Is Routine Circumcision of Infants Ethical?

History of Circumcision: Reviewing the history of circumcision and the many misguided reasons for its practice will help form an understanding of the multifaceted issues concerning routine infant circumcision. Some of the earliest evidence of male circumcision comes from Egypt around the year 3000 BC. However, researchers studying this practice do not understand or agree on its purpose. Some researches believe that circumcision was a form of branding for slaves while others thought it to be from the priestly class as a form of religious ritual. But when is more pertinent to this argument is that the early Greeks and Romans outlawed male circumcision believing it to be a barbaric form of mutilation of male genitalia. The first documented purpose for circumcision is in the Old Testament Scriptures (Gen 17:10) concerning the covenant between Abraham and God, representative of the relationship between Israel and Yahweh. According to the governing doctrinal resource for Catholics worldwide, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the explanation for Old Testament circumcision is in section 1150. 1150 – †¦Among these liturgical signs from the Old Covenant are circumcision, anointing and consecration of kings and priests, laying on of hands, sacrifices, and above all the Passover. The Church sees in these signs a prefiguring of the sacraments of the New Covenant. † The circumcision of Jesus in the New Testament explains that when Jesus came, as the fulfillment of prophecy that the new covenant manifested through th e innocent blood of Jesus replaces once and for all the old covenant through Father Abraham. There is no longer a need for animal sacrifices and the early Christian community determined that baptism was to be the new sign of the covenant. â€Å"527- Jesus' circumcision, on the eighth day after his birth, is the sign of his incorporation into Abraham's descendants, into the people of the covenant. It is the sign of his submission to the Law and his deputation to Israel's worship, in which he will participate throughout his life. This sign prefigures that â€Å"circumcision of Christ† which is Baptism. Routine infant circumcision in the United States became prevalent in the Victorian age (1840) and reached its height during the Cold War (1940) when technology, hospitals, and modern medicine sought to institutionalize the birthing process. Including more than 90% of boys, infant circumcisions became so routine that doctors performed the procedure without actually receiving consent from the parents. Parents not desiring the process for their sons were considered negligen t. Given the history and the misguided reasons for practicing routine circumcision, â€Å"Why would a parent authorize, a doctor perform, or an insurance company pay for, the routine circumcision of infants? † A. Health Reasons- certainly it would be ethical to surgically remove the penis foreskin of a male infant if in some way it presented a health risk; there is no real argument here. B. Tradition-for generations, infants have undergone various procedures under the reasoning of â€Å"tradition. From binding feet in Japan (which has been banned) to piercing ears, and stretching necks, tradition plays a large part in the decision for circumcision. Many men, who like their own fathers were circumcised as infants, think that their child in turn might as well be circumcised too. However, is there any real thinking going on here at all? I argue that just because everyone else jumps off a bridge, is that any reason for you to jump off as well. Religious Beliefs- I would have to say yes, it is ethical to have a child circumcised if you are following a true religious belief. The parent who has legal authority over their child may choose (and in fact is morally obligated to choose) to do what they believe is in the best interest of the child. Therefore, for the Jews who believe that the outward sign of circumcision establishes their child in a covenantal relationship with God; they are well within their ethical right and responsibility to have their sons circumcised. Freedom of religion is one of the building blocks of our free nation. Circumcision mentality: Today thanks in part to our mass media; modern society is ruled by prevailing mentalities. These pervasive mindsets allure us to what appears to be the benefits of circumcision, while completely obscuring any possible negative ramifications. The mentality is permeated into societal norms, which are almost impossible to resist, and are most difficult to correct. An accepted societal mentality is further driven by force of habit. Among other things, we live in a society that assumes that a male infant in the United States is routinely circumcised. Seldom are discussions of the pros and cons of the procedure brought to the attention of the parent, unless the parent specifically requests it. Even then, the doctor may say, â€Å"It is not medically necessary but if the boys father has been circumcised, then you should probably have your son circumcised as well†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦or â€Å"you wouldn’t want him to look different than his friends when he becomes a high school student in the locker room. † Medical Ethics: When looking into medical ethics, the Oath of Hippocrates standard for medical professionals since 400 BCE shed some additional light onto the situation. From the Oath: â€Å"I do solemnly swear by whatever I hold most sacred, that I will be loyal to the profession of medicine†¦that I will exercise my art, solely for the cure of my patients and the prevention of disease†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Therefore, considering the Hippocrates oath, a routine circumcision of an infant male does not fall into the category of â€Å"†¦curing a patient, and the preventing of disease†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Why then would doctors perform such an unnecessary procedure Catholic Theological Ethics: As a student of Theology, from a Roman Catholic perspective I have yet to hear a discussion concerning the morality of circumcision. However after researching the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) under the subtitle â€Å"Mutilation of body parts† section 2297 reads, â€Å"Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law. † VI. Personal Ethics: Each parent possesses the God given right to make certain decisions on behalf of their young children who cannot make these decisions themselves. A good example is immunizations; no infant has the capability to make this decision, so the parent, in the child’s best interest makes the decision to have the child immunized. I am a mother of four sons, born in the years 1983, 1985, 1991 and 1992. Although the father of the boys was circumcised however, none of our boys is circumcised. To this day, none of them has ever had trouble of any kind, nor has it been an issue in the locker room. The decision to leave the boys as they were born, uncircumcised, was based on the fact that it was not a medical necessity, that anesthetic was not used (they had just been traumatized in birth), and that there was a possibility of complications from the procedure. Parents need to take a more proactive stance in researching the pros and cons of the procedure, and should spend at least as much time and energy on this decision as they do in picking out a new car! VII. Objective – If the objective of the National Organization of Circumcision of Infants Resource Center is to reduce the number of routine circumcisions performed, I believe that to pursue this objective through legal channels alone would be fruitless. Big government has more than enough authority in dictating to families what they can and cannot do for their children. Your best bet would be to lobby the insurance companies. Perhaps you could demand coverage for an elective surgical procedure such as having your breasts enlarged and when they tell you no that it is just a cosmetic or optional procedure, sue them for discriminatory practices. The last thing an insurance company wants is a class action lawsuit. It would be simple for them to simply take routine infant circumcisions off their list of covered procedures. In addition, a non-covered expense for an unnecessary procedure may prompt parents to give this issue closer consideration. D. Moral Law: Next, one must consider which law is the governing authority in your life. The Moral Law operates under a set of religious beliefs. Found within the moral law are the Jewish Law, and the Christian Law (for the sake of brevity we will not mention other religious groups here). The Jewish Law of Circumcision establishes a covenant between God and Abraham (Gen 17:10), representative of Yahweh and Israel. The Christian Law comes into effect with the birth of Jesus. Jesus becomes the new sign of the covenant, with the Baptism of infants as the effective cause. Concerning Civil Law under which all persons are bound; it has little criteria for establishing ethical arguments. One may ask questions of the law: if allowing an un-anaesthetized circumcision is lawful, and what recourse would a child have if the procedure causes permanent damage to the male organ but these are considered civil, not ethical. Additionally, why would an insurance company pay for such an unnecessary procedure (when so many don’t pay for many true necessities)? Perhaps it should be regarded as â€Å"elective surgery† and therefore it would be a charge paid for entirely by the parent requesting the procedure, not as an â€Å"ordinary and customary† procedure paid for by the insurance companies. However, the Hebrew people alone practiced the circumcision of infants on the 8th day after birth. The child’s father, using a flint knife, preformed circumcision

Analysis of Toyota’s Marketing Strategy Essay

Surendra Bhandari1 [available at: http://papers. ssrn. com/sol3/papers. cfm? abstract_id=1624068 ] Abstract Toyota was established in 1937 in Japan. First time it introduced its product Corona in the US in 1965. By the 70’s, Toyota was the best-selling import brand in the US. During the 80’s, it started manufacturing vehicles in the US. In 2006, it had globally become the second largest car seller and third largest car sellers in the US having more than fifteen percent market share. It is estimated that by 2008 it is going to be the number one car producer and seller both in the US and across the world. This profound success of Toyota is associated with its most proficient market strategy. The case of Toyota notably proves that how important is market strategy in the life of a company to be a market leader. 1. Mission Toyota’s mission statement is as follows: â€Å"To sustain sustainable growth by providing the best customer experience and dealer support. † (Toyota, 2007) Customer satisfaction is the driving force for Toyota, which inspires it to provide the highest quality products and services. â€Å"Kaizen† is a word that Toyota upholds, which means â€Å"continuous improvement† of its technology, products, and services. In short, Kaizen for customer satisfaction is Toyota’s mission. Toyota further explains its mission as follows: 1 Dr. Bhandari can be contacted at: bhandarisurendra@gmail. com â€Å"Around here our values are just like yours. We are hard working. We are active in community. We are creating jobs. We celebrate our diversity. We are building cleaner greener cars. And this is just the beginning. † (Toyota, 2007) 2. Distinctive Competencies Among others, three distinctive competencies of Toyota are remarkable. These distinctive competencies appeal the consumers, build trust with them, and make them satisfied. These competencies are as follows: i. Popular Economy Car: Toyota is best known for ‘popular economy car’. It has successfully branded the concept of ‘popular economy car’, by producing cars matching to the concept. It has garnered its success by selling the concept to the consumer. It has also become profoundly successful in segmenting, targeting, and positioning. As a result, based on the pricing reports generated by over ten million visitors, out of top ten cars, three are Toyotas – Toyota Camry (No. 2), Toyota Corolla (No. 4), and Toyota Avalon (No. 8). (Kelly Blue Book, 2007) It produces eight varieties of cars. Among them, the prices for the four varieties cars range 10,000. 00 US $, three varieties range 15,000. 00 US $, and one variety ranges slightly over 20,000. 00 US $. ii. Cutting-edge Technology: Toyota simply did not stop to the concept of ‘popular economy car’. This concept could have easily turned into product maturity and decline. But Toyota continuously engaged in improving technology – design, looks, comfort, fuel efficiency, environmental friendliness, and other technical improvements. For example, Toyota Corolla was first introduced in Japan in 1966 and in the US in 1968 as a first generation Toyota Corolla. Since then roughly in every three years it is being developed and marketed in a new model. By 2006, tenth generation of Toyota Corolla was already launched with significant technological improvements. Toyota’s hybrid cars can be taken as another example. It started producing hybrid cars in 1995 however till 1999 Japan was 1 the only market for its hybrid cars. Coming to 2005, it became successful to capture a large chunk of US market. Today, it is selling almost seventy five percent of its hybrid cars alone in the US market. iii. Low Operating Cost: Why consumers purchase Toyota? The simple answer is that Toyota’s cars are distinctive with the properties of low operating cost. For example, a survey carried out by Toplin Strategy Group in 2007 has revealed that 73% of Prius owners had bought Toyota Prius because of financial incentive to purchase the vehicle such as lower sticker price or lower operating cost than other choices. (Marketing Green, 2007) Similarly, based on 45% highway driving and 55% city driving with annual 15,000 miles Toyota Prius has been proved to be the most fuel efficient car than any of its competitors such as Honda Civic Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, and Lexus GS 450. (Fuel Economy, 2008). 3. Trends / Conditions Among many other factors, demand for energy efficient and greener cars, demand for low operating cost, and demand for high level of safety and comfort are the most significant factors that are influencing the trends and conditions of automobile marketplace. Today’s automobile sector can be best described as one of the sectors that are trying utmost to respond these important marketplace demands. Based on these demands, there is both good and bad news for the auto industry, including for Toyota. Good news is that there is surprisingly robust vehicle sale in the market. The bad news is that some of the leading automakers are shedding thousands more jobs. Some of the automakers are also projecting downward market trends. These trends are important because, automobiles are responsible for 13. 3 million US jobs, and US $ 675 billion revenue in the US economy. 2 On a year-on-year basis, Toyota sales has surged 10. 5%, General Motors Corp. has showed a year-on-year improvement posting 12. 1% sales gain, and Chrysler has taken a 15% year-on-year sales dive, whereas Ford Motor Co. has stayed mostly flat, down 0. 5%. In terms of global sales, Toyota is in second position following GM. In terms of sales in the US market, Toyota is in third position having 14. 9% of market shares in 2006. Union of concerned scientists in their 2007 report state that Toyota has regained second place overall in the environmental rankings as well and is the only automaker to make consistent improvements on its global warming score since 2001. Toyota has the best global warming performance in six out of ten classes and better than average performance in the rest. If past trends continue, Toyota may overtake Honda’s global warming score within two years. Doing so will require continued investment in hybrids. Globally, 53 millions new cars are sold in 2007. Out of them, 15. 9 millions are sold alone in the US. In 2007, around the world, it is estimated that there will be 806 million cars and light trucks on the road, out of them 244 million will be in operation in the US alone. Currently, these vehicles burn nearly 260 billion gallons of fuel yearly and by 2020, the number of cars and light trucks is estimated to reach above 1 billion. The years of 2004 through 2007 will long be remembered as a pivotal period in the automobile industry as during this period gasoline prices started a sea change among US consumers that is finally creating a significant demand for fuel efficient vehicles. As a result, this has lead to the phenomenal demand for Toyota’s Prius hybrid car. Responding to the demands of consumers Toyota has expanded its investments in Georgetown, Kentucky plant to enable to manufacture 48,000 hybrid cars yearly. Ford launched its first hybrids, and other carmakers, including GM, were greatly encouraged in their own efforts to bring more hybrids to the market. However, response to hybrids from U. S. makers has been lukewarm at best. Consumers 3 generally aren’t as impressed with U. S. hybrid technology as they are with that of Toyota models. In short, while the US based Big Three struggle, Toyota is being more strategic. It has increased its capacity to manufacture over 1. 5 million vehicles yearly in North America. On a global scale, the company plans to sell 10. 4 million vehicles by 2009, up from 8. 8 million in 2006. The big news is that Toyota is most likely surpassing GM in global sales by 2008, making Toyota the world’s largest carmaker. 4. Organizational Objectives Toyota has set seven fundamental objectives. Among them, to dedicate in providing clean and safe products and enhance the quality of life everywhere through better production and services is the main objective of Toyota. Similarly, its other objectives are: to honor the law, language and culture of every nation with fair corporate activities; contribute to economic and social development of communities around the world through corporate activities; create and develop advanced technologies and provide outstanding products and services to customers; foster individual’s creativity and teamwork value; pursue growth through innovative management; and work with business partners for mutual benefits. To achieve these objectives and their effective implementation, it has clearly set fourteen principles that are widely considered as Toyota’s Ways. Based on these principles, Toyota takes management decisions on a long-term philosophy, even at the expenses of a short-term financial goal. It believes in a continuous process flow to bring problems to the surface, uses visual control so that no problems are hidden, uses pull system to avoid overproduction, and works like tortoise and not the hare. It standardizes the tasks and processes as the foundation for continuous improvement and empowers employees by which it further enhances its ability to use only reliable and thoroughly tested technology that serves the customers. 4. Similarly, its organizational objectives are further substantiated by its idea of developing exceptional people and teams who follow the philosophy of Toyota, respect the network of partners and suppliers, and learn from the practices. It believes in making decisions slowly by consensus thoroughly considering all options and once the decisions are taken, it implements the decisions rapidly. On top of that, by becoming a learning organization through relentless reflection and continuous improvement of its products and services, Toyota can be exemplified as a case that has achieved its organizational objectives successfully. 5. Strategic Business Unit Toyota offers energy efficient, green, and popular economy cars, SUVs/Vans, hybrids, and light trucks with safety and comfort measures in place. It produces more than two dozen varieties of products. All of its products are globally very popular. Its products are sold in over 200 countries across the globe. On top of that, the US is the biggest market for Toyota. For example, till 2006 it had sold more than 7 million Toyota Corollas alone in the US. In the financial year 2006-07, in consolidated terms, it sold its products of 226. 06 billion US $ (23,948. 00 billion yen) and earned net income of 15. 17 billion US $ (1,644. 0 billion yen). (Toyota, 2006) In 2006, Toyota was engaged in a variety of projects designed to solidify its foundations while continuing to grow. On the product front besides its two dozen already launched products, Lexus has launched its new flagship model, the LS, and the new global Camry went on sale. In manufacturing, several new projects were started around the world. In May 2006, manufacturing of the Camry began in Guangzhou, China, while in the United States, the Kentucky plant, which in October 2006 celebrated 20 years of production, has started manufacturing the first Toyota hybrid vehicle to be made in North America, the Camry Hybrid. In November 2006, the Texas plant began producing the new Tundra truck, a key vehicle in Toyota’s North American lineup. 5 In Japan, Toyota Motor Kyushu, Inc. has begun full-scale operations at its engine factory, and Toyota Motor Tohoku Co. , Ltd. has increased its manufacturing capacity. In human resources development sector, following the establishment of the Asia Pacific Global Production Center in Thailand in August 2005, Toyota has established the North American Production Center in the U. S. in February 2006, and the European Global Production Center in the United Kingdom in March 2006. Established as branches of the Global Production Center in Japan, these were created to spread Toyota’s manufacturing knowledge and skills throughout the world in pace with the rapid growth of Toyota’s overseas manufacturing. In R&D side, Toyota has focused its efforts on three key areas: environment, safety, and energy. It has made a special effort in the area of the environment by expanding its lineup of hybrid vehicles, and has worked on R&D relating to plug-in hybrid. In addition, as part of Toyota’s efforts to respond to the diversification of energy, in 2007 Toyota has introduced a flex fuel vehicle in the Brazilian market that will run on 100% bio-ethanol fuel. From this point on, based on the philosophy of providing â€Å"the right car, in the right place, at the right time,† and in accordance with the infrastructure and customer needs of each region, Toyota is striving for promoting efforts to develop environmentally friendly technology and vehicles. 6. Boston Consulting Group Matrix Based on the Boston Matrix, the market situation of Toyota is Healthy. To support this statement, three products are chosen here – Camry, Prius, & Corolla. These all fall into the category of Star as they are holding high market share and high market growth. All these three products are well established and the growth is exciting. These are creating fantastic opportunities. The only challenge is Toyota needs to maintain its Stars. And, it seems that for at least a couple of years Toyota will maintain its Stars. 6 Toyota Corolla: It is a compact car, very popular throughout the world since it was first introduced in 1966. In 1997 it became the bestselling car in the world; in 2004 it was the number one selling car in the US in its segment with over 30 million sold as of 2007. In the US alone, more than 7 million Toyota Corolla cars have been sold. Over the past 40 years, one Toyota Corolla car has been sold on average every 40 seconds. Today, it is manufactured in 16 countries in the world. It has been almost steadfast in face-lifting each generation after two years, and replacing it with an all-new model every four year. As a result, it has brought in market its 10th generation model in 2006 in Japan and has been introduced to the US market since October 2007. This product strategy of Toyota Corolla has helped it to be continuously in the Star quadruple. Toyota Camry: It is a mid-size car manufactured in the US, Australia, China, and Japan. In some markets, the top range Camry models are seen as executive cars. The Camry has been the bestselling car in the US, its largest consumer market, for nine of the last ten years starting in 1997, with the only exception in 2001. The first generation Camry was introduced in 1983 and in 2007 the sixth generation Camry has been introduced. The sixth-generation Toyota Camry is the first generation in which it has been available as a gasoline/electric hybrid. EPA fuel economy estimates for the 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid 38 MPG in city and 40 MPG on highway. Toyota Prius: It is a hybrid electric vehicle and one of the first such vehicles to be massproduced and marketed. The Prius first went on sale in Japan in 1997, and worldwide in 2001. By the end of 2003, nearly 160,000 units had been produced for sale in Japan, Europe, and North America. The Prius has won several awards, including the Car of the Year Japan in 1997/98, the North American Car of the Year 2004, and the European Car of the Year 2005. EPA has recently revised environmental standards and the Prius 2007 has been acknowledged as the most fuel efficient car sold in the US. Its market share in the US is growing each year. In 7 2000, Prius market share in the US was very negligible but by 2005 out of its total sale the US alone had consumed about seventy percent. 7. Organizational Strategy for Growth Toyota has already got market over 200 countries across the globe. Only in 2006, it sold 8. 52 million of its products and has planned to be a number one car producing and selling company by 2008. This ambitious strategy of market penetration is associated with its proficient demographic and psychographic segmentation and targeting. It has successfully got high level of positioning in the mind of the consumers with its brand and distinctive competencies as discussed above disseminating through integrated market communication (IMC) techniques. Toyota has diversified its product with a brand of right car in the right place. For example, it has introduced a flex fuel vehicle in the Brazilian market that will run on 100% bio-ethanol fuel. It has introduced hybrid electric car (Prius) mostly for the market in the US, Japan, and EU. On top of that in each two year it improves looking of its product and in each four year transforms model into new one. By upholding this strategy of product development, Toyota has become successful in managing product life cycle, more specifically it introduces product and keeps the product growing without letting them to be matured and decline. Its exceptional organizational strategy for growth is importantly nurtured by its strategy working with around 522 subsidiaries around the world and successfully creating a wider market chain around the globe. Another way of Toyota’s organizational strategy for growth is that it reads the public mind through its research department that monitors the industry and keeps tabs on demographic and economic developments. Its mission: to predict consumer trends and create a lineup of cars and trucks to capitalize on them. Each professional is expected to spend time out in the field talking 8 to car buyers. The Japanese have a name for it: genchi genbutsu – go to the scene and confirm the actual happenings. 8. Market Share While looking at the market share of Toyota in the US market since 1980 to 2006, it is realized that its market share is continuously growing. For example, in the 80s Toyota’s market share in the US was about 5% and that has risen to above 15% by 2006. So in a twenty-five years time Toyota has outstandingly tripled its market share in the US. On the other hand, market share of its three major competitors GM, Ford, and Chrysler is gradually declining. In the 80s GM’s market share in the US was above forty-five percent. But by 2006 GM’s market share has shrunk to 24%. Similarly, in the 80s Ford had more than twenty-three percent market share but by 2006 its market share has come down to sixteen percent. By being successful in increasing market share, Toyota has become the world’s most profitable automaker. In 2006, it sold 2. 5 million cars and trucks in the US market alone. Because, Toyota is already bigger than Chrysler in the US and is about to pass Ford by 2008, Toyota’s presence in the US is now so prominent that the 3,322 business leaders surveyed by Fortune have named Toyota as one of America’s most admired companies. On the financial side, Toyota’s net revenue for the fiscal year 2007 is 23. 94 trillion yen, which is an increase of 13. 8 percent compared to the fiscal year of 2006. In 2007, its operating income has increased by 19. 2 percent to 2. 23 trillion yen. Its net income has increased by 19. 8 percent to 1. 64 trillion yen. All of these figures marked record high. It is estimated that the consolidated vehicle sales for the fiscal year 2008 will be 8. 89 million units. The revenue for the fiscal year 2008 is estimated to be 25. 00 trillion yen. While we compare its net income from 2004 to 2006, it is clearly shown that its net income is increasing each year. For example its net 9 income for the year 2004 was 1,162,998 million yen that increased to 1,171,260 million yen in 2005, and in 2006 that further increased to 1,372,180 million yen. 9. Elements of Marketing Strategy Toyota’s segmentation and target market is guided by its philosophy of ‘right car in the right place’. Toyota has employed both demographic and psychographic form of multiple segmentations and targeted its market on that basis. For example, it has segmented all the countries across the globe as its market. But has also identified its focused market such as the US, Canada, EU, Australia, China, India, and Indonesia. On top of that US is its first priority being the biggest market. It is because, US consumes almost 30% of its products. Its products range with different prices from US $ 10,000. 00 to 30,000. 00 plus. The economy class cars are targeted to lower and middle level income people and the luxury cars are targeted to higher middle and higher income group people. With a variety of product attributes it targets different age group and professional groups of people. For example, for sport people it has sport cars. For environmentally sensitive people it has Prius – environmentally green car. Likewise, it has offered 100% bio-ethanol fuel car in Brazil, where is bio-ethanol potential. Likewise, those who are truck lovers or professional who need trucks, it offers them different variety of trucks. In fact, its marketing strategy – segmentation, targeting, and positioning is nurtured by its variety of offers and product attributes. Further, it has designed its market strategy at different levels – global level, regional level, and national level based on the assessment of customer needs and choices. Toyota focuses its products in market with comfort, kindness, and excitement. Toyota claims that its products harmonize ecology and emotions. One of the key factors for designing segmentation and targeting, Toyota’s analysis is always based on the condition of market, economy, purchasing 10 capacity, and consumers’ choices. Based on these factors Toyota is launching its global motorization strategy with leading-edge technology. Likewise, Toyota has upheld a very strong promotional strategy using integrated market communication (IMC) tool. On top of that, Toyota blog (http://blog. toyota. com) is another very successful mechanism of advertising and promotion. On its blog, Toyota closely pays attention to the voices of its customers and provides responses to a large amount of inquiry. 10. Elements of Market Planning Toyota has adopted three important elements in its market planning – green, safety, and low operating cost. Being based on these three important factors, Toyota has become successful to garner the market opportunity. On the whole, there seem more opportunities for Toyota than threats. However, there are some threats that cannot be denied. Opportunities: Toyota’s market share is growing each year. From about 5 percent market share in 1986, it has acquired more than 15 percent market share in the US in 2006. Its competitors’ market share is declining each year, which is the biggest opportunity for Toyota. Toyota and its competitors have similar segmentation and targeting but in creating positioning Toyota has come off much ahead than its competitors because of its products’ attributes. Further, it is also ahead of its competitors in technology front. For example, it is the first automobile producer that introduced hybrid in the market. Today, the market share for its hybrid is growing exponentially. At the same time, hybrid products of its competitors are not successful. Threats: Besides opportunities in the marketplace, Toyota’s most illustrated product – Prius has not got much success in Europe and its market share is declining in Japan itself. Further, its competitors – GM, Ford, and Chrysler have become more strategic and are being focused on 11 from cutting-edge technology to leading-edge technology. Toyota is growing with ambition to pass the GM but still GM is the number one automobile in the US and the globe. 11. Conclusion From the perspective of marketing strategy, Toyota can be taken as a company that has successfully achieved its mission statement, successfully branded its distinctive competencies, and profoundly achieved its organizational objectives. This success is based on its successful market strategy. This is corroborated by the fact that all of its products studied in this paper (Toyota Corolla, Camry, and Prius) do fall into Star quadruple under the Boston Matrix. In quintessence, it can be said that Toyota is an outstanding case for learning how to build and implement market strategy, get penetration in the market, manage product life cycle, uphold market positioning, best use of integrated market communication (IMC), and branding its product in the mindset of the customer. In short, Toyota is a notable example that proves how important is marketing strategy in the life of a company and managers. References CNNMoney, (2007), America’s Best Car Companies, Mrach 7, 2007 available on http://money. cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/03/19/8402324/index. htm visited on Nov. 20, 2007. Fuel Economy, (2008), 2008 Hybrid Vehicles, available on , http://www. fueleconomy. gov/feg/hybrid_sbs. shtml , visited on Nov. 22, 2007. Kelly Blue Book, (2007), The Most Researched Sedans, available on http://www. kbb. com/kbb/ReviewsAndRatings/default. aspx? trid=3&gclid=CKrS8rHMgI8CFTa oGgodgyqT2w#ManufacturerId=49&ModelId=286 visited on Nov. 27, 2007. Kotler, Phlipe & Keller,Kevin Lane (2006), Marketing Management, Prentice Hall, 12th ed. 12 Marketing Green, (2007), Hybrids Shift into the Mass Market, available on http://marketinggreen. wordpress. com/2007/04/29/hybrids-shift-into-the-mass-market/ visited on Nov. 20, 2007. Plunket Research, (2007), Automotive Industry Overview, available on http://www. plunkettresearch. com/Industries/AutomobilesTrucks/AutomobilesandTrucksStatis tics/tabid/90/Default. aspx , visited on Nov. 19, 2007. Spirou, Patricia (2007), Three Step Process in Determining the Market/Position Initiatives in Strategic Planning, available on BB.

New enterprise operation

Once firms understand the issues involved coming up with an effective strategy, they should therefore evaluate their internal strengths and weakness as well as opportunities in the environment.   This is summarized as SWOT analysis which refers to strength, weakness, opportunities and threats. Therefore good analysis of these key factors will put a company in a better position of healthy competition in a global business environment.Therefore, I have critically and categorically provided a detailed analysis of the following   papers: the paper on strategic planning in some empirical findings (SMEs) and a paper on growth, Entrepreneurship, structural change, time and Risk.   The first paper on strategic planning tries to bring some insight to entrepreneurs and business managers.This paper attempts to provide managers and entrepreneurs with a variety of knowledge on how to employ tools of strategic management and planning when operating a business or discovering business opportuni ties to create goods and services.   Mostly it provides some guidelines to small and medium sized business managers and entrepreneurs with strategies to evaluate their strength and weaknesses and opportunities.   Good planning for a business should form the basis part of experiencing high standards of quality results (Anita 2004, pp87-90)The second research paper on growth entrepreneurship, time and risk tries to provide entrepreneurs with some knowledge and guidelines as how to manage risk.   The perception of the entrepreneur on risk analysis and ways of overcoming the risks are also covered in this research paper.Again the paper has elaborately talked about different kinds of risks and the risk return relationships. In summary this research paper-points out how entrepreneurs and managers cope up with the risks that arise in their decisions making and what determines the way they view the risk of their decision.   Otherwise lack of entrepreneurship would create an environm ent where task are taken back to olden days where growth is not achieved or realized.The two research papers have been presented by the use of different research methods of collecting information.   For example, the research paper dealing with strategic planning in SMEs has been provided after a thorough research has been done.   Different methods of data collection have also been used to come up with this documented paper. Research Paper on strategic planning has showed the usefulness of questionnaires as a method of collecting data the so called primary data.   This has helped to provide first hand information on the topic to be researched on.   However, in most of the cases the questionnaires have proved to be misleading especially when it is posted.The person filling in the questionnaire or administering the questionnaire may just decide to provide wrong information or figures especially if quantitative analysis is to be provided.   All the same since oral interview co uld be the best, questionnaire has proved to be best since several questions can be researched and answered at researcher’s convenient time hence time saving.   The questionnaire has covered the whole topic areas and research finding figures have been provided to support or to give further explanations on the topics researched on.   For example table on page 856 of articles by George stone house and Jonathan Perberton.   But the findings ware found to be inaccurate or degree of accuracy was low because of the way in which the questionnaire was filled.The research method used in the second paper on growth entrepreneurship, structural change time and risks in just too theoretical.   Everything was done by extracting information from secondary sources, that is information was obtained either from books, journal or from periodicals.   Though this method seems to be good because a lot of books and other sources are researched on, the research method at times tends to pro vide information which may be outdated.Several books undergo review after every year so the validity of the information provided is questionable.   However, since the researcher has consulted a number of sources then I can say that the method is good.   Very many scholars have also been quoted in the paper showing that the research was detailed or thorough.   An example has been on the analysis of entrepreneur’s perception on risk management.   The weakness of this research paper is that technical meaning of some terms has not been explained elaborately for example where the researcher was talking about types of risks.The mode of presentation also differs in the two papers for example the paper on strategic planning in small and medium size enterprises presents the findings using both qualitative and quantitative thus a mixture of the two methods.   This has clearly come out when the questionnaire was completed and supported using some figures on a table form.The ta ble has shown us the number of those who were consulted and the results obtained.   The figures help in providing us with information on whether the sampled population of people who administered the questionnaire was a representative one that is not biased because sample size should be large enough to provide effective and efficient result.   The table has shown as the number of the companies in both services and manufacturing sectors that uses different kinds approaches of planning (mintzberg, 1990, p 184)On the other hand the paper on growth Entrepreneurship, structural change, time and risk is purely qualitative in nature.   It has been produced after several collections of different scholar’s views and thoughts have been put together.   Nobody was interviewed or consulted during the research so only books or secondary sources of information were researched on.Whether the information is outdated or current we cannot tell .We also realize that a survey has been used in the research paper on strategic planning where the companies researched on were divided into large, medium and small.   This breakdown could intensify the finding therefore making the research to be appropriate and applicable because of good representation.   The survey could also help to determine the type of strategic planning carried out by these companies so that when doing analysis pieces of advices could be given to bring improvement on the business.The research paper on strategic planning acknowledges that the choice of planning strategies defined by a business industry determines the profit the company is going to make.   This paper argues that strategic management involves careful planning; thinking and some frameworks designed which help the mangers of business firms or organizations to improve on the quality of work done.   This was done with restriction to Uks manufacturing and service industry.It has also talked about the differences about the three ambiguou s terminologies used in strategic management.   The three terms are mostly confused since they appear to be same but they are totally different in meaning.   They include strategic thinking, which means that a manager has to think and do brain storming beyond every days operations for him to develop long term vision for the business.   Without the vision then it implies that business would collapse or perform poorly. (Demarest 1997, pp374-384)Another terminology is strategic learning, which involves a system where organizations try to learn about themselves and environment by inventing method goals which are achievable in the long run.   This will rate the company in a global market where it is to compete with other competitors.   So strategic learning involves gathering useful information and skills which the company uses to improve its production.The other term is strategic management which means a combination of procedures managers employ to run the whole business plan for the business in future.   Lastly there is strategic planning which refers to the way a manager is going to implement the objectives in order to achieve his goals and objectives.The other paper on growth entrepreneurship, time and risk talks about the ways on how the entrepreneur manages the risk.   The idea behind this is to maximize the benefits and minimize threats in the environment inorder to improve the business.   The paper has also given us some strategies that can be used to minimize risks. For example the use of division of labor as a way of distributing risks around different levels.Role of entrepreneurship in social capital and growth has been discussed in the paper whereby we find out that entrepreneurship expands institutional development and social capital accumulation.     Social capital accumulation encourages them distribution.   Therefore in brief entrepreneurship has brought positive changes or growth in business and expansion of social capital.Thi s second paper also talks about how uncertainty affects growth and how entrepreneurs cope with risks.   The risk should be minimized to avoid unnecessary losses in business set up.   In short the paper has shown us the way the entrepreneurs should react to risks, social capital and uncertainties as a way of creating structural changes in a business environment. (Holcombe, 1998, pp 45-60).Even though the two papers have exhausted the ways entrepreneurs and managers can improve the business, I suggest there is one area they have not talked about.   This is in the area of strategy development and implementation.   This is where firms should come up with a means of evaluating their internal strength and weakness as well as the opportunities and threat in the environment.   This is what is called SWOT analysis which refers to strength, weakness, opportunities and threats.   They should also identify critical success factors like choosing on the task that can be done particula rly to achieve the stated operations strategy.   These are activities that make a company realize some success in a competitive business world.The two papers differ in analyzing the contents more significantly.   For example paper on strategic management shows how different procedures can be used by a company or industry to increase its production.   If the entrepreneurs follow the different strategies then fruitful results would be obtained.   Paper on risk management or entrepreneur’s perception on risk new touches about management strategies.   Instead it shows us how the perception or worldview of the entrepreneur on risk can enable him minimize the losses and maximize the profits.The argument and analysis made on paper dealing with strategic planning carries some weight and stronger findings as compared to the paper on entrepreneurship, structural charge, growth, time and risk.   The differences come because the research approach in the first one is more deta iled and a number of data collection methods have been used.   For example survey was done before the actual questionnaire was posted.   Research finding were also analyzed and supported with some figures unlike in the case of the other paper.   Introduction of the paper containing strategic planning is clear and understandable by almost to everybody, good English has also been used that everybody can capture.   Explanation and differentiation of different terminologies has also been expressed showing that the paper is just too good.In conclusion the research on new enterprise operations can bring tremendous changes in the business world.   If the entrepreneur’s use the findings obtained from the research effectively then the world will change very fast as far as business operation is concerned.   Improvement in production quality and managerial skills require strategies, which are properly laid down.   These strategies should work on environmental analysis, det ermination of corporate mission and building a competitive advantage such as low price, good quality, after sale services, broad product lines and high benefits.REFERENCEAnita, M. (2004). How Industries Change. Harvard Business Review, 82 (10) October, pp.87-94.Dernarest, M. (1997). Understanding Knowledge management: Long Range Planning, 30  (3) Pp.374-384Holcombe, R.G. (1998).   Entrepreneurship and Economic growth. Quarterly journal of AustrianEconomics, 1 (2), pp. 45-62.Mintzberg, H. (1990).   The design school: reconsidering the basic premises of strategicManagement journal, 1(3), pp. 171-195.

Leadership Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Leadership Model - Essay Example However the retention rate has declined recently and management has reinforced Pat to review and improve recruitment process (Northouse, 2013). Pat looks for certain characteristics in every candidate like being responsible and having strong interpersonal skills. He also looks for such candidates who strongly follow ethical principles as confidentiality and observance of fiduciary responsibilities are key factors while working in banks. All of these factors hold significant importance but those are not solely adequate to find right candidates (Northouse, 2013). He misses performance of the incumbents during probation that could serve as a tool fill gaps in recruitment. Pat needs to consider vision, mission and organizational culture while recruiting credit analysts. These broad considerations help to find such candidates who may easily align and merge with the existing groups and teams. The leadership model of Montgomery and Associates may be applicable to find the right traits in the candidates. First, the need is to identify the issue that has arisen over last few years in the process of recruitment and selection. Major issue is high rate of job turnover that costs the organization and it also results in increased burden over existing employees. The first ring in model is courage which means that the conventional processes should be altered in the light of recurring issues. Pat should embrace the change in his traditional method. The model suggests that adequate information and knowledge must be acquired in order to set long term goals to be achieved through recruitment. Senior management has raised concerns over increased rate of turnover as it wastes the incurred training costs and time. The employees are overburdened and hence overall organizational productivity suffers. Current recruitment criteria of Pat is to look for the candidates who have good command on computer and have sound technical and analytical skills. He recruits the

Child Adoptions (Domestic vs International) Research Paper

Child Adoptions (Domestic vs International) - Research Paper Example There are two forms of adoption: international and domestic. Domestic adoption is carried out within a native country of the child. On the other hand, international adoption involves adopting a child from a foreign country. Of the two, international adoption is more involving and hectic. The following discourse seeks to assert that international adoption is more complicated than the domestic one. Introduction Child adoption refers to the process through which a person who is not the biological parent of a child assumes parental responsibilities. The process entails the transfer of all rights and privileges of having the child thereby making one responsible for the child’s welfare. Most common reason for adoption is barrenness (Bharat 32). Unlike guardianship in which a person takes care of a child belonging to the biological parents, adoption provides one with permanent ownership of the child thereby taking full responsibilities and rights of parenting the child. These include renaming the child which is always giving the child a new family name. Additionally, the child assumes the rights and privileges of the new family. Adopted children have the right to inheritance, and consideration in important family functions. The process is emotionally engaging and requires effective consideration. There are two types of adoption: domestic and the international adoptions. ... Discussion International adoption would most likely introduce a child to a totally different culture an aspect that may lead to culture shock. Consequently, getting used to a new culture in the case of international adoption would mean that it is more complicated especially if compared with the domestic one where one is mostly likely to be adopted within the same culture. This is normally the case since the international adoption involves taking a child to a new country. In such a case, the child would be exposed to a new experience since the demographical differences between the adopting and country of origin would be quite imminent. A child would therefore find it quite difficult to cope up with life in the new country. As expected, it would take some time before an adopted child fully adapts to life in the new country. This contributes to the complication in the process in case of international adoption. Legal and constitutional differences between countries complicate internation al adoption. Individual countries have their own regulations and legal practices which their citizens must adhere to before adopting a child. This is usually outlined in the constitutions. The differences in the legal frameworks between countries thus come as a hurdle while adopting a child. For instance, some countries outlaw homosexuality. In such countries, a couple which is homosexual would not be allowed be considered as married. In other nations, people who are homosexuals adopt children who they take care of (Leslie 22). Therefore, an international adoption where a gay person would seek to adopt a child from a country where homosexuality is outlawed would be complicated. This highlights how the process of international adoption might be

Do corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports provide shareholders Essay - 1

Do corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports provide shareholders and stakeholders with useful information on corporate soci - Essay Example Emphasizing on the corporate social responsibility has become a core part of the public policies for development of private sectors within the framework of the international cooperation development. It is considered a deliberate choice for an enterprise to give back to the community and to respond the environment crises while maintaining relations with the shareholders and stakeholders based on dialogue and transparency (Godfrey, Merrill & Hansen 2009). A CSR report, therefore, consists of all activities that the company has taken part. This includes the whole of their chain of value and it considers the effects on ecological, economic, and social parameters in dialogue with the shareholders and stakeholders. The report conveys the following information to the public and to the stakeholders: consumer interest, environmental care, air operating practices such as corruption and bribery, involvement to the community and firm’s governance. A company will therefore, use the report to reach to its consumers, shareholders, and stakeholders. Corporate managers and leaders have taken the initiative to call upon the government, as a stakeholder, to recognize their CSR participation and achievements. The companies can only achieve that by creating a CSR report that communicates to the society on its CSR activities. The government has gone ahead to encourage, support and to enforce Corporate Social Responsibility behavior of firms (Turker 2009). This has therefore resulted to multiple rationales, such as deregulation and competitiveness in companies by including their CSR reports in their annual reports. However, the legal standards and frameworks have been put in place in order to ensure the companies include the appropriate information. This is because some of the stakeholders and shareholders are non-profit agencies which require in knowing the benefit of the company to the community before investing in it. The government also requires knowing how the company res ponds to environmental issues such as pollution and global warming. It is important to note that most stakeholders including investors, community, markets, NGOs and the government need to know the role of a company to the society and their role in ensuring the environment is maintained. For instance, the mentioned groups expect organizations to put efforts in fighting global warming and feeding the poor. It is humble call for a company to do that, but it has a great effect to the consumers and to the investors. Consumers want to be associated with a company that understand their needs and which cares for their future. As well, investor will invest in a company that has responsible management and that which takes part in CSR activities. Background information Since the early years of 1990, an increase in the environmental awareness and development of sustainable economic growth redirected firms into environmental sensitivity. The recent economic events have resulted to a greater emph asis on the Corporate Social Responsibility in redefining the future of the society. Whereas companies and business organizations are responsible of creating wealth for the shareholders and driving company’ progress, they are directed and guided by regulations and governments, green consumer pressure and society pressure groups (Henriques & Sadorsky1999). A balance between needs of the society and economic growth attracts

Argumentative Problem - Solution Paper Research

Argumentative Problem - Solution - Research Paper Example Key words: Deforestation, climate change, greenhouse effects and gases, and global warming Introduction The last 100 years have experienced an increase in global temperature by approximately 1 Fahrenheit per year, this rate is twice that observed in the last thousand years. The average energy linked carbon dioxide release according to the Pew Center on Climate Change, have risen by over 130 percent since 1850; from two hundred million to 27 billion tons per year. This is projected to rise by a further 60 percent by 2030 (Afzal, p. 1). The Arctic and Antarctic ice caps are shrinking, the ice on mountain tops is melting, and the permafrost at the arctic is thawing. Scientific uncertainty exists concerning the severity and speed of global warming and climate modifications. Global warming is occurring for sure, and the health impact of this phenomenon will certainly necessitate informed responses by healthcare professions (Gray, p. 6-10). Overview of Climate Change and Global Warming Gre enhouse effects influence global warming. Greenhouse effects describe the rise in earth’s temperature due to the presence of such gases as methane, and carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere. ... Human activity increases greenhouse gases production increasing their effects on earth. Greenhouse gases increase leads to lowered irradiation of infrared rays back to space. As a result, earth’s average temperatures rise, contributing to climate change (Afzal, p. 1). Hypothesis Climate change is a phenomenon that the world is currently experiencing. This is attested by climate changes worldwide. There has also been an increase of health complications related to climate change such as lung complications, skin and heart complications. This paper gives a brief overview of global warming and its effects on public health. Methods Statistical methods were used to analyze the problem. Earth’s temperature data collected from satellites in outer space, balloons and remote sites were compared to proxy temperature. Data from areas hard hit by climate change and global warming was used to study the health effects of the phenomenon on humans (Reiter, p. 5-14). Results Mounting evid ence suggests that global warming affects human health through events such as changes in water and air quality, extreme weather events as well as infectious disease ecology changes. Europe in 2003 experienced the hottest summer in years with average temperatures exceeding the normal temperature by 3.5 degrees Celsius. Close to 22,000 people died due to this heat wave. Chicago residents in 1995 experienced heat waves reaching 106o F, which resulted to the death of hundreds. In 2005, United States experienced the impact of an extreme weather event; Hurricane Katrina, which resulted to the death of 1,464 people. These events demonstrate the challenge of coming up with an effective and efficient public health response (Afzal, p. 1). During most of the flooding

Compare between the new and the old enforcement arbitration law of Research Paper

Compare between the new and the old enforcement arbitration law of Saudi Arabia and the legal effects on the international agree - Research Paper Example 15). After this law, the previous law was referred to as the old law, which pledged to modernize the nation’s arbitration regime in a number of ways. Most significantly, this new law restrains the nation’s court intervening power with regards to arbitration through acknowledging the parties’ autonomy to deal with the arbitration process (Rawlings et al. 16). The new Saudi Arabian law addresses a vital concern under the old law, which is the power to the nation’s courts to reopen, as well as effectively re-litigate awards on their principles (Jones Day 1). Even though, the new law is an acknowledged enhancement, which promises considerable changes in Saudi Arabia, the event of change in practice remains unclear to date. Much will rely on the text of the executing principles and where the country’s courts stand with regards to the new law (Rawlings et al. 16). Many critics consider that this law slightly killed the independence of the Saudi Arabian co urt system while others argue that the law works to develop the nation, unlike the old law. This paper will take into consideration these arguments and bring out which law is better. It will also discuss the international effects of the legislation of either of the laws in order to note the significance of each. Provision of the Two Laws The New Law Encouraged by the UN Commission of International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on International/Foreign Commercial Arbitration, which has been endorsed by a number of regimes, Saudi Arabia’s new law acknowledges parties’ independence to concur on significant aspects of their arbitration process (Rawlings et al. 44). Most importantly, the law respects the right of groups to arbitrate under a governed set of arbitration principles. This is a significant development, which tackles a region of uncertainty, which was present during the old law days. This new law acknowledges parties’ option of governing language, law and arbitrators provided that the sole arbitrator is a qualified lawyer (Rawlings et al. 44). This law also bestows with the entry under the old law for groups to file their agreements with courts for validation prior to commencing arbitration (Jones Day 1). The new law further respects that an agreement between parties can be published in a correspondence among them. The law dictates that arbitrators should have an encouraging obligation to keep groups updated with circumstances, which might lead to a conflict of interest (Rawlings et al. 45). This new law dictates straight procedure for resolving disputes by the arbitral tribunal, such as time restrictions for complaining groups to lodge doubts in the applicable court (Jones Day 1). This eliminates the capacity of groups to oppose to the execution of arbitral awards on such grounds when they did not raise it earlier within the time limit (Rawlings et al. 45). When the groups have not concurred on specific arbitration regulations such as the ICC, the law dictates a detailed arbitration course, which applies by default to all (Jones Day 1). The arbitral award should be granted within a year from the date, which arbitration started depending on the arbitral tribunal's authority to prolong this by an extra 6 months and the groups’ ability to concur with longer extensions. This grants the arbitral board a much more practical timeframe to resolve key commercial disputes, which

The Influence of Social Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Influence of Social Thinking - Essay Example Many people judge another person's personality and mood by only processing a small amount of information about them. We may see a person laughing at the grocery store and think they have a jovial spirit. When we see them at work, they may be cold and aloof. People are often judged by these situational moods. Yet, the person is adapting to the situation. This overemphasis on personality and the underestimation of the situation is known as fundamental attribution error (Myers 706). The person has changed their behavior to react to a different situation. This error can cause us to label and catalog people falsely. When we use only mood and behavior to judge a person and overlook the situation it's an attribution error. When we react to situations it is sometimes difficult to understand how much is our behavior being controlled by our own attitudes and how much our behavior is controlling what we think. Often times people are told 'make the best of it'. There may be a class that a student doesn't enjoy yet approaches it with a positive attitude. If other outside influences are minimal, we may do well in the class (Myers 709). However, if people tell us we will fail in the class, and we don't take any action to change the attitude, we will likely fail. Knowing that our attitude can change our behavior can be beneficial in changing our lives. We may not be able to change dramatically or quickly, but we may be able to alter our behavior a step at a time. The foot-in-the-door phenomenon states that when people agree to a small action they are more likely to agree to a larger action at a later time (Myers 709). By understanding this we can also incorporate the cognitive dissonance theory that states that we can bring our "attitudes in line with our actions" (Myers 711). By taking an attitude that we want to project, we can alter our behavior. As much as our own attitudes and social situations determine our behavior, the group that we are in exerts even more pressure. Experiments by Solomon Asch confirmed that people feel a need to conform (Myers 714). The group we are in exaggerates this need. If we are insecure, the group is large, we admire the group, and the group is unanimous, it increases our likelihood of conforming (Myers 715). This is how lone holdouts on juries are eventually swayed into changing their vote. It is also how we are persuaded to take an action we may feel is wrong. We may also conform to a group for the same reasons and elicit a positive outcome. A study group, church meeting, or volunteer organization may prompt us to behave in a positive manner. Yet, in some groups there is no general consensus and opposing views are suppressed resulting in "groupthink" (Myers 722). Panels, boards, and committees have often made serious blunders by succumbing to the phenomenon. While these group pressures may result in a bad decision, they can also become destructive and overpowering. The experiments of Stanley Milgram illustrated how far people were willing to go to conform (Myers 717). People will go beyond simply conforming and to the level of blind obedience. This is especially true if the group influence has the perception of authority and the authority is close at hand (Myers 717). The influence of people is also seen when they affect our actions such as in "social facilitation" (Myers

Demonstrated in sports Essay Example for Free

Demonstrated in sports Essay Sportsmanship can not only be seen and demonstrated in sports, but also in our daily lives in many ways. I believe that the values learned in sports are also applicable to everyday life. Interaction with my siblings is one example. We should not fight over small things like who shall have what or who shall lead who. Everyone should have a part and each of us should enjoy the activities we are doing. I won’t tease them and won’t lose my temper with them. I will put them before myself. In school, even if I am not the star, I should still enjoy and have fun with my classmates. I will not cheat during quizzes and exams just to be on top. I will just try my best in getting good grades. I will also acknowledge my classmates’ good performances, congratulate them for getting an A when tests are handed back to us. When my friends have goals, I won’t tell them that it’s impossible to reach. Instead, I will help them achieve their goals by supporting them. Although the high levels of competition and the pressures from family and school can put a strain on maintaining sportsmanship, it is still the more important characteristic. Winning is not everything. Sportsmanship is more important than winning. It is treating people with respect. It includes small gestures like shaking hands and acknowledging good works. A child like me who practices good sportsmanship is likely to carry the respect and appreciation of other people into every other aspect of life. Through this, I am also gaining new skills, new friends, and attitudes that can help all through life. Everyday many opportunities occur that one can put into practice sportsmanship.

Communication Skills Required For Holistic Nursing Care Nursing Essay

Communication Skills Required For Holistic Nursing Care Nursing Essay The communication skills required for holistic nursing care of patients in adult nursing. The American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) defines holistic nursing as all nursing practice that has healing the whole person as its goal. Holistic nursing recognises that there is a connection between a persons mind, environment, culture, emotions and body. holistic nursing is not necessarily something that you do; it is an attitude, a philosophy and a way of being. American Holistic Nurses Association 1998. The Oxford online dictionary defines the word holistic as: medicine characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease. Oxford Dictionary online 2010. There are two types of communication, verbal and non-verbal. Communication is the exchange of information, verbally or non-verbally. The Oxford dictionary defines the word communication as: the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium. Oxford Dictionary online 2010. verbal communication is speaking face to face to someone using words, sounds, speech and language. Verbal communication is separated into two types, public speaking and interpersonal communication. There are over 3000 languages spoken in the world and verbal communication is based largely on these as well as class, profession, age and social factors. some sources suggest that written communication is verbal as well as non-verbal. Non-verbal communication is email, letters, databases, social networking sites, text messaging as well as body language. Body language is an important means of communication, it includes gestures, eye contact, expressions and posture. How we communicate non-verbally is extremely important and sends strong messages as to whether you care and to what extent you are listening. We communicate this way by how we sit, the tone and pace of how we talk, how much personal space we use and the eye contact we make. There are five roles in non-verbal communication: Repetition the message we send can repeat the verbal message. Contradiction the message we send can contradict the verbal message. Substitution the message we send can be substituted by our body language. Complementing this adds to the verbal message e.g. a hug or a pat on the back. Accenting this underlines the message e.g. punching a wall or slamming a door. There are many barriers with communication such as: learning disabilities languages blindness/ deafness gender culture age professionalism the ability to digest information and bad news lost or incomplete records Language differences pose a large barrier in effective communication for nurses, although the option for a translator is often accessible, although it may not be readily at hand. There are also regional dialects that present barriers, for example, different regions refer to bodily parts and functions differently. Such as to pass urine may be commonly known as having a wee, taking a pee etc. Jemma Harrison 20174222 October 2010 cohort Adult Nursing 9th January 2011 Maintaining eye contact with someone who is blind or from a religion that doesnt allow this may also be a significant barrier. To overcome this you would need to ensure that the rest of your body language was correct and consistent. Asking questions that are open ended or asking the patient to repeat the question back would be the best way to ensure that the patient has clearly understood you and what information you are relaying to them. Another barrier may be if a patient had a learning disability and required a parent, guardian or advocate present. You need to ensure that you fully understand the disability your patient had and to what effect certain gestures may have, for example, eye contact with an autistic patient may be deemed aggressive. This is where a nurse needs to assess a patients holistic (or whole) needs, and what brings them to their care. A patient may have only been admitted with a knee injury but how was that injury sustained? This is were holistic nursing care is most important. A knee injury may not be a one off incident, it may be through lifestyle choices, e.g. are they sports fanatics, regular walkers etc. For a nurse to just assess that patients knee injury on face value may lead to the patient being readmitted with the same injury. Again, asking questions that require more than just a yes or no answer, these are called open questions, or asking the patient to non-verbally communicate how they sustained their illness or injury by filling out a questionnaire. The Nursing Times 2007 says that communicating correctly is a basic yet fundamental requirement of good nursing and the breakdown of communication can quickly ruin the already delicate nurse/patient relationship. Other barriers in nurse/patient communication is that nurses are often pushed for time, facing targets, have a lack of privacy or lack of training. This can often make holistic nursing impossible. The communication skills required for holistic nursing (given the correct conditions) are: having the correct patient information. Observe a patients body language. Maintain eye contact where possible. Listen properly. Avoid difficult to understand medical terminology. Be emotionally prepared. Be honest, empathise and show compassion. There has been extensive research into effective communication with patients Dougherty and Lister 2007 highlighted the importance of providing patients with the correct information, communicated in the correct way aided the patient to a quicker recovery. An article in the Nursing Times 2007 by Hamilton. S.J et al highlights a framework of communication skills effective in holistic nursing called the five Is. INTERACT with the patient. Establish the INTENTION of the interaction. Decide on the INTERVENTION to be used. Assess the IMPACT of the interventions. Evaluate the IMPLICATIONS of the subsequent information obtained and act accordingly. In order to get the patient to express their fears and anxieties a nurse needs to display strong and confident non-verbal communication skills and talk to the patient not at them, seeking as much information as possible. Most communication barriers can be overcome if the nurse (or any individual) is ready to try. Repeat open questions, make time for the patient and complete all patient notes thoroughly and to a Jemma Harrison 20174222 October 2010 cohort Adult Nursing 9th January 2011 standard that complies with NMC guidelines. Also remembering that a patients needs may change often but the level of communication should remain the same. On my placement I realised just how effective holistic nursing can be given the time and location. I observed a drug counsellor attempting to discuss a patients rehabilitation and how they intended to take it forward and at what pace and level. The drug counsellor had to find out if what type of drugs the patient was using, how often and were there any underlying physical or emotional reasons why the patient was a drug user. The patient was very withdrawn and didnt appear interested. The counsellor repeatedly asked him questions but the patient stared at his feet and didnt answer. He became noticeably agitated and his body language appeared to become aggressive (he folded his arms). The counsellor suggested they took a break and had a cup of tea. During the break the counsellor asked some indirect questions about the weather etc., I noticed the patient started to relax and build a rapport with the counsellor, this I feel was the counsellor gaining knowledge of the patients whole being not just his drug problem (this is a strong example of holistic care in an adult medical setting). On returning to the treatment room the patient seemed more relaxed and began to answer the counsellors questions whilst maintaining a good verbal and non-verbal communication. This was the first barrier I noticed being over come the second was the patients inability to read and complete a questionnaire. The counsellor sat and read the questions to the patient and then asked the patient to repeat the questions before answering them, ensuring that he had understood what she was asking. Jemma Harrison 20174222 October 2010 cohort Adult Nursing 9th January 2011

Effects of Vegetation on Freshwater Shrimp

Effects of Vegetation on Freshwater Shrimp The aim of this experiment was to discover whether the presence of vegetation affected the abundance of the species of freshwater shrimp Gammarus pulex. To do this an experiment was carried out involving samples taken from a variety of vegetated and non-vegetated areas. The abundance of the species in each environment was measured and compared and found to be statistically significant. Freshwater shrimp do prefer vegetated areas over non-vegetated areas due to either; increased availability of detritus, increased oxygen content or additional protection from predators. Introduction: Gammarus pulex: (freshwater shrimp) are Crustaceans that are members of the Amphipoda order. Their bodies are curved into a C shape and they average approximately 20mm in length. As seen in figure 1, Gammarus pulex have 7 pairs of legs, two of which perform a grasping function similar to humans hands whilst the other 5 are adapted to swimming. The species gills are provided with oxygen by the vibrations of their legs and the 3 pairs of structures seen on the abdomen, the gills are located on the inside of the back five legs. Gammarus pulex have a high oxygen requirements and as a result are typically found in faster flowing, oxygen rich water. They are hatched from eggs and emerge fully developed and ready to reproduce. This results in a fast rate of reproduction. The offsprings sex is determined by the temperature of the water. These shrimps mate whilst the male carries the female on its back, this will occur several times per year. Gammarus pulex Have no natural defence mechanism o ther than their camouflage and as a result they are primarily active during low sunlight periods and under shelter. As a result of Gammarus pulexs lack of a defence mechanism they are typically found under and within the aquatic fauna and rocks within rivers. Gammarus pulex are primary consumers that typically consume detritus, i.e. they consume dead and decaying matter in order to provide energy for themselves. Gammarus pulex main predators are fish which that rely on them as one of their primary sources of food, fish commonly found to consume these shrimp include: Trout, Bullheads and Salmon. Rationale: Gammarus pulex can be used as an indicator species due to their affinity for highly oxygenated water. They (Gammarus Pulex) are intolerant of polluted waters or reduced dissolved oxygen concentrations, and can therefore be used as an indicator species for water quality. A decrease in the oxygen content of an ecosystem can have serious adverse effects on the other species within the ecosystem and is one of the most common causes of Fish Kills as a result it is a variable regularly monitored by fishing agencies Due to increasing awareness of the impact humans are having on their environment and the ecosystems that we interact with, biological indicator species will become increasingly important in the identification of suitable habitats for species to be introduced to. In addition to Gammarus pulex acting as an indicator species, they also require highly oxygenated water to survive and reproduce. A lack of oxygen within the water could potentially lead to anaerobic conditions within the water. Due the fact that they require oxygen for respiration (Aerobic) this would reduce the population of the shrimp within an area. This would have a knock on effect on the secondary and tertiary consumers within the food chain that also rely on Gammarus pulex as their primary food source such as trout and salmon. As a result, the abundance of the species is of key ecological importance within these ecosystems and steps should be taken to ensure high oxygen content of the water and adequate foliage and vegetation for the species to thrive within its niche. These goals can be achieved relatively easily through the planting of vegetation for cover. This would also provide raised oxygen levels due to the respiration of the plant life to produce oxygen as a by-product . In a study by H.H Costa on investigating the affect of low concentrations of oxygen on the number of reactions per minute in Gammarus pulex, strong correlations were made between the concentration of oxygen within the water and the number of reactions taking place per minute. Low levels of oxygen would lead to decreased metabolic activity, resulting in slower growth and reproduction. As a primary consumer this would have a detrimental effect on the rest of the ecosystem as a lower population of the species would result in food being a limiting factor for fish that relied on the species as a source of food. This could also lead to the gradual decline of other primary and secondary consumers as they are used as a source of energy by the tertiary consumers to sustain themselves. Aims: The aim of the experiment was to determine whether the presence of vegetation within the water at Nettlecombe church pool would have a significant impact on the abundance of Gammarus pulex measured within an area and whether any changes in abundance could be attributed to the independent variable (presence of vegetation) by controlling or measuring the other abiotic factors within the ecosystem. Null hypothesis: Statistically, there will be no significant correlation between the abundance of freshwater shrimp and the presence of vegetation within the stream. Alternate hypothesis: Statistically, there will be significant correlation between the abundance of freshwater shrimp and the presence of vegetation within the stream. Prediction Gammarus pulex will likely show a significantly higher presence in the vegetated areas of the stream due to several key biological factors: Defense: Due to the lack of any inherent defense mechanisms, the species relies on its camouflage as its sole mechanism for defense. Naturally, high amounts of vegetation present in an area provide an aid to the protection of the freshwater shrimp from its predators and allow a greater chance of the survival of the species. Oxygen content: The oxygen within water is derived primarily from submerged plants present within the water. As these plants photosynthesize, Oxygen is released as a byproduct and dissolves into the surrounding water. This increased oxygen content would attract freshwater shrimp to an area, as they are reliant on the surrounding water for the oxygen that is necessary for them to respire aerobically. Detritus: Organic material such as decaying plant material is the primary food source of Gammarus pulex as detritivores. If vegetation is present in an area an increased amount of detritus will also be present due to the death and decay of the submerged plants. This provides an ideal food source for the Gammurus pulex and increases the chances of survival and reproduction. As a result you would expect to see an increase in the abundance of the species in areas with vegetation. Independent variable The independent variable within the experiment was the presence of a significant (+10cm) amount of vegetation submerged within the water and the lack of +10cm of vegetation present. This was varied by locating two areas, one with +10cm of submerged vegetation and another without. Dependent variable The dependent variable within the experiment was the relative abundance of the species within the two separate areas per sample. This was measured through obtaining a sample and counting the number of Gammarus pulex present per sample. Control variables Several abiotic variables were controlled within the experiment to ensure that any changes in the abundance of the freshwater shrimps could be assigned to the changing in the independent variable. In the cases in which an extraneous variable could not be controlled without compromising the integrity of the experiment, the variable was measured and any anomalous readings recorded could possibly be assigned to that abiotic factor. PH: The acidity (concentration of hydrogen ions) within the water was measured by obtaining a sample in the two areas and measuring the sample through the addition of universal indicator. The PH of the water was measured as Gammarus pulex have an aversion to water with more extreme Phs. In Responses of Gammarus pulex to modified environment II. Reactions to abnormal Hydrogen ion concentrations H.H Costa states that at the PH values of 9.6. These negative reactions can be explained through the inability of the shrimps enzymes to function at these extreme PHs. Temperature: Temperature was measured in degrees centigrade through the use of a digital thermometer that was placed in each sample, allowed to stabilize and a reading was taken. Temperature was controlled due to the reaction of Gammarus pulexs offspring to temperature, at lower temperatures, offspring within eggs will hatch as male, whilst above this they will hatch as female. This would lead to one sex becoming dominant at extremely hot or cold temperatures, which would result in a reduced abundance as the difficulty of locating a mate increased. Light: The amount of light in each sample was recorded through the use of a lux meter as close to the water as possible. This variable was measured in lux and was measured as it is likely the shrimp will be more abundant in darker areas due to the increased effectiveness of their camouflage in these areas and increased protection this offers. Depth: The depth of each location was measured through the insertion of a ruler to measure the depth of each location. The ruler was placed on the surface of the sediment to stop it being pushed too far into the soft sediment and producing an inaccurate reading. Areas were chosen as close to 10cm deep as possible to rule out the depth of the water having any significant impact on the results produced. Pilot study: Introduction: Before carrying out the main study, a pilot study was used to determine the final procedure and method of the study. This pilot study was used to identify the best sampling technique to use to collect a sufficient number of shrimps per sample. This technique had to be efficient enough to collect enough data for a statistical significance to be shown and collect the maximum number of shrimp within an area to ensure that the true abundance of the species was actually being measured. In addition, the method used to collect the shrimp had to be standardized, so that the identical technique could be carried out in different areas to ensure the reliability of the technique. This meant the same technique could be carried out again to produce as similar results as possible. In addition, the best local spot to produce enough shrimp to state a significant difference had to be located. This pilot study was used to locate the areas that would be sampled in the main experiment by locating the areas with enough vegetation to have an impact on the dependent variable. This meant looking for areas with high levels of submerged vegetation within several different rivers until enough within as Single River was found. This was to make the control of extraneous variables easier as the variation in the variables would be far larger in separate bodies of water. Within the pilot study, I also had to assess the extraneous variables that would have to be measured in my final study to prevent them interfering with the data produced. During the pilot study, I identified that the amount of light in an area seemed to be having an effect on the abundance of the species within that area. This was potentially reducing the validity of the experiment. This was because any results produced were no longer necessarily down to just the independent (presence of vegetation) variable. As a result, I included the use of a light meter in the final experiment to control and limit the impact on the data produced. Along with deciding the variables to be measured, I also had to finalize the equipment used to measure the variable in a standardized manner. The pilot study was also used to identify any potential risks or hazards within the area. Once these were identified, appropriate controls could be taken to reduce or nullify the risks from these sources. Equipment list: A 15cmx10cm Scoop net A 1 meter long ruler A digital thermometer A square 1025 cm tray that was not filled with pond water A digital stopwatch Freshwater identification sheet Pipette Method: Whilst 3 rivers were found in close proximity, only one, the church stream, contained an appropriate number of vegetated areas to non-vegetated areas close enough to carry out the experiment expediently. In addition the proximity of the locations reduced any extraneous variables that were acting on the study. Thus the church stream was used for the final experiment. 2 methods of sampling with the net were carried out, the figure of eight sample (A)and the Kick sample'(B) A) This involved locating an area to sample and standing still whilst moving the net in a figure of eight through the water. This was timed for 10 seconds and 20 seconds .This method did not disturb the sediment of the area. B) The kick sample involved placing the net downstream of the area to be sampled and kicking up the sediment into the net without moving the net. This was timed for both 10 seconds and 20 seconds using the stopwatch. After collecting each sample the contents of the net was upturned and placed into the empty tray. The tray was then filled with water from the stream. Using the identification sheet, I timed for 1 minute on the stopwatch and counted all of the Gammarus pulex present in the tray within the time. Using a pipette to move them to a separate bucket once counted A variety of sampling techniques for the control variables were then carried out in the area. The ruler was used to measure depth at a variety of locations. This provided practice at accurately measuring the depth of the water without disturbing the sediment on the bed of the stream. The digital thermometer was then placed in the water, however not placed at the bed of the stream. Risk assessment: Before carrying out the pilot and main study, a risk assessment of the risks that could pose a threat to me or those in the surrounding areas was carried out. Through this I identified the hazard (negative effect 1-10) and the risk factor (chance of the hazard actually occurring 1-10) to control this I also decided on sensible controls to minimize the chance of the hazard occurring or minimize the severity of the hazard. The risk rating was calculated by multiplying the chance of the hazard occurring with the severity of the hazard (1-100). Hazard Severity of the Hazard Chance of occurring Risk rating Control Slipping and falling. 2 6 12 Ensure the muddy parts of the bank are noted and avoided. Wear appropriate footwear to avoid tripping/slipping. Drowning in unexpected deep water. 10 1 10 Ensure all personal can swim. Identify any deep areas before beginning. Contamination from any water/aquatic life. 8 3 24 Wash hands before and after touching the water. Do not handle the aquatic life, use a pipette instead Tripping with net/ruler. 4 4 16 Wear appropriate footwear, I.e. hiking boots Discussion of results: The number of shrimp produced by using method B for 20 seconds produced the largest total number of shrimp in both vegetated areas and non-vegetated areas. In comparison, method A produced the fewest number of shrimp in both vegetated areas and non-vegetated areas. The temperatures produced seemed to be pretty constant throughout the pilot study however the two 9.8 readings were likely caused by the thermometer not being pressed to the sediment properly, reducing the reliability of those readings. The preliminary findings reflected that more shrimp were indeed found in the vegetated areas in comparison to the non-vegetated. Evaluation of pilot study: Through the use of the pilot study I was able to identify the main problems with the study and remedy them for the final study: The measuring of the temperature using the thermometer was standardized by pressing the thermometer to the bed of the stream on each measurement. The sample I chose to use was the 20 seconds kick sample This method of sampling was far superior to the figure of eight sample. This was likely to the freshwater shrimp inhabiting the upper layer of the sediment; the kick sample dislodged them into the net whereas the figure of eight did not disrupt the sediment at all resulting in only the swimming shrimp being picked up. As a result, only the number of shrimp swimming in a sampled area was being measured not the total number of shrimp in the area. I chose to use the 20 second sample as, although it was less expedient than the 10 second sample, it did provide more species and reduced the chance of anomalies cropping up through not all of the shrimp being collected. Whilst measuring the depth in step 8, I noticed that the vegetated areas where normally darker than the non- vegetated areas. To counteract this variable, I decided to control it in the main experiment by measuring the light using a lux meter. This was to ensure that the results were down to the vegetation present. During step 1 and the selection of the location of the samples, I realized that I hadnt set any specification on what classed as enough vegetation to qualify as a vegetated area. After discussing this with my tutor I decided to use 10cm measurements of submerged vegetation qualify an area as vegetated. In addition, I used areas without any vegetation for the final experiment. Whilst collecting the samples in step 4 I realized that I was disturbing the ecology further downstream on further kick samples. This was an unfortunate side effect of using the kick sample from the top of the stream down. As a result, I decided to reverse the direction for the final experiment and take the values from downstream before taking those upstream. This stopped earlier experiments influencing later ones. Main Experiment: My final experiment took into account the findings from the pilot study and used these to modify the final experiment to produce the best results I could. The changes listed above were introduced to tailor the results of the experiment into a form I could use to compare the effect of the independent variable. Intro: My final experiment consisted of 10 samples of each vegetated and non-vegetated areas being taken, with the variables light, depth, temperature, PH and number of shrimp present being measured. The revised aim of the final experiment was to measure whether the presence of vegetation affected the abundance of Gammarus pulex present and whether this difference was statistically significant. To do this I carried out a stratified sampling technique to locate areas to work in, I,e areas with +10 cm of submerged vegetation. I then used a systematic sampling technique to collect the data as I timed how many of the species I could count from a sample in 1 minute. Equipment list: A 15cmx10cm Scoop net A 1 meter long ruler A digital thermometer A square 1025 cm tray that was pre-filled with pond water A digital stopwatch Freshwater identification sheet Pipette 1 Lux meter 1 bottle of universal indicator, with a beaker to collect a sample of water A small bucket to place counted shrimp in Writing equipment and paper to record results Pipette to collect the shrimp with Method: 10 vegetated areas were first located. This involved measuring the total submerged vegetation present and ensuring it was over 10cm long. The non-vegetated areas were then located, these were areas within as close proximity to the vegetated areas as possible but without any vegetation present. Starting from downstream and moving upstream, the kick sample was performed in the first vegetated area. This involved placing the net downstream from the sampling area and kicking the sediment for 20 seconds into the net. This was timed with the stopwatch. The sample in the net was upturned into the tray. The Gammarus pulex were identified using the species identification sheet and removed from the tray and placed in the bucket using a pipette. The total number of shrimp counted in 1 minute was recorded. The contents of the tray and bucket were emptied back into the water. The depth of the sampling area was then measured using the ruler and placing it on the stream bed. The lowest value of the water rising up the ruler was measured as the depth. The thermometer was then placed lightly on the stream bed, this was left to stabilize for 10 seconds and the value was recorded The lux meter was then placed as close to the water as possible and held still. After 10 seconds the value was taken. This method was repeated for the non-vegetated areas. This procedure was carried out at all of the 10 areas. Table of results for main experiment Calculations of the means for Vegetated data: Mean PH: (7.5 x 10)/10 = 7.5 Mean temperature C: (9.8 x 2 + 9.9 x 8)/10 = 9.88 Mean Lux reading (Lux) : (240+234+194+30+13+109+603+719+560+335)/10 = 303.7 Average depth (cm) : (10.0+9.5+5.0+4.0+4.0+5.0+5.2+8.2+12.8+13.2) /10 = 7.69 Mean Shrimp (Arbitary units) : 341/10 = 34.1 Calculations of the means for Non-Vegetated data : Mean PH: (7.5 x 10)/10 = 7.5 Mean temperature C: (9.8 x 1 + 9.9 x 9)/10 = 9.89 Mean Lux reading (Lux) : (846+645+300+71+24+123+441+739+506+389)/10 = 408.4 Average depth (cm) : (12+11.5+10.5+12+8+10.5+12.4+14.5+12.4+13.3) /10 = 11.71 Mean Shrimp (Arbitary units) : 56/10 = 5.6 Anomalies: Both of the values highlighted in red, are examples of possible anomalous data that could have been caused by procedural errors. 6 is far below the average shrimp reading of 34.1, this could have been caused by the high light reading on this particular reading, reducing the shrimps camouflage and therefore their safety in this area. The value of 17 was far ahead of the mean value of 5.6 and could have been caused through the procedural error of the pipette not sucking the shrimp up and them being counted twice. These samples also could have had the random error of large amounts of sediment resulting in some shrimps not being counted or others being counted twice. The clear variation in the number of Gammarus pulex sampled in the two areas would indicate that the vegetation did have an effect on the abundance of the population. Likely due to the increased defense offered by these areas and also how much easier it would be to obtain decomposing plant matter (Detritus) as a food source. The largest value for a vegetated shrimp was 79, with the lowest being 6. This is in comparison to the highest value for non-vegetated areas being 17, with the lowest being 2. The similarities between the abiotic factors, primarily temperature and P.H also increase the validity of the results produced. We can be sure that the results are actually as a result of the presence of the vegetation. It should be noted that none of the samples contained no freshwater shrimp, leading to the assumption that the water likely has a high oxygen content and has few pollutants. This is backed up by the location of Nettlecombe, a relatively rural area with few large roads runnin g nearby. Statistics: Within this study I decided to use the Mann Whitney U test to ascertain whether the difference between the two values was enough to reject the null hypothesis and convey a significant difference between the two sets of data. Null Hypothesis: There will be no significant statistical difference between the data drawn from vegetated samples and non-vegetated samples in the Nettlecombe church stream on the 14/10/12 The lowest U value calculated was 6, The critical value at 0.1 is 16 meaning that the Null Hypothesis can be rejected at the 0.1 significance level This allows us to accept the alternate hypothesis, and although there were small overlaps in the data, the difference between the two sets of data values is significant. Evaluation: Throughout the experiment, every effort was made to control or measure extraneous variables that could have an effect on the results of the experiment. As a result, the validity of the experiment is quite high; the values for all the abiotic variables were measured and have similar values for both the Vegetated areas and the non-vegetated areas. As a result we can make the assumption that any changes in the dependent variable, were in fact down to the independent variable. The pilot study was carried out to aid in the identification of any confounding variables, risks or extraneous variables that could potentially impact on the validity of the results produced and as a result of the pilot study, controls were put in place to counteract these variables. In addition, due to the standardized methodology carried out within both the pilot experiment and the final experiment, the method could be repeated under similar conditions to produce similar results. Resulting in a high reliability of the data. As the Mann Whitney U test allowed us to reject the null hypothesis at the 0.01% significance level, we must assume that the results produced show a significant change between the two environments. Although the results proved to be statistically significant, several procedural errors should be considered. Even with a 20 second kick sample, not all of the shrimp in a certain area could be collected as the shrimp likely inhabit different layers of the sediment. The speed at which the shrimp were counted at could also vary considerably based on the amount of sediment present in a sample, in a sample with high amounts of sediment, it would take longer to count and remove all of the shrimp within a minute than it would be in a clear sample. To counteract this, a stratified sample could be put in place; all of the shrimp from a sample could be counted rather than just counting for one minute. Systematic errors within parts of the equipment could result in repeatedly wrong measurements, e.g the Lux meter may not be calibrated properly and give readings that are continually 50 higher than they should be. Percentage error can also become a problem and whilst small, can be noticeable when accounted for in multiple datasets e.g. 0.01/500 x100 = 0.002 % percentage error There are also several ethical considerations to take into account when using live organisms within experiments. For instance the ecosystem is being massively disrupted through the use of a kick sample. All of the layers of sediment are being removed and many organisms are being collected in a sample that didnt have to be. A more specific and less environmentally invasive procedure could instead be carried out using the figure of eight sampling method so as not to disturb the stream bed ecosystem as much. Conclusion From the data and evidence provided above, a reliable argument can be put forward that the species Gammarus pulex does favor vegetated conditions over non-vegetated conditions. This could be down to a variety of reasons: Gammarus pulex is an aerobic organism and thus favors oxygenated conditions. During photosynthesis in submerged plants, oxygen is produced as a byproduct which diffuses into the surrounding environment (the water) this results in increased oxygen content. The oxygen content at this point is not acting as a limiting factor in the population of Gammarus pulux and thus an increase in the activity within the reproductive cycle of the species. This is demonstrated in the image to the right. Gammarus pulex favors the vegetated environment due to the increased source of detritus present through the decomposition of the plants present in the environment. This increased source of food and energy means the species expends more energy within its reproductive cycle and fewer of the species die due to starvation. Thus the population of the species in these conditions increases. Gammarus pulex could also potentially favor the vegetated environment due to the increased camouflage and protection it provides it. This could be part of a behavioral adaptation the organism has developed to protect itself from the fish that hunt it. This would result in large numbers gathering in the areas that they were safe and fewer of them being consumed by secondary and tertiary consumers resulting in larger numbers of them in the vegetated areas. Source evaluation Within my experiment, I extensively referenced and used H.H Costas work into the differing effects of modified environments on Gammarus pulex. This work was published in the scientific, peer reviewed journal Crustaceana. This journal is is a leading journal in the world on crustacean research. As a result I feel the peer reviewed work is both reliable and accurate and although published in 1967, the more recent research (Field guide to the water life of Britain 1984) also agrees with the core principles described in H.H Costas work. In addition to several peer reviewed journals, one of my sources was an Information pack produced by the University of Florida, a well respected academic institute unlikely to publish inaccurate or unreliable information. As well as the paper sources listed, I used a variety of websites to gather data on various aquatic processes and mechanisms. Whilst I trust the majority of the websites, certain websites such as source 2, dont back up many of the claims with any real evidence which could be a sign of unreliable or inaccurate information. Further research Further research could be carried out into the preferences of Gammarus pulex through an experiment designed to ascertain the type of vegetation that they prefer and also the nutritional value of the varying types of detritus to the organism. In addition, research could be done into pinpointing the exact reason that the species prefers to reside within vegetative conditions rather than non-vegetative.