Marine biologist Essays - Biologist, Oceanography, Marine Biology

Marine biologist Marine Biologist The field of marine biology -- the study of marine organisms, their behaviors, and their interactions with the environment -- is considered one of the most all-encompassing fields of oceanography. This field requires the ability to understand marine organisms and their behaviors. A marine biologist must have a basic understanding of other aspects or views of oceanography, such as chemical oceanography, physical oceanography, and geological oceanography. Therefore, marine biologists and biological oceanographers study these other fields throughout their careers, enabling them to take a more open approach to doing research. Because there are so many topics within the field of marine biology, many researchers select a particular interest and specialize in it. Specific studies can be based on a particular species, organism, behavior, technique, or ecosystem. For example, marine biologists may choose to study a single species of clams, or all clams that are native to a climate or region.

Mayan Civilization essays

Mayan Civilization essays The ruins and artifacts of the ancient Mayan civilization are both remarkable and mysterious. The specialized mainly in architecture, it was their way of expressing themselves artistically. They built many great, enormous temples and extravagant buildings. The built their structures in an effort to copy the altitude of the highlands that surrounded them. Limestone structures faced with lime stucco are one of the famous styles of the Mayans because of the abundance of limestone and flint. It is also evident that all structures built were in honor of their gods. Plus, everything they ever built was done without the use of any kind of metal tools. Mayan art was exceptional compared to other ancient civilizations. Like most art, it reflected their culture and lifestyle. The art of the Maya has been called some of the richest of the New World because of the great complexity of patterns and the variety of media expressions. The Maya are also one of the few civilizations where the artists attached their name to their work. They also painted many great murals depicting great gods and other mythological features. Mayans used much of their artistic ability to write thousands of hieroglyphics. One of their greatest examples is the stairway at Copan. It is covered with a complex mixture of statues, figures, and ramps in addition to the central stairway that symbolizes Mayan society. The Mayans are considered peaceful compared to civilizations such as the Aztecs who were bloodthirsty and made tons of human sacrifices. Human sacrifices were not as important to the Mayans as they were to the Aztecs but blood sacrifice still played a major role. They offered up their blood but it usually did not mean their lives. They did this using many different sharp instruments and self-mutilation. The kings blood was considered the most sacred and was shed more often than others. The Mayans were also very warlike a...

Company Valuation Model and Application On Royal Bank of Scotland Plc Essay

Company Valuation Model and Application On Royal Bank of Scotland Plc - Essay Example This dissertation will document comprehensively the current generally accepted concepts and methodologies of company valuation techniques. In addition, it will be my endeavor to propose an integrated model in which the investors can apply data and information and evaluate the company value with a reasonable level of accuracy.This dissertation will document comprehensively the current generally accepted concepts and methodologies of company valuation techniques. In addition, it will be my endeavor to propose an integrated model in which the investors can apply data and information and evaluate the company value with a reasonable level of accuracy.In this dissertation, an effort has been made to address the problems related to the methodology of valuations that have been adopted recently to predict the net worth of companies. The current financial valuation techniques of a company primarily comprise of four methods; †¢ Asset based valuation (that includes tangible and non-tangible assets),  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Income based valuation,  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Market-based valuation, and  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Cash flow based valuation.  All four methods result in different ways of thinking and often in different valuations. The investors normally do not understand which method is more suitable for them to use for making the most informed investment decisions and hence trust the methods that are generally adopted and presented by the rating agencies and performance evaluation agencies operating in the markets.

Strategic Global Operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Strategic Global Operations - Essay Example INCAT entered into joint venture with AFAI of Hong Kong against its previous strategy of licensing shipyards to build vessels in different countries. INCA is globally knows for its two high-speed ferry designs. It enjoys excellent reputation for its customer service and the safety of its vessels. Although INCAT had initially licensed shipyards, it entered into joint venture in 1996 due to heightened global demand. The growth of the company has taken place through innovation, diversification and globalization as competition has intensified and as economic situation has worsened (Wickham, 2005). This paper evaluates why INCAT chose to enter into joint venture against licensing for building catamaran vessels. Depending upon the equity participation desired, the technology transfer, the risks and controls, the costs involved, an organization chooses to either enter into licensing agreement, joint ventures, or have a wholly-owned subsidiary. Licensing is a contract in which the licensor provides the licensee with access to one or a set of technologies in exchange for financial compensation (Rajan & Pangarkar, 2000). In this agreement there is very little equity stake by the licensor or the multinational unit. Licensing requires a high level of technological competence. INCAT would just receive the royalty in exchange for the technology but would have little control over the quality. When technology is transferred to new and uncertain markets, the transaction cost is high and hard entry mode is preferred (Zhao & Decker, 2004). INCAT and AFAI had worked together for several years and developed a relationship of trust and commitment. INCAT received inclination from several shipbuilders located in Malta, England, China and Sweden but it preferred AFAI for several reasons. Cultural distance can pose an obstacle in the management of joint ventures and this can be reduced through experiential

Interview Analysis Essay Example for Free

Interview Analysis Essay For the interview section of the group project, I decided to interview a twenty-five year old woman who resides in the San Francisco bay area in California. Choosing to have her personal identity remain anonymous, the interviewee has granted us permission to refer to her as the alias Mary. Mary is currently married to a thirty year old man and has one nine year old son. Surprisingly, Mary did not contract the disease by having heterosexual intercourse with her partner like so many other women have gotten HIV. She had obtained the disease through intravenous means. Mary’s husband and son are not HIV positive. Mary has been living with HIV for the past six years. Throughout the interview, Mary had a very wise and warm aurora about her. Her cheery and positive attitude and optimistic outlook on life was evident. I questioned Mary of her understanding of HIV/AIDS before and after her diagnosis six years ago. She had explained that since she was nineteen years of age, she has struggled with depression and turned to shooting heroin as a coping mechanism. Mary, like most adolescents, was completely unaware she could obtain the disease through sharing needles; she thought HIV was spread only through homosexual intercourse. When Mary had discovered she was in fact positive of having HIV, feelings of embarrassment and fear, and thoughts of suicide swam though her head. Questions such as â€Å"how can I tell my husband (boyfriend at the time)†, â€Å"what will my family think†, â€Å"will I be able to see my son graduate or get married†. However, after years of continued counseling, Mary has come to a brighter understanding of her diagnosis. â€Å"Having HIV is not a death sentence and I can still live a semi normal life. † By attending support groups, conversing with individuals living relatively normal lives after obtaining the disease, going to therapy and talking with doctors, Mary found solace. â€Å"Even my husband (boyfriend at the time) was very supportive. I thought he would have ran for the hills! † Mary said, chuckling. Mary’s family were also understanding. Her family sends money to help pay the medical bills and offers an aiding hand in raising her nine year old son. Stated earlier in the interview, after obtaining HIV, Mary has had a very warm and vibrant aurora about her. Since learning of her condition, Mary has learned that she is stronger than she had previously considered herself to be. â€Å"I felt that I (could) handle anything thrown at me. † I really commend and praise Mary for her courageous outlook on her life. That even after hitting this speed bump, she has taken on a positive attitude and confidence regarding life. When I inquired Mary about how she told her family, she said she told her husband first then her other relatives at Sunday dinner. Tears were shed but eventually her family initially stood by her side. What really stood out to me the most during this part of the interview was her son’s reaction to the news. â€Å"My husband and I told my son together and explained to him what mommy has. He asked if I was going to die and I told him not for a very long time. He then preceded to play with his Legos as if I had told him it was raining outside. After asking Mary if she had anything to say to the other women of the world living with HIV, she smiled and stated â€Å"For all those beautiful, strong women of the world living with this condition, do not pity yourself. Keep your immune system working by eating healthy and taking vitamins and taking your meds. I know sometimes life seems unfair but it’s worth living. You’re all strong and beautiful. Never believe otherwis e. † This was the most inspiring words and heartfelt words Mary has said throughout the entire interview. For the past four years, Mary has been completely clean of drugs and alcohol. For the past five years, Mary has been attending therapy twice a month and has recently stopped frequently going to the doctor because monetary issues and her insurance has dropped her from her coverage. Mary still receives standard antiretroviral therapy to suppress the HIV virus and to stop it from progressing to AIDS and practices safe sex by using a condom and dental dam. To wrap up the interview I questioned if Mary had anything she would like relatives or anyone else to know about HIV. â€Å"For the relatives, it takes a village to raise a child. Even though I was nineteen years old, a mother and living on my own, I was in fact still a child. After being diagnosed, I was especially vulnerable; it was like I was born again†¦For the others, don’t judge a book by its cover. You never know who is living with this disease and never know how hard the struggle is to live with this disease. † It was really a pleasure and a treat to talk to such a kind, strong, woman who has been through so much in her life yet achieved so much regardless the circumstances. Mary is a wonderful mother, an attentive wife and has earned her Associates degree and is now a receptionist.

Karl Marx Continuation Of The Enlightenment Sociology Essay

Karl Marx Continuation Of The Enlightenment Sociology Essay Karl Marx is regarded as one of the classics of sociology. His social thought, considered one of the most important social theories, was a humanistic theory, concentrated on the condition of society and a place of individual in social structure. Marx is known as one of the greatest ideologists of the nineteen century. His political theory was revolutionary. As a sociologist though, he is regarded to be a great heir of Enlightenment  [1]  , using and developing key concepts of the eighteen century thinkers. This paper is aimed to discuss Karl Marx theory in comparison to the Enlightenment philosophy. I will try to answer a question: to what extend Marx work inherited from the Enlightenment thinkers? In order to that I will discuss the key concepts of the Enlightenment that were further developed in Marxs works. In the following part of the paper I will compare the ideas of the eighteen century thinkers with Marx theory, in regard to notions of progress, social structure, religion, science, materialism, state and individualism. Social development, progress and social change The theory of social development and progress was the key concept of the Enlightenment  [2]  . The experience of Renaissance recovery from the dark ages, rediscovery of antique philosophy, the expansion of colonialism and exploration of non-European cultures, violated established order and lead to expansion of new ideas doubting tradition. The Enlightenment recognized that human history changes and that societies experience material and mental, moral or philosophical progress. It became clear, that modernity is just another stage of development, that does not lead the end of history, but might be as well a beginning of some better, new society. Eighteen century thinkers considered reason as the leading force of change, believing, that human knowledge and consciousness may develop linearly. Since the Enlightenment was an age of science and reason, philosophers tend to classify and order possessed knowledge. That lead to a few theories of historical stages development of societies that arranged historical periods in progressive order  [3]  . Marx inherited from the Enlightenment that linear and deterministic perspective on development of societies, building his theory on the idea of progress. In his works he wrote about successive stages of development of societies: primitive society, feudalism, capitalism (bourgeois formation), socialism and communism. He abandoned the concept of reason as the leading force of progress, though. For Marx the key force of development was ownership and mode of production emerging from it. HeEach of the stages presented different social relations, policies, politics and consciousness all of which resulting from economic relations. The mode of production representing each of historical formation of society was regarded as a base, and resulted in different superstructures culture, religion and politics. Every stage of history was more complex than another and lead to the next one. For Marx it meant that the history of all societies is inevitable and must lead through the same phases. The Enlightenments attachment to the notion of progressive development of societies lead to the ideas of future utopia final, goal stage of social evolution. It was a very optimistic concept of history, beginning in dark, oppressive periods of the past, through ambiguous and chaotic modernity, leading to some enlighten, better and just future. Such utopian vision was described by Condorcet, for whom future society would prevail tyranny by changing tradition and superstition into reason  [4]  . Delany wrote of the Enlightenment as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦characterized by a certain utopianism, which was a reflection of the belief in the promises of modernity to bring about freedom. Unlike earlier social thought, it displayed a great belief in the power of human action to shape the future  [5]  . The same was true for Marx, who saw communism as the perfect and most of all just, social system. For Marx the end stage of human history communism represented the most desired and final pha se of human development. As Sideman wrote: Marx never gave up his Enlightenment faith in the coming of a new era  [6]  . But contrary to the Enlightenment philosophers, for Marx, the utopia was not to be obtained through evolution and development of reason, but through revolution of working class. The idea of revolution was not present in eighteen century before the experience of French revolution. Though it is sad, that the Enlightenment prepared the ground for the revolt in France, works of eighteen century thinkers did not appeal to force or violent change. Marx shared the romantic vision of revolution with socialist thinkers and activists supporting French strife. Moreover, unlike his eighteen century ancestors, Marx sought emancipation in proletariat the working class of modernity. The Enlightenment was an age of intellectuals, giving special role to philosophers in the process of development of society  [7]  . In eighteen century thought, reason had the emancipatory force. Marx violent vision of revolution did not reserved place for intellectuals, though Marx was one of them. Social structure The Enlightenment was a period of a great expansion of egalitarian theories. The idea of natural laws developed and notion of equality had spread. Eighteen century philosophers attempted to find and describe origins of social order as well as discover best social conditions to maintain and expand individual freedom. Especially the latter freedom, understood as unconstrained development and expansion of reason was an important issue in the theory of state and governance. The Enlightenment cherished the idea of liberated individual in the society free from state, church and other collective forms of organizations. To reconcile the concepts of state and freedom, the idea of civil society was developed. Individuals became citizens residents of a state that had their natural, internal rights, individuals who through that civil rights gained freedom. Though human beings were not equal, especially because of different kinds and sizes of ownership, they had the potential of equality inte rnalized through their natural, inalienable rights. For Marx idea of equality was a goal of the development of societies. Contemporary social structure was far from egalitarian one. To describe social structure Marx used a concept of class as sets of people or parts of society that differ by the effective control over the means of production and property ownership  [8]  . The class designated people who lived in similar conditions. For bourgeois stage of development social structure was basically dichotomous, consisting of two classes owners (capitalists) and workers. Since individuals within one class shared alike economic positions they also shared the same interests. Individuals from different classes, on the other hand, remained in permanent conflict as they interests were opposite. For in Marx theory class structure is a structure of permanent class-conflict. As E.C. Cuff and others expressed it: Since the inequality between the owning class and the labouring class is not simply an economic one, narrowly defined, but involv es a social relationship of power and control, the difference of interest between these classes refers to freedom and further: The conflict of interest between owning and labouring classes is, then, a conflict over power and freedom.  [9]  Once again Marx theory rejected peaceful and optimistic assumptions of the Enlightenment. Ideologies and religion The end of the Middle Ages ended the era of gods laws and theological explanation of social order. The Enlightenment separated religion from politics. Eighteen century brought to life the concept of public private spheres. Religion became private matter of citizens. Gods rights no longer decided on political questions and social relations. Secular society was based on secular rules. The Enlightenment believed in reason and science, and through them sought emancipation from religion and superstition. Social change required that cultural traditions be weakened to allow for new ideas and attitudes favoring social progress  [10]  . Religion and tradition constrained social change and overruled the utopian vision of future. It does not mean that the Enlightenment was a truly secular era. Rejection of religion covered only public, political sphere. None of the great philosophers of the period Becon, Diderot, Locke postulated atheism  [11]  . The issue was to separate religion fr om science, theology from logical reasoning. Religion intruded cognition, so had to be abandoned in the sphere of knowledge. Marx also shared with the Enlightenment the concept of secular society, though he brought the idea of secularization further. For Marx every ideology and meta-narration of society, in every stage of its development, was a product of current economic relations, and so was religion. Religion internalized rules, regulations and prohibitions served justification of the conditions of production and hence, the justification of exploitation. In this sense religion was a mechanism of oppression. It was no longer a private issue, but a political one, that justified bourgeois order. As in the eighteen century religion obstructed change, but this time, though, it was not suppose to be withdraw from public life, but destroyed absolutely. That is why, according to Marx, emancipation not only required rejection of theological order of the world, but also complete rejection of religion. Once again this emancipation required revolution dramatic and sudden change of economic conditions that would change social relations, including execution of religion. The role of science The Enlightenment was the era of development of sciences. A great expand of sciences such as mathematics, medicine, natural sciences changed the view of modern philosophers on the world and human kind. Science revealed mystery of existence and the order of nature. That is why science became one of the ways to obtain individual freedom. Eighteen century philosophers presumed that one day science will lead to discovery of logical, rational order of human and societal relations. For Marx science also had an important role in revealing the rules of organization of society. Marx knew that in order to change, it is necessary to understand the social forces institutions, cultural traditions, social groups  [12]  . In Marx theory science held the explanatory role by revealing the real nature of social order, gave information about social classes, modes of production and rules of historical development. According to Marx, science should be based on rational assumptions and logical laws, it should reject common sense and superstitions. When discussing the role of science in Marx theory, his contribution to scientific methods is worth mention. The Enlightenment admired achievements of modern mathematics and physicists, especially those of Newton. Philosophers were dreaming of finding scientific method, similar to methods used in physics and mathematics, to investigate and describe social world. Modern thinkers presumed that since the complex world of nature can be characterized through clear rules and patterns of numbers, the same can be done with human environment. Marx sought different path of inquiry. His scientific method characterized as historicism  [13]  postulated investigation on every social phenomena in their historical context. Marx claimed that all individuals and their actions are embedded in broader setting, since none human being exists separated from his environment. Moreover he posed the question of a researcher as a social actor, entangled in social reality beside investigated objects. Marx claimed that scientist shares common consciousness to the same degree as all other members of society. True scientific method required from the researcher detachment from false, superstition knowledge embedded on the surface of social life  [14]  . Here again Marx expressed belief in reason and logic, similarly to his eighteen century ancestors. Economic perspective Though Marx theory shares materialistic perspective, he was not the one to introduce economic interpretation of social life. Adam Smith, Adam Ferguson and others eighteen century thinkers saw the leading role of economy in social life. Those early economists wrote about dehumanization of work and disintegration of society through modern specialization of production and technical development of the production process  [15]  . Industrial revolution of eighteen century brought to light new phenomena that were not overlooked by present-day thinkers. Negative effects of industrialization, demographic explosion and urbanization were thoroughly discussed by that time. As we can see, the importance of material conditions for human individual and collective life was not the Marx invention, though he also observed that technology destroys social relations. According to him, innovations, machines and devices used in the process of production serve the dominant class for exploitation of workers  [16]  . Nevertheless, with his materialistic view on society, Marx went further with the idea, claiming that: the reproduction of material life precedes the production of culture  [17]  . For Marx material conditions of existence were the basis for all other characteristics of life. In this concept, living conditions determined social structure, policies, rules and morality. Marx showed that certain social conditions shape certain forms of consciousness. That was a great contribution of Marx thought to social sciences. Since Marx, social scientists began research on the role of material conditions on human thoughts, believes and attitudes, giving a star t to many disciplines of social sciences, as sociology of thought, sociology of knowledge or sociology of religion  [18]  . Moreover, since then, social scientists considered development process and ownership relations of societies as some of the most important criteria of social studies analysis. The concept of state Eighteen century philosophy was critical towards the old order or regime. The Enlightenment developed several state theories  [19]  , all connected with the concept of social contract. Hobbes, claimed that the states are made on the basis of common agreement in which citizens give their rights to absolute power. John Locke postulated conception of liberal state based on tolerance, private ownership and freedom of economic action. In this conception it was not the absolute ruler but society that hold the power. Kannt, on the other hand, proposed peaceful republican regime of federation of states. Finally Rousseau wrote about egalitarian regime of equal chances, conditions and rights of citizens. All the eighteen century concepts of authority were positive ones, assuming rationality of power and universality of interests. Marx concept of the state was not the optimistic one. In his works state power had class character  [20]  . Regime authority served class interest of dominant group of society capitalists, through organized violence towards the suppressed class. There was no possibility to gain freedom through or within the state. Unlike the eighteen century theories, Marx project of desirable future assumed abolishment of the bureaucratic, oppressive, class regime. Decomposition of the state should be accomplished through a proletariat revolution that would lead to class-free society of common owners. Individualism and collective action In earlier philosophy, the status of human being in society was constant and determined, not by human himself, but by external forces the world order, gods will, some kind of justice and internal sense of social existence. Enlightenment and especially the French revolution, brought the idea of civil society and civil rights  [21]  . The Enlightenment claimed that all human beings share some common characteristics that are independent of external, historical or natural conditions. It was the kind of individualism, that claimed that human nature in general have some common qualities inherited from the state of nature. That is what makes society egalitarian differences between human status in society are merely secondary, in a sense that all (male) human beings are equal and share the same civic rights. Emancipation in this context was a political emancipation of citizens from feudal, traditional relations. Marx connected human position in social structure with material conditions and idea of work and ownership. For him the idea of society was not based on the idea of civil rights, but on the idea of economic relations between different social groups classes. It was dichotomous vision of society made of workers and capitalists the owners of means of production. Emancipation was possible not on the basis of civil rights, but on the basis of changing economic relations. This was a revolutionary perspective, leading to turnover of social order. Unlike the Enlightenment, Marx did not perceived emancipation and concept of freedom in individual actions. He clearly rejected individualism both in terms of individual social actions and as the method of inference about human conditions. Marx claimed that every individual is rooted in his collective history and society, and his consciousness, as well as beliefs, goals and needs are shaped through that heritage. That is why not only analysis of human conditions, but also the projected change of social relations, has to take into consideration collective baggage and collective effort. Conclusions As we can see, Marx benefited much from the Enlightenment philosophy, though we have to keep in mind, that issues presented in this paper are merely examples of eighteen century tradition in Marx thought. Marx indeed was a child of the Enlightenment in a sense, that he took form that tradition in different ways, sometimes directly, sometimes developing further ideas and sometimes criticizing and negating the eighteen century thought. This heritage however seems somehow natural, since we cannot abandon of our history and are always influenced by previous discourses. What we have to remember about is, that eighteen century tradition does not exhaust Marx thought but merely enriches and embeds it in historical context.

Food Debate reaction paper Essay

Our development of cheap, widespread food is essential to human sustainability. This may be true, but regardless of the facts i disagree with this . I believe a corn based food supply is environmentally destructive. To start off, growing too much corn is bad for the environment . It requires more nitrogen fertilizer than any other crop, and also requires pesticides . These substances are polluting the environment . Also, a corn based food supply is unhealthy. It is known to cause the disease â€Å"E. Coli†. Corn is also very high in salt and carbs, which is also unhealthy for us. A more diversified agrigulture would be a lot more healthier. It would also be a lot more secure in the means that rather than depending on one crop for such an important task, we could use a variety of healthier crops to supply efficiently. A variety of crops would also be more secure than a simply corn based food supply because if that single crop is effected or something goes wrong, it interferes with our entire food supply. On the other hand, if there are multiple sources that we use, if one crop is damaged we have other sources we can turn to. A development of a cheap, widespread food supply may seem like a good idea. It is cheap and easy to sustain, but it is still very unhealthy. The corn based food supply is unhealthy not only for the environment but also for humans. Corn and the chemicals used during the process to create other corn based foods, can cause diseases. It also has a lot of salt and carbohydrates, which are also bad for us. The growing of mass amounts of corn, requires mass amounts of pesticides. This chemical pollutes the environment. The price of a corn based food supply may be less pricey to produce, but the price you may eventually pay will be severe. A corn based food supply is a bad idea due to its unhealthy value towards humans and the environment.