Midterm assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Midterm - Assignment Example They are the key elements that lead to so much variation in the physical and chemical conditions of different habitats. Temperature: It is one of the most relevant environmental factors controlling the type of organism that the ecosystem will support. The average temperature on land varies seasonally, decreases progressively from the equator towards the poles and from plains to the mountain tops. Temperature plays a very significant role in the metabolism and survival of the organisms. Water: Next to temperature, water is the most important factor influencing the life of organisms. The productivity and distribution of plants is also heavily dependent on water. For example, in deserts where water availability is very limited, only organisms with special adaptations to conserve water alone will be able to survive. Light: Sunlight is the main source of energy for the ecosystem and for the process of photosynthesis, by which plants produce food, can take place only in the presence of sun light. For many animals too, light is important in that they use the diurnal and seasonal variations in light intensity and duration (photoperiod) as cues for timing their foraging, reproductive and migratory activities. Biotic Factors The biotic components include all living organisms like plants, animals, fungi and bacteria of the ecosystem. The biotic components including the pathogens, parasites, predators and competitors – of the organism interact constantly with the abiotic factors of the environment for their survival. The biotic components modify their responses to changes in abiotic factors and maintain the balance of the ecosystem. 2. What is ecosystem function - in other words how does an ecosystem work? Ans. The components of the ecosystem are seen to function as a unit through the following aspects: (i) Productivity (ii) Decomposition (iii) Energy flow; and (iv) Nutrient cycling. The green plants known as the Producers or autotrophs trap the solar energy and conv ert simple inorganic materials into complex organic compounds or food. All animals depend on plants (directly or indirectly) for their food needs. They are hence called consumers or heterotrophs. The interdependency of organism for the requirement of food leads to food chain or food web. Based on the source of their nutrition or food, organisms occupy a specific place in the food chain that is known as their trophic level. The solar energy captured by plants flows through different organisms or different trophic levels of an ecosystem. The Organisms at each trophic level depend on those at the lower trophic level for their energy demands. When any organism dies it is converted to detritus or dead biomass that serves as an energy source for decomposers. Decomposers secrete digestive enzymes that breakdown dead and waste materials into simple, inorganic materials, which are subsequently absorbed by them. 3. Use the Diablo Range as an example of an intact ecosystem – Describe th e Diablo Range's abiotic and biotic components (including the Diablo Range location, topography, climate, plant communities, mammals & other organisms found there). Give details for each! Ans. Diablo mountain range is a classical example of an intact ecosystem. It is located in the eastern San Francisco Bay area south to the Salinas Valley area of northern California, the United

Pricing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Pricing - Essay Example Therefore it is an exchange ratio between goods and services. Pricing is important in marketing as it determines how a product or service will be accepted in the market. It is one of the most valuable four variables that are used in the marketing mix which are used to develop a business plan. This means that it is central to the operation of a profit oriented firm. (McNamara 2007, P. 61) As we have seen, pricing is one of the four factors that are used in the marketing mix of a firm and which is central to the development of a viable business plan. In this regard, pricing is important aspect in market which has been as central to marketing. This is because the main aim of marketing is to take the production to as many customers as it can at the most affordable price that they can afford. Therefore the main aim of marketing as defined is to sell as many products as possible. There are many considerations that have to be made in marketing. In order to reach the target customer there are number of consideration that has to be made and the cost of the products as they are being taken to the consumers is one of those important factors that have to be considered. While pricing a product it is useful for any marketing strategy to take into account the cost structure and the willingness of the customers to pay for the product and also look to the effect of the competing from firms which are selling the same products in the same market. Therefore a good marketing strategy is not the one that blankly targets the demand market but it is the one the targets the consumer and also consider the effect of other competitors in the market. In this regard the competitor and the willingness of the buyers to buy a product at a particular price will have an effect on the overall capability of the firm to sell its products. The firm must also consider the effect of demand dynamics. There are many sources of the demand dynamics. One of the factor that affect demand dynamics is the dependence effects. This is particular to the inexpensive goods which are frequently purchased by the consumers like the household goods. For example if we take an example of Coke and Pepsi drinks, the probability that a consumers will purchase any of the product will depend on many factors which are based on preference and loyalty which affects the demand of the product. One consumer may decide buy Pepsi based on the experience one had on the product th e last time it was purchased. On the other hand one may decide to by Coke as a matter of wanting to experience the difference between the two products. This would be in spirit of wanting to try something different from the other. In this case the consumer will be responding toe what can be referred to as market activities which are driven by demand dynamics. (Michael 2006, P. 34) This shows that there are many market activities that are likely to affect the way a company is going to set it price in the market. The choice of brand of a product in the market is likely to be one of the ways in which a firm is likely to set price. For example in the above given example coke and Pepsi may be coming from the company but in real sense they may be retailing at different prices. While both of them are soft drinks, the demand dynamic

Lab report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Lab report - Essay Example The ration of the extension in length to the original length is referred to as tensile strain. Consequently, modulus of elasticity of the material is obtained by finding the ration between tensile stress and strain. The measurement of extension of a material before it snaps enables the classification of the material or specimen as ductile or brittle. The yield strength of a ductile material is obtained when the expansion is 0.2 percent. In order to understand the behavior of materials under high stress or loading rates, impact test is done. Impact tests are usually done using Izod or Charpy procedures. Impact test on steel and plastic aims at establishing their toughness. Impact test determines the behavior of a material under high stress levels that include tension/torsion and bending of the material. A specimen in impact test is broken by a single blow is a specially designed device. The energy spent in breaking the specimen in a single blow is the quality of the material or specimen. The property of a material varies with variation in temperature, thus conducting the experiment at different temperatures allows for the determination of change in properties of the material as temperature changes. Steel has a yield value of 43 ksi, which is approximately the same as the expected value. Also, the tensile strength and strain as well as ultimate strength before the material snaps are approximately the same as measured value. The modulus of elasticity of aluminum measured value tends towards 11 Msi as it approaches power six, which is perceived as equal value. The measured value for Plexiglas is very close to expected value as seen in Table 1. The temperature of the specimen affects impact test on the specimen. Consequently, in order to determine the effect of temperature on impact test, a similar specimen is tested under two different temperatures. The measured value or behavior of the specimen at two

Pricing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Pricing - Essay Example Therefore it is an exchange ratio between goods and services. Pricing is important in marketing as it determines how a product or service will be accepted in the market. It is one of the most valuable four variables that are used in the marketing mix which are used to develop a business plan. This means that it is central to the operation of a profit oriented firm. (McNamara 2007, P. 61) As we have seen, pricing is one of the four factors that are used in the marketing mix of a firm and which is central to the development of a viable business plan. In this regard, pricing is important aspect in market which has been as central to marketing. This is because the main aim of marketing is to take the production to as many customers as it can at the most affordable price that they can afford. Therefore the main aim of marketing as defined is to sell as many products as possible. There are many considerations that have to be made in marketing. In order to reach the target customer there are number of consideration that has to be made and the cost of the products as they are being taken to the consumers is one of those important factors that have to be considered. While pricing a product it is useful for any marketing strategy to take into account the cost structure and the willingness of the customers to pay for the product and also look to the effect of the competing from firms which are selling the same products in the same market. Therefore a good marketing strategy is not the one that blankly targets the demand market but it is the one the targets the consumer and also consider the effect of other competitors in the market. In this regard the competitor and the willingness of the buyers to buy a product at a particular price will have an effect on the overall capability of the firm to sell its products. The firm must also consider the effect of demand dynamics. There are many sources of the demand dynamics. One of the factor that affect demand dynamics is the dependence effects. This is particular to the inexpensive goods which are frequently purchased by the consumers like the household goods. For example if we take an example of Coke and Pepsi drinks, the probability that a consumers will purchase any of the product will depend on many factors which are based on preference and loyalty which affects the demand of the product. One consumer may decide buy Pepsi based on the experience one had on the product th e last time it was purchased. On the other hand one may decide to by Coke as a matter of wanting to experience the difference between the two products. This would be in spirit of wanting to try something different from the other. In this case the consumer will be responding toe what can be referred to as market activities which are driven by demand dynamics. (Michael 2006, P. 34) This shows that there are many market activities that are likely to affect the way a company is going to set it price in the market. The choice of brand of a product in the market is likely to be one of the ways in which a firm is likely to set price. For example in the above given example coke and Pepsi may be coming from the company but in real sense they may be retailing at different prices. While both of them are soft drinks, the demand dynamic

The Cost of Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Cost of Conflict - Essay Example There was a recent business article which featured two former Boeing employees. During the time, Michael Sears was the CFO and Darleen Druyun was the corporate vice president. Darleen decided to retire earlier from the Air force as a Number 2 acquisition executive. The beginning of the events that transpired was sparked by Darleen requesting Sears for jobs for two of family members. Darleen allocated a contract to Boeing out of the appreciation for the company for offering her and her two family members. This was seen as not only unprofessional and breach of codes of conduct but also a violation of established legislation. From the viewpoints of the participants the cost of this conflict could be seen both in terms of economy and development of the organization. It should be noted that the contracts were awarded not on the basis of merit but as a result of paying back for a favor done. This could have detrimental economic impacts to the company. This conflict had the potential of bringing down the company since the employees were not picked on the basis of their qualifications for the jobs they were expected to perform. The implication of this is that the employees could not be trusted to discharge their duties with the professionalism and dedication deserved. This conflict was resolved in court. Since it was a matter of breach not only to the professional codes of conduct but a matter of contravention to the contract law, the matter was brought before the court. Since both the participants were guilty, Darleen was sentenced to nine month’s imprisonment because of awarding the contract not out of qualification but gratitude because she and her two family members were given jobs by the company. Similarly, Sears was sentenced to four months in prison the reason being that he handled the employment in an improper way. He improperly and unprofessionally

Treatment of the Kurdish Population by the Iraqi Regime

Treatment of the Kurdish Population by the Iraqi Regime Factors Explaining the Treatment of the Kurdish Population by the Iraqi Regime under Saddam Hussein RESEARCH PLAN The goal of the dissertation is to ascertain the leading factor(s) of Saddam Hussein and his Ba’athist party’s brutal treatment of Iraqi Kurds. Argued by many to be a case of attempted genocide, the primary instance the dissertation will examine is the Iraqi Anfal Campaign, which took place between 1986 and 1989. Aims of the dissertation will be to 1) establish the provocations that culminated in the attempted genocide of the Iraqi Kurds regardless of the degree of Kurdish culpability, 2) place the genocide in a larger historical context, and 3) evaluate the internal and external political context in which the genocide occurred. Secondary objectives to be met in the dissertation will be the paralleling of the Iraqi Kurdish tragedy to those of other minorities in the post-colonial Middle East, as well as the twinning of the context in which Kurds were massacred in Iraq with the contexts in which other minorities were treated. Groups included in the secondary examination will be Kurds in Turkey as well as Armenians in Turkey and Azerbaijan. The tertiary and final objective of the dissertation will be the examination of the treatment of other minorities in contrast to that of the Kurds, including Kurds in Iran as well as Armenian expatriates in Iran. From a religious standpoint, an overwhelming majority of the Kurds share a religion and history in common with the Arab Iraqi Sunni. Kurds, Kurdish culture, and Kurdish historical figures are integrated into the Sunni Arab conscience, evidenced by the reverence of the legendary warrior Salah Al-Din (Saladin) as well as Hussein’s own widely reputed claim to be the latest incarnation of said figure. It is concluded hence that the oppression and mass murder of the Kurds was not due to a religious difference, but rather a political and theocratic distinction that separated the Kurds from their Sunni Arab compatriots in a time when dissension was promptly and violently put down. Texts evaluating the context of the Kurdish murders will be Viva Bartkus’ The Dynamic of Secession and Robert Gellately’s The Specter of Genocide: Mass Murder in Historical Perspective. Evaluations of the Iraqi political climate prior to and immediately following the 1991 Gulf War will refer t o Robert Freedman’s The Middle East After Iraq’s Invasion of Kuwait, while proof of the murders as a genocide over a mere neutralization of an uprising will be provided by Samuel Totten’s Century of Genocide: Critical Essays and Eyewitness Accounts. By dissecting and compartmentalizing the dissertation into three distinct parts, maintenance of a concrete timetable of progress becomes simpler. Moreover, data compilation, comparison, and evaluation is made simpler when done in small, focused spurts as opposed to a myriad of topics and ideas. The intricacies of the politics involved in the Anfal Campaign warrant a multi-dimensional, non-partisan examination of the attempted genocide. Mere dismissal of the atrocity as an act by a mindless, brutal despot brings no insight to the event; as a corollary, mankind can make no progress without a clear-cut rationalization of the brutality. LEARNING TO DATE The most prevalent strengths apparent are in data filtering and acquisition. There is strong variety in the array of sources, all of which contribute to the multiple vantages of the dissertation. A particular strength that was made of use was the ability to separate media accounts from scholarly logs. With the amount of media bias so prevalently established in Europe and America (polarized both in favor of and against the ongoing American occupation of Iraq), objective sources are difficult to identify. Immediate weaknesses include the inability to initially grasp the political motives and framework within which the Anfal Campaign of 1986-1989 was executed. Unlike multi-ethnic states such as the former Yugoslavia in which ethnicity and religion contributed to a larger problem, the Iraqi quandary of national unity and the factors contributing to the oppression of the Kurds including collusion between religious leaders inside Iraq and international rivals of the secular Ba’athis t regime. Bartkus writes that past Kurdish leaders were funded by â€Å"the shah of Iran, Mossad, and the CIA† who â€Å"provided arms and advisers† in matters of secession and general rebellion[1]. Following the debilitating Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, â€Å"the Kurds attempted to use opportunity† to â€Å"gain control over their own territory†[2]. According to Bartkus, Hussein launched the beginnings of the Anfal Campaign, â€Å"razing some 5,000 Kurdish villages [in] response† to the uprising, inicluding â€Å"the 1988 chemical weapons attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja† that â€Å"killed over 5,000 people and forced several hundred thousand to seek refuge in turkey or Iran†[3]. According to Bartkus, several Iraqi Kurdish â€Å"pashmergas attempted to liberate Kurdish towns in March 1991, directly after Iraq’s defeat in the Gulf War,† hence again exploiting Iraqi military debilitation to bolster the argument that Kurdish secession and Iraqi repression is an ongoing conflict (Ibid). The Kurdish oppression at the hands of Hussein’s regime have more in common with the plight of the Armenians at the turn of the Great War (WWI), where upon the landing of European forces at â€Å"Gallipoli, Turkish authorities began a process of repression of internal communities—Armenian communities, numbering perhaps 2 million† throughout the Ottoman Empire[4]. The dissertation has several similarities to other assignments undertaken, particularly in the organization of the paper and its focus around a stated set of arguments and the elaboration of said arguments throughout the paper. The basic formula of block quoting and argumentation is applicable and accurately employed in the extrapolation of theories postulated and later proven. Where the original dissertation proposal entailed several suggested concepts including religious and political postulations, it did not refute the claims in a compare-and-contrast method of research. This research plan includes rebuttals of popular notions concerning the Kurdish oppressions as well as support of more varying conclusions. For example, while the oppression of Kurds is linked to ethnic differences, there was no formulation of the argument that such rebellions were common in the Middle East, especially under the Ottoman and later Turkish governments, who, as former rulers of modern-day Iraq, faced problems with Kurds throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Mainstream schools of thought such as Freeman’s collection of essays have begun to point out the struggle of largely pro-Islamist Kurds against imposed Ba’athist secularism, a remnant from the days of the Pan-Arab Nationalist movement of the 1960s vis-à  -vis Hafiz al-Assad’s â€Å"brutal suppression of the Muslim Brothers in 1983†[5]. PROGRESS TO-DATE While all data has been collected and documented for the primary, secondary, and tertiary objectives, the next step in the dissertation’s completion that warrants progress is the organization of specific arguments in such a way as to correlate all objectives in a logical manner. The oppression of Kurds is a multi-faceted topic, as are the parallel events including Kurdish oppression outside Iraq in Turkey, Syria, and to an extent neighboring Iran. More difficult a correlation is the recently-contested status of the Armenian Genocide of 1914. The Armenian-Turkish and Kurdish-Iraqi oppressions share much in common that they could warrant the creation of an entirely separate dissertation. A growing problem in the integration of the Armenian Genocide is deciding which facts to include. Aspects of Armenian oppression in the Ottoman Empire and Turkish government can be used to both parallel and contrast the Kurdish-Iraqi conflict. Furthermore, the existence of both Armenian and Kurd ish integrated populations into Iran begs the question of the relevance of external Kurdish land disputes. Historic Kurdistan would cut into several states outside Iraq, warranting the validity of mentioning the history of Kurdish secessionism in the region. In keeping focused and on-topic, several key points have been removed from the original introduction. First, the schism in Islamic theology between Sunni and Shi’a is omitted from the latest draft. While it is an important facet of internal Iraqi politics, the frailty of the Sunni-Shi’a population contingent has nothing to do with Kurdish mass murders unless it is mentioned in the context of Iraqi national unity. Before 1940, modern-day Iraq never existed. The Ottomans separated Iraq into cantons, including but not limited to the modern-day provinces comprising Iraq today. No single ethnic group comprising Iraq today has ever lead a unified Iraq; Saladin integrated the â€Å"Land of the Two Rivers† into an empire spanning Egypt, Syria, Israel, and Palestine, while the Ottomans assigned separate governors to Shi’a-dominant, Sunni-dominant, and Kurdish-dominant regions. The frailty of Iraqi cohesion is the only reason one might mention the different Islamic theologies, and even then it would warrant only a passing thought. A more pertinent focus would be on the drawing of post-colonial borders and its effect on nationalism. If Islamist schools of government are a necessity to mention, it should be intimated that Kurds are largely pro-theocracy and anti-secularism, while Iraq’s Arab Muslims populations are torn between theocracy (Shi’a and Sunni alike) and the familiarity of the Pan-Arab Nationalist Ba’ath Party. An additional revision has been the introduction of Iran as a major contrarian party to Iraq in its treatment of Kurds, despite its being ethnically different from Kurds as well as religiously opposite the Sunnis as the world’s only existing Shiite theocracy. WORKS CITED Bartkus, Viva Ona. (1999) The Dynamic of Secession. Cambridge: Cambridge U P. Freedman, Robert Owen. (1993) The Middle East After Iraq’s Invasion of Kuwait. Gainesville: U of Florida P. Gellately, Robert and Ben Kiernan. (2003) The Specter of Genocide: Mass Murder in Historical Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge U P. Totten, Samuel. (2004) Century of Genocide: Critical Essays and Eyewitness Accounts. New York: Routledge P. BIBLIOGRAPHY Crano, W. D., Brewer, M. B. 2002. Principles and Methods of Social Research. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. www.fas.org, 2006 online source. Retrieved November 2, 2006 Kazemzadeh, M. 1998. Thinking the Unthinkable: Solving the Problem of Saddam Hussein for Good. Middle East Policy, 1(1), 73-86. Kelsay, J. 1993. Islam and War: A Study in Comparative Ethics (1st ed.). Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press. Retrieved October 25, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=od=26085894 Murdock, D, 2004, â€Å"Saddam Hussein’s Philanthropy of Terror† Retrieved October 23, 2006 from www.husseinandterror.com Palys, T., Lowman, J. 2001. Social Research with Eyes Wide Shut: The Limited Confidentiality Dilemma. Canadian Journal of Criminology, 43(2), 255. Retrieved October 25, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=od=5001041487 Ragin, C, 1994, Constructing Social Research, Pine Forge Pr, ISBN: 0803990219 Rezun, M. 1992. Saddam Husseins Gulf Wars: Ambivalent Stakes in the Middle East. Westport, CT: Praeger. Retrieved October 25, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=od=107022508 Simons, G. 1996. Iraq From Sumer to Saddam (Second ed.). Basingstoke: Macmillan. Retrieved October 25, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=od=97576434 Zinger, I., Wichmann, C., Gendreau, P. 2001. Legal and Ethical Obligations in Social Research: The Limited Confidentiality Requirement. Canadian Journal of Criminology, 43(2), 269. Weinrich, N.K., 1996 Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Social Marketing Research, Social-Marketing.com, Retrieved October 21, 2006 from www.social-marketing.com/research.html Footnotes [1] Bartkus 1999, p. 65 [2] Ibid [3] Ibid [4] Gellately and Kiernan 2003, p. 207 [5] Freedman 1993, p. 279

Captain Ahab and Moby Dick Essay -- essays research papers

Captain Ahab and Moby Dick: Literary critics point to a variety of themes and juxtapositions when analyzing Herman Melville's â€Å"Moby Dick†. Some see the land opposed to the sea or Fate opposed to free will. Most mention man versus nature or good versus evil. A perspective that seems overlooked though is the perspective of the self and the other. The self and other is when one discovers the other (something not us) within oneself, when one realizes that one is not a single being alien to anything that is not them. There are many such relationships throughout the book, such as that of Ishmael and Queequeg and Ahab and Starbuck. However, this paper will focus on the essential relationship, which is of Ahab and Moby-Dick. By recognizing the other within ourselves, we are saved from hating the other in itself. Captain Ahab struggled to see Moby-Dick within himself, in this began the book's main problem of the self and the other. Before I get to this problem lets track the character of Ahab’s development up to that point. Chapters early in the book describe Ahab as having lost his leg to Moby-Dick. This character development suggests that Ahab is the victim of an attack by a vicious animal. However, by chapter 36 â€Å"The Quarter Deck", Ahab is described as a man infatuated with destroying a great white whale, named Moby-Dick. By chapter 37 â€Å"Sunset", it is obvious that Ahab is mad and in chapter 44 â€Å"The Chart", the reader is made aware of Ahab's "monomaniac thought of his soul." He was so obsessed with Moby-Dick that he couldn’t sleep. Ahab must have had some cause for his feelings toward the whale. It seems that Ahab and many other sailors have been exposed to the story of Jonah, which may have established man and whale as enemies. Also, is chapter 54 â€Å"The Town-Ho's Story" Melville tells of an account of Moby-Dick's capabilities. In this story, Moby-Dick snatches Radney from his ship and takes him below the ocean’s surface. However, for some reason Ahab does not hear this story. Melville may be showing the reader that the whale can be violent, and by not allowing Ahab to hear this story he (or the reader) won’t be able to use this information as an excuse for Ahab’s madness. By telling only the reader of the Town Ho's story, both the characters of Ahab and Moby-Dick are developed further. The character of the whale is set up as a dan... ...k this way Ahab created himself. Just like a master and slave relationship the self and the other are linked. There can be no slave without a master and there can be no master without a slave. When a master defeats and creates a slave, the master creates a role as "master" for himself or herself as well. In Melville's book, Ahab played the role of hunter and Moby-Dick became the hunted. The self/other relationship can be far more complicated than what has been offered here. Many racists, sexists and those who cannot tolerate homosexuality do not always follow the standards. Ahab and Moby-Dick are a special case of the relationship, and they are one that deserves consideration. Once again when I say self/other I am referring to a type of linkage of two separate beings. It is when one (the self) discovers the other (something not us) within oneself, when one realizes that one is not a single being alien to anything that is not them. The main point of this paper is the main problem of the self and the other which is that Captain Ahab struggled to see Moby-Dick within himself. Since he could not see this he hated and became obsessed with Moby Dick and thus apart of himself.