Were the Achaemenids Zoroastrians?

Were The Achaemenids Zoroastrians? The Biggest Empire, which the ancient world has ever seen, would be the Achaemenid Persian Empire. This empire protracted from Anatolia, Egypt, Asia, northern India and Central Asia. Making of this empire began in 550 B. C. The Achaemenid is known as the first Persian Empire and the largest. Ancient history basically tells us Zoroastrianism developed somewhere in Iran about 1000 years after Zoroaster. Scholars have said the Achaemenids era had finally began when Cyrus the great successfully went against his father in law who was ruler of the Medians.That is when Zoroastrianism started to influence the Median tribes. The Median then began to move eastwards past the Zagros mountains. They moved to Kermanshah and began to connect with Zoroastrians. Within the same time period in the southern Iran Persians moved towards the East. The Persians then started to overpower a tribe called the Elamites. While this was taking place Zoroastrianism moved forward among all Medians and Persians which were moving towards the East. Little about Zoroastrianism was known until around 549-550 BCE.When Cyrus the great who lead the Persians founded Western Iran and created the first biggest Persian Empire. The Achaemenid period developed around 558 B. C by Cyrus the great. The Zoroastrian religion then united forces with the Persian Empire. No one actually knows what happen to the Zoroastrian community after Zoroaster passed away. As for his message it was said that it had eventually gone all across the Iranian world. It is not certain how long it had taken for Zoroastrianism to become the Iranians main religion. Zoroastrianism had gone through the Iranian worlds Western part by the 6th century BCE.The Iranian people practiced their traditional Iranian religion up until the beginning of the Achaemenid Empire, on which they had converted to Zoroastrianism. Cyrus king of the Acheamnids Empire had replaced the Median Empire with the Achaemenid Empire. The Achaemenid was the first empire in ancient history that had a huge extension. Zoroastrianism was the main religion of the Iranians under the Achaemenids. There are many signs towards the Achaemenids being Zoroastrians such as Greek writings, Achaemenids monuments, artifacts and also texts, which were from Persia in Old Persian.All research show the early kings religion was not sure of but the later Achaemenids were Zoroastrians. On the other hand, there is a particular way which points out the Achaemenid kings were Zoroastrians. Which would be in the way they use the name Ahura Mazda. The Achaemnids kings frequently mention the supreme God as a creator. In doing so it at least strongly shows the kings were somewhat influenced by Zoroastrianism. It is not certain on Cyrus’s beliefs but it has been believed to be linked somewhere around Zoroaster’s date.It is also believed Cyrus was very much influenced by Zoroaster’s teachings due to his policies and acts. On e of many acts would be he freed all the Jewish people and allowed them to go home. Scholars have said the Zoroastrianism religion had a big influence on his decision. There are many reasons not knowing Cyrus's beliefs one of many would be there is no mention about Cyrus in the Zoroastrian tradition. By the 6th century B. C the Achaemenid royal house had accepted Zoroastrianism. Cyrus the great had also took all Eastern Iranians under his rule.Due to being their first meeting with the Greeks the Persians had already turned Zoroastrian and were learning Zoroaster from them. The Greeks have said Cyrus had named one of his daughters Atossa that comes from Hutaosa the queen of Vishtaspa one of Zoroaster’s royal patrons. Cyrus’s action towards Zoroastrianism showed he was a loyal worshipper. But he did not make any attempted to force the Iranian religion on his alien subject. The fact that Cyrus body had been laid in sepulchers and embalmed and not exposed according to the Zoroastrianism tradition it has kept scholars uncertain on his beliefs.As you can see almost nothing is known about Cyrus's beliefs. Scholars have also said he had followed the guidance of the Magians. It is also strongly believed by Mary Boyce that Cyrus was indeed a Zoroastrian and that he had followed in his ancestor’s footsteps. The God, which the Achaemnid kings believed in, was the great Ahura Mazda. From whom they believed had given them their empire and also who guided them through all accomplished deeds. In the Zoroastrian religion fire plays a very important part, as far as the Old Iranian religion fire also played an important role.Many depictions show the Achaemenid kings worshipping before a fire. This is one of many facts that make you believe the kings were Zoroastrians. As I stated before Cyrus’s beliefs were not sure of, but kings after Cyrus are believed to have practiced Zoroastrianism. As for the Persians just like many other ancient people they had started off with a polytheistic religion and believed in the forces of nature. They had believed there were Gods of nature, such as the sun and sky. They also believed the Gods had social powers. During the 5th century B. C the official Persian religion became the state religion.Even though all mankind were given permission to follow any religion of their choice, the entire Achaemenids Empire was forced to pay a temple tax of 10%. This tax supported the Zoroastrianism practice and encouraged the empire to follow it. There is much of a debate if the Achaemnids were Zoroastrians however the Achaemenids were know to be worshipers of Ahura Mazda. As all conclusions have shown, you can see that the Acheamnids kings and empire were Zoroastrians. I would not say the Persians had much of a choice at first, but as time went on they all practiced Zoroastrianism.I personally would not say all Persians at the time had a fair choice. Even though it was said ‘’ all subjects were per mitted freedom of religion’’. The reason why I do not think they had a fair choice would be, because all subjects were required to pay a 10% temple tax to support Zoroastrianism. In the ancient time I am sure there were poor people who could not afford to pay the tax. Which gave them no choice but to practice the Zoroastrian religion. Another reason I would say Persians had to practice Zoroastrianism because of the royal family who had already accepted the religion.They were the rulers of the empire where mankind was living. Since the rulers had already accepted Zoroastrianism I guess there were some people who accepted the religion and some who did not have a choice. Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest religions that formed in Iran. So it makes it Impossible not to have had an impact change in the ancient times. As I have explained before, it is not certain of Cyrus’s beliefs. However scholars have said his actions have shown he was a loyal worsh ipper towards the Zoroastrian religion.Nothing is known in how long it took the whole Achaemenids to accept Zoroastrianism but eventually they had all accepted Zoroastrianism. In all the information on the Acheamnids religion it all points out that the Acheamnids were indeed Zoroastrians. Bibliography: M. Boyce, ‘’ Zoroaster and His Teachings,’’ in Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and practices. London, 2001 : 48-77 http://www. iranchamber. com/history/articles/achaemenid_society_culture. php http://www. cais-soas. com/CAIS/Religions/iranian/Zarathushtrian/zoroastrianism

Business and Society Case 1 Essay

Business and Society have a complicated relationship. Organizations make products or deliver services with the goal of making a profit. Human beings and social structures that humans create together make up society. Businesses and society are of an interactive system. Business firms participate in continuous interactions or exchanges with its external environment. Society and business make up a cooperative social system where each other’s actions affect one another. In the stakeholder theory of the firm, all businesses have a purpose to create value for its diverse stakeholders. For these organizations to stick around, they must make a profit for their owners and, in addition, businesses must understand and take all stakeholders’ interests, power, and alliances into account and thus try to create different kinds of value for their stakeholders, whether for employees, communities, or others. Businesses must recognize who the corporation’s market and nonmarket stakeholders are. Every business firm has economic and social relationships with society, whether they affect positively or negatively; are intended or unintended. Stakeholders are those who affect or are affected by the firm, whether they have a market relationship or not. Often with multiple interests in mind, the stakeholders can implement their economic, political, and other powers in ways that can help or defy the organization. Stakeholders may act independent or together to impact the companies. Modern corporations developed a range of complex, boundary-crossing departments that manage of interactions with stakeholders and society. For instance, Walmart has a huge impact on society and must effectively and efficiently deal with stakeholders interests. A number of vast factors mold the relationship between business and society. These include changing societal and ethical expectations, shifting public expectations and government policies, fast paced global economy, dealing with ecological concerns , and changing the transformational role of technology and innovation. Corporate strategy has to deal with expectations of all stakeholders and even society itself. Application Points Chapter 1 Discussion Questions 1. The issue in this case is simply that Disney had a vision of making people feel like they are â€Å"in another world† while they were in Disneyland. Although, this interferes with companies coming into their territory and building affordable housing for people who work within the walls of Disneyland. Disney ultimately has the final say in the matter because of their continuous revenue stream for the city of Anaheim. This means that no matter what Disney will get what it wants. 2. The relevant market stakeholders include the employees, customers, suppliers, and creditors. The nonmarket stakeholders include the community, governments, and the general public. 3. Stakeholder interests a. Employees – have a more affordable housing complex near Disneyland (support SunCal’s plan) b. Customers – have a fun and memorable time at Disneyland (most likely indifferent to the situation, but are affected indirectly) c. Suppliers – Ultimately make or lose money geared on the success of Disneyland (do not support SunCal) d. Creditors – Also rely on Disney revenue stream (do not support SunCal) e. Community – The city of Anaheim benefits with Disneyland tax payments (do not support SunCal) f. Governments – Same as Community g. General Public – benefit from Disneyland revenue (do not support SunCal) 4. The employees obviously have the right to quit or abstain from working for Disneyland, the customers can choose to not come to the park, the suppliers really have no power seeing the Disneyland is most likely their main source of revenue, and the creditors can chose to finance elsewhere. 6. The best possible solution would be for SunCal to move their projected idea of building the affordable housing further away from right next door to Disneyland. The employees would be more than happy to agree to an affordable housing that is a couple of miles away than having to live outside of the city and commute into work. Everyone then becomes happy with the situation from this simple solution.

Micro Economics

We stand in the beginning of the twenty first century with new groups in positions of great power within our economic. One would think that, with this peak strength, American man would be secure, ready to move forward. An uncertainty, however, seems to be besetting us. We are unsure of ourselves. Internally, we are ill at ease and suspect one another – so much so that sometimes we seem can forget our fundamental belief in the dignity of mankind. People enjoy a standard of living, but often we do not enjoy life. People are mobile in their cars and can see the whole world in television. Yet people are not sure where they want to go or what they want to see. Modern world baffles people, and we do not know how to turn our knowledge into creative expression both as a nation and as individual citizens. Such a situation, if to continue, is in danger of in the end to sap our viability. Unless people try to understand the fundamental nature of our society as interrelated systems of power – economic, business, political, and moral – we can misunderstand our mission in this world. I believe that the mission of every person is to establish a great civilization on this continent and to create peace and security for mankind. Therefore, the fulfilment of my aspirations for effective and moral living is, and must be forever, a never ending business. My life must be a business. It is the most important business I will ever be responsible forever. I will face challenges and risks with little or no planning. Economics is a kaleidoscope that touches all aspects of the business of living. According to several reports issued by the Small Business Administration (SBA), the single most dominant reason businesses fail is directly attributable to a lack of planning. This paper is intended to build my life’s economic plan. It will consider issues of wants and needs, supply and demand, long term employment probability, unexpected economic challenges, and what I believe the economic future to be and how I will adapt to it. Planning I can use the terms â€Å"plans† and â€Å"planning† to many different aspects of my everyday life. One use of the term â€Å"plan† I will use to describe a procedure for achieving a particular goal or desired outcome. For example, when somebody asks me â€Å"So, what's the plan?† I think of a set of directions to guide my thoughts and actions. That is, I create the directions on what to do and when to do it, and this in turn might tell me those things that are most important and those things to consider. Ideally, my plan should be complete. That is, the contents and ordering satisfactorily accomplishes the goal. The plan should be efficient and foolproof. The instructions of the plan should be easy to memorize, monitor and execute, with little chance of things going wrong (Morris 99). However, in my daily life, plans may still be useful without offering explicit guidance or instructions. A map of the new city or an architect's diagram detailing the layout of a house may also be correctly referred to as plans. However, these plans provide a representation or overview of a project or problem, rather than a set of directions. A clear understanding of the current state and what should to be done, together with awareness of the different means and methods at my disposal may greatly facilitate the efficacy of achieving my goals. Through using planning and strategies, a chosen subset of new alternatives may be found more quickly and more efficiently than would be the case if I used only pure trial or error, or if I regularly investigated each and every possibility in turn. Many theories of planning propose that the first stage is to form a suitable mental representation of the goals. The representation may include the initial state and the goal state as well as a range of possible actions that could be taken (Morris 123). Planning tips, strategies and tactics are known as heuristics and algorithms. My planning involves intended actions to be taken in the future, motivational control may be needed in order to carry them out appropriately. My planning is subdivided into four sections: first, a number of key goals are introduced; second, SWOT analysis is introduced; third, short summary descriptions are provided outlining the main themes and issues to emerge from the savings planning; fourth,   a view on the nature of man as consumer is presented. Goals I have specific goals that consistently pursue. There are a mixture of goals and success factors which are important to the achievement of my goals. True goals are probably confined to the first three categories. Long term employment Profitability Growth Of these three the one of primary importance to me is profitability. From my perspective this could be more specifically defined as Return. Growth and Long term employment are pursued to the extent that they yield a long term benefit in terms of Return. After graduating I am going to be a manager employed by a company. How do I as a manager make my decisions? Perhaps these decisions can be better appreciated by setting up a scenario and observing the behavior patterns of a manager of a factory. Let us suppose that the factory is part of a corporate empire in which top management is ensconced in a big city office and middle management runs the factories located somewhere in the hinterlands, far from the lights, fun, and frolic of the big city. Suppose that I am a middle-level manager of a factory that makes widgets along with an assortment of other products. I have both production and marketing responsibilities and report to a president who is held accountable for the overall operation of the factory by those in the corporate headquarters. In the game of Musical Chairs, the winner lasts as long as it takes to set up the chairs, turn the record over, and play a new round. And in the game of King of the Hill, one remains king for as long as he can fend off new attacks. There is a transient aspect to positions of power that is true in children's games of fun and in adults' games of life. Nevertheless, whether a king is attempting to maximize the profits of his company or trying to maximize his longevity in power, somewhere in the king's organization, there are middle-level managers. These aspirants to power have not yet risen in position to dream of toppling the king. They are still in the Musical Chairs stage of development. While biding their time until they are in a high enough position to try and topple the king, which may never come about for some, they have to think about something else to justify their jobs. And there is no better justification for a job than thinking about the profitability of the company. What this means is that, while top management and the members of the board may be taking a more tangential view of profitability, there is someone in the organization looking at the price of goods in the marketplace, the cost of making goods on the factory floor, and the inventory of finished goods in the warehouse. That person is making, or recommending, some important decisions: 1. Expanding or contracting production 2. Raising or lowering prices 3. Building a new plant or closing an existing one These are certainly important decisions if one is a worker employed by this company. The development and implementation of good system for a business will be a task for a manager. This involves a mixture of techniques and technologies. Related to this development and implementation process is the proper planning and leadership needed to identify and organize modern technology. Also, there is the cultural aspect. This aspect promotes an atmosphere of community and intelligence sharing among company employees. In its intention to get the required resources for its future success, the manager creates and then implements management practices that encourage new technology. In order to better understand the mixture of techniques and technologies used in the development and implementation of business system, the following four basic elements are recapped below (Hoctor 78): 1. upgrading current information systems to tie in with smart business system 2. employing data storage to its fullest extent for optimization. The focus is on using appropriate aged data and real-time data 3. utilizing smart business software for optimizing a company’s operations today as well as in the future 4. making great use of computer networking in particular on E-commerce In modern world, the creation of good system for business is leading the way to optimizing a company’s operations in quality control for changing times. Not only is computer technological innovations are changing more quickly each day, but also are business demands. Managers are being pressed to respond to customer needs. They also face competitive threats in days and weeks instead of months or years. Products and services that could wait for 6 to 12 months just a few years ago today need to get out the door in a much shorter period of time. And it is not just multinational companies or global organizations that are being pressed with shortening time frames. Almost any business, from a small firm up to the world’s largest corporation, is at risk of being replaced by a more quick-witted, E-business-enabled rival. The success of businesses will be estimated by how well managers have developed E-business applications to distinguish themselves from the competition. Therefore, how well the managers can respond to changing times is important factor for its success. Systems for a business can be the means to meet these fast changing times for a modern company. SWOT analysis SWOT is a widely used thinking framework for identifying Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It enables key factors to be visibly recorded as a high level summary of personal (or a business) situation. It is a summary that is simple but powerful. The technique can be used to document the key factors arising from the review of a particular project or business, through looking at the Opportunities and Threats it faces in the wider world. The SWOT summary may be used to consolidate key issues identified through other forms of analysis (Elkin 90). The uncertain world of the consumer Not all the money may be spent. Some may be saved. Savings will be important to me because we live in a world of uncertainty. The uncertainty aspect that worries me most might be death, but a close second is unemployment. Unemployment is a consequence of a free market environment in which employers not only are free to dismiss, lay off, or in other ways terminate employees but also are forced to do so by the workings of the free market itself. If a factory makes a product, and if for any number of diverse reasons that product cannot be sold, at some point the factory owner must reduce the factory's output. If he does not dismiss any workers, the factory owner is paying for workers who are producing goods that are not being sold. This is a cash outflow at the same time when he is not selling his product. Consequently, there is no revenue from sales to generate a cash inflow to counterbalance the cash outflow. What is his choice with regard to laying off his workers? Does he even have a choice? The answer is no. Thus, savings are necessary to provide some sort of cushion, a security blanket, a nest egg for the bad times. Savings are my safety net to protect myself when things turn against me. Savings have little to do with the running of a communist society. The economic philosophy behind communism is that the state will take on all the burdens of an individual such that he is never exposed to risk of any kind (Dunning 56). Housing, food, medical care, education, you-name-it -these are all the responsibility of the state. The communist system does not expect that an individual has to save, as he would in the free market system, because all aspects of personal security are guaranteed by the state. However, it must be noted that individuals in communist nations do save. Sometimes it is to accumulate the funds necessary to make a major purchase, such as an automobile. Sometimes the act of saving is a default condition in that there is nothing on the shelves that a consumer wants to buy. Saving then reflects the inability to spend. Perhaps this best illustrates the fundamental difference between the two economic systems. In one, a consumer saves because of the inability to guarantee a secure income. In the other, a person saves because of the inability to be a consumer. The philosophic underpinnings of the free market system assume that man is basically an unhappy and dissatisfied individual who abhors work (Dunning 90). People work for one basic reason: if they don't, the alternative is to starve to death in a dark, cold room. Relatively few people find satisfaction in work. Most work is tedious, repetitious, and boring. The primary incentive to man a machine is to earn some money to feed one's family, keep clothes on their backs, provide a roof over their heads, and keep the rooms lighted and warm. Because the very nature of the free market system hardly inspires confidence in the future, man as consumer saves a portion of his pay for a rainy day. The amount that he saves varies from individual to individual and depends on a number of issues. Among these are the extent of his present savings, his possession of material things, the general direction of prices, the relationship between the interest he receives on his savings and the effect of inflation on the price of goods, and his confidence in holding onto his job. While these are the more important considerations one takes into account in determining how much to save, one consideration overrides all others. That consideration is confidence. Possession of material things The desire to possess material things influences spending habits. If a person feels that he is behind, so to speak, on the possession of material things with respect to his peers, he will have a general tendency to. When people see the unemployment lines getting shorter and the want ads for jobs becoming more common, their attitude toward spending becomes more positive. Good times begin as soon as unemployment rates start decreasing. Even with continued high unemployment, the fact that things are getting better permeates the thinking of consumers. If unemployment rates are decreasing, and if one has a job, then the chances of being laid off are nil. The worst is over, and it is time to forget the bad times. Declining unemployment means that the security associated with a job is going to be much greater than during times of increasing unemployment. One can afford to be a bit more profligate than during less auspicious times. As the economy falters because sales are collapsing, fear of losing one's own job makes one more cautious in his spending habits. This is in the best interests of me – spend less, save more, and add to the nest egg in case things get even worse. References Dunning, John H. (2001). Global Capitalism at Bay? Rutledge: London. Elkin, Paul. (1998). Mastering Business Planning and Strategy: The Power of Strategic Thinking. Thorogood: London. Hoctor, James J. (2003). Smart Business Systems for the Optimized Organization. Praeger: Westport, CT. Morris, Robin. (2004). The Cognitive Psychology of Planning. Psychology Press: Hove, England.

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

Critique - Essay Example management systems that suggest instant solutions and in the digital age it is essential these methods closely interrelate and allocate seamless course of information amongst different business purpose to meet evolving guest service requirements. Fidelio – as one of the hospitality management software, has the centralised scope inventory for all hotels in the sequence so that clientele can do reservations in the course of diverse resource and acquire an instant confirmation.  It has easier admission to clientele for reservations and develops tenancy calculation and thus figures sales labours superiorly. This are just some of the business benefits the hospitality industry when they are utilised. Fidelio, as a modular program, has the elasticity and the user definite compliance of this program. Customers of this product includes such hotels, luxury cruise ships and in fast food restaurants. Due to the flexibility and various possibilities to optimise the application to the user’s needs, Fidelio guarantees that the needs of every condition can be met. It certifies that a suitable and supple solution can constantly be attained. Fidelio is the advanced successor to an established solution for the hotel industry. The software is a tool designed at convenient and managerial functions. The applications of the software were compiled and with concern for the industrial progress and possibilities of present. It equips the essential information at accurately the direct in time at which users need it. In order to maintain decisions efficiently, this information can be retrieved at any point in time or period defined by users and not only to the end of an accounting or inventory phase. In utilising the software, it will facilitate reduce the costs without notably increasing the workload. For instance, the high performance computation tools which can emphasise on a on a daily basis items, which should be sold or held back. Imagine that one could obtain all the information

Managing Change in Organisation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Managing Change in Organisation - Case Study Example On this ground no organizational changes can be made because this will inflict the taxation procedures for the countries. In order to secure the smooth work operation other changes were made in the company. It was decided by the senior management that sub divisions should be introduces in order to the customers to receive the upmost of the service. The company has structured into different teams who manage the different processes. There is a "Customer Conversion Team" for each of the taxation countries. This team handles the incoming calls from not registered customers and tries to convert them to use our services. The team also prepares all the necessary documentation in order for a tax claim to be officially sent to the tax authorities in the given country. The "Quotation Team" gives a quote to the customer, after receiving his documents so as to what tax refund he is entitled to get back. Then if the customer is satisfied the tax file is applied to the country's Tax Office. After the tax application is submitted, the file is passed to the "Filing Section". This team handles the correspondence betwee n the client and the Tax Authorities obtaining information about the progress of the tax application and updating the client. After the refund has been issued the file is passed to the "Payment Team". ... Before the introduction of this organizational change each tax country was internally managing the whole process from converting the customer to refunding the taxes to his account. The main objectives that triggered this change were: Lower rate of converted customers; Unsatisfactory customer service care, due to overload of files to one and the same representative; Inability to administer newly registered customers, because of old cases; Desire to seek highly conversion rates; Managing successful business means most of all identifying the defects in the organization and attempting to control and over them the issues. Establishing a long-lasting business strategy is also of primary importance and the goal of Taxback.com was to accumulate more customers, who will be serviced in an excellent manner. Carr (1995) remarks that to understand the organizational change both the employees and the management need to carefully guide the process of the change and to define this change within the context of the overall good of the company. This means that leaders and senior management have to substantiate their decision of a change with initial discussions and smooth transition to the new operational structures. Organizational change should not be implemented for the sake of any change. Primarily, the efforts have to be directed into improving the "performance" in the customer service care industry and increasing the resources in alluring more customers into using the service (Conner, 1993). In analyzing the organizational change that took place in Taxback.com I found several advantages: The customer service representatives were focused on one task only - to convert the customer, to provide a proper quotation, to contact the tax authorities and to obtain the payment

The Age of Discovery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Age of Discovery - Essay Example Specifically, whether the phrase Age of Discovery appropriately describes this era as the most significant age of human discovery; the rampant rush to imperialistic tactics by the invading nations and the consequences including the subsequent escalating slave trade. The Age of Discovery refers to the time in history when Europeans discovered the Americas. Explorers following the ships of Christopher Columbus found, on their own planet, a new land mass inhabited by humans. Of all mankind’s explorations, this period of discovery had the most impact on the future of the world’s collective societies. It caused the questioning of Christian religious dogma which encouraged the further use of critical thought on a widespread scale thus allowing society to advance both in knowledge and in the concept of human thought (Kreis, 2002). Until it was proved differently, church officials deemed it heresy to suggest the Earth was round because the Bible refers to the ‘four corners of the world.’ In addition, if God flooded the world and only Noah’s family survived, where did these people come from? The scientific boom that began in the 1600’s and continues to this day owes much to the Age of Discovery that preceded it. T he church was no longer able to stifle scientific knowledge following the events of this era. Additionally, the economy of Portugal, then Spain, Europe, and Asia among others experienced a revival due to the increasing slave trade and the lifestyle and cultural traditions of the native people of the ‘new world’ were forever altered. The term ‘discovery’ would indeed accurately describe this ‘age’ more so than any other era in human history. Simply finding the new land mass populated by humans would itself qualify the definition (Kreis, 2002).

Corporate Social Responsibility and its Importance in the Retail Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility and its Importance in the Retail Sector - Essay Example As the report explores the very core purpose of any business, besides sustenance and profitability, happens to create and keep adding value for the customers. A retail chain in particular needs to take into account the changing needs and requirements of the customers, depending upon the changing environment, food habits, time management, availability of alternates in the market, increasing awareness about environmentally friendly goods and services etc. This way they can earn the loyalty of the customer while successfully attracting more customers. Customer’s reaction to the product/ services is largely based on the customer’s feelings, which are subjective in nature. This discussion declares that Retail Business requires managing a broad range of retail skills in the areas of customer sales and service, promotion & advertising, store layout, visual merchandising, economics & accounting, marketing, buying from suppliers, inventory control, and human resource management. As the marketing and industrial activities are growing around the world, imbalance in many forms is on an increase, which is threatening the very existence of the social fabric that we live in. In order to protect the social fabric, the nature and the interests of human beings, companies, organizations and individuals are supposed to take care of their social responsibilities in different measure. Companies in retail sector being in direct touch with the customers and the society often find it obligatory on their part to take care of the social needs as well.... Retail Business requires managing a broad range of retail skills in the areas of customer sales and service, promotion & advertising, store layout, visual merchandising, economics & accounting, marketing, buying from suppliers, inventory control, and human resource management. As the marketing and industrial activities are growing around the world, imbalance in many forms is on an increase, which is threatening the very existence of the social fabric that we live in. In order to protect the social fabric, the nature and the interests of human beings, companies, organizations and individuals are supposed to take care of their social responsibilities in different measure. Companies in retail sector being in direct touch with the customers and the society often find it obligatory on their part to take care of the social needs as well. Though it is not obligatory on an organization that it should come forward to help out the society, but in order to reach out to the customers, earn the g oodwill of existing as well as prospective customers, and to be seen as an organization indulging in ethical business practices, companies do come forward to help the society and fulfil their corporate social responsibilities. Research Questions and Objectives This study is primarily being undertaken to study the corporate social responsibility aspect in general and the manner in which retail sector is fulfilling its social responsibilities. During the study an effort would be made to study some of the reputed retail sector companies like Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Primark, Wal-Mart etc. While broadly analysing their business proposition and market share an effort would be made to sift through the corporate responsibility statements and activities being taken

Organizational Communication Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Organizational Communication - Research Paper Example Therefore, constant complimenting turns out to be a challenge especially among numerous males because they have to conform to what corporations advocate in effort to motivate other workers. Nature of communication aspect focuses on the proportion of time spent by the employees talking as well as listening. This aspect also varies across genders contrary to the workplace’s varied levels, which define an employee’s position. Studies reveal men tend to be poor listeners compared to the female gender whereby the latter excels in both (listening and talking). Males fail because of their culture and ego where the latter prompts them to act as â€Å"knowing it all†. The first step would entail acknowledging cultural diversity, which characterizes organization’s employees (Bair, 2009). Therefore, I will initiate training on professional communication across cultures (Marques, 2010). This is to equip the professionals with adequate social intelligence meant to have high tolerance levels and open-mindedness especially when mingling with workers from other cultures (Goodman, 2012). These skills will also enable them to have successful co-existence once the inception of the intended change commences, hence contribute actively to the attainment of the corporation’s

Critically examine thje effects of the 'Boudaryless Career' Essay

Critically examine thje effects of the 'Boudaryless Career' on individuals, organisation and society - Essay Example The effects of Boundaryness careers on an individual include the ability of a person to take control over employability as well as the development of an individual’s skills beyond the career management in an organization. This requires an individual to have a certain degree of self-perceived ability, self-motivation, and the opportunity to make changes in a person’s career (Cappelli, 1997). Moreover, individuals looking to develop their skills ought to look for these opportunities to meet their expectations, regardless of the boundaries they have to cross to do so (Eby & Lockwood, 2003). In addition, individuals have the capability to make an internal career change within the organization they currently work Additionally, due to career diversity management has become an important aspect due to global workforce that helps organizations grow. Boundaryless careers assist the management in decision making as people from all aspects of life come together and bring in their unique ideas thus solving problems (Dalton & Price, 2007). In addition, organizations gain through the sufficient career development opportunities that help support the career concerns in the organization. Consequently, an organization is able to know the potential challenges of career progression of the professionals in the organization and is able to better manage their careers. Like the impact of boundaryless careers on individuals and the organization, it is important to understand on the happening of the community. As people in the community have a feeling of common interest and purpose and values, it is important to have a personal knowledge that they belonging to a collective of others in the community (Burman, 2006). This therefore means that people need to develop and make a difference in the society. This includes the proper use of resources available in the community as well as the emotional connection

Gun Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Gun Control - Essay Example Some people think that by banning guns crimes would be removed but this may not be so, as we know that there are many laws made but they are not necessarily followed. These laws which are not followed by the criminals have two adverse effects. First of all those sellers who are not allowed to sell arms and ammunitions become rich selling their weapons illegally. This will lead to a formation of a black market and we will lose complete control over it. â€Å"I am convinced that we can do to guns what weve done to drugs: create a multi-billion dollar underground market over which we have absolutely no control.† (Roman) Secondly, the law abiding citizens face a loss as they now have no weapons while the criminals, who don’t even bother to respect the law, will still be armed. This will reduce the number of lives saved by such law abiding citizens. This shows that the criminals are criminals because they don’t follow the laws and we cannot expect them to do so. †Å"Expecting a carjacker or rapist or drug pusher to care that his possession or use of a gun is unlawful is like expecting a terrorist to care that his car bomb is taking up two parking spaces.† (Chew) People who fought for independence also had guns. It is not the guns that matter; it is the intention of the one using it. Depriving people of guns doesn’t solve the problems but it only worsens it. Think about those nations who are now independent just because they fought for their independency. If they would have no guns, then they wouldn’t have got their independence. Like all the other things, gun control has some positive aspects as well. Guns are weapons and if not handled safely they can cause all the kinds of damage. In 1998, 30708 deaths were caused by weapons in the United States. Of that number, 12102 were assassinations, 17424 were suicides, 366 were accidents, 316 had nameless causes, and only 154 were confirmed to be in self-protection. (Guns in Our

Effective Communication in Building Relationships Essay Example for Free

Effective Communication in Building Relationships Essay Communicating effectively is the most important aspect of any relationship. In all venues the way we communicate can determine if that relationship will be successful, this is certainly true in an intimate relationship, but just as important in business relationships, friendships, and familial relationships. Relationships are defined by how we communicate, and how effective we are at getting our message out, but just as important is how well we listen. Healthy relationships require us to know a bit about ourselves, and be willing to share some of ourselves with others, building that trust element helps determine the intensity of a relationship. Understanding some of these components will help you on your way to developing and maintaining a good relationship. Having good communication skills can mean the difference between success and failure of a relationship. Most relationships that are successful are in an â€Å"equitable relationship† (Myers, 2010, pg. 429). Being aware of some of the barriers to effective communication can help you avoid the pitfalls of bad or ineffective communication. There are several communicating errors that can signal the end of a relationship, according to Hybels and Weaver (2007) some of those are, â€Å"aggressive talk, regrettable talk, criticism and complaints, avoidance, and defensive communication† (pg. 199). Having disagreements are a normal part of any relationship, it is how we resolve those conflicts that can mean the difference between a healthy relationship or one that is heading towards destruction. We tend to fall back on the destructive methods when we have no other tools in our toolbox. Aggressive talk is using language that demeans another; it is calling names, using disparaging words, wearing down the self esteem of the other person. This is so destructive to a relationship; it can at times lead to physical violence. But the most insidious form of communication is indirect aggression, or passive aggression. This is when we consciously commit an act that we know will hurt or upset another. We manipulate the situation to get our way, or get our â€Å"dig† into the other person. This way we do not have to  confront directly, it is very subtle, and can be the real killer of a relationship. It is a way to continue an argument without actually saying much at all. The Los Angeles Times (1997) reported on passive aggressive tendencies in relationships, and gave some advice on how to handle the situation, â€Å"first, realize that you may not be able to get your mate to change his or her behavior, but you can change yours† and â€Å"take control of the sit uation by setting limits, figure out what you can do† (pg. 3). Regrettable talk is saying something, and then wishing you could take it back. I think we are all guilty of this to some extent. We blurt out a remark without thinking, and immediately we regret it. Using regrettable talk can leave others with hurt feelings, and cause them to want to avoid us. I think in relationships it is easy to fall into this category, you know someone so well, and feel comfortable saying just about anything, so you let your guard down, and many times the things we say we wish we could take back. I have commented to my spouse that we talk nicer to our neighbors than we do to each other, and if we wish to continue in a relationship we must be aware of this, and make every effort to think before we speak. Criticism and complaints creep into a relationship when couples have no real tools for resolving an argument. In an article from Cosmopolitan, reporter Laura Gilbert (2007) interviews professionals about some of the consequences from constant complaints and criticism, After a while, you stop talking with those sweet undertones, says Edythe Denkin, PhD, author of Relationship Magic, and sarcasm or negativity can become more common 243 (5). There are different styles of attachment, â€Å"people with negative views of others exhibit either the dismissive or the fearful attachment style† (Myers, 2010, pg. 428). Dismissive is a relationship marked by distrust, and fearful attachment is a relationship marked by fear of rejection. Either types can lead to the end of a relationship. Avoidance and defensive communication are two types of negative methods used to get our point across. When we are unhappy we avoid any discussion, the silent treatment is what a lot of couples use to avoid any conflict. This is counterproductive, and will destroy the trust in a relationship. Many  couples mistakenly feel that arguing is the end of a relationship, but in truth it is when we begin avoiding each other that can signal a relationship is in trouble. David Code from the Christian Science Monitor (2009) writes, â€Å"Just because you seldom argue doesnt mean your marriage is strong, the real silent killer of marriage is distancing yourself from your partner† (pg. 9). He goes on to discuss some possible solutions, and encourages couples to not worry so much about disagreeing, but focus on â€Å"your flight response†, If we can learn to spot the â€Å"distancing pattern in our relationships† we can help â€Å"prevent family problems and divorce† ( Code, 2009, pg. 9). Defensive communication occurs as we are trying to defend ourselves from a comment made by our partner. â€Å"Defending ourselves is dealing with a past behavior; it gives us no time to resolve the problem† (Hybels and Weaver, 2007, pg. 200). In a relationship each partner must get out of the relationship â€Å"proportional to what you each put into it† (Myers, 2010, pg. 428). The best way to fix a problem is to recognize and admit you have one in the first place. In Cosmopolitan, Jennifer Benjamin (2007) gives us some common communication pitfalls, and says â€Å"to avoid these, you first have to recognize them† (pg. 126). The article goes on to list five communication mistakes that we as couples tend to make. One mistake many couples make is leaving out important information. We give our partners some of the needed information, but assume that he or she knows me so well; they will know what I am talking about. So vital information is left out, this leads to mis communication, and hurt feelings. Another area that we have to be aware of is the time we pick to have a discussion. During Super Bowl, or when one is rushing off to work, is not the time to have a discussion. Mistake number three, prefacing our remark with doom and gloom statements such as, â€Å"do not take this the wrong way† or â€Å"do not get mad but† it begins the conversation with a sense of impending trouble, and gets our level of anger ratcheted up. Another common mistake is one many women are guilty of, talking the problem to death; we tend to not get to the point, and feel we have to give every single detail. The article says, â€Å"Men have about three minutes of attention for any single discussion† (Benjamin, 2007, pg. 126). The last area is in giving out to much detail. Again women can be guilty of this; we feel we need to tell our man everything, all our past exploitations, we want to be close to our guy, but too much information can  be as damaging as not enough. If we are to avoid the destructive methods of communicating, we must increase our strategic flexi bility, according to Hybels and Weaver (2007) this means â€Å"expanding your communication repertoire† (pg. 6). The more communication skills we have, the more we can draw on them for any scenario or situation. We will be better prepared to handle whatever comes up, while still getting our message across, in the most effective manner. People who possess these skills have much more flourishing interactions with the people in their lives. When discussing communication between partners in an intimate relationship gender and language must be taken into consideration. The way the sexes communicate is very different. According to Hybels and Weaver (2007) â€Å"women use the language of rapport-talk, men use report-talk† (pg. 117). This means that women are trying to form bonds with communication, and increase intimacy levels, men are letting us know their knowledge and skills in a particular subject area. It is a completely different style of communicating, women are â€Å"building relationships† and men are trying to â€Å"fix the problem† (Hybels and Weaver, 2007, pg. 117). In the book, Why Mars and Venus Collide, author Vanessa Bush researches the differences in brain chemistry that is produced by women and men when under stress, â€Å"biochemistry can also explain why women multitask and men are more single-minded in their focus. Problems occur when men and women misinterpret the different ways t he opposite sex responds to and copes with stress† (pg. 104). Several tips that were offered by the author to increase our levels of communication, women should let our partners know when we need support, and men should listen fully to the problem without trying to fix it. I have researched communication in intimate relationships, looked at a lot of studies, and felt I should put my own relationships to the test. I wanted to see if my emotional intelligence matched that of my husband and my children. I wanted to see if the gaps I perceive in our communication as a family was due to the differences in each of our emotional intelligence quotients. What exactly is emotional intelligence; according to Hybels and Weaver (2007) emotional intelligence â€Å"is the ability to understand and get along with others† (pg. 156). In order for us to get along with others, and deal with their emotions, we must first be aware of our own emotions and feelings. We must learn how to appropriately express, and manage our feelings, and learn some self-control,  and we must learn to recognize and handle the feelings of others. I had each family member take the emotional intelligence test, which was retrieved from the Institute for Health and Human Potential. This ev aluates your emotional intelligence, and shows you your strengths and weaknesses. I took the survey, and I had my husband and my daughter take the survey. My daughter and my husband scored very similar on the quiz, my results were about ten points higher than there score. The results said I have a very high emotional intelligence. The results of the emotional intelligence test reflects my life, I am a high achiever, can be very task oriented, and want to ensure that my work with families shows great results. The quiz said I needed to remember why I do the work I do, not get bogged down in tasks, but remember the reason you chose this line of work. The results said I should take time each day to reflect on what brings me the greatest joy. That really reflects me, I enjoy the work tremendously, but sometimes the day to day tasks that have to get done can make me a bit cynical. I think it also translates into my personal life, I can read people well, and feel I am in tune with their emotions, but some days I just do not take the time to really sit down and listen to those closest to me. I can see this reflected in my relationship with my husband. I am so busy being busy; I do not really pay attention to him, and what his concerns are. The emotional intelligence test scores for my husband and daughter both said they have slightly above average emotional intelligence, with room to grow. It reflects what I see in both of them, they are very sensitive to the needs of those around them, but do not always take time for themselves. The quiz also says they may not always communicate their feelings or needs to others. This is very true, especially of my husband; he does not communicate his needs well, and then he can become angry and distant. The quiz gives areas for improvement for both my husband and my daughter. They are to look at what causes them stress and tension, and how they handle those situations, and try and rid themselves of the negative thoughts that play in their minds. I have seen the destructive results of this type of negative thinking, feeling you are unworthy and unlovable. We now know the results of the emotional intelligence quiz, now what. We must come together and as a family and decide how best to proceed. Having the results of this quiz has opened the doors to communication for my family. We saw in print, what each of us sees  reflected in the other. The communication between my husband and me was bordering on becoming destructive, we both were passive aggressive when dealing with issues. I did not want to argue, so I would let it go, but not really, it stayed with me, and I would do mean things to get back at my husband. I might not wake him up, even if I saw he forgot to set his alarm, and was going to be late for work. I might not put his work clothes in the dryer, even when I see he is running late. It would be little inconsequential things I would do, but over the years they have added up, and we were at the brink of separating. My husband was no different; he was just as guilty of allowing the barriers to effective communicating to come between us. I also have to admit that I saw some of the same communication barriers creeping into my teenage daughter’s style of communicating. I think being aware of a problem is half the battle, when we are honest, and do some self assessing, we can truly begin to make some changes. I decided that since my emotional intelligence results were so different from my husband’s that taking a personality test might be in order. I found a personality types questionnaire, and we both took the survey. The survey was published by Dawn Billings, (2004) CEO and Founder of The Heart Link Women’s Network. The Primary colors personality tool asks specific questions, and you rate yourself from highest to lowest in each category. Once finished, you add up the scores and the one with the largest number represents your major personality profile. I took the survey as did my husband and my daughter. The results were very interesting, the one area I found fascinating was that my husband and I both scored the highest in the same category. It said we were both gentle and understanding, which is true, that we are more interested in being loved than in being right, so we may stay with partners that do not treat us well. There have been times in this relationship where I felt I was being mistreated, and my husband has admitted that he has felt the same at times. It also says we may put the needs of others above our own needs, this is very true, and was also reflected in our emotional intelligence test. The tests also said this personality type over commits themselves, and not leave room for those closest to them. This has been a real issue in my marriage; I am so driven by work and school that I forget that I have a husband and a daughter who needs me. Since taking these surveys, the gaps in our communication has closed dramatically. My husband  was open to taking the test, which surprised me; I thought he would balk at doing this. He was as surprised as I was with some of the results; it opened the door for us to begin really talking about issues, as a family, and as a couple. There is more work to be done, taking a couple of quizzes cannot erase years of bad, and ineffective communicating. The pain is there from years of misunderstandings, and from the communication barriers we placed in our paths, but what has happened is the willingness for us to come together as a couple, see what needs to be worked on, and begin that process. Communication skills are vital for any relationship, both personal and professional. This journey has made me aware that I spend a great deal of time working on my professional relationships. I am very careful of how I phrase my comments to coworkers, I am cautious of hurting feelings, or of being misunderstood. I think about what I have to say to a coworker before I actually say it; I try and take into consideration their feelings. But I am not always as conscience at home of the impact my words will have. Communicating effectively is a skill, one that takes work and practice. It also requires that at times we must do some self assessing, see where our strengths are at, but also admit where our weaknesses are at, and begin the process of reducing those barriers. This is the only way we can be both effective at work, and at home, and have a happy, healthy relationship. References Jennifer Benjamin. (2007, October). 5 Talking Mistakes Most Couples Make. Cosmopolitan, 243(4), 126. Retrieved March 21, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1394182521). Billings, D. (2004). Primary color personality tool. The Heart Link women’s network. Bush, V.. (2007, December). Why Mars and Venus Collide: Improving Relationships by Understanding How Men and Women Cope Differently with Stress [review of Why Mars and Venus Collide: Improving Relationships by Understanding How Men and Women Cope Differently with Strss]. The Booklist, 104(8), 4. Retrieved March 22, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1402448851). David Code. (2009, February 13). How emotional distance ruins marriage. The Christian Science Monitor,p. 9. Retrieved March 21, 2010, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 1644399621). Laura Gilbert. (2008, September). Couples. Cosmopolitan, 245(3), 145. Retrieved March 21, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1529579221). Hybels, S., and Weaver, R. (2007). Communicating effectively (8th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill. Institute for Health and Human Potential. (March, 2010). Emotional intelligence. Retrieved March, 21st, 2010, from http://www.ihhp.com/quiz COMMITTMENTS Caught Up in a Cycle of Nagging, Ignoring :[Home Edition]. (1994, July 25). Los Angeles Times (pre-1997 Fulltext),p. 3. Retrieved March 22, 2010, from Los Angeles Times. (Document ID: 59646758).

Snow Falling on Cedars Essay Example for Free

Snow Falling on Cedars Essay In the novel Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson, Ishmael’s need for catharsis and catharsis itself is powerfully influenced by Hatsue. His emotions upsurge beginning with their childhood love by the ocean side, and because these occurrences happened so early in his childhood, he fell profoundly in love with Hatsue each day. As the two mature, they also grow apart, causing intense heartbreak on Ishmael’s terms. In the first letter he confesses to Hatsue how he â€Å"aches for her to come home† and he states â€Å"I’m lonely and miserable and think of you always and hope you write me right away. Ishmael is desperate for Hatsue’s love and affection. He says without her, he has nothing. Ishmael is selfish and egotistical. Hatsue is in a prison camp where she sleeps in dust and lives around disease, and he is merely thinking of his own security and well-being. He continues his selfishness when Hatsue explains to Ishmael that she can no longer continue their relationship because she is deceiving her parents, his emotions climax; his hatred grows and he cannot contain it. He tells Hatsue â€Å"I hate you, Hatsue, I hate you always. Ishmael burts with pessimistic emotions during the war. He once again writes Hatsue and says he is about to kill as many people as he can that look like her. He says his â€Å"numbness is a terrible thing†¦ he was angry at them [japs] and wanted their death. † He contained and expressed significant amounts of hatred. Ishmael means what he says completely, but he cannot get himself to tell Hatsue the truth. At this point when he writes the letter, he crumples up the letter and throws in into the sea along with his notepad. He still loves Hatsue. Ishmael comes back from the war with all these emotions that he still posseses for Hatsue. He sees her in the grocery store, and even though she is holding her newborn baby, he tells her â€Å"I am like a dying person†¦ I haven’t been happy for a single moment since the day you left†¦ sometimes I think I’m going to go crazy†¦ I don’t sleep†¦ the feeling never leaves me alone. † Ishmael can’t hold back his feelings for Hatsue, and even though he wants to forget about her, shown in his hate letters, this task is unimaginable, impossible. The emotions of Ishmael control him when he discovers the note about the freighter and how it was most likely the cause of Carl’s death. He cannot bring himself to admit the incident. If he admits it, Kabuo will not be convicted and will stay by Hatsue’s side. Ishmael is selfish in wanting the man Hatsue is supposed to spend the rest of her life with to go to jail, to be found guilty. Kabuo would be set free with the court’s knowledge of this crucial piece of information. When Ishmael rereads the letter â€Å"I don’t love you, Ishmael†¦ When we met that last time in the cedar tree and I felt your body move against mine, I knew with certainty that everything was wrong. I knew we could never be right together†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he comes to the conclusion that the war and his arm had made his heart much smaller and he had not moved on at all. Ishmael has to be grateful even if Hatsue’s love for him has faded. Another example of this is when he sits in the Cedar tree and realizes that his place is not there anymore, that it was a childhood secret that someone else should have the chance to experience. After all these years he is compelled to speak to Hatsue, and tell her the truth about the freighter and Carl’s death. His emotions stablilize and his guilt is set free. Ishmael gives himself the capability of moving forward in his life, and although he will never forget his childhood love for Hatsue, he learns to be grateful for her. David Guterson gave Ishmael an overpowering catharsis, which at many points in the character’s life â€Å"drowned† him. Throughout the story it affects his actions and key moments in his life, and alters him forever.

Global Warming And The Effects On Canada

Global Warming And The Effects On Canada In the past couple of decades, the world has seen a drastic change in the rise of climate alterations and resource scarcity. This is mainly due to the affects from carbon pollution, greenhouse gases and global warming. The highest concerns with global warming are those of carbon pollution that not only harms the environment but also the ozone layers. Canada is one major example of a country where global warming has affected its climate and its forestry in both positive and negative ways. However, the positive impacts are dimmer than the negative affects. The paper will give a clear insight of how global warming has affected Canada both positively and adversely in terms of its economy, soil, forestry, and environment. Global warming occurs when the Earths temperature shows an abnormal increase due to the effects from pollution and greenhouse gases being trapped in the atmosphere (World Almanac, 2000). Carbon pollutions are one of the greatest root effects of severe hot climate changes. This is clear evidence in Canada where as global warming has gradually increased the temperature and has caused drastic changes in the environment. Globally, Canada is dominantly known as the highest carbon polluters in the world, second to Unites States. The emissions have risen more than 30 percent since the last decade (Leahy, 2010). These emissions directly contribute to the long lasting affect of global warming on climate and Canadian soil. Most Canadian cities annually produce about 20 tons of carbon dioxide per capita, placing Canada among top three nations in terms of per capita contribution to potential climate changes (Roseland, Connelly, and Hendrickson, 2005). The major gain from this trend of pollution will only further assist in the path of global warming where temperature rising would be inevitable and will cause more damage in the near future. The rise in temperatures would proportionally harm Canadas Boreal forests. Over the past six decades, the mean temperature in Canada has warmed by 1.4 degree Celsius and six have occurred within past decade. Due to Canada having a large forestry industry, the impact from global warming in this sector of the environment is very significant. Health is another factor that would be positively and negatively be affected due to climate changes cause by global warming. With greater heat waves, respiratory ailments that are due to air pollution would increase and tropical diseases would also increase (West Nile Virus) at the same time (Whitgott et. al., 2010). However, the diseases from cold weather would decrease at the same time. Effects are made by the government and pressure from scientists and individuals who are favor of the idea of having a protected wilderness/ forestry yet, the climate change becomes an obstacle with greater chance of damage done to the system then preserved. As climate changes become more drastic and unfavorable, the effect on Canadas forest gets more severe. With increase in global warming, there is an increase in forest fires, habitat destruction, and many drought stresses. Although forest fires are essential to forest as it is a key factor that maintains the diversity of an ecosystem, but many recent forest fires are caused by unnatural consequences. The main cause of forest fires remains the climate change and human- caused origins. The human cause increase in forest fire is solely dependent on human occupation and extensive usage of the boreal forest and resources (Weber and Stocks, 1998). In many cases, lightning causes are also directly related to the increase in forest fires. The increase lightning-caused fires are due to the facts that there is an increase in CO2 emission in the atmosphere. Climate changes in boreal forest generally predict warmer and drier conditions, which directly causes fire. The habitat destruction/modification is another aspect of the climate change due to global warming that negatively impacts the forests in Canada. In the boreal region of Canada, pest-caused timber losses are as much as two times the annual depletion due to the fires (Volney, 2000). As global warming takes its toll, the warmer weather and shorter winters would only cumulate to favor the pests that will infest many trees (pine in particular) and slow the reproduction as well. Thus, being a threat to Canadas largest timber industries. With increase in temperature, and rise in carbon dioxide emission, it only adds up to the precipitation and increase in droughts. As the glaciers melt due to warm conditions, it consequently affects the sea level which then affects t he forest growth with impact of both variations in warmness and precipitation (Wien and Hogg, 2005). The Canadian animals and fisheries are also affected by global warming causing climate changes. Species with limited biological traits are currently at risk of being extinct with least capabilities to adapt naturally. It was determined that climate change may have negative affections on endangered species in Canada (Lundy, 2008). Migratory birds and aquatic species such as some types of fishes are at risk of being extinct. Atlantic salmon and whitefishes are considered as endangered species due to climate changes. Under climate change, the Atlantic salmon and whitefishes will be threatened by loss of suitable habitat conditions which is mainly due to warmer water temperatures (Lundy, 2008). With respect to birds, Barn Owls and Eskimo Curlews are also some examples of birds that are negatively impacted by climate changes under global warming. Climate changes have been the potential cause of the reduction in the population of these birds. These birds have been northward shifted due to temperature rises and to some extent, due to warming of the northern coastal and freshwater ecosystem used for breeding purposes (Lundy, 2008). However, with warmer temperatures, birds and fisheries that are adaptive to the system of warmer weather will migrate to places such as Canada for their breeding purposes. Signs of tropical birds have already been traced in some parts of the country as well as some new breeds of fishes that were not present before. In addition, due to warm temperatures, fishes such as bass and sturgeons would be benefiting as their habitat would expand. Thus, these are some positive impacts of climate changes in Canada. The climate change due to global warming is also adversely affecting the farmers in Canada. Longer and warmer growing seasons would inevitably give a higher yield, but it would also cause severe droughts in some parts of the country such as the prairies (Bohn, 1995). Some places in prairies would become too dry to grow grain crops, which would result in migration of the cropland to areas where grain crop is grown with proper climate. Because of dry conditions, rich crop nutrients would give a rise to dust storms. For instance, because of global warming, the potato crops were suffered due to heavy drought and minimum rainfalls. This was mainly due to high temperatures that were recorded in the prairies. In addition, the frequent droughts have resulted in the promotion of soil erosion, which directly encourages forest fires and harming the agriculture sector at the same time. Thus, irrigation is one of the options farmers are now willing to take in order to protect the land and the dem anded crops. In terms of economic sustainability, as shortages accumulates, due to droughts, the cost of food would increase automatically. On the other hand, climate change caused by global warming is also seen beneficial to the crops and maximizing the production. Since plants thrive on carbon dioxide that is released in the atmosphere by humans, greater carbon dioxide level in atmosphere could also result in greater production and availability of foods (Bohn, 1995). This is only established if the farmers adapt and are willing to move and tackle the droughts by planting variety of crops. However, the benefit is clearly depended upon the farmers adaptation towards the changes in climate. Thus, the negative impacts are still greater than those of the positive ones. Rising sea levels would also be negatively impacted and would affect the coastal zones. As warmer temperatures shifts northwards, the glaciers would inevitably melt which would cause a rise in sea levels. This would directly impact the beaches, the coasts, and water quality. The beaches would result in greater erosion, there would be greater coastal flooding and there would also be mixture of saltwater into aquifers. It is predicted that by the end of 21st century, the sea level would increase to 18-59 cm depending upon the amount of pollution (Whitgott et. al., 2010). This would eventually lead to migration of people moving upwards. Thus, because of pollution and contaminated water quality, the recreation and tourism in Canada would also be negatively affected. Because of prolong summers and the rise in sea levels, the beach maintenance would increase with an increase in erosion at the same time. On the contrary, climate change due to global warming has its own significant positive impacts. For instance, higher wind speed in mid-latitude would decrease the cost of wave and wind energy (Tol, 2007). With reduced ice glaciers in the Arctic, there is more access to the harbors and less exploitation cost of extraction of oil and minerals in the Arctic. In addition, the warm temperatures could also aid in improving transportation in Canada. With shorter winter periods, there are capabilities to connect new routes from north end to south end. The cost of transportation would also subsequently decrease with more efficient services. The climate change can also bring forth tourist towards the poles and directly up to the mountains (Tol, 2007). Because of increase in tourism, there would be an increase in revenue for Canada. With warmer climate due to global warming, there are presence signs of diverse tropical birds/fishes and vascular plants that are adaptive to the temperature change occurring in Canada. Fork three-awned grasses are spotted in Ontario and Quebec (Lundy, 2008). These plants are northwardly shifted due to the change in climate. In addition, small-flowered sand verbenas are also positively impacted by climate change in Canada. These particular vascular plants are more likely to increase in growth in Canada as warmer and drying seasons increase. Night snakes and Northern Bobwhites are two types of species that are positively impacted by the climate change in Canada. The night snakes may stand to benefit from the climate change occurrence in Canada as these reptiles would be more adaptive to the newer climate changes. These species prefer areas where its hot, dry and desert like. Thus, as global warming takes its toll in Canada, these species will be more profoundly be spotted in British Colombia. Northern Bobwhite birds are another example of species that will be positively impacted by climate change in Canada. Over the past century, these birds ha ve decreased in population due to habitat loss, but under high carbon dioxide emissions, the bobwhite birds would be northerly shifted towards Canada. Thus, climate change due to global warming would favor the growth of Bobwhite Birds across Canada. However, even with the positive impacts due to climate change, the negative effects are more severe and needs close attentions in order to prevent the loss in habitats or other species. To conclude, the negative impacts would more likely have greater importance and would cause severe damage to the environment as global warming rapidly influences the climate change in Canada. In order to prevent further harm done by global warming, it is important for individuals to reduce the greenhouse gases and high pollution that are caused by them. Furthermore, adaptation and mitigations are two other responses against the change in climate. By mitigating, government can take a step towards educating individuals to take responsibilities and reduce greenhouse gases to lessen severity of future climate changes. Farmers can adapt to the change in climate and start to analyze the scenario in a positive manner. By adjusting farming practices to muddle through with the droughts caused by climate change, the economical harm would be minimized. Thus, tactical strategies are needed to tackle the issue cause by global warming. Although there are positive impacts to global warming, yet the positive impacts are minimal compare to the damage done by the negative impacts. References Environment Global Warming and Greenhouse Effect. World Almanac 2000. Mahwah: World Almanac Books, 2000. Bohn, G. (1995, February 21). For Canadian farmers, heats a mixed blessing Series: GLOBAL WARMING WARNING. The Vancouver Sun, p. B.4. Retrieved October 31, 2010, from Canadian Newsstand Core. (Document ID: 21324042). Brooymans, H. (2010, July 4). Boreal efforts draw praise; Canada on track to create worlds best protected wilderness. Edmonton Journal,A.1. Retrieved October 31, 2010, from Canadian Newsstand Core. (Document ID: 2073903491). Hogg, E. Wein, R. (2005). Impacts of drought on forest growth and regeneration following fire in southwestern Yukon, Canada1. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 35(9), 2141-2150. Retrieved October 31, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID: 950425571). Leahy, S. (8 October). CANADA: SEEING CLIMATE CHANGE PROSPERITY INSTEAD OF CALAMITY. Global Information Network, Retrieved October 31, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID: 2157446291). Lundy, K. Climate change and endangered species in Canada: A screening level impact assessment and analysis of species at risk management and policy. M.E.S. dissertation, University of Waterloo (Canada), Canada. Retrieved October 31, 2010, from Dissertations Theses: Full Text.(Publication No. AAT MR54837). Roseland, M., Connelly, S., Hendrickson, C, D. (2005). Toward Sustainable Communities: Resources for Citizens and Their Governments. American Planning Association. Journal of the American Planning Association, 66(4), 448-449. Retrieved October 27, 2008, from Research Library database. Tol, R. (2007). Why worry about climate change? A research agenda. Dublin: The Berkeley Electronic Press. Retrieved October 31, 2010, from Research Library. Volney,W. Fleming,R. Climate change and impacts of boreal forest insects, Agriculture, Ecosystems Environment, Volume 82, Issues 1-3, December 2000, Pages 283-294, ISSN 0167-8809, DOI: 10.1016/S0167-8809(00)00232-2. Retrieved October 31, 2010, from Research Library. Withgott, S, Brennan, S, Murck, B. (2010). Environment: the science behind the stories, first canadian edition. Canada: Pearson Education Canada. Weber, M, Stocks, B. (1998). Forest fires and sustainability in the boreal forests of Canada. Royal Swedish Academy of Science, 27(7), 545-549.

Essay --

At the age of two years old, Hannah Warren has been through multiple medical treatments. Hannah was born without a windpipe and currently has a new one developed from her own stem cells. Hannah is known as the youngest individual in the entire world to have this particular stem cell treatment. From birth, Hannah could not eat or drink, breathe, or swallow anything due to being born without a windpipe. Hannah has spent her whole life in the hospital. Various physicians informed Hannah’s parents that there was little hope for her to live. Hannah’s parents heard of Doctor Paolo Macchiarini and his work with stem cell developed tracheas. Yet, due to Macchiarini’s institution being located in Stockholm, Sweden; they could not afford to go. The Children’s Clinic prearranged for Doctor Macchiarini to travel to Peoria, Illinois to make the stem cell operation. The stem cells used in this process were from Hannah’s bone marrow. In less than a week, plent y of cells reproduced to create a new windpipe. Throughout the nine-hour procedure, Dr. Macchiarini successfully inserted a three-inch pi...

Greek and Roman Influence in Psychology Essay -- essays research paper

Greek and Roman Influence in Psychology   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Virtually every branch of knowledge, as we know it today, came from particularly two powerful empires of the ancient past, which are the Greek and Roman Empire. Although there were other civilizations, such as the Arabs and the Mayans, that made progress in knowledge, especially mathematics, the Greeks and Romans have been more recognized for the development of other branches of knowledge. The Greeks and Romans have been known to be the promoters of the natural sciences and philosophy. Psychology stemmed from philosophy. Unlike philosophy, however, it encompassed the techniques of the natural sciences. Psychology seemed to be the link between philosophy and the sciences back then.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main concern of the discipline of psychology in ancient times was the â€Å"[speculation of] the nature and locus of the mind, sensation and perception, memory, and learning†. There existed a strong connection between psychology and medicine, physiology, and neurology. The purpose of psychology, for the ancient physicians and philosophers, was to describe its procedures and demeanor in terms of science (e.g. medicine). In order to understand the emergence of psychology, the advances in medicine in these ancient cultures must be discussed. That way, one can see how psychology was linked to each one of them, in one way or the other.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Early Greek medicine was more of a divine matter. It was believed that the God Asclepius was the god of medicine. Priests would live at his temples and claimed they knew the ways of healing people. It was not until around 500 B.C., a Greek physician named Alcmaeon began to dissect animals to observe their skeleton, muscles, and brain. This was most probably the first ever to describe a phenomenon through objective observations. Through his observations, he believed that illness was due to an imbalance in the body. This idea prevailed for many centuries in the history of medicine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hippocrates succeeded Alcmaeon and rejected the superstitious ideas of priests being the only healers. He founded a medical school and taught his students that since disease came from something natural, it must be treated by natural means. He believed that the body was able to heal itself by the power of healing of nature... ...atharsis. Today, psychology uses the catharsis theory to see how the happenings around us have the effect they do. Some psychologists, however, disagree that what we see causes catharsis, but imitation. The debate is still being held.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A long period of time lies between Ancient Greece and Rome and today’s society. However, the same questions formulated by the ancients are still a mystery today. It seems quite odd that after many years, man has been unable to describe what occurs around him and in him. What has been done throughout the centuries, though, is the improvement and modification of these theories Still, it shall never be forgotten that the Ancient Greeks and Romans were the first to come up with such theories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  References   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bringmann, Wolfgang G. (1997). A Pictorial History of Psychology. Quintessence Publishing Co: New York, New York.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Corsini, Raymond J. (1994). Encyclopedia of Psychology. John Wiley and Sons, Inc: New York, New York.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hothersall, David. (1995). History of Psychology. 4th ed. McGraw Hill Co: New York, New York.

symbolaw Symbols and Symbolism - Clothing as a Symbol in The Awakening

Use of Clothing as a Symbol in The Awakening    In the novel, The Awakening, Kate Chopin takes Edna Pontellier on a journey of self-discovery. In doing this, she uses many symbols to show the relationship between Edna and the world. Clothing, or rather, the lack thereof, displays this relationship well. As Edna progresses throughout the novel, she discards more and more layers of the confining à ¬clothingà ® that surrounds her body and soul. By taking off her clothing, one piece at a time, she disobeys the rules that society has set for her, and in doing this, she exerts her independence. In this summer voyage, Edna becomes a free woman.    In the Victorian society that Edna lives in, the proper attire for women requires them to wear very confining clothing. This clothing symbolizes the constraints on the social behavior of women in this age. It restricts Edna's body and impedes her freedom to move. At the beginning of the novel, fully dressed Edna wears all the proper clothing. However, when Edna and Adele walk together to the beach, Edna wears considerably less clothing than that of her companion. Adele wears a veil, gloves, and ruffles to protect her body. Edna wears a thinner, simple dress and removes her collar and unbuttons her dress at the throat once at the beach. She chooses not to cover herself as harshly as Adele. Adele portrays the picture of a perfect Victorian woman through her manner of dress. Edna's decision to free herself more than Adele symbolizes her growing rejection of Victorian society rules.    Edna becomes distraught when she discovers her friend, Robert, is leaving. She goes home and sheds her clothes for a more comfortable wrap. She casts off more layers of conventio... ...bsp; As a final profession of her freedom, Edna discards her last layer of clothing until she stands naked on the beach. She swims out into the ocean and drowns there. Her final act of independence required her to end her life. She shed the final constriction on her life when she stripped herself alone on the beach. She frees herself from social conventionalism and at last opens herself up to do something totally for her own reasons and rules.    Throughout the novel, as Edna sheds herself of the clothing and possessions that surround her, she becomes more liberated, free, her own woman. The clothing represents the society that confines her and the independence that stripping the clothing gives her enlightens her soul. Kate Chopin uses clothing as a way of conveying the social injustice imposed upon women in the Victorian age in which they were trapped.

The interesting topic

The purpose of this unit is to carry out a practical investigation of a topic chosen from a set of options supplied by OCR. In the course of the investigation, there will be an opportunity to look in depth at an aspect of computing that goes beyond the subject matter outlined in A451. The tasks will require a significant element of practical activity, which must be evidenced in the report and which will form a major element of the assessment. The topics will enable practical investigation and some supplementary research to be carried out in a variety of ways.These will include, but are not restricted to: practical investigations with hardware or software practical investigations with online resources Supplementary research may be required and resources may include: web-based enquiry contact with IT professionals research using computer industry pu blications OCR 2010 A452 jani3/jun15 3 Candidates should complete all tasks. Validating web forms Many web sites collect information from people using forms. These forms can be put together using HTML form objects. The data entered is normally sent back to the web server where it is processed by database software.It is always a good idea if the data entered into a computer system is validated in order to reduce the number of errors that occur. A lot of this validation can be carried out at the client end of the process. In other words, processing can be carried out by the browser. There are various ways in which this can be done. A common way is to write scripts that intercept the input data and check it before it is submitted to the server. There are various scripting languages that can be used to write the necessary validation routines. A popular example is JavaScript. Most browsers are able to interpret JavaScript.JavaScript, Just like other elements of a web page, is best written using a plain text editor such as Notepad. Scripts can be embedded in a web page or saved separately as JavaScript files, using the exte nsion Is. The web page can access these scripts when needed. Here is the starting point for a form that collects information about exam entries. File Edit View History Bookmarks Tools Help http://examentry. net Exam entry Exam Entry Form Name Subject Submit Fig. 1 It contains two text boxes. When the Submit button is clicked, a script checks that both boxes have been filled in.Here is the HTML code that lies behind the form and the JavaScript code that does the validation. function validateForm() { var result = true; if (document. ExamEntry. name. value=†) { msg+n'ou must enter your name â€Å"; document. ExamEntry. name. focus(); document. getElementByld(‘name'). style. color=†red†; result = false; if (document. ExamEntry. subJect. value=†) { msg+n'ou must enter the subject â€Å"; document. ExamEntry. subJect. focus(); document. getElementByld(‘subJect'). style. color=†red†; result = false; return result; alert(msg) In order to wor k, the page needs to have access to a second HTML file called uccess. tml. Its purpose is to test the code. It Just needs four lines: Success message You entered all the data required Your assignment Describe how this HTML code produces the form displayed in the browser (Fig. 1). 2. Describe how the JavaScript function performs the validation check. 3. Describe how the HTML calls the validation routine. 4. Add another text field to the form to take the user's examination number. Extend the Javascript code to validate this field to make sure that it is not left blank. Extend the Javascript code to make sure that the user's examination number is xactly 4 digits.Produce evidence to show that you have planned, written and tested your code. 5. Add a set of radio buttons to the form to accept a level of entry such as GCSE, AS or A2. Write a function that displays the level of entry to the user in an alert box so that the level can be confirmed or rejected. Produce evidence to show that yo u have planned, written and tested your code. 6. Produce an evaluation of your solutions. 7. Write a conclusion about the effectiveness of JavaScript validation routines to reduce the number of errors that are made in data input. BLANK PAGE Copyright Information OCR is committed to seeking permission to reproduce all third-party content that it uses in its assessment materials.

Youth Suicide

ARTICLE IN PRESS Journal of Adolescence xxx (2010) 1–8 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Adolescence journal homepage: www. elsevier. com/locate/jado Factors accounting for youth suicide attempt in Hong Kong: A model building Gloria W. Y. Wan a, Patrick W. L. Leung b, * a b Clinical Psychology Service, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, 5/F, Holy Trinity Bradury Center, 139 Ma Tau Chung Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China 3/F, Sino Building, Clinical and Health Psychology Centre, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China b s t r a c t Keywords: Suicide ideation/attempt Family Psychopathology Life events/stressors Chinese youths This study aimed at proposing and testing a conceptual model of youth suicide attempt. We proposed a model that began with family factors such as a history of physical abuse and parental divorce/separation. Family relationship, presence of psychopathology, life stressors, and suicid e ideation were postulated as mediators, leading to youth suicide attempt. The stepwise entry of the risk factors to a logistic regression model de? ned their proximity as related to suicide attempt. Path analysis further re? ned our proposed model of youth suicide attempt. Our originally proposed model was largely con? rmed. The main revision was dropping parental divorce/separation as a risk factor in the model due to lack of signi? cant contribution when examined alongside with other risk factors. This model was cross-validated by gender. This study moved research on youth suicide from identi? cation of individual risk factors to model building, integrating separate ? ndings of the past studies. O 2009 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction Youth suicide, being one of the three leading causes of death in young people, has been a focus of research. Various individual risk factors have been identi? ed (Gould, Greenberg, Velting, & Shaffer, 2003). Despite this success, not until recently are there attempts to develop complex theory-based models that draw together all those identi? ed risk factors and depict their interplay (Bridge, Goldstein, & Brent, 2006; Mann, Waternaux, Haas, & Malone, 1999). Correspondingly, empirical studies in this area are few (e. g. Foley, Goldston, Costello, & Angold, 2006; Fortune, Stewart, Yadav, & Hawton, 2007; Prinstein et al. , 2008; Reinherz, Tanner, Berger, Beardslee, & Fitzmaurice, 2006). Hence, we propose here a model of youth suicide attempt and test it in a sample of Chinese high school students. We aim at articulating and testing hypothetical pathways between family factors, psychopathology, life stressors, and suicidal beha vior. Our model begins with consideration of family risk factors, including a history of physical abuse within the family, poor family relationship, and parental divorce/separation (Johnson et al. 2002; Gould, Fisher, Parides, Flory, & Shaffer, 1996; Gould, Shaffer, Prudence, & Robin, 1998; Liu, Sun, & Yang, 2008; Salzinger, Rosario, Feldman, & Ng-Mak, 2007). However, the latter’s association with youth suicidal behavior is no longer signi? cant or attenuated after controlled for parent-child or family relationship (Groholt, Ekeberg, Wichstrom, & Haldorsen, 2000). Family adversities are also known precursors of youth psychopathology (Fergusson, Woodward, & Horwood, 2000). The latter in turn is found to be a risk factor of suicidal behavior * Corresponding author. Tel. : ? 852 2609 6502; fax: ? 852 2603 5019. E-mail address: [email  protected] edu. hk (P. W. L. Leung). 0140-1971/$ – see front matter O 2009 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10. 1016/j. adolescence. 2009. 12. 007 Please cite this article in press as: Wan, G. W. Y. , Leung, P. W. L. , Factors accounting for youth suicide attempt in Hong Kong: A model building, Journal of Adolescence (2010), doi:10. 1016/j. adolescence. 2009. 12. 007 ARTICLE IN PRESS 2 G. W. Y. Wan, P. W. L. Leung / Journal of Adolescence xxx (2010) 1–8 (Brent, Baugher, Bridge, Chen, & Chiappetta, 1999; Osvath, Voros, & Fekete, 2004). A wide range of psychopathology has been implicated, including internalizing/externalizing disorders, and substance use disorders (Brent et al. , 2004; Foley et al. , 2006; Gould et al. , 2003; Lee et al. , 2009; Shaffer et al. , 1996; Stewart et al. , 2006). Furthermore, the risk of suicidal behavior increases with the number of comorbid disorders and with the combination of mood, disruptive and substance abuse disorders (Brent et al. , 1999; Shaffer et al. , 1996). Suicide ideation is among the best predictors of suicide attempt (Prinstein et al. , 2008; Wong et al. , 2008). Studies also suggest that the occurrence of life stressors may prompt suicide ideators into acting on their ideation, ending up in attempted suicide (Borges et al. , 2008; Liu & Tein, 2005). Based upon the above review, our model on youth suicide attempt starts with family risk factors such as a history of physical abuse and parental divorce/separation. We postulate that poor family relationship, psychopathology, life stressors, and suicide ideation act as mediators, leading to suicide attempt. Speci? cally, we hypothesize that a history of physical abuse and parental divorce/separation are associated with poor family relationship. The latter is in turn related to the occurrence of psychopathology in youths. Comorbid internalizing and externalizing disorders then play a crucial role as risk factors to recent life stressors and suicide ideation. Finally, the latter two are risk factors directly linked to suicide attempt. Method Participants and procedure A total of 2754 grade 7–11 Chinese high school students were recruited to participate voluntarily in the study. They were randomly sampled from 15 mainstream high schools of diversi? ed academic rankings from different regions of Hong Kong. The participating schools represented a convenience sample, since they were schools served by the School Counselling Service of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, at which the ? rst author of this study worked. However, the participating schools covered a full range of academic rankings and a wide geographic spread across Hong Kong, and no speci? c bias in their sampling was noted. Thus, they were considered to be representative of local mainstream schools. Special schools of various kinds were excluded. Ethics approval was ? rst obtained from the relevant institutional authority. School visits were then made to explain the objectives of the study. A total of 15 schools were contacted and all of them (100%) agreed to participate in the study. Informed written consents were obtained from parents of the randomly sampled students. The response rate was 94. 4%. The participants completed the self-report questionnaires during school hours. The returned questionnaires were screened for severe psychopathology and suicidal behavior. For ethical reasons, the corresponding school counselors would be alerted for such cases in order to take appropriate actions. Measures Psychopathology The 1991 version of Youth Self-Report (YSR) was re-validated with satisfactory test–retest reliability and criterion validity for use with Hong Kong Chinese youths (Leung et al. , 2006). It evaluated the occurrence of psychopathology in the past 6 months. Since two items in YSR referred to suicidal/self harm behavior and they thus contaminated the relationship under investigation between psychopathology and suicidal behavior, the two items were removed in this study from the construct of internalizing problems as assessed by YSR. Youth suicide ideation/attempt Self-report measures of suicide ideation/attempt had been found to be reliable primary data sources (Joiner, Rudd, & Rajab, 1999; Miranda et al. , 2008). Two measures were used to assess suicide ideation/attempt in this study. First, YSR had two items that referred to suicide ideation and attempt, respectively. However, a single-item measure for a variable was considered undesirable. Hence, two short self-report questionnaires for suicide ideation and attempt were extracted respectively from an existing, longer questionnaire used in a previous local study which asked the occurrences and details of suicide ideation, communication, plan, and attempt (Ho, Leung, Hung, Lee, & Tang, 2000). This questionnaire was found useful in assessing the suicidal behavior of peers of suicide completers and attempters. Depending on whether a youth had consistently indicated suicide ideation and/or attempt both in the adapted questionnaires and with the corresponding item in YSR, he/she would be considered ategorically in this study as a suicide ideator and/or attempter, or not. Recent life stressors The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS; Holmes & Rahe, 1967) asked 30 stressful life events which might happen to the young people and their families in the preceding 12 months. In this study, items in the SRRS related to parental con? ict and divorce/separation were excluded, since these family events were separately examined elsewhere as family risk factors in our model. Items irrelevant to local young adolescents were also excluded (e. g. accepted at a college of your choice). Family relationship In this study, the Family Relationship Index (FRI), a composite of three subscales (i. e. , cohesion, expressiveness, and con? ict) of the Family Environment Scale (FES; Moos & Moos, 1986), was used as a measure of family relationship. The FRI had Please cite this article in press as: Wan, G. W. Y. , Leung, P. W. L. , Factors accounting for youth suicide attempt in Hong Kong: A model building, Journal of Adolescence (2010), doi:10. 1016/j. adolescence. 2009. 12. 007 ARTICLE IN PRESS G. W. Y. Wan, P. W. L. Leung / Journal of Adolescence xxx (2010) 1–8 3 been found to correlate well with other measures of family dysfunction (Hoge, Andrews, Faulkner, & Robinson, 1989) and was widely used in research with Chinese youths (Locke & Prinz, 2002). Parents’ marital status The current marital status of the participants’ parents was enquired with reference to divorce/separation. History of physical abuse Participants were asked to report if they had experienced any physical abuse in the family since childhood. Three items were adapted from Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) (Bernstein et al. 1994) and two additional ones that were relevant to the local Chinese context were speci? cally written for this study, e. g. , ‘‘People in my family had applied corporal punishment to me’’ and ‘‘After I was being physically punished, I had to go to see a doctor or could not go to school’’. Data analysis First, a series of logistic reg ression analysis would be conducted to explore the signi? cance of each individual risk factor separately in predicting suicide ideation and attempt. Except for parental divorce/separation, other risk factors were measured in this study in dimensional scales. They were turned into ategorical data in this logistic regression analysis using distributional cutoffs to de? ne relative deviance (see Table 1 for the exact de? nitions of cutoffs). Second, we tested our proposed model of youth suicide attempt, using hierarchical regression ? rst. The series of predictors would be entered in steps according to their positions in relation to suicide attempt in our proposed model. The risk factors of a history of physical abuse and parental divorce/separation would ? rst be forced into the regression equation, after controlling for effects of the background variables (including age, gender, and family income). Family relationship would then be entered into the equation in the second step. The third batch of predictors would be internalizing and externalizing problems. They were followed in turn by suicide ideation and life stressors. We hypothesized a partial or complete mediational model in which the effects of factors entered ? rst would be attenuated or superseded by those of the subsequent factors in predicting youth suicide attempt. Lastly, path analysis would be conducted to directly test our proposed model of youth suicide attempt, using Lisrel 8. 71. Path analysis has its strengths in examining the chains of in? uences between independent variables, and in postulating the possible cause-and-effect relations among variables for further investigation. An ordinary sample covariance matrix for path analysis would not be appropriate to deal with the dichotomous data of suicidal behavior and parental divorce/separation, as well as the kurtosis and skewness within the other dimensional data. Instead, an asymptotic covariance matrix should be used, analysis of which would require the use of an estimator that allowed for non-normality. The weighted least squares (WLS) method, instead of the maximum likelihood estimator, had provision for such non-normality and was thus the appropriate estimator to be used in this study. Results The mean age of the 2754 participants was 13. 9 years (SD ? 1. 3, range ? 11–18). Among the participants, 55. 7% was male. There were missing data on suicidal behavior from 39 participants. Among the remaining 2715 participants, 252 participants (9. 2%) reported suicide ideation in the past 6 months. Among the 91 (3. 3%) reporting suicide attempt in the same period, only six (6. %) did not report suicide ideation. By gender, among the 1219 female participants, 167 (13. 7%) reported suicide ideation, while only two (3. 0%) of 66 (5. 4%) female suicide attempters did not report suicide ideation. The corresponding ? gures for male participants (1535) were 85 (5. 5%), four (16. 0%), and 25 (1. 6%). Table 1 Percentages of suicide ideators, attempters, and non-suicidal controls, association with various risk factors, and odds ratios (ORs) for predicting suicide ideation and attempt. Variables Cronbach’s Alpha Ideators (n ? 52) n Parents divorced/separated History of physical abusea Poor family relationshipb Internalizing problemsc Externalizing problemsc Frequent recent life stressorsd – 0. 83 0. 83 0. 89 0. 88 – 41 73 142 76 99 102 % 16. 3 29. 0 56. 3 30. 2 39. 3 40. 5 Attempters (n ? 91) n 19 29 51 32 45 44 % 20. 9 31. 9 56. 0 35. 2 49. 5 48. 4 Non-suicidal controls (n ? 2457) n 239 169 602 103 153 364 % 9. 7 6. 9 24. 5 4. 2 6. 2 14. 8 Ideators vs controls OR 1. 8** 5. 8*** 3. 8*** 13. 9*** 9. 8*** 3. 6*** (95% CI) (1. 2–2. 6) (4. 2–8. 1) (2. 9–5. 1) (9. 6–20. 1) (7. 1–13. 4) (2. 7–4. 8) Attempters vs controls OR 2. 3** 5. *** 3. 7*** 10. 7*** 11. 1*** 5. 2*** (95% CI) (1. 3–4. 0) (3. 3–8. 6) (2. 4–5. 7) (6. 6–17. 5) (7. 1–17. 5) (3. 4–8. 1) **p < 0. 01; ***p < 0 . 001. a Cutoff at total score > ? 6 (80th percentile). b Cutoff at total score > ? 15 (80th percentile). c Cutoff at T-score > ? 64 (at clinical range, 92nd percentile). d Cutoff at number of recent life stressors > ? 4 (80th percentile). Please cite this article in press as: Wan, G. W. Y. , Leung, P. W. L. , Factors accounting for youth suicide attempt in Hong Kong: A model building, Journal of Adolescence (2010), doi:10. 1016/j. adolescence. 2009. 12. 07 ARTICLE IN PRESS 4 G. W. Y. Wan, P. W. L. Leung / Journal of Adolescence xxx (2010) 1–8 Table 1 presents the internal consistency coef? cients of the measures employed in this study. They were consistently satisfactory, ranging from 0. 83 to 0. 89. Table 1 also lists the results of separate logistic regression analysis of each risk factor, including the percentages of suicide ideators, attempters, and non-suicidal participants (i. e. , those reporting neither suicide ideation nor attempt) having various risks, as well as t he odds ratios (ORs) of these risk factors in predicting suicide ideation and attempt. Despite multiple testing of the group differences, such testing was all theory-driven (see the literature review above) and was not random so that statistical control of the effects of multiple testing was not required. All three family risk factors (i. e. , parental divorce/separation, history of physical abuse, and poor family relationship) were more prevalent among suicide ideators and attempters, and had signi? cant ORs. Among these risk factors, a history of physical abuse was the best predictor of suicide ideation (OR ? 5. 8, 95% CI ? 4. 2–8. 1) and attempt (OR ? 5. 3, 95% CI ? 3. 3–8. 6). Nearly one third of ideators (29. 0%) and attempters (31. 9%), in contrast to 6. 9% of non-suicidal participants, had a history of being physically abused. With respect to the other two family risk factors, 16. 3% of ideators (OR ? 1. 8, 95% CI ? 1. 2–2. 6) and 20. 9% of attemptors (OR ? 2. 3, 95% CI ? 1. 3–4. 0), compared to 9. 7% of non-suicidal participants, reported parental divorce/separation, while 56. 3% of ideators (OR ? 3. 8, 95% CI ? 2. 9–5. 1) and 56. 0% of attemptors (OR ? 3. 7, 95% CI ? 2. 4–5. 7), compared to 24. 5% of nonsuicidal participants, reported poor family relationship. Compared to family factors, internalizing and externalizing problems were even more associated with higher risks of suicidal behaviors. The ORs of internalizing problems for suicide ideation and attempt were respectively 13. 9 (95% CI ? 9. 6– 20. 1) and 10. 7 (95% CI ? 6. 6–17. 5), while the ORs of externalizing problems were 9. 8 (95% CI ? 7. 1–13. 4) and 11. 1 (95% CI ? 7. 1–17. 5). Nearly one third of ideators (30. 2%) and attempters (35. 2%), in contrast to 4. 2% of non-suicidal participants, had internalizing problems. The corresponding ? gures for externalizing problems were 39. 3% and 49. 5% vs 6. %. Life stressors in the past year also elevated the risk of suicide ideation (OR ? 3. 6, 95% CI ? 2. 7–4. 8) and attempt (OR ? 5. 2, 95% CI ? 3. 4–8. 1). About 40. 5% of suicide ideators and 48. 4% of attempters were reporting more frequent life stressors, compared to 14. 8% of non-suicidal participants. Table 2 shows the results of logistic regression analysis with forced entry of subsets of risk factors in steps, after controlling for background variables (i. e. , age, gender, and family income). With each successive entry of each subset of risk factors, the majority of the previous ones became insigni? ant so that in the ? nal regression model, only recent life stressors (OR ? 1. 01, p < 0. 01) and suicide ideation (OR ? 95. 7, p < 0. 001) signi? cantly accounted for youth suicide attempt. In other words, despite their initial statistical signi? cance when ? rst entered into the regression model, those risk factors such as a history of physical abuse, poor family relationship, and internalizing and externalizing disorders no longer signi? cantly accounted for youth suicide attempt, after life stressors and suicide ideation were later entered into the model. This pattern of results indicated a mediational model largely compatible to our proposed model of youth suicide attempt. It should be noted that parental divorce/separation as a predictor was not signi? cant even when ? rst entered into the regression analysis alongside with a history of physical abuse. This risk factor was thus dropped in the later path analysis. Our proposed model of youth suicide attempt, in a form of a mediational model, was directly tested by path analysis. It achieved a very good ? t: c2 (6, N ? 2754) ? 39. 5, p < 0. 0001; GFI ? 0. 99; AGFI ? 0. 97; RMSEA ? 0. 045; NFI ? 0. 96; CFI ? . 97; RMR ? 0. 57 (Fig. 1). Weighted least squares standardized estimators of the model and their signi? cance according to the two-tailed z value are presented in Fig. 1. All paths shown were signi? cant at p < 0. 01. As shown in Fig. 1, a history of physical abuse, as a family risk factor, was linked directly to suicide ideation, as well as to the ? rst tier of mediators in the m odel, namely, poor family relationship, and externalizing and internalizing problems. They were in turn linked to suicide ideation. The externalizing and internalizing problems were additionally linked to recent life stressors. Finally, suicidal ideation and life stressors were both associated with suicide attempt, with life stressors also linking to the suicide ideation as well. This mediational model with several tiers of mediators explained 48% and 87% of the variances in youth suicide ideation and attempt, respectively. Table 2 Logistic regression of risk factors in predicting youth suicide attempt, controlled for demographic variables. Blocks entered to the modela Deviance between blocks (c2)b 18. 37*** 1. 02*** n. s. 55. 59*** 72. 71*** 1. 02** n. s. 1. 17*** 1. 01* n. s. 1. 07** 1. 07*** 1. 09*** 168. 80*** 10. 5*** 1. 02* n. s. n. s. n. s. n. s. n. s. n. s. 95. 67*** 1. 01** ORs 1 2 3 4 5 1. Family factors History of physical abuse Parental divorce/separation 2. Poor family relationship 3. Psychopathology Internalizing problems Externalizing problems 4. Suicide ideation 5. Life stressors n. s. n. s. 103. 72*** n. s. : non-signi? cant. *p < 0. 05; **p < 0. 01; ***p < 0. 001. a The sequence of blocks entered into the logistic regression model; all factors entered were continuous variables except parental divorce/separation and suicide ideation. b Chi-square deviance of each block entered. Please cite this article in press as: Wan, G. W. Y. , Leung, P. W. L. , Factors accounting for youth suicide attempt in Hong Kong: A model building, Journal of Adolescence (2010), doi:10. 1016/j. adolescence. 2009. 12. 007 ARTICLE IN PRESS G. W. Y. Wan, P. W. L. Leung / Journal of Adolescence xxx (2010) 1–8 5 0. 85*** 0. 52*** 0. 13*** 1. 00*** History of physical abuse 0. 39*** Poor family relationship 0. 19*** 0. 13*** Suicide ideation 0. 20*** 0. 15*** 0. 88*** Suicide attempt 0. 21*** 0. 17*** 0. 44*** 0. 79*** 0. 13*** 0. 33*** Externalizing problems 0. 42*** 0. 29*** Recent stressors 0. 82*** *p