Are People Inherently Honest? Essay

There are numerous theories that attempt to explain the motivation behind people acting in certain ways. This paper will address three of these theories, apply these theories to how people choose to behave honestly or dishonestly, and will attempt to determine whether or not people are inherently honest. Before looking into the motivation behind people’s decision to be honest, it is important to define some key terms in order to fully understand and explore what it means to be inherently honest. Merriam-Webster defines honest as â€Å"free from fraud or deception,† or simply put, truthful. It defines inherent as â€Å"belonging by nature or habit. † The majority of people simply associate something being inherent as ‘natural’ or ‘innate’. Interestingly, this definition expands our view on what one may consider ‘inherent’ by noting how past habits can also play a vital role in how one behaves. Now that we have defined what honesty and inherent behaviour entails, we can now look at the various theories that attempt to identify the motivation behind people behaving honestly. One of these theories is the fact that humans choose to act honestly or not based on what we feel is ‘morally good’ or the ‘right thing to do’ according to a very personal set of rules and morals. An individual’s behaviours are heavily influenced in order to satisfy this individual set of rules. Of course, there are a number of positions one can take on when defining this set of rules. Deontologists would argue that one should be honest one hundred percent of the time, regardless of the situation. They believe that it is ones’ moral obligation to behave honestly and have a duty of adhering to this universal rule. On the other hand, utilitarianism claims that the decision to act honestly or dishonestly varies depending on the situation, considering all costs, benefits, and consequences that will result from the behaviour. Regardless of the person’s moral standpoint, their choice to behave honestly or not is strongly influenced by their personal, or inherent, set of behaviours that they consider morally ‘right’. This supports the argument that people are in fact inherently honest. Another theory that attempts to explain the motivation behind behaving honestly is focused on the consequences that will result from behaving honestly or dishonestly. Uri Gneezy’s paper on the role of consequences in lying looks at how different benefits and costs influence one’s decision to behave honestly or dishonestly. From his studies, he comes to a number of conclusions describing how people conduct a cost-benefit analysis when deciding to lie or not. First, he finds that people are particularly sensitive to their personal gain when deciding to lie, meaning that they place a high priority on personal gain in their cost-benefit analysis. He also finds that people also tend to lie less when the lie harms another party. However, this harm plays less of a role in choosing not to lie compared to the increased gains from lying. This suggests that the marginal personal gain from a lie is greater than the marginal harm that is caused from the lie. Because people are constantly trying to maximize their personal utility, these findings display how one will behave dishonestly when doing so maximizes their utility. This suggests that people do not inherently behave honestly, but rather behave in a way that will create the most personal gain. A third theory that explains how people behave is based on the image that is associated with behaving honestly or dishonestly, as well as the use of excuses to justify dishonesty. There tends to be a negative stigma attached with lying; therefore, people are inclined to be honest simply to maintain a positive image of themself. There are a number of ways to look at this. First, people have a natural desire to see themselves in a positive light and like to feel that they are doing what is right. Much of this plays into the previously discussed individual set of morals that people have and doing what they consider ‘morally right’. However, there are cases when people create excuses to justify to themselves that acting dishonestly is the right thing to do. For example, if a man lies by telling his pregnant wife that she doesn’t look overweight, he will justify this lie to himself by claiming that he doesn’t want to hurt her feelings, maintaining a positive image of himself. In addition, people will tend to lie less to avoid making a bad impression to others. Similarly to above, people may use excuses to justify acting dishonestly, simply to maintain their positive impression on others. This shows that in order to maintain a positive impression of oneself on oneself as well as on others, people are inclined to behave honestly and are willing to make excuses to justify acting dishonestly to maintain this impression. This suggests that due to the natural desire to create and maintain a positive impression, people are inherently honest. The above theories and discussion suggest both that people are and are not inherently honest. This is precisely why many social scientists have difficulty in this area. On one hand, people behave honestly to satisfy their personal set of morals and to promote a positive image of themselves (in their own as well as others’ eyes), but are willing to be dishonest if it results in enough personal gain to justify the lie. From this, we conclude that one cannot make an overarching statement claiming that people are or are not inherently honest. Whether a person is inherently honest depends on how they weigh and balance the importance of their morals, personal gain, their self-image, and the image they want to portray to others.

The Three Basic Economic Questions

The Three Basic Economic Questions 1. What to Produce? what items to produce and how much of each item to produce using its productive inputs in the most efficient manner. 2. How to Produce? One the decision has been made regarding what to produce. each country must choose which resources productive inputs will be used and in what combinations3. For Whom to Produce? Should the productive outputs be distributed based on social customs, personal wealth and ownership, or mandated by the government? mandated government- china no youtube or facebook (social customs- north korea the worst)Basic Economic Systems Traditional Economy One in which economic decisions depend upon social customs and rarely changes from generations to generation. in these societies, religion and culture are more important than personal wealth and material possessions. ( north korea, india marriage) conncected to for whom to produce in traditionMarket Economy One in which economic decisions are based on private own ership, where individuals are free to pursue their own self interest. This system is often referred to as capitalism. individuals use their incomes to purchase goods and services. The more income one earns, the more purchasing power they have.Command Economy One in which all productive inputs are owned by the government and central planners within that government decide what items to produce and how much will be produced; how it will be produced and how output will be distributed based upon anticipated future needs of the economy. ex. China majority AfricaMixed Economy One that combines aspects of a market economy and a command econmy; the economy uses both markets and government to make decisions. Most countires  today fall under the mixed eonomly definition, however in varying degrees between private and public sector influence ex. Sweden, Canada, USA Economic SystemAdvantagesDisadvantagesTraditional Stability Emphasizes on spiritual and cultural aspects of lifePoverty Lack of i ndividual freedomsMarket Individual consumers determine what is produced and ultimately how much they are willing to pay.Encourages innovation and entrepreneurshipInstability in output due to changes in prices and/ or employment levels Private markets do not always consider the needs of society as a whole e.g. homeless shelters. If income is distributed based solely on earnings, some individuals might not earn enough to obtain the basic necessities of life. CommandMore even distribution of incomeCentral planners can focus on economic growth by directing resources in a specific direction.Lack of individual freedomsCentral planning difficulties and errors in judgmentInefficient use of resources due to the lack of profit to motivate the efficient use of resources

Describe denver art museum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Describe denver art museum - Essay Example Since then it undergone several changes, and had different temporary locations. It was transformed in the form of a museum in 1949. The museum shifted to its present location in 1971. At present, the museum has 356,000-square-foot museum complex which includes collection gallery space, three temporary exhibition venues, and the Lewis I. Sharp Auditorium. Apart from art collections, the Denver Art Museum is internationally recognized for its family-friendly environment (Denver Art Museum: History). (Denver Art Museum: Asian Art- Hayagriva mandala, monk-artists of Seraje Monastic University, India) Hayagriva mandala is one of the major paintings kept in the Asian art section in the Denver art museum. The above painting is a Tibetan art which represents the universe and its powers. This painting has been portrayed by three Tibetan monks in 1996 and it took around two weeks time for them to complete it. This painting is done with the help of sands painted in different colors and hence it is called sand mandala. Normally sand mandalas were painted for rituals and it may not be displayed to the normal public. However, the above sand mandala is one of the few of that kind which is preserved for permanent viewing.    (Denver Art Museum: American Indian art- Shuffle Off to Buffalo Five, Harry Fonseca) Shuffle Off to Buffalo Five is a painting by Harry Fonseca which is kept in the American Indian art department of Denver art museum.... (Denver Art Museum: Asian Art-Shinto Deity) The sculpture is dressed in court attire with a hat in the head. Shinto arts are normally not visible to the public since it is used for the worshipping purposes only by the devotees. In other words, the sculpture of Shinto deity kept at Denver art museum is one of the rarest one which is displayed publicly. To conclude, Denver Art Museum is a place which is useful not only for student, but also for art lovers. It gives us the opportunity to watch some of the rarest paintings, sculptures and art forms of different regions and countries. Works Cited 1. â€Å"Denver Art Museum†. Web. 12 February 2011.

Research Process and Terminology Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Process and Terminology - Research Paper Example Hence, correctional personnel, the police forces, judges, and other legal practitioners use qualitative and quantitative research to improve in their service delivery. The role that research methods plays in criminal justice cannot be overemphasized. With many research methods available in the field of research methods, the terminologies involved are crucial when applied to the field of criminal justice. This expose elucidates on the whole issue of criminal justice while focusing on new terminologies learnt, how failure to understand the terminologies used affects individuals conducting research in criminal justice, and the importance of knowing these terminologies as assets to individuals evaluating and analyzing studies or data in criminal research. One key word in criminal justice research is conceptualization. Simply put, a concept is the mental image an individual forms that summarizes a position on their ideas, feelings, or their observations. Case in point, a concept such as t hat involving substance-free housing necessitates a precise definition since there is a lack of certainty whether all readers share the same definition. Therefore, the meaning of concepts is usually under dispute from the experts in a certain field ultimately not benefitting those not familiar with the concepts. Nevertheless, in order to carry out sufficient research, conceptualizing the research matter in criminal justice is crucial to distinguish inner characteristics of a concept. Thus, conceptualization becomes the process of specifying the meaning of a term in a research study. Hence, conceptualization in deductive research becomes useful in translating parts of an intangible premise or theory into a hypothesize involving a variety of variables tested in the research study. On the other hand, conceptualization in inductive research is crucial to making sense of observations with related or similar evident features (Bachmann & Schutt, 2010). Effectively, without conceptualizatio n research in criminal justice would prove to be completely different and incomplete. In this case, if a researcher never understood the meaning of conceptualization, understanding the concept under study becomes challenging to them. Effectively, since they will lack the ability of defining the concept, identifying the variable of the study in criminal justice research becomes a challenge. Failure to identify clearly the variable of research influences the research findings with researchers embarking on study of the wrong variables. Eventually, the conclusions and findings becomes nothing more than a misinformation adversely affecting the case presented and its outcomes. Another crucial term in criminal justice research is casual. Casual, in criminal justice research parlance, does not mean the approach to doing things or carrying out research work. Casual implies that criminal justice research should concentrate in researching the cause-and-effect relationship of variables in the r esearch study (Hagan, 2005). In effect, this clearly illustrates that studies should simply carry out the observatory role. Case in point, a research study might seek to express the proportion of people holding a particular attitude. In this regard, most research in criminal justice and other social sciences explore relationships. Effectively, this makes such studies use descriptive and correlation studies as the major components of the studies. Thus, the failure to understand the term casual makes an individual

Company Law for Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Company Law for Business - Essay Example It is known to all the consumption and burning of fossil fuel lead to environmental pollution as these activities increases the carbon emission level. High carbon emission level is one of the major reasons behind these growing effects of global warming. The temperature of earth surface is increasing day by day due to massive fossil fuel burning. Looking into these aspects, governments of several countries developed several environmental policies for business organization to limit the consumption percentage of fossil fuel. However, these policies and legal barriers forced the organizations to focus on sustainable business practices. In addition to this, market and customer’s demand for green and environment friendly products. Slowly and gradually, the organizations tried to search for substitute energy sources that can harm less to environment. In addition to this, emergence of advanced technology helped organizations to consider the aspect of green business operation strategy. On the other hand, sustainable business practices helped organizations to avoid legal and political threats. However, corporate social activities are considered as the part of sustainable business strategies. Water recycling, maintaining zero solid waste, reduction of carbon emission, charitable functions for the development of communities and other sustainable business activities are adopted by several organizations to maintain high brand vale and meet current market demand (Hannigan,. 2009, p.71). History of CSR In the year 1990, the leading organizations started to understand the significance of several types of CSR programmes and activities. It was important for the organization to undertake different business strategies to sustain in the competitive business environment. In... This essay approves that governments of different countries are monitoring the business performance of the organizations along with its corporate and business culture. A profitable organization can face several legal and political challenges if the organization does not follow any kind of ethical code, labour standard or environment policy. It is clear from several survey reports that stakeholders are attracting more to those organizations who maintain all the corporate social responsibilities. CSR is not only about maximizing profit and revenue, but also taking care of social and communal aspect through these business outcomes. This report makes a conclusion that leading global firms are focusing on corporate social responsibility activities to maintain sustainable business practices. Recently, the demand of stakeholders and customers are shifting to green business strategies and effective environment friendly business outcome. Earlier the business organizations tried to fulfil social needs by investing in the community and society from the business profit. It created setbacks for several organizations as it increased operational cost. Recently, the organizations are focusing on environmental sustainability in order to maintain their CSR. It is important for the organizations to fulfil all the social and environmental needs through sustainable business strategies in order to attain high brand image.

Winning Military Battle Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

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I, Too Poem Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

I, Too Poem Analysis - Essay Example What the author spoke the black man listened because that is what the black man was going through at that time. The poem is also written in the present tense. The form of the poem is that of a free verse. It is written in five stanzas. The sentences are short but that should not fool you. They convey are very strong message. There is a very strong conversational fluidity in the sentences. The shortness of the stanzas and the sentences shows brevity of the poem and how the author was hitting the nail right on the head. He spoke plainly but portrayed the frustration of the black man in a short, precise but to the point manner. This shows the seriousness of the matter at that time that did not require to be written in long sentences to be put across. The short sentences allows the author to use very optimistic language not show despair at his current state but show optimism for a better future The author uses the metaphor ‘the darker brother’. This is used to refer to the black Americans at the time of slavery. They were not considered equals with the white and they would be treated inhumanely just because of the color of their skin. The author further goes ahead and says he will grow beautiful. This does not mean beautiful in appearance. He meant that he would be intelligent, creative and wise with a better personality just like the white man if granted the same opportunity. The author says ‘The black man goes on, laughs, eats his dinner and grows strong’. This means that as much as they were oppressed they still hoped that they would be better and much stronger in the future. The black man was bidding on time as one of his saviors because it is only with time that he will achieve the equality he longed for. They were living their lives and growing tough to prepare them for the black uprising that will come. The author goes ahead and uses an assertive language at the time when they were not even allowed to speak. He say ‘they will

Islamic legal system Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Islamic legal system - Research Paper Example It is for this practice of corporal punishment in Islamic countries that they fail to gain membership in the European Union. In the document released by European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia in 2006, focus is given to the status of Muslim population in the European Union. The document states that owing to the reason of Muslim people’s increased participation in terrorist activities a fear has generated in regards to the entire Muslim race, called Islamophobia. Due to this fear even, the Muslim members in the European Union are facing a disadvantageous position. The article ‘World of Islam’ puts focus on a highly controversial issue regarding the Islamic religion. It is held that the religion of Islam has helped itself in spreading rapidly throughout the world through high amount of bloodsheds and a sense of Imperialism. However, the article argues that the religion of Islam condemns forceful transformation of people to Islamic religion. It rather encourages the growth of other religions. In the article on ‘Islam: The second largest world religion†¦and growing’ (n.d.) it is stated that Islamic religion has a huge number of followers spread throughout the world. An estimate is provided which mentions that Muslim population throughout the world ranges from 0.7 to 1.8 billion. In regards to the above fact, it is stated that by the middle of the twenty first century Islam would turn into the world’s largest religion. Author Vicki Gallay in the article ‘The Religion of Muslim’ states that Muslims mainly compose the regions of Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nigeria. Moreover, he also states that amongst the entire Muslim population in the world 25 percent belong to Middle East countries while in America the Muslim population stands at 6 million. In the document of ‘The Ideal Personality of a Muslim’ (n.d.) it is stated

Sexual harrassament at work Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sexual harrassament at work - Research Proposal Example Different countries in various regions of the world have their own interpretation of sexual harassment and what it entails or qualifies to be defined as such. European countries gravitate towards widening the definition criteria to encompass a wide range of aspects like health and safety perspective, discrimination and dignity perspective. There is a need to develop and establish an all-encompassing moral and ethical framework to address, guide and deal with the factors contributing to sexual harassment and/or discrimination in the work place. The creation of a moral and ethical framework to combat sexual harassment in the work place should be conducted under consideration of the underlying factors and issues that create opportunities for sexual harassment to take place. This is in the sense that there exist moral and ethical attitudes in society that promote and/or encourage discrimination based on sex to occur (Boland, 2005). The formulation of an ethical and moral framework to tackle sexual harassment should include other factors like the subordination of women in the work place, and gender disparity (Roa, 2007). Human resource departments and managers should formulate and establish applicable workplace frameworks that address all discrimination manifestations. This will work towards eliminating all contributing factors that predispose individuals to discrimination of any

Marketing Project Essay Example for Free

Marketing Project Essay China with its population of over 1.3 billion and the GDP growth rate of 7.7% is obviously a major player in the global market based on its size and growth potential. In recent years, the consumer food service industry in China has significantly grown, driven by the change in consumption patterns of urban Chinese consumers amid the robust Chinese economic growth. A number of Western-style franchise chains are increasingly crossing national boundaries and looking for growth among customers in China. In provinces and regions of better economic development and faster lifestyles, quick service restaurants make up a large share of the total food-service sector. Guangdong province can be chosen as a potentially profitable market where the fast-food market contributes about 90% of the total food service sectors revenue. Mad Mex, as a new entrant in the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry, is ambitious to penetrate this promising market with the goal to open the first franchise restaurant in February 2014. Situation analysis: ACMR-IBISWorld (Jan, 2013) estimates that the fast-food restaurant industry in China will generate revenue of $89.60 billion in 2012, up 14.1% from 2011. The pace of urbanization and the higher disposable income urge lifestyle changes and the increase in demand for fast-food. Chinese people have less leisure time to eat in traditional full-service restaurants and prefer to treat themselves in fast-food establishments. Moreover, the rapid development of fast-food service providers and new brands and food styles with improved chain store contribute to the strong growth of the industry in China. The geographic popularity of Chinas fast-food restaurants industry is consistent with Chinas economic development level. Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong are three of the most developed provinces and regions in China, which account for about 45% of total industry revenue in 2012 (ACMR-IBISWorld, Jan 2013). These regions witness the relatively well developed franchise operation s. Porter’s Five Forces Industry Analysis Figure 1: Forces driving industry competition Source: Porter (1980) â€Å"Industry structure has a strong influence in determining the competitive rules of the game as well as the strategies potentially available to the firm.† (Michael E. Porter 1980, P.3) The Porter’s Five Forces Model introduced a concept of structural analysis as a framework for understanding the five basic competitive forces in an industry. These forces, which are shown in Figure 1- new entrants, rivalry among existing competitors, threat of substitute products or services, bargaining power of buyers, and bargaining power of suppliers, reflect that the competition â€Å"goes well beyond the established players† (Porter 1980, pp. 6). Both potential and established players can influence average industry profitability. The threat of potential entrants is balanced by the entry barriers like economic of scale, product differentiation, capital requirements, access to distribution channel, etc. The intensity of rivalry determines industry attractiveness but figures out the extent to which the value created by an industry will be dissipated through competition. Sharon M. Oster (1999) asserts that subsitute products or services play an uneven role in industry dynamics. They can play a modest role in highly competitive industries or during periods of excess production. But subtitutes become significant when demand rapidly increasing or in markets with few competitors. In these cases, the availability of good substitutes influences the profits of the existing firms in a market. Buyer power is varied across markets and constituted by the most important determinants of buyer power in a market, which are the number of buyers and the distribution of their purchase, characteristics of product (for instance, standardization of products increases buyer power). In an industry, powerful suppliers can affect their bargaining power over firms by controlling prices or qualities of supply. Depending on each industry and the particular conditions of the industry, different forces will be more or less prominent in the industry competition. And the collective strength of these forces determines the intensity of competition in the industry and the potential profitability. â€Å"Knowledge of these underlying sources of competition in an industry highlights the critical strengths and weaknesses of the company, animates its positioning in its industry, clarifies the areas where strategic changes may yield the greatest payoff, and highlights the areas where industry trends promise to hold the greatest significance as either opportunities or threats† (Poeter 1980, pp.4). Once understanding these forces and their strategic implications, the company can formulate an effective competitive stratey, which enables it to defend itself from the existing array of competitive forces, affect them in its favour thereby improves the firm’s position in the market. Porter’s Diamond Model Figure 2: Porter’s Diamond Model The theorical framework, which examines the competitive position of a nation and its industries, consists of four determinants: factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries and firm strategy and rivalry. According to Porter (1998), factor conditions refer to production endowment that players need to compete in an industry. These factors are discriminated into basic factors versus advanced factors, and generalized factors versus specialized factors. A basic factor is passively inherited, for example natural resources and unskilled labour. Meanwhile advanced factors include what nations can create during their industrial growth like capital, infrastructure and highly educated labour forces. The standard for production factors is gradually rising due to the improvement of knowledge, science and technology. A nation can possess competitive advantage in an industry when it is able to create new competitive factor conditions and/or upgrade the needed factors. Demand conditions refer to the nature of home-market demand for an industry’s product or service considering in terms of quantity and quality. The size of the home market, the presence of demanding and sophisticated domestic buyers pressure companies to innovate and upgrade, meet high standards in order to respond to more diverse and higher levels of customer needs. â€Å"The presence of suppliers and related industries within a nation that are internationally competitive provides benefits such as innovation, upgrading, information flow, and shared technology development which create advantages in downstream industries† (Porter 1998). A nation thereby gains competitive advantage in an industry when it has competititve edge in the number of related industries. Another determinant is firm strategy, structure, and rivalry, referring to firms’ organizational structure, management situations and the performance of competitors in domestic market. The presence of intense rivalry in the home base is important, because it is powerful stimilus to creation and persistence of competitive advantage. Two external factors are chance and governments. Chance can discontinue the possibility of some companies to gain competitive position and some lose. Governments have an overarching effect on all the players. In many industries, government is a buyer/ supplier and can influence the competition of the industry by its policies. Government can also affect the relation between an industry and subsitutes through regulations and other means. They play a role in shaping the context and institutional structure surrounding companies and in creating an environment to support companies to gain competitive advantage. SWOT Analysis Internal analysis: Strength: Mad Mex is known as a gourmet restaurant with a healthy, fresh approach to Mexican cuisine. Its philosophy is to offer food servicing in a fast paced environment to create a high volume takeaway business but a unique and high quality product offer that is sufficient to command a premium price point. This concept will bring it the competitive advantage in food service industry relative to other global QSRs in China at present. By remaining true to the founding principles: Fresh and Healthy, Fast and Delicious, Authentic and Exciting, Mad Mex gradually broadens its business with 15 stores opened in just over four years and makes effort to arm itself with a team of business savvy, hands-on, franchisees. Weakness: Established in 2007, Mad Mex is still a baby to global giant fast-food restaurants like Mc Donald’s or KFC with its limited presence in three states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland within Australia. It is regarded as a strange brandname to the worldwide food service industry and particularly the Chinese market. External analysis: Opportunities: Chinese consumers are believed to have a positive image of quick service restaurants (QSRs) and good perception of their meal quality and customer services. The average level of consumer satisfaction yet high loyalty of Chinese customers is attracting to Western fast food restaurants franchise to engage their business in this market. According to a study on International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management regarding perceived service quality in the fast food industry in China, â€Å"reliability, recoverability, tangibles, and responsiveness were all significant dimensions of perceived service quality†( Hong Qin, 2010). As the study mentioned, all these positive perception in turn influenced the customer behavioral intentions in the industry. Despite the increasing customer preference for Western-style â€Å"to-go† restaurants in the Chinese market, the QSRs market share accounts for only 9.8 percent of Chinese sales for outside meals (Datamonito r, 2007). This means the unprecedented opportunity for Western restaurant chains to operate in China. Threats: The segmentation of QSRs in China is witnessing a tougher competition between international brands like MacDonald’s and KFC and myriad domestic companies like Yum!Brand and Ajisen. Besides, Asian QSRs are the largest sub-sector in the QSRs in China, in which Chinese cuisine is dominant. It is explained by the fact that Chinese people prefer their tradition rice-based dishes and their price sensitivity when choosing the lower dishes in the Chinese restaurants. Furthermore, for the first time penetrating foreign market, the inability or unwillingness of the company to face dietary and cultural challenges will lead to the failure in the image of Mad Mex in the global market. To succeed in the Chinese market, Western-style QSRs are required to examine Chinese customer behaviours and develop marketing strategies that adapt to the Chinese cultural environment.

Mamee Double Decker Went Global Marketing Essay

Mamee Double Decker Went Global Marketing Essay The purpose of this assignment is to analyze and study the marketing case in Malaysia, particularly, a Malaysian company must be chosen and our choice of company is Mamee Double Decker Berhad. Various aspect of study under the subject matter has been considered. This includes the target marketing mix considerations which is the product, pricing, promotion and distribution decision. Target market analysis is also included. In order to analyze the internal and external problem facing the company, we have done a SWOT analysis (strength, weakness, opportunity and threat)This is to highlight and raise several problem or issue facing the company locally or internationally. Market research on comsumer behavior and compettion have also been carried out through a survey questionnaires and the summary or report of the summary have also been done. Mamee Double Decker Went Global Background of the company The company chosen for this case analysis is Mamee Double-Decker Malaysia Berhad.. Mamee was founded in 1971 by Datuk Pan Ching Hin and headquartered in Malacca. Mamee Double Decker is Malaysia food processing, snack and diary product company. It mainly produces and sells instant noodles, snack, confectionery and beverages. Mamee Double Decker not only sells its product locally but had penetrated the international market as well. Today Mamee products are exported all around the world to more than 80 countries and area it serve includes Asia, Middle East, Africa, America, Europe and Oceania. Products produced by mamee are popular and well known to most households especially children. Marketing practice from Islamic perspective When mamee first came into existence its product are only mamee monster noodle snack and double decker snack.. Mamee later had gain recognition from several countries because of its distinct and unique feature of the snack that is square-ish noodle like and the adorable face of monster on its packaging while the double-decker snack , is a flavored snack with a choice of prawns chicken and cheese. The company then goes through a major diversification when it produces carbonated drink under the brand cheers. Mamee instant noodle later was produced. However different instant noodles are provided to cater different countries, For example mamee bihun, express noodles, and mi goreng are only available in Malaysia as it suits the mlaysian taste, while these products are not made for the overseas market. The company had produced mamee oriental noodles for outside market. Marketing Mix Consideration Decission made by the company regarding to the price, promotion and distribution are the marketing mix consideration in making a decision. . Product decision. Initially, mamee mainly focus in producing snacks, but it had diversify its product in producing beverages such as soft drinks, cultured drinks and recently the new products by mamee a juice under the brand Rio Fiesta a healthier options for drinks produced by mamee. All product produced by mamee comply to the standards required. The company had obtained Hazzard Analysis and Crtical Control Poiint (HACCP) certificate. This obtainment of this certificate means that mamee had adhered to food safety from raw material production, procurement and handling, manufacturing, distribution and the consumption of the finished product. From Islamic point of view, mamee had free from gharar or uncertainty by providing adequate products description and specification of all its product. This includes complete labeling and nutritios information, ingredient used and its expiry date. At the same time other products evolve in the market under mamee double decker are nutrigen, is acultured drink for children. Mister Potato was out of the market later after that, Now, Mister Potato had officially become the global snack partner with Manchester United. Latest product by Mamee double decker is corntoz, corntoz is a crunchy snack came with different flavours and shapes. The main concern under this food processing, beverages and diary product industry is about the whether the product are halal (permitted). Since this company mainly sell their products in Malaysia and in other Muslim countries, therefore mamee double decker product must be certified halal. As reported in Malaysia Halal Directory Mamee double decker had obtained the halal certificate for all of their products. Their products are free from additives made from animal sources that are forbidden in Islamic Law. Stabilizers, Emulsion and colouring used in their production process are deemed as halal. Promotional Activities Mamee Double Decker, like many other companies in this competitive environment are driven to adapt an aggressive promotional strategies in order to gain market share.Mamee Douible Decker had use various promotional tools including advertising and sales promotion to capture the market. As reported in The Star newspaper July 17 2002, Rm40 million was allocated solely for promotional activities in Malaysia. On the same year, mamee had made an aggressive advertising in Myanmar and china to create brand awareness to familiarize their products in these markets. Recently, mamee had become an official snack partner with Manchaster United. This joint-venture is important as it aims to boost its market share in Asia. One of the interesting activities that has been carried out through this partnership was The Ultimate Manchester United Experience contest. Lucky winners had been treated to a trip to Manchester united to meet their favourite football players. Mamee had also use Malaysia local celebrities, such as Mawi, Felix and Amalyea as ambassadors for mamee sllrpp products in Malaysia. In the recent festive season hari raya, Malaysia celebrity Shahizi sam was featured in mamee sllrrp advertistment and they had conduct a mamee kusayang contest. This shows that mamee double decker had made several aggressive promotion activities throughout the years. Its promotional activities adhere to the basic Islamic principle of business and mamee had ensure its product reach the target market in all around the world. Any promotional activities to stimulate the demand from consumers are permissible as long as it does not exaggerating or breaching the Islmaic principle. Activities like free samples, cash rebates, joint promotion and contest conducted by mamee are therefore deemd permissible. Pricing Decission Pricing of mamee product are reasonable and affordable for the interest of all.This pricing strategy enables it to capture the market share of various market segments. For example in Malaysia, mamee monster snack only cost 30cents and mamee Double decker snack cost only RM2.50. Mamee had made no price discrimination for all of its product. The company Charge same price for same good irrespective of different markets. Therefor mamee pricing strategy is considered fair(Adil) and just. Distribution The distribution channels of mamee food and beverages in Malaysia consist of three stages (producer,retailer,consumer). Mamee which is the producer will sell its products in bulks to retailers (Giants, Tesco,etc) , and eventually retailers will sell it to the consumers. In international level, the distribution are being done through appointed subsidiaries. Mamee has favourable acess to distribution networks in Malaysia. Mamee Double Decker has 13 distribution centres and have about 150 vans for deliveries to about 1000 point of sales. Mamee Double Decker currently has five manufacturing facilities in Malaysia and one in Myanmar. Mamee double decker have centralized marketing and distribution system while mamee have assigned an export manager in each manufacturing subsidiary. . There are three companies under Mamee Double Decker responsible in producing each of their respective lines and products for example snack food and chilled products (KMM), instant noodles (PP) and beverages (MDDB). Target Market Analysis Target Market Mamee Double Decker (M) Berhad is good in quality and unique brand which targeted to all group of people according to the product offered. As the company began with a single product and consistently grown to 50 products, targeted people become more. The product that already household names, for example, Mamee Monster, Mamee Instant and slurp, and Mamee snacks, are targeted to people whose age is from 6 to 30 years old. In addition, students also being targeted because most of the time they need snacks and drinks while studying to get away the stress especially female students. They always need something to chew and eat during study time or after lecture. The second group of people that Mamee Double Decker (M) Berhad will target is people with healthy lifestyle. This is in line with the recent product addition that is Nutrigen Cultured Milk Drink. Geographically, the company will focus on every area that has grocery shop, petrol station or shopping complex. Moreover, people from lower income to higher income will be targeted as well because of the reasonable price and within their budget. From the family structure perspective, a mother with atleast 5 childrens, usually will buy more groceries and household products. Children love to have snacks like Potato Chips, Potato Crisps and Cheer Beverage because the products are very convenient and it comes with different taste based on their preferences. Furthermore, the company targeted people who like to spend their spare time with picnic and party. It is very clear that the size of the companys target market is very large and high. Everyone may be used and consume the product offered because it comes with varieties of food, snacks, beverages, instant noodles and to name a few. SWOT analysis Strength One of the strength pose by Mamee Double Decker (M) Berhad is as reported in recent mamee double decker (M) Berhad annual report, the company had experienced 57.3% growth of profit before tax from 9.6 million. Mamee Double Decker(M) Berhad strength also lies in its ability to expand their business network by penetrating into new exports market. This is proved to be true as mamee experienced a growth of 6.2% in 2002 in its effort to venture to new exports market. The second strength of mamee is it has a good reputation among customers, since has become part of the choice made by household largely in Malaysia, mamee so far had not fail to impress its consumers all over the world by providing a tip-top service from the process of production to distribution, we can see that mamee products reach consumer easily as it is easily available in store from a small grocery store to large super markets. The third strength of mamee double decker is we can say that it has a quite strong brand name as according to their annual report, mamee had won several awards locally and internationally. The two local awards that mamee has honoured to receive are first, the chief minister awards for Promising local Company Awards in recognition of Mamee Double Decker Berhad (M) to local industries and the second award is by Malaysian Manufacturer packaging Council of Malaysia, given to one of Mamee Double Decker (M) Berhad product, that is Nutrigen Liteyo. Internationally, mamee had also been rewarded internationally recognized ISO 9002 togethe riwth China Awards Certificates. Weakness This includes the internal and external problem of Mamee Double Decker (M) berhad. The external problem pose by this company is as reported in the star newspapers 2007, mamee has not yet succeed in gaining a market share in China as there is a negative growth in Mamee double decker operation in China particularly,Mamee Double-Decker Food(Suzhou)Co. Ltd, demand for Mamee in China is low, thus generating low sales and revenue and consequently the company had incurred higher loss. however the company did not loose hope and have confidence in its China operation and Mmaee had appointed a consultant to resolve this issue. The second external problem face by Mamee is high dependency of raw material from Europe as such when there is a rise in Euro against USD the mamee double-decker earnings is affected since some of mamee products ingredients such as Mister potatao crips are imported from Europe, ,thus when the price of raw material increases, this gives pressure to its profit margin. In order to overcome this problem, mamee needs to do more reaseach and development to reduce its dependency from outside. One internal problem in mamee double decker lies in its small number of manufacturing facilities, considering that mamee products are marketed all over the world, with only five manufacturing facilities , limited production can be made per day. If mamee want to extend its product line, it will be restricted as there is a limited space for production. Oppurtunity Since now consumer are becoming more health conscious, one opportunity for mamee double decker is to come up with a product that is more healthy as it will give customer a more options for healthy good food. Mamee double decker plans to obtain health food supplier in an effort to expands its product line.Mamee had identified several suppliers and the company plans to negotiates with this suppliers in providing health supplies of food Threat As customer becoming more educated and conscious about the food they consume, consumer tend to compare prices and quality of products with other brands. Currently in market there are various brands and product they offered similar to Mamee double decker. Thus, the threat of mamee double decker is the competitors in market like for example, Munchys, nestle, unilever foods. Mamee do not only pose an internal threat, external threat in terms of competitors in china is also obvious. Mamee face a greater threat and especially in Shanghai, this is due to the complexity of market in China in addition to variety of snack food products produced by them. IN Shanghai, mamee had to face competitors that have a greater market share like. REPORT ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOR FOR MAMEE DOUBLE-DECKER In order to evaluate the consumers preferences on Mamee Double-Decker products, a survey has been conducted within a population of 100 respondents and 30 out 100 were taken as a sample to this research. There were 17 male and 15 female involved in this sample. A set of 22 questions were asked during the survey session which majority of the respondents came from different background and the survey were conducted online. Before the surveys were taken in place, a short description of the company was given so that the respondents somehow know what they would be expecting during the session. Questions were separated into three parts started with the personal background information then likert scale questions which evaluate their decision making in making purchases and the last part of the questionnaire cover their own given answer accordingly. Result follow suits right after the research conducted was done. Majority of the respondents were Malays which covers 91percent of the total sample taken. This is explained by the major ethnic in Malaysia is Malay followed by Chinese with 6percent and others 3percent. As for income level, most of the respondents categorized as middle class earners because their income level is range between RM1001 to RM3000 with 47percent are in this group while the remaining 44percent belongs to lower income earner like students and jobless teenagers. Within this sample, most of the respondents are in their bachelor degree staying in urban area and living single life which eventually led them to such consumption with the ration of 63:84:97 for all categories. 84percent of these respondents also admit that they enjoyed eating snack food and beverages with a typical consumption of 1 to 2 packs a day. Why this happening is because during the earlier age like teenagers in university, they are prone to having a quick and light food as on the go. This somehow explained the viability of the result. When it comes to factors to decision making questions, the result was significantly expected. Almost all the respondents agreed that they are very cautious in choosing their favourite snack foods and beverages because this factor has to do with their taste buds. While pricing became the second factor that influenced the decision making; 35percent agreed that price do play a vital role in their purchasing power. Morever, 55percent of the respondents were also somewhat agreed that Mamee Double-Decker do became their preferred brand and offer wide range of products under one roof with their given competitive pricing on the products compared to other brands. So most likely consumers can easily make decision in making purchases and less confusion. Unfortunately, Mamee Double-Decker wasnt still at the par in offering good taste for their products because only 47percent out of the total respondents were somewhat agree with the companys taste performance but the remaining disagree with it. However, 41percent of the respondents agreed that Mamee products are reachable in the market which eases them in making purchases. Majority of the respondents bought Mister Potatoes and Mamee Monster snack which are two of the most popular snack foods from Mamee Double-Decker and they usually bought it at convenience stores like 7-eleven and hypermarkets like Tesco. As for substitution for Mamee brand, they usually go for Jack n Jill brand and Nestle which are two of the top snack foods and beverages producers in the world. Thus this is threat for Mamee Double-Decker because of the stiff competition from these giant producers. Mamee Double-Decker should improve their products taste and perhaps packaging in order to stay competitive in the market despite having cheaper price strategy. In a nutshell, Mamee Double-Decker is a proud home-grown snack foods and beverages producer that went global. However, Mamee Double-Decker cannot be relied truly on domestic markets with their currents products either domestic market or international market, instead they should keep doing product development program in order to come out with new line of foods and beverages that suits the preference of the consumers worldwide. REPORT ON COMPETITION FOR MAMEE DOUBLE-DECKER A survey has been conducted in order to evaluate the competition for Mamee Double-Decker products. Mamee-Double Decker (M) Bhd, which has made a name for itself with its snacks and confectionery products. A survey with a population of 50 was targeted and a sample of 30 was chosen for this research. Respondent consiste of 16 males and 14 females.The survey was a close ended survey requiring customers to answer a multiple chouce question with a 5 asnwer options. A set of 15 questions have been asked regarding their brand preferences. Mamee Double Decker have various competitors on market for example, Munchys, Nestle, Unilver Food. Under this company they too had offered various consumer or food products for example, maggi, a brand for instant noodle.Mamee to had rival branding for their beverages particularly cultured drink, for example, nutrigen cultured drink are competing against other various brands like yakult, vitagen and solivite. In a brief summary, 40% of respondents are quite loyal and repeat buyer for mamee products while 60% of them are somewhat in a middle as they also have other preferences and branding in buying consumer goods products. Based on the survey conducted, consumer prefers brand yakult and vitagen more compared to nutrigen which come from Mamee products. This is believe due to the reason that yakult are better in terms of quality as they contain probiotics . On the other hand their champions products like Mamee Monster, Mamee Noodles, Mister Potato, Double Decker and Nicolet Swiss Herb Candy are more preferred by consumers. In a survey, 65% od consumers prefer more of these products because of it tastes and the prices are affordable as compared to other products such as Pringles, Indo Mee, Maggi and etc. However, the remaining percentage of 35% do prefer other snacks brands like Pringles,Lays, Doritos as they may have perceive this brand are better in quality and tastier compared to mamee products. .

Londonstani by Gautam Malkani and Oscar in A Brief Wondrous Life of Osc

According to James Baldwin, language connects one to or divorces one from society (454). It causes the desire to be accepted by both the private world and the public world. However, acceptance cannot be achieved when both private identity and public identity are displayed at the same time. The previous statement results in complete isolation by neither displaying one’s private identity nor conforming to public identity. Another consequence of that statement is ultimate conformity by suppressing one’s private identity and true self. In the case of the protagonist in â€Å"Londonstani† by Gautam Malkani and Oscar in â€Å"A Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao† by Junot Dà ­az, their language—verbal and behavioral—reveals their isolation and conformity within their communities. Oscar de Leà ³n, the protagonist in â€Å"A Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao†, is isolated from his community because of his behavior that he neither proudly displays nor changes to meet society’s wants. Oscar comes from a very influential Dominican family. In his community, Dominican men are typically smooth talking, naturally social, and â€Å"woman-crazy† men. They rarely encounter a problem having to do with women or fitting in. Oscar, however, does not fit the generalization for Dominican men. He is more intellectually active than physically or sexually active. He stays in his room watching â€Å"Doctor who†Ã¢â‚¬â€his favorite science fiction show— and writing journal entries as opposed to chasing girls. He does not suppress his actions and neither does he change them. In his community, such behavior constitutes him as an anomaly to Dominican behavior and isolates him from those who follow the typical Dominican standard. Oscar further shows his isolation through his be... ...goes to say that each language will very well have their own public identity which will be considered a private identity to anyone who does not speak the language. When choosing to have private identity, one must realize that the public will rarely accept it. Thus, one must be willing to accept the cost of choosing such a lifestyle—isolation. Likewise, when choosing public identity, one must give up who they truly are in order to fully conform to what the public expects. As seen through the lives of Oscar and Jas, private identity and public identity will never coexist. Works Cited Dà ­az, Junot. "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao." Rotten English: a literary anthology. By Dohra Ahmad. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2007. Malkani, Gautam. Londonstani. Rotten English: a literary anthology. By Dohra Ahmad New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2007.

Sweeney Todd :: essays research papers

Sweeney Todd is by no means a conventional musical; it takes several forms of music and theater and artfully places them together. Sondheim very effectively transports the audience back to Victorian England for a mad waltz with murder, mayhem...and meat pies. He also utilizes his skill as a choral composer to write some truly fascinating ensemble pieces accompanied by a very intricate plot with many elements carefully layered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are several important thematic elements in this carefully written commentary on our society, and Sondheim makes good use of his music to accent not only the melodramatic plot, but these themes as well. For example, the song â€Å"Kiss Me† becomes an anthem for Anthony and Johanna and a symbol of their true love....they loved when they did not even know each other’s names. Sweeney Todd may be a dark musical, but its construction lends well to light voices and an equally light orchestral style. Plot-wise, this show is rather light, the characters seem cartoonish and one-dimensional, especially Mrs. Lovett, Anthony, and Johanna, who appear to be little more than melodramatic character roles. Ironically, Mrs. Lovett, the absolute capitalist, is one of the show’s most complex characters. Mrs. Lovett is not merely some amoral witch out to make a fast dollar, she is a character driven by greed and love to keep Sweeney however she can.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, the play gives an excellent example of captive innocence, and the loss of innocence that immediately follows. Sweeney is driven to murder, Mrs. Lovett bakes these people into pies, Johanna kills, Lucy is forced to become a Beggar and a whore, and nearly every major character experiences their own fall

Susan Griffins Our Secret and Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel Ess

â€Å"Our Secret† by Susan Griffin and â€Å"Are You My Mother?† by Alison Bechdel both present the issues of how control over all aspects of childhood continues to affect the victim much beyond childhood. Childhood is a time where children definitely need guidance, but it is also a time where the child should make some of their own choices. Children are naà ¯ve and see life in a more creative way than adults do. The dreams of a child may be far-fetched, such as becoming an astronaut or becoming the doctor who cures cancer, but these dreams should never be terminated by their parents. The childhood curiosity is what makes children better learners, and ultimately see the world without all of the dangers and flaws that adults see. Both parents in each of these novels deprived their children of the creativity that comes from being a child. A former U.S. lady once expressed her thoughts on parenting children by stating, "Children are likely to live up to what you be lieve of them." In â€Å"Our Secret† Heinrich Himmler is named after a prince, whom his father believes he can be like one day, as long as he makes the right decisions. Heinrich’s father controls what he writes in his journal, making Heinrich leave out emotions. Gebhard’s intimidating demeanor is exposed through the line, â€Å"He has the face of one who looks for mistakes. He is vigilant† (242). Growing up in a household where the only thing Heinrich’s father did was search for his mistakes must have been unsettling and stres...

A Thousand Splendid Suns: Relationships

Amidst the escalating conflicts of the Middle East, there are many relationships that Khaled Hosseini illustrates throughout the book. One of the main relationships that greatly affects Mariam’s life is her double sided relationship with her father, Jalil. At a young age, Mariam is recognized as an illegitimate child of Nana and Jalil. â€Å"Nor was she old enough to appreciate the injustice, to see that it is the creators of the harami who are culpable, not the harami, whose only sin is being born. †(pg. ) This emphasizes how from the very beginning, Mariam was not truly wanted by either her mother or father. Jalil loved Mariam yet only to a certain extent; he did not legitimately consider her as his daughter due to modern society’s outlook on the situation. Throughout Mariam’s childhood, she is filled with anticipation for acceptance. While Nana openly displays her strong hatred for Jalil, Mariam feels that he is the only person that loved her and accepted her. One day, she asks Jalil to bring her to his cinema to watch the film Pinocchio with her other brothers and sisters, he reluctantly accepts. The following day, Mariam waits for Jalil to take her into town. When his lack of presence appears clear to Mariam, she realizes that Jalil has no intention of developing a relationship outside of the Kolba. She begins to question their entire relationship and if all he has said to her has been lies. Hosseini vilifies Jalil’s character as Mariam ultimately discovers the truth of the situation and the idealized world that she once lived in is gone. This tragic novel is a great depiction of expectations and rejections.

Diversity in the United States Essay

Diversity in the United States Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Diversity is the concept of acceptance and respect upon every individual in relations to sexual category, ethnic and sexual coordination, and stage of development, bodily abilities and political beliefs. In United States there is synthesis of world’s abundant and varied religions, cultures and ethnic groups since it is a home to everybody and there is no group which can call itself the most American than the other. However, the merging of cultures here is so irreplaceable and so outstanding that citizens can be just as pleased and proud of their main cultural legacy as they are to be an American after all. The diversity in United States assemblage takes a moral look at what it means to be an American and scrutinizes the rich legacies that encompasses the entire nation. Any culture provides its specific and incomparable contribution to the current understanding in America and to the world generally. The issue of diversity in America not only provides a multitude of friendly portraits of heritage and culture, but records the fights of nationalities to incorporate into the sentimental society of America, and highlights the power and honesty of several cultural influential and socialites (Naylor, 1999, Naylor, 1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the current state of immigration in United States, diversity has however reached nearly every state in America. William Ferry, a demographer has stated that â€Å"This is just a strange explosion of diversity all across the United States† and thinks that diversity and immigration are going hand in hand. Due to the high of immigration, the current statistics indicate that Education ranks increased in every state from 2000 to 2010. Generally, the part of adults with 25 years and older with at least a high school diploma or certificate raised from 80 percent to 90 percent. Those adults with at least a bachelor’s degree from any university or college raised from 40 percent to 55 percent. This change could even rise higher in the coming years as far as there are available jobs and the growth of economy still continue growing in order to hold the population. Furthermore, there are all categories of construction, food p rocessing, every kind of service jobs, the full scale, where primary agriculture is practiced (Naylor, 1997)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Immigrants have also enriched American communities by bringing characteristics of their instinctive cultures with them. However, many of the black Americans now celebrate both Christmas and other festivals drawn from African rituals. Hispanic Americans enjoy their backgrounds with street fairgrounds and other parties or events. There are many ethnic restaurants that proliferate in many American cities. For example, President John Kennedy, the grandson of Irish immigrants, commissioned up this intermingling of the old and the new when he titled America as a society of immigrants, which could hold any person irrespective of their culture, race, religion or political ideologies and everyone would began life fresh, on an equal basis. Therefore, this is the secret of United State as a nation of people with the fresh retention of old backgrounds who venture to walk around with new borderlines (Lind, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, apart from the benefits which have been brought by the immigrants in the United States, challenges have been there more so to the government on how to counter the growing population. Services in all fields need to be increased and improved that is in organizational centers, health centers and educational centers because among the immigrants there are disabled people or people with special needs and they all expect assistance from the government. The issue of ethnicity is still there among various groups of people and this has led to gender difference and reduced sexual orientation. The uniformity that is beyond our internal extents there is outward effects of life practices, plus the choices we decide in our lives also affect our chances, circumstances, and elevations and since these controls, outward extents of religion, maternal prominence, and presence may influence others to create conventions about the immigrants (Naylor 1999 ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Therefore, diversity need to be fostered in all terms of climate of acceptance and cultural pluralism in the United States in the following ways. First, Asian, Hispanic, black, and American Indian kids require the same basic skills that we have low priorities that white children require. This is a recognizable point, but it is most forgotten idea when the subject of multiethnic education is raised. Second, they need a broad considerate of our form of government and its organizations because we live in a country in which we enjoy countless freedom, but we also live in a country in which people are extremely unconcerned. Third, we must teach our children the history of this United States and there are many sources where we can get that history. Finally, all American kids need a well understanding of the world in which we live, and this includes something of the history of other nations. They need a foundation in geography, which, if shown we ll, will also teach them why nations advanced as they did. Rivers, terrain and climate are all important to the improvement of culture and should be understood well (Naylor, 1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ways in which media perpetuate stereotyping and prejudice are relatively few. Erratically, there are studies within fields of journalism and mass communication that concentrate on stereotype and prejudice decline. One of the way is applying an audience-based tactic that openly teaches audiences how to be critical media consume while the other method is using message based method which enables the participants with all stereotypical news narratives that explain the existing cultural practices about various racial groups. The results of these two media-based methods on the accessibility of unfriendly and compassionate racial typecasts are considered to be having a great change. Finally every individual need to construct up prejudice like in other states such as Germany, china and Japan to improve our entrepreneurship. This may be called Ideology but we have to become one, not diverse and unlike (Lester, 2011, Lind, 2010). References Lester, P. M. (2011). Images That Injure: Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media, Third Edition. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. Lind, R. A. (2010). Race/gender/media: Considering diversity, across audiences, content, and producers. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Naylor, L. L. (1999). Problems and issues of diversity in the United States. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Bergin & Garvey. Naylor, L. L. (1997). Cultural diversity in the United States. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Bergin & Garvey. Source document

Fourty famous studies that influeneced psychology Essay

Born First, Born Smarter This study involves a person’s intellectual development in correlation to the order in which they were born in relation to their siblings. Two research psychologists, Robert B. Zajonc and Gregory B. Markus, developed a theory in an attempt to explain the relationship between birth order and intelligence. They conducted this study by gathering information from previous research and applied it to the data they collected themselves. A research project was conducted n the late 1960’s that involved testing the intellectual abilities of children born at the end of WWII. They found a strong relationship between the birth order and the Raven test scores. The ones born first scored higher, and the score decreased with the declining birth order. However, the average Raven score for the first born in a two family is only about 5 points higher then that for a last born in a family with nine children. So the more children you have, and the smaller the gap between each child is, the more intelligent each child in succession will be. In Control and Glad of It Researchers Ellen J. Langer and Judith Rodin conducted a field experiment using elderly people in an elderly home to test the outcome of when people are given control as opposed to when people have everything done for them. Langer and Rodin’s prediction was that if the loss of personal responsibility for one’s life causes a person to be less happy and healthy, then increasing control and power should have the opposite effect. Two floors of the elderly home were randomly selected to be observed. One floor was given options for certain things such as there furniture arrangement and which movie they would like to attend. The other floor, was given no such options and had everything arranged and done for them by the staff. The staff was asked to fill out questionnaires about the patients on their floor (the staff new nothing of the experiment). The questionnaires had questions on it to comment about things such as if the patents were sociable, happy, alert, and even how much they visited other patients. The differences between the two groups were incredible. They determined that overall, the increased responsibility group’s condition improved over the three weeks of  the study, while the no-control group was doing progressively poorer. They concluded that when people who have been forced to give up their control and decision-making power are given a greater sense of personal responsibility, their lives and attitudes improve, as is true with the opposing side. More Experience = Bigger Brain Mark R. Rosenzweig and Edward L. Bennett wanted to find out if the brain changes in response to experience. Because this experiment involved long periods of observation and even autopsies to observe the changes in the brain, the two researchers couldn’t use human subjects, so they used rats for the experiment. Three male rats where chosen to participate and assigned to one of three conditions. One rat remained in the colony cage with the rest of the colony. One rat was placed in an â€Å"enriched environment† and one was placed in an â€Å"impoverished environment†. There were 12 rats in each of these conditions for each of the 16 experiments. The standard cage had many rats and had adequate space with food and water always available. The improvised environment was a slightly smaller cage, isolated in a separate room, where the rat was alone with adequate food and water. Finally, the enriched environment was a large cage filled with many toys and furnished with e very luxury a rat could want. The results indicated that the brains of the enriched rats were highly different from those of the impoverished rats. The cerebral cortex of the enriched rats was significantly heavier and thicker then those of the impoverished rats. Also, the study found a significantly greater number of glial cells in the enriched rats’ brains compared with the rats raised in the dull environment. After 10 years of experiment and research the researchers could clearly and confidently state that â€Å"there is no doubt that many aspects of brain anatomy and brain chemistry are changed by experience.† However, many scientists were skeptical of there findings because there were factors that Rosenzweig and Bennett didn’t take into consideration. The enriched rats were handled more which could have been a brain stimulus and the impoverished rats could have been stressed from having no contact with anyone or anything at all. See Aggression†¦Do Aggression One of he most famous and influential experiment ever conducted in psychology history demonstrated how children learn to be aggressive. This study by Albert Bandura and his associates Dorothea Ross and Shelia Ross was carried out in 1961 at Stanford University. The researchers asked for the help of the Stanford University nursery in obtaining thirty-six boys and thirty-six girls raging from ages 3-6. The average age for he children was 4 years and 4 months. Twenty four of the children were assigned to the control group which was the group that wasn’t exposed to any model. The rest of the children were divided into two groups: one exposed to aggressive models and one exposed to non-aggressive models, they were also divided by sex. They eventually had 8 experimental groups divided by gender and level of aggression. First, the experimenter brought a child from one of the groups to a playroom with an adult model. The adult model beat a Bobo doll with a fake mallet while the child played with other toys. Another child was brought in after and the adult model ignored the Bobo doll. This went on for all the groups. 1) The children who were exposed to the violent models tended to imitate the exact violent behaviors they observed when left alone with the Bobo doll. 2) Overall, girls were more likely to imitate the verbal aggression toward the Bobo doll, while the boys showed more physical violence. 3) Boys were significantly more physically aggressive then girls in nearly all the conditions. 4) The boys used the mallet significantly more then girls in almost all of the conditions. 5) The control group was generally less violent then the experimental group.6) in cases with a non-aggressive female, the children used hardly any aggressive language. What You Expect Is What You Get This study involves teacher’s expectancies of pupils and how that affects the students I.Q. gains. Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson conducted a study where they theorized that when an elementary school teacher is provided with information (such as I.Q. scores) that creates certain expectancies about a student’s potential, either strong or weak, the teacher might unknowingly behave in ways that subtly encourage or facilitate the performance of the students seen as more likely to succeed. An elementary school was chosen and  all the children grades 1-6 were given an I.Q. test near the beginning of the year. The teachers were told that there students were taking the â€Å"Harvard Test of Inflected Acquisition†. This was told to them because this test was supposed to be a predictor for a child’s academic blooming. Teachers believed that students that scored higher would enter a period of increased learning abilities. This was also not true. Children were chosen at random to be within the top 20 percentile of this test and the teachers were informed of this. All other children were the control group of this experiment. At the end of the year the children were tested again using the I.Q. test and the children originally chosen for the top 20% showed a significantly increased score then those of the control group in grades one and two. In grades 3-6 the difference was not so great. The reason for the 1st and 2nd grade development was thought to be because of how younger minds were more malleable then older children and how younger children don’t have a reputation from previous school years. I Can See It All Over Your Face Researchers Paul Ekman and Wallace V. Freisen conducted a study about how facial expressions and emotions are a universal language. The first problem with this experiment was that the researchers had to find subjects that had never been exposed to media or magazines because this would enable the subjects to not truthfully identify a certain emotional expression. Ekman and Freisen found a group of people like this in the Southeast Highlands of New Guinea called the Fore people. They were an isolated Stone Age society with not much contact of any other people outside there environment, let alone any media. They had not been exposed to emotional facial expressions other then those of there own people. The two researchers showed there experimental groups of adults and children pictures of different facial expressions of people from the United States and told them a sentence. They asked them to identify by pointing, to the correct matching facial expression. The adults were given three pictures to choose from and the children were given two. There was not much difference between male and female recognition of expressions, however the children did fair a little better in the experiment. This could have been attributed to the fact that  the children only had to choose between two pictures instead of three. The results for both adults and children clearly support the researcher’s theory that particular facial behaviors are universally associated with particular emotions. The only trouble that the Fore people had was distinguishing between fear and surprise, and this was because these people closely associated fear and surprise as one emotion. Racing Against Your Heart Using their earlier research and clinical observations, two cardiologists, Meyer Friedman and Ray H. Rosenman, developed a model of traits for a specific type of persons behavioral pattern that they believed was related to growing levels of cholesterol and to heart disease. The first pattern, pattern A, had characteristics such as a drive to achieve your goals, a competing personality, multi-tasking that involves meeting deadlines, and extreme alertness. Following this is another type of people, called pattern B. Pattern B is the exact opposite of pattern A. They lacked drive, ambition, desire to compete, and involvement in deadlines. A third set of behaviors developed was called pattern C. This was very much like pattern B but involved anxiety and insecurity. Friedman and Rosenman interviewed about 166 men for there experiment. They first questions they asked them were about there family’s medical history, so they could see if they had CHD. While in this interview the researc hers categorized each man into a pattern A or B category by the way he answered questions, or his tone, or body language. Each subject was asked to keep a log of there diet over the course of a week and blood tests were taken from each of the men to measure cholesterol levels. Friedman and Rosenman matched each man into pattern A and pattern B easily. Each man fit into one of the developed patterns. The researchers found that the men in Pattern A group had significantly higher chances of heart disease and that type A behavior was a major cause of blood abnormalities. However there could be other reasons why Type A had higher chances of heart disease such as, there family’s history. More men in the pattern A group had parents with heart disease. Another difference was that pattern A men smoked more cigarettes a day then did the subjects in group B. This study was very important in the history of psychology for a few  reasons. One way was that it proved certain behavioral patterns can cause major heart related illness. Another is that this study began a new line of research and questioning into t he relationship between behavior and CHD. The largest long-range outcome from this study that has played an important role in creating a new branch of psychology called health psychology. Not Practicing What You Preach This study involves attitudes and actions toward different racial groups. It was determine if what people say is actually what they will do if they come face to face with the problem. Richard T. LaPiere traveled extensively with a young Chinese couple in 1930 and 1931. The couple was very nice and personable and he was glad to be traveling with them. During this time there was a lot of prejudice in the U.S. against Asians. So, LaPiere was very surprised when the Asian couple was graciously accommodated at a very fine hotel that had a reputation for greatly disliking Orientals. Two months later he called the same hotel and asked if they would accommodate a very important Chinese man and they said defiantly not. LaPiere then developed a theory that stated â€Å"What people say is often not what they do†. The study was conducted in two separate parts. First, LaPiere went with his Chinese friends to many hotels and restaurant throughout the U.S. over the course of two years. He took record of how the couple was treated and made sure to first stay out of site of the managers of the establishments to ensure that the couple wouldn’t be treated differently in his presence. The second part of the experiment was for LaPiere to wait 6 months after there trip (to make sure the effect of the Chinese couples visit had faded), and then call each establishment that they went to or stayed at, and asked them if they would accommodate a Chinese person. After almost three years, LaPiere had enough information to make a comparison of social attitudes social behavior. Out of the 251 hotels and restaurants they attended, only one refused the couple and LaPiere service because of the couple’s race. Aside from that instance, all other places accommodated them with average or above average service. When he received most of the letters back with an answer from the hotels and restaurants over 90% of them said they would absolutely not accommodate anyone of the Chinese race. This confirmed LaPiere’s theory that what people  say, is not always how they will act. The Power of Conformity Research psychologist Solomon E. Asch conducted a study to see if people will give into peer pressure and conform to there friends ideas. A person was let into a room (Subject A) with seven other subjects. These seven people, without subject A knowing, were not participants in the experiment, they were helping the experimenter. Each person was asked which line was longer on a card that was shown to them. Subject A went first and then followed was the seven other subjects and then subject A was asked again. They did this several times until one time, all the other subjects disagreed with subject A and all picked the same one, different form his choice. When the card came back to subject A he picked the one everyone else picked. Seventy-Five percent of the time the first subject will conform to the group’s consensus at least once. The powerful effects of group pressures to conform were clearly demonstrated in Asch’s study. There are four factors that could have an effect on the reduction of conformity. These factors are social support, attraction and commitment to the group, size of the group, and gender of the group. If you have people on your side you are more likely to stay with your answer rather then conform. Crowding Into The Behavioral Sink The effects of crowding on our behavior are something that has interested psychologists for decades. One man in particular, John B. Calhoun was especially interested in it when he conducted this study on crowding and social pathology. It may be hard to believe but rats do have a social side. The reason Calhoun used rats were because he needed many subjects for long periods of time that were willing to crowd together for a while. Humans wouldn’t be very good at this. He used a 10Ãâ€"14 foot room and divided it into 4 sections. Section one was connected to section 2 by a ramp, section 2 was connected to section 3 by a ramp, and section 3 was connected to section 4 by a ramp. The walls were electrified so in order to get from section 1 to section 4 you needed to go through all the rooms. The rooms were also filled  with shreds of paper, in order for the rats to make nests. The experimenter filled the rooms with rats. They started with about 4 rats and waited or the rats to multiply until they reached 80. When over 80 were reached some rats were removed so they always had a constant number. When the rats got older, they started to fight with each other for space even though it wasn’t necessarily too crowded. The two end rooms were soon fought for because they got the most space and privacy so the rat that won the fight always stayed on guard at the end of the ramp for security. Some rats became submissive and others always fought. Some of the rats were very sexually active and some wanted nothing to do with it. Some of the mothers in the two middle pens became inadequate. They often left their children and lost all maternal abilities. One environment where the same thing that happened to the rats might happen to humans is in an overcrowded prison. It was found in a very crowded prison where each inmate has approximately 50 square feet, as opposed to one with more room, there were more cases of homicides, suicide, illness, and disciplinary problems. Crowding also has negative effects on problem-solving abilities. When in a small room that’s crowded subjects had a more difficult time listening to a story and putting tighter a puzzle, then did another group with more space and the same tasks. Relaxing Your Fears Away Researcher Joseph Wolpe was a research psychologist specializing in the systematic desensitization treatment of neuroses. The word phobia comes from Phobos, the name of the Greek god of fear. Phobias are divided into three main categories. Simple phobias are phobias that involve irrational fears of animals or specific situations such as small spaces or heights. Social phobias are irrational fears about interaction with others. Agoraphobia is the irrational fear of being in an unfamiliar, open, or crowded space. These are all irrational and all can be treated in similar ways. Systematic desensitization is a behavioral technique that was credited to Wolpe as perfecting and applying it to the treatment of anxiety disorders. Systematic desensitization is the way of unlearning a learned behavior. Reciprocal inhibition is when two responses inhibit each other, and only one may exist at a given moment. There are three steps that a patient must follow in order  to rid themselves of a phobi a. Wolpe says that you cannot be in a complete relaxed state and have an irrational fear at the same time, so the first step is relaxation. He taught the patient to go into a deep state of relaxation whenever they wanted or needed too. The process involves tensing and relaxing your muscles until you have reached a state of complete relaxation. Wolpe also incorporated hypnosis to ensure full relaxation. The next step in the process is for the therapist and patient to develop a list of high anxiety-producing situations involving your phobia. Starting with the least stressful and ending with the most stressful. The final stage is called the unlearning stage. The patient has to go into a deep state of relaxation and the therapist will read off to you your fears of the list. If at any point you feel anxiety the therapist stops you return to your relaxation mode and the therapist will continue. This process continues until the therapist can go through the entire list with you feeling the least bit anxious. The success of their therapy was judged by the patients own reports and by the occasional direct observation. He had a success rate of 91% with the 39 cases he had. The average number of treatment sessions needed was 12.3. Wolpe said that he hasn’t had any patient relapse after a complete desensitization recovery. Who’s Crazy Here, Anyway? David L. Rosenhan conducted an experiment with sane people going into mental facilities claiming to hear voices, to see if the patients would be immediately released if acting completely sane. Rosenhan questioned whether the characteristics that lead to psychological diagnoses reside in the patients themselves or in the situations in which the observers find the patients. Eight subjects including Rosenhan committed themselves to eight different mental hospitals. Each subject was completely sane and in perfect mental health. When committing themselves to the hospital they complained of hearing voices and all but one where admitted and on record as having schizophrenia. Each patient once admitted, acted perfectly sane and showed no signs of schizophrenia yet were treated as though they did have a mental illness throughout their entire stay. They were given medication which they disposed of and were not treated as normal people. It was as if because they  were in the mental hospital, they were automatically considered to not be a real human being. Rosenhan’s study demonstrated rather strongly that normal â€Å"patients† cannot be distinguished from the mentally ill in a hospital setting. According to Rosenhan, this is because of the strength of the mental setting has over the patient’s actual behavior. Once patients are admitted to such a place, there is a strong inclination for them to be viewed in ways that strip them of all individuality. This study surprises me. I’m taken aback that these professionals that have worked with mentally ill patients cannot decipher between a truly mental patient and a completely mentally-healthy patient. It is extremely unprofessional that the staff member/nurse did at one of the facilities by adjusting her bra in front of patients as if they weren’t real people. Thanks For The Memories One of the leading researchers in the area of memory is Elizabeth Loftus at the University of Washington. She has found that when an event is recalled it is not accurately recreated. Instead it’s what’s called reconstructive memory. Loftus defines a presupposition as a condition that must be true in order for the question to make sense. For example, suppose that you have witnessed an automobile accident and I ask you, â€Å"How many people were in the car that was speeding?† The question presupposes that the car was speeding. One experiment done by Loftus was having students in small groups watch a car accident video that was about 1 minute long. After the film ended the students had to answer questions. For half the students the first question was â€Å"How fast was car A going when it ran the stop sign?† The other students had a question that read â€Å"How fast was car A going when I turned right?† The last question for both groups was â€Å"Did you see the stop sign?† In the group that had been asked about the stop sign 53% of the subjects said they saw a stop sign for car A, while only 35% in the â€Å"turned right† group claimed to have seen it. Based on these and other studies, Loftus argues that an accurate theory of memory and recall must include a process of reconstruction that occurs when new information is integrated into the original memory of an event. There is little doubt that in the course of criminal prosecutions, eye witness reports are subject to many sources of  error such as post event information integration.

Citric Acid Cycle

Describe the role of the citric acid cycle as a central metabolic mechanism. Explain what happens to the cells’ abilities to oxidize acetyl CoA when intermediates of the cycle are drained off for amino acid biosynthesis. Glucose is a source of energy that is metabolized into glycolysis to pyruvate yielding ATP. To become more efficient, pyruvate must be oxidized into carbon dioxide and water. This combustion of carbon dioxide and water to generate ATP is called cellular respiration (Tymoczko, Berg & Stryer, 2013, p. 315). In eukaryotic cells, this aerobic process is used because of the efficiency.Cellular respiration is divided into parts: carbon fuels are completely oxidized with a concomitant generation of high transfer potential electrons in a series of reactions called citric acid cycle, tricarboxylic acid cycle, or Krebs cycle (Tymoczko, p. 318); the acetyl groups are fed into the citric cycle which are oxidized to CO2 and the energy released in conserved reduced electron carriers- NADH and FADH; the high transfer potential electrons transferred to oxygen to form water in a series of oxidation-reduction reactions called oxidative phosphorylation (Tymoczko, p.  318).The citric acid cycle takes place in the mitochondria and is the central metabolic hub in the cell; the gateway to aerobic metabolism of all fuel molecules (Tymoczko, p. 318). This cycle is important source for the building blocks of molecules such as amino acids, nucleotide bases, and porphyrin. Pyruvate can convert into different molecules depending on the aerobic (acetyl coenzyme A) or anaerobic condition (lactic acid or ethanol). In the presence of oxygen, acetyl CoA is able to enter the citric acid cycle because this is the most acceptable fuel input into the cell.The path that the pyruvate takes depends on the energy needs of the cell and the oxygen availability (Tymoczko, p. 318). Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex consist of three distinct enzymes each with its own active site: Pyru vate dehydrogenase catalyzes the decarboxylation of pyruvate and the formation of acetyllipoamide, dihydrolipoyl transacetylase forms acetyl CoA, and dihydrolipoly dehydrogenase regenerates the active transacetylase (Tymoczko, p. 319).These three enzymes participate with five coenzymes: thiamine pyrophosphate, lipoic acid, coenzyme A, NAD+, and FAD. Acetyl CoA undergoes oxidation by donating the acetyl group to the four-carbon compound oxaloacetate to form the six-carbon citrate. Citrate is transformed to isocitrate (six-carbon molecule), that is dehydrogenated with the loss of CO2 (twice) to yield a five-carbon compound a-ketoglutarate (oxoglutarate). A-ketoglutarate undergoes loss of CO2 yielding a four-carbon succinate and second molecule of CO2.Succinate is enzymatically converted into a three step four-carbon oxaloacetate. Citric acid cycle removes electrons from citrate and uses these electrons to form NADH and FADH2. These electrons carriers yield nine molecules of ATP when o xidized by O2 in oxidative phosphorylation. Electrons released in the reoxidations of NADH and FADH2 flow through a series of membrane proteins (electron-transport chain) generating a proton gradient across the membrane. This proton gradient is used to generate ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate (Tymoczko, p. 330).The citric acid is comprised of two stages: Each turn of the cycle, one acetyl group (two-carbon) enters the acetyl-CoA and two molecules of CO2 leave-one molecule of oxaloacetate is used to form citrate then metabolized to a four carbon molecule; the remaining four carbon molecule is metabolized after many reactions- oxaloacetate is regenerated. The citric acid cycle has eight steps: 1. The formation of citrate is the condensation of acetyl-CoA with oxaloacetate to form citrate and is catalyzed by citrate synthase. This occurs by the condensation of four-carbon unit, oxaloacetate, and a two-carbon unit, the acetyl group of acetyl CoA.Oxaloacetate reacts with acetyl CoA and water to yield citrate and CoA (Tymoczko, p. 330). 2. The formation of isocitrate via cis-Aconitate. The enzyme aconitase catalyzes the reversible transformation of citrate to isocitrate through formation of tricarboxylic acid cis-aconitate. Citrate is isomerized into isocitrate to enable the six carbon unit to undergo oxidative decarboxylation allowing a dehydration and hydration step of citrate (Tymoczko, p. 332). Aconitase can promote the reversible addition of H2O to double bond of enzyme-bound cis-anonitate in two ways: one leading to citrate and the other to isocitrate.3. Oxidation of isocitrate to a-ketoglutarate and CO2. Isocitrate dehydrogenase catalyzes oxidative decarboxylation of isocitrate to form a-ketoglutarate. The two forms of isocitrate dehydrogenase require NAD+ as electron acceptor and NADP+. This intermediate reaction is oxalosuccinate (unstable alpha-ketoacid). The enzyme loses CO2 to form alpha-ketoglutarate which generates the first high-transfer potentia l electron carrier in the cycle NADH through oxidation (Tymoczko, p. 332). 4. Oxidation of a-ketoglutarate to succinyl-CoA and CO2.Oxidative decarboxylation of a-ketoglutarate is converted to succinyl-CoA and CO2 by the a-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. During this portion of citric acid cycle, the two carbon atoms have entered the cycle and two carbon atoms have been oxidized to CO2. The electrons from oxidations are captured in two molecules of NADH (Tymoczko, p. 333). 5. Conversion of Succinyl-CoA to succinate. Succinyl-CoA has a thioester bond with a strong negative standard free energy of hydrolysis (six-carbon citrate from the four-carbon oxaloacetate and the two-carbon fragment).The energy released in the breakage of the bond is used to drive the synthesis of a phosphoanhydride bond in either GTP or ATP. The enzyme that catalyzes the reaction is succinyl-CoA synthetase. In tissues that require large amount of cellular respirations, ADP predominates whereas anabolic react ions require GDP/GTP (Tymoczko, p. 334). The methylene group (CH2) is converted into a carbonyl group (C=O) in three steps: an oxidation, hydration, and a second oxidation reaction (Tymoczko, p. 335). The energy produced and extracted in the forms of FADH2 and NADH. 6.Oxidation of succinate to fumarate. Succinate formed from succinyl-CoA is oxidized to fumarate by flavoprotein succinate dehydrogenase. FAD is the hydrogen acceptor in the reaction. Succinate dehydrogenase is directly associated with the electron-transport chain transferring two electrons directly from FADH2 to coenzyme CoQ; CoQ passes electrons to the oxygen acceptor (Tymoczko, p. 334). Succinate is oxidized to fumarate; starting the next step of hydration of fumarate to form L-malate. 7. Hydration of fumarate to malate. The hydration of fumarate to L-malate is catalyzed by fumarase.Malate is oxidized to form oxaloacetate and NAD+ is the hydrogen acceptor (Tymoczko, p. 335). 8. Oxidation of Malate to oxaloacetate. Thi s is the last reaction of the citric acid cycle. NAD-linked L-malate dehydrogenase is the oxidation of L-malate to oxaloacetate. The citric acid is considered important in the central metabolic mechanism because: it is the starting points for synthesis of a variety of intermediate compounds such as the metabolism of sugars and amino acids; the metabolism of amino acids and lipids; and it links anaerobic metabolism to aerobic metabolism.The pathway of the citric acid cycle is the intermediate hub of metabolism that serves to fuel many types of compounds. The intermediates are drawn out of the cycle to be used as precursors in many varieties of biological pathways. The citric acid cycle is amphibolic pathway serving as catabolic and anabolic processes. The oxidative catabolism of carbohydrates, fatty acids, and amino acids through reactions serve as precursors. For example, amino acids such as aspartate and glutamate, the carbons of oxaloacetate and a-ketoglutarate build other amino a cids like purine and pyrimidine nucleotides.Oxaloacetate is converted to glucose in gluconeogenesis. Succinyl-CoA is an intermediate in the synthesis of the prophyrin ring of heme groups serving as oxygen carriers (blood) and electron carriers such as cytochromes (Retrieved from Foundations of biochemistry). The mechanisms of the citric acid cycle complement each other by reducing the rate of the formation of acetyl CoA when the energy of the cell is high and biosynthetic intermediates are abundant. This energy is abundant and the cycle can provide a source of building blocks for biomolecules such as nucleotide bases, proteins, and heme groups.This depletes the intermediates and when the cycle needs replenishment of the intermediates, anaplerotic reactions occur (Tymoczko, p. 343). Describe the 3 steps in photosynthesis, detailing the interrelationships among them. (Discussion in the online classroom. ) The three steps part of photosynthesis process involves capturing energy from th e sunlight; using energy to make ATP and reducing power in the form of NADPH; and using ATP and NADPH to power the synthesis of organic molecules (carbohydrates) from CO2 in the air (carbon fixation).There are two types of reactions that take place to ensure the process of photosynthesis: the light-dependent reactions and the light-independent reactions (Calvin cycle). Light-dependent reactions provide raw materials such as ATP serving as a source of energy and NADPH provides the reducing power (taftcollege. edu). Light reactions result in the creation of reducing power for the production of NADPH, the generation of a transmembrane proton gradient for the formation of ATP, and the production of O2 (Tymoczko, p.  404).The Calvin cycle (C3 photosynthesis) is the pathway that assembles the new molecules which takes place in the stroma of the chloroplasts (Retrieved from Taft College website). Chloroplasts are organelles in which photosynthesis takes place. The main role of chloroplas t is to capture light energy and convert the electromagnetic radiation into chemical energy for the essence and is the key to life on planet earth. Chloroplasts have an inner and outer membrane.The inner membrane surrounds a space called the stroma that contains soluble enzymes (rubisco-important in the Calvin cycle) that reduce power and ATP converting CO2 into sugar (Tymoczko, p. 390). In the stroma, membranous discs called thylakoid are aligned in stacks which are impermeable to most molecules and ions whereas the outer membrane of chloroplast has a permeable membrane to small molecules and ions (Tymoczko, p. 390). Thylakoids have a large surface area for light absorption and the space within them allows rapid accumulation of protons (Retrieved from Taft College website).Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll, a green pigment found inside the thylakoid membranes. Hundreds of chlorophyll molecules function together like an antenna system for the capture of light photons resulting in che mical electron excitement (Gu, 2013). The region of chemical excitation, called an exciton, migrates through the chlorophyll antenna until it reaches a point in the array where it can be funneled into a chemical system (Gu, 2013). Chlorophyll has two types: chlorophyll a, primarily in green plants has less absorption than chlorophyll b.Chlorophyll b has accessory pigments such as carotenoids which give the colors of yellows and reds in plants. The accessory pigments are arranged in numerous light-harvesting complexes that completely surround the reaction center; these pigments absorb light and deliver the energy to the reaction center by resonance energy transfer for conversion into chemical forms (Tymoczko, p. 394). The chlorophyll molecules are arranged in groups called photosystems. There are two types of photosystems are Photosystem I and Photosystem II.When chlorophyll molecule absorbs light, energy from the light raises chlorophyll electron molecules to a higher energy state k nown as being photoactivated (Retrieved from Taft College website). Excited electrons anywhere within the photosystem are then passed on from one chlorophyll molecule to the next until they reach a special chlorophyll molecule at the reaction center of the photosystem leading to a chain of electron carriers (Retrieved from Taft College website). The light-dependent reactions start within Photosystem II.Photosystem II responds to wavelengths shorter than 680 nm sending electrons through a membrane-bound proton pump called cytochrome bf and then to photosystem I to replace the electrons that are donated to photosystem I to NADP+. The electrons in the reaction center of photosystem II are replaced when two molecules of water are oxidized to generate a molecule of oxygen (Tymoczko, p. 395). When excited electrons reach the special chlorophyll molecule at the reaction center of PS II, this chain of electron carriers found within the thylakoid membrane releases energy.The energy is used t o pump protons (hydrogen ions) across the thylakoid membrane into the space within the thylakoid forming a proton gradient. The protons can travel back across the membrane, down the concentration gradient, passing through ATP synthase. ATP synthase is located in the thylakoid membrane and it uses the energy released from the movement of protons down their concentration gradient to synthesize ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate (Retrieved from Taft College website). This proton gradient is the driving force for ATP production (Tymoczko, p.395). The synthesis of ATP in this manner is called non-cyclic photophosphorylation (uses the energy of excited electrons from photosystem II). The electrons from the chain of electron carriers are then accepted by Photosystem I. Photosystem I responds to light within wavelengths shorter than 700 nm and responsible for providing electrons to reduce NADP+ to NADPH, requiring a reduction in power of the electrons (Tymoczko, p. 395). Electrons are rep laced from previous electrons lost from Photosystem I.Photosystem I absorbs light and becomes photoactivated leading to excited electrons that are raised to a higher energy state. These electrons are passed along a short chain of electron carriers and used to reduce NADP+ in the stroma (Retrieved from Taft College website). The powerful reductant ferredoxin reacts with NADP+ forming NADPH. When there is a shortage of NADP+ this inhibits the normal flow of electrons. When this occurs, the alternative pathway for ATP production (cyclic photophosphorylation) begins with Photosystem I absorbing light and becoming photoactivated.The excited electrons from Photosystem I are passed to a chain of electron carriers between Photosystem I and II. These electrons travel along the chain of carriers back to Photosystem I causing the pumping of protons across the thylakoid membrane creating a proton gradient (Retrieved from Taft College website). The protons move back across the thylakoid membrane through ATP synthase producing ATP. The light dependent reactions produce oxygen as a waste product. The special chlorophyll molecules at the reaction center pass electrons to the chain of electron carriers, becoming positively charged.Within the thylakoid space, water molecules are split due to the enzyme at the reaction center known as photolysis (Retrieved from Taft College website). Oxygen and H+ ions are formed, leading to the waste product of oxygen which most living organisms need on earth. The dark phase of photosynthesis starts with the reaction of CO2 and ribulose 1, 5-bisphosphate to form two molecules of 3-phosphoglycerate (Tymoczko, p. 418). The light-independent reactions of photosynthesis occur in the stroma of the chloroplast and involve the conversion of carbon dioxide and other compounds into glucose.The light-independent reactions can be split into three stages; these are carbon fixation, the reduction reactions and finally the regeneration of ribulose bisphospha te – collectively these stages are known as the Calvin Cycle (Retrieved from Taft College website). During carbon fixation, carbon dioxide in the stroma (which enters the chloroplast by diffusion) reacts with a five-carbon sugar called ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP) to form a six-carbon compound which is catalyzed by an enzyme called ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (large amounts present within the stroma), known as rubisco (Retrieved from Taft College website).Rubisco is the most abundant enzyme in plants and most abundant protein in the biosphere (Tymoczko, p. 409). As soon as the six-carbon compound is formed, it splits to form two molecules of 3-phosphoglycerate. 3-phosphoglycerate is then used in the reduction reactions (Retrieved from Taft College website). 3-phosphoglycerate is reduced during the reduction reactions to a three-carbon sugar called hexose phosphate that consist of 3 types of isomeric forms: glucose 1-phosphate, glucose 6- phosphate, and fructose 6-phosph ate known as hexose monophosphate pool (Tymoczko, p.  409).Energy and hydrogen is needed for the reduction that are supplied by ATP and NADPH and H+ (both produced during light-dependent reactions). The condensation of many molecules of glucose phosphate forms starch in the form of carbohydrates which is stored in plants. The hexose phosphates produced during the reduction reactions, only use one to synthesize glucose phosphate, the other phosphates will be used to regenerate RuBP (Retrieved from Taft College website).The regeneration of RuBP is essential for carbon fixation to continue. Five hexose phosphate molecules will undergo a series of reactions requiring energy from ATP, to form three molecules of RuBP which are consumed and produced during light-independent reactions forming the Calvin cycle. The actual operation of photosynthesis reactions, called the carbon reduction or Calvin cycle, may be summarized as follows: 6 CO2 + 6 RudP —-> 6 RudP + 1 Hexose # of carbons 6 + 30 —-> 30 + 6