Advertising and promoting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Advertising and promoting - Essay Example Marketing techniques are of very great importance in the promotion of various products at the local as well as in the international spheres. The mode of marketing and the medium used to market these products often play a key role in determining the number of people reached by these advertisements. However, the cost of airing certain advertisements in certain media is also a factor to be considered in this case. Moorthy (1988) argues that the type of medium chosen should therefore be that which can be accessed by most people as well as cheap in terms of the funds required to air an advertisement for a given period of time as compared with other media options. Some media house cover only limited areas and are not therefore suitable for an advertisement that requires a large number of people to reach (Moorthy, 1988). Depending on the type of promotion one wants to make and the target population, the choice of a media house is of prime importance to this task. For an international promot ion, the channel that is viewed by the international community should be the better option. On the contrary, a local promotion expected to reach just a few selected population should make use of a local channel that reaches most people in the region targeted. This paper will look at the choice of various media channels in carrying out marketing promotions over the others depending on the type of promotion to be made and the number and location of target population Marketing Communications (Advertising & Promotion: Media) As has been mentioned earlier, the choice of a media channel to be used in carrying out any type of promotion really matters a lot as far as the cost, location and target population is concerned. To illustrate this, I will use the choice of making promotions for a major launch of a new environmentally friendly, ‘greener’ car from a renowned vehicle manufacturing company in the world, the Toyota Company. Here the choice of the channel may be very difficu lt given the large number of the target population to be reached by these advertisements. Being an international promotion therefore, the channel hat is to be used in this case should be that which is common among most people across the globe. For this reason, my choice for this particular advertisement is preferably the current leading world news broadcasting television, The BBC Channel. Given her long standing existence as a world news broadcasting channel, the BBC channel has gained world wide fame as a reliable news house across the world. It therefore has the largest number of viewers across the globe giving the company a good number of people to reach with the news (Heard, 2004). The Toyota Company is known to have had a long history in car manufacturing in the world history. The company’s products are consumed by a large number of buyers in all the continents of the world. In order to reach her widely scattered myriad of customers and the available amount of money she has planned to se for airing the adverts, 50 million pounds, the company needs to select the channel that has a large area of coverage too and which is actually popular among the world populations. Using the BBC news channel therefore would be the best option in this case. Even though making advertisements on this channel may prove quite expensive, the amount of money the company has channeled towards this is certainly enough to accomplish the task and realize the target the end of the day. However, n most of the third world and developing countries, only a few homesteads will bin a position to afford the expensive gargets for transmitting the BBC news and so will be potentially left out. Besides, most people do not speak English as their first language while others do not understand English at all and therefore may not be catered for during the promotion since BBC uses only English as a medium for communication. For small scale businesses for instance a small scale restaurant which wants to re- open her

Upsides to Social Networking Essay Example for Free

Upsides to Social Networking Essay Within recent years, internet users have taken to social networking for their various personal needs. Social networks have become much more prominent in our increasingly technological world and the number of users using them are increasing. In Karen Goldberg Goff’s article, â€Å"Social Networking Benefits Validated,† she argues that Social Networking has various benefits for its users that will be essential throughout life. While social networks may show signs of danger to some people, the benefits do outweigh the potential dangers. Not only do social networks provide an online community, they provide users with many benefits and skills they may then use in their lives. Social networks provide great opportunities for socialization. As Monica Villa, founder of theonlinemom.com says, social networking â€Å"is allowing a lot of dialogue among people who may not otherwise have a chance for a lot of dialogue† (Goff). For those who want to be able to communicate with others, social networking is there to help them combat their shyness or there social isolationism by allowing them to connect with other people they can talk to. For those with disabilities, social networking is a useful means of communication to put their â€Å"personality at the forefront† while lessening the focus on the actual disability so that only the words, not the disability, are seen (Holmquist). In a report by the nonprofit child advocacy group Common Sense Media, â€Å"one in five teens said social media makes them feel more confident† (Wallace). It was also reported that more than twenty nine percent of teens report that social networking makes them less shy while twenty eight percent reported feeling more outgoing as a result of communicating through social networks. Twenty percent of the teens reported feeling more confident through social networking (fifty three percent of teens identified themselves as somewhat shy or really shy in general). Not all youths happen to be socially adept and social network provide them with a great virtual place to make friends, speak to friends, and be as vocal as they truly want to be (Social Networking). As for the socialization with friends already made, over half of the teens (fifty two percent) in the report from Common Sense Media said social networking made their relationships better as opposed to the four percent who said that  social networking has negatively affected their relationships (Wallace). With social networks, users can extend friendships and meet others with similar interests. Lisa Tripp, an assistant professor at Florida State University, says that â€Å"technology, including YouTube, iPods and podcasting, creates avenues for extending one’s circle of friends, boosts self-directed learning and fosters independence† (Goff). While many people go on social networking sites to talk to friends they may already know, these sites can also be used to find like-minded people with similar hobbies and interests (Goff). Teens can use social networking to expand their social circle and meet people who they would enjoy speaking too. Before social networking was available to communicate with people across the world, a fan of a certain character or film or even an idea might find himself isolated if there was not a person with the similar interest. In today’s world with social networking being so popular, the once isolated kid can now find himself speaking to m any other people just like him and may come to know that he can go out and seek peers to talk to (Goff). In the study by Common Sense Media, sixty nine percent of the teens said that they were able to know the students at their school better through social networking sites and fifty seven percent of the teens reported that they used social networking sites to make new friends (Social Networking). With the interactions with other people, users using social networks can build up their self-confidence as they share pictures and statuses about themselves and in return receiving positive feedback from their peers (Wallace). A way that one’s social network can be especially useful in the long run is when finding a job. Deborah Leuchovious, coordinator of PACER’s TATRA Project has stated, â€Å"Drawing on one’s own personal networks is one of the most effective strategies for finding employment (Holmquist). Through social networking, various helpful skills can be learned and practiced. The researchers from the Digital Youth Project, conducted at the University of Southern California and the University of California at Berkeley, found that â€Å"the constant communication that social networking provides is encouraging useful skills† (Goff). The study looked at thousands of hours of online observation and concluded that new opportunities are  created, as a result of social networking, for young people to deal with social norms, explore interests, work on ways to express themselves, and develop technical skills (Goff). For adolescents using social networking, they can develop skills needed to become independent, working adults in society as they will make a lot of decisions for themselves while online (Holmquist). The majority of skills learned online would be social skills. These skills give teens the ability to start thinking before they say things and to think about who they are while becoming more independent so that they can form their own personal identity (Holmquist). Other important skills learned would be technological skills that will be â€Å"essential to the digital economy,† as Monica Villa has stated (Goff). Not only will the technological skills be useful when communicating, they will also be of use when making the transition from high school to college and when making the transition of being an adolescent to being a competent citizen. By using social networking websites, one may have a place to go to for help when dealing with life’s problems. Although the place will be a virtual social network, there will still be a greater number of people who will actually show sympathy and provide help or guidance. Not all people will want to speak of personal problems verbally and social network provide a place to seek encouragement from fellow peers. An example of a situation where social networking helped to save a life happened recently when an eighteen year old posted on his Facebook page that he was thinking about jumping off the George Washington Bridge, which connects New York and New Jersey. After seeing his post, Port Authority officers contacted him and encouraged him to not go through with what he wanted to do and to go receive help (Wallace). Social networking can also have positive effects on one’s health. By providing an individual with a large social group, that individual will have an â€Å"impr oved life satisfaction, stroke recovery, memory retention, and an overall well-being† (Social Networking). The friends that one has on a social network also may serve as encouragement when dealing with health related issues such as exercise, dieting, and smoking (Social Networking). There are opportunities to learn about events and even personal interests  through social networking. For teens, social networking sites are second only to newspapers for their top news source and are able to spread information faster than any other source of media (Social Networking). Over fifty percent of the people in the study by Common Sense Media reported that they learned about breaking news from social media (Social Networking). Social networking even plays a large role in politics. Over a quarter of US voters that were younger than thirty reported to have obtained information about the 2008 Presidential campaign from social media (Social Networking). Aside from just learning about events, people can learn about how they can be involved in the world around them. By becoming aware of the world around them, adolescents will also learn about how they may also become involved and what they can do for social good. Social media sites can empower individuals to create meaningful, positive change (Wallace). Groups like Grow Global Citizens use social networks to increase teens’ awareness of the world around them and to allow them to become more â€Å"innovative about how they can get involved† (Wallace). Social media strategist, Elena Sonnino has stated that now teens can do much more in regards to their involvement aside from things like book drives and canned food drives (Wallace). When speaking of social networking, more concerns rather than benefits are mentioned. Since the benefits are not as mentioned as the possible dangers, people tend to believe that social networking may have harmful effects but this is not true. Most of what is told by news outlets is the negatives of social networking, such as how cyberbullying can turn tragic (Wallace). News outlets focus on the negatives without taking into account that â€Å"for every heartbreaking case of cyberbullying, there are many stories of teens using social media for good† (Wallace). Other negatives mentioned about social networking is that it causes teens to be lazy and that what they do online may not be safe. Mizuko Ito, from the Digital Youth Project, has stated that spending time online is essential for young people to acquire social and technical skills that are needed to be competent citizens in the digital age (Goff). Even though there may be risks that may be encountered online by some peopl e, youth who engage in risky behaviors in other parts of their lives are the most at risk (Holmquist). Parents may also become involved with their kids’ social network. They can view their  page at any time and even have their password to see what their kid is doing (Goff). To lessen the dangers of social networking even more, users also have the option to change their privacy settings so that certain details are hidden to others and even so that only people they know may contact them. The benefits of social networking have shown themselves to be useful and helpful in the increasing digital world. Not only do users gain skills of socialization, they also learn more about themselves and the world around them. Social networks are a great place to seek friends with similar interests, news, and also help. Although there may be possible dangers with social networking, they may be taken care of and do not seem great enough compared to the upsides of social networking. The benefits that social networks bring will become useful for other aspects of life. Social networking has achieved a way for users to not only gain essential benefits and skills in their everyday lives, but also throughout their lives. Works Cited Goff, Karen Goldberg. Social Networking Benefits Validated. Washington Times. The Washington Times, 28 Jan. 2009. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. Holmquist, Julie. Social Networking Sites: Consider the Benefits, Concerns for Your Teenager. Impact Newsletter. Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota, Fall 2009. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. Social Networking. ProCon. ProCon.org, 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. Wallace, Kelly. The Upside of Selfies: Social Media Isnt All Bad for Kids. CNN. Cable News Network, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.

Financial Crises And Global Capital Flows :: essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites The recent upheavals in the world financial markets were quelled by the immediate intervention of both international financial institutions such as the IMF and of domestic ones in the developed countries, such as the Federal Reserve in the USA. The danger seems to have passed, though recent tremors in South Korea, Brazil and Taiwan do not augur well. We may face yet another crisis of the same or a larger magnitude momentarily. What are the lessons that we can derive from the last crisis to avoid the next? The first lesson, it would seem, is that short term and long term capital flows are two disparate phenomena with very little in common. The former is speculative and technical in nature and has very little to do with fundamental realities. The latter is investment oriented and committed to the increasing of the welfare and wealth of its new domicile. It is, therefore, wrong to talk about â€Å"global capital flows†. There are investments (including even long term portfolio investments and venture capital) – and there is speculative, â€Å"hot† money. While â€Å"hot money† is very useful as a lubricant on the wheels of liquid capital markets in rich countries – it can be destructive in less liquid, immature economies or in economies in transition. The two phenomena should be accorded a different treatment. While long term capital flows should be completely liberalized, encouraged and welcomed – the short term, â€Å"hot money† type should be controlled and even discouraged. The introduction of fiscally-oriented capital controls (as Chile has implemented) is one possibility. The less attractive Malaysian model springs to mind. It is less attractive because it penalizes both the short term and the long term financial players. But it is clear that an important and integral part of the new International Financial Architecture MUST be the control of speculative money in pursuit of ever higher yields. There is nothing inherently wrong with high yields – but the capital markets provide yields connected to economic depression and to price collapses through the mechanism of short selling and through the usage of certain derivatives. This aspect of things must be neutered or at least countered. The second lesson is the important role that central banks and other financial authorities play in the precipitation of financial crises – or in their prolongation. Financial bubbles and asset price inflation are the result of euphoric and irrational exuberance – said the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States, the legendary Mr.

Assessing poor quality service: perception of customer service representatives Essay

The article written by Marilyn M. Helms and Donna T. Mayo from Dalton State College, Dalton, Georgia. USA purpose is to explain on how customer service relates with customer dissatisfaction which resulted in customer defection. In service industries, service plays important roles as it relates closely with profit and firm longevity. Researcher also claims that good retention ability from service managers can leverage their organizational performance. This is been done by complain management programs. Also the author claims that poor customer service from customer service representative will also be one of the factors of customer defection. This is been proven that dissatisfaction is derived from experience with a service representative during the dispensing of a service. A survey has been conducted to 100 people for a retailer shop. The retailer can stand to lose 32 to 36 current or potential customers. Dissatisfied customer are ought to spread rumor of their bad experience and has an even greater impact on shoppers that not involved in the problem. Customers are more likely to post their bad feeling on web sites and blogs and 15 percents of dissatisfied customer post their comment. It is critical to determined service crisis and work to correct them before customers defect. Surveys have been done to call center service representative as they experience a different problem from customers every day. This employees is been evaluated based on their service delivery process. This is also to identify areas to improve the service quality given by call center employees. Research has conducted a survey to collect data from the employees perceptions. They had been thrown out a two question surveys. First question is to list out three example of poor customer service by putting employees in customer point of view. Second question is to choose one of the three reasons that can cause them to choose other service provider. The results is been analyze by an experience quality management and current customer satisfaction literature. The result of the data that had been collected shows at least 10 critical reason of customer defection. There are rude employees or poor attitude, slow services, employees not paying attention on attending customers issue, overall poor accommodation, lack of training or lack of product knowledge, service failure, poor quality, lack of patience, product availability, appearance or cleanliness and prices issue. Of all of the reason, most of the largest turnover for customer is rude behavior and attitude of the employees. This is followed by employee not paying attention and poor services to customer. Researches had found out between all the reason, they had categorize which reason that most likely to end the business relationship. They had found out that the above reason were most often within the employees and also one of the top reasons why customer defects. By addressing the above matter correctly can reduce defection from customer before the problem is starting as this can improve customer retention. There were also avoidable service failures such as slow services and errors on delivery. Researchers also conduct surveys on hospitality industries. Most answers from the surveys include slow response, service failure, lack of knowledge and also poor services. Researches have found out several factors that influence customer satisfaction and retention. It has been categorize as technical and interpersonal. As matters relates to technical is such as slow services, employees not paying attention or not attending on customer request, being rushed or associated of being pushy, mistakes and overall poor services. As matters related to interpersonal is more on the employees attitude. Few factors such as rude employees and poor attitude, lack of training, appearances and cleanliness, product availability, poor quality and prices. By identifying this categories can assist to improve service delivery process and revamp the employees training process. The author claims that there is an avoidable and unavoidable group of service failures. Product availability, poor quality and prices is been categorize as a poor service and its seems to influence customer perception of the overall quality. Product availability is an inventory and ordering or scheduling issue that management could easily address. Although prices and poor quality is beyond the control of the management, they should reported back to their vendor. Benchmarking of service delivery among competitors can greatly improve the processes. Author concludes that managers are able to validate most of the problems in avoidable breakdowns categories. Ranking of defection can actually aid managers to directing those service failures that requires most attention. One of the efforts that can be used is by rewarding employees that gives a good service to the customer. Role playing of angry customer and also other variety of service delivery situation should be used for employee screening. Benchmarking comparison of customer service versus rude customer service responses also conclude important training materials. Companies should ensure their delivery sounds genuine and does not appear memorized or rehearsed. Customer may not perceive a long wait or finding the representative mistakes, price or lack of product availability as severe as they might have as long as they been treated in a professional and a courteous manner. Management should take action on employees who’s been rude or having attitude problem towards customer. If customer claims slow service as an indicator of poor service quality, the management can set a time frame of each calls and created a standard service based on time. They can develop procedures to determine an acceptable period of time to perform a particular task. This also can improve standard operating time for each call. Within this, they also can adjust the process of call handling by the agent and set a standardization of service. Companies also can gain benefit from customer feedback on the services. This is when the organization can take action on case to case basis to keep them improvised. As for opinion, this research is important because nowadays, customer service is everywhere. To enhance customer satisfaction, the service providers should identify what make customer satisfaction with their products and services. In order to know either the customers are happy and satisfied with the products and services, feedback from them is important. It is because, the feedback can give company or organization achieved higher profit or reputation. For example, a cosmetic product where the provider ask feedback from the customer by using e-mail, short messaging service (SMS) and calling customer by asking their satisfaction after using the product after one week. This is to know either the customer are satisfied or not with the products and services. Besides, it will give good word-of-mouth when they spread good things about the products and services they used. Thus, some recommendation needs to add in this research which is, the researcher need to expand the respondents to more vary. Besides, these studies also need to focus on sole service industries or companionship segments. Therefore, the agent or the front lines should be train enough to serve customer and make customer satisfied with the products and services provide by the company or organization. In some industries, customer is their asset to gain maximum profit and reputation. So by identifying what make customer unsatisfied with the products and services, they can actually improve their skills, communication, system and also their products and services it to make customer satisfied. Besides, internal customer also needs to focus. It is because, when internal customer satisfied or happy, they can serve external customer with full manner and motivated.

Learning teams

A key feature of learning is to work within a team environment. The student may find themselves working in a team environment comprised of students of different gender, political and religious beliefs, ages and life experiences etc. It is well recognized within the literature that the interdependence of the knowledge, skills and competencies across group members can lead to innovative problem-solving and active learning. Groups are a part of social life.Each of us is a member of many different groups (Bennis & Shepherd, 1956). Before my social work course I had not really thought about all the different types of groups that exist as having a similar structure, and as going through similar processes, whether it be a group of professionals conferencing on a topic, a study group, a committee determining policy changes, or sporting group discussing next weeks strategy of play (Forsythe, 1990, 1998). Many of the groups that a person is a member of can impact greatly on their lives  œ either positively or negatively.On reflection I can see how being placed into a group, instead of choosing one myself to be in one, would represent many group formations in the professional world. In the workforce people are often put into teams without having a choice. So it seems that becoming a member of a group without actively participating in the formation has some real world practicalities. Learning in small groups is very powerful. The development of trust and communication within a group is what leads to the creation of a â€Å"team† mentality. Collaborative learning has helped me to break down problems such as understanding a theory, and to look at it from different angles. I believe this has given me a much more comprehensive understanding of class materials.Learning in a team was productive given the problem-based learning approach that we took in class. Active learning methods such as challenging ourselves by asking open-ended questions (i.e., those that cannot be answered just with a Yes/No); having a small group (less than 7) that allowed for deliberations that could be voted upon within a timely manner; and our teacher took on a ‘facilitator† role to encourage us to discover our own solutions, as opposed to a â€Å"mug-and-jug† approach which would have set the teacher up as the â€Å"expert† there to â€Å"fill us with knowledge†.I found that I had to take much more responsibility for my learning experiences, and that I was accountable to the group to achieve the goals and tasks that were delegated to me. I can understand how the use of problem-based learning can enhance content knowledge and cultivate the creation of communication skills as well as those of solving dilemmas and problems and developing a sense of self-directed learning skill (c.f., Hendry, Lyon, Prosser, & Sze, 2006). I like the real world application of the process to solve problems encountered on a day-to-day basis.Effectively changi ng roles with my teacher meant I had to take on much more responsibility in order to meet my education goals, and ironically I found this empowering and found myself more motivated to complete assignments. My sense of accomplishment was phenomenal as I achieved outcomes that at first seem like great mountains of problems. I expect this experience to enable me to continue a successful life of life-long learning.Having problems that our team set ourselves drive our learning was a unique experience. Inquiry-based learning has greatly improved my learning experience as compared to the didactic system. I agree with Schmidt that, â€Å"PBL provides an environment in which students can draw upon prior knowledge, learn within the real-world context, and reinforce the knowledge through independent and small group work† (www.samdford.edu., 2006). I feel I have â€Å"learnt to learn† and look forward to using these cognitive problem-solving tools more in my life and education.Ref erencesBennis, W.G. & Shepherd, H.A. (1956) A theory of group development. HumanRelations, 9, 415-437.Forsyth, D.R. (1990, 1998) Group dynamics. Brooks/Cole Publishing: Pacific Grove.Hendry, G.D., Lyon, PM, Prosser, M, & Sze, D. (2006) Conceptions of problem-based learning:The perspectives of students entering a problem-based medical program. Medical Teacher,28(6), 573 – 575.www.samford.edu (2006). Background of Problem-Based Learning. Retrieved January 8, 2008,from http://www.samford.edu/ctls/pbl_background.html

Using the French Expression Oh làlÃÂ

Using the French Expression Oh l l The French phrase oh l l isnt so much an expression as an interjection. It can indicate surprise, disappointment, commiseration, distress, or annoyance. The phrase is used to express any moderately strong reaction to something that was just said or done, for example: Oh l l ! Jai oublià © mon portefeuille! Oh no, I forgot my wallet! You can strengthen the phrase by adding more  ls, but you need to do so in pairs. Using and Misusing Oh l l A native French speaker might use the expression as follows. Suppose this person is passing through Charles de Gaulle Airport, which is near Paris. Imagine that the man is looking at souvenirs and knocks over a small Eiffel Tower made of glass, causing it to shatter. He might exclaim: Oh l  l l  l l  l!  (Note how he inserted four extra  ls- two pairs of two- to heighten his expression of annoyance or mortification.) Another example might be a French native speaker playing poker. Suppose the card player draws an ace to give her four aces, generally a winning hand. She might use the phrase as follows:   Oh l l l l ! (a beat) l l! Note that in English, this expression is often used in to talk about something risquà ©. It tends to be misspelled in these occurrences and mispronounced as ooh la la. It is also usually said fairly slowly and with the first word comically elongated. That is not the way to use the expression correctly in French. Pronouncing and Defining Oh l l Click the link for [o la la] to bring up a sound file that will let you hear how to correctly pronounce the phrase. Click the link a couple of times, listen carefully, and then repeat the saying until you are able to pronounce it correctly. Though the phrase does, indeed, translate as Oh dear, Oh my, or Oh no, its literal translation is Oh there, there. That would make little sense in English, hence the generally accepted, and more emotional, translations. Using  Oh l l in Conversation According to The Local, there are many ways to correctly use this versatile interjection: For example, you show someone your new ring and they say, Oh l l cest trop jolie!  (Oh my god it’s so pretty!) It is high, light and happy. The Stockholm-based website devoted to European languages and culture, including French, warns that you should not use the phrase for particularly negative situations, such as  a car barreling  through a pedestrian crossing nearly knocking  you over, a biker ringing his bell at you, or someone cutting in front of you in line at the grocery store. There are other  French phrases  that are more appropriate for those kinds of situations. But the expressive phrase is really a useful one to employ if you are visiting France: (There are) moments when Oh l l l l l l  is really the only way you can express your frustration/anger/hanger (hunger anger). It is satisfying. If you live in Paris long enough, says the website, it will become an automatic part of your vocabulary, adding that at this the point, youll know youre really turning Parisian.

Classification of Shoes

Classification of Shoes For centuries males have often wondered the same question that for most women have an obvious answer, yet it is something that many men do not fully understand: "Why do women have so many pairs of shoes?" This subject can often be found as the brunt of jokes or even the root of large arguments between spouses. Although greatly misunderstood, the numerous array of shoes has a purpose, and every pair is meaningful.One of the most misunderstood of all shoe styles is the lady's high heel. The shoe, although often associated with the "playboy" type women, is a very elegant and appropriate shoe. High heels show off a woman's feminine side quickly. Despite the feminine side of heels, they can be quite painful and somewhat a hassle when the heel proceeds to break while walking amongst a crowd; but it is all worth it when a woman feels the power that comes with her heels.Shoes made from real crocodile skin, in a conserva...High heels are a must for any occassion, such as weddings, dates, or a nywhere she may want to impress someone.Boots are usually thought of as the army-style kind, but have been re-vamped with a feminine twist by adding different details. The most noticeable feature of this style of footwear is the shape of the toe. Since the rest of the shoe is not ordinarily seen the toe's shape is essential to her outfit. Another detail that makes the boot unique is height of the heel. It ranges from a sexy stiletto to a graceful flat. Boots are versatile, and can go with a skirt, blue jeans, and dress pants, just to name a few."Even ladies with awful legs, like huge columns, they get very masked by the boot. The best idea for covering up terrible mistakes of nature is the boot."...

10 Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Mixtures

10 Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Mixtures When you combine two or more materials, you form a mixture. There are two categories of mixtures: homogeneous mixtures and heterogeneous mixtures. Heres a closer look at these types of mixtures and examples of mixtures. Key Takeaways: Mixture A mixture is formed by combining two or more materials.A homogeneous mixture appears uniform, regardless of where you sample it. A heterogeneous mixture contains particles of different shapes or sizes and the composition of one sample may differ from that of another sample.Whether a mixture is heterogeneous or homogeneous depends on how closely you examine it. Sand may appear homogeneous from a distance, yet when you magnify it, it is heterogeneous.Examples of homogeneous mixtures include air, saline solution, most alloys, and bitumen.Examples of heterogeneous mixtures include sand, oil and water, and chicken noodle soup. Homogeneous Mixtures Homogeneous mixtures appear uniform to the eye. They consist of a single phase, be it liquid, gas, or solid, no matter where you sample them or how closely you examine them. The chemical composition is the same for any sample of the mixture. Heterogeneous Mixtures Heterogeneous mixtures are not uniform. If you take two samples from different parts of the mixture, they will not have an identical composition. You can use a mechanical method to separate components of a heterogeneous mixture (e.g., sorting candies in a bowl). Sometimes these mixtures are obvious, where you can see different types of materials in a sample. For example, if you have a salad, you can see different sizes and shapes and types of vegetables. In other cases, you need to look more closely to recognize this mixture. Any mixture that contains more than one phase of matter is a heterogeneous mixture. This can be tricky because a change of conditions can alter a mixture. For example, an unopened soda in a bottle has a uniform composition and is a homogeneous mixture. Once you open the bottle, bubbles appear in the liquid. The bubbles from carbonation are gasses, while the majority of the soda is liquid. An opened can of soda is an example of a heterogeneous mixture. Examples of Mixtures Air is a homogeneous mixture. However, the Earths atmosphere as a whole is a heterogeneous mixture. See the clouds? Thats evidence the composition is not uniform.Alloys are made when two or more metals are mixed together. They usually are homogeneous mixtures. Examples include brass, bronze, steel, and sterling silver. Sometimes multiple phases exist in alloys. In these cases, they are heterogeneous mixtures. The two types of mixtures are distinguished by the size of the crystals that are present.Mixing together two solids, without melting them together, typically results in a heterogeneous mixture. Examples include sand and sugar, salt and gravel, a basket of produce, and a toy box filled with toys.Mixtures in two or more phases are heterogeneous mixtures. Examples include ice cubes in a drink, sand and water, and salt and oil.The liquid that is immiscible form heterogeneous mixtures. A good example is a mixture of oil and water.Chemical solutions are usually homogeneous mixtures. T he exception would be solutions that contain another phase of matter. For example, you can make a homogeneous solution of sugar and water, but if there are crystals in the solution, it becomes a heterogeneous mixture. Many common chemicals are homogeneous mixtures. Examples include vodka, vinegar, and dishwashing liquid.Many familiar items are heterogeneous mixtures. Examples include orange juice with pulp and chicken noodle soup.Some mixtures that appear homogeneous at first glance are heterogeneous upon closer inspection. Examples include blood, soil, and sand.A homogeneous mixture can be a component of a heterogeneous mixture. For example, bitumen (a homogeneous mixture) is a component of asphalt (a heterogeneous mixture). Not a Mixture Technically, if a chemical reaction is occurring when you mix two materials, its not a mixture... at least not until it has finished reacting. If you mix baking soda and vinegar, a chemical reaction occurs. Once the reaction has finished, the remaining material is a mixture.If you mix together ingredients to bake a cake, a chemical reaction occurs between the ingredients. While we use the term mixture in cooking, it doesnt always mean the same thing as the chemistry definition.

Analytical Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analytical Paper - Essay Example Everything is available throughout the world with the help of internet and telecommunications. In the global economy, anyone can buy and sell anything using the advanced technologies. Globalization increases the interaction, cooperation and communication among different countries. A successful globalization will not only provide economic prosperity and development but also will provide social justice and equality to all kinds of people of the society. It should bring success for the poor people also. When some of the countries are working together for a common goal then it is called internationalization. But globalization is a broader term where there is no border, no barriers for people to do trade. Globalization is the process of converting the national economy into a global economy. Critics sometimes said that globalization is only good for the developed nations as it does not create positive impacts on the developing countries. India is one of the examples of developing countries and the effect of globalization in India will be discussed in this report. From the discussion of globalization in India, it will be clear how far the globalization has created positive as well negative impacts in Indian socio-economic and cultural platform. Discussion India opened up their economy in the early nineties after facing an exchange crunch. As a result, Indian economy felt the necessity of the presence of the multinational companies for overall growth and development. In 1991, the liberalization and globalization policies marked the beginning of a new era in Indian history. Economic effect Indian economy from the time of independence was a close economy. The different political parties came into the power but the type of economic inclination was same for India. In 1991, the new era in Indian economy started with three key words - Liberalization, Globalization and privatization. With the globalization process the restructuring of Indian economy started and some major ref orms were observed. Globalization brings a favorable impact on Economic growth. In 1970, the GDP growth was only 3 % in India. The countries like Mexico, Brazil achieved more than twice growth rate than India. In the eighties, a significant annual growth was observed from 3% to 5.9% but still it was comparatively very low compared to countries like China, Korea. In 1991, the GDP was calculated on purchasing power parity basis and Indian economic growth was 0.9 % only. Indian economy achieved a growth rate of 8% in the year 2003-2004. Not only the high GDP growth was noticed but also a significant structural change was noticed in Indian economy. Before the globalization, the maximum amount of GDP was generated from the primary sector. But after globalization, the maximum part of the GDP contribution comes from the service sector. ITES-BPO, software services providers has achieved a significant growth in recent years. GDP from the major sectors The service sector is the major employme nt provider also in Indian Economy. In recent times, the service sector has a great contribution in the national income also. The reason for growth of service sector is urbanization, privatization and high demand for consumer service. Significant high growth rate was observed in 2006-2010. The growth rate and service sector contribution have been shown in the above diagram. The government of India formulated policies to make foreign direct investment in the manufacturing sector. The FDI in manufacturing sec

Performance Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Performance Management - Essay Example Performance management is a process that came into the scene during the period of 1980s and continues to impact the business environment (Armstrong, 1998, p.47). This research paper will focus on the topic of performance management while focusing specifically on the subjects of its definitions, purpose, benefits as well as methods used to conduct this process. Definition of Performance Management Researchers have provided the world of business with several definitions of performance management. For example: Samsonowa defines performance management as a process that is conducted on continuous basis in order to attain the objective of improving individual’s performance of tasks while involving activities including setting of goals, providing feedback along with reinforcing behavior as well as training of employees (Samsonowa, 2011,p.33). According to this definition the process of performance management is conducted with the sole aim of enhancing individual task performances by providing certain aims and targets to employees for achievement and ensuring that these targets are met by providing training and development to employees and if employees fail to attain those targets, they are provided with further training and development in order to decrease their performance gaps. The definition even pays emphasis to involvement of feedback, rewards as well as punishments in order to reinforce behavior. This means that with the assistance of performance management, employers first identify how well employees have performed and if they perform according to set targets and standards, they are provided with rewards to ensure that similar behavior occurs again in future and if they fail to attain targets they are punished in order to ensure that certain behaviors are not repeated. Purpose of Performance Management The process of performance management and creation of performance management systems is done on the basis of either one or of the two purposes or for both the purposes including administrative/decision making purposes and developmental purposes (Smither, 2009). When performance management is conducted for the purpose of decision making/administrative purposes the aim of the organization is to use the process to document the performance of individual employees and to make decision regarding the rewards and punishments to be offered to employees. The rewards and punishments that might be offered to employees on the basis of the process of performance management may include promotion or downgrade of an employee from one position to another increasing or decreasing compensation and benefits of the employees in order to either reinforce their performance or encourage them to perform better in future. On the other hand when the purpose of conducting performance management is developmental in nature, current performance of individuals is compared to either historical performance or set targets and if a difference between current and budgete d performance is figured out, employees are provided training and development in order to close the gap in performance levels. Both purposes have their own strengths and the purposes cannot be rated in order to figure out which purpose is more effective and efficient. Advantage of the Process of Performance Management One of the main benefits of performance m

Building a Strong Team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Building a Strong Team - Essay Example c initiatives such as trainings that would ensure the team is in shape without room for complacency and potentials for failure or mistakes; and, 2) I will establish performance assessment mechanism and corrective measures to ensure the provision of quality care. Again, the BEI is the cornerstone of my strategy. The succeeding stages in the building of the team depend on its success. BEI will allow me to determine if an applicant is compatible with my objectives as a leader and to where I plan to steer the team. My plan is to build a close and interdependent relationship, although one that is also typified by a strong degree of independence from each member especially when responding to opportunities and crises. So one of my questions would definitely be this: "Can you give me a specific example when you encountered a problem at work and what did you do to deal with it?" This question should be able to give me an insight on the candidates past behavior. Dubois (1998) argued that that this line of questioning would demonstrate competency on the applicants end as well as a point of reference for his or her behavioral patterns in the future (p.235). The question would also enable me to gain insights on the potential team members self-confidence , adaptability and willingness to learn and develop on personal, group and organizational level. The STAR method could also augment the BEI questions by providing a way in which questions can be framed or how answers can be analyzed. It is also designed to make the interview logical and concise (McMunn, 2012, p.32). For instance, in my example question, the applicants answer can be parsed according to what it stands for: situation, task, action and results. If the answer is lacking or veering away from the question, then, it will provide the cue or the context for the follow-up question (Fernandez, 2006, p.581). If I would be asked the same question and I have to frame my answer according to STAR method, I would say: In 2009,

Asthma and medicine management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Asthma and medicine management - Essay Example It is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) which is a long-term pulmonary disease characterized by increased airflow resistance. Other types of COPD include chronic bronchitis and emphysema. 2) Incidence of asthma and implications of this. There are an estimated 234.9 million people affected by Asthma worldwide of which 28.8 million are in Europe and about 5.4 million are in the U.K. Incidence of new cases occurs mostly in children. In England about 64,000 hospital admissions took place for asthma in 2008/09. Globally 287000 deaths occurred in 2004 and there were 1034 deaths in England and Wales due to asthma in 2008 (Ward, Toledano, Shaddick, Davies, & Elliot, 2012). (NICE, 2013). 3) What are the common signs and symptoms of asthma? Common symptoms are wheezing, breathlessness, tightness in the chest, and cough. These symptoms can be worse at night and in early morning. They can arise after exercise, allergen exposure and cold air (Meerabeau & Wright, 2011). 4) Pa thophysiology of asthma and relation to the case scenario. ... â€Å"Mononuclear cell and eosinophill infiltration, mucus hyper-secretion, desquamation of epithelium, smooth muscle hyperplasia and airway remodeling† (Morris & Mosenifar, 2013) are also characteristics of airway inflammation. Airflow obstruction Airflow obstruction results due to changes taking place in the form of acute bronchoconstriction, airway edema, and chronic mucus plug formation, and airway remodeling. Acutebronchoconstriction occurs due to exposure to aeroallergens when immunoglobulin E-dependent mediator is released. The aeroallergen exposure which is the primary reason for the early asthmatic response causes edema in the away that occurs after 6-24 hours which is known as the late asthmatic response. Chronic mucus plug formation will take several weeks to subside as it contains exudates of serum proteins and cell debris. Airway remodeling is so called because of structural changes occurring due chronic inflammation and can affect the reversibility of airway obst ruction. Airway obstruction results in reduced airflow in and out of the respiratory system. This leads to lowered ability to expel air resulting in hyperinflation. The airway remodeling causes overdistension which helps maintain airway function and improve expiratory flow but overtime it alters pulmonary mechanics and increases breathing modulation. Bronchial hyperresponsiveness Hyperinflation which is in response to airflow obstruction is however is short-lived due to tidal volume approaching the volume of the pulmonary deadspace and the resultant is known as alveolar hypoventilation. It leads to ventilation-perfusion mismatch. The mismatch is also due to vasoconstriction as a result of alveolar hypoxia. Vasoconstriction is also an adaptive response to the above said mismatch (Morris &

List of countries for Obscure Country Project Research Paper

List of countries for Obscure Country Project - Research Paper Example It was in this year that the country gained independence from Ethiopia. The independence was the resultant of a referendum in which nearly 100 percent of Eritreans advocated separation from Ethiopia. Long before this in the year 1890 Eritrea fell under the colonial rule of Italy. Becoming a province of Italian East Africa in the year 1936. The Ethiopian forces joined hands with the Britishers to expel the Italians from the country and took over its charge in the year 1941. The British rule over the state under the UN Mandate continued for almost ten years. Eritrea was given solely under the federation of Ethiopia after this. Independence from this rule has given rise to the present day Eritrea. The territory of Eritrea has come under disputes even after its independence. A dispute over Hanish Islands and fishing rights in the Red Sea erupted with the country of Yemen in the year 1995. This conflict was resolved after the intrusion of UN. Both the countries complied with the organizat ion’s verdict. In the year 1998 a territorial conflict erupted with Ethiopia. A ceasefire in the year 2000 was followed by an arbitration decision made by a boundary commission that represented both the countries. This decision has not been implemented upon as yet and thus the conflict has remained unresolved to date. Since the year 2005 3,300 troupes have been deployed at the mutual border of both the countries by the UN over a span of 25km on the Eritrean land. (History of the Nations). GEOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HABITAT The location of Eritrea is 15 °Ã‚  N; 39 °Ã‚  E. The neighboring nations of Eritrea are Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan. The coastline of t state is 1151 km long. The borders that connect the neighboring nations have the following lengths: With Ethiopia the border length is 912 km the border length with Djibouti is 113 km and finally that with Sudan is 605km. The sea limit that comes under the territory of Eritrea is 12 km long. The sea that this country border s is the Red Sea. The Total area of the country is 124,320 square kilometers. The time zone of the nations of 3 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. The topography of the country can be divided into the broad categories of an arid narrow lowland strip along the red sea, the north-central region (this region is an extension of the Ethiopian Plateau and is dissected by rivers valleys) and the plains on the west that border Sudan. The highest point in the Country’s physical region is at Emba Soira. The lowest point of the terrain is in Denakil Depression which is along the Red Sea. At some places, this depression is 130 km below sea level. (MongaBay 2006). The major rivers of the country include Setit River. This river comes into Eritrea after passing through Ethiopia and then passes onto Sudan later on. There are other rivers as well but they are usually dried and live only in the rainy season. Names of these rivers include Anseba, Barka and Mareb. Its inhabitants are racially, culturally and linguistically Tigrayan. The population of the country reaced 4.3 million in the year 2004. These statistics are in accordance with the studies of the UN. Nearly 120,000 Eritreans are living as refugees in the state of Sudan. About 20 percent of the country’s population lives in the urban areas while the rest of them reside in the rural areas. RESOURCES The natural resources of the nation include  precious elements and minerals like copper, salt, gold, potash, zinc. (Eritrea Economic Statistics and Indicators 2011). Natural

Asthma and medicine management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Asthma and medicine management - Essay Example It is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) which is a long-term pulmonary disease characterized by increased airflow resistance. Other types of COPD include chronic bronchitis and emphysema. 2) Incidence of asthma and implications of this. There are an estimated 234.9 million people affected by Asthma worldwide of which 28.8 million are in Europe and about 5.4 million are in the U.K. Incidence of new cases occurs mostly in children. In England about 64,000 hospital admissions took place for asthma in 2008/09. Globally 287000 deaths occurred in 2004 and there were 1034 deaths in England and Wales due to asthma in 2008 (Ward, Toledano, Shaddick, Davies, & Elliot, 2012). (NICE, 2013). 3) What are the common signs and symptoms of asthma? Common symptoms are wheezing, breathlessness, tightness in the chest, and cough. These symptoms can be worse at night and in early morning. They can arise after exercise, allergen exposure and cold air (Meerabeau & Wright, 2011). 4) Pa thophysiology of asthma and relation to the case scenario. ... â€Å"Mononuclear cell and eosinophill infiltration, mucus hyper-secretion, desquamation of epithelium, smooth muscle hyperplasia and airway remodeling† (Morris & Mosenifar, 2013) are also characteristics of airway inflammation. Airflow obstruction Airflow obstruction results due to changes taking place in the form of acute bronchoconstriction, airway edema, and chronic mucus plug formation, and airway remodeling. Acutebronchoconstriction occurs due to exposure to aeroallergens when immunoglobulin E-dependent mediator is released. The aeroallergen exposure which is the primary reason for the early asthmatic response causes edema in the away that occurs after 6-24 hours which is known as the late asthmatic response. Chronic mucus plug formation will take several weeks to subside as it contains exudates of serum proteins and cell debris. Airway remodeling is so called because of structural changes occurring due chronic inflammation and can affect the reversibility of airway obst ruction. Airway obstruction results in reduced airflow in and out of the respiratory system. This leads to lowered ability to expel air resulting in hyperinflation. The airway remodeling causes overdistension which helps maintain airway function and improve expiratory flow but overtime it alters pulmonary mechanics and increases breathing modulation. Bronchial hyperresponsiveness Hyperinflation which is in response to airflow obstruction is however is short-lived due to tidal volume approaching the volume of the pulmonary deadspace and the resultant is known as alveolar hypoventilation. It leads to ventilation-perfusion mismatch. The mismatch is also due to vasoconstriction as a result of alveolar hypoxia. Vasoconstriction is also an adaptive response to the above said mismatch (Morris &

1-What are the advantages and disadvantages of using technology at Essay

1-What are the advantages and disadvantages of using technology at school OR 2-In what ways can technology such as tablet devices contributes in the children education at school - Essay Example These resources will be of immense value to the current research as it will help in obtaining information regarding the negative effects associated with use of technology in classrooms. Brown, Dina, and Mark Warschauer. "From the University to the Elementary Classroom: Students Experiences in Learning to Integrate Technology in Instruction."Â  Journal of Technology and Teacher Education. 14.3 (2006): 599-621. Print. The article titled From the University to the Elementary Classroom: Students Experiences in Learning to Integrate Technology in Instruction was authored by Brown along with other researchers and this research was conducted in order to identify methods through which instructors can implement technological advancement in different aspect of teaching such as preparing curriculum and creating coursework (Brown 599). This resource is important to the present study as this resource can provide information regarding how the issues experienced by educationists while using technology in their class rooms can be solved. Buchanan, JA. "Use of Simulation Technology in Dental Education."Â  Journal of Dental Education. 65.11 (2001): 1225-31. Print. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.130.3369&rep=rep1&type=pdf The research article titled Use of Simulation Technology in Dental Education was written by Buchanan and in the purpose of conducted this study was to identify how the technological advancement of simulation is being used in the field and educational circuit of dentistry and what are the possible advantages as well as disadvantages experienced by the stakeholders of the field in implementing this technology (Buchanan 12231). This resource can be used as an example of how technology is actually being used by educational institutes and how it is impacting

Today is a result of yesterday, tomorrow is a result of today Essay Example for Free

Today is a result of yesterday, tomorrow is a result of today Essay Today is a result of yesterday, tomorrow is a result of today. To what extent is this statement an apt representation of Buddhist ethics? Today is a result of yesterday, tomorrow is a result of today. This statement, as a representation of Buddhist ethics, would seem to suggest the realm of ethical action is effectively deterministic. This raises many questions about the nature of Buddhist ethics, most significantly: Is this a coherent position? If today is a result of yesterday how can one be said to be possessed of free will? And if one has no free will surely one cannot be considered a moral agent thus consequently, are responsible for ones actions. In this essay I will consider the evidence and arguments supporting this interpretation, together with counter-arguments in order to discuss the statement and reasoning behind this, resulting in my conclusion that will encompass all these arguments. Firstly I will look at morality in Buddhism as it is a Buddhists ethics which determine their behaviour which ultimately affects the results of tomorrow. Classifying Buddhist ethics can be considered an instance of virtue ethics, centred on the idea that the basis of morality is the development of good character traits which, in Aristotles system for example, include intelligence, wisdom (sila), and the ability to discern between good and bad. Peter Harvey contended that the Mahayana idea of skilful means (upaya) is similar to Christian situation ethics because it accepts ethical principles being overridden in certain situations in the name of wisdom and bodhichitta. Situation Ethics does not propose rules but rather suggests a guiding principle to decision making; Acting morally means acting in the most loving way in any situation. Unlike the approach of upaya in Mahayanan Buddhism, situation ethics do not ignore or reject traditional values but is bound by them. Both systems may allow for compassionate killing. There is a story in the suttas of how in one of his past lives the Buddha killed a robber to stop him from killing a number of bodhisattvas and thus prevented the robber from suffering in the hells for aeons. The difference though, is that in Buddhism only a very advanced bodhisattva is permitted to break with the traditional values, while situation ethics can be applied by anyone with a loving heart: This can thus be understood as in Buddhism, a Bodhisattva can act unethically and leave no imprint on the future, yet an unenlightened Buddhists actions will have a negative impact. Many religions emphasise the importance of the notion of good and bad actions, however in Buddhism, pre-determining actions to be good or bad would be a fruitless exercise Buddhists believe that reality of Dharma is beyond the concepts of good and bad; it contains both good and bad unseparated in a pre-conceptual state. Trying to remove half of reality, by definition, would be unachievable, thus trying to remove bad, would be unachievable, and pointless. More than that, the conscious effort to try to remove half of reality is also a kind of affirmation of the existence of just that part that you are proposing to remove. Buddhism does not say that there is no morality; it encourages the central importance of morals and ethical behavior in all areas of life. Although Buddhism believes in right action, it insists that right action is not the same as the Christian concept of right action; that moral action does not always match our conceived notions of morality. Buddhism believes that only this place and this moment are real and all else past and future are not real existence. It therefore follows that the only place where conduct can be right or wrong is here and now. So Buddhism emphasizes that right and wrong are concerned with the present moment, here and now. Acting morally means acting right at this very moment. Acting right at this moment is the only true morality. We can debate right and wrong as intangible concepts, but those abstractions are always detached from the real situation in front of us now, and so they are partial and can never be a complete guide to our action in the present; this notion would thus infer, in relation to the question I am researching, that past actions are not real existence, along with the future, therefore if the past is not real, how can it impact on tomorrow? It therefore follows that the only place where conduct can be right or wrong is here and now. So Buddhism emphasises that right and wrong are concerned with the present moment, here and now. Acting morally means acting right at this very moment. Acting right at this moment is the only true morality. It can be discussed right and wrong as abstract concepts, but those abstractions are always detached from the real situation in front of a Buddhist now, and so they are partial and can never be a complete guide to our action in the present. This therefore would conclude that if right and wrong actions are only connected with today, and not the past nor future No actions of yesterday impede on tomorrow. However this could be seen as a slight contradiction: Buddhism gives guidelines as to what good conduct is in the form of the Precepts these are not meant to be rigid and a broken rule will not result in committing sin, like the Christian Ten Commandments; However they are guidelines as to what right conduct is, but in actual situations conduct is decided by the state of the body/mind in the moment of acting, not by the precepts alone therefore if one is broken, Buddhism urges a buddhist to regain the balanced state and act in the present rather than be punished for past bad conduct, which has passed and can never be changed therefore if Buddhism states to live for today as the future and past are not real, yet the past bad conduct cant be changed therefore has left a mark in Buddhists life, how can past bad conduct even be conceived or considered to never be allowed to change if the past does not exist? To illustrate how a Buddhist might approach some of the ethical problems of today, you can look at the example of abortion. The early scriptures of Buddhism (The Pali Canon) are clear in seeing human life as starting with conception: when there is the union of the mother and father, and it is the mothers season, and the being to be reborn is present, through the union of these three things the conception of an embryo in a womb takes place. The word being, however, should not be thought of as a spirit or soul but consciousness being operated on by the force of (karma) that determines where the rebirth will be (according to previous deeds). When looking at such issue, we can see how it is an obvious moral problem as it has not been discussed at length in Buddhist literature; however there are references in the Pali canon that indicate the practice was regarded as wrong. Buddhist disapproval of abortion is related to the belief that in rebirth and teachings on embryology. It is widely held that conception marks the moment of rebirth, and that any intentional termination of pregnancy after that time constitutes a breach of the first of the Five Precepts (panca- sila), not to kill or injure living creatures, this could also be related the idea of euthanasia in Buddhism. This notion is an avowed view of most Buddhists however this position is not reflected in the abortion statistics in Buddhist countries: In more conservative countries such as South Asia, abortion is generally illegal, unless there is a threat to the mothers life, however illegal abortions are common with 300,000 per annum in Thailand, and in various east A sian countries abortions are even more numerous, such as one million per annum or greater is sometimes cited for countries such as Japan and South Korea. The fourth Noble Truth, the Noble Eightfold Path, sets out the main features of the Buddhist way of life addressing the nature of past behaviour affecting the future. The Buddha offered this path as the middle way, a way of life that does not fall into extreme views or extremes of behaviour but encourages balance and controlled moderation. Buddhist ethics are not based on the pursuit of sensual or other pleasures, and they also dont encourage extremes of deprivation, poverty or self-sacrifice. The various moral guidelines should be taken responsibly but with a light touch: Ethical conduct (sila) is built on the vast conception of universal love and compassion for all living beings, on which the Buddhas teaching is based (Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught, London: Gordon Fraser, 1928). In relation to what is good or bad in Buddhism, the main principle is linked to intention and the determining factor is whether the act is out of selfish desire and craving, out of anger or hatred, or out of mindlessness and ignorance. Any actions that are motivated that way will result in caused suffering to us and to others. However, if the act is motivated by love and compassion they will bring well-being and happiness An action characterised by this moral quality (kusala-kamma) is bound to result (eventually) in happiness and a favourable outcome. Actions characterised by its opposite (akusala-kamma) lead to sorrow. This would thus infer that if actions result in happiness or sorrow , all actions of the past affect tomorrow. In Buddhism, ethical behaviour is ultimately dependent on the mind and not on the body. On the basis of the Buddhas advice, Buddhism has developed into many various types of ethical guidance that Buddhists do their best to follow. The ethical disciplines of Buddhism can be divided into the guidelines for lay people, and the guidelines for monastics. Within Theravada Buddhism, ethical action must always be motivated by ahimsa, the wish not to cause harm, and for Theravada monks, the main ethical guidelines are the 227 precepts of a monk. In Mahayana, ethical action must always be motivated by the bodhichitta, the wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of others, in contrast to lay ethics where there is no need to attain enlightenment as there is no time to achieve such state. Ethical behaviour on the bodhisattva path consists of the six paramitas or transcendental actions. When one becomes a Buddhist one begins by taking the Three Refuges, refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. The main commitment is to refrain from harming others and to adopt the approach of non violence (ahimsa). Non violence is a prevalent principle of Buddhist ethics as stated in the Dhammapada 5: In this world hate never yet dispelled hate. Only love dispels hate (Dominique Side, Buddhism, Oxfordshire: Phillip Allan, 2005, p151). Lay people can also take one or several of the Five Precepts, which are five basic vows that strengthen the Buddhist way of life: I undertake to refrain from, 1) killing, 2) taking what is not freely given, 3) misusing sexuality, 4) harmful speech, and 5) taking intoxicants. As well as giving guidelines on what not to do, Buddhism encourages positive actions. In the Buddhas advice to a young man called Sigala, recorded in the Pali Canon, the Buddha explained the positive approach can be applied in daily life within the framework of the Six Relationships: 1) Take care of your family 2) Take care of your marriage 3) Keep good company 4) Develop good relationships between teachers and students 5) Develop good relationships between employers and employees, and 6) Develop a supportive and harmonious relationship with the monastic Sangha. The importance of love and compassion is also outlined in 118 of the Dhammapada, Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again and you will be filled with joy (ibid, p153). This statement could be interpreted as if you continuously do good the outcome tomorrow will leave you filled with joy, therefore suggesting the idea of free will in Buddhism. In the Noble Eightfold Path, ethical conduct includes three factors which overlap with the Five Precepts and Six Relationships: 1) Right Action, 2) Right Speech, and 3) Right Livelihood. Lay morality rests on the principle that lay people aim to minimise their bad actions and maximise their good so they have a better rebirth. Human actions (karma) in the Buddhist framework were to be determined based on both the intent or motive (chetanaa) and the consequences (vipaaka) of the action. In the Dharmaniyama (moral duty code), theories of causality in Buddhism were challenged in the view that human destiny was unaffected by the ethics or morality of human actions. It countered the doctrine of amoral causation (akriyavaada) whose supporters argued that there was no merit in doing good and no demerit for doing evil. In Buddhist teachings, individual karma is created by situations and moral predicaments, thus the outcome of a Buddhists future will be a result of yesterdays actions. Every action a Buddhist performs can leave an imprint and their karmic potential will allow for its own effect. Positive or virtuous actions give way to future happiness, and negative, non virtuous actions will result in future suffering. This connection between actions and their effects is known as the law of karma; this law is the foundations to Buddhist morality (sila). In the Buddhas teachings, Sila was spoken of vital importance as it allows for higher attainment of wisdom (panna) and concentration (Samadhi); this was mentioned in his Visuddhimagga: A wise man, after establishing well in virtue, develops consciousness and understanding (http://web.ukonline.co.uk/buddhism/panadpa8.htm). The law of karma is seen as a natural law just like physical laws like gravity. Karma is unlike morality in other religions as it is not operated by God or any other supreme being because Buddhism does not require supernatural intervention. The idea that karma works without any outside intervention means that the result of karma is not a reward, nor is it a punishment because they believe that this infers dependence upon a supreme power in judgement, whereas in Buddhism there is nobody to judge us, we determine our future by the way we act and the way we think, this idea is expressed clearly in the first verse of the Dhammapada, What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: our life is the creation of our mind. If a man speaks or acts with an impure mind, suffering follows him as the wheel of the cart follows the beast that draws the cart (Dominique Side, Buddhism, Oxfordshire: Phillip Allan, 2005, p130). This quote is an excellent example for evidence in supporting the question being asked in this essay, as it addresses the idea that not only our actions, but also our thoughts build our future and that impurities of the mind cause future suffering. A Common misinterpretation of karma is that it is a law of fate; however the idea of fate implies determinism, which would allow for no change or freedom, thus an idea seen in many theistic religions such as the notion that God determines life. This idea of determinism could be firstly viewed as a completely contrasting idea to that in Buddhism. Determinism is the philosophical proposition that everything is determined causally by an unbroken chain of prior events. However determinism has been expressed as the doctrine of Dependent origination in Buddhism and is an important factor in the evidence regarding my question. The doctrine of dependent origination is fundamental in connecting moral responsibility and causation, especially the ontological status of all matter. The doctrine teaches that all phenomena occur from dependence on causes and circumstances and lack intrinsic nature. The doctrine is expressed in its simplest form in phrase idam sati ayam bhavati, which means when this exists, that arises, which logically can be expressed as, when condition A arises, condition B arises, thus its reversal would be that when A doesnt exist, B wont. It is indicated in early sources that the Buddha became fully enlightened under the Bodhi tree when he fully realised the profound truth of Dependent Origination, thus that all matter is conditioned and arise and cease in a determinate chain of events. Therefore in relation to moral responsibility, it could be said that nothing happens out of its own volition, so there are no forces or metaphysical realties, such as a god or soul to act as a determiner, so it could be argued that moral responsibility is ones own, yet with a chain of causation, and no self, it could also be said one cannot be responsible if one doesnt exist. A way of classifying Buddhist ethics in Western terms is by relating it to soft determinism. Soft determinism is a midpoint between the hard determinism of philosophers such as Hobbes, Hume and John Stuart Mill, where the assertion of cause and effect is universal, therefore moral freedom is not possible; and libertarians who believe that uncaused, unconditional choices can be made and that free will exists, as Immanuel Kant stated free will was essential for morality, In morals, the proper and inestimable worth of an absolutely good will consists precisely in the freedom of the principle of action (Robert A Bowie, Ethical Studies, Nelson Thornes, 2001, p59). There is an important relationship between freedom and moral responsibility; it has been commonly held that we should be morally responsible for actions that we freely perform. If we can only blame or praise people for actions they freely and knowingly undertake, then it is vital that we have the freedom to act, morality depends on freedom. Immanuel Kant wrote ought implies can, therefore we cant blame someone for something they cannot do; If people are not free, the prospect of making moral decisions in denied, thus if an external influence causes human actions, people cannot be morally responsible. Hard determinists believe that we are not free and cannot be held morally responsible for our actions (Omar Khayyam R A Bowie, Ethical Studies, p91). This idea has some ethical similarity to the traditional Judeo-Christian idea of Predestination, it can be summarised as all our choices, decisions, intentions, other mental events, and all our actions are no more than effects of other equally necessitated events (Honedrich, ibid, p91). Hard determinism insists that all actions have a prior cause. However, this idea has a number of profound consequences; it puts doubt in our hopes for the future and how we consider the morality of others. If we praise a person for their good action, we are mistaken as it is not their action, it has been pre-determined. Additionally, if our actions are determined humans cannot deliberate rationally, we are, to an extent, illusive to the fact we cant decide for ourselves what we wish to do. Buddhism accepts the idea of determinism but rejects the idea of an agent and thus the idea that freedom is free will belonging to an agent. The Buddha said There is free action, there is retribution, but I see no agent that passes out from one set of momentary elements into another one, except the connection of those elements. Buddhism believes in neither absolute free will nor determinism, it preaches a middle doctrine, called pratitya-samutpada in Sanskrit, which is often translated as inter-dependent arising: When this exists, that exists; From the arising of this, that arises; When this does not exist, that does not exist; From the cessation of this, that ceases (Majjhima Nikaya, 1.262-64, D. Side, Buddhism, 2005, p97). It is part of the theory of karma. In Buddhism it is taught that the notion of complete freedom of choice is unwise, because it denies the reality of physical needs and circumstances. Similarly incorrect is the idea that we have no choice in life or that our lives are pre-determined. To deny freedom would be to undermine the efforts of Buddhists to make moral progress through our capacity to freely choose compassionate action. Pubbekatahetuvada, the belief that all happiness and suffering arise from previous actions, is considered an incorrect view according to Buddhist doctrines. Libertarianism however, rejects the idea of determinism. If we wish to retain the idea of moral responsibility and accept that a person can, when confronted with the choice between right and wrong, act as a free agent, one must accept the idea of libertarianism. Libertarians do not reject the idea of determinism completely, in general they agree that the inanimate world is mechanistic that all events are mechanically caused and therefore predictable and that all the mechanical chains of cause and effect may extend to the animate world. They deny the principle of universal causation applying to human action and that accordingly human behaviour is predictable. Libertarians distinguish between a persons formed character or personality and his or her moral self. David Hume described liberty in his An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding: By liberty, then, we can only mean a power of acting or not acting, according to the determinations of the will; that is, if we choose to remain at rest, we may; if we choose to move, we also may (R A Bowie, Ethical Studies, 2001, p93). They believe we are not compelled to act morally by forces outside our moral consciousness. Moral actions are not chance or random events, but result from the values and character of the moral agent. An important argument for libertarianism is the human sense of decision making. While we have a sense of freedom, a sense of deliberating over our options, determinists maintain this is an illusion of freedom. Libertarianism does not explain human action, yet many would argue surely action needs a cause? Libertarianism attributes our moral judgement to an objective source, unmoved by environmental or upbringing, but this is questionable. Buddhists therefore do not agree with hard determinism in that Buddhists do not believe in an external cause, like libertarians, however they do not completely agree with the libertarian notion of complete free will. To resolve the debate on relating Buddhism to either Determinism or Libertarianism and thus create a type of determinism to which Buddhist causality can relate to, A.J. Ayer advocates a type of soft determinism which accepts that everything has a cause but which defines particular actions as free volitions. An action can be a free volition provided that 1) If you had had the volition not to do the action you would not have done it and 2) Nobody compelled you to do it. for Ayer we have responsibility for our volitional actions. In order to explain the difference between phenomena that are caused and free volitions, some soft determinists distinguish between the internal and external causes of an action, for example between its contingent and mental causes. It can be argued that while the external causes are determined, the psychological causes may not be; the Buddhist view is similar in that it states that physical objects and circumstances are always determined through causes and conditions. Physiological, physical and psychological causes are determined by mental decisions. Therefore a midway between the two contrasting theories is soft determinism and can most satisfactorily relate to Buddhist ethical principles. It would seem that we must choose between the belief in universal causation and, on the other hand, the belief in the existence of free will, it being accepted by both determinists and libertarians that these two beliefs are incompatible. The incongruity of the two however is rejected by soft determinists who say that human freedom and moral responsibility, is incomprehensible without determinism. Soft determinists state the assumption that determinism is inconsistent with free will is the result of considerable confusion about what is meant by free. It is true that freedom as incompatible with fatalism, the view that human beings are powerless to change the cause of events, but it is not conflicting with determinism. Therefore soft determinists have labelled the two ideas; when the cause of action is internal, therefore out of your own volition, you acted voluntarily and of your own free will; but when the cause is external, for example contrary to your wishes or desires, you acted involuntarily and under compulsion. According to the soft determinist, this distinction between internal and external causes explains why freedom and moral responsibility is not only compatible with determinism but actually requires it. Determinism is correct here in that for these actions to be uncaused would mean they would be completely unpredictable, impulsive and therefore irresponsible. Therefore when it is said a person acted freely it is not meant as his or her action was uncaused but rather they were not compelled to do it, that they were under no kind of external pressure, they themselves chose to act this way. We can relate the soft determinist notion of labelling the distinction between action and cause to Buddhist morality; in actual situations a Buddhists conduct is decided by the state of their body/mind in the moment of acting, not by the Precepts alone. They try honestly to follow the Precepts, but if they break one of the Precepts, Buddhism urges them to recover and regain the balanced state and act right in the present, rather than to forfeit for past bad conduct, which has passed and can never be changed as it does not exist anymore. Buddhism says that whether or not one can act morally or right in this moment does not depend on the concept or belief of what it right and what is wrong, but on the state of our body and mind at this present moment. The enlightenment (Bodhi) of the Buddha was both his liberation from suffering (dukka) and his insight into the nature of the universe; the Buddha was thus awakened to the truth of dependent origination. This is the idea that any phenomena only exists because of the existence of other phenomena in a complex web (Indras net) of cause and effect covering past, present and future. Everything is dependent on everything else: A human beings existence is dependent on the condition of everything else in the world (and universe) at that moment in time but equally the condition of everything in the world in that moment is dependent in an equally significant way on the character and condition of that human being. Indras Net is used in Buddhism as a metaphor for illustrating the concepts of emptiness of interconnectedness of all things. Everything in the universe is interconnected through this web of cause and effect thus all are interdependent. Therefore because all these things are transient (annicca) and conditioned it can be held that they do not exist, thus if they do not exist, can they be held morally responsible for their actions? The Heart Sutra disagrees with the idea of dependent origination and says that there is no such law as karma or cause and effect. This still however relates to the idea of emptiness (sunyata) as noted by Nagarjuna that dependent origination and emptiness are two sides of the same coin. For Nagarjuna, emptiness should not be interpreted ontologically, but rather in the way of the parable of the raft: The Buddhist teaching (especially shunyata), is like the raft one constructs for the crossing of a river. Once the river is crossed, the purpose of the raft has been served. Therefore the raft is not needed anymore. The same is true of emptiness: it should not be held on to; one who does hold on to it will have trouble functioning in life. Nagarjuna wrote extensively, and his teachings resulted in the formation of an Indian school called Madhyamika or the Middle Way School. Sunyata refers to the fact that no thing, including human existence, has ultimate substantiality, which in turn means that no thing is permanent and no thing is totally independent of everything else. In other words, everything in this world is interconnected and in constant flux. An appreciation of this idea of emptiness thus saves us from the suffering caused by our egos, our attachments, and our resistance to change and loss. Therefore all phenomena are dependent originations, which means that they dont exist, thus if they dont exist, they are empty which would thus mean that ethics itself is empty, thus it would be impossible to ever act ethically as there would not be such notion in existence. If everything is dependent causally, then it would seem impossible to act ethically: however a Buddhist would argue that the whole universe isnt dependent causally, there is only one determining factor, Karma. Thus one of the possible arguments against karmic determinism is that karma is only one influencing factor and the universe has a random aspect to it, which could account for a degree of freedom. Buddhist teachings explain how misleading states of mind keep you trapped in a recurring pattern of dissatisfaction by teaching about interdependent origination, the idea that things happen for a reason. Dependent Origination suggests that every event has a cause. For a Buddhist, life experiences, both good and bad, arent random, meaningless events, however, nor are they rewards, or punishments, as rewards and punishments require a controlling outside force sat in judgment such as a god, as there is no god in Buddhism blaming God or fate doesnt work, experiences come from a result of a series of causes and effects that begin in a buddhists mind. In teachings known as the Twelve links of dependent arising, Buddha described the mechanism that drives you from realm to realm within a cyclic existence and keeps you trapped in suffering and dissatisfaction in these links; Buddhas purpose for teaching these links, beginning with ignorance and ending with a corpse, was to make us aware of th e way our ignorantly motivated actions unavoidably lead to recurring suffering, this suffering motivates a Buddhist to seek a way out, thus nirvana. The Buddha taught that the way to achieve this freedom is by engaging in what he called the Three Trainings which form the foundations to which the entire structure of Buddhist practice rests. These three trainings were: Moral Discipline, the strength; Concentration, the sharp aim; And Wisdom, the tool. If a Buddhist practices the three trainings in combination with one another, the Buddha stated that cyclic existence would end and one would feel the inexpressible peace of liberation. With moral self-discipline as a base, concentration allowing for inherent focus, wisdom can break through ignorance and help you free yourself from the cycle of recurring misery. In relation to the asking if today is a result of yesterday, it would suggest it is, however a Buddhist can change tomorrows outcome by having moral self discipline, concentration and wisdom. If a Buddhist wants protection from suffering and from the danger of lower rebirth, they must try and not commit any more negative karma, however, this is also a problem in Buddhism as karma is generally negative, thus how can one create any more negativity if all karma is negative, thus everything really is Dukkha, therefore, in conclusion, it is apt to say that today is the result of yesterdays actions. However, a Buddhist can purify negative karma that has already been committed. There are ten principle non-virtuous actions that should be avoided; Three actions of the body, four of speech, and three of the mind. The three non virtuous bodily actions are killing, stealing and sexual misconduct; the four non virtuous verbal actions are lying, divisive speech, hurtful speech and idle chatter and the three non virtuous mental actions are covetousness, malice and holding wrong views. The best way for a buddhist to avoid negative actions is to practice consideration for others. All kind of non virtuous actions have three kinds of effects, the ripened effect, the effect similar to the cause and the environmental effect. The ripened effect of a negative effect is a rebirth in one of the three lower realms. A Buddhists previous actions will always have a definite outcome on tomorrow, however there are issues such as causality and free will which when taken into consideration make it hard to substantiate whether a Buddhist can be praised or blamed for such actions. The idea of Sunyata means that if everything in existence is empty, morality itself is empty which would mean acting ethically would be impossible, therefore actions are empty so the law of Karma is flawed, this is a contradiction in Buddhist philosophy as it would mean that there can be no actions of yesterday impacting upon the present, therefore I could reach a conclusion disagreeing with the statement Today is a result of yesterday, tomorrow is a result of today as it is impossible to be a result if there are no actions in existence allowing for a future; However, with many ideas in Buddhist philosophy contradicting each other it is hard to conclude on this question as there are too many conflictions between Karma being the universal law of cause and effect and dependent origination, as well as the idea that it is too simplistic a notion for today to be a result of yesterday as there are complicated ideas related to Buddhist ethics. Bibliography Damien Keown, Oxford Dictionary of Buddhism: Oxford University Press, 2003. Dominique Side, Buddhism, Oxfordshire: Phillip Allan, 2005. Geshe Kelshang Gyato, Introduction to Buddhism: Cumbria; Thorpe Publications, 1992. Michael Palmer, Moral Problems: The Lutterworth Press, 1991. Robert A Bowie, Ethical Studies: Nelson Thornes, 2001. Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught: London: Gordon Fraser, 1926. www.buddhanet.co.uk www.wikipedia.org www.nibbana.com