Biography of Martha Rogers

Born on May 12, 1914, Martha Elizabeth Rogers shares the same birthday with Florence Nightingale. Her passion for nursing persisted in 1933 and she received the degree in 1936. Although this was not her first line of choice in pursuit of a career, still she managed to enter a nursing school at Knoxville General Hospital. Her continuing desire in the nursing field had given her several achievements in different schools. For one, she attained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Health Nursing at George Peabody College in Nashville, subsequently becoming a Public Health Nurse at the University of Michigan in 1937. She continued her professional studies of Master’s Degree in Teacher’s College Columbia University New York. Soon after, she became a public health nurse in Hartford, CT afterwards, an acting Director of Education. After having a good position in her job as the Executive Director of the first Visiting Nurse Service in Phoenix, AZ, she further fortified her knowledge at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD in 1951. In 1954, Martha Rogers took the place of Head of the Division of Nursing at New York University and edited a journal called Nursing Science in 1963. There were certain affirmations that during this time Rogers were already formulating ideas for her third book An Introduction to the Theoretical Basis of Nursing (cited in Rogers, 1970). For 21 years, Rogers served as the Professor and Head of the Division of Nursing. Although she retired from service, she continued to serve her role in the development of nursing and of the ideology concerning the Science of Unitary Human Beings until her passing on March 13, 1994 (Martha E. Rogers: A Short Biography, 2008). Science of Unitary Human Beings Dramatically, the progress of Science of Unitary Humans Beings occurred in Europe. Some of the aspects of that improved are the nursing process, quality assurance, primary nursing, and nursing models included in the theory. However, the prevalent progress does not exhibit its full nature rather remains obscure. Primarily, the principle of Martha Roger’s theory is based on non-predominant aspect of nursing practice, research, and education. According to Smith (1989), Rogers’ perspective on nursing practice is â€Å"guided out of a concrete, static, closed system world view.† In other terms, it is seen as reductionistic, analytic, and mechanistic (Biley, 1990). These ideologies did not prevail as traditional means to deliver care but challenged nursing preexisting ideas. Moreover, the ideology of Roger’s has been at a perspective contradicting the overall aspect of care. Mainly, the Science of Unitary Human Beings covers a vast array of subjects from anthropology, mathematics, astronomy, Einsteinian, and philosophy. Hence, many believe that Rogers concept demand a wider range of knowledge incomparable to what Nursing has. They call it an â€Å"outrageous nursing theory† (cited in Thompson, 1990) because its complexity derives those to difficult comprehensive ideology. Nonetheless, Martha Rogers is vied as a genius, as she is referred to as â€Å"a brilliant nurse theorist† and â€Å"one of the most original thinkers of nursing.† (Daily et al., 1989). Significantly, the foundation of Rogers concept, seen in her 1970 book, lays five basic assumptions on man and his life processes. First is Openness, wherein a human being perceived as a whole is a sum more than different of the other parts. Second is Unidirectionality, describing life processes occurring in an irreversible space-time continuum. Third is Pattern and Organization that characterizes individuals through progressive reflection of their entirety. Finally, is Sentience and Thought, which speaks of life, particularly human beings, capable of abstraction and imagery, language and thought, and sensation and emotion (Rogers, 1970). Notably, the theory expanded into the four critical elements, namely energy fields, open systems, patterns, and pandimensionality (cited in Rogers, 1986). Initially, energy fields were described as â€Å"fundamental unit of the living and the non-living† comprised of the human and environment energy field. Consequently, the human field is irreducible, indivisible, and has a pandimensional energy identified by pattern but is specific to whole (cited in Rogers, 1991). On the other hand, the environmental field is expressed as integral with the human field. In effect, environmental field specifies itself with the human field. Subsequently, there is Rogers’ Open systems critical element. In this area, it is described that the open nature of fields is where the interchange of energy and matter exists. In other terms, there is a continuous process inside regardless of energy and matter. The third element is Pattern, which gives insight to the characteristic of the energy field uniquely perceived as a single wave. For instance, is human behavior, a factor of human being that constantly changes; hence, identifying an individual. Another is a pattern constantly changing in the body that may signify a disease, pain or illness. Finally is the critical element called pandimensionality, which is according to Rogers (1991), â€Å"a nonlinear domain without spatial or temporal attributes.† Focusing on this theory, many have remained inconclusive, undetermined, and still incomplete. Although it seems genuinely brilliant, the theory exists as impossible, yet, structuralizes the nursing concept in a depth. Moreover, factors remaining in sight of Science of Unitary of Human Beings somehow do not coincide with the nursing process, even in educational or health care service. Hence, the theory still serves alienation from the nursing profession. Even if it is significant, many find it difficult to understand and implement. References Biley, F. (1990). Theory: An overview of the Science of Unitary Human Beings. Retrieved on February 27, 2008 from UnitaryHealthCare.com. Hektor LM (1989). Martha E Rogers: A Life History. Nursing Science Quarterly 2; 2, 63-73. Rogers ME (1970). An introduction to the theoretical basis of nursing. F A Davis, Philadelphia. Martha E. Rogers: A Short Biography. (2008). Retrieved on February 27, 2008   

Critical analysis of Historical Websites Essay

There are many historical databases provided by Universities today. So much so, it is often more likely to find the exact replica of a particular historical document on the web than to physically go to a library expecting to find a book pertaining the same topic. In fact, it has become common practice for many Library officials to even direct students doing research directly to their websites. Historical websites today provide information in almost every form from scholarly abstracts, to old newspaper articles, to actual audio bites of interviews with historical figures. We obviously live in a more advanced era; but just like there were disadvantages in the past deemed ordinary by our ancestors, our children will most likely view the way we operate today as passe. This poses the question, what are our faults? What are the weakness, in the most popular research databases today, that could improved on? How accredited are these sites, should they be, and what bias do they hold? For the purpose of attempting to thoroughly answer these questions, I will analyze four popular, and accredited, historical websites. The historical databases I will be examining are as follows: ProQuest, History Center Resource Group U. S. A. , History Cooperative, and ABC Clio Historical Abstracts and America: History & Life. All of these sites have been approved by Florida State University for substantial sources for historical reference, as well as other University Libraries. For the purpose of testing the websites’ historical value, I came up with three key search terms I would use to judge all four of the websites. These terms are: Aristotle, American Revolution and Al Quada. I chose these terms because I felt they best exemplified a time before the father companies of these sites existed, or they measure the quality of current even efficiency. ProQuest Company is stationed in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company’s main focus is in microfilm and electronic publishing. The company was initially founded by Eugene Power under the title of â€Å"University Microfilms in 1938. The company preserved precious British Museum articles on microfilm, as well as published dissertations. In continuous production of publications since 1938, with so many dissertations, ProQuest has been officially declared as the U. S. off-site repository of the Library of Congress. During World War II, University Microfilm assisted the Office of Strategic Service by filming maps and European newspapers. In 1980, the company made the transition from microfilm to storing databases on CD-ROMs. It then went through a nuance of owners and names until finally changing its name to ProQuest Information and Learning in 2001. Upon first viewing the ProQuest database online, I was forced to acknowledge the simplicity of the page. The search bars were easy to use, providing the option of searching through different databases with categories of everything from dissertations, news papers and business articles to interdisciplinary and criminal justice periodicals. They also had database searches provided solely to do research on gender issues, race relations and global news. I’m certain all of these databases provide information on a vast range of subjects dating as far back as 1938, when the company first originated. When I punched in the key word Aristotle, my search found 4451 sources, most of which were news paper articles dated in the present new year. The American Revolution found me 3724 references all ranging from newspapers to dissertations. Finally, Al-Qaeda found me 21543 results. The patterns of these numbers showed me that ProQuest was more bias towards politics and current event in America, even though it’s categorized as a historical database. Also, as I would later find out its results were monumental and almost never ending compared to the results of the other sites. The large majority of ProQuests material comes from news paper articles, which gives it a disadvantage when its compared to other site producing scholarly essays. The fact remains ProQuest has a seemingly endless quantity of reputable sources. ProQuest represents big business in scholarly society, and in that way it drastically contrasts sites like History Cooperative. History Cooperative is a nonprofit humanities resource that provided scholarly historical journals for the purpose of study. This site was established by the combined efforts of The University of Illinois Press, the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians and the National Academies Press. At first glance, I have to say that History Cooperative is the simplest and most vast database I’ve ever seen, second only to Wikipedia, which lacks scholarly accreditation. It appears that History Cooperative provides more access the largest variety of respected American Journals than any of the other sites. I begin my analysis by searching the first key term, Aristotle. Many scholarly essays pertaining to Aristotle’s theories come up. I click on the first link titled Hairy Women and Naked Truths: Gender and the Politics of Knowledge in Aristotle’s Masterpiece, by Mary E. Fissell, to see how relative the article is to my search. I look at the article and find it is more an educated response to one of Aristotle’s literary works than any concrete historical information about the man himself. In light of this, I must acknowledge the source still holds some historical relevance and could be used for more in-depth analysis of the man in a research paper. When I look up American Revolution, I get Wheat, War, and the American Economy during the Age of Revolution, by Brooke Hunter. Again, this is another article that takes a specific part of history and goes in-depth with the topic. Finally, I search for Al-Qaeda searching for it four different ways and only finding results when I type it in as shown. Even then only one article pops up, titled ‘Chaos on the Earth’: Subjective Truths versus Communal Unity in Islamic Law and the Rise of Militant Islam, Indira Falk Gesink. The website overall still proves to be historically relevant, just not up on current events. The site also appears bias in the sense that most of its information comes from authors publishing in journals to display their literary prowess, or attain scholarly recognition. The site didn’t appear to have factually informative information with the student in mind, but more like scholarly interpretations written for the purpose of being viewed by other’s with PHDs. This site is not for someone attempting to find basic information. It has articles that carryout close and critical responses assuming that much is already known about the topic. On these grounds, I do get a very liberal minded nature from the site in the sense that it promotes free thought. Though this leaves room for bias pertaining a particular topic of search, in most cases, except for the Al Qada search, there is a vast amount of sources to counter a bias view. This leaves the researcher free to interpret their own understand from a much more educated and open view of the topic. The History Resource Center: U. S. is a database formed by the Gale Group. Now known as Thomas Gale, the company is run by Gordan T. Macomber and specializes in research and educational publishing for public and academic libraries, schools and businesses. Its full text magazine and newspaper database, Info Trac is the same search tool that powers The History Resource Center: U. S. The site is considered by many respected scholastics to be a reputable source for references on religion, history and social science. The site is also most notably recommended by History Channel. com. When I first search for Aristotle, a long list of about twenty two sources come up the first one being, Aristotle Versus Plato in Ancient Greece. History in Dispute, by Mathew E. Kenney. The American Revolution search produced two-hundred results the first of which was The Impact of the American Revolution on Britain. History in Dispute, by Keith Krawczynski. Finally my search for Al-Qaeda produced ten results, the first of which was Suspected Terrorist Mounir el-Motassadeq Convicted in Germany, February 19, 2003. This was located in a journal titled Historic World events. This greatly impressed me about the website. On top of this, I received no sense of bias while reviewing this web page. All of the articles were heavily referenced, and many had the feel of being analytical while at the same time very informative with the facts. The final site I viewed diverged from the pack completely in its ability to inform. ABC-CLIO was founded in 1953 by Eric Boehm. Its first publication was produced in 1955 the company is mostly known for its main database America: History and Life and their Historical Abstracts database. The company does not a have a long known history pertaining to America, but most of its historical information is American History based. Despite these credentials, Florida State and many other Universities approve of this website as one of their key source of reputable information. The truth is, there was no in-depth analysis done for this page, because it was more of a retail site than an a location for study. When I entered the key terms into the search bars, publications and dissertations were not viewable without buying the entire article. This contrast between the other web pages make one wonder if this is a sign of the past or the future. It also makes me appreciate site like ProQuest and the History Resource Center, for being so efficient, for free. In sum, after comparing these sites, I can’t help but think that ABC-CLIO needs to be put out of business and ProQuest might be leaving the competition behind. The sites that do produce works, are all admirable and respectable in their nature to produce as many knowledgeable sources as possible, even if the views are contrasting. The advancement of ideals like this is the way of the future. It can always be argued that corporations like History Cooperative are valuable because they perform a humanitarian service by being non-profit. It can even be argued that the History Resources Center: U. S. outmatches ProQuest in quality. But, it can’t be denied that ProQuest unfairly out does all of the competition based on the number of sources it produces. This idea of quality verses quantity is a classic debate. But, in the case of ProQuest, it must acknowledged that Quality has a quantity all of its own. Work Cited ABC-CLIO http://serials. abc-clio. com. proxy. lib. fsu. edu/active/go/ABC-Clio-Serials_v4. 2. Accessed Jan 6. 2007 History Cooperative http://www. historycooperative. org. proxy. lib. fsu. edu/ Accessed Jan. 6 2007. History Resource Center U. S. http://galenet. galegroup. com. proxy. lib. fsu. edu/servlet/HistRC/form? origSearch=true&n=10&l=1&items=0&locID=tall85761. Accessed Jan. 7, 2007 ProQuest. http://proquest. umi. com. proxy. lib. fsu. edu/login. Accessed Jan 7 2007.

Germany Before 1848

Before 1848 Germany DBQ The political, economical, and social order of the Germanic states in the nineteenth century was in a state of chaos and disarray. Politically, the states had the desire of becoming unified and had the possibility to do so if it had not been for fear and neglect to follow through. Economically, the states were in a time of hardships with poor growth development in the fields and were also going through the time of the Industrial Revolution with changes to their everyday lives. Socially, the Germanic states were divided into a feudal system that was determined by birth status and wealth.The middle class, made up of scholars and students, and aristocracy had shared the same fear of the commoners’ revolt due to the political failure in attempt to unify the Germanic states, and had wanted to maintain their rights as well as becoming unified without giving the lower class any more power. The economic structure was poor and resulted with unemployment and high er food prices, which enabled the peasants to be outraged in anger towards the government for lack of action to make the necessary changes causing them to revolt in hopes of more stability financially while also desiring a unification of the German states.The middle class of the Germanic states were educated persons with an interest on their society. Politically, they were concerned about the development of unity between the states. Some questioned what was so difficult about this unification, such as the professor Ernst Moritz Anndt whom had also written poetry on the matter n the mindset that a Father land or a single body would be the best way to be (doc. 1). Others were in high hopes that the unification would take place as soon as possible with faith in the armies and nobility to do so.One of these individuals was Goerres who was excited about this notion as clearly portrayed in his pamphlet in 1819 that a republican constitution was underway (doc. 2). Economically, the middle class was concerned with how the lower class would deal with the current hardships from the crop failure. An economist Fredrick List was one that was concerned with the health of the lower class and the availability of bread in his pamphlet in 1834 describing how the body would deal with the poor health in which they were receiving (doc. ). Others took less concern with the lower class situation and were in a state of new inventions and discovering which had created confusion. Riegel was a book seller who had written an essay discussing the economic changes that the Germanic states were going through and how they would possibly cope with these changes (doc. 6). The middle class was sufficient with their social status where they did not have to pay taxes. They also did not want the lower class to receive more power than they deserved.The middle class believed that the actions of the lower class were not deserving of more power due to their actions such as the riots depicted in Prussi a (doc. 9). The middle class was experiencing the changes along with the aristocracy. The aristocracy had many of the same views and opinions as the middle class. They lived in fear of the revolt of the lower class. They however needed the courage to fight for politically they too wanted unification with dependency on the princes and soldiers (doc. ). Economically, aristocracy had money in a time where most did not. They survived in better comfort than most but still managed to struggle when it came to providing for family members. In a women’s perspective, the labor of spinning wool was endless with little compensation due to the fact that they were still required to pay taxes and rent to the government and landowners (doc. 7). The aristocracy found this to be an issue that was to be fixed by the king, for it was his responsibility.However, they still believed everyone should be in high spirits and have good attitudes, because if the economy is weak but the public is strong it depicts overall power of the states (doc. 10). Aristocracy was socially towards the top of the feudal system and looked down on all others below. The lower class was surviving in anger towards the governmental state before the revolutions in 1848. They were experiencing many struggles in which made it difficult for survival without necessary changes of the king.The commoners were emotionally a wreck and the economy was so poor that they would potentially do anything for food alone. During the bread distribution in Stettin in 1847, lower class citizens were tumbling over one another, pushing and fighting just to get a piece or loaf of bread to feed their families (doc. 9) which simply goes to show lack of organization and a deeper need for change in order to provide these citizens better economic stature. Socially, the commoners were miserable at the bottom of the social classes with little possessions and higher prices.Some people revolted and others wrote down their anger as see n through a hateful pamphlet in disgust of the work of the princes and governmental confidence to make changes (doc. 11) found in 1847. The lower class revolted in anger of the government because of their situations they were dealing with at home and the lack of acknowledgement from the government aside from taking the only money they had in their pockets, but essentially these actions did little to their overall aspirations of achieving recognition and better rights.Despite the poor political, economic, and social order of the Germanic states before 1848, they still attained potential to change and become a unified nation. The political issue of becoming unified was spoken by the middle class, aristocracy, and commoners all in view that there should and potentially could be done. Economically, there was little to be done and socially the classes remained the same with equivalent powers as the start of the time period. The feelings and actions of the classes were in response to thei r individual status and power.

HENRIETTA LACKS Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

HENRIETTA LACKS - Assignment Example This created a debate in the science and research world on whether we are in control of what we are made of (Skloot, pp.1-3). The story of Henrietta Lacks brings up the question of consent and whether a patient should be told when his or her cells are put in use. During the 1950s, there was no law against these practices but now there are laws that have to be adhered to. The question of informed consent remains a major ethical issue in nursing practise. He-la cells have had an Impact in medicine and vaccination. They have been used to find a vaccine for polio and even in the study of diseases such as tuberculosis and many others that have in turn changed the medicine world (Skloot, pp.3-7). This story also serves as an inspiration to leave an impact on the nursing community. Henrietta died a long time ago, but her influence is still felt up to today. Through cultural knowledge scientists can study human tissue and develop a cure for diseases as soon as they occur. The centre for disease control engages in the practice of development of cell-based flu vaccines which has helped nurses to fight outbreaks all over the world such the swine flu outbreak. Nurses have used the study stem cell culture for therapeutic and research activities affect health leading growth of medicine as a branch of science (Nagy, Rossant, Nagy, Abramo, Newerly,

History and World War II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History and World War II - Essay Example Many could feel the changes coming after the war. African Americans had made considerable contributions to the war effort despite being limited to black battalions in the Army, and ship’s wards in the navy (servants). They felt (and rightly so) that they had earned an equal place in American Society. The return of soldiers was different dependent based upon race. Initially, in the cities, integration naturally occurred. Different races lived and worked side by side. That quickly changed with white families moving to the newly built suburbs and black families moving into the cities to be closer to factory jobs. In essence, society re-segregated itself. â€Å"Class based spatial segregation, which has risen since 1970, is magnified by racial discrimination.† The black poor neighborhoods felt a disproportionate amount of economic pain and discrimination. What the African Americans wanted most was equal economic and social status. Although written before the Great War, the following quote sums up the feelings of the African American community post World War Two: â€Å"A man who is good enough to shed his blood for the country is good enough to be given a square deal afterward. More than that no man is entitled to and no less than that no man shall have. Theodore Roosevelt, Springfield, Illinois July 4th, 1903†. The United States military quickened the process of social equity in this country. Franklin Roosevelt signed an order in 1941 prohibiting discrimination in defense industries. Harry Truman ordered desegregation in the military in 1948. ... They felt (and rightly so) that they had earned an equal place in American Society. The return of soldiers was different dependent based upon race. Initially, in the cities, integration naturally occurred. Different races lived and worked side by side4. That quickly changed with white families moving to the newly built suburbs and black families moving into the cities to be closer to factory jobs. In essence society re-segregated itself. "Class based spatial segregation, which has risen since 1970, is magnified by racial discrimination."5 The black poor neighborhoods felt a disproportionate amount of economic pain and discrimination. What the African Americans wanted most was equal economic and social status.6 Although written before the Great War, the following quote sums up the feelings of the African American community post World War Two: "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for the country is good enough to be given a square deal afterward. More than that no man is entitled to and no less than that no man shall have. Theodore Roosevelt, Springfield, Illinois July 4th 1903".7 The United States military quickened the process of social equity in this country. Franklin Roosevelt signed an order in 1941 prohibiting discrimination in defense industries.8 Harry Truman ordered desegregation in the military in 1948. Dwight D. Eisenhower sent troops to ensure desegregation of Central High School in little Rock Arkansas. With the military and Federal Government in the lead the rest of the country slowly followed toward ending social inequities. 3. Politics and the Economy. World War I introduced the United States as a world power and World War II certainly solidified its position in global politics. Prior to World War Two the United States was

Reebok Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reebok - Essay Example ng strategy involves establishing trust between salespeople and retailers, giving retailers sufficient information about the products to ensure they conduct sales at ease and provide retailers with support after the sale. â€Å"Sean Neville the senior vice president and general manager of Reebok North America† confirms that the aim of the company is to sell quality products to the customer, and the retailer  used as an intermediary. The salespeople in the company ensure they think like the retailer selling goods to the consumer (Kerin, Hartley & Rudelius, 2011). This information is crucial because customers are able to know the objectives of Reebok. In addition, the customers are also able to know how the company operates. The information is also beneficial to retailers who ensure the company’s products reach customers. Competitors can also use the information to learn more about the company’s strategies that assist it to stay on top. The information draws the inference that Reebok is among the best companies known for sportswear. In addition, the information puts Reebok at the forefront as the one of the main manufacturers of sport shoes. Nonetheless, the information generates a number of questions too for instance; how the company communicates with retailers and customers, how the company deals with competitors and approaches the company uses to remain on top. In addition, further ideas also generated by the information that include; the style of operation of the company and how they do their business to ensure customers remain satisfied for many

Real World Radical Formulas Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Real World Radical Formulas - Assignment Example The angle of deviation is . It is supposed to be small (see front view on the figure). We put that the origin of coordinate system is in the center of the boat and axis is along the water line. The submerged volume changes on the value for coordinate ( is infinitesimal, is the length of the boat). The corresponding additional momentum value that appears due to the Archimedes force is ( is the water density and is the acceleration of gravity). The full additional momentum value will be ( is the beam of the boat). According to the Newton’s second law for cyclic motion ( is the moment of inertia). Therefore we have equation for the natural vibrations. The solution is ( is the deviation angle at the initial time moment and is the natural vibration frequency). It is easy to see that. If the natural vibration frequency exceeds some critical value then the boat is unstable. It means that value also must not exceed some limit. To simplify this condition, one can suppose that the boat has some standard form and the centre of the boat is heavier than the edges. The assumptions give us ( is the mass of the boat and is the some characteristic length). It is well known that, because of the Archimedes law the mass of the boat is equivalent to the displacement of the boat. Finally, we conclude that must not exceed some limit. The cube root of this value multiplied by 4 is called the capsize screening value. The critical value corresponds to feet /pound1/3. Notice, that according to the consideration above, the capsize screening value proportional to the square of the natural frequency. Problem 103 b. Multiplying the formula by radical of displacement and dividing into for capsize screening value we obtain . The cube of the later formula gives us. The formula defines the displacement

Option Pricing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Option Pricing - Essay Example Options are used by holders for leverage or for protection. The leverage function helps the holder to control the shares bought for a portion what they would have cost. On the other hand, protection measures are adopted when the holder wants to guard against price fluctuations. He enters into a contract with the rights to acquire the stock for a fixed period and specific price. The contracts, in either case, should be highly observed and monitored for efficient outcomes. The methods used in pricing options have been applied for years and can only be effective if the worth of the option is achieved. This is determined by the probability that on the expiration, the option price will be on a substantial amount of money. Any holder of an option expects a gain on his underlying asset to attain the worth of holding for the time given. The Black Scholes and the Binomial method are the elaborated on below in determining the true worth of an option. The Black Scholes Model: This model dates b ack in the twentieth century in its application. It was developed by Fisher Black and Myles Scholes in 1973 hence the name Black Scholes (Marion, 2003, 16). It is still in use today. This model uses the theoretical call price whereby the dividends amounting during the life of the option is not included in the computation.   Theoretically, the price of an option (OP) has been determined by the formulae given below: In this case: (Simon & Benjamin, 2000, 255; Brajendra, 2011, 372) The variables in the above formulae are expressed as shown below: S is the stock price X is the strike price t is the time remaining until the expiration, denoted as percent of a year r is the compounded risk-free interest rate predominant in the current market v is the annual volatility of stock price.   ln is the natural logarithm N(x) is the standard normal cumulative distribution function e is the exponential function Below are the necessary requirements for validating this model: Dividends are not p aid during the stock period. Variance and interest rate does not change in the course of the option contract. There is no discontinuity in the stock price i.e. a shift from one price to another like the case of tenders. This model applies volatility and normal distribution to determine the movement of options. The Excel add-in format can be used to calculate the normal distribution. Volatility, on the other hand, can be implied or historical. The implied volatility of an option allows market traders to observe the current prices of options to determine how volatile they are. This is done by calculating the standard deviation i.e. v2, and in this case, all other variables have to be known. Nevertheless, historical analysis is not left out. The traders have to observe the performance of the option over past years to assess volatility.  

Telecommunications and Networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Telecommunications and Networking - Essay Example The imaginary Internet cloud of a corporate network environment is trustworthy for data transportation. Moreover, it is incorporated with advanced cloud generalization. In order to extend the cloud-computing concept, there are services along with network components consisting of routers, switches, application servers, and data servers. The components of the network are installed to operate at the back-end for providing advanced services that are proficient to develop web application (What is cloud computing?). Moreover, cloud computing consists of applications that are represented as a service on the web and the provision of hardware / software services provided by companies operating data centers. Likewise, the services provided over the Internet are referred as (Software as a Service) ‘SaaS’. Few sellers use the term (Infrastructure as a service) IaaS and (Platform as a service) PaaS ’in order to demonstrate their products and services. However, these terms are avoided and not accepted globally, due to variation (ARMBRUST, FOX et al. 2010). The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have illustrated some helpful definitions that focus on three concepts (Ryan, Loeffler 2010): Cloud infrastructure as a service ‘IaaS’ consists of provisioning elementary computing resources. Cloud software as a service ‘SaaS’ access software application that operates on a cloud infrastructure. Cloud platform as a service (PaaS) provides the accessibility to users for implementing and developing applications with programming language and tools supported by the providers. The core components of a cloud are consists of the data center hardware and software. When these resources are made available to the public, they are referred as public clouds and the service provided by the cloud is called as utility computing. Moreover, private clouds are only available to private organizations and are not accessible by public. Accordingly, cloud computing is the combination of ‘SaaS’ and utility computing (ARMBRUST, FOX et al. 2010). Furthermore, cloud computing is a successful contributor economically for cyber infrastructure as it â€Å"makes applications dramatically easier to develop and deploy, thus expanding the feasible scope of applications possible within budget and organizational constraints, and shifting the scientist’s and engineer’s effort away from information technology development and concentrating it on scientific and engineering research. Cyber infrastructure also increases efficiency, quality, and reliability by capturing commonalities among application needs, and facilitates the efficient sharing of equipment and services† (Vouk 2008)(Vouk 2008). Business Trends Information Technology organization has already invested millions since the 1990’s, to contribute in reshaping cloud computing. For instance, a popular slogan from Sun that was â€Å"Network is a computer† was recognized in 1980’s. Furthermore, salesforce.com, a ‘SaaS’ enabled website is providing services since 1999. Today, cloud computing represents a more innovative and productive approach, in order to provide online services along with online operating systems. Microsoft Azure provides an online operating

The Incorporation of Immigrants in Growing Urban Areas ( Style is Essay

The Incorporation of Immigrants in Growing Urban Areas ( Style is Annals of the Associatio n of American Geographers , AAAG) - Essay Example This has also led to discrimination and racial segregation when it comes to certain privileges. Immigration has been used as a means to human right violation and slavery in certain parts of the world yet in certain areas human rights have been observed with the best effort. While the phenomenon immigration has existed for centuries, it was after the Second World War that immigration started gaining momentum. This was due to factors such as religious conflicts, political instability, and economic constraints in their countries of origin. Migration has led to changes in how countries shape up in areas such as education, economy, culture, and even social life. The new environments that migrants experience present diverse challenges which have led them to adapt in different ways. In Greece, for example, the Cold War made natives flee their country which had a poor economy, in search of better life in places like the United States, Canada, Australia, and other more developed counties (Skandalis 2012). However, after the Cold War and with the fall of the communist era in Eastern Europe, Greece became an attractive place for immigrants from Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, and other less developed countries in Eastern Europe. Other immigrants in the country came f rom outside of Europe, from India and Afghanistan. This had a huge impact on the economy and society of Greece. What was once a homogenous society became a culture and linguistic mosaic. The immigrants managed to deal with barriers such as confusing legislation and unfriendly entrepreneurial climates to become farmers, construction workers, and employees in other sectors, overwhelming even the natives (Skandalis 2012). This led to Greece experiencing a transformation in regard to its occupational structure. Occupations such as manufacturing and small trading that characterised the traditional family are on the decline. On the other hand occupations such as salaried clerical

Organizational Communication 55 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational Communication 55 - Term Paper Example The main leader in the movie was Henry who used more than one leadership styles to support his claim of not suspecting the suspect as guilty. First he exhibited the supportive leadership style as he focused less on the task at hand which was to define the suspect as guilty or not and he focused more on the relationship (Chang, 2012, p.27). Henry operated like a supportive leader who preferred to analyze the issue before reaching a decision and he even showed that he did not believed in group conformity while others purely exhibited conformist behavior when they regarded the suspect as guilty. Henry experienced obstacles while exhibiting the leadership style of being a supportive leader, others did not want to participate in the decision and many of them were not even interested in it. Henry even exhibited the leadership trait of being open to experience unlike other group members who did not wanted to explore the issue (Chang, 2012, p.23). He was even exhibiting the trait of having h igh conscientiousness as he was able to persuade them to explore the issue even when they were not ready to. His use of supportive leadership style was quite accurate because this helped in persuading others to cooperate with him. He even exhibited the trait of being highly compassionate and cooperative as he continuously rejected the belief that the suspect was the killer and provided alternative views such as the suspect losing his knife and someone else locating it and using it to kill his father. Henry even scores high in extraversion as he was continuously seeking for others to indulge in analyzing the case from different points of views and was taking their ideas and opinions into consideration. Henry even scored high in exhibiting the leadership trait of neuroticism as even though he was being bullied and held back, he did not get angry and instead continued to persuade them to indulge in the

Glass beaker Essay Example for Free

Glass beaker Essay Our experiment will be repeated three times, and we will use the same stopwatch. We will place the candle onto the safety mat and light it. Carefully, one of us will cover the lit candle with the beaker, whilst the other shall start the stopwatch. As soon as the candle goes out the stopwatch shall be stopped, measured and the result will be recorded into the results table. This shall be repeated two more times for the same beaker and the results will also be recorded into the results table. We will carry out this method four more times for the measured beakers, and then we will do the same with the Gas Jar. The difference in method between the Gas Jar and the other beakers is that we know the volumes of the other beakers, but the volume of the Gas Jar is unknown. For the Gas Jar, we will put a candle onto a safety mat, light it, and then cover it with the Gas Jar. We will start the stopwatch and record how many seconds the candle is lit for. As soon as the candle goes out, the stopwatch will be stopped. We will record the amount of time the candle is lit for, into the results table. Then I will find the average result of the three tests for each beaker. I will find this by using this formula. This average will then be recorded into my results table. Then I will draw my graph. On my graph, the seconds will be on the y axis and the volumes of the beakers will be on the x axis. I will plot all of my results onto my graph and measure a line of best fit. On the line of best fit will be all of the approximate results of the seconds the candle is lit for, for all volumes of beakers. To find the volume of the gas jar, I will plot the time that the candle was lit for on the line of best fit. Then I will follow my finger from the line, horizontally, to the y axis, and see what the approximate volume of the Gas Jar is. Results TIME CANDLE IS LIT FOR (s) Volume of Glass Beaker (cm 3) Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 AVERAGEAnalysis From my results I have found out the Gas Jar has an approximate volume of 200 cm cubed. I conclude that it is possible to find out the volume of a beaker when all you know is how long a candle burns for when it is placed underneath. The graph proves my prediction to be correct. I said that the larger the beaker, the longer the candle will burn for, which would then give my graph a positive correlation. This is what happened. When the size of the beaker went up, so did the amount of time the candle beneath it. There was a relationship between the variables I was measuring The larger the Beaker, the longer the candle will burn for. I proved that there is more oxygen in a large beaker than a small beaker, as the small beakers candle did not stay lit for as long as a larger beakers candle. Evaluation I have achieved the aim that I wrote at the beginning of my experiment. I have found out whether it is the candle or the size of the beaker that determines how long the candle burns for. I have also found out that you can determine the volume of a gas jar, just by timing how long the candle burns for when placed underneath. My plan was quite good. I have achieved all that I wanted to achieve, and found out all that I wanted to find out. I have gained everything from my experiment that I had aimed to gain, and without any problems. I dont think that I could have changed anything to make it better, except to maybe do more tests to get my average from, because they will, of course, be more accurate. I didnt change anything to make anything work better, it already worked perfectly fine. My results were very good, all of my results were consistent as they were quite close to each other. Also they followed my prediction perfectly, I had no problems. From my results I have calculated that the Gas Jar had an approximate volume of 200 cm cubed. The actual volume of the gas jar is 210 cm cubed. This result is extremely close to my approximation, which means that my results were very accurate. I also believe that my experiment was a very fair test, we followed our method exactly and had no reason to change anything. I think that my results were pretty reliable. There was an obvious line of best fit in which many of the results fitted in with. I did have one anomalous reading though, but it was not far off track. An Anomalous reading is a reading that didnt follow the same pattern as the others. This might have occurred because of a number of reasons. For example, We couldve made an error in taking measurements or we might not have filled up the gaps in the beaker enough etc. I think, that by carrying out a further experiment, we would extend our knowledge by changing the experiment a little, by maybe changing a different variable or by having more tests. Either way, we would learn a lot more on this specific subject. Katrina Farrant 10HA Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Patterns of Behaviour section.

Scientific Methods for Accurate Dating in Archaeology

Scientific Methods for Accurate Dating in Archaeology Explain the importance of the following dating methods: (a) radio carbon dating, (b) potassium argon dating, (c) seriation, (d) stratigraphy. Archaeology can be defined as â€Å"the scientific study of the human past, of ancient human behaviour, from the earliest times right up to the present.†(Fagan, 2006) .The study of archaeology as an academic discipline is dependant on the accuracy of various dating methods. Dating methods in archaeology can be divided into two groups: Relative dating methods and Absolute dating methods. Although the importance of the different dating methods may outweigh each other, the all are very important to the study of archaeology as a whole. This essay shall focus on the importance of radio carbon dating, potassium argon dating, seriation and stratigraphy to the archaeological study. Accurate dating has always been of importance to scientist and archaeologist alike. In archaeology dating can be categorised into relative dating and absolute dating techniques. In moving forward explain the importance of radio carbon dating, potassium argon dating, seriation and stratigraphy to the archaeological study, one must first understand the difference between relative dating and absolute dating in archaeology. Relative dating in archaeology assumes the age of an artifact in relation and by comparison to other objects found in its environs. The style of the artifact and its archaeological location stratigraphically are required to arrive at a relative date. The limit to relative dating is that it cannot provide an accurate year or a specific date of use. Absolute dating on the other hand is the method of determining an approximate calculated age of an artifact in archaeology. The goal of archaeologist is ultimately to know how old sequences, sites and artefacts are in calend ar years. To accomplish this absolute dating methods are used. From traditional historical methods to those which are based on the great variety of modern scientific techniques currently available. As compared to relative dating which only provides an order of events, absolute dating presents archaeologists with a more calculated evaluation of the object’s age. The first area of discussion in understanding the different dating techniques in archaeology would be stratigraphy. According to Renfrew and Bahn, â€Å"stratigraphy is the study of stratification- the laying down or depositing of strata one above the other.† (Renfrew and Bahn 2008, 122). This basically involves ordering things into sequences. A succession of layers should provide a relative chronological sequence from the earliest (the bottom layer) to the latest (top), as seen in figure one. It’s important to note that stratigraphy involves the Law of Superposition. Fagan describes the Law of Superposition as, â€Å"the notion that underlying levels are earlier than those that cover them.† (Fagan 2009, 103). He further explains that the lower levels are relatively earlier than the later strata, which is basically entails. Scientific archaeologists grasped at this rather quickly, although it wasnt used as a consistent technique until around the turn of the ninet eenth century. Since then, the technique has been refined, and tools such as theHarris Matrixassist in picking out the sometimes quite complicated and delicate deposits. The study of stratigraphy on archaeological sites was used in North America and Mesopotamia. The importance of stratigraphy is good and well but it still does not provide an accurate form of dating, it all involves speculation. This is since as a downfall since archaeological research strives in the most accurate form of understanding of the past societies and cultures. Figure1 Title: Stratification example Source: pages.vassar.edu The other archaeological dating method to be discussed is seriation. Seriation is a very common form of archaeological interpretation. Seriation is a form of relative dating technique. With the assumption that artefacts changed with passing time in radical ways, archaeologist use seriation techniques to place artefacts in chronological order. Seriation is the changing of style of an object over time. Renfrew and Bahn explain that there are two versions of the seriation technique: contextual seriation and frequency seriation. Contextual seriation, also called sequenced dating is where artefacts are arranged according to the frequencies of their co- occurrence in specific context. In the nineteenth century Sir Flinders Petrie was the founding father of this type of seriation. He used this method to establish order in large Egyptian graves. Frequency seriation on the other hand, was established by an American archaeologist at a Mayan site in Yucatan 1940. The principle of frequency seri ation relies predominantly on measuring changes in the proportional abundance, or frequency of a ceramic style. W.S. Robinson and G.W. Brainerd in their paper published in American Antiquity in 1951 hypostasised two statements about frequency seriation. â€Å"First, the assumed that pottery styles gradually become more popular, reach peak of popularity, and then fade away. Secondly, they argued that a given time period, a pot style popular at one site would similarly be popular at another.†(Renfrew and Bahn 2008, 128). Archaeologist such as James A. Ford working in American Southeast and Frank Hole in Iran were able to establish chronological validity using this method. â€Å"Nevertheless it should always be borne in mind that seriation by itself does not tell us which end of a given sequence is first and which last- the true chronology has to be determined by other means.†(Renfrew and Bahn 2008, 128). Figure2 Title: Seriation of Pottery Source: http://anthro.palomar.edu/time/glossary.htm The next dating method to be discussed is potassium argon dating. This is a type of absolute dating technique. This method is used mainly to date rocks thousands of years old. â€Å"Geologists use this method to date rocks as early as four to five billion years old and as recent as 100,000 years old before present.† (Fagan 2009, 119). The earth’s crust is engulfed with potassium and as a result it is present in almost every mineral. Potassium argon dating is based on the principle of radio active decay, the steady but very slow decay of radioactive isotope potassium -40 (40K) to the inert gas argon-40 (40Ar) in volcanic rock. Knowing the decay rate of 40K-its half life is around 1.3 billion years- a measure of the quality of 40 Ar trapped within a 10g rock sample gives and estimate of the date of the rock’s formation. The major limitations of the technique are that it can only be used to date sites buried by volcanic rock, and an accuracy of +10 percent is rarely achieved. However, potassium argon dating played a crucial role in the site Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. The site in East Africa was the basis of the study of human evolution, as it yielded fossil remains of Australopithecus, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus, as well as large numbers of stone artifacts and bones. It should be noted that the Rift Valley in Olduvai is a volcanic area, and its two million year old chronology has been established by potassium argon dating of the relevant deposits of harden volcanic ash and other materials. The final archaeological dating method to be discussed is the absolute dating technique radio carbon dating. Radio carbon dating has a major impact on archaeology, in particular on pre history since the lack of a written record leaves much to conjecture. Radio carbon has transformed our understanding of the past. According to Bowman the materials which can be dated by radio carbon are those which once formed part of the biosphere and are therefore organic. For example, the most commonly preserved sample types occurring on British sites are bones, shells and charcoal. (Bowman 1990, 12). The pioneer for radio carbon dating is the American chemist Willard Libby, who in 1949 published the first radio carbon dates. Libby had been one of the scientists during World War II who was studying cosmic radiation, the sub- atomic particles that constantly bombarded the earth, producing high- energy neutrons. â€Å"These neutrons react with nitrogen atoms in the atmosphere to produce atoms of carb on-14 (14C), or radio carbon, which are unstable because they have eight neutrons in the nucleus because they have eight neutrons in the nucleus instead of the usual six as for ordinary carbon (12C). This availability leads to radioactive decay of 14C at a regular rate. Libby estimated that it took 5568 years of half of the 14C in any sample to decay – its half life – although modern research indicates that more accurate figure is 5730 years.† (Renfrew and Bahn 2008, 142). Libby analyzed that the decay of radiocarbon at a constant rate should be balanced by its constant production through cosmic radiation and therefore the proportion of 14C in the atmosphere should remain the same throughout time. However, Libby’s about the level of 14C in the atmosphere has varied some what, since the radio carbon dates obtained from tree- rings show that before about 1000BC, trees were exposed to greater concentrations of atmospheric 14C than they are today. At this point it should be noted that this radio carbon method can be used anywhere, no matter the climate, as long as there is material or organic origin. This is different as compared to the other absolute dating technique discussed above potassium argon which is only limited to dating volcanic rocks. During the latter half of the twentieth century, certain advancements had been made to help correct the limitations of radiocarbon dating. For instance the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) method is beco ming the dominant method used in radiocarbon dating. This requires smaller samples still. AMS counts the atoms of 14C directly, disregarding their radioactivity. The minimum sample size is reduced to as such little as 5-10mg, thus enabling precious organic materials such as the Turin shroud , to be sampled and directly dated, and making feasible the direct dating of pollen. Primarily, it was hoped that the dateable time span for radiocarbon using AMS could be pushed back from 50,000 to 80,000 years, although this is proving difficult to achieve in part because of sample contamination. (Thomas 1999, 76). It should be noted that for inorganic materials, thermoluminesence and other new dating techniques are useful. As compared to the other dating techniques as discussed above, radiocarbon dating can be seen as the most accurate and important to archaeologist in putting together the past. It was used to date Upper Paleolithic paintings in the Chauvet Cave, southern France. However all results over 30,000 BP are subjected to problems. Radiocarbon was also used to assert to validity of the chronology of Europe. In the Caribbean, overseas radio carbon dating techniques are also used, in particular Trinidad. The nation’s parliamentary building currently is undergoing excavations, and the materials they find are shipped overseas for accurate dating using radiocarbon because Trinidad does not have the proper equipment for dating it, since radiocarbon equipment maybe some what expensive for a development nation to endure. In conclusion it can be said that radio carbon dating, potassium argon, seriation and stratigraphy are important dating techniques one way or the other. Although radiocarbon can be seen as the most efficient because of it accuracy and how far back it can date, the other dating techniques are very much relevant BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS Bowman Sheridan, Interpreting the Past. Radiocarbon Dating. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1990, Print. Courbin Paul, What is Archaeology? An essay on the Nature of Archaeological Research. United States of America: The University of Chicago Press, 1988. Print Fagan Brian, Archaeology. A Brief Introduction. New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2006, Print. Renfrew Colin and Bahn Paul, Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice. United States of America: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 2008, Print. Thomas Hurst David, Archaeology Down to Earth. United States of America: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999, Print. WEBSITES Swaminathan, Nikhil. â€Å"Nondestructive Radiocarbon Dating College Station, Texas†. Archaeology Archive. A publication of the Archaeological Institute of America, accessed October 30th 2014. http://archive.archaeology.org/1101/topten/texas.html.

The Management Accountant Is The Most Important And Challenging Profession Accounting Essay

The Management Accountant Is The Most Important And Challenging Profession Accounting Essay The Management Accountant, is the most important and challenging profession in the world economy today, in terms of resource allocation, and controlling measuring business performance. Its role has become more important now, than at any other time in our lifetime. The role of the Management Accountant in particular, has become more important, not only in the corporate level, but also at the national level, and even more importantly, at the international level. Management Accountants are closely involved in supporting, planning, controlling, directing, communicating coordinating the decision-making activities of organizations in the private sector, as well as the public sector. Managers of an organization are considered to be the Customers of the Management Accountant, so far as management accounting information is concerned, and Management Accountants should be continuously aware of the need to satisfy their requirements. Some believe advisory services and information services to be the two main work areas of Management Accountants. Advisory services include the tendering of opinions, assisting the making of evaluations or the formation of expectations, and the development of norms or objectives. Information services include the provision of historical information, and future-oriented information. It has also been identified that Compliance, Control and Competitive support, are the three factors which influence management accounting work. Over time, the relative emphasis on these three factors has changed. Previously, a great deal of management accounting work was driven by the need for Compliance and Control. But now, the emphasis on Compliance and Control is declining, while the emphasis on Competitive support is increasing. The greater need for Competitive support has risen due to increased competition, greater customer focus, globalization, and the importance of quality. At the same time, organizations have responded to the changing competitive environment with flatter organizational structures, which are more flexible, responsive customer-focused. The increased emphasis on Competitive support now requires management accountants to have strong Analytical and Communication skills. Furthermore, they must now actively support the line process managers, and be directly involved in the decision processes. They must also consider long-term as well as short-term planning horizons. They must develop management accounting systems capable of providing information which supports both strategic operational decisions. Importantly, management accountants must become directly involved in the formulation, and the implementation of organizational strategies. It has been established that the role of the management accountant in an organization is to support the information needs of management. The type, size, structure and form of ownership of the organization will influence the management role, and thus, determine the complexity of the management accountants role. Such differences in size do not change the basic role of the management accountant, nor the basic work which he or she does. However, the size of the organization may change the degree of formality or sophistication with which the function is carried out, or the level of resources devoted to management accounting. But, the management accounting function remains essentially the same. Relevant Cost and Irrelevant Cost for Decision-making Relevance is one of the key characteristics of good management accounting information. This means that management accounting information produced for each manager must relate to the decisions which he/she will have to make. Relevant costs are the costs that meet this requirement of good management accounting information. The Chartered Institute of Management Accounting defines relevant costs as: The costs appropriate to a specific management decision This definition could be restated as the amount by which costs increase and benefits decrease as a direct result of a specific management decision. Relevant benefits are the amounts by which costs decrease and benefits increase as a direct result of a specific management decision. Before the management of an enterprise can make an informed decision on any matter, they need to incorporate all of the relevant costs which apply to the specific decision at hand in their decision making process. To include any non-relevant costs or to exclude any relevant costs will result in management basing their decision on misleading information and ultimately to poor decisions being taken. Relevant costs and benefits only deal with the quantitative aspects of decisions. The qualitative aspects of decisions are of equal importance to the quantitative and no decision should be made in practice without full consideration being given to both aspects. Identifying relevant and irrelevant costs: The identification of relevant and non-relevant costs in various decision-making situations is based primarily on common sense and the knowledge of the decision maker of the area in which the decision is being made. Armed with these two tools you should be able to sift through all the information that is available in respect of any decision and extract those costs (and benefits) which are appropriate to the decision at hand. In identifying relevant costs for various decisions, it may find that some costs not included in the normal accounting records of an enterprise are relevant and some costs included in such records are non-relevant. It is important that there is a substantial difference between recorded accounting costs and relevant costs for decision making, and while the latter may be recorded in the former this is not always the case. Accounting records are used to record the incidence of actual costs and revenues as they arise. Decisions, on the other hand, are based only on the relevant costs and benefits appropriate to each decision while the decision is being made. This point is particularly appropriate when you come to examine opportunity costs and sunk costs that are dealt with below. In practice, you may also find that the information presented in respect of a decision does not include all the relevant costs appropriate to the decision but the identification of this omission is very difficult unless you are familiar with the area in which the decision is being made. Exercise The more common types of costs which you will meet when evaluating different decisions are incremental, non-incremental and spare capacity costs. Are these likely to be relevant or non-relevant? Suggested Solution Incremental costs: An incremental cost can be defined as a cost which is specifically incurred by following a course of action and which is avoidable if such action is not taken. Incremental costs are, by definition, relevant costs because they are directly affected by the decision (i.e. they will be incurred if the decision goes ahead and they will not be incurred if the decision is scrapped). For example, if an enterprise is deciding whether or not to accept a special order for its product, the extra variable costs (i.e. number of units in special order x variable cost per unit) which would be incurred in filling the order are an incremental cost because they would not be incurred if the special order were to be rejected. Non-incremental costs: These are costs which will not be affected by the decision at hand. Non-incremental costs are non-relevant costs because they are not related to the decision at hand (i.e. non-incremental costs stay the same no matter what decision is taken). An example of non-incremental costs would be fixed costs which by their very nature should not be affected by decisions (at least in the short term). If, however, a decision gives rise to a specific increase in fixed costs then the increase in fixed costs would be an incremental and, hence, relevant cost. For example, in a decision on whether to extend the factory floor area of an enterprise, the extra rent to be incurred would be a relevant cost for that decision. Spare capacity costs: Because of the recent advancements in manufacturing technology most enterprises have greatly increased their efficiency and as a result are often operating at below full capacity. Operating with spare capacity can have a significant impact on the relevant costs for any short-term production decision the management of such an enterprise might have to make. If spare capacity exists in an enterprise, some costs which are generally considered incremental may in fact be non-incremental and thus, non-relevant, in the short term. For example, if an enterprise is operating at less than full capacity then its work force is probably underutilized. If it is the policy of the enterprise to maintain the level of its work force in the short term, until activity increases, then the labour cost of this work force would be a non-relevant cost for a decision on whether to accept or reject a once-off special order. The labour cost is non-relevant because the wages will have to be paid whether the order is accepted or not. If the special order involved and element of overtime then the cost of such overtime would of course be a relevant cost (as it is an incremental cost) for the decision. Two further types of costs that have to be considered are opportunity costs and sunk costs. Opportunity costs: An opportunity cost is a level of profit or benefit foregone by the pursuit of a particular course of action. In other words, it is the value of an option, which cannot be taken as a result of following a different option. For example, if an enterprise has a quantity of raw material in stock which cost $7 per kg and it plans to use this material in the filling of a special order then you would normally incorporate $7 per kg as part of your cost calculations for filling the order. If, however, this quantity of material could be resold without further processing for $8 per kg, then the opportunity cost of using this material in the special order is $8 per kg; by filling the order you forego the $8 per kg which was available for a straight sale of the material. Opportunity costs are, therefore, the real economic costs of taking one course of action as opposed to another. In the above decision-making situation it is the opportunity cost which is the relevant cost and, hence, the cost which should be incorporated into your cost-versus-benefit analysis. It is because the loss of the $8 per kg is directly related to the filling of the order and the opportunity cost is greater than the book cost. Opportunity costs are relevant costs for a decision only when they exceed the costs of the same item in the option to the decision under consideration. You may find the idea of opportunity costs difficult to grasp at first because they are notional costs, which may never be included in the books and records of an enterprise. They are, however, relevant in certain decision-making situation and you must bear in mind the fact that they exist when assessing any such situations. Sunk costs: a sunk cost is a cost that has already been incurred and cannot be altered by any future decision. If sunk costs are not affected by a decision then they must be non-relevant costs for decision-making purposes. Common examples of sunk costs are market research costs and development expenditure incurred by enterprises in getting a product or service ready for sale. The final decision on whether to launch the product or service would regard these costs as sunk (i.e. irrecoverable) and thus, not incorporate them into the launch decision. Sunk costs are the opposite to opportunity costs in that they are not incorporated in the decision making process even though they have already been recorded in the books and records of the enterprise. Exercise (a) An enterprise is considering replacing its professional legal advisers with its own newly trained personnel. The relevant personnel are currently employed in the secretarial department of the enterprise and will receive no pay increase when taking up their new responsibilities. They will also be required to continue to perform their old duties. The current annual salary bill of these employees amounts to $100,000. Is the $100,000 a relevant cost in the decision on whether to replace the professional advisers? (b) An enterprise is considering the upgrading of its computer system. The upgrading would result in the annual maintenance contract fee charged by the suppliers rising from $30,000 to $40,000. Is the maintenance fee a relevant cost to the upgrading decision? Briefly explain your reasoning. (c) The relevant cost of X in the filling of the special order is nil. The cost of the 200 kg of X in stock is a sunk cost and thus non-relevant. This is so due to the fact that no amount of the purchase price appears to be recoverable through either a straight sale of the material or by incorporating X in the manufacture of a product (other than the special order) which could then be sold by the enterprise. Evaluating decisions involving relevant and non-relevant costs It is observed that two task is to be performing before making final decision: Evaluate the options in the decision on a monetary basis using cost versus benefit analysis. Take account of the qualitative factors associated with each option in the decision. The performance of the first task is dealt with in this section. Performance of the second task is influenced by experience and common sense. Nearly all decisions will ever make will involve some relevant and non-relevant costs. As stated earlier the hardest part of the evaluation process will be the identification of the relevant costs for the decision at hand. This identification is often required from a plethora of information that you will have to carefully sift through to ensure the completeness of your evaluation. Once the relevant costs are identified for each option you simply perform a cost versus benefit analysis for each option and select the one that results in the greatest gain or least cost to the enterprise. Dont forget that, in practice, qualitative factors can result in a different option being selected than that suggested by the quantitative evaluation. Exercise The local authority of a small town maintains a theatre and arts centre for the use of a local repertory company, other visiting groups and exhibitions. Management decisions are taken by a committee which meets regularly to review the accounts and plan the use of the facilities. The theatre employs a full-time staff and a number of artists at costs of $4,800 and $17,600 per month respectively. They mount a new production every month for 20 performances. Other monthly expenditure of the theatre is as follows: $ Costumes 2,800 Scenery 1,650 Heat and light 5,150 Apportionment of administration costs of local authority 8,000 Casual staff 1,760 Refreshments 1,180 On average the theatre is half full for the performances of the repertory company. The capacity and seat prices in the theatre are: 200 seats at $6 each 500 seats at $4 each 300 seats at $3 each In addition, the theatre sells refreshments during the performances for $3,880 per month. Programme sales cover their costs but advertising in the programme generates $3,360. The management committee has received proposals from a popular touring group to take over the theatre for one month (25 performances). The group is prepared to pay half of their ticket income for the booking. They expect to fill the theatre for 10 nights and achieve two-thirds full on the remaining 15 nights. The prices charged are 50 cents less than those normally applied in the theatre. The local authority will pay for heat and light costs and will still honour the contracts of all artists and pay full-time employees who will sell refreshments and programmes, etc. The committee does not expect any change in the level of refreshments or programme sales if they agree to this booking. Note: The committee includes allocated costs when making profit calculations. They assume occupancy applies equally across all seat prices. On financial grounds should the management committee agree to the approach from the touring group? Suggested Solution To make a decision on the use of the theatre for one month the committee would calculate the relevant cost or benefit of accepting the tour groups offer as opposed to continuing as is (i.e. with the repertory company). Relevant benefits Costs saved with touring group: $ Costumes 2,800 Scenery 1,650 Casual staff 1,760 Relevant benefits 6,210 Relevant costs Decrease in revenue with touring group: Revenue with repertory company 200 x $6 1,200 500 x $4 2,000 300 x $3 900 4,100 $4,100 x  ½ x 20 41,000 Revenue with touring company 200 x $5.5 1,100 500 x $3.5 1,750 300 x $2.5 750 3,600 ($3,600 x 10) + ($3,600 x 15 x 2/3) = 72,000 Half kept by touring company leaving, 36,000 Relevant costs (41,000 36,000) 5,000 Net relevant benefit (6,210 5,000) 1,210 Therefore, the committee should accept the touring companys offer as it results in a net benefit to the theatre of $1,210 for that month. Non-relevant costs were full time salaries, heat and light, apportionment of administration costs and refreshments. Re non-relevant benefits were refreshment sales and advertising revenue. All of the above were non-relevant because they were unaffected by the decision (i.e. they were the same whether the repertory or the touring company occupied the theatre for the month). The qualitative factors that might apply to this decision include: The desirability of offering a range of activities in the theatre and thus to cater for a wider audience fulfils an important social role. The opinions of the artists who are employed by the theatre should be consulted. They may welcome some months for rehearsal or personal development. But if this were regular, the more talented people who were in demand may seek opportunities elsewhere. A different number of performances may have implications for predicted cost levels and the accuracy of the theatre occupancy predictions should be confirmed. Exercise Lombard Ltd. has been offered a contract for which there is available production capacity. The contract is for 20,000 items, manufactured by an intricate assembly operation, to be produced and delivered in the next financial year at a price of $80 each. The specification is as follows: Assembly labour 4 hours Component X 4 units Component Y 3 units There would also be the need to hire equipment which would increase next years fixed overheads by $200,000. The assembly is a highly skilled operation and the work force is currently under-utilized. It is company policy to retain this work force on full pay in anticipation of high demand, in a few years time, for a new product currently being developed. In the meantime, all non-productive time (about 150,000 hours per annum) is charged to fixed production overhead at a current rate of pay of $5 per hour. Component X is used in a number of other sub-assemblies produced by the company. It is readily available. A small stock is held and replenished regularly. Component Y was a special purchase in anticipation of an order which did not materialize. It is, therefore, surplus to requirements and the 100,000 units which are in stock may have to be sold at a loss. An estimate of alternative values for components X and Y provided by the material planning department are: X Y $ per unit $ per unit Book value 4 10 Replacement cost 5 11 Net realizable value 3 8 Overhead costs are applied on a labour hour basis. Variable overhead is $2 per hour worked. Provisionally, fixed overheads, before the contract was envisaged, were budgeted next year at $3,560,000 for productive direct labour hours of 1,040,000. There is sufficient time available to revise the budgeted overhead rate. Analyze the information in order to advise Lombard Ltd. on the desirability of the contract and briefly explain your reasoning. Suggested solution Advice on the contract will be based on the relevant costs or incremental costs incurred for the contract using the values provided in the question. $ per unit Labour: 4 hours x 0 0 Component X: 4 units x $5 20 Component Y: 3 units x $8 24 Variable overhead: 4 x $2 8 Relevant cost per unit 52 Total relevant cost = ($52 x 20,000) + $200,000 = $1,240,000 Revenue = $80 x 20,000 = $1,600,000 A surplus of revenue over costs of $360,000 is revealed so the contract would appear to be attractive. The recommendation is based on the following reasoning: Labour will be paid anyway as non-productive time so the incremental cost is zero. Component X will be replenished at the current replacement cost. Component Y is costed at its opportunity cost, that is, what could be obtained if sold at its disposable or realizable value. It is already in stock and has no alternative use. Variable overhead is incurred in relation to the direct labour hours worked. The only incremental fixed overhead is $200,000. The remainder is common and unavoidable in all situations. Advantages and disadvantages of Activity Base Costing Advantages of an Activity Based Costing System: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢The first and most important advantage is the accuracy in the process of costing with regards to the product line, the end-users of the product, the stock-keeping units employed by the management and the channel and category which streamline the flow of the product from the producer to the end user. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢This system better assists in the process of understanding the concept of overhead costs i.e. the allocation of common business resources as they are used by specific product lines and their relation to specific cost driver. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢The system is easy to understand and interpret is it is accessible, useable and practically implement able across all norms of business set-ups. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢This process uses unitary cost, or marginal cost as the computation base in contrast to the traditional cost accounting methods which employ total cost. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢The system works exceptionally well will quality improvement and up gradation programs e.g. Six Sigma à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢This system is particularly helpful in identifying and ear-marking some of the matters business activities which are a burden or stress on the business i.e. wasteful or non value adding services. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢The system also works exceptionally with performance management systems which are employed by most human resource departments in contemporary businesses. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢This process allows companies to implement costing strategies across another diagonal of the firm as business processes, supply chains and value addition channels are ably and optimally analyzed in this process. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢This system mimics the actual business process as the appropriation of common pool resources takes place in the same way as common resources are used in the business. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢This system aids in the process of benchmarking which is an integral part of the quality control system. Disadvantages of an Activity Based Costing System: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Data collection process for this system is very time consuming. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢The capital expenditure on the activity based system and its subsequent running costs can be a road block for firms. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢The system is very transparent which some managers would not approve of as they would like to keep some things out of the view of the owners of the company. Technical Limitations: The major technical limitation that will be faced is testing the hypothesis in the real world. Testing the hypothesis whether ABC is a more appropriate accounting solution is certainly possible on paper but its desirable effects in the real world cannot be properly gauged unless it is directly implemented by companies operating in the world today and the analysis is conducted in a kinetic time mechanism. This is a major stumbling block for most organizations who are remain transfixed to their current accounting mechanism and dont want to change over to this new system, which despite its obvious benefits, seems to come a great switching or even multi-homing cost.

The Power of Biofeedback Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Mind Over Matter: The use of Biofeedback to control stress, pain, and other bothersome problems Having a bad day? Well, I am. I have too much work to do, like always, but I want and have to graduate. I think I'm happy about that, about putting an end to all the pressure I have felt in these last four years. Then again I am not sure what to think. I will miss my friends, especially all those people with whom I was briefly acquainted and liked enough to sense the possibility of friendship but will never know now. On top of these worries are more general fears of the uncertainty of the next few years, not to mention the rest of my life. Going home to a place I've never really liked simply because I can't think of anything better to do scares me; the possibility of getting stuck there scares me even more. I need to find a job. I need to find a career. I want to go to graduate school at some point, but my grades after this semester will not make admission easy. Needless to say, there is a lot on my mind. This morning I went in for a doctor's appointment, just a quick check-up becaus e I've been sick. As is routine, the nurse took my blood pressure. Then she turned and frowned at me. Seems that the pressure I'm under is not just weighing down on my mind. My body is responding to my higher level worries by sending my blood slamming through me with alarming force. We like to think of stress as a purely higher level function which only effects us on that level, and generally ignore the effects it might have on us on a more biological as opposed to psychological level, i.e. on the level of our voluntary and autonomic response systems. We hear Doctors on TV and DJs on NPR warning us that stress can kill, but we disregard them until we see ... ...y and promise of a more complete understanding of just what our minds can do. Perhaps the nurseÕs frown is a needed wake up call. I may feel like my life is out of control, but the one thing I always do is think positive. It will not only improve my mental state, but my physical well being as well. Besides, things are looking up; I've just finished another paper. References: From Medline: (1) www.healthy.net (2) www.healthy.net/hwlibraryarticles/biofeedback/biofeedbackwhatis.htm (3) www.healthy.net/hwlibraryarticles/mindbodyconnectio/mbbiofeed.htm (4) www.healthy.net/hwlibrarybooks/mind.htm From Neuroguide: (5) www.aapb.org/index.htm (6) www.biof.com/biofeedbackdef.html (7) www.biof.com/lsfaq.html (8) freud.tan.ac.il/~biosee/msr.html (9) freud.tan.ac.il/~biosee/defin.html (10) freud.tan.ac.il/~biosee/prob.html The Power of Biofeedback Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers Mind Over Matter: The use of Biofeedback to control stress, pain, and other bothersome problems Having a bad day? Well, I am. I have too much work to do, like always, but I want and have to graduate. I think I'm happy about that, about putting an end to all the pressure I have felt in these last four years. Then again I am not sure what to think. I will miss my friends, especially all those people with whom I was briefly acquainted and liked enough to sense the possibility of friendship but will never know now. On top of these worries are more general fears of the uncertainty of the next few years, not to mention the rest of my life. Going home to a place I've never really liked simply because I can't think of anything better to do scares me; the possibility of getting stuck there scares me even more. I need to find a job. I need to find a career. I want to go to graduate school at some point, but my grades after this semester will not make admission easy. Needless to say, there is a lot on my mind. This morning I went in for a doctor's appointment, just a quick check-up becaus e I've been sick. As is routine, the nurse took my blood pressure. Then she turned and frowned at me. Seems that the pressure I'm under is not just weighing down on my mind. My body is responding to my higher level worries by sending my blood slamming through me with alarming force. We like to think of stress as a purely higher level function which only effects us on that level, and generally ignore the effects it might have on us on a more biological as opposed to psychological level, i.e. on the level of our voluntary and autonomic response systems. We hear Doctors on TV and DJs on NPR warning us that stress can kill, but we disregard them until we see ... ...y and promise of a more complete understanding of just what our minds can do. Perhaps the nurseÕs frown is a needed wake up call. I may feel like my life is out of control, but the one thing I always do is think positive. It will not only improve my mental state, but my physical well being as well. Besides, things are looking up; I've just finished another paper. References: From Medline: (1) www.healthy.net (2) www.healthy.net/hwlibraryarticles/biofeedback/biofeedbackwhatis.htm (3) www.healthy.net/hwlibraryarticles/mindbodyconnectio/mbbiofeed.htm (4) www.healthy.net/hwlibrarybooks/mind.htm From Neuroguide: (5) www.aapb.org/index.htm (6) www.biof.com/biofeedbackdef.html (7) www.biof.com/lsfaq.html (8) freud.tan.ac.il/~biosee/msr.html (9) freud.tan.ac.il/~biosee/defin.html (10) freud.tan.ac.il/~biosee/prob.html

Gifts of Rain :: English Literature

Gifts of Rain Seamus Heaney's poem Gifts of Rain is divided into 4 sections. These 4 sections could symbolise the stages of life which consists of birth, childhood, adulthood and death. It could also symbolise the stages of the river in which it suggests the development of the river from it's source to where it gets strong. Or of course, it could symbolise the stages of the water cycle. Water is the symbol of life, but i can also be seen as purity, freshness or youth. In this mysterious poem, Heaney takes a simple view of life and it seems almost documentary-like. The title of the poem 'Gifts of Rain' gives it a positive feeling, but although water has it's positive aspects such as lifegiving and growth, it also has it's negative aspects, such as being dangerous or even deadly. The first section of the poem has no direction and the rhythm is irregular. This suggests that the rain may come unexpectedly and starts off somewhat jaggedly. The rest of the poem flows and has rhythm and there is regularity in each section. This mimics the movement as the rain as it comes down from the clouds. The running on in the stanzas give the sense that the rain is overflowing. Although the title of the poem gives a positive feeling, the opening line "Cloudburst and steady downpour now for days" gives the effect of a monotonous image and a depressing persistance. "He begins to sense weather by his skin" portrays nature and the sense of a survivor. The animal-like image continues for the rest of the first section and the movement of that animal continues as the animal goes "uprooting" which gives the sense of nature being destructive. Heaney may have included this deliberately to show that nature is not as angelic as people may think. The end of the section highlights the poem as "Sounding. Soundings." is what Heaney's poems are all about and more precisely, what this poem is about. "A man wading lost fields breaks the pane of flood" which starts the second section gives the effect of pain and hurt. The man survives by going along with nature and resisiting it, but it also gives the effect of danger at the same time. "Like a cut swaying" carries on the effect of being deliberate, sharp and precise and "it's red spoors" and "his hands grub" continues with the theme of the animal sort of world. The "sunken drills" give the effect of digging deep and the atlantis "he depends on" gives a hint of an insecurity of life, as if

Time To Change :: essays research papers

Time To Change The earth and many of its contents, thanks in large part to humans, is deteriorating and it has been for quite a time now. It is overwhelmingly populated with both ignorant and lazy people. In effect, not much is being done to prevent this deterioration. For instance, we are killing off vital animal populations every day. We have caused the extinction or endangerment of numerous species for absolutely no reason other than selfishness. An example is the poaching of elephants. We are killing these animals only for our own wealth. We take their ivory and leave them behind to die. As a result, they are on the verge of extinction. Also, pollution caused by humans and their inventions cause a major dilemma. Automobile exhaust fumes and factory pollutants are only a couple of the impurities causing damaging affects to the ozone layer and atmosphere. We depend on the ozone to defend us from harmful UV rays. Finally, we have a major impact on the degeneration of natural resources. Millions of gallons of oil, coal, and other valuable resources are wasted each day. These are just a few of the human disruptions to nature available to our knowledge. We are conscious of many more, and there are probably others that we are not aware of. If we do not start taking them seriously soon it will be too late, if it is not already. We need to reevaluate our priorities and plan for the future existence of this world. A group labeled the Earth-Firsters' often attempt to accomplish this task through drastic and sometimes dangerous methods. As Joni Seager states ( The Eco-Fringe: Deep Ecology, Pg. 636), "In Australia, Earth-First protesters buried themselves up to their necks in the sand in the middle of logging roads to stop lumbering operations; in the American Southwest, Earth Firsters handcuffed themselves to trees and bulldozers to prevent logging; and in California, they dressed in dolphin and mermaid costumes to picket the stockholders' meeting of a tuna-fishing company." The Earth-Firsters' tactics are not the only drastic only measures they practice. Their ideas seem to be quite extreme as well. For example, they believe the population of the world is entirely too high, by as much as ninety percent, causing too much "wear and tear" to the earth. To resolve this issue, some say we should cease all study toward the curing of disease. Others said we should stop aid to the poor, sick, and homeless. They ration in Africa that the sickness is a natural occurrence. Also, some of the Earth-Firsters' believe in order to conserve land and nature, Time To Change :: essays research papers Time To Change The earth and many of its contents, thanks in large part to humans, is deteriorating and it has been for quite a time now. It is overwhelmingly populated with both ignorant and lazy people. In effect, not much is being done to prevent this deterioration. For instance, we are killing off vital animal populations every day. We have caused the extinction or endangerment of numerous species for absolutely no reason other than selfishness. An example is the poaching of elephants. We are killing these animals only for our own wealth. We take their ivory and leave them behind to die. As a result, they are on the verge of extinction. Also, pollution caused by humans and their inventions cause a major dilemma. Automobile exhaust fumes and factory pollutants are only a couple of the impurities causing damaging affects to the ozone layer and atmosphere. We depend on the ozone to defend us from harmful UV rays. Finally, we have a major impact on the degeneration of natural resources. Millions of gallons of oil, coal, and other valuable resources are wasted each day. These are just a few of the human disruptions to nature available to our knowledge. We are conscious of many more, and there are probably others that we are not aware of. If we do not start taking them seriously soon it will be too late, if it is not already. We need to reevaluate our priorities and plan for the future existence of this world. A group labeled the Earth-Firsters' often attempt to accomplish this task through drastic and sometimes dangerous methods. As Joni Seager states ( The Eco-Fringe: Deep Ecology, Pg. 636), "In Australia, Earth-First protesters buried themselves up to their necks in the sand in the middle of logging roads to stop lumbering operations; in the American Southwest, Earth Firsters handcuffed themselves to trees and bulldozers to prevent logging; and in California, they dressed in dolphin and mermaid costumes to picket the stockholders' meeting of a tuna-fishing company." The Earth-Firsters' tactics are not the only drastic only measures they practice. Their ideas seem to be quite extreme as well. For example, they believe the population of the world is entirely too high, by as much as ninety percent, causing too much "wear and tear" to the earth. To resolve this issue, some say we should cease all study toward the curing of disease. Others said we should stop aid to the poor, sick, and homeless. They ration in Africa that the sickness is a natural occurrence. Also, some of the Earth-Firsters' believe in order to conserve land and nature,

Music and Racial Formation in Leroi Jones’ Essay

In many ways, music is inseparable from culture. In the context of those cultures that have been dominated and marginalized by others, music takes on a special significance. Leroi Jones’ Blues People fit into the framework of trying to understand the role that music plays in the cultural lives of people who belong to displaced communities. In his book, he identifies the ways in which genres in music culture develop, which may be linked to Omi and Winant’s (1994) conception of racial formation. As Omi and Winant (1994) observed in their seminal theory on racial formation, â€Å"We define racial formation as the sociohistorical process by which racial categories are created, inhabited, transformed, and destroyed† (p. 55). The authors debunk the accepted notions that race is either biological or an illusion, suggesting instead that it is a distinctly sociological phenomenon. Race is also identified as based on a power hierarchy, definable in terms of â€Å"the pattern of conflict and accommodation which takes place over time between racially based social movements and the policies and programs of the state† (p.78). This model of racial formation may be applied to Jones’ text, particularly in terms of their assertion that â€Å"racial formation is a process of historically situated projects in which human bodies and social structures are represented and organized† (pp. 55-56). In Blues People, the author examines how the process of being enslaved affects the people of Africa, situating the racial conflict in terms of geographical as well as historical contexts. Jones’ thesis rests on the concept of difference. He outlines the manner in which the slavery of Africans in America was different from other kinds of slavery. An important point that Jones raises is that slavery was prevalent in Africa as well, long before the whites arrived. He likens the process to the way in which the Greeks treated their slaves, showing us that in every other system of slavery, the enslaved people were allowed to retain their sense of cultural identity, but not so in the case of African slaves on the American plantations: Melville Herskovits points out, â€Å"Slavery [had] long existed in the entire region [of West Africa], and in at least one of its kingdoms, Dahomey, a kind of plantation system was found under which an absentee ownership, with the ruler as principal, demanded the utmost return from the estates, and thus created conditions of labor resembling the regime the slaves were to encounter in the New World. † But to be brought to a country, a culture, a society, that was, and is, in terms of purely philosophical correlatives, the complete antithesis of one’s own version of man’s life on earth — that is the cruelest aspect of this particular enslavement. (p. 1) As Jones points out, it was extremely difficult for Africans, who later became â€Å"African-Americans,† to retain a sense of cultural identity in a foreign culture that refused to give any validity to something it did not understand. According to Omi and Winant, racial formation may also be linked to the â€Å"the evolution of hegemony, the way in which society is organized and ruled† (p. 56). In such a hegemonic society driven by concepts of hierarchy and social superiority, the identity of a marginalized class may become problematic. Jones opines that music such as jazz and blues was in some ways the only medium through which Africans could try and retain a sense of who they were. In this context, the integration of music into their existence as slaves allowed Africans to retain a sense of the past, and also come to terms with the effect that the process of being enslaved had had on their psyches. Cultural domination was an insidious process of identity-negation, and music culture was one of the prominent ways through which the enslaved people could enable themselves to survive within a hostile foreign culture. In Blues People, an interesting aspect of performance is brought in when the author shows us a ‘typical’ American reaction to the African native in the form of an excerpt from the actress Frances Anne Kemble’s Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation: The only exception that I have met with yet among our boat voices to the high tenor which they seem all to possess is in the person of an individual named Isaac, a basso profundo of the deepest dye, who nevertheless never attempts to produce with his different register any different effects in the chorus by venturing a second, but sings like the rest in unison, perfect unison, of both time and tune. By-the-by, this individual does speak, and therefore I presume he is not an ape, orangoutang, chimpanzee, or gorilla; but I could not, I confess, have conceived it possible that the presence of articulate sounds, and the absense of an articulate tail, should make, externally at least, so completely the only appreciable difference between a man and a monkey, as they appear to do in this individual ‘black brother. ’ (pp. 2-3). The actress’ biased and judgmental perception of the natives places them in such a position as not to be considered human at all. Interestingly, she examines their tones of voices as indicative of the degree to which they are ‘human,’ or not; they all have voices of a high tenor. She says this is the manner that one might say that all dogs bark, or all lions roar. Language is almost completely redundant in this context. Unable to understand the languages of Africa, Kemble contents herself with ruminating on the tones in which the foreigners speak. The ‘exception’ to the other slaves is determined by Kemble on the basis of the fact that he has a bass voice, while the others use higher tones of voice. Even in this exception she says that it is only the absence of a tail that reluctantly, albeit wonderingly, forces her to accept that he is a human being and not an animal. Even under this extreme racial perspective, it is the musical tones of voice that the actress and performer relies upon to make her judgments.