Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums Essay

â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† by John Steinbeck and â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman are short stories which have a female protagonist struggling through a suffocating marriage and living in a society that says that women can not exist outside of marriage. â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† written by John Steinbeck is a story about a woman worn and oppressed by a male dominated world. A world which breaks a woman’s will, strips away their humanity, and obscures who they really are and what they really want out of life. Eliza, a married woman forgotten by her husband and the world, has found a bit of happiness in her garden. It is here that she finds solace and comfort. The flowers are her companions. Similarly, in The Yellow Wallpaper, written in the century before The Chrysanthemums, is also about the oppression of women in society by men. On the surface it was the story of a woman who has a child and suffered from depression. Her husband, who is also her doctor, prescribed the â€Å"The Mitchell Treatment†. This was a standard treatment for all mental disorders during this time which consisted of isolation and rest. The woman, the main character, was placed in an attic for a month of recovery. Her only companion was the peeling yellow wallpaper. In the end, both women find, brief as it may be, freedom. Though written decades apart, both Steinbeck and Gilman use symbols and character development to develop a theme of female oppression and survival. The major symbol in Steinbeck’s short story is the Chrysanthemum flower. Chrysanthemums are hearty flowers which need specific care, patience, and tending. Like children, they must be cared for daily, treated with delicate and gentle hands. Within her garden paradise she hides herself, as a woman. Steinbeck describes her as a woman that wears â€Å"a man’s black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clodhopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1). Eliza, who is childless, takes pride and comfort in her ability to grow these amazing flowers. They represent for her the children she was never able to have. She is extremely protective of these flowers caring and feeding them like mother nursing her baby. She creates a â€Å"crib† of wire to ensure that â€Å"[n]o aphids, no sowbugs or snails or cutworms† are there. â€Å"Her terrier fingers [destroy] such pests before they [can] get started† (1). Like pointy corners of tables and light sockets, Eliza protects her â€Å"children† from the hazards of life. She cares for this flowers like she wishes someone had cared for her — gentle fingertips caressing her own blooms. These flowers inspire the only intimate moments that occurred between Eliza and her husband in the entire short story. He husband stops by her garden and tells her how lovely her flowers are. She blushes and Steinbeck observes â€Å"on her face there [is] a little smugness†(1). Eliza gives â€Å"birth† to these amazing creatures which bring so much beauty to the world, and supplies Eliza with her only taste of motherhood (Demott 3). Similarly, Gilman uses the symbol of yellow wallpaper. The Yellow Wall-Paper† is a small literary masterpiece. For almost fifty years it has been overlooked, as has its author, one of the most commanding feminists of her time. Now, with the new growth of the feminist movement, Charlotte Perkins Gilman is being rediscovered, and â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper† should share in that rediscovery. The story of a woman’s mental breakdown (Gilman 37). A major symbol in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ is the wallpaper itself. The â€Å"Yellow wallpaper was a familiar character in realist fiction and was often found to be distasteful.† (Roth). The narrator is annoyed and eventually repulsed by her only companion, the yellow patterned wallpaper. The evolution of what the wallpaper symbolized parallels the mental state of the narrator. When the narrator first settled down to her month’s worth of rest in the attic of her house, it is the wall paper she hated most. It was old, tattered, and a dirty yellow color. She commented that the worse part of the wallpaper was the dull pattern. She pondered about the wallpaper : It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide–plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions. The color is repellent, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight (Gilman 24). The pattern became the focus of much of the narrator’s time. She attempted on many occasions to figure out what the pattern was with no success. â€Å"She is mad, of course, by this time, reduced to a paranoid schizophrenic who writes, â€Å"I’ve got out at last †¦ in spite of you and Jane. And I’ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can’t put me back!† (36).†(Bak). After several days of trying she began to see a sub pattern which can only be seen at certain parts of the day depending on the amount of light being filtered through the windows. She decided that the sub pattern is that of a woman who is creeping along the floor on her knees, not even being able to stand. She states â€Å"There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down† (Gilman 25). This woman was imprisoned by the main pattern and wished only to escape her cage. The main pattern became clear to the narrator. She believed the main pattern were heads of those women who attempted to escape but were caught between the bars. It was clear that as the month passed the mental state of the narrator became increasingly unstable. The wallpaper and it’s pattern also represented the societal chains (treatment, family, and marriage) which have imprisoned her for so long. The yellow wallpaper has become synonymous with the domestic bars which trapped women in their inferior roles as wives and mother in the 1800s. Through the use of both symbols, Steinbeck and Gilman track the internal conflict of their respective protagonists. In Steinbeck’s short story, it is the Chrysanthemum which are indirectly responsible for Eliza awakening. The chrysanthemums create a situation in which Eliza meets a man which stimulates and re-ignites her female sensuality, that has been long forgotten. Steinbeck describes Eliza stripped of her female side and like her home, that she was â€Å"hard-swept and hard-polished† (1). Henry fails to notice and takes for granted the feminine qualities which Eliza brings to the relationship. His love for her did not exist anymore. The couple lives like strangers. Eliza, submissive and loyal, does not addresses her discontent with her husband and their relationship remains empty. He remarks, to her about her chrysanthemums, â€Å"I wish you’d work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big† (1). She is resentful and unhappy which causes her to hide in her garden. One afternoon while she is attending to her flowers she meets a traveling salesman who stops and admires her flowers. Steinbeck describes the stranger in the following way: Elisa saw that he was a very big man. Although his hair and beard were graying, he did not look old. His worn black suit was wrinkled and spotted with grease. The laughter had disappeared from his face and eyes the moment his laughing voice ceased. His eyes were dark, and they were full of the brooding that gets in the eyes of teamsters and of sailors. The calloused hands he rested on the wire fence were cracked, and every crack was a black line. He took off his battered hat. (1) When he flirts with her indirectly, she melts. She is thirsty for the attention a man gives to a woman. The stranger visually caresses the flowers, commenting that the flowers were like delicate â€Å"quick puff[s] of colored smoke,†(243) and she can feels his fingers like they were on her skin. Chrysanthemums represent Eliza long last sensuality and her need to be fulfilled physically and emotionally. Eliza quickly responds and â€Å"[tears] off the battered hat and [shakes] out her dark pretty hair†(1). The cold Elisa suddenly becomes the image of perfect femininity soft and flowing, contrasting against the strong male. She is attracted to him and offers him the only gift she can, a singe red chrysanthemum — a symbol of her sacred femininity. Through this stimulation, Eliza is inspired to again get in touch with her body and soul (Wilson 34). After a dinner eaten in silence with a man who does not love her, Eliza is forced to endure the car trip home. Weeping, and staring out the window she sees her bloody red chrysanthemums tossed on the side of the road, and she feels her soul die once again. Gilman utilizes her symbol of the yellow wallpaper in the same way, her protagonist is first imprisoned and then awakened by the wallpaper. Gilman actively asserts through her use of symbolism and the mental deterioration of the narration that women, at the turn of the century, suffering from mental illness were mistreated. Her husband, who is also her doctor, prescribed the â€Å"The Mitchell Treatment† (Hume). This was a standard treatment for all mental disorders during this time which consisted of isolation and rest. The woman, the main character, was placed in an attic for a month of recovery. Her only companion was the peeling yellow wallpaper. Slowly the unnamed narrator slipped into deep depressive psychosis. It is not until she shirked off the treatment and the invisible societal chains that she becomes well again. The theme of oppression is overwhelmingly present in both short stories. Eliza’s gift of the chrysanthemum represents the physical interaction between a man and a woman. After the stranger leaves, with quicken breath, she almost floats into her house and draws herself a hot bath. She finds her â€Å"little block of pumice† and literally scrubs her body — â€Å"legs and thighs, loins and chest and arms, until her skin was scratched and red†(1). She urgently washes, symbolically bringing blood back into her lifeless body and soul. She dresses slowly finding her best lingerie and dress. She applies makeup and prepares to go out on a â€Å"date† with her husband. She patiently awaits for her husband to come in from the fields. She hopes her husband will feel romantically toward her again. She hopes that he provide her with the same sensual stimulation that those few brief moments with the stranger. Unfortunately, her hopes are not fulfilled. When Henry finally sees his wife, he casually comments â€Å"You look strong enough to break a calf over your knee, happy enough to eat it like a watermelon† (1). Eliza laments her husband’s lack of charm, as if he is intentionally trying to crush her soul. She slowly loses the woman that she had found hours before. After a dinner eaten in silence with a man who does not love her, Eliza is forced to endure the car trip home. Weeping, and staring out the window she sees her bloody red chrysanthemums tossed on the side of the road, and she feels her soul die once again. Gilman’s narrator is also mistreated by her husband and society in general. John, her husband, a â€Å"wise† man of medicine, inflicts a loutish and gender-biased â€Å"cure† on her–and this tale, as Gilman claims, exposes such boorish barbarism. However, Gilman’s mad narrator unveils not only the ills of the rest cure treatment and a repressive domestic culture filled with Johns and Jennies, but also her hatred for a domestic (and maternal) role she has no desire to assume. â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper† not only rejects, as Gilman intended, the gender-biased rest cure of the nineteenth-century, but also indicts, less successfully, gender-biased definitions of mental illness. Married women during this time were â€Å"’freed’ from the necessity of contributing to society outside the home, presumably because marriage befit her for motherhood and motherhood required all of her energies.†(O’Donnell). Despite her triumphant unmasking of medical (predominantly male) gender bias in this tale, Gilman’s narrator falls apart so completely in the end that she tends, unfortunately, to reinforce the common nineteenth-century gender stereotype of the emotionally and physically frail nineteenth-century woman. Steinbeck through the use of chrysanthemums asserts that women are oppressed and imprisoned by world that was built for men. Through intricate detail, wit, and symbolism Steinbeck breathes life into the story of a woman completely controlled by her husband, and suffocated by world. She experiences momentary awakening during a brief interaction with a stranger. Steinbeck uses chrysanthemums evoke the feeling of rebirth, renewal, autonomy, and femininity. Eliza completely broken down and she crumbles â€Å"crying weakly-like an old woman†(X). Her husband takes her granted and does not notice that she is woman with needs and desires. Not only does her husband ignore her but so does the world. The stranger which seemed to admire all of Eliza’s qualities represents the world. Just as that man tossed away Eliza’s beautiful flowers because they were unnecessary. Steinbeck’s point is that is exactly the male dominated world views and treats women. Society is oppressive to women, allowing them not to â€Å"bloom†, keeping women submissive and docile. Eliza is not valued by the world because she is female. She meant only to exist for her husband and family. Eliza tries to be a woman in world where her womanly charms are ignored by her husband and the world in general. To survive she forgets about who she truly is and finds happiness in her garden. When she is briefly re-awakening, she attempts again to find her true self. However, her husband and the world will not let her and she must once again, for the last time, suppress who she is and what she wants. Through the use of similar literary devices the theme of female oppression and liberation is explored differently in â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† and â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.† The oppression of women in a male dominated world has plagued society for centuries. The stories of women are often left untold and considered unimportant. To fully explore this theme both authors use symbolism and careful character development. The main symbol found in The Yellow Wallpaper is that of the decaying yellow wallpaper that is in the attic where the narrator is sent for isolation. It’s decay parallels the decay of the narrator. In addition, Gilman details this decline and explores the inner workings of the narrator through the character development leading up to the narrator’s decision that she did want to live. Similarly, Steinbeck uses the symbol of the Chrysanthemum to represent Eliza’s life, isolation, liberation, and emotional death. There is only a small set of literary tools available to authors, of any genre, through which themes like oppression can be examined. It is through the unique manipulation of these tools, and the intense expertise of great American authors that such a varied approach to survival can be interrupted, demonstrated, and shared. Works Cited Bak, John S. â€Å"Escaping the Jaundiced Eye: Foucauldian Panopticism in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.†.† Studies in Short Fiction 31.1 (1994): 39+. DeMott, Robert. Steinbeck’s Typewriter: Essays on His Art. Revised ed. Troy, NY: Whitston Publishing, 1997. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wall-Paper. Revised ed. New York: Feminist Press, 1996. Hume, Beverly A. â€Å"Managing Madness in Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper†.† Studies in American Fiction 30.1 (2002): 3+. O’Donnell, Margaret G. â€Å"A Reply to â€Å"Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Reassessing Her Significance for Feminism and Social Economics.† Review of Social Economy 54.3 (1996): 337+. Roth, Marty. â€Å"Gilman’s Arabesque Wallpaper.† Mosaic (Winnipeg) 34.4 (2001): 145+. Steinbeck, John. â€Å"The Chrysanthemums.† Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. 4th Compact ed. New York: Prentice Hall, 2007. Wilson, Edmund. The Boys in the Back Room: Notes on California Novelists. San Francisco: Colt Press, 1941. Questia.

The Man Who Loved Flowers – Short Essay

Describe the setting and atmosphere. The story takes place in May 1963. The summer Is Just around the corner and everybody is smiling to the man in the gray slut because he exudes, he Is hopeless in love with the girl Norma. After he bought the tea roses for Norma, the afternoon turns to evening and the bright atmosphere Is replaced by darkness and gloomy cityscape when he makes his way to he's loving Norma. 2. Characterize the young man HIS hair was dark and cut short. HIS complexion was fair, his eyes a light blue.Not an extraordinary face, but he was beautiful. When he takes his hammer from his coat pocket and stats smashing her, he see he's reel Identity, the series-killer from the radio. 3. What does the other characters think of the young man, and how do Owe learn about it? 4. What news are we told on the radio, and what effect does it have on Dust as readers? It poured out bad news, a hammer murderer was still on the sass. 5. Who is Norma? She is the woman the character buy fl owers. 6. How does King develop suspense in the story, and what element of ;surprise is here? 7. Give your interpretation of the statement â€Å"His name was love† 8.Theme and message? 9. Compare It to â€Å"The Bogeyman – can you find cellmates between the two stories? 10. Compare Stephen King's short stories to Edgar Allan Pope's â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart and consider how horror Is created In the two stories (are there differences)? The Man Who Loved Flowers – Short Essay By hinderer The story takes place in May 1963. The summer is Just around the corner and everybody is smiling to the man in the gray suit because he exudes, he is hopeless in urns to evening and the bright atmosphere is replaced by darkness and gloomy His hair was dark and cut short.His complexion was fair, his eyes a light blue. Not an pocket and stats smashing her, he see he's reel identity, the series-killer from the 4. What news are we told on the radio, and what effect does it have on U s as 6. How does King develop suspense in the story, and what element of Surprise is 9. Compare it to â€Å"The Bogeyman – can you find similarities between the two stories? And consider how horror is created in the two stories (are there differences)?

Issues of poverty in U.S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Issues of poverty in U.S - Essay Example In the year 2003, the rate stood at 63 percent from a previous 42 percent in the mid 1990s.Research by OECD indicates that with the formation of the coalition government, the GDP growth rose to 7.8 percent in 2011 as a result of the economic recovery in the country. Uganda has seen a lot of improvements with the poverty rates declining to 31.1% in 2006 as compared to 56% in the early 1990s. World Bank (2011) indicates that the country is likely to attain the millennium goals set by the year 2015. As compared to U.S.A. the poverty levels in India have decreased. This is according to World Bank (2011) who indicates that in India, through the process of poverty reduction has been slow; the government is doing its level best to hasten the pace of poverty reduction. This work also emphasizes that the reduction of poverty in India has improved as contrasted to the earlier periods. Even though the country is rated as one of the poorest in the globe, poverty cutback is an explanation of the fact that the proviso of services will get better, ranging from health services to

Repent Harlequin, said the Tik Tok Man, by Harlan Ellison Essay

Repent Harlequin, said the Tik Tok Man, by Harlan Ellison - Essay Example The masked Harlequin is the person that is making people late by destructing them on their way to work. He uses bullhorns and jellybeans to confuse people going to work. The behaviour of the Harlequin is just to cause mischief and disrupt the rigid society governed by the need to keep time. The effect of the disruption of people to manage their time is economic problems. The story then goes back to the beginning and talks about life as it is today. People value time although they do not give it so much power (Ellison & Berry Pp. 27). This makes the authority and power of the time in the future world understandable, as one understands its origin. The book brings out clearly the theme of nonconformance. This is seen when the author uses the Harlequin to initiate havoc that disrupts the order and organization of the future society (Westfahl Pp.139). The society started to manage their time and avoid all instances of being late. Those who did not keep the societal obligation of time mana gement faced the wrath of the Ticktockman. However, Harlequin does not keep time, moreover, he engaged in activities that make other people not to conform to the laws of the society. The author also tells the story in a no conformational way. He starts the story in the middle and then goes to the beginning then to the end. The quotes that the author uses in the poem are important as they emphasize better the information that the author is bringing out. The author uses a quote in the beginning of the play, â€Å"Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman†, to explain further the book (Ellison & Berry Pp. 27). The quote although short is very expressive and gives readers an idea of what the book is about. The use of the quotes makes the novel even more interesting by breaking the monotony of storytelling. The book brings out the thoughts of the author concerning the way the world is moving. He is thus able to express his thought about how different things in the society have chan ged (Burgess Pp. 72). However, how time controls what people do does not change. In the future, the time becomes a powerful tool and people stop being the master of their time and become slaves. People become slaves of time and they are thus forced to lose their humanity. They no longer use their conscience. They do the same things daily and at the same time. The Harlequin is the only person that is using his conscience. He sees that the routine and time keeping is not good and goes out of his way to do what he wants (Burgess Pp. 72). He is not controlled by the time and contradicts the norm everyone in the new world. This way the book shows the contradictions that come into a system that has controlled all the activities that people do. I believe that the author did not clearly show why and how the present world transitioned to the future world that was ruled by monotony. The book does not have historical processes that bring continuity from this present world to the future world. This is because the author uses some imagery in the book from the future world. The author depicts well how bad the society has become because of putting so much emphasis on time. However, he does not put the events properly into historic events that follow a sequence and develop over time. The characteristics of the bad society just prop up without any origin or event that influences its creation. From the book, the events in the future

Volly 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Volly 2 - Essay Example In this touch ten drill the defenders run hitting line with all the hitters. The coach will toss the ball to the setter and the setter sets the ball to any of the hitter he likes. The hitter will try to avoid all the defenders while smashing the ball. The defenders can start from anywhere in the court for effectively blocking the smashes (X-hitters, C-Coach, D-Defender, S-Setter) (Volleyball.com). The figure given below is another form of touch ten defensive drill. This drill teaches aggressiveness along with improving reflex reaction times. Reflexes and reflex reactions are important in every sports and volleyball is also not an exception. Here X stands for defenders and C for the coach. Coach hit the ball repeatedly to any of the three defensive players. There will not be any clue about who is going to receive the ball from the coach. All the defenders should be ready to receive the ball every time when the coach hit the ball. The coach on the other hand mixes his shot with less power, more power, less accurate, more accurate, and also he uses variety of swings also in each of the shots he make (Volleyball.com). This drill is intended for strengthening of offense. This is intended for closing the hole between the blockers by the smasher. It requires blockers at one side and the setter and the hitters on the other side. The ball tossed by the coach to the setter, sets to an outside hitter. The hitter should try to smash the ball between the blockers. The middle and the outside blocker start the drill by standing next to one another so that the timing is not an issue. This drill can be practiced using two and three blockers. Initially the drill starts with two blockers and then in order to increase the difficulty level in hitting the ball, instead of two, a third blocker is also used (Volleyball Plays and

Nurses Role in preventing pressure Ulcers Dissertation

Nurses Role in preventing pressure Ulcers - Dissertation Example First, pressure ulcers (PRUs) are rather common medical conditions that have affected the patients for ages with ever increasing morbidity and mortality rates. For these reasons, pressure ulcers and their effects have prompted nurses to work tirelessly to address their detection, prevention, treatment and management (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2013). Most importantly, that PRUs have metamorphosed into a national healthcare issue underscores the importance of its prevention to the nursing. The other reason this topic was chosen for this paper is that despite the tremendous efforts and strides made in other fields such as medicine, nursing care, surgery, and self-care education, pressure ulcers remain among the chief causes of morbidity and mortality for different types of illnesses (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2013). The situation is particularly dire for people with prolonged immobility, weakened sensation and advanced age. This topic wa s also favoured by the need to aptly and effectively prevent and manage PRUs and the need for more research in the area of pressure ulcers with regards to their prevention, characterization and treatment. Unfortunately, more needs to be done with regards to caring for patients to prevent and treat pressure ulcer in hospitals. To this effect, the numerous guidelines available to professionals should be accessed and implemented. Generally, these guidelines pinpoint the various strategies of preventing and treating pressure ulcers. Among these areas are those of skin care and protection, positioning, use of pressure-relieving devices and nutrition (National Guideline Clearinghouse, 2006). Agreeably, keeping the skin clean, dry and moisturized is the first and an important preventive step. Other guidelines emphasise the avoidance of the massaging of bony prominences. Dry lubricants and/or other protective dressings such as transparent films and hydrocolloids are also recommended for use since they help avoid skin injury from friction during patient transferring and turning (National Guideline Clearinghouse, 2006). In addition, the use of skin protectants or incontinence skin barriers is recommended by experts (Allsop, 1995). Another skin-related intervention that comes highly recommended is the use of absorbent under-pads and undergarments to wick moisture away from the skin. The recommendations with regards to positioning and pressure-relieving devices include elevation of the head of the bed to about 30 degrees, the use of a 30-degree lateral lying position, use of trapeze bars to help with mobility, use of pillows or wedges to lessen pressure and the cushioning of high-risk areas such as the elbows, heels and sacrum (McInnes & Cullum, 2011). Others are emphasis on the need to avoid dragging or pulling patients and the use of lift sheets/equipment to reposition or transfer patients. According to the NICE, 2013, about half a million UK citizens develop at least o ne pressure ulcer yearly while the NHS reports that about one in twenty people admitted to hospitals with a sudden illness will develop a pressure ulcer. According to most media reports, pressure ulcers not only inflict severe harm to patients but also cost the NHS billions of pounds each year to treat (Manfred, 2005). Nevertheless, the majority of pressure ulcer cases could be prevented via rather

Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome - Essay Example t the weather at that time in March was unusually cold followed by above normal temperatures in April, which stimulated rapid plant growth and concurrent increase in the number of eastern tent caterpillars. Wild Cherry trees were the principal source of food for these caterpillars. Lack of abortion in areas where these caterpillars did not exist and later experimental intragastric inoculation of pregnant mares with caterpillar extracts confirmed the reason for these abortions (merckvetmanual.com). The MRLS syndrome in addition to early/late fetal loss is characterized by uveitis, pericarditis and encephalitis and occurs due to tissue penetration by barbed setal fragments from Eastern tent caterpillars, Malacosoma americanum (Tobin et al, 2004). After ingestion the barbed setal fragments migrate through moving tissues followed by rapid spread of bacteria, bacterial emboli and septic fragments of setae, collectively known as septic materials (Tobin et al, 2004). A number of bacteria are carried by the setal fragments in moving tissues, blood, uterus and fetal membranes of pregnant mares. Pharmacokinetic studies and studies on the structure of the setae revealed barbs on them which facilitated the rapid spread of bacteria as hitchhikers. Clinically affected tissues show a poor antibacterial response as bacterial contamination of tissues and extracellular fluids is very rapid. It has been proposed that MRLS also includes an immunosuppressive mechanism which predisposes the affect ed horses to opportunistic bacterial infection (Flaminio et al, 2005). Pathological lesions when MRLS is suspected are consistent with bacterial infection as the cause. Streptococcus, Actinobacillus species and Serratia were some of the prominent bacterial species isolated from horses suffering from MRLS. Sebastian M.M. et al (2008) propose two hypotheses for MRLS. According to one, the syndrome is produced due to an Eastern tent caterpillar toxin complicated with secondary bacterial

The Life of a Maasai Moran Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Life of a Maasai Moran - Research Paper Example The Maasai are a humble group of people who practice nomadism and derive their livelihoods from the animals they keep and hunting and gathering. Among the Maasai, the birth of a male child is a symbol of power. A man is only considered a true man when he sires a male child. The more the males sired the more power and authority and respect one earns from the members of the community (Lekuton 37). There are men who have been made chief of the community because having the highest number of male children. Such a man’s opinion in affairs of the community is taken very seriously and any one who disobeys his command is punished severely. The Maasai believe that it’s the God’s will to have male children and the more the male children the more God is happy with them and is blessing them (Barber 6). The male children are important because they protect the community and it’s wealth from all forms of threat ranging from other neighboring communities to wild animals. T he birth of a male child in the community is received as great news and calls for ceremonies that have been performed for many years handed over from one generation to the next. The ceremonies begin very early in the morning with the village elders meeting together and deciding on the name to be given to the child. The name is given based on the time of the year and events of axiological significance to the community happening as at that time of the year. The child could be born at a time when the community is preparing to go for war or during the rainy season, or dry season or many other significant periods. The name is settled on by the village elders on consensus and will be announced to the rest of the community at a time deemed appropriate by the village elders. This is followed by songs of praise to the father of the child as the community assembles at the assembly point. On such a day, all activities of the community are stopped and ceremonies take center stage. The women wil l all be congratulating the woman who gave birth at this point as others give and seek advice. Those women who give birth to girls and have no boys are advised by the mother of child on how to get a boy and those who have had many boys give advice to the fellow mothers on how to get more and more boys. It is to be noted that at this time the maiden girls are required to be present and will be responsible for all the singing and all the cooking and preparations for the ceremony. According to Saitoti and Galaty (87) a Maasai man is not allowed to perform any domestic chore. His duty is to take care of the community’s safety against all incoming threats. At exactly eight in the morning the Maasai Moran kill a bull chosen by the village elders and drain the blood. The father of the child pours some to the ground and takes a sip. This is done under close supervision by the eldest member of the community. It is believed that the ancestor are still living together with the community and oversee the overall well being of the community by blessing them with rain and good cattle herds. The blood has to be poured first to the ground so that the ancestors can have the first sip. They come first in each and every activity of the community. Forgetting to pour a sip to the ground before taking the blood is a grave mistake and is accorded a whole repentance ceremony. Once the father of the child has poured some to the ground and then taken a sip, the rest of the elders take each a sip of the blood

Walmart Winning Strategy Essay Example for Free

Walmart Winning Strategy Essay Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates retail stores in various formats around the world, aggregated into three reportable segments: (1) the Wal-Mart U.S. segment; (2) the Wal-Mart International segment; and (3) the Sam’s Club segment. We are committed to saving people money so they can live better. We earn the trust of our customers every day by providing a broad assortment of quality merchandise and services at every -day low prices (â€Å"EDLP†) while fostering a culture that rewards and embraces mutual respect, integrity and diversity. EDLP is our pricing philosophy under which we price items at a low price every day so our customers trust that our prices will not change under frequent promotional activity. Our fiscal year ends on January 31. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is the largest retail company in the United States and has been ranked number one on the Fortune 500 Index by Fortune Magazine. Wal-Mart has four parts to their corporate strategy. Wal-Mart is dominant in the Retail Market. Wal-Mart has expansion in the U.S. and International Market. Wal-Mart has a creation of positive brand and company Recognition. Wal-Mart is able to branch out into new sectors of retail. Wal-Mart’s public affairs strategy must work to make implementation of these policy goals happen. Its public affairs strategy enables the company to move into other sectors of the marketplace and expand into foreign countries. The public affairs strategy also involves gaining access to politicians who can help Wal-Mart achieve its goals. Wal-Mart has a very active Political Action Committee that gives almost a quarter million dollars annually. While Wal-Mart’s public affairs strategy works well with its corporate strategy. We feel that there are a few recommendations which could make the company work better. Recently, Wal-Mart has been criticized for their opposition to allowing their employees to be unionized. Wal-Mart needs to clarify their reasons for their opposition to unionization. The public affairs strategy must also address the negative feelings harbored by some groups who feel  that Wal-Mart is encroaching into far too many other sectors retail than it should. These concerns must be addressed if Wal-Mart is to enjoy continued success in creating positive name recognition. The mission of Wal-Mart is to serve their members with strong advocacy, quality information, and responsive member services. Their vision is to continue building on our unique position, â€Å"the only research association serving an international membership.† Effective strategy incorporates a view from the customer and stakeholder perspective, and includes an understanding of customer needs, product and service characteristics, desired relationships and the desired â€Å"corporate image† that the organization wants to portray. Reference: https://:www.walmart.com https://www.balancedscorecard.org

Mental health programs Essay Example for Free

Mental health programs Essay Community health programs based in churches have been highly successful, although occasionally confusing and stressful for pastors to administer. However, it is not only physical health programs which have thrived; mental health and chemical dependency programs are an important supplement to church ministry and community service. Thompson and McRae argue that the Black church itself offers a positive therapeutic effect to its congregation, even without a formal mental health ministry in place. They discuss the historical basis for the Black church’s creation of community; the creation of the â€Å"we† group rather than the individual â€Å"I† and the need for belonging with a group, rather than to a group (41). They state â€Å"Embedded within the individual were past experiences, traditions, values, and norms for emotions, cognitions, and behaviors conducive to relatedness and â€Å"interpersonalness† that reflected a collective sense of belonging with rather than to, caring, similar others (Thompson McRae, 41). † The Black church, in Thompson and McRae’s view, has created a bridge for the gap between the historic slave experience and the modern Black experience which helps ease the mental transition between worlds, and created a framework for dealing with hostility. They state â€Å"The Black church nurtures the survival of its members through providing a supportive, caring environment to facilitate an ever-widening upward spiral of positive cognitive, affective and behavioral outcomes for growth and change (Thompson McRae, 46). † While the mere fact of church fellowship has a positive effect on its members, Black church involvement in formal mental health ministry programs has a significant impact on its members as well. Blank discussed the importance of mental health care within the church setting. They state that there are four areas of community care considered most effective in the church setting. These are primary care delivery, mental health, health promotion and disease promotion and health policy. Their review of studies underscored the importance of natural helpers (friends and extended family), lay helpers and most especially church leaders in the delivery of mental health care through an informal care system. Blank discussed the state of mental health care in the rural South in the 1970s; the population was discovered by researchers studying psychiatric utilization and morbidity in the area to be underserved, despite the general view that rural life was superior to urban. The problems contributing to low psychiatric utilization are complex; problems with service delivery, low quality of care (especially among minority patients) and lack of providers are entangled with social stigma surrounding psychiatric care, economic and social factors, geographic distance from providers, poverty, race and class issues to create a morass of issues a patient must slog through to acquire psychiatric care. Blank notes that at the time of the study, most counties lacked a single doctoral-level mental health professional; only 3% of licensed psychiatrists practice in the rural South, a number which has not changed significantly since the 1970s. In addition to the socioeconomic issues with receiving psychiatric care in the rural South, there are further problems relating to doctor-patient relations. Some theorists state that white mental health care providers cannot provide optimal care to Black patients because of their lack of knowledge and understanding of Black history and culture, as well as a lack of understanding of the difficulty of being Black in a white world; furthermore Black patients are less likely to trust white care providers due to racial tensions and differences in worldview (Blank , 1668). Instead, Black patients are considered to have a preference for Black care providers. While some studies have shown that Black patients do prefer Black care providers, stated reasons for this preference are a perception of greater professional competence and attitude, as well as racial and cultural compatibility (Blank , 1668). Blank emphasize the importance of sensitivity and cultural competence; it can lead to a greater understanding of non-normative minority behavior as well as an increase in trust levels between provider and patient which increase the possibility of a successful outcome. Blank discusses the cultural responsiveness hypothesis, which states that the effectiveness of psychotherapy is directly related to the therapist’s ability to communicate an understanding of the patient’s cultural background. Lack of this cultural responsiveness might account for some of the racial divide in diagnosis, treatment and premature termination of treatment observed between Black and white psychiatric patients (Blank, 1669). Blank hypothesized that rural churches provide fewer social and mental health services than urban churches, and that they have fewer links with the formal care system; furthermore, because of the importance of the church in the Black community and the historic exclusion of Black from formal care systems (schools, mental health services, etc), Black churches would provide more social and mental health services than white churches, but with fewer links to the formal care system (1669). Blank tested their theory using a phone survey of Black and white church leaders in both rural and urban areas in the South (defined in their study as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missisippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia (Blank, 1670)). A total of 2,867 churches were targeted, with a total of 269 completed interviews, or an overall participation rate of just under 10% (Blank, 1670). Rural Black churches, the targeted demographic, were actually least likely to participate in the study, with only a one in fourteen survey completion rate; the researchers cited lack of full-time staff creating difficulties reaching church leaders and a high rate of church leader refusal as factors in this low completion rate (Blank, 1670). The researchers discussed topics such as church demographics, including size and racial composition of the congregation, number of services held and attendance at the services, the church budget and founding date; problems the church’s congregants faced that the church leader considered to be most important; specific questions about mental health services provided by the church or church leader, including such issues as depression, paranoia, nervous breakdown, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and attempted suicide; What type of support services were offered formally by the church to deal with these types of issues; and what links to the formal care system, including hospitals, care providers and support services like Alcoholics Anonymous existed, and if links existed to what level church leaders provided referrals to the formal care system (Blank, 1669). The researchers then constructed four different scales on which to rank the churches: Problems, which quantified the degree to which responding churches dealt with mental health problems over the previous two years; Programs for Adults, which quantified the number of mental health programs offered by the church, including those dealing with alcohol and substance abuse, marital counseling, sex education and counseling, domestic violence and sexual assault; Programs for Children, which quantified programs specifically aimed at support for children, including individual and family support services; and finally Programs for Teenagers, which quantified programs specifically aimed at support for teens. Referrals, both in and out, were also quantified (Blank, 1670). Statistical analysis using factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine the correlation between the varying factors. The researchers found some surprising differences in funding – when adjusted for congregation size, rural white churches had substantially larger budgets than rural Black churches, and urban Black churches also had significantly larger budgets than the rural Black churches (Blank, 1670). However, both urban and rural Black churches were shown to offer significantly higher numbers of mental health programs overall than their white counterparts. There were no statistically significant variables in the study of links between referrals, but the modal response among churches overall was 0, indicating that all churches tend to lack links with the formal care system (Blank, 1671). Blank extrapolate concerning the possible reasons for lack of links between the formal care system and the informal care system provided by churches. They note that one of the difficulties may be historical in nature; because churches are often divided among racial and ethnic lines, there may be barriers to connection between the formal care system and churches precipitated by racial and ethnic tensions. Additionally, because churches have played a role as a political entity in the past, there may be lingering social tensions between churches and formal care systems which prevent these roles. (Blank, 1671). Another barrier may be the different paradigms of the formal care system and the church regarding the nature, causes and treatment of mental health problems.

Hydrological Impacts of Wimbleball Reservoir

Hydrological Impacts of Wimbleball Reservoir An Evaluation of the hydrological impacts of Wimbleball Reservoir using the IHA approach A river acts both as a source and carrier of water for supporting and sustaining the biological diversity and integrity of the aquatic, wetland and riparian species and natural ecosystems. To accomplish these functions, it is necessary that river water meets some essential qualitative and quantitative parameters and the stream-flow exhibits the dynamics and hydrological attributes comparable to that of natural or unaltered river flows (hydrologic regime). This hydrologic regime is the lifeline of freshwater ecosystem and all diverse variety of aquatic riparian species are for long accustomed and adapted to the characteristic temporal, spatial and hydrologic variation of water flow cycles attributable to the natural or unaltered water flow. Unfortunately, this regime and its naturally configured variation patterns get disturbed failing to absorb the stresses induced by our ever-increasing demands and environmentally irresponsive use of water. To evaluate the shifts in the pre and post-reservoir hydrologic parameters, the effect of Wimbleball Reservoir have been analysed based on the long-term flow-patterns of the downstream discharge of the reservoir. The analysis was conducted by a very robust statistical model called the IHA model. Both long term differences and RVA analysis show substantial impacts of manmade reservoir control on the biota of the Exe-catchment. Introduction Water bodies like rivers, streams, channels, etc. serve a dual function being essential source points for our day-to-day water requirements as well being its transporters or carriers by flowing in and channelling water downstream to the river beds, catchments and agricultural fields in the process supporting and sustaining the biological diversity and integrity of the aquatic, wetland and riparian species and natural ecosystems. Our earth is also called the ‘water planet’ as water forms approximately 70% of its total surface (The Ground Water Foundation,2003) but only a part of it is available for our use. This realization has long back prompted us to take up some water management practices. In the beginning, water management practices were very much focused on issues like water quality and flood control measures and the overall strategy was never so broad to include other aspects like water quantity, stream flow management and restoration (BD, Richter, etal,1997)2. However, issues pertaining to water quantity, flow, restoration, etc. gradually started to get prominence in our policy framework following a landmark order passed by the US Supreme Court identifying the separation of water quality from water quantity and flow as an artificial distinction and recommending incorporation of both water quality and quantity objectives in a broader and comprehensive water management policy framework (US-EPA, 2002)3. Water quality, quantity flow conditions are in way inseparable features considering the fact that the amount of flow in a river effects many issues of water quality and water quantity at the same time. Therefore, the assessment on the wholesomeness of water in any system is essentially dictated by the above conditions of quality, quantity and flow characteristics. Going by this approach broadens the overall water policy framework making this a comprehensive management initiative. This shift in water management approach necessitated re-configuration of the erstwhile single or limited objective driven practice of flood storm water control thereby embracing a comprehensive initiative of total ecosystem management restoration having multi-utility potentials. This system is very important and effective because this takes into account the sustainable use of water resources or ‘water takings’ and their possible restoration (Dept. of Fisheries Oceans, Canada, 2002)4. Under the ambit of this, it is necessary that river water meets some essential qualitative and quantitative parameters and the stream-flow exhibits the dynamics and hydrological attributes (hydrologic regime) comparable to that of natural or unaltered river flow (Richter D. Brian etal) 5. This hydrologic regime or ‘natural flow regime’ is the lifeline of freshwater ecosystem and all diverse variety of aquatic riparian species are for long accustomed and adapted to the characteristic temporal, spatial and hydrologic variations of water flow cycles attributable to the natural or unaltered water flow. Unfortunately, this regime and its naturally configured variation patterns get disturbed (Allan David HinzLeon, SNRE, 2004)6 failing to absorb the stresses induced by our ever-increasing water takings demands and environmentally irresponsive use of water. In fact, this is the point where human intervention or controls and water integrity issues found themselves in a highly confronting and conflicting platform. Increased water demands compelling human actions like construction of water reservoirs, dams, impoundments, etc. for storing and using water for domestic, energy and hydropower, artificial parks and various other uses have started taking their toll on river waters and water bodies substantially degrading the quality, quantity and importantly squeezing the downstream water flows(Benue, A. C. 1990). This flow reduction in rivers consequential to manmade flood and irrigation control practices like reservoirs and dams are found to alter the natural hydrologic regime bringing in a series of impairments to overall ecosystem and also opening up a new front in the field of river and hydrology studies. This paper aims to assess the variations in the hydrological parameters of a river system specifically attributable to impacts of man-made interventions or controls like reservoirs. Primarily, the research ambition is to identify and evaluate the degree of alterations in the hydrologic profile by analysing the long-term historical as well recent water flow records representative of the pre-impact and post-impact period of construction and commissioning of a typical reservoir. An emerging computer tool called the ‘IHA’ (Indicators of Hydrologic Alterations) has been applied to generate scenarios and analyze the data. The records and data needs for this study have been sourced from an existing gauging station in the Exe river of South-West England strategically selected to represent the influence of the ‘Wimbleball Reservoir’. Natural Flow Regime Hydrologic Alterations – Ecological Significance The concept of natural flow regime is based on the understanding that aquatic and riparian organisms depend upon, or can tolerate arrange of flow conditions specific to each species (Puff etal, 1997)7.For example, certain fish species moves into safer floodplain areas during floods to feed and escape from attacks of other species occupying the main water body thereby adapting a mechanism to survive and carry on all by itself. This in a way indicates that if flooding occurs at the right time of the year, and lasts for the right amount of time, these fish populations will benefit from the flood event finally. Again as a contrast to this case, other species may be adversely affected by the same flood. With the development of the science of hydrology, it has been confirmed with a good degree of confidence that hydrologic regime with all its natural and temporal variations (both intra-annual and inter-annual) are needed to maintain and restore the natural form and function of aquatic ecosystems. However, this prerequisite is not in line with the traditional water management practice which is functionally attuned to influence and dampen natural fluctuations with the objective to provide steady and undisturbed supply of water for different in-stream and out-of-stream activities(Richter et al., 2003) . Moreover, for intervening and containing extreme drought and flood events, the traditional water management initiatives rather relied on moderating and limiting flow fluctuations. Many studies indicate ‘natural flow regime’ as a determinant toing-stream flow needs of a water body. For example, (Richter et al,1996) and (Puff et al. 1997) generalized that natural flow conditions may indicate and determine in-stream flow requirements. There exists a correlation between stream-flow and other physicochemical characteristics critical to ecological integrity of streams and rivers(Puff etal., 1997). Precisely, flow can be associated to some direct as well indirect or secondary impacts and as such flow characteristics can be used as surrogates for other in-stream indicators and ecosystem conditions and importantly the components of a flow regime as shown infigure-1, are very much accessible to scientific inquiry (IFC, 2002,Poff et al. 1997, Richter et al., 1996) . Any disruption, fragmentation and dilution of this natural regime of water-flow leads to ‘Hydrological alteration’ and in general, this can be defined as any anthropogenic disruption in the magnitude or timing of natural river flows (Biosciences, 50-9, 2000). The natural flow regime of a river is dependent on various factors including rainfall, temperature and evaporation when considered in a broader geographic scale or macro-scale and is also influenced by the physical characteristics of a catchment at the catchment level or micro-scale(Rash et al, 1988) . As mentioned earlier, river flow regimes are also affected directly and indirectly by human activities. Such human interventions disrupting natural flow of a river through construction and operation of reservoirs and dams have the potential of triggering a series of undesirable consequences like extensive ecological degradation, loss of biological diversity, water quality deterioration, groundwater depletion, and also more frequent and intense flooding(Puff et al, 1997). Reservoir are built to store water to compensate for fluctuations in river flow, thereby providing a measure of human control of water resources, or to raise the level of water upstream to either increase hydraulic head or enable diversion of water into canal. The creation of storage and head allows reservoirs to generate electricity, to supply water for agriculture, industries, and municipalities, to mitigate flooding and to assist river navigation(Rash et al. 1988). The biological effects of hydrologic alterations are often difficult to disentangle from those of other environmental perturbations in heavily developed catchments as identified by Rosenberg et al. (Environmental Reviews 5: 27–54, 1997) . The impacts of large-scale hydrological alteration include habitat fragmentation within rivers (Dynes us and Nilsson 1994) , downstream habitat changes, such as loss of floodplains, riparian zones, and adjacent wetlands and deterioration and loss of river deltas and ocean estuaries (Rosenberg et al. 1997)36,deterioration of irrigated terrestrial environments and associated surface waters (McCall 1996) . Hydrological alterations also bring another indirect or secondary impacts on the genetic, ecosystem and global levels. They can cause genetic isolation through habitat fragmentation (Pringle 1997) , changes in processes such as nutrient cycling and primary productivity (Pringle 1997, Rosenberg et al. 1997),etc. With the realization of the importance of natural flow regime and the possible dangers posed by human alterations, there emerged a relatively new and promising water and ecology management paradigm. Many researchers started seeing this as a very comprehensive and sound management option and on many occasions stressed regarding the urgency of protecting or restoring natural hydrologic regimes (Sparks 1992;National Research Council, Doppler et al. 1993; and Dynes us Nilsson 1994) . Effective ecosystem management of aquatic, riparian, and wetland system requires that existing hydrologic regimes be characterized using biologically-relevant hydrologic parameters, and that the degree to which human-altered regimes differ from natural or preferred conditions be related to the status and trends of the biota(BD, Richter, etal, 1997). Ecosystem management efforts should be considered experiments, testing the need to maintain or restore natural hydrologic regime characteristics in order to sustain ecosystem integrity. Only some limited studies have closely examined hydrologic influences on ecosystem integrity and this is mainly because most of the commonly used statistical tools are poorly suited for characterizing hydrologic data into biologically relevant attributes(BD, Richter, etal, 1997). Without such knowledge, ecosystem managers will not be compelled to protect or restore natural hydrologic regime characteristics. However, recently, there have been some significant developments in the field of hydrological studies and importantly few robust computer statistical tools and models like IHA Range of Variability Approach (RVA) using the (Indicators of Hydrologic Alterations, BD, Richter, etal, 1997), Wetted Physical Habitat Simulation System (PHABSIM Model, Jowett, 1997)35, Flow Incremental Methodology (FIM), other Hydrologic Modelling Software like GAWSER, Ontario Flow Assessment Techniques (OFAT), etc. are now known to exist(Jowett, 1997). The following sections attempt to evaluate and assess the possible effects of hydrological alteration specifically induced by human interventions or activities. A very useful computer model called the model (available at Freshwaters.com) has been used for generating and evaluating the effects of flow variations. The ecological zone considered for analysis in this paper is the ‘Exe river Estuary’ region and the gauging station selected is 45001 Exe at Thorverton. The Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration (IHA) Method – Approaches Application The evaluation and assessment of the flow regime of the Exe-river system and the variations it witnessed after the construction of the ‘Wimbleball Reservoir’ have been accomplished by the application of Avery detailed computer-modelling tool known as the IHA or ‘Indicators of Hydrologic Assessment’ model. The software basically takes birth from the concept of integrity and wholesomeness of the ‘natural flow regime ‘and is configured and capable of determining the relative transformations and variations in this natural flow regime subject to any natural or artificial modifications or alterations (BD, Richter, etal, 1997). At first, it requires defining and identifying a series of biologically-relevant hydrologic attributes that characterize intra anointer-annual variations in water conditions which are further processed for a robust statistical variation analysis after isolating the data-sets to represent two different periods resembling the pre-impact and post-impact scenarios (Rosenberg, et al, 2002). The Nature Conservancy is now the custodian of this statistical tool, which is very useful for assessing the degree to which human activities have changed flow regimes (US-EPA, 2002). Brian D. Richter and et al. from the Nature Conservancy (Richter D. Brian, etal, 1996-97) have identified four basic for this analysis and they are: (I) Define the data series (e.g., stream-gauge or well records) for pre- and post-impact periods in the ecosystem of interest. (ii) Calculate values of hydrologic attributes Values for each of 32ecologically-relevant hydrologic attributes are calculated for each year in each data series, i.e., one set of values for the pre-impact data series and one for the post-impact data series. (iii) Compute inter-annual statistics Compute measures of central tendency and dispersion for the 32 attributes in each data series, based on the values calculated in step 2. This produces a total of 64 inter-annual statistics for each data series (32 measures of central tendency and 32 measures of dispersion). (iv) Calculate values of the Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration -Compare the 64 inter-annual statistics between the pre- and post-impact data series, and present each result as a percentage deviation of onetime period (the post-impact condition) relative to the other (there-impact condition). The method equally can be used to compare the state of one system to itself over time (e.g., pre- versus post-impacts just described); or it can be used to compare the state of one system to another (e.g., an altered system to a reference system), or to compare current conditions to simulated results based on models of future modification to a system. The same computational strategies will work with any regular-interval hydrologic data, such as monthly means; however, the sensitivity of the IHA method for detecting hydrologic alteration is increasingly compromised with time intervals longer than a day (Richter. Brian, etal, 1996-97). Detection of certain types of hydrologic impacts, such as the rapid flow fluctuations associated with hydropower generation at dams, may require even shorter (hourly) interval. They have also suggested that ‘the basic data for estimating all attribute values may preferably be daily mean water conditions (levels, heads, flow rates). Hydrologic conditions in general can vary in four dimensions within an ecosystem (three spatial dimensions and time).However, the three spatial domains can be scaled down to one with the assumption that only one spatial domain exists at any strategic location over time in a river system. Restricting the domain to one specific point within a hydrologic system (like any measuring point in river) makes it simple for us to identify specific water conditions with one spatial and one temporal domain. These events may be specific water conditions like heads, levels, rate of change, etc. (Richter Brian, etal, 1996) whose temporal variations can be recorded and assessed from that particular spatial point or from a single position. Such temporal changes in water conditions are commonly portrayed as plots of water condition against time, or hydrographs. Here, we seek to study and analyse the variations in hydrologic conditions using indicators and attributes, which should essentially be biologically relevant as well as responsive to human influences or modifications like reservoir and dam operations, ground water pumping, agricultural activities, etc. at the same time (Richter D. Brian, etal,1996,). Importantly, a variety of features or parameters of hydrologic regime can be used and functionally superimposed (Sense South wood 1977, 1988; Puff Ward 1990}40 to virtually represent and finally characterize the physical habitat templates (Townsend Hilde, 1994)43 or environmental filters (Sense Eddy 1992)42that shape the biotic composition of aquatic, wetland, and riparian ecosystems. The IHA method is based on 32 biologically relevant hydrologic attributes, which are divided into five major groups to statistically characterize intra-annual hydrologic variation as showman Table-1. These 32 attributes are based upon the following five fundamental characteristics of hydrologic regimes: 1. the magnitude of the water condition at any given time is measure of the availability or suitability of habitat, and defines such habitat attributes as wetted area or habitat volume, or the position of water table relative to wetland or riparian plant rooting zones; 2. the timing of occurrence of particular water conditions can determine whether certain life cycle requirements are met, or influence the degree of stress or mortality associated with extreme water conditions such as floods or droughts; 3. the frequency of occurrence of specific water conditions such as droughts or floods may be tied to reproduction or mortality events for various species, thereby influencing population dynamics; 4. the duration of time over which a specific water condition exists may determine whether a particular life cycle phase can be completed, or the degree to which stressful effects such as inundation or desiccation can accumulate; 5. the rate of change in water conditions may be tied to the stranding of certain organisms along the waters edge or in pounded depressions, or the ability of plant roots to maintain contact with phreatic water supplies. A detailed representation of the hydrologic regime can be obtained from these 32 parameters for the purpose of assessing hydrologic alteration. Importantly, all the parameters having good ecological relevance do not call for any parameter specific statistical analysis and all of them can be processed by single and unique approach like they (Kozlowski 1984; Bustard 1984; Puff Ward 1989)46. Also, because certain stream-flow levels shape physical habitat conditions within river channels, it is needed to identify some hydrologic characteristics that might aid in detection of physical habitat alterations. (Richter D. Brian, etal, 1997). Sixteen of the hydrologic parameters focus on the magnitude, duration, timing, and frequency of extreme events, because of the pervasive influence of extreme forces in ecosystems (Gaines Denny 1994)48 and geomorphology (Leopold1994)49 and other 16 parameters measure the central tendency of either the magnitude or rate of change of water conditions (Table-2). The rationale underlying the five major groupings and the specific parameters included within each are described below. Table-2: Summary of various Hydrological Groups Groups Descriptions Number of total Hydrologic Parameters 1 Magnitude of monthly water conditions 12 2 Magnitude duration of annual extremes 10 3 Timing of annual extremes 02 4 Frequency duration of high low pulses 04 5 Rate frequency of change in conditions 04 Group-1: Magnitude of Monthly Water Conditions This group includes 12 parameters, each of which measures the central tendency (mean) of the daily water conditions for a given month. The monthly mean of the daily water conditions describes â€Å"normal daily conditions for the month, and thus provides a general measure of habitat availability or suitability. The similarity of monthly means within a year reflects conditions of relative hydrologic constancy, whereas inter-annual variation (e.g., coefficient of variation) in the mean water condition of a given Month provides an expression of environmental contingency (Colwell 1974; Puff Ward1989). The terms constancy and contingency as used here refer tithe degree to which monthly means vary from month to month (constancy),and the extent to which flows vary within any given month(contingency). Group-2: Magnitude and Duration of Annual Extreme Water Conditions The 10 parameters in this group measure the magnitude of extreme(minimum and maximum) annual water conditions of various duration, ranging from daily to seasonal. The durations that we use follow natural or human-imposed cycles, and include the 1-day, 3-day, 7-day(weekly), 30-day (monthly), and 90-day (seasonal) extremes. For any given year, the 1-day maximum (or minimum) is represented by the highest (or lowest) single daily value occurring during the year; thematic-day maximum (or minimum) is represented by the highest (or lowest) multi-day average value occurring during the year. The mean magnitudes of high and low water extremes of various duration provide measures of environmental stress and disturbance during the year; conversely, such extremes may be necessary precursors or triggers for reproduction of certain species. The inter-annual variation (e.g. Coefficient of variation) in the magnitudes of these extremes provides another expression of contingency. Group-3: Timing of Annual Extreme Water Conditions This group includes 02 parameters one measuring the Julian date of the 1-day annual minimum water condition, and the other measuring the Julian date of the 1-day maximum water condition. The timing of the highest and lowest water conditions within annual cycles provides another measure of environmental disturbance or stress by describing the seasonal nature of these stresses. Key life cycle phases (e.g. Reproduction) may be intimately linked to the timing of annual extremes, and thus human induced changes in timing may cause reproductive failure, stress, or mortality. The inter-annual variation in timing of extreme events reflects environmental contingency. Group-4: Frequency and Duration of High and Low Pulses This group has 04 parameters include two, which measure the number of annual occurrences during which the magnitude of the water condition exceeds an upper threshold or remains below a lower threshold, respectively, and two, which measure the mean duration of such high and low pulses. These measures of frequency and duration of high- and low-water conditions together portray the pulsing behaviour of environmental variation within a year, and provide measures of the shape of these environmental pulses. Hydrologic pulses are defined here as those periods within a year in which the daily mean water condition either rises above the 75th percentile (high pulse) or drops below the25th percentile (low pulse) of all daily values for the pre-impact time period. Group-5: Rate and Frequency of Change in Water Conditions The four parameters included in this group measure the number and mean rate of both positive and negative changes in water conditions from one day to the next. The Rates and frequency of change in water conditions can be described in terms of the abruptness and number of intra-annual cycles of environmental variation, and provide a measure of the rate and frequency of intra-annual environmental change. Assessing Hydrologic Alteration In assessing the impact of a perturbation on the hydrologic regime, we want to determine whether the state of the perturbed system differs significantly from what it would have been in the absence of the perturbation. In particular, we want to test whether the central tendency or degree of inter-annual variation of an attribute of interest has been altered by the perturbation (Stewart-Oaten et al.1986)55. The assessment of impacts to natural systems often poses difficult statistical problems, however, because the perturbation of interest cannot be replicated or randomly assigned to experimental units (Carpenter 1989; Carpenter et al. 1989; Hulbert 1984;Stewart-Oaten et al. 1986)66. The lack of replication does not hinder estimation of the magnitude of an effect, but limits inferences regarding its causes. However, the IHA method is robust and can be easily adapted to more sophisticated experimental designs. A standard statistical comparison of the 32 IHA parameters between two data series would include tests of the null hypothesis that the central tendency or dispersion of each has not changed. However, this null hypothesis is generally far less interesting in impact assessments than questions about the sizes of detectable changes and their potential biological importance. A standardized process for assessing hydrologic impacts is included within the IHA software. The Range of Variability Method (RVA) is another analysis frame in which to assess change in structured manner. This method of determining hydrologic alteration is based on the theory that there is natural variability in stream-flow. The RVA software would plot and determine whether an activity, such as water taking, would alter the stream-low outside this normal variability. Significant alteration would occur if the stream-low regime were altered more than one standard deviation from the natural variability, which may have ecological consequences. Development of Pre- and Post-Impact scenarios When adequate hydrologic records are available for both there-impact and post-impact time periods, application of the IHA method will be relatively straightforward using the statistical procedures described above. When pre- or post-impact records are nonexistent,include data gaps, or are inadequate in length, however, various datareconstruction or estimation procedures will need to be employed. Examples of such procedures include the hydrologic record extension techniques described by Searcy (1960) and Alley Burns (1983).Hydrologic simulation modelling or water budgeting techniques can also be used to synthesize hydrologic records for comparison using the IHAmethod (Linsley et al. 1982)73. Accounting for Climatic Differences Climatic differences between the pre- and post-impact time periods obviously have the potential to substantially influence the outcome of the IHA analysis. Various statistical techniques can be used to test for climatic differences in the hydrologic data to be compared. When the IHA analysis is to be based upon actual hydrologic measurements rather than estimates produced from models, a reference site or set of sites uninfluenced by the human alterations being examined can be used as climatic controls (Alley Burns 1983). For example, stream-gauge may exist upstream of a reservoir thought to have impacted study site. Analyses can establish a statistical relationship between stream-lows at the study site and at the upstream reference site using synchronous pre-dam data sets for the two sites. This relationship can then be used to estimate the stream-low conditions that would have occurred at the study site during the post-impact time period in the absence of the reservoir. IHA Application- Description of Study Site As mentioned earlier, the principal motive of this study is tantalize and evaluate the impacts, if any, of human interventions like reservoir operations on the overall sanctity and natural integrity, i.e. the natural hydrologic regime of water bodies like rivers. Here the operation of a well know reservoir in the south-west coast of Britain called the ‘Wimbleball reservoir’ has been identified as the human intervention point which is sufficiently used to store and supply water to cater to human needs like hydropower, drinking water supply, etc. (SW-Environment Agency, 2003)81 and eventually it ends up regulating a river system in the process. The down-stream water body and habitat, which is expected to come under the influence of the alterations resulting from the Wimbleball reservoir operations, considered here is the Exe-river estuary system. The main motivation for selection of the above reservoir and the river system happens to bathe strategically located river monitoring system (gauge-station),which falls in the influence zone. This station is designated as‘No.45001-Exe at Thorverton’ having a grid reference of ‘21 (SS) 936016’ (NRFA Data Holdings, 2005)66. Figure-2 (enclosed) shows diagrammatic representation of the Exe-river catchments area along with the positions of the river and reservoir. The national authority NRFA, describes the monitoring station as â€Å"Velocity-area station with cableway and flat V-Crump profile weir constructed in 1973 due to unstable bed condition† (NRFA, 2005)66. There also exists minor culvert flow through mill u/s of station included in rating. Notably, Low flows are affected significantly by the operations of the Wimbleballreservoir post-1979 and by exports to the Taw catchment. Station iscontrol point for operational releases from Wimbleball (NRFA DataHoldings, 2005)66. The headwaters drain Exmoor and the geology is predominantly Devonian sandstones and Carboniferous Culm Measures, with subordinate Permian sandstones in the east, Moorland, forestry and arrange of agriculture (NRFA Data Holdings, 2005)66. The Exe Estuary is partially an enclosed tidal area composed of both aquatic (marine, brackish and freshwater) and terrestrial habitats. The Estuary makes an important contribution to the diversity of British estuaries by virtue of its unspoilt nature, international conservation importance, recreational opportunities and high landscape value(SW-Environment Agency, 2003) . This Estuary flows through an open landscape with gently rolling hills on either side. It is shallower than many estuaries in the south west of England, so the tide plays significant role, wit

mr :: essays research papers

My Grade 11 co-op placement was Sherwood Hunt Law Office. There are two Lawyers there, an office manager, and two law clerks. I usually spent most of my time with the law clerks and began to learn a lot from them right from the beginning. Jim Hunt, the lawyer who was present the most at the law office was whom I had to time to have nice, insightful conversations with about Law, School, and life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I always thought of how hard it was going to be in university and law school. I got to talk to Jim to see just how hard he had to work in school to make him as successful as he is now. He told me about when he was going for his MBA, he had twelve exams near Christmas, and if that wasn’t hard enough, if he got lower than a B on any of them, he was out of the course. These were just a few of the challenges Mr. Hunt had to face.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My usual day involved answering the phones, making some photo copies, and doing odd jobs, like opening or closing files, and writing or revising a letter or document of some sort.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being at this placement I learned many things. To begin with, I learned some of the challenges I’m going to have to face in school, and how hard I’m going to have to work. I was talking to Mr. Hunt about my current courses and I mentioned that I was worried that my strengths in Math and Physics would not be useful in the law workplace. Fortunately, Mr. Hunt reassured me that they are plenty useful in the law environment, and in fact, Jim got a 99 in University Physics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I also learned specific skills at this work place. Things that will help me out as I become a lawyer, such as, how to write an affidavit, open and close files (although this may change at different law offices) and read a statement of claim or search through files to find one specific point. Also, I learned about serving a defendant / plaintiff in a law suit. This can be a very time consuming process, (or a very simple one) and there is usually someone that is paid to do this. In one case in the law office, they had to hire a Private Investigator to find a person to be â€Å"served†.

Slough by Sir John Betjeman Essay -- Poems Poetry Analysis

Sir John Betjeman’s poem, Slough, opens with a wonderful, dramatic stanza. There is huge tension between the ideas of cows grazing and the idea of death. Even in the opening line there is conflict ‘friendly bombs’ is a contradiction in terms, as bombs are almost never thought of as friendly, and Betjeman’s use of this defines what a bad place. Another tool Betjeman employs is rhythm; the stanza is at a steady, predefined pace until the last line where the rhythm is broken with the word ‘Death’, which gives a powerful image of Slough. In the second stanza, Betjeman cleverly compares people’s ‘minds’ and ‘breath’ to tinned products, giving everything a feeling of sanitised dullness, without fresh air. He also uses the form here, listing the everyday tinned items and then adding ‘tinned m...

Kes the Play

kes In this assignment I am writing about the play called†kes†how Barry Hines the author of Kes brought his characters to life. He has gone into great detail and time to produce this play by trying to bring his characters to reality by their language , the surroundings of that area and the clothing they wear. The area where this scene is set is in a rough, unpleasant place, Barnsley. Although Barnsley is local to us, it is an industrial working class area were poor unwealthy people go to work and try to make end meet to feed their families. All these characters show how they act as normal on an ordinary day, because Barry Hines needed to get across the description that effect his characters in the play. Billy did not have a good relationship between his family his mom and brother. His mom does not care for Billy, all she wants to do is go to parities and knockabout with men, this shows that her children don’t come first in her life. Billy clothes are dirty and appalling with wholes and stains in them because he doesn’t wash his clothes. In the morning when he wakes up his mom doesn’t leave tea in the pot for him and tells him to go to the shop for her to buy cigs, before he goes to school, so Billy will be late, Billy runs out the house and goes to school after having an argument with his mom to go to the shop for cigs. His mom doesn’t have any money for him for hi school dinner because she spent it the night before or she needs it for the night ahead. Billys brother Jud steals his snap for school and takes his bike so Billy’s got nothing for school. Jud went out one night and got really drunk when he came home, Jud woke Billy up to undress him because he was too drunk to do it himself, it is the only way Billy can get his own back by slapping and shouting at him â€Å"you drunken sow og pig bastard. Billys school life is not much better than his home life; his school is run down, horrible and dirty. He thinks the whole world is against him and does get along with other kids in school he doesn’t knock about with any mate’s accept his kestrel bird. Barry Hines the other of Kes describes a bewildering scene into which Billy fits appropriately when he is fighting over a schoolmate over his brother â€Å"Im not frightened of him that would be if he were here I bet I know somebody who could fight him. Soon the fight broke out in the playground everyone gathered round. There is one teacher in the school that takes and interest in Billy due to the hawk. He helped Billy against McDowel so Billy would not get into trouble. The teacher Mr Farthering finds out about Billy’s hawk and asked if he could see the bird. The kestrel is the only pleasure Billy gets in his life, he found it in the formers land in the forest and asked if he could have it, ever since he has owned Kes (name of the bird) he’s been training it, he was so interested in this bird he went to the library to find a book on kestrel but he was not allowed to take it out because he was not a member so he stole it, because Billy was not wealthy his brother and him had to share a bed together. Billy has a paper round, when he goes to collect his papers he steals chocolates and drinks he does this because he is hungry and he probably doesn’t get enough food at home. Billy does his papers in a bad area, the owner of the newsagent Mr Potter said Billys brother Jud gave Billy ? 10 to go and bet on a hoarse, so he went down prepared to bet for Jud as he was down there, Billy spoke to one of Jud’s mates and said it wasn’t worth betting on that hoarse, well Billy did not need to be told twice so he used the money to buy food for him and his bird. As soon as Jud found out his hoarse won and there was no bet on it he went looking for Billy, but Billy hid every time he saw his brother, so Jud stopped looking and went to find Billys only friend in the world and killed his hawk. As soon as Billy found his bird he ran and buried it in the field and went to bed.

Internal and External Sources of Finance Essay

I will explain the different sources of finance, some of which are internal and external to the Loxford Business unit. I will state the advantages and disadvantages of each of the sources of finance. Loxford Business Unit use both internal and external sources to get money in order to run the Business Unit successfully. Source of Finance Definition Internal or external Advantages Disadvantages Applicable to the Loxford Business Unit Retained Profits An amount of money saved aside from the business earning to be used when necessary. Internal The money doesn’t have to be repaid and there is no interest. Also they are flexible as management -have complete control over how the money is reinvested and what portion is kept rather than paid as dividends. The disadvantages are: There will unhappy shareholders as they will receive lower dividends. Also retained profit is not available for new business as they main aim will be to survive and break even, so therefore they will either make no profit or little profit. The Loxford Business will only use retained profit if the amount is large enough, if not then there will be no need to use the retained profit. Owners Savings Money from the owner’s personal savings. Internal Cheap – because there is no interest that has to be paid. Flexible – the money can be used for whatever reasons the owner please. The disadvantages are: It is risky – as you may waste your money. Not enough money – The money may not be enough. The Loxford Business Unit may use the owners fund if there is enough available however in order for the business to expand successfully the owners fund may not be enough. Overdraft A loan arrangement under which the bank extends credit up to a maximum amount. External Flexible- there when needed, Efficient – allows a business to make essential payments and maintains cash flow. Quick – quick and easy to arrange. Useful temporary cash The disadvantages are: Costs- overdrafts carry interest is often at much higher rates than loans, therefore making it expensive for a business for long-term borrowing. Recall – Unless specified in the terms and conditions, the bank can recall the entire overdraft at any time. This may happen if you fail to make other payments, or if you have broken terms and conditions; though sometimes the banks simply change their policies. They are terms and conditions. The Loxford Business Unit may use an overdraft as its quick process so it will give the business immediate money. Also this type of finance is suitable because the money will be available when needed. Venture Capital Money provided by investors to start up firms. External Willingness -The investors are more willing to invest. Gain information – The investors are a valuable source of information, advice and resources. Value added services – such as mentoring, alliances and advice. Provides funding that a business company needs to expand its business. The disadvantages are: Control- the investors will expect a say in decisions. Long process- It can be a long and complicated process. Lots of paper work required to provide such as a business plan, including financial records. Accounting Fee -The business will have to pay legal accounting fees whether or not they will successful in securing funds. Loxford Business Unit may use a venture capitalist for professional help and advice about achieving the necessary grades although this process will be long and complicated, it will be worth it in the long-term because it mean that students will achieve good grades overall. Bank Loan Borrowing money from the bank over a period of time which is then to be paid back with interest. External Reliability – Loans are very reliable and secure, you are assured the money for the duration of the loan (unless you break terms and conditions). Complicated process- Must have right documentations such as business plan and cash flow forecast. Money will be paid back with interest. A bank loan will be efficient for the Loxford Baines Unit because they will be given a large sum of money, which is to be paid back slowly and in instalments.

Cause and Effect of Cheating in School Essay

Every action has a consequence, whether it is good or bad. The choices you make can follow you the rest of your life. Cheating is an issue that affects many students at one time or another throughout their education. There are many different ways to cheat: copying homework, looking over at a peers test, plagiarizing, and so on. Nothing good comes from cheating your way through school, the only person you are cheating is yourself. There are serious consequences for cheating. Every teacher has different ways of punishing their students. Some teachers are hard on their students and give them the maximum punishment they can give them. However, as i’ve witnessed teachers are surprisingly lenient on their students. Many just give them a warning or make them retake the test. The problem with teachers doing this is that the students never really learn their lesson. It enables them to cheat more, if they know they won’t have serious consequences for their actions, they will be more willing to try to test their luck. Cheating is most likely to occur in students who lack effort in their studies. Students who do not attend class or do not study are not likely to get passed on their own. Therefore, they find cheating to be a good and easy way for them to pass. Nothing can be gained by cheating. Of course, a better grade may be given, but they are not learning anything by stealing somebody’s hard work. The cheater may be passing the class with a great grade, but where will the cheater be when the finals come around and they no longer have a way to cheat. Cheating can result in a tragic cycle. Once you start it is hard to stop. A person may believe that they are benefiting themselves by cheating to receive a better grade. They put off studying and never really learn the material. At the same time they are doing well in the class. Many people may not see what the problem would be, less work and good grades. What’s to complain about! However, this cannot continue forever. It will catch up to you and you will regret it. When it comes time for you to know the material, you will have to learn from the beginning or receive an unsatisfactory grade. Even if you manage to get a good grade, it cannot make you feel good knowing you did not earn it. There is going to come a time in your life when you are going to need to put what you learned in school to use in real life. If you did not do the work, you will not be able to do this. In college they are to prepare you for your career. If you plan on cheating your way through college you may want to rethink your game plan. Imagine a surgeon cheating his way through school and not really learning what was necessary to perform his job. Would you feel comfortable having this doctor operate on you? There are more things at stake than good grades. You have to think of your future and the person you want to be. Nothing in life comes easy, if you want to make it you are going to have to work at it. There is no reason you should be rewarded for cheating your way through school. It is always better in the long haul to be honest and do your own work. Once you make doing your own work a habit it will become easier. It will also build your self-esteem. Having that pride when you graduate will be one of the best feelings in your life. You can think to yourself that you did this, it wasn’t because of anyone else, it was all you. All those late nights of studying and group study sessions have paid off. You know that you are able to set a goal for yourself and find the strength within you to accomplish this goal. If you are able to do this, you are capable of so much more. Your future will be bright. When looking for a job when you are older, employers look for certain qualities. They look for a good work ethic, someone with good leadership qualities and, someone who isn’t lazy but who is willing to do what is needed to be done to finish the job. You will have more confidence going into an interview if you are well qualified for the job. Nothing good comes from cheating. It may trick you in the short hall but you need to have the strength to do the right thing. You need to be more concerned with your future, and less concerned with cheating your way through a class just so you have more free time. Today’s generation will never succeed if they do not learn to take responsibility. We are truly blessed to be given a proper education, many countries are not as fortunate as us. In a way Americans have become spoiled and have taken their education for granted. They do not view it as being important. We need to look at other nations, and realize what they would give up just to be able to learn like we do. We need to get back to a place where we are thirsting for knowledge and not just doing the bare minimum to get by. Over all, the consequences of cheating vary greatly, from being dealt with on a serious level or to just have to live with knowing deep down inside that what you have done is wrong. Some say cheating is not wrong unless the person gets caught, but cheating is no different than stealing, and stealing is wrong no matter what. I think everyone would admit that. As an individual you must take pride in yourself and do your own work. It is your life and you should want to be the best you can be. Cheating in the short run will only hurt you in the future.

Profit Maximization Model

SAMPLE ANSWER FOR QUESTION 5 Profit-making is one of the most traditional, basic and major objectives of a firm. Profit-motive is the driving-force behind all business activities of a company. It is the primary measure of success or failure of a firm in the market. Profit earning capacity indicates the position, performance and status of a firm in the market. In spite of several changes and development of several alternative objectives, profit maximization has remained as one of the single most important objectives of the firm even today.Both small and large firms consistently make an attempt to maximize their profit by adopting novel techniques in business. Specific efforts have been made to maximize output and minimize production and other operating costs. Cost reduction, cost cutting and cost minimization has become the slogan of a modern firm. It is a very simple and unambiguous model. It is the single most ideal model that can explain the normal behavior of a firm. Main proposit ions of the profit-maximization model The model is based on the assumption that each firm seeks to maximize its profit given certain technical and market constraints.The following are the main propositions of the model. 1. A firm is a producing unit and as such it converts various inputs into outputs of higher value under a given technique of production. 2. The basic objective of each firm is to earn maximum profit. 3. A firm operates under a given market condition. 4. A firm will select that alternative course of action which helps to maximize consistent profits 5. A firm makes an attempt to change its prices, input and output quantity to maximize its profit. The model Profit-maximization implies earning highest possible amount of profits during a given period of time.A firm has to generate largest amount of profits by building optimum productive capacity both in the short run and long run depending upon various internal and external factors and forces. There should be proper balan ce between short run and long run objectives. In the short run a firm is able to make only slight or minor adjustments in the production process as well as in business conditions. The plant capacity in the short run is fixed and as such, it can increase its production and sales by intensive utilization of existing plants and machineries, having over time work for the existing staff etc.Thus, in the short run, a firm has its own technical and managerial constraints. But in the long run, as there is plenty of time at the disposal of a firm, it can expand and add to the existing capacities build up new plants; employ additional workers etc to meet the rising demand in the market. Thus, in the long run, a firm will have adequate time and ample opportunity to make all kinds of adjustments and readjustments in production process and in its marketing strategies. It is to be noted with great care that a firm has to maximize its profits after taking in to consideration of various factors in to account.They are as follows – 1. Pricing and business strategies of rival firms and its impact on the working of the given firm. 2. Aggressive sales promotion policies adopted by rival firms in the market. 3. Without inducing the workers to demand higher wages and salaries leading to rise in operation costs. 4. Without resorting to monopolistic and exploitative practices inviting government controls and takeovers. 5. Maintaining the quality of the product and services to the customers. 6. Taking various kinds of risks and uncertainties in the changing business environment. . Adopting a stable business policy. 8. Avoiding any sort of clash between short run and long run profits in the business policy and maintaining proper balance between them. 9. Maintaining its reputation, name, fame and image in the market. 10. Profit maximization is necessary in both perfect and imperfect markets. In a perfect market, a firm is a price-taker and under imperfect market it becomes a price -searcher. Assumptions of the model The profit maximization model is based on tree important assumptions. They are as follows – 1.Profit maximization is the main goal of the firm. 2. Rational behavior on the part of the firm to achieve its goal of profit maximization. 3. The firm is managed by owner-entrepreneur. Determination of profit – maximizing price and output Profit maximization of a firm can be explained in two different ways.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Total Revenue and Total Cost approach.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marginal Revenue and Marginal Cost approach. Profits of a firm are estimated by making comparison between total revenue and total costs. Profit is the difference between TR and TC.In other words, excess of revenue over costs is the profits. Profit = TR – TC. If TR is equal to TC in that case, there will be break even point. If TR is less than TC, in that case, a firm will be incurring losses. In this case, we take in to account of total cost and total revenue of the firm while measuring profits. It is clear from  the following diagram how profit arises when TR is greater than that of TC. 2. MR and MC approach In this case, we take in to account of revenue earned from one unit and cost incurred to produce only one unit of output.A firm will be maximizing its profits when MR= MC and MC curve cuts MR curve from below. If MC curve cuts MR curve from above either under perfect market or under imperfect market, no doubt MR equals MC but total output will not be maximized and hence total profits also will not be maximized. Hence, two conditions are necessary for profit maximization- 1. MR = MC. 2. MC curve cut MR curve from below. It is clear from the following diagrams. Justification for profit maximization 1. Basic objective of traditional economic theory.The traditional economic theory assumes that a firm is owned and managed by the entrepreneur himself and as such he always aims at maximum return on his capit al invested in the business. Hence profit-maximization becomes the natural principle of a firm. 2. A firm is not a charitable institution. A firm is a business unit. It is organized on commercial principles. A firm is not a charitable institution. Hence, it has to earn reasonable amount of profits. 3. To predict most realistic price-output behavior. This model helps to predict usual and general behavior of business firms in the real world as it provides a practical guidance.It also helps in predicting the reasonable behavior of a firm with more accuracy. Thus, it is a very simple, plain, realistic, pragmatic and most useful hypothesis in forecasting price output behavior of a firm. 4. Necessary for survival. It is to be noted that the very existence and survival of a firm depends on its capacity to earn maximum profits. It is a time-honored hypothesis and there is common agreement among businessmen to make highest possible profits both in the short run and long run. 5. To achieve ot her objectives.In recent years several other objectives have become much more popular and all these objectives have become highly relevant in the context of modern business set up. But it is to be remembered that they can be achieved only when a firm is making maximum profits. Criticisms 1. Ambiguous term. The term profit maximization is ambiguous in nature. There is no clear cut explanation whether a firm has to maximize its net profit, total profit or the rate of profit in a business unit. Again maximum amount of profit cannot be precisely defined in quantitative terms. . It may not always be possible. Profit maximization, no doubt is the basic objective of a firm. But in the context of highly competitive business environment, always it may not be possible for a firm to achieve this objective. Other objectives like sales maximization, market share expansion, market leadership building its own image, name, fame and reputation, spending more time with members of the family, enjoying leisure, developing better and cordial relationship with employees and customers etc. lso has assumed greater significance in recent years. 3. Separation of ownership and management. In many cases, to-day we come across the business units are organized on partnership or joint stock company or cooperative basis. In case of many large organizations, ownership and management is clearly separated and they are run and managed by salaried managers who have their own self interests and as such always profit maximization may not become possible. 4. Difficulty in getting relevant information and data.In spite of revolution in the field of information technology, always it may not be possible to get adequate and relevant information to take right decisions in a highly fluctuating business scenario. Hence, profits may not be maximized. 5. Conflict in inter-departmental goals. A firm has several departments and sections headed by experts in their own fields. Each one of them will have its own independent goals and many a times there is possibility of clashes between the interests of different departments and as such always profits may not be maximized. 6. Changes in business environment.In the context of highly competitive and changing business environment and changes in consumer’s tastes and requirements, a firm may not be able to cope up with the expectations and adjust its policies and as such profits may not be maximized. 7. Growth of oligopolistic firms. In the context of globalization, growth of oligopoly firms has become so common through mergers, amalgamations and takeovers. Leading firms dominate the market and the small firms have to follow the policies of the leading firms. Hence, in many cases, there are limited chances for making maximum profits. 8.Significance of other managerial gains. Salaried managers have limited freedom in decision making process. Some of them are unable to forecast the right type of changes and meet the market challenges. They are more worried about their salaries, promotions, perquisites, security of jobs, and other types of benefits. They may lack strong motivations to make higher profits as profits would go to the organization. They may be contented with only satisfactory level of profits rather than maximum profits. 9. Emphasis on non-profit goals. Many organizations give more stress on non-profit goals.From the point of view of today’s business environment, productivity, efficiency, better management, customer satisfaction, durability of products, higher quality of products and services etc. have gained importance to cope with business competition. Hence, emphasis has been shifted from profit maximization to other practical aspects. 10. Aversion to reduction in power. In case of several small business units, the owners do not want to share their powers with many new partners and hence, they try to keep maximum powers in their hands.In such cases, keeping more power becomes more important than profit maximization. 11. Official restrictions over profits of public utilities. Public utilities or public corporations are legally prohibited to make huge profits in many developing countries like India. Thus, it is clear that a firm cannot maximize its profits always. There are many constraints in the background of multiple objectives. Each one of the objectives has its own merits and demerits and a firm has to strike a balance between all kinds of objectives.