Rational in Buying Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Rational in Buying - Case Study Example The consumer obviously would like the personality traits to be that of his own. Characteristics that brands would like to associate with are a sense of dependability, understanding, and caring; a friend who is always there to care, respect, comfort, and enjoy (Brand Personality-The relationship Basis Model, groups.haas.berkeley.edu). It was thought that companies were responsible was the creation of a brand, or its managers and planners, but the reality is far from these. Brands are created by ordinary people like us. It is the extent to which it makes sense and the role it plays in a consumer's life that builds a brand. There are two questions which should be asked: How different are these brands, and how relevant is it to us, as consumers A product becomes a brand not when it talks about itself, but when people talk about it. Every single thing that one does builds a brand. 2.0 Executive Summary The three key elements of demographic segmentation variables are age, gender and the life cycle. Age is an important demographic variable in brand development and sales, as purchases vary from one demographic to another. Those in the age group of 12-18 would have a different view of a product than those in the 30-45 age brackets. This can change again with those 50 and above. So, how do marketers identify the needs of these age groups, and what are the parameters by which they can gauge the right demographic for expanding their market and brand Today, most consumers are aware of his/her rights and are well informed. Television, newspapers and magazines have only contributed to their better understanding of the world around them. Internet has gone a step ahead in educating and promoting awareness at the click of a button. So... The three key elements of demographic segmentation variables are age, gender and the life cycle. Age is an important demographic variable in brand development and sales, as purchases vary from one demographic to another. Those in the age group of 12-18 would have a different view of a product than those in the 30-45 age brackets. This can change again with those 50 and above. So, how do marketers identify the needs of these age groups, and what are the parameters by which they can gauge the right demographic for expanding their market and brand? Television, newspapers and magazines have only contributed to their better understanding of the world around them. Internet has gone a step ahead in educating and promoting awareness at the click of a button. So knowledgeable is today’s consumer that it becomes difficult for manufacturers and producers to associate themselves with them. However, there are certain influences that demarcate these demographics, the 4Ps of marketing namely , product, place, promotion, and price. These elements have a direct impact on a consumer’s buying rationale. In order to understand the topic on a consumer’s buying rationale on the three demographics, this paper explores the importance of branding, and the role of the 4Ps in influencing the buying behaviour.. Three age groups are considered for this analysis; 12-18, 30-45 and those over 55. The primary objective of this paper will be to research the factors that contribute to consumer buying rationale.

Language in Anthony and Brutus’ Speeches Essay Example for Free

Language in Anthony and Brutus’ Speeches Essay Compare and contrast Henry’s use of rhetoric to affect others in his Harfleur speeches with the effectiveness of the language in Anthony and Brutus’ speeches In Henry V, Henry uses rhetoric very effectively as he persuades the Governor at Harfleur to surrender and encourages his troops onward with his ‘Once more unto the breach’ speech. This is very similar to Anthony and Brutus of Julius Caesar as they use rhetoric to influence the ‘mob’; firstly Brutus wins the crowd over and they believe the death of Caesar is a good thing and then Anthony turns them around and they end up hating Cassius and Brutus. Henry uses rhetoric to create a number of different effects one of them being to persuade the Governor to surrender. Rhoda Koenig suggests that this scene ‘points up the character of this immature and disaffected king’, which I disagree with as I believe that this speech shows just how the King has matured as he is able to bluff his way through as his army is, really, worn and battered. This speech shows how Henry’s words are more powerful than his army, which is similar to Anthony in Julius Caesar who turns the mob into a state of madness just through the use of his oratorical skills. For example, Henry starts his speech with short, sharp sentences: â€Å"How yet resolves the governor of the/ town?† This creates an assertive beginning and one that makes Henry seem powerful and stern. This coupled with the use of a rhetorical question puts the Governor in a situation where the mercy of Henry is in his hands, as if the outcome of his men depends on his decision. This also removes the responsibility from Henry’s shoulders which is a recurring theme throughout the play. Henry also describes what the outcome could look like if the Governor doesn’t surrender: â€Å"The gates of mercy shall be all shut up.† The use of a metaphor here, ‘the gates of mercy’, refers to Henry as if once he starts the battle there’s no goi ng back. This is used to scare the Governor so that he believes Harfleur will be desecrated once the battle has begun. This, of course, is a faà §ade as Henry knows full-well that his army is worn thin and lacking in strength. This demonstrates Henry’s good leadership, as he bluffs his way through with confidence. Also, this quote contains lots of monosyllables which make it very powerful and reinforces the threat which forces the Governor to surrender. Bernard Richards raised an interesting point where he said that Shakespeare ‘wanted to show the full range of war – the glamour as well as the squalid and obscene violence.’ This interested me as throughout this speech there is talk of atrocities of war such as ‘shrieking daughters’ while elsewhere in the play we see the French think of war as glorious. This is very similar to Brutus in Julius Caesar who has to use rhetoric to convince the crowd to surrender, as they are initially angry at the conspirat ors for killing their leader. For example, he uses rhetorical questions to force the crowd to realise that the murder of Caesar will benefit them: â€Å"Who here is so base [†¦] Who here is so rude [†¦] Who is so vile [†¦] for him have I offended.† The crowd are forced to ask themselves if they would want to be slaves, for example, which they of course answer ‘no’. The use of a three-part list also emphasizes this and would allow the crowd to remember this more accurately: â€Å"Let him be Caesar!† This quote shows that Brutus’s rhetoric successfully convinces the crowd, although they appear to have missed the point as they want Brutus to be ‘the new Caesar’ and the sole leader of Rome which is what the conspirators were fighting against. It is also interesting to note that Shakespeare’s main characters usually speak in blank verse, but here Brutus speaks in prose. This is because prose is the perfect way to persuade so has a stronger affect on the crowd. It could also be argued that because he speaks to the low-life characters, they will understand prose better than blank verse. Within his speech Brutus also uses repetition which reinforces his message: â€Å"Hear me for cause [] hear.† The use of framing repetition here grabs the crowd’s attention and makes them listen. He also repeats ‘honour’ throughout his speech: â€Å"Believe me for mine honour, and have respect for mine honour.† This repetition is used to emphasize to the crowd that the conspirator’s cause was honourable and that they have done the right thing while it also serves to remind the crowd how Brutus is an honourable man, which is a similarity with Henry who also takes great care in ensuring the cause for going to war is moral. The repetition would ‘grind’ it into the crowds’ heads so that it’s almost like subliminal messaging. The repetition also shows how Brutus is still unsure himself and that he is trying to convince himself that they have done the right thing. Henry also uses rhetoric to empower his army and urge them on at Harfluer in what Hal Hinson of the Washington Post calls ‘the greatest half-time speech in human historyà ¢â‚¬â„¢. Here, Henry is forced to persuade his army that they should not retreat but attack once again: â€Å"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.† Similarly to Brutus, Henry uses framing repetition to encourage his army to attack Harfleur once more. The repetition helps to reinforce the message and will stick in their minds through the battle. Also in this quote, he uses an endearing pronoun ‘friend’. This affects the army as they will feel that they are all friends of the King and will have a surge of confidence. This will help the army to conquer whatever they face, even though they have had to retreat. Interestingly, this contrast to what the Chorus says in the preceding scene as he states that the great British are invading France when really they are being forced to retreat. Henry also uses alliteration: â€Å"But when the blast of war blows in our ears.† The use of plosive alliteration here creates a powerful sound which suggests that the English army are powerful enough to defeat the French. This also shows Henry’s passion as if it’s bursting out of him as he desperately wants his men to survive as he feels guilty that the war may not have an honourable cause. Also is this speech, sibilance is used: â€Å"Stiffen the sinews.† This also creates quite an aggressive sound which would be passed onto the soldiers and make them feel aggressive and willing to fight. Henry also uses figurative language: â€Å"Let it pry [†¦] like the brass cannon.† This simile likens the mind prying to a cannon – an item associated with war – which would rile up the soldiers and also remind them that they are at war, its kill or be killed. Another simile used refers to Alexander the Great: â€Å"On, on, you noblest English [†¦] like so many Alexanders.† Here, Henry likens his army to a group of Alexander the Greats. Alexander the Great is a figure of Greek legend which states that he conquered the Persian Empire. It also says that he was often reckless with his own life and his soldiers as he believed he was indestructible. This would encourage his men and fill them with confidence as Alexander was a great warrior and Henry’s army will feel equally invincible. Shakespeare’s Elizabethan audience were very interested in Greek culture so the simile would have been more relevant and had more effect than it would on our society who have a lesser interest. Also, in this quote he addresses the ‘noblest English ’while further on he addresses the â€Å"good yeomen.† Henry directly addresses each social class as his army was compiled of a number of different classes, even nationalities. King Henry V was known for uniting people under him as he prevented a civil war between the Church and the Government and th is unity is shown in the scene between Gower, Fluellen, Jamy and MacMorris. This scene also, as James Shapiro suggests, ‘prophetically anticipates the notion of a united kingdom’. Although these nations were far from united in 1599, when the play was written as England and Ireland were at war, and some were very hostile during Henry’s reign. For example, James Shapiro criticizes that Henry says the Scots may attack yet here they are united. This would make each soldier feel important, needed and a friend of the king’s, which would, ultimately, provide the soldiers with confidence to fight, and beat, the French. Likewise, Mark Anthony in Julius Caesar also addresses his crowd individually while manipulating them until they run riot around Rome: â€Å"Friends, Romans, countrymen.† Anthony immediately begins with a three-part list which grabs his audience’s attentions and the first word used is ‘friends’. This instantly makes the crowd warm to him as he is speaking to them as equals. This is similar to Henry who calls his army the ‘noble English’ and ‘good yeomen’, while it contrasts with Brutus who says, â€Å"Romans, countrymen, and lovers†, as if ‘lovers’ is an afterthought. This may hint at why Henry and Anthony were successful at convincing their audience while Brutus failed, because Henry and Anthony allowed the audience to warm to them while Brutus did not. Another way Anthony wins his crowd over is by using repetition: â€Å"And Brutus is an honourable man.† This is repeated at regular intervals throughout his speech and each time it becomes more sarcastic. The sarcastic tone induces the crowd to question whether killing Caesar was an honourable thing. Here, in the same way as Brutus, he uses subliminal messaging; however he uses it against Brutus and to much better effect as the crowd end up rampaging across Rome. In conclusion, Henry and Anthony use rhetoric and their oratorical skills very well combining repetition, friendly language, and other techniques to persuade their respective crowds to see their way of thinking. Brutus, however, fails to convince his crowd (or is unable to deliver a speech worthy of Anthony’s) which goes to show how good Anthony’s speech is. Henry manages to convince the Governor to surrender, and convince his battered army to continue, while Anthony manages to convince an audience who love Brutus, to hunt him down. Brutus, on the other hand, cannot prevent the people of Rome from turning against him as he didn’t endear himself to the crowd.

Ecology and the Biosphere

Ecology and the Biosphere Ch. 50 (Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere) I. Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the environment. Events that occur in the framework of ecological time translate into effects over the longer scale of evolutionary time. The environment of any organism includes two components. Abiotic, or nonliving, components chemical and physical factors such as temperature, light, water, and nutrients. Biotic, or living, components all the organisms, or the biota, that are part of the individuals environment. Ecology can be divided into areas of study ranging from the ecology of individual organisms to the dynamics of ecosystems and landscapes. Organismal ecology: Can be subdivided into the disciplines of physiological ecology, evolutionary ecology, and behavioral ecology. Concerns how an organisms structure, physiology, and behavior meet the challenges posed by the environment Population ecology: Concentrates mainly on factors that affect how many individuals of a particular species live in an area. Population group of individuals of the same species living in a particular geographic area. Community ecology: Deals with the whole array of interacting species in a community. Community all the organisms of all the species that inhabit a particular area Ecosystem ecology: The emphasis in this ecology is on energy flow and chemical cycling among the various biotic and abiotic components. Ecosystem all the abiotic factors in addition to the entire community of species that exist in a certain area. Landscape ecology: Deals with arrays of ecosystems and how they are arranged in a geographic region. Patchiness is an environmental characteristic where a landscape or seascape consists of a mosaic of different types of patches. Focuses on the factors controlling exchanges of energy, materials, and organisms among the ecosystem patches. The biosphere is the global ecosystem, the sum of all the planets ecosystems. II. Interactions between organisms and the environment limit the distribution of species Biogeography is the study of the past and present distribution of individual species, in the context of evolutionary theory It provides a good starting point for understanding what limits the geographic distribution of a species. Factors limiting a species distribution may include: Dispersal. Behavior. Biotic factors. Abiotic factors. Dispersal is the movement of individuals away from centers of high population density or from their area of origin One way to determine if dispersal is a key factor limiting distribution is to observe the results of transplants of a species For a transplant to be considered successful, organisms must survive and reproduce in the new area If it is successful, the potential range of the species is larger than its actual range. Behavior and habitat selection may limit distribution. Plants may select their habitats by producing seeds that germinate only under a restricted set of environmental conditions Female mosquitoes select specific habitats for oviposition, or the depositing of eggs Biotic factors that limit the distribution of a species may include: Predation Disease Parasitism Competition Abiotic factors may also limit distribution. Environmental temperature is an important factor in the distribution of organisms because of its effect on biological processes Cells may rupture if the water they contain freezes Proteins of most organisms denature at temperatures above 45 degrees C. Water availability is another important factor. Freshwater and marine organisms live submerged in aquatic environments. Terrestrial organisms face a nearly constant threat of desiccation Sunlight provides the energy that drives all ecosystems, although only plants and other photosynthetic organisms use this energy source directly Wind amplifies the effects of environmental temperature on organisms by increasing heat loss due to evaporation and convection It also contributes to water loss in organisms by increasing the rate of evaporative cooling and transpiration The physical structure, pH, and mineral composition of rocks and soil limit the distribution of plants Temperature, water, sunlight, and wind are the major components of climate Global climate patterns: Earths curved shape causes latitudinal variation in the intensity of sunlight Sunlight strikes the tropics most directly, and the most heat and light are delivered there Earths tilt causes seasonal variation in the intensity of solar radiation. June solstice Northern Hemisphere tilts toward sun; summer begins March equinox equator faces sun directly; 12 hours of daylight and darkness December solstice Northern Hemisphere tilts away from sun; winter begins September equinox equator faces sun directly Intense solar radiation near the equator initiates a global pattern of air circulation and precipitation Air flowing close to Earths surface creates predictable global wind patterns Macroclimate are patterns on the global, regional, and local level Ocean currents influence climate along the coasts of continents by heating or cooling overlying air masses, which may then pass across the land. Mountains have a significant effect on the amount of sunlight reaching an area, as well as on local temperature and rainfall. In addition to the global changes in day length, solar radiation, and temperature, the changing angle of the sun affects local environments During the summer and winter, many lakes in temperate regions are thermally stratified, or layered vertically according to temperature Lakes undergo a semiannual mixing of their waters as a result of changing temperature profiles, a process called turnover. Microclimate are very fine patterns, such as those encountered by a community underneath a log Many features in the environment influence microclimates by casting shade, affecting evaporation from soil, and changing wind patterns. III. Abiotic and biotic factors influence the structure and dynamics of aquatic biomes Biomes are major types of ecological associations that occupy broad geographic regions of land or water Aquatic biomes account of the largest part of the biosphere. These biomes are physically and chemically stratified There is sufficient light for photosynthesis in the upper photic zone Little light penetrates in the lower aphotic zone At the bottom, the subtrate is called the benthic zone It is made up of sand and organic and inorganic sediments It is occupied by communities of organisms collectively called benthos A major source of food for the benthos is dead organic matter called detritus Thermal energy from sunlight warms surface waters to whatever depth the sunlight penetrates. In the ocean and in most lakes, a narrow stratum of rapid temperature change called a thermocline separates the more uniformly warm upper layer from more uniformly cold deeper waters Major aquatic biomes: Lakes are standing bodies of water covering thousands of square kilometers Oligotrophic lakes are nutrient poor and generally oxygen rich Eutrophic lakes are nutrient rich and often depleted of oxygen if ice-covered in winter and in the deepest zone during summer The littoral zone is the shallow, well-lighted waters close to shore The limnetic zone is further away from shore and is too deep to support rooted aquatic plants A wetland is an area covered with water for a long enough period to support aquatic plants The most prominent physical characteristic of streams and rivers is current Headwater streams are generally cold, clear, turbulent, and swift Rivers are generally warmer and more turbid, since they carry more sediment than their headwaters. An estuary is a transition area between river and sea They have very complex flow patterns An intertidal zone is periodically submerged and exposed by the tides, twice daily on most marine shores The oceanic pelagic biome is a vast realm of open blue water, constantly mixed by wind-driven oceanic currents Reef building corals are limited to the photic zone of relatively stable tropical marine environments with high water clarity A coral reef, which is formed largely from the calcium carbonate skeletons of corals, develops over a long time on oceanic islands The marine benthic zone consists of the seafloor below the surface waters of the costal, or neritic, zone and the offshore, pelagic zone. Organisms in the very deep benthic or abyssal, zone are adapted to continuous cold and extremely high water pressure IV. Climate largely determines the distribution and structure of terrestrial biomes A climograph is a plot of the temperature and precipitation in a particular region Vertical stratification is an important feature of terrestrial biomes In many forests, the layers consist of the upper canopy, the low-tree stratum, the shrub understory, the ground layer of herbaceous plants, the forest floor, and the root layer Terrestrial biomes usually grade into each other, without sharp boundaries The area of intergradation is called an ecotone and may be wide or narrow Major terrestrial biomes: In tropical rain forests, rainfall is relatively constant, and in tropical dry forests, precipitation is highly seasonal Tropical forests are stratified Deserts occur in a band near 30 degrees north and south latitude or at other latitudes in the interior of continents Precipitation is low and highly variable Temperature is variable seasonally and daily The savanna is warm year-round, but with somewhat more seasonal variation than in tropical forests Chaparral occurs in midlatitude coastal regions on several continents It is dominated by shrubs and small trees, along with a high diversity of grasses and herbs Temperate grasslands cover parts of South Africa, Hungary, Argentina, Uruguay, Russia, and North America. The dominant plants are grasses and forbs The northern coniferous forest, or taiga, is the largest terrestrial biome on earth Precipitation ranges from 30 to 70 cm, and periodic droughts are common Cone-bearing trees dominate these forests A mature temperate broadleaf forest has distinct, highly diverse, vertical layers. Tundra covers expansive areas of the Arctic, amounting to 20% of Earths land surface A permanently frozen layer of soil called permafrost generally prevents water infiltration. Ch. 51 (Behavioral Ecology) I. Behavioral ecology extends observations of animal behavior by studying how such behavior is controlled and how it develops, evolves, and contributes to survival and reproductive success. II. Behavioral ecologists distinguish between proximate and ultimate causes of behavior. Behavior traits are also a part of an animals phenotype It includes muscular as well as nonmuscular activity Is everything that an animal does and how it does it. Learning is also considered a behavioral process. Proximate questions focus on the environmental stimuli that trigger a behavior, as well as the genetic, physiological, and anatomical mechanisms underlying a behavioral act These are how questions Ultimate questions address the evolutionary significance of a behavior These are why questions Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior, particularly in natural environments. Tindenbergen suggested four questions that must be answered to fully understand any behavior What is the mechanistic basis of the behavior, including chemical, anatomical, and physiological mechanisms? How does development of the animal, from zygote to mature individual, influence behavior? What is the evolutionary history of the behavior? How does the behavior contribute to survival and reproduction? The fixed action pattern is a sequence of unlearned behavioral acts that Is essentially unchangeable and is carried to completion A FAP is triggered by an external sensory stimulus known as a sign stimulus Imprinting is a type of behavior that includes both learning and innate components and is generally irreversible A sensitive period is a limited phase in an animals development that is the only time when certain behaviors can be learned III. Many behaviors have a strong genetic component. Biologists study the ways both genes and the environment influence development of behavioral phenotypes. Nature and nurture Innate behaviors are behavior that is developmentally fixed and are under strong genetic influence Kinesis is a simple change in activity or turning rate Taxis is an oriented movement toward or away from some stimulus. Trout automatically swim or orient themselves in an upstream direction, exhibiting rheotaxis Bird migration is partly under genetic control. Animal communication consists of the transmission of, reception of, and response to signals A signal is a behavior that causes a change in another animals behavior It is an essential element of interactions between individuals Many animals that communicate through odors emit chemical substances called pheromones They are typically very concentrated Many animals also communicate by auditory communication A variety of mammalian behaviors are under relatively strong genetic control. Research has revealed the genetic and neural basis for the mating and parental behavior of male prairie voles. IV. Environment, interacting with an animals genetic makeup, influences the development of behaviors. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated that the type of food eaten during larval development strongly influences later mate selection by Drosophila mojavensis females Cross-fostering studies of California mice and white-footed mice have uncovered an influence of social environment on the aggressive and parental behaviors of mice. Learning is the modification of behavior based on specific experiences. Special learning is the modification of behavior based on experience with the special structure of the environment This makes use of landmarks, or location indicators A cognitive map is an internal representation or code of the spatial relationships between objects in an animals surroundings Associative learning is the ability of many animals to associate one feature of the environment with another Classical conditioning is a type of associative learning in which an arbitrary stimulus is associated with a reward or punishment operant conditioning is called trial-and-error learning Cognition is the ability of an animals nervous system to perceive, store, process, and use information gathered by sensory receptors. The study of animal cognition, called cognitive ethology, examines the connection between an animals nervous system and its behavior. Habituation is a loss of responsiveness to stimuli that convey little or no information V. Behavioral traits can evolve by natural selection. When behavioral variation within a species corresponds to variation in environmental conditions, it may be evidence of past evolution An example of genetically based variation in behavior within a species is pretty selection by the garter snake Thamnophis elegans Foraging is behavior associated with recognizing, searching for, capture, and consuming food Laboratory studies of Drosophila populations raised in high and low density conditions show a clear divergence in behavior linked to specific genes D. melangogaster living at low population density followed a foraging path shorter than that of D. melanogaster living at high population density VI. Natural selection favors behaviors that increase survival and reproductive success. Optimal foraging theory states that natural selection should favor foraging behavior that minimizes the costs of foraging and maximizing the benefits. How mate choice enhances reproductive success varies, depending on the species mating system. In promiscuous mating, there are no strong pair bonds or lasting relationships In monogamous mating, one male mates with one female In polygamous mating, an individual of one sex mates with several of the other In polygyny, one males mates with many females In polyandry, one female mates with several males Males competition for mates is a source of intrasexual selection that can reduce variation among males agonistic behavior is an often ritualized contest that determines which competitor gains access to a resource, such as food or mates Game theory provides a way of thinking about evolution in situations where the fitness of a particular behavioral phenotype is influenced by other behavioral phenotypes in the population. VII. The concept of inclusive fitness can account for most altruistic social behavior. On occasion, animals behave in altruistic ways that reduce their individual fitness but increase the fitness of the recipient of the behavior. For example, if a squirrel sees a predator approach, the squirrel gives off an alarm, alerting unaware individuals but increasing the risk to itself This behavior can be explained by the concept of inclusive fitness It is the total effect an individual has on proliferating its genes by producing its own offspring and by providing aid that enables other close relatives to produce offspring The three key variables in an act of altruism are the benefit to the recipient (B), the cost to the altruist (C), and the coefficient of relatedness (r). Hamiltons rule states that rB > C Kin selection favors altruistic behavior by enhancing the reproductive success of relatives Altruistic behavior toward unrelated individuals can be adaptive if the aided individual returns the favor in the future, an exchange of aid called reciprocal altruism. Social learning forms the roots of culture, which can be defined as a system of information transfer through observation or teaching that influences the behavior of individuals in a population. Male choice copying is a behavior in which individuals in a population copy the mate choice of others Human culture is related to evolutionary theory in the discipline of sociobiology, whose main premise is that certain behavior characteristics exist because they are expressions of genes that have been perpetuated by natural selection. Ch. 52 I. Population ecology is the study of populations in relation to the environment, including environmental influences on population density and distribution. A population is a group of individuals of a single species living in the same general area II. Dynamic biological processes influence population density, dispersion, and demography. Population density, the number of individuals per area or volume, results from the combination of births, deaths, immigration, and emigration. Dispersion is the pattern of spacing among individuals within the boundaries of the population Environmental and social factors influence the spacing of individuals In clumped patterns, individuals are aggregated in patches In uniform patterns, individuals are evenly spaced Animals often exhibit uniform dispersion as a result of antagonistic social interactions, such as territoriality, the defense of a bounded physical space against encroachment by other individuals In random dispersion, individuals are unpredictably spaced, and the position of each individual is independent of others This occurs in the absence of strong attraction or repulsions among individuals of a population Populations grow from births and immigration and shrink from deaths and emigration Immigration is the influx of new individuals from other areas Emigration is the movement of individuals out of a population Demography is the study of the vital statistics of populations and how they change over time Of particularly interest to demographers are birth rates and how they vary among individuals and death rates Life tables are age-specific summaries of the survival pattern of a population the best way to construct one is to follow the fate of a cohort, a group of individuals of the same age, from birth until all are dead A survivorship curve is a plot of the proportion or numbers in a cohort still alive at each age Idealized survivorship curves: Type I curve is flat at the start, reflecting low death rates during early and middle life, then drops steeply as death rates increase among older age groups Type II curves are intermediate, with a constant death rate over the organisms life span Type III curve drops sharply at the start, reflecting very high death rates for the young, but the flattens out as death rates decline for those individuals that have survived to a critical age Reproductive tables, or fertility schedules, are age specific summaries of the reproductive rates in a population III. The traits that affect an organisms schedule of reproduction and survival from birth through reproduction to death make up its life history. They are evolutionary outcomes reflected in the development, physiology, and behavior of an organism. Semelparous organisms reproduce a single time and die. When the survival rate of offspring is low, as in highly variable or unpredictable environments, this is favored Iteroparous organisms produce offspring repeatedly. When environments are dependable and where competition for resources may be intense, this is favored. Life history traits such as brood size, age at maturity, and parental caregiving represent trade-offs between conflicting demands for limited time, energy, and nutrients. IV. The exponential model describes population growth in an idealized, unlimited environment. The per capita birth rate (b) is the number of offspring produced per unit time by an average member of the population The per capita death rate (m) is the number of individuals of a population that die per unit time The per capita rate of increase (r), or a populations growth rate, equals birth rate minus death rate. R = b m Growth occurs when r>0 and decline occurs when r C Kin selection favors altruistic behavior by enhancing the reproductive success of relatives Altruistic behavior toward unrelated individuals can be adaptive if the aided individual returns the favor in the future, an exchange of aid called reciprocal altruism. Social learning forms the roots of culture, which can be defined as a system of information transfer through observation or teaching that influences the behavior of individuals in a population. Male choice copying is a behavior in which individuals in a population copy the mate choice of others Human culture is related to evolutionary theory in the discipline of sociobiology, whose main premise is that certain behavior characteristics exist because they are expressions of genes that have been perpetuated by natural selection. Ch. 52 I. Population ecology is the study of populations in relation to the environment, including environmental influences on population density and distribution. A population is a group of individuals of a single species living in the same general area II. Dynamic biological processes influence population density, dispersion, and demography. Population density, the number of individuals per area or volume, results from the combination of births, deaths, immigration, and emigration. Dispersion is the pattern of spacing among individuals within the boundaries of the population Environmental and social factors influence the spacing of individuals In clumped patterns, individuals are aggregated in patches In uniform patterns, individuals are evenly spaced Animals often exhibit uniform dispersion as a result of antagonistic social interactions, such as territoriality, the defense of a bounded physical space against encroachment by other individuals In random dispersion, individuals are unpredictably spaced, and the position of each individual is independent of others This occurs in the absence of strong attraction or repulsions among individuals of a population Populations grow from births and immigration and shrink from deaths and emigration Immigration is the influx of new individuals from other areas Emigration is the movement of individuals out of a population Demography is the study of the vital statistics of populations and how they change over time Of particularly interest to demographers are birth rates and how they vary among individuals and death rates Life tables are age-specific summaries of the survival pattern of a population the best way to construct one is to follow the fate of a cohort, a group of individuals of the same age, from birth until all are dead A survivorship curve is a plot of the proportion or numbers in a cohort still alive at each age Idealized survivorship curves: Type I curve is flat at the start, reflecting low death rates during early and middle life, then drops steeply as death rates increase among older age groups Type II curves are intermediate, with a constant death rate over the organisms life span Type III curve drops sharply at the start, reflecting very high death rates for the young, but the flattens out as death rates decline for those individuals that have survived to a critical age Reproductive tables, or fertility schedules, are age specific summaries of the reproductive rates in a population III. The traits that affect an organisms schedule of reproduction and survival from birth through reproduction to death make up its life history. They are evolutionary outcomes reflected in the development, physiology, and behavior of an organism. Semelparous organisms reproduce a single time and die. When the survival rate of offspring is low, as in highly variable or unpredictable environments, this is favored Iteroparous organisms produce offspring repeatedly. When environments are dependable and where competition for resources may be intense, this is favored. Life history traits such as brood size, age at maturity, and parental caregiving represent trade-offs between conflicting demands for limited time, energy, and nutrients. IV. The exponential model describes population growth in an idealized, unlimited environment. The per capita birth rate (b) is the number of offspring produced per unit time by an average member of the population The per capita death rate (m) is the number of individuals of a population that die per unit time The per capita rate of increase (r), or a populations growth rate, equals birth rate minus death rate. R = b m Growth occurs when r>0 and decline occurs when r

Elizabeth Hardwicks Criticism of Washington Square :: Elizabeth Hardwick Washington Square

Elizabeth Hardwick's Criticism of Washington Square Aristotle said that art was one step away from life, and criticism was one step away from that. So what does that make a criticism of a criticism? Carry the one, divide by a and move the decimal point†¦I don't know, I was never that good at math, but it seems like we may need to drop bread crumbs like Hansel and Gretel to find our way back to the original text. I enjoy criticism, sometimes for the purpose of learning something new and (factual and) exciting that I originally wasn't aware of in the text. Sometimes it is just fun to see where the critic's academic flight of fancy has taken them. Sometimes, and this is often true, a cigar is just a cigar†¦ Elizabeth Hardwick's (wasn't that Raleigh's wife's name?) article "On Washington Square" can't seem to decide whether it is fish or fowl; the reader has a hard time distinguishing between plot and character summary, New Historicist, Psychoanalytical, Formalist and all other manner of criticism. Nothing, I think was anything shockingly original or eye-opening, leaving me feeling that it was actually more review than actual literary criticism. Hardwick dances from discipline to discipline throughout the course of the article, leaving the reader feeling spun every which way, swinging for a pià ±ata that isn't even there. Interdisciplinary criticism is not necessarily a bad thing but, in two and-a half full pages of writing, the reader is given a whirlwind tour of too many subjects. She moves from an historical description of the time and setting of Washington Square to physical and psychological character summaries to a suggestion that the character of Austin Sloper may be James's portrayal of his brother William to a relatively long passage on the perfect balance and the source of the novel. Everything that was said was a complete thought, but there was no meat to the information; it was like gnawing on a soup bone while all you really want is a nice roast. Actually, Hardwick's article was not at all faulty, just dry and altogether too short for the knowledge that it was trying to impart. It could have been three or four times longer and given ample attention to each point.

An Analysis of “1984” by Orson Welles Essay

Back during the time of World War II, paranoia swept across the globe. Hitler, brainwashing thousands of people into fighting for him, nearly defeated all who opposed him. Had he succeeded in his mission, a fascist government system would have formed, greatly inhibiting the rights and privileges of the general populace. George Orwell wrote 1984 to demonstrate the horror this system would bring. Using setting, characters, and conflict, Orwell uses this book to portray the theme of raw, unrefined humanity, and its ability to rise above a corrupt and confining evil of an enemy. Orwell distorts the idea of Utopia, an ideal society where human beings live a perfect existence, and creates a fictional setting in which life is extremely bad from oppression, deprivation of rights, and terror. Fear is used as a tool for manipulating and controlling individuals, and nearly every positive feeling is squelched. The world is divided into three political countries: Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia. Each of these states is ruled by a totalitarian government and is constantly warring on multiple fronts. Using the terrifying atmosphere of the archaic world, Orwell creates the illusion that Winston has nowhere to escape the oppression. Winston is forced to live within his present circumstances; able to change where he lives, yet unable to change how he lives. Oceania’s political structure contained three segments: the ruling class, the educated workers, and the working class. Orwell, being a socialist, realized that with class distinctions came class struggle. The ruling class, consisting of the wealthy and powerful, was only two percent of the population. In Hitler’s Germany, the very few people who were considered part of the ruling class had a more luxurious lifestyle that the masses, yet in this nation, as in 1984, revolt was inevitable. The conflict between Winston and O’Brien is another way Orwell shows how a society can try to brainwash a person into believing the impossible. For instance, O’Brien wants Winston to believe that two plus two is five, going  against all the laws of mathematics Winston has studied all his life. O’Brien is one of the top leaders in the Inner Party, and may even be part of a hive that creates the idea of Big Brother. When O’Brien reveals himself as a representative of the Party and all of its contradictions and cruelty, Winston discards all feelings of friendship and suddenly becomes his enemy. This action directly relates to the theme in how if humanity is confronted with evil, every ounce of effort will be used to resist. Doublethink, the ability to hold two opposing ideas in someone’s mind at the same time, is forced into Winston by O’Brien, only confusing him further. If only Winston had accepted the doctrines of the Party, his life would have been spared. Instead, Winston is murdered because of his individuality, ensuring the inability to spread his idealistic views to the public, hungry for freedom and escape from oppression. Winston Churchill was the exalted leader of England during World War II. One must consider why Orwell gives the name â€Å"Winston Smith† to his main character. The name Winston stands for the individuality, uniqueness, and greatness of the character, while Smith stands for the regularity of such a person. In the failing governmental system in 1984, even the greatest person can be shoved aside and told to work in a menial job, negating all hope of ever reaching his full potential. Because Winston is so common, so real, it is easy to identify with him and to imagine being in his shoes. Winston embodies the values of a civilized society: peace, freedom, democracy, love, and decency. When Winston is killed, these things are destroyed with him. He represents the struggle between good and evil, and there is no mistaking where the lines are drawn. A Totalitarian government does not permit these characteristics in their citizens, therefore insisting upon Winston’s death. George Orwell wrote about 1984 in 1948, and the ideals he introduced can still be applied in the present. Although Winston dies at the end, Orwell is trying to show the stubbornness of human nature. We cannot forget that above all, individuality must be expressed, or the common man will have no reason, or desire, to live.

What Does Mise en Place Mean In A Business Writing Course

What Does Mise en Place Mean In A Business Writing Course â€Å"Mise-en-place is the religion of all good line cooks†¦ As a cook, your station, and its condition, its state of readiness, is an extension of your nervous system†¦ The universe is in order when your station is set.† - Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential If it is time for you to cook up a business report, proposal, or other major document, you might want to take direction from the time-honored system used in restaurant kitchens around the world. Mise en place is a French term that means â€Å"put in place† and describes the way chefs get organized for dinner service in order to produce good food quickly and under great pressure. It involves precise preparation, so that when the work begins, everything and everyone is ready and knows what to do next. Because time, resources, and space are precious in a restaurant kitchen, chefs use this system to make the most of them. Professional chefs call it the â€Å"Meez† and say it is much more than a system. It’s a philosophy, and a state of mind. In a report from National Public Radio’s â€Å"The Salt,† Melissa Gray, a student at the famed Culinary Institute of America says she even knows people who have had mise en place tattooed on their body. â€Å"It really is a way of life†¦ a way of concentrating your mind to only focus on the aspects that you need to be working on at that moment, to kind of rid yourself of distractions.† PRINCIPLES OF MISE EN PLACE Preparation mindset: Chefs have designated workstations. They ensure their knives are always sharpened and tools placed within reach. Before service starts, they review recipes. Then they prep the ingredients, sometimes getting set for a three-hour dinner service with six hours of prep time. If you have a major business writing project coming up, do your mise en place before beginning. Compile the information/statistics you know you will need and create an information mapping system that works for you. Line up the team of people who will be contributing to the project and make sure each person knows their role. Sharpen your business writing skills by taking a business writing course. Plan ahead so that when the deadline approaches, your document is cooking away and almost ready to serve. Working â€Å"clean†: Working clean is a matter of pride to a professional chef, and crucial to ensure that nobody gets sick from their food. Proponents of mise en place keep their work stations picked up, as they go, so there are no dirty pots stacked on the cutting board or vegetable clippings clogging the sink. Working clean on a writing project translates to keeping your work area organized in a concept map or outline and checking in with the team to see if they are meeting deadlines. A document is created with a process. It also includes saving pertinent information (where you know you will find it) for future projects. A good business writer who works in a mise en place manner doesn’t have to start from scratch with each writing project. Slow down to speed up: Proponents of the Meez know that it is better to work in a controlled manner, even if it means slowing service a little bit, than to risk putting out inconsistent, poorly presented dishes. After all, if a diner has a problem with the dish, they might return it, and then it has to be cooked all over again. That’s a big waste of time. The same goes for a business writing project. Rushing through and sending off a document that is not on target, or contains inaccurate information and typos, can result in having to redo the document or even worse- the loss of business. An effectivebusiness writing course with Instructional Solutions will get you prepared for your next project. You will get organized, get cooking on your document and learn to speak the lingo. GET ORGANIZED The majority of business documents follow a recipe of sorts. Readers expect that proposals will have X and reports contain Y. An appropriate business writing course will enable you to write efficiently (spending 30% less time writing), with the goal of getting a positive business response from the document. Most importantly, you will learn to analyze who the target audience for the document is. Too often, documents like business proposals are shaped around what your company offers, instead of what the client needs. That approach is like making a dish from what you have in the fridge, instead of using the ingredients that the recipe calls for. GET COOKING â€Å"No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.† - Julia Child The same is true for great business writers. Make sure you get right into the kitchen and work on one of your writing projects. SPEAK THE LINGO Do you speak chef? Do you know that â€Å"in the weeds† means you are running behind? Just as a professional kitchen has its own language, so does business writing. Learn about language and style to ensure that your document speaks the lingo of its target readers. Instructional Solutions has abusiness writing coursethat will sharpen your writing skills and enable you to produce high quality business documents, no matter how crazy it is in your company kitchen. Contact usto learn more, and bon appà ©tit!