. How they knew from the hunch of the nearest shoulder that the next stop would be their last. How, with hands prayered in their sex, they thought of heat, then sun. Lifting their faces as though it was there for the taking. Turning as though there for the taking. They stop at an inn. The driver and his mate go in with the lamp leaving them humming in the dark. The horses void steams into the snow beneath its hooves and its hiss and melt are the envy of the freezing slaves. The inn door opens: a girl and a boy step away from its light. They climb into the wagon bed. The boy will have a gun in three years, but now he carries a lamp and a jug of warm cider. They pass it from mouth to mouth. The girl offers bread, pieces of meat and something more: a glance into the eyes of the one she serves. One helping for each man, two for each woman. And a look. They look back. The next stop will be their last. But not this one. This one is warmed. Its quiet again when the children finish speaking, until the woman breaks into the silence. Finally, she says, I trust you now. I trust you with the bird that is not in your hands because you have truly caught it. Look. How lovely it is, this thing we have done together.

Adult Children of Alcoholics Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the United States, twenty million children are experiencing physical, verbal and emotional abuse from parents who are addicted to alcohol. Growing up in an alcoholic house can leave emotional scars that may last a lifetime. This is tragic because we consider that childhood is the foundation on which our entire lives are fabricated. When a child’s efforts to bond with an addicted parent are handicapped, the result is confusion and intense anxiety. In order to survive in a home deficient, of healthy parental love, limits, and consistency, they must develop â€Å"survival skills† or defense mechanisms very early in life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The crippling effects of alcoholism and drug dependency are not confined to the addict alone. The family suffers, physically and emotionally, and it is the children who are the most disastrous victims. Frequently neglected and abused, they lack the maturity to combat the terrifying destructiveness of the addict’s behavior. As adults these individuals may become compulsively attracted to the same lifestyle as their parents, excessive alcohol and drug abuse, destructive relationships, antisocial behavior, and find themselves in an infinite loop of feelings of emptiness, futility, and despair. Behind the appearance of calm and success, Adult Children of Alcoholics often bear a sad, melancholy and haunted look that betrays their quietest confidence. In the chilling silence of the darkest nights of their souls, they yearn for intimacy: their greatest longing, and deepest fear. Their creeping terror lives as the child of years of emotional, and sometimes physical , family violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Normally, children learn about intimate relationships through both loving interactions with parents, and effective parental modeling. In alcoholic homes, all relating filters through â€Å"the bottle,† with the alcoholic addicted to the alcohol and the spouse and children addicted to the alcoholic. For Adult Children of Alcoholics, surviving their families becomes the point of existence. The fortunate may be able to draw support from a supportive adult, and may emerge with fewer difficulties than their brothers and sisters. The majority, however, have to â€Å"make do.† Some spend lonely hours in their rooms wishing only to vanish behind the woodwork. Others attempt to rescue the foundering vi... ...e interaction at therapy, God will heal us and restore us beyond our wildest imagination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the result of being raised in a home where one or both parents were addicted, children of alcoholics generally have certain common characteristics that continue to affect them as adults. Members of a dysfunctional family tend to build up defenses to deal with the problems of the addicted family member. Common problems include lack of communication, mistrust, and low self-esteem. Adult children of alcoholics often become isolated, are afraid of authority figures, have difficulty distinguishing between normal and abnormal behavior, and judge themselves harshly. This often leads to enduring feelings of guilt and problems with intimate relationships. In many cases, adult children of alcoholics develop an over-developed sense of responsibility, and respond poorly to criticism. They may feel different from other people, fear failure but tend to sabotage success, and fall in love with people they can pity and rescue. Fortunately, there are a number of support groups d esigned to help adult children of alcoholics identify their problems, and start resolving them.

The History of Espn

$91, That’s all it cost to have ESPN incorporated back in 1978, when it was only run by three people, Bill Rasmussen, Scott Rasmussen, and Ed Eagan. Now if you take a look at ESPN today, you’ll see one of the world’s largest broadcast corporations. The History of ESPN is a long and pretty interesting story. Like stated above, the history of ESPN truly begins on September 7th, 1978, when the three founders paid $91 to have the company incorporated. After deciding to go with a 24-hour broadcasting schedule, ESPN debuted with Sports Center later that month, and then began to air a large variety of sports ranging from professional soft ball, to NCAA wrestling. Their fist dabble into a massive professional sport would be with the United States Football League, who’s games would be aired on the network. The league only survived for three years, but it gave the network the experience it needed when they gained partial rights to air Sunday Night football games, in 1987. Sunday Night Football would be on the network for nineteen years, till they switched to Monday nights. These are just the starting years to the massive behemoth that is ESPN. The 1990’s, a good a time period as any for ESPN. They gained rights to air MLB games, and also saw the founding of ESPN 2, in 1993. ESPN radio kicked of a year before ESPN 2, in 1992, making the company multi medial. 1996 saw the presence of Disney corperation, the parent company of ESPN, merge ABC sports and ESPN together. In 1997, ESPN started using SKYCAM to air it’s NHL games, and would soon put that innovative tech to use with the three other major sports leagues, MLB, NFL, and NBA. Company founders were long gone now, and things were looking really good for the future of the company.

Game Theory †Descriptive, Normative or Prescriptive Essay

Going through life we often are surprised by the different ways how people think, make decisions and interact. We believe that most of us are rational human beans (to some extent) and, therefore, our decisions should be grounded in analysis of the situation, our experience and intuition. Therefore, the human mind can be seen as an incredibly complicated machine that runs series of theoretical simulations of possible situations (often subconsciously) to find the most optimal course of action, taking into consideration the possible strategies of others. When the decisions are important to us and the reasoning process is conscious, we engage in strategic thinking. It has always been tempting to develop a theory that would actually explain and predict the human interaction based on strategic thinking, therefore making the strategic decision making more effective to both parties and without risk to going into â€Å"worst case scenario†. Therefore ideally game theory should cover the questions how the decisions should be made in order to maximize the gains, what reasoning does it imply, how to make the best choice of strategy and what will the pay-offs be for both parties. What questions does game theory actually answer – this is how the topic of this essay might be rephrased. In this essay the discussion will be focused on the question whether game theory is a descriptive, normative or prescriptive theory. First, a brief explanation of different types of theories should be given as well as the definition of game theory and the development in this academic field of study as well as the practical applications. Then the standpoint of the author will be defined and supporting as well as contradicting arguments based on various academic articles will be presented and discussed. The last part of the essay will sum up the discussed ideas and draw the final conclusions and remarks. To start with the necessary in-depth understanding of the essay topic, the distinction between normative, descriptive and prescriptive theories should be clarified. As it is known, normative theory deals with how things should be – what ought to be in context of the specific field of study. Descriptive theories are concerned with explaining the way things happen (people behave) in real ife, moreover the prescriptive theories aim to suggest how things should happen (or how people should react) and this could be just on theoretical level or also connected with the real life (therefore not only giving prescriptions on how to act but also the predictions on the future situations). Joseph B. Kadane and Patrick D. Larkey in their paper „The Confusion of Is and Ought in Game Theoretic Contexts† from 1983 reflects on the essay topic and distinguishes between different types of normative and positive theories: Among positive theories, we distinguish three types. Descriptive theories are concerned with empirical phenomena, but stop with a description. Explanatory theories go further by addressing â€Å"why questions. † Finally, predictive theories discuss what behavior will be. We also distinguish between two types of normative theory, both concerned with what behavior should be. Speculative statements are nonoperational usually consisting of a goal or criterion (e. g. , maximize utility or profit) with no precise instructions on how one might accomplish the goal or apply the criterion. Prescriptions are operational in that they give both a goal (or criterion) and feasible procedures (an algorithm) for accomplishing it. From this quotation it can be clearly seen what theory distinctions in game theory context are made. The essay author will adopt this view and within normative theories take into consideration both speculative and prescriptive types of theories, within descriptive theories include both descriptive and explanatory types and within prescriptive theories look at predictive and prescriptive (for real life situations) types. After clarifying the different types of theories in connection with game theory, the short description of game theory and development of modern game theory will be given. In the Oxford English dictionary the definition of game theory is as follows the branch of mathematics concerned with the analysis of strategies for dealing with competitive situations where the outcome of a participant’s choice of action depends critically on the actions of other participants. Game theory has been applied to contexts in war, business, and biology. From the definition we see the important factors are the mathematical analysis, different strategic options with different outcomes (pay-offs) and the interdependence of the players. Therefore it indeed looks like the so desired theory described in the introduction of the essay, however, what does it actually deliver, that is the main focus of this essay. Modern game theory has been developing now for more than 50 years since the book Theory of Games and Economic Behavior by John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern was published in 1944. However, it must be noted that some important efforts in explaining the strategic choices – strategic decision making has been done also before, for example by Zermelo. Konong, Kalmar and Borel. Game theory has evolved considerably since the publication of von Neuman and Morgenstern’s book and what is interesting the theory has developed far beyond its initial mathematical boundaries. This is due in a large part to contributions in the 1950s from John Nash (1950, 1951). However, it was in the 1970s that game theory as a way of analysing strategic situations began to be applied in all sorts of diverse areas including economics, politics, international relations, business and biology (Chermichael, 2005). By having established the understanding about the subject of the essay, the arguments can now be presented. The author believes that the game theory at the stage of evolution it is now in is a descriptive and prescriptive theory concerning strategic decision making, however with some limitations. Argument 1: Strategic decision making implies / do not imply rational thinking The first contra argument discussed will be about the assumption of game theory that the players are rational. It can be argued that this indeed does not reflect real life as people often make irrational choices and therefore game theory is not describing the real world nor giving prescriptions on how to act in real situations but is indeed a normative theory. What needs to be emphasized here is that the essay author argues that game theory is a prescriptive theory when dealing with strategic decision making. Strategic decision making involves long term commitments from an organization and therefore it will be carefully analyzed and discussed before the final decision, in order to be sure that the chosen course of action will deliver the highest possible results. Following this thought it can be concluded that the players will act rationally, as they are aware of the huge impact of the decision and have certain decision making skills (which can be assumed as they are high in the organizational hierarchy that they are the ones making strategic decisions). Argument 2: Game theory does / does not describe predict the real world situations Strong critique regarding the interpretation of game theory is expressed by Rubinstein (1991): There exists a widespread myth in game theory, that it is possible to achieve a miraculous prediction regarding the outcome of interaction among human beings using only data on the order of events, combined with a description of the players’ preferences over the feasible outcomes of the situation. [.. ]The mystical and vague word â€Å"rationality† is used to fuel our hopes of achieving this goal. I fail to see any possibility of this being accomplished. Overall, game theory accomplishes only two tasks: It builds models based on intuition and uses deductive arguments based on mathematical knowledge. As we see from this quotation, Rubinstein is critical regarding the game theory having any descriptive or prescriptive characteristics. However, he states that what is missing for it to be a descriptive (and following that prescriptive theory), is the data describing the process of reasoning adopted by the players when they analyze a game. Since this article more than 10 both scientific and empirical articles have been written directly dealing with the problems mentioned in this article therefore the interpretation has evolved as well as the game theory itself. Moreover, game theory has been used throughout the years by companies and has been proven to be a useful tool for strategists. Camerer in his article â€Å"Does strategy research need game theory? (1991) comes to a conclusion that a common criticism that game-theoretic models assume too much rationality is often wrong because first, some games require little rationality to compute equilibria; and second, players may reach an equilibrium by communicating, adapting or evolving to it rather than by calculating it. Indeed, the author agrees that the interpretation of the games needs careful attention, however, the theory can be used as a descriptive theory for strategic decisions and by studying it strategists can come to a better decisions therefore evolving in a prescriptive theory. Another extra point enhancing the previously stated is the evolution of game theory now including cooperation, asymmetric information and other factors which are present in real life situations. Hutton (1996) describes game theory as an intellectual framework for examining what various parties to a decision should do given their possession of inadequate information and different objectives. Here we see that in later works game theory is seen as a more sophisticated theory dealing with various situations not only basic theoretic models. The paper of Kadane and Larkey from 1983 states two suggestions in order to clear the â€Å"is and ought† confusion. First, a Bayesian perspective should be adopted, second, more attention should be given to the model validation. The Bayesian view of games clarifies the proper, respective roles of prescriptive and predictive theory. Taking the Bayesian norm as prescriptively compelling for my play leads me to want the best description I can find of my partner/opponent’s play. Thus both prescription and description have important roles to play in the Bayesian view of games. Therefore, we see that through Bayesian approach the descriptive and prescriptive characteristics of game theory are enhanced. From authors research for relevant literature concerning the question what type of theory is game theory, it can be seen that most papers concerning these questions are around 1980`s and the beginning of 1990`s. Later papers on game theory, however, are more concerned of empirical applications of game theory as well as in depth analysis of the theory. The empirical work in such fields as auctions, M&A, price strategy, marketing strategy etc. as been applying successfully the principles of game theory, therefore strengthening the statement that Game theory is indeed now a descriptive and prescriptive type of theory. Argument 3: Game theorist work has been internationally recognized as applicable to real life and practically useful to make better strategies and strategic decisions Another strong argument supporting the statement of the author is the work of rec ent Nobel Prize winners in economics, in 2007 and in 2012 the winners are game theorists Leonid Hurwicz, Eric Maskin, Roger Myerson and Lloyd Shapley, Alvin Roth respectively. (Nobel Prizes in economics also was awarded to game theorists in 1994, 1995 and 2005). Leonid Hurwicz, Eric Maskin and Roger Myerson won the 2007 Nobel Prize for their work in mechanism design theory, a branch of game theory that extends the application of game theory to how different types of rules, or institutions, align individual incentives with overall social goals. Their work on allocation mechanisms has had a significant impact on the design of uctions, social welfare systems and many organizations. As the theory can be applied successfully to real fields of business and real organizations, it can be concluded that game theory must be a prescriptive and therefore also descriptive theory. Moreover, the Nobel Prize in 2012 to Shapley and Lloyd was awarded for the theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design – the creation of the link from theory to practice. BBC article (15. 10. 012) regarding the winners of 2012 Nobel Prize in economics by Stephanie Flanders, the BBC Economics Editor, states The work of Lloyd Shapley and Alvin Roth reminds us that economics can be both deeply mathematical and abstract, and deeply practical – not to say hugely useful to public and private organizations all over the world. [.. ] In the past 50 years, game theorists – and micro-economics in general – have genuinely made the world a better place. Either they have helped to solve practical real-world problems or, where there is no solution, they have helped us to understand the issues more clearly. So once again we see that game theory when applied correctly can help to solve real life problems and therefore is a prescriptive and descriptive theory. Working on the essay the author read through many articles on game theory including the classic papers of Nash (1950,1951) where the theory is explained in detail but applications explained are indeed rather simple and not that applicable to complex real world situations, however, very useful for simple situations. Looking at the research papers written in late 1990`s and 2000`s, the empirical applications can be seen more clear and grounded in real life. The critique on game theory expressed by researchers in early 1990`s have been taken into consideration therefore helping the game theory to evolve ad become descriptive and prescriptive theory that can be applied to many fields. Moreover, practitioners are indeed using game theory, for example highly successful consultancy company McKinsey is using game theory to help managers make better decisions and foresee the different possible risks of different courses of action (Hagen Lindstadt and Jurgen Muller, 2009). The author believes that the game theory has evolved from being more a normative theory to normative prescriptive theory, then by applying these rules to real world descriptive theory has been developed, and now in hand of a masterful strategist game theory is indeed a predictive and prescriptive theory helping to make better strategic decisions.

Residency Requirements For Congress - Weird Details

Residency Requirements For Congress - Weird Details The residency requirements for Congress contain one of the most unusual quirks in American politics. And that is: You dont even have to live in a congressional district to be elected to serve in that House of Representatives seat. In fact, nearly two dozen members in the 435-member  House live outside of their congressional districts, according to published reports. How can that be? Is it a flaw in the residency requirements for Congress spelled out in the U.S. Constitution? Shouldnt representatives elected to a House seat actually live in the same district with the people who elected them, just like elected members of your local, state and federal government offices are required to live in the municipalities they represent? What the Constitution Says If you want to run for the House of Representatives, you must be at least 25 years old, a citizen of the United States for at least seven years and be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen,† according to the  Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution.   And thats it. Theres nothing in there that requires a member of the House to live within his districts boundaries. Notably Few Hurdles The Constitution placed notably few hurdles between ordinary citizens and becoming a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The founders wanted the House to be the legislative chamber closest to the people - the least restrictive on age, citizenship, and the only federal office at the time subject to frequent popular election, states the House Office of History, Art Archives. Members of the House are elected every two years, and generally, their re-election rate is very high. The Speaker of the House Doesnt Have to Be a Member Oddly enough, the Constitution doesnt even require the highest-ranking officer of the House  - the speaker  - to be a member. When Speaker John Boehner stepped down the from the post in 2015, several pundits made the case that the House should bring in an outsider, even a dynamic (some would say  bombastic) voice such as Donald Trump or former Speaker Newt Gingrich, to lead the disparate factions of the Republican Party.   Open to Merit of Every Description James Madison, writing in the Federalist Papers, stated: â€Å"Under these reasonable limitations, the door of this part of the federal government is open to merit of every description, whether native or adoptive, whether young or old, and without regard to poverty or wealth, or to any particular profession of religious faith.† Residency Requirements for Serving in the U.S. Senate The rules for serving in the U.S. Senate are a bit tighter in that they require members to live in the state they represent. U.S. senators are not elected by districts, though, and represent their entire state. Every state elects two people to serve in the Senate. The Constitution also requires members of the Senate to be at least 30 years old and a citizen of the United States for at least nine years. Legal Challenges and State Laws The U.S. Constitution does not address residency requirements for local elected officials or members of state legislatures. It leaves the matter up to the states themselves; most require elected municipal and legislative officials to live in the districts where they were elected. States cannot, however, enact laws requiring members of Congress to live in the districts they represent because state law cannot supersede the Constitution. In 1995,  for example, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that qualifications clauses were intended to preclude the states from exercising any [power over Congressional requirements] and, as a result, the Constitution fix[es] as exclusive the qualifications in the Constitution. At that time, 23 states had established term limits for their members of Congress; the Supreme Court decision made them null and void. Subsequently, federal courts struck down residency requirements in California  and Colorado. [This article was updated in September 2017 by Tom Murse.]

High School Term Paper

High School Term Paper High School Term Paper High School Term Paper: What Are The Important Advices? How to write the excellent high school term paper, even if you are neither Pushkin nor Bernard Show? Let the thought about pen and paper (or the keyboard) be pleasant! Do what you want and our site will take care of your assignment! Order your high school term paper with us! Certainly it is possible to use the Internet, and it is 'honestly' to download needed assignment, but in such case how about your undisclosed talent, about your impetuous desire to leave a trace on the Earth and how about plagiarism? Ability to state OWN thoughts orally and in writing is one of the most necessary skills of any cultural person. It has been since Plato's times and so will be always! The Structure Of High School Term Paper The structure of this high school term paper is unusually simple and well thought-out. 1. Introduction High school term paper introduction depends on a high school term paper kind (description, reasoning, persuasion). The descriptive term paper is based on consideration and discussion of any product or article, someone's work. Introduction of it includes the name of the author and the name of its product, the thesis of the author, the main ideas of the high school term paper and your thesis. The term paper reasoning is rather informal kind of the high school term paper, because you express the thoughts and a unique kind paper in which the pronoun I use is possible. Introductions of such high school term paper should contain short history, which opens the reason, which has forced you to consider this, or that topic. The term paper- persuasion is reasoning on any urgent question (a problem of abortions, reasonable increase in taxes to health services etc.). Use of a pronoun I is unacceptable. The arrangement of the main ideas and the thesis is unconditioned (preferably your thesis finishes introduction), but the main thing that components of introduction should be accurately noted. Introdu ction should enumerate main ideas in ascending order of importance; you can finish with the strongest and interesting one in your opinion. 2. Part 2 Logic connection of parts is very important. Therefore, this part usually begins with the sentence, which contains the main idea. But do not copy it from introduction, because it is desirable to paraphrase it using synonyms. Further all part is devoted to disclosing of the main idea. Disclosing has the structure, which is suitable for all other ideas. It has least 3 subparts (under-ideas). 3. Part 3 Structure of it is similar to parts 2 except for the last sentence. It should sum up the ideas, which will let reader know that conclusion of all term paper, the analysis and summary will follow further. 4. Conclusion The conclusion is a sight forward that is attempted to suppose role of the chosen topic in the future or influence of case in the present. Frequently the conclusion begins with a question. Then you should repeat every main idea with a conclusion and the analysis what will be answer to question. The part comes to the end with the same thesis, which has been put by you in introduction. It is desirable to paraphrase it, of course. Your Success and Excellent Grades! You have an excellent opportunity to write your high school term paper with us! No headache and thought-out! No plagiarism and old information! You know that our writing service offers the best price and quality! Contact us without hesitation right now and get supreme results!

Maid of Honor Wedding Toast Quotes

Maid of Honor Wedding Toast Quotes The maid of honor at a wedding can be regarded as the brides friend, philosopher, and guide. Therefore, a toast raised by the maid of honor at the wedding should have words of affection, wisdom, and advice for the newlyweds. A few of the following quotes could be added to the maid of honor wedding toast to make it an unforgettable one.​ Quotes for the Maid of Honors Toast American ProverbYou have to kiss a lot of toads before you find a handsome prince. Dr. James C. DobsonDont marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you cant live without. Helen RowlandBefore marriage, a man will lay down his life for you; after marriage he wont even lay down his newspaper. Franklin P. JonesLove doesnt make the world go round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile. Kristen KappelLove is when you look into someones eyes, and see everything you need. Lucy Van Pelt, in Peanuts, by Charles M. SchulzAll I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesnt hurt! Tony HeathBe presidents of each others fan clubs. Dave MeurerA great marriage is not when the perfect couple come together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences. Madonna, O Magazine, January 2004To be brave is to love someone unconditionally, without expecting anything in return. To just give; that takes courage. Because we dont want to fall on our faces or leave ourselves open to hurt. Zora Neale HurstonLove, I find, is like singing. Everybody can do enough to satisfy themselves, though it may not impress the neighbors as being very much.

Trade in Endangered Species Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Trade in Endangered Species - Research Paper Example This essay stresses that the ban should be further maintained. Other possible measures which can be taken to reverse this trend include bigger finesand more harsh punishment, stricter regulations and laws, implementation of certain educating programs to inform the consumers about the brutal and uncivilized acts of violencemade for trading purposes towards the endangered species. This paper makes a conclusion that the illegal trade in endangered species is one of the crucial environmental issues of the contemporary world. Despite the numerous bans on such trades, rare animals are still brutally slaughtered in many countries. The number of species which are threatened with a total extinction is increasing at an alarming rate. Although the effectiveness of the bans is highly debatable nowadays, and there are a lot of people who are eager to eliminate them, it is a fallacy to suppose that legalizing trade will prevent animals from extinction. Only joint efforts of the international environmental communities can change this situation for the better. The bans on trade in endangered species should be constantly maintained, as they provide significant contribution to the conservation of the wildlife. Moreover, other necessary measures should be imposed by the international environmental organizations and governments of the countries which provide home to the mention ed animals in order to ensure that the introduced bans on trade are carried out efficiently and endangered species are protected from the threat of being killed by poaches.

Healthcare Workers. Workplace Violence Research Paper

Healthcare Workers. Workplace Violence - Research Paper Example Such perpetrators include customers, patients, inmates, and other groups of people who receive regular services from the business. Healthcare facilities such as nursing homes and psychiatric facilities have the highest number of customer violence (Lee et al, 2010). Workplace violence is also perpetrated by fellow workers where an employee threatens or assaults another employee or past employee. Violence can also be perpetrated by individuals without any relationship with the business but have personal relationships with the victims. This includes victims of domestic violence who are attacked or assaulted while at work. The victims of workplace violence are mostly employees in the business. The victims have the responsibility of conducting business activities or providing services (Lee et al, 2010). Nurses and care givers in a nursing home or hospital may be attacked by violent patients. Shop attendants become victims of violent crimes such as robbery. Police officers and prison warde ns are victims of violence from criminals and prisoners. Employees may be subjected to verbal abuses or unwanted touching from their supervisors (Lee et al, 2010). Harassment by senior employees is evident in workplaces such as warehouses. New employees or junior employees become victims of overworking, threats, and abuses from senior employees. Spouses may become victims of workplace violence when domestic violence extends to the workplace. An employee may be attacked or abused by the spouse in the workplace due to unresolved domestic issues (Lee et al, 2010). Risk factors include mental health disorders such as stress, anxiety, and drug intoxication are common among people who commit workplace violence. Employees, customers, or patients with mental disorders have the highest probability of becoming violent. The employees’ inability to deal with a crisis is another risk factor (Lee et al, 2010). Emergency situations in the workplace may increase the stress levels in an emplo yee who loses control of the crisis and may perpetrate verbal violence. The age, years of experience, gender, hours worked, and marital status predispose workers to violence. Women and new employees may experience verbal and physical violence from senior employees. Employees dealing with the public such as police officers are exposed to attacks. Workers handling money such as cashiers are usually victims of criminal violence during robberies (OSHA, 2009). Employees working at night, guarding valuables, working in high crime areas, or transporting passengers have a high probability of being attacked. Workplace violence affects all stakeholders in a business. It has been estimated that organizations lose $202 billion annually due to workplace violence (Bowlers et al, 2007). Employers are affected by the violence due to reduced workdays and low employee morale. Employers also have to restore stolen property, replace damaged property, legal expenses, and compensate victims. Employees ar e also affected by the violence due to high levels of stress, physical injuries, depression, and high healthcare expenses. The personal relationships between employees also change in cases of employee-employee violence (Snyder, Chen and Vacha-Haase, 2007). Demoralization of employees leads to reduced job efficiency. This affects the quality of services delivered to customers and clients. Violence involving customer or clients may lead

Business Risk in an Uncertain Global Economy Essay - 1

Business Risk in an Uncertain Global Economy - Essay Example The primary risks related to the global volatility are the interest rate risk, currency risk, country risk. All the three are related to each other and have a cascading effect over each other (Skipper & Kwon, 2007, pp. 20-23). Interest rate risks are related to the magnitude and probability of the unanticipated changes in the interest rates that exert an influence over the cost of various sources of capital in a specific currency denomination of an economy and others related economies and the demand for the products. The effects are considered in measuring the exposure of the overall interest rate changes. Currency risk has been related to the magnitude and probability of the uncertain changes taking place in the exchange rate and the inflation rates that is n the value of the foreign and domestic money. On the other hand the country risks refer to the enormity and probability of the changes in the country’s productivity development. Country risks are primarily related to the aggregate demand influencing the scale of production which in turn is affected by the political risk and global economical risks. The country risk exerts an influence over the business related risk and decision making policies of each business operating within the country premises. A firm competitive risk basically refers to the enormity and probability of the uncertain changes in the business specific conditions in addition to the industry specific and demand condition affected by the interest rate, currency rate and country risks (Oxelheim & Wihlborg, 2008, pp. 20-25). Instances can be derived from the global turbulence situation which Bank of England faced during 2013 and how they dealt with such situation. As per the governor of the Bank Of England, â€Å"Over two years now we have seen the situation in the euro area get worse and the problem being pushed down the road† (BBC News Business, June 2012). From the statement it can be assured that individuals in the business o rganizations, the firm itself and the government primarily deal with such uncertainties arising out of the volatile economy by executing certain risk management processes. Financial Management Theories, communication and initiatives: Financial management theories are related to the financial risks. Financial risks generate from the individual’s or the firm’s possession or usage of the financial instruments. The financial risk can evolve through various sources such as interest rates, issuance of stocks, credit extensions, and transaction of foreign currencies and also through various usages of derivatives. So it assures that the business incorporate the defaulter risk within its operations. Any firm when extend the credit to their customers suffers from the financial risk that someone will default. So as the individual also sustains the financial risk while borrowing money from the business enterprises like bank for fulfillment of their personal needs of like buying ho use, cars, making investments etc. Financial risks are primarily external towards the business and the individual and therefore are less subjected to the direct control of the same. On the other hand, they involve a careful and specific selection of the financial instruments (Pixley, 2004, pp. 1- 17). The financial management theories related to the financial risks can be divided into financial market risks, operational risks and the strategic risks. The

Long Term Effects of Being a Non-Union Actor Essay

Long Term Effects of Being a Non-Union Actor - Essay Example The thesis of this paper is: When an actor is non-union long-term, self-esteem is often low because he or she rarely makes more than a union actor’s minimum wage.   Furthermore, opportunities to audition are limited, and non-union workers do not receive the respect or benefits provided to those who are in unions. "Ever since the first Hollywood director yelled, 'Action!' on the set of a motion picture, the anonymous corps of performers known as 'extras' formed an integral element of the film capital's working society". This powerful opening leads directly to the crux of this paper. Actors who work as walk-ons, diner patrons, soldiers, and the like are called extras. These are the actors that do not have a spoken part in the production; they are there to provide the full ambiance of the scene. If the production is to convey a busy street scene, that scene requires a host of extras to make the scene believable, therefore, the presence of each and every extra constitutes a comp leted realistic scene that the viewer finds credible. Yet, many extras are not paid in a manner consistent with their important function within the industry. In fact, if the extra happens to lack union status, that extra's pay is decimated by as much as 50% of what a union member would be paid for the same work. Non-union extras should be paid for the work they perform as handsomely as union workers. There are two reasons why the researcher postulate this idea: 1) non-union members who do not receive pay on par with their union counterparts fall into a situation of low self-esteem, and if continued over an extended period of time leads directly to 2) non-union members becoming disenchanted with the industry and performing at lower standards which is not good for the individual extra, nor for the industry as a whole. The author will use the rest of this paper to prove his thesis which will rest upon three foundational points: 1. an extra's pay level denotes their value to the product ion company; 2. challenges in obtaining union membership and, 3. "ordinariness", and the fear of it. In 1995-1996, there were a series of articles that dealt with the issue of union versus non-union pay rates for extras. In one such article, it was stated that a union extra earned $99 a day, or $128 a day for a soap opera job, yet a non-union extra only earned between $30-70 a day for doing the same work. Not only do non-union extra receive lesser pay than union members, the non-union extras also receive lesser amenities, if given any at all. The Horwitz article states, "a SAG extra in The Associate recalls '300 extras in a basement with one bathroom'[and another] 'extra in Sylvester Stallone's Daylight describes several hundred extras in a dimly lit, cold warehouse with winds gusting in off the Hudson. "There were two Portosans". Not as glamorous as one would suppose. In a recent journal article, pay level and self-esteem were studied and it was found that 'consistent with reinforc ement and expectancy theories, most of this research concludes that when high performance results in high pay increases, performance is reinforced and more likely to be repeated in the future'. This study states what most people intuitively expect - you earn based on how well you perform. Yet, in the world of the extra, this almost truism does not exist. In their world, you earn based on union membership.

International finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International finance - Essay Example This traditional system increased the necessity for the bankers to carefully evaluate the creditworthiness of debtors. However, as the years passed, a huge change was observed in the entire system of raising and borrowing funds. Under the new system it was observed that brokers started raising funds and lent it to the borrowers instead of the bankers. This particular process was termed as â€Å"originate and distribute model† wherein the brokers were paid depending upon the number of mortgages they sold to the borrowers. This in turn played a huge role in causing the financial crisis, as the brokers were not concerned whether the borrowers defaulted from the mortgage owing to limited liability in the transaction; instead they were only concerned about selling more number of mortgages. Consequently, the economies of numerous Asian and European nations were adversely affected by the US securitization system. For instance, there was a 4% fall in the GDP of Japan in the year 2009 wherein there was heavy decline in the overall industrial production of the nation due to which, its economy suffered largely. Thus, it was considered that one of the major causes for the financial crisis was due to the change in the U.S. mortgage industry (Allen and Carletti, 1-43). Global imbalances and the advent of the US housing bubble were also considered as a cause for the financial crisis being faced by the economy of various nations. It was believed that global imbalances resulted in bursting the US housing bubble, due to which, the global financial crisis occurred. Correspondingly, it is argued that the global imbalances was a result of economic policies framed in the East Asian regions, export-led development strategy, undervaluation of the exchange rate in China and accrual of global reserves that was driven by self-insurance purposes. Export-led development strategy was also considered as a cause due to the

Formal Report Presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Formal Report Presentation - Essay Example Inspiration to be physical therapy assistant: The inspiration to be assistant physical therapists goes back to my younger years. My favorite uncle got a car accident, which made him almost immobile. With curiosity, I asked whether my uncle would ever walk again. I missed the many walks and trails he took me to almost every fortnight. My mother informed that my uncle would be better through physical therapy. As young as I was, I never forgot that name despite the fact that it was beyond my age knowledge. It was challenging to see my uncle go through physical therapy. From that time onwards, I decided that I learn physical therapy to assist people like my uncle. It was beyond my imagination, thinking just how many people suffer from such problems in the world. The need and demand for physical therapy assistant services: According to the Government of Canada (2013), the demand for physical therapy has increased over the years. The United States Department of Labor (2012) indicates there is high demand for physical therapists in the United States. The high number of accidents and violence has increased the demand for the physical therapy services. Why Physical therapy is important to me: the fact that my uncle walked eventually, even though he limbs was a revelation that many people in the society can get help and be better. In that regard, I focused on physical therapy because it could touch the lives of many people in the society significantly. My future: it is my desire to continue serving the society in my current role. In the future, I would like to assist in addressing the problems this medical field faces. Improvement in physical therapy field will affect even more people by improving their lives for the better. Doctor Stewart: Physical therapy is a solution to immobility. This medical field has made it possible for accident victims to be mobile again in the future. The kind of

International finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International finance - Essay Example This traditional system increased the necessity for the bankers to carefully evaluate the creditworthiness of debtors. However, as the years passed, a huge change was observed in the entire system of raising and borrowing funds. Under the new system it was observed that brokers started raising funds and lent it to the borrowers instead of the bankers. This particular process was termed as â€Å"originate and distribute model† wherein the brokers were paid depending upon the number of mortgages they sold to the borrowers. This in turn played a huge role in causing the financial crisis, as the brokers were not concerned whether the borrowers defaulted from the mortgage owing to limited liability in the transaction; instead they were only concerned about selling more number of mortgages. Consequently, the economies of numerous Asian and European nations were adversely affected by the US securitization system. For instance, there was a 4% fall in the GDP of Japan in the year 2009 wherein there was heavy decline in the overall industrial production of the nation due to which, its economy suffered largely. Thus, it was considered that one of the major causes for the financial crisis was due to the change in the U.S. mortgage industry (Allen and Carletti, 1-43). Global imbalances and the advent of the US housing bubble were also considered as a cause for the financial crisis being faced by the economy of various nations. It was believed that global imbalances resulted in bursting the US housing bubble, due to which, the global financial crisis occurred. Correspondingly, it is argued that the global imbalances was a result of economic policies framed in the East Asian regions, export-led development strategy, undervaluation of the exchange rate in China and accrual of global reserves that was driven by self-insurance purposes. Export-led development strategy was also considered as a cause due to the

Important challenge facing management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Important challenge facing management - Essay Example Other times the employee’s pay is low with minimal benefits. This could greatly affect an employee. Some employees also lack the necessary skills and qualifications required for the job. There are many ways to address the issue of employee performance. Proper pay and remuneration of employees will motivate them to work harder and more effectively. It is also important to have effective screening processes to ensure that the ideal worker gets the job, which they are most comfortable doing. This ensures that one excels in their area of specialization (DuBrin, 2009). It is also necessary to set a good example for the employees. They need motivation by the leadership of the organization, and this should inspire them to work harder. One should also engage in creative discussion with the employees so that they can freely voice their opinions concerning work and the workplace environment. This will help tackle the issue of employee

Exploring a Communication in Arabic Lingua Culture Essay Example for Free

Exploring a Communication in Arabic Lingua Culture Essay Conversation is the most basic form of communication and human beings rely on conversation to exchange information and maintain social relationships (Gardner 1994: 97). Human interactions rely on conversation for simple chatting as well as work related tasks, political discussions and educational decisions (Gardner 1994: 98). Conversation is at the heart of the human ability to interact with one another in everyday life. Communicative events typically involve definable boundaries and a joint effort at interaction (Orr 2008: 317). A communicative event that occurs within its social boundaries becomes an engagement between two people (Orr 2008: 317). In other words, a communicative event between two friends results in an engagement that has meaning to both parties involved. In contrast, a communicative event that is between two strangers, such as a shopper and salesperson, cannot be considered an engagement because when the encounter is over it holds no meaning to those involved (Orr 2008: 317). Further, a communicative event is only successful when both parties involved contribute to the process of understanding as the conversation takes place (Aune, Levine, Park, Asada, Banas 2005: 358). In a communicative event between friends, each friend is responsible for contributing something to the conversation that will make the interaction meaningful for both people. When both friends are not contributing to the communicative event equally, then the encounter fails to have meaning and makes the person who is contributing view his or her friend negatively (Aune, et al 2005: 358). An analysis of a communicative event that occurred between two friends in Saudi Arabia is offered. This analysis includes a discussion of the eleven components that Saville-Troike identifies. The Communicative Event Cultural analysis is an important part of discussing linguistics and communication. However, linguistics is not typically associated with a cultural analysis even though the conversation styles and traditions of different cultures are an essential component to communicative events (Wierzbicka 1997: 1). In fact, there is a very close link between culture and the lexicon of the language spoken as part of that culture. This is why many cultures rely on special words for important aspects of their culture such as food (Wierzbicka 1997: 1). Additionally, many cultures, such as the Arabic culture, rely on special greetings and phrases as part of their communicative events. These special greetings and phrases add depth to the communicative events and allow them to have meaning to the people involved. The conversation analyzed for this paper occurred between two friends and included a special greeting as well as common phrases used in Saudi Arabian culture. These components of the communicative event allowed the interaction to mean something to the two friends and resulted in positive feelings from both. The definition of a communicative event and a consideration to cultural differences is particularly useful for language teachers because it gives them insight into the importance of specific aspects of communicative events that differ across cultural boundaries. Language teachers are most successful when they are able to incorporate aspects of native language into new language acquisition. Changing the way that language teachers instruct is a constant part of the job of language teachers (Jacobs Farrell 2003: 5). At the same time, it is important that a language teacher give students the tools necessary for learner autonomy, understanding the social nature of learning, the ability for curricular integration, a focus on meaning, attention to diversity, thinking skills, assessment and utilizing the teacher as a co learner (Jacobs Farrell 2003: 5). These eight skills are essential for language teachers to implement in order to allow students to rely on their native language while also learning a new language. Further, sensitivity to cultural differences in language style will allow the language teacher to provide students with authentic opportunities to engage in meaningful communicative events. At the same time, language teachers cannot choose to only implement one or two of these components. They are all necessary components to successful language instruction. Classroom language instruction is an important part of the job of a language teacher. However, the type of language instruction has an impact on how well students acquire language skills (Spada 1987: 137). A study of three separate language classrooms over a period of sixty observation hours shows that students are sensitive to the communicative orientation of new language acquisition (Spada 1987: 137). The reason behind this observation is the different communicative styles utilized by different cultures. For example, the special greeting and phrases used the in conversation to be analyzed here differ from the style of communication in other cultures. Therefore, sensitivity to different communicative styles may result in better instruction and higher levels of learning. The ability to improve in the speaking, listening and discourse areas of language learning seem to be related to classroom instruction style (Spada 1987: 137). When a language teacher begins to work with a specific location, the first step is to study the community that will make up the instructional population. This is important so the language teacher is able to gather important information about the social organization and important aspects of the culture in order to relate that information to the culture (Saville-Troike 1989: 107). At the same time, it is important for language teachers to discover the way that native speakers structure their communicative events in order to gain insight into the importance of different communication components important to that specific culture (Saville-Troike 1989: 107). Ultimately, the goal of a language teacher would be to make many careful and thorough observations of native speakers engaging in a variety of different communicative events so a complete understanding of communication can be gathered. Once this job is completed the language teacher should be able to model communicative events after the communicative events of native speakers (Saville-Troike 1989: 107). To this end, Saville-Troike introduces eleven components that will each be commented on as they relate to the communicative example used in this paper: type of event, topic, purpose or function, setting, key, participants, message form, message content, act sequence, rules for interaction and norms for interaction (1989: 138). Type of Event, Topic, Purpose and Setting The type of event, topic, purpose and setting make up the scene of the communicative event (Saville-Troike 1989: 139). The type of event analyzed is an informal conversation between two university friends who have not seen or spoken to one another for a week. The topic of the conversation is the time that has gone by without speaking or seeing one another and includes a discussion about why so much time has passed as well as plans to spend time together in the near future. The purpose of the communicative event is time for the friends to catch up with one another and make plans to engage in further conversation. Finally, the setting for the communicative event is Abha City in the Southern Province of Saudi Arabia. These four components of this specific communicative event make up the whole scene. While only the setting can be directly observed, the type of event, the topic and the purpose of this communicative event are equally as important for gathering information about the cultural aspects of Arabic linguistics and conversation style (Saville-Troike 1989: 139). Further cultural information can be obtained by observing the traditions and customs of a specific culture with regards to communication. This communicative event occurred between two friends and included the special greeting, â€Å"Peace be upon you† and â€Å"peace be upon you too. † This greeting is an essential aspect of Arabic communicative events and means that there is goodwill among the two friends. If this greeting would have been omitted from the conversation it would indicate that the friends were angry with one another. When analyzing components of a communicative event that are not directly visible it is important to be watching for important information regarding the sacred nature of communication and what that looks like for different cultures (Saville-Troike 1989: 141). For example, in this communicative event between two friends, an observer cannot see what the type of event or what the purpose of the event is. However, listening to the conversation and watching for customs and traditions provides valuable insight into the nature of cultural differences and what is important (Saville-Troike 1989: 141). These observations will allow an observer to discover what is sacred to a culture with regards to communication as well as what types of beliefs are important to them. Further, an observer can learn what behaviors are unacceptable, what the purpose of particular behaviors are and see external signs of participation in ritual parts of a communicative event (Saville-Troike 1989: 141). Key The key of a communicative event is introduced in order to provide the tone, manner or spirit of the encounter (Saville-Troike 1989: 141). This can take the form of teasing versus seriously discussing something, being sincere versus sarcastic, being friendly versus hostile or being sympathetic versus threatening (Saville-Troike 1989: 141). The type of key that is present in a communicate event relies on the type of relationship the people involved in conversation have. In this case, the communicative event was informal, but respectful and was a sincere and friendly exchange between two friends. However, if the conversation took a sarcastic key, the sarcasm would have overridden the sincerity of the interaction thus making the conversation far less meaningful than it was (Saville-Troike 1989: 142). In this way, the strongest key takes center stage and is determined by who the participants of the communicate event are, what their relationship as well as the nature of the conversation. Further, the key of the communicative event may be determined through the use of nonverbal cues in addition to the dialogue. For example, if one person winks at the other this may suggest some teasing during the conversation while a stiff posture may indicate that a serious conversation is occurring (Saville-Troike 1989: 142). Observing the communicative event that is analyzed here, the nonverbal cues may have included changes in facial expression when the friends began to discuss why one friend had been to busy to spend time with friends. Watching these facial expressions would lend insight into how serious or friendly the communicative event really was. Participants The participants are the most important component of a communicative event. Without participants, conversation would never happen. The participants in this communicative event were two young male university friends. The absence of females indicates the nature of gender roles in the Saudi Arabian culture. In the Arabic culture, males are not permitted to meet with females and are only allowed to converse with other males. This information provides important information regarding the role relationship of conversation in Saudi Arabia as well as information about sex and social status (Saville-Troike 1989: 143). The absence of females provides a great deal of information about the Arabic culture. It shows what the rights of each member of society are as well as the attitudes, expectations and behaviors toward others. It also shows who has authority over whom (Saville-Troike 1989: 143). This communicative event shows that males are the dominant gender in Saudi Arabian culture and this prevents them from openly conversing with females. Further, it gives insight into the attitudes, expectations and behaviors expected from males versus females. Finally, the culture dictates the formality or informality of a communicative event (Saville-Troike 1989: 144). This exchange between two young male friends was informal as compared to a conversation that may take place between a young Arab male and an older Arab male. In other words, the participants engaging in conversation have a direct influence over the nature of the communicate event and dictate what type of interaction will take place. Message Form Message form, message content and act sequence are determined by various social, cultural and situational constraints on communicative behavior. Each of these components can be presented vocally or non vocally (Saville-Troike 1989: 144). Many cultures rely on non vocal sounds to represent meaning in conversation and these make up the message form. These vocal and non vocal sounds make up the verbal and non verbal components of conversation style. For example, the verbal vocal relationship includes spoken language while the non verbal vocal relationship includes such things as laughter. Similarly, the non vocal verbal relationship is comprised of such things as written language or sign language while the non vocal non verbal relationship includes such things as silence and eye behavior (Saville-Troike 1989: 145). Although these different aspects of language vary across cultures, they are important aspects of any communication style. This communicative event example used here relies on these different relationships in order to allow the participants to engage in a conversation that has meaning to both parties. The two friends engaged in the verbal vocal relationship simply by exchanging spoken dialogue. At the same time, they engaged in the non verbal vocal relationship by relying on laughter to become part of their conversation. They also relied on the non vocal verbal relationship through the use of hand gestures and facial expressions that lent support to the nature of the conversation and also injected meaning into the exchange. Finally, the two friends showed the non vocal non verbal relationship through their use of appropriate silences and eye contact while speaking to one another. Message Content The message content is closely related to message form and cannot be separated for appropriate analysis to occur (Saville-Troike 1989: 150). Message content refers to what communicative acts are about and what meaning they hold. The dialogue and silences of a communicate event make up the message form while the meaning and implications derived from the communicative event make up the message content (Saville-Troike 1989: 150). The overall meaning of a communicate event rely on the verbal and non verbal messages being exchanged. However, meaning is also derived from extra linguistic context as well as information and expectations participants bring to the conversation (Saville-Troike 1989: 150). The physical content of a communicative event is important because it lends additional information to the exchange that allows for enhanced meaning. In this way, people who do not even speak the same language are often able to find meaning in their exchange simply be relying on physical objects or other outside influences that inject meaning without words (Saville-Troike 1989: 151). Whatever type of physical objects, outside influences or even hand gestures that are used during a communicative event it is important that they convey meaning and allow for a successful conversation. The example of a conversation used here was successful because the two friends understood the location they were in as well as the gestures each person used during the course of the communicative event. Act Sequence The act sequence component of a communicative event includes information about the ordering of the conversation. This is evident through the appropriate initiation of conversation by one person and the following of that initiation by the other person (Saville-Troike 1989: 152 153). The example provided here is a good example of appropriate initiation. One of the young men starts the conversation by saying, â€Å"peace be upon you† and the other man responded with, â€Å"peace be upon you too. † In Saudi Arabian culture this is an important greeting and indicates friendship and goodwill at the start of a conversation. Eliminating this greeting would suggest anger and would upset the natural ordering of conversations in Arabic culture (Saville-Troike 1989: 153). Regular patterns and recurring events are important cultural component of communicative events. When participants follow these patterns and recurring events it suggests that the nature of conversations is important and sacred within a culture. Further, the types of patterns that emerge from these patterns and recurring events allow for comparison across cultures (Saville-Troike 1989: 153 154). The conversation between the two young Arabic students followed a natural progression and provided important insight into the nature of communicative events in Arabic culture. Rules for Interaction The rules of interaction dictate an explanation for the rules of speech which are applicable to communicative event in a specific culture (Saville-Troike 1989: 154). These rules refer to the way that the participants in the conversation are expected to behave based on the values of their culture (Saville-Troike 1989: 154). Again, the special greeting at the start of this conversation is one example of an expectation for behavior. In Arabic culture, this is the standard greeting that comes at the beginning of a communicative event and Arabic males are expected to make use of it. These rules may not necessarily be dictated by law but are used based on values that are important within a specific culture (Saville-Troike 1989: 154). Arabic law does not require this greeting at the start of a conversation, but the values and beliefs of the Arabic culture make the greeting an expectation. Further, the use of this greeting indicates the role of turn taking in conversation within the Arabic culture. The initial greeting is followed by a follow up greeting which allows the participants to take turns greeting one another and starting a conversation. At the same time, turn taking is important in this example of a communicative event because it allows each young man to have a turn speaking while the other young man listens. This injects meaning into the conversation because the interaction relies on listening skills as well as speaking skills to get the point across (Saville-Troike 1989: 155). Norms of Interpretation Norms of interpretation are important because they provide all of the other information about the culture. These are essential for the overall understanding of the communicative event (Saville-Troike 1989: 155). For example, the different types of speech must be analyzed in order to fully understand cultural differences within a conversation. This example of the communicative event used here includes the use of the phrase, â€Å"old man. † In some cultures this may a derogatory phrase but is included in this example to show respect. In Arabic culture using the term â€Å"old man† shows respect for one’s elders and the young men use it in reference to one of their fathers. The understanding that this phrase shows respect is well known within the Arabic culture so it becomes a norm of conversation that is acceptable (Saville-Troike 1989: 155). Conclusion The development of communicative competence cannot take place without a relationship among these eleven components (Lock 1983: 253). Contexts rely on cultural information in order to provide an interplay of conversation as well as the self concepts of the participants and social structure acceptable within a society (Lock 1983: 253). A relationship among these eleven components can lead to successful communicative competence based on the cultural implications of language and how this relates to self concept and social structure (Lock 1983: 253). This can be directly applied to the language teacher because communicative competence is a cornerstone of successful language acquisition (Lee 2006: 349). Further, successful communicative events are only possible if a language teacher is able to blend the cultural components of the native language with the cultural components of the new language (Holliday 1997: 212). Therefore, an understanding of communicative competence is an essential part of successful language instruction (Lee 2006: 349). Communicative competence is the part of language knowledge that dictates which communicative system to use (Stalker 1989: 182). When the communicative system chosen is spoken language or conversation it is important to connect the goals and context of the situation in order to have a meaningful communicative event (Stalker 1989: 182). A basic understanding of what communication abilities are necessary for successful conversation within a specific culture is necessary to function adequately in society (Wiemann Backlund 1980: 185). Therefore, the eleven components applied to a specific conversation example provide evidence and insight into the importance of language teachers enabling students to gain the knowledge the learning necessary in order to successfully participate in communicative encounters (Wiemann Backlund 1980: 185; Gardner 1994: 104). To this end, it is important to provide students with knowledge pertaining to the use of key words within a particular culture (Wierzbicka 1997: 6) as well as analyze the importance of the relationship between the eleven components of language (Saville-Troike 1989: 156). Finally, the overall outcome of communication is to discover the unique events and recurring patterns within a specific culture (Saville-Troike 1989: 177). This can only be done through careful observation and analysis of communicative events within a particular culture (Saville-Troike 1989: 177). Aune, R. K. ; Levine, T. R. ; Park, H. ; Asada, K. K. ; Banas, J. A. 2005. Tests of a theory of communicative responsibility. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 24 (4): 358 – 381. Gardner, R. 1994. Conversation analysis: some thoughts on it applicability to applied linguistics. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, Series S (11): 97 – 118. Holliday, A. 1997. Six lessons: cultural continuity in communicative language teaching. Language Teaching Research, 1 (3): 212 – 238. Jacobs, G. M. Farrell, T. S. C. 2003. Understanding and implementing the CLT paradigm. RELC Journal, 34 (1): 5 – 30. Lee, Y. 2006. Towards respectification of communicative competence: condition of L2 instruction or its objective? Applied Linguistics, 27 (3): 349 – 376. Lock, A. 1983. Communicative contexts and communicative competence. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 2 (2-3-4): 253 – 266. Orr, W. W. R. 2008. ‘Prospecting an encounter’ as a communicative event. Discourse Studies, 10 (3): 317 – 339. Saville-Troike, M. 1989, The analysis of communicative events, in The Ethnography of Communication: An Introduction, 2nd edn, Basil Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 107-180. Spada, N. M.1987. Relationships between instructional differences and learning outcomes: a process-product study of communicative language teaching. Applied Linguistics, 8 (2): 137 – 161. Stalker, J. C. 1989. Communicative competence, pragmatic functions, and accommodation. Applied Linguistics, 10 (2): 182 – 193. Wiemann, J. M. Backlund, P. 1980. Current theory and research in communicative competence. Review of Educational Research, 50 (1): 185 – 199. Wierzbicka, A. 1997, Introduction, in Understanding Cultures Through Their Key Words, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 1-31.

Determination of Diastereoselectivity Experiment

Determination of Diastereoselectivity Experiment Jackson Nguyen Determination of Diastereoselectivity using Thermodynamic vs. Kinetic Controlled Reduction Procedures: A Reduction of 4-tert-butylcyclohexanone Introduction: The goal in this experiment was to oxidize 4-t-butylcyclohexanol to 4-t-butylcyclohexanone and reduce back to the original compound. Additionally, the goal was to analyze the ratio of the diastereomers and dictate the reasoning behind the ratios. Theory: In this experiment, three reactions total were performed. One of which was oxidation, and the other two were reduction. The overall result in this experiment was that 4-t-butylcyclohexanol was oxidized and reduced back to an alcohol through two different reactions that gave the same products. In order to oxidize 4-t-butylcyclohexanol, sodium hypochlorite was used, along with acetic acid. Acetic acid was used to protonate the hypochlorite which would then protonate the alcohol group of the reactant. As a result, the hydroxyl group with the extra hydrogen became a great leaving group, allowing hypochlorite, a nucleophile, to attack. This allowed a base, such as water, to deprotonate a hydrogen and create a double bond with the oxygen bond, which allowed the chlorine to leave. Overall, this reaction produced 4-t-butylcyclohexanone as the product. After the oxidized product was created, two different types of reduction were used to reduce the product created from oxidation. Two reagents used in each reduction reaction were sodium borohydride and aluminum isopropoxide. Both reagents would create similar products; however, the ratios of diastereomers were different. For sodium borohydride, the hydrogen would attack the carbonyl of 4-t-butylcyclohexonone and create a negative oxygen. Ethanol would act as a proton source in the solution and protonate the oxygen, which created a hydroxyl group. On the other hand, the reduction reaction that involved aluminum isopropoxide had a different mechanism. The carbonyl group of the 4-t-butylcyclohexonone would attack the partial positive aluminum due to the electronegativity of the oxygen. A hydrogen would attack the double bond of the carbonyl group and carry electrons over and allow the oxygen to have two pairs of electrons. As a result, the bulky group of the reactant would leave by an addition of hydrogen to the molecule, which created 4-t-butylcyclohexanol. Overall, both different reagents provided the same results. However, the ratio of diastereomers was determined by the structure of the reagents. In order convert the carbonyl group into an alcohol, a bond must be formed at 107Â ° angle. By looking at the structure of the hexane ring, the molecule can be attacked at two different sides. On one side, there were hydrogen that can provide steric hindrance; whereas, the other side would be free. Aluminum isopropoxide was a bulky group that will not likely to attack the 4-t-butylcyclohexanone at the side that has hydrogen. Hence, it would attack the side that had greater room. As a result, there was a higher ratio of an axial attack, compared to an equatorial attack of hydrogen. On the other hand, sodium borohydride was not a bulky group; thus, the ratio of axial and equatorial attacks would be more equal. Mechanism: Results: Part A: Part B: Part C: Discussion: The three reactions completed during the experiment were successful. By doing a TLC test every several minutes helped indicate the completion of the reactions and ensured that no reactant were present. The first two parts that required TLC testing showed the comparison between the starting material and the reaction mixture. Since TLC was based on polarity and the distance traveled, the completion of the reaction were focused on the distance of the spots and whether the initial spot disappeared after the reaction took place. The two main compounds were 4-t-butylcyclohexanol and 4-t-butylcyclohexanone. In order to analyze these two compounds, the polarity between them was different. The former compound had an alcohol group that was able to form hydrogen bonds; whereas, the latter compound cannot. Therefore, the former compound was more polar than the latter. In the case of the TLC testing, 4-t-butylcyclohexanone that was created from oxidation in part A, would travel farthe r on the TLC plate. Indicated in the data obtained, no reactant was left after the reaction, which indicated the completion of oxidation. On the other hand, the TLC test in Part B showed the same result. The product, 4-t-butylcyclohexanol was expected to travel less due to its polarity. Also, the final result showed that no reactant was present, indicated by the absence of the spot compared to the spot of the starting material. On another note, isopropyl alcohol was used to eliminate the excess of hypochlorite in Part A. By reacting hypochlorite and isopropyl alcohol, acetone and water were produced. Hence, hypochlorite was used to oxidize isopropyl alcohol in order to create acetone, which was a solvent that would interfere with the reaction; thus, it provided no harm and affect the results. The percent yield was decent for part A and was low for Part B and C. Possible reasoning for this could be that the products were lost during the extraction. It was not likely that the issue resided in the reaction itself because TLC testing indicated that all the reactants were used up. Hence, it was more likely that the extraction process may account for the loss of products. On another note, the ratio of trans/cis of the commercially obtained alcohol mixture seemed to be 1:3. Additionally, the standard ratios of the stereoisomers were almost the same compared to the HNMR spectrums obtained from the experiment. Since the ratio was 1:3, the method most likely used to synthesize the 4-t-butylcyclohexanol was the Meerwein-Pondorff-Verley Reduction. Sources of Errors: No major errors occurred during the experiment. One possible error that may account for the low recover of product would be the extraction. The extraction process went too fast, which may cause some products to be lost in the aqueous layer. However, the aqueous layer was extracted once more, which can minimize the loss of products. This was a possibility. Conclusion and Future Experiments: The results from the experiment concluded that Meerwein-Pondorff-Verley Reduction was the method used to synthesize the commercially obtained 4-t-butylcyclohexanol. Additionally, the products from reactions were successfully obtained from the completed reactions. Future experiments would include multiple attempts of the reactions in order to obtain a higher yield. Although, the results concluded the exact method used, more HNMR spectrums from additional experiments would provide credibility.

Struggles for Release Essay -- Comparative, Kate Chopin, Nathaniel Haw

The two American short stories, â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† by Nathaniel Hawthorne both portrays a similar theme. The two protagonists in both short stories suffer mental or emotional torture and was trap in a literary cage. In addition, both characters in the stories meet death in the end, and that death symbolizes their freedom from the world and society that was grasping on to them. A main topic of American short stories that constantly shows up since the earlier years, and is presented throughout history is the emphasis on society and how it creates emotional and mental tortures in an individual, and imparts them with a different perspective of the world. The society that people live in has an enormous effect on them, and the way they live their lives. The protagonist in â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin, Louise Mallard, suffers from the society she lives in because of its expectations of marriage. After her husband’s supposed death, ironically, Louise feels relief and joy, for she has found a way to escape society’s restraints, â€Å"A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination† (Chopin 316). The society in which Mrs. Mallard belongs to forces her to lose her freedom, a freedom she yearned for in the years she was trapped in the marriage. By being confined in a marriage and losing her freedom, Mrs. Mallard reacts in an untypical way when she’s notified of her husband’s supposed death. When Louise is told by her sister, Josephine, that her husband is gone, she cries for a second but ironically rejoices and looks forward to the years ahead and hopes that she will live a long life, â€Å"She breathed a quick ... ...in character who were trapped in the cage, finally gets released and escapes through death. Both Louise Mallard and Goodman Brown suffer from emotional or mental torture that is exerted by their society and their expectations. Also, both main characters in Chopin’s and Hawthorne’s writing was similar in that they both seek for a better life than what the society they live in offer them. Louise Mallard yearned for freedom when her society limits independence for women through the expectations of conjoining in marriage. At the same time, Goodman Brown seeks for a society where mankind has no evil wills and all are innocent, but society is inherently sinful since the time of Adam and Eve. The protagonists suffer in their time and era, but in the end they both free their souls from the clutch of society and liberate themselves from their emotional and mental tortures.